A TALENT EXPOSED by DEMONS FACED

This cute kid is all grown up now. He is Branch Tanner Archer, IV, and my middle grandson. To show my love and pride in him, I am dedicating this blog post to a recent paper he presented as an English assignment in his Freshman year at UT. I am pleased to report that he made an A on this. Of course, I told him I knew he would.

He explained to me that the assignment was "to write a 30 stanza poem about being a college freshman in terza rima, the rhyme scheme Dante used. It’s in iambic pentameter, 10 syllables per line, and an ABA - BCB - CDC rhyme scheme."

DEMONS FACED

(Photo: TIBOR KERCZ)

Yes, I, just hatched, had seen it all before,

Not once, but twice a sister left our nest.

“Be safe! Have fun! And call me I implore!”

Well time had passed with haste despite protest,
And I myself now faced the greatest flight.

Set back by hubris, I began my quest.

In hopes that you will learn from me I write.

Now midway through the journey of my year,

I find myself quite lost, not erudite,

And I have much to learn, and that is clear;

Yet turn your favored ear my dearest friend,

For you and I differ by just a year.

Just how I got there I can’t comprehend

The passing years so speedy and obscure

Without a guide, myself I had to fend

At last my first challenge I must endure:

I sat at lunch and looked around the room,

So many faces that I felt unsure.

“I can do this!” conceited, I assumed.

I took my plate and found a cordial face,

A small, humble friendship I hoped could bloom.

A second passed and then I knew my place.

Where I once hoped just for a kindly smile

A sickened face he made I can’t efface

Within my head and heart. This sting and trial

Was one that grew more challenging by day.

With this great fear I had to reconcile.

No volleyball had I, no cast away.

It was not range nor space that brought this Brute.

“To feel alone among a mass, to say,

can sting much worse, your happiness transmute.”

Who’s this, you say? A friendly bird I told

You of, the first to fly, one quite astute.

The Virgil to my Dante, I behold.

And what that bird gave me I can’t reflect,

Naïve in poetry. My strength threefold,

Empowered by friendship, I now connect

My fist to Loneliness, its wretched face.

With time I grew, with her I resurrect,

The happiness and grit I now embrace.

Short time had passed till I had fought again,

The second college struggle I would face.

A fight that is predictable, the stain

It leaves, a scholar’s pain. I had to make

A bitter choice. I weighed the scales for gain

 

Or loss in Chemistry, a test, a Snake.
The choice betwixt a concert of that band
I praise, or study and avoid the ache

and venom of that Snake, his poison gland.

As much as I would like to lie, you may

Have guessed I chose unwise. The day at hand

I dueled that snake, I lacked my tools. Now prey

Had I become, for sleep and time with books,

Vitalities I had forgone. To say

The least his bite had stung. The Snake unhooks

His fangs, and what remains, my shriveled pride,

For I mistook the Snake and judged by looks.

Once more I faced the hardened Snake and tried

To use my tools of sleep and books. Thank God!!

I fell the snake, but be aware and bide

By my advice. He waits for you, façade

Of death, to drop your tools and choose unwise.

The second challenge now complete, with laud

And glory I proceed. Now time that flies

Carries a better man to stronger foes.

Not long ago did these events grace eyes

Of mine. It was on break, the story goes,

When I had faced that third and final match.

A demon of the heart and home arose.

“On Thanksgiving his heart I shall dispatch!”

I disembark my plane; at home is where

He grows. A mother’s hug, a tighter latch

 

He has on those who weep. For every care

He makes you pay. For every friend, he slaps

Your face. “I miss my dogs, my room, this chair!”

Nostalgia floods your heart, now laced with traps,

Of memories now old and dear. Too soon

You shall be ripped away, a hell relapse.

In just a second I was back, the moon

Now held my gaze. How strange it is that I

Look on the same white face at home. “Attune

Yourself to suffering, but do not cry.”

My bird was back, my faithful guide. “This foe

Will fall when you have recognized goodbye.

This pain results from things once good, I know.
Appreciate those memories, let’s not
Forget. Now lift your head and have a go

At making more, you won’t regret.” I wrought

Myself as best I can. My tale ends here.

Good luck when you encounter those I fought.
...Branch Archer



He plays the cello and tennis as well.
This grandmother's heart swells at the thought of what he will accomplish in his life.

Peace and love.. and may all of your "demons" vanish this Christmas season.

Marilyn

HERE WE GO AGAIN

In light of the imminent vote on the latest GOP tax plan, I remembered a blog post from 2014 that brought on a case of deja vu. Even though we have changed presidents, so much still remains the same. One difference is that there are probably more congressional members who are now millionaires!

What do you think? Have we changed much since then?

"FULL-ON PLUTOCRACY"

You know for what I was most thankful this past Thanksgiving? That Trump at least hasn't caused a nuclear war. Yet.

Peace,

Marilyn 

SIMPLIFY

"Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind." — Thoreau

THE "BARN"

I have written many times about my many years living in a little two-room "barn" in the woods. It was a very simple, although sometimes labor-intensive, lifestyle compared to most of my other years. The first four years I cooked on a two-burner hotplate and a very small microwave oven. For some time I washed dishes in my bathtub. I know, yuck!  This did not deter me from having friends and family over. I'll never forget the day my sister Jean walked into the back room of the Barn and I heard her exclaim, "Oh! Goody, you have a kitchen sink!" (She always helped with the dishes when she visited.) Yes, I now could wash dishes without bending over my clawfoot bathtub. 

A few years down the road, someone donated an aging gas furnace, so I no longer had to depend on the small pot-belly woodburning stove and a kerosene heater for heat. As the house we were building at the front of our acreage was taking longer than we anticipated (and our love for one another was beginning to wane), I eventually had a secondhand washer and dryer installed as well as a gas stove to cook on. Many years down the road, my children gifted me with my first computer -- of course, I had dial-up internet service. Next came the time my son Matthew was frustrated at my old rotary dial telephone. He said I must be the only one in Texas to still use one. Of course, that meant I had to have a "push-button" telephone so he could check his messages on his new "cell" phone! (I'm not sure if that was the real purpose, as I can't figure out how that worked.)

Was I happier with a few more modern conveniences? No, although I was much happier without the husband when we split! 

"Too many activities, and people and things. Too many worthy activities, valuable things, and interesting people. For it is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives, but the important as well."--- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I acquired more, and was gifted with more, adding to the family "treasures" I had to keep in a storage building. When I moved out of my wooded refuge, I began to feel the pangs of "too much stuff". My current home - which I vow to be my last one - is bursting at the seams with all of my accumulated stuff.

My son Matthew had nearly all of the Christmas decor I had saved through the years stored in a unit he had filled with his late father's items. The rental recently got so high ($200 a month!) that he insisted he had to bring my "stuff" to me to go through or he would take them to Goodwill. Aaarrgghh.. I suffered withdrawal pains at that thought. The stack of containers and boxes sat in my kitchen/living room area for two weeks until Carajean generously offered me two "workdays" to help with their disposal... (Oh, I hated that word.) These items had been stored for nearly 5 years, but they were valuable to me.

CJ helped me go through all of the containers. So much I forgot I had - or why I kept them. I mean, who needs twenty cookie cutters -- many of which are duplicates? Goodwill received a huge donation just in time for holiday shoppers. I no longer have room for a large tree.. and can no longer climb to put  garlands and lights around the room. There were too many sentimental items I had to keep though. Like the Wise Men my mother made.. the little stuffed teddy bear and rocking horse ornaments I made (my kids already have a plethora of things I made).. and of course, my Santa Claus collection! Believe it or not, we went through that mountain of boxes, tossed, gave away, and combined them enough that Carajean was able to fit them into my already full storage closet! Now, if I can only dig enough out of there to decorate this Christmas!

The second workday was probably just as hard on Carajean, as she worked on plants she brought me, potting and repotting, sweeping, and positioning everything "just so" on my front porch. Not only did she brighten a little corner of my world physically, but her company for those two days brightened my life spiritually and emotionally. There is nothing to compare with spending time with your adult children as you are growing older.

As we approach the holidays.. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, try to simplify your life by putting aside all of the "stuff" that takes up all of our time these days -- computers with high speed internet, cell phones, television and of course Netflix binge watching. Try doing less shopping, decorating, and party-throwing. Quality time spent with our loved ones is worth so much  more than all of the high-tech entertainment money can buy. You might just find that they are very interesting people.

And you don't need a cabin or barn in the woods to enjoy the simple life.

Peace and love,

Marilyn

ARMISTICE DAY aka VETERAN'S DAY

Today is Veteran's Day, and also my birthday. When I was growing up, it was called "Armistice Day". In my younger years, if it fell on a weekday, I thought I got to skip school just because it was my birthday. Holidays were acknowledged on the actual date back then. Boy! my age is showing.

The following post I published on my high school class blog in 2008. Since that time things have changed in my life. I've made two long distance moves, and most importantly, I also lost my Dad in 2015. 

I still remember the day he shared his stories with me on his 90th birthday, as we sat in that Long John Silver cafe. I got to see a side of my Dad he'd never shown me before. And heard stories he never told me before. 

I remember following him around in our back yard when the war was over and he returned home. Not really understanding war, I pestered him with questions. He told me about a little Japanese girl about my age who had to take care of her baby brother. She carried him around in a bag on her back. Curious, and just knowing enough about war and guns, I asked him if he ever shot a Japanese child. I was only about 7 years old at the time, and it frightened me when he got angry at that question, and told me to stop asking questions and leave him alone.

I don't believe Dad ever got over the things he witnessed during the war. Especially the times he spent in Okinawa and Japan.

********************************

J.F.Moragne (2nd from left) May 1952
San Antonio, TX

November 4th ~ Election Day ~ happened to be my dad's 90th birthday. I made the 3-hour drive to Mineral Wells to spend the day with him, and to reminisce about his 90 years on this earth. My daughter wanted me to take him to lunch on her credit card, so I asked where he would like to eat. Of all places, his favorite is Long John Silver in Weatherford. As we got settled into our booth to eat, we chit-chatted a bit. Toward dessert, I made the comment that I don't know how he keeps from being a butterball the way he eats anything he wants -- especially fried foods, and never gains weight. He informed me that he weighed the same now that he did when he was 18 years old and boxing for the Army. 137 pounds!

That started my questions. I knew he had some kind of title, but not what. It seems he was Lightweight Boxing Champ for his Regiment at Ft. Sam Houston. Somewhere in all my boxes of photos and memorabilia are some better pictures than what I have put on the blog this time, but these will suffice. Sorry, Dad. Wish I had planned this sooner. The pictures below were taken during his first tour of duty with the U.S. Army. He joined when he was only 17 years old. I'm not certain what the "uniform" on the left was for, surely it was not regulation! During this time, Dad said he weighed every morning. He couldn't afford to gain a pound. He did not want to be bumped into the Welterweight Division! Those guys were big! 

He finished that three year stint, then married my mother and they had me and my sister before the Big War, WWII.

 

1st Tour of Duty ~ Ft. Sam Houston ~ Regimental Lightweight Boxing Champ

One thing led to another, and I remembered photos like these below from World War II. I think I mentioned in another blog that Dad never really wanted to talk about his war experiences when we were young. I thought this was a good time to ask. I knew he was a paratrooper, but didn't know the whole story. Really funny incidents took place when he was sent to Ft. Meade, Maryland waiting for deployment to the South Pacific. To entertain the soldiers, they held boxing matches. The winner would get a 3-day pass. Well, Dad's experience when he was a young soldier champion boxer served him well. He said he kept winning matches. He would have weekends off, then add on the 3-day pass for five days in a row. When he returned, he boxed for the next couple of days, won again, and again. He said the whole time he was there all he did was box and take leave.

Although Dad's Unit never made a combat jump, after paratrooper training in New Guinea they made a jump onto Okinawa, where they did a cleanup action on the caves in the mountains. Looking for anti-aircraft guns. They were there when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered. His Unit was the second one sent into Japan for the Occupation.

  
With Occupation Forces ~ Japan 1945
First Sergeant Jarvis F. Moragne

At this point Dad was naming the villages they covered in the mountains. Good memory for 90 years old! I really wished I had had a tape recorder so I could get this straight. They sent patrols into the villages to destroy all the guns. As Dad was the oldest in his group of men, he was given the noncom rank of First Sergeant.   Dad started grinning as he remembered how the Japanese didn't show any respect at all for the military unless they were officers. Noncoms didn't count. In order to get the cooperation of the villagers, the sergeants like my dad were given lieutenant bars to wear. He said as soon as the Japanese spotted bars on his shoulders, they began to bow and nod in deference to his "rank".

As you can see from the pictures, it was snowing heavily at the time they were there. At one village they met with the villagers at the public school. The village officials adamantly denied they had any guns at all. However, tracks in the snow led Dad and his men to the huge anti-aircraft gun they had just moved to hide from the Americans. He still laughs about that. The Kamikaze glider pilots trained in these same mountains, so another one of Dad's duties there was to destroy any of the gliders still around. They also went into the schools and looked for books on aerodynamics and destroyed them, too.

Suddenly Dad looked at me and said, "You know there were concentration camps there, too." Yes, I knew, because as a young child I had seen lots of photographs in his scrapbook of piles of pitiful looking bodies as well as bones and skulls. There were mass graves being dug in these pictures. Dad said only one of the camps had American POWs, and the first Unit to go into Japan released them and they were already gone when Dad's Unit arrived. There were four more -- all containing Chinese and Koreans in terrible physical condition. (Images of the Holocaust came to mind.) I said that must have been horrible! He looked at me and said, "Yes, but we had a job to do." (They had to release the prisoners and bury bodies.) I said, "What a terrible thing to witness at such a young age".. He proudly said, "I was 26 years old!" At that moment, I knew it was that young 26-year-old man in charge of men in their teens that spoke to me. "But Dad, think about it. Your grandsons are all older than that! You were just a kid!" He lowered his head, and those frail shoulders began to shake. I think for the first time, in that near empty fast food restaurant, my father allowed himself to feel what he really must have gone through at that terrible time. He and I both shed silent tears for that young man, who was strong and courageous for the sake of the younger men under his command at the time.

(Below) Master Sergeant Jarvis F. Moragne ~ 4th Army HQ ~ Ft. Sam Houston, TX
Exercise Long Horn ~ 3 April 1952

Dad was called up to serve his country one more time during the Korean Conflict. A small Army Reserve Unit in Bronte, Texas got him to join them - really against his wishes. Naturally, they were the first to be called up when fighting broke out. This time he spent his tour of duty at 4th Army Headquarters in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Although most of his work was Top Secret, I did learn many years later that he was one of only three Master Sergeants that General Eisenhower recruited to be on his staff when SHAPE was formed in Europe in 1951. My mother threw such a fit because we couldn't join Dad for a year (I think it was in Paris), that he turned it down. Of course, it also meant he would have had to sign on for more years of duty. He was anxious by now (at 33) to start his own business.

I know you all could tell stories of your fathers' military service to our country, and many of you have your own stories to relate. Here's a salute to all of them and all of you! We honor you. We love the soldiers, but I think we all can agree, we hate the wars!

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

I'd like to close this with a quote I stole from my son Craig's blog:

"The United States of America is still run by its citizens. The government works for us. Rank imperialism and warmongering are not American traditions or values. We do not need to dominate the world. We want and need to work with other nations. We want to find solutions other than killing people. Not in our name, not with our money, not with our children's blood." ~ Molly Ivins

Nor our husbands' nor our fathers'..
Marilyn

A PERFECT FALL DAY

Sometimes it takes so little to feel joy bubble up. A short trip to the hairdresser to get my hair cut for the first time in months left me feeling pounds lighter. In the company of my daughter, I relished the Mexican food lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Going to and from these places we both commented on the large splashes of yellow along the roadside. I was missing all of the wildflowers I used to have when I lived in my "barn" in the country. In season, I always had them brightening the interior of my little home in the woods. Carajean delighted me by pulling to the side of the road and gathering enough flowers for a bouquet, which she arranged along with some mountain laurel leaves from the bush outside my front porch. Two days later, these tiny yellow drops of color cheer my kitchen area.

As we approached my road to home, I told her to go straight instead of turning as usual. She had not been to the low water crossing bridge beneath the dam. We stopped on the bridge and there in the middle of the water sat this glorious bird on a pile of rocks. I at first thought it was a crane. CJ pulled out her handy iPhone and snapped a photo.  I cannot explain the feelings of awe at the wonders of nature I experienced that day. (My granddaughter, Audrey, later informed us this is a Great Blue Heron.)

Such a perfect day so far. Not ready to end our visit, Carajean suggested we play a game of 5-count dominoes. As we began our game, she pulled out the best surprise ever -- the most decadent chocolate candy bar. We both indulged, and I suppose my joyful mood assisted me in winning the game. (She assured me later that she did not let me win!)

We had a little lesson on Native American spirituality as well that afternoon. It will be so fun to be able to share this with her in the future as she explores the books I sent home with her. Her best friend is also interested in some of the teachings, so this will be something new for them and us to experience together.

I never asked CJ if she enjoyed the day as much as I did, but I certainly hope she did. We haven't lived in close proximity in many years. I am looking forward to more Mother-Daughter days like this. 

Enjoy your family!

Peace and love,

Marilyn

1984 or North Korea?

I was shocked to learn that The Wall Street Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Not that I read its online news that often, but occasionally I find a particular story interesting. I have always had a nagging feeling that their views were more than a little biased. In recent months it has been quite obvious to me that many of their articles sound like FOX News. Thus, I did a little research and found out why. Rupert Murdoch. They are a bit more subtle than FOX, however, that tends to be dangerous in my estimation. I nearly always check on new sites I've never heard of before, as well as those that sound too biased one way or the other.

The older I get, the more set in my ways I become. I have favorites of everything from my brands of coffee and creamer to the television programs I watch. I almost memorize my favorite channels and their lineup of shows. As I no longer get out and about like I used to, I am always home on Sundays. Consequently, I have watched the same programs on the same network channels for several years now. A few months back I was shocked one Sunday morning when a favorite religious program I normally watched was not on. I switched channels to see if I had inadvertently hit a button that changed it. No.. I listened for a bit, and thought my gosh! I was listening to a FOX News commentator. Not possible. I immediately got online and searched the TV Listings. Sure enough, my regular program had been displaced. This irritating woman named Sharyl Attkisson had her own conservative-leaning, thirty-minute show, pushing my regular, positive speaking, uplifting church service to the next half hour. I angrily muted the audio and vowed to research online later that day to find out what was going on.

Most of my readers know by now that I am a progressive liberal in my political views. It took many, many years for my "progression", as when I was young I called myself a Republican -- and voted that way as well. Nixon's humiliation and downfall was the beginning of my disenchantment, although it was still several years before I finally admitted I was not aligned with the GOP. Having been fooled into believing a lot of nonsense (most put out by The John Birch Society) when I was very young, and since now having such wonderful access to many, many differing opinions on the internet, and ways to check from whence they come, I can now recognize extremist views like a hound dog on a 'coon's trail! I gave up cable news long ago, and now get only broadcast over-the-air news as well as online news.

It turns out that the local CBS station had been sold to the second-largest television station operator by number of stations in the U.S., and the largest by total coverage. Wikipedia on Sinclair Broadcast Group. Their reach is magnified by the number of digital multicast networks, one cable network, and four radio stations. 

I wrote my first draft of this post when I first noticed the change in my TV programming. I next began to see messages in my local CBS newscast that again sounded like FOX News, with a very definite right-wing slant. One of the commentators I discovered was Mark E. Hyman. Back to the internet again. FOX News Rival Seems Mr. Hyman was a former Sinclair Broadcast executive who now is a commentator for the segment "Behind the Headlines", shown on all Sinclair outlets. I was angry to hear his conservative propaganda. More research and more editing of this post followed.

Sometimes, as most older women do, I wake in the middle of the night. After the obligatory trip to the bathroom, I often cannot go right back to sleep, so I turn on the TV in my bedroom. Imagine my surprise to find that not only was the "Behind the Headlines" segment shown on late night, but once I found that they were repeating the entire 30-minute program of Sharyl Attkisson's that airs on Sunday morning. (I later read somewhere that, although Sinclair demands that his "propaganda" pieces like the above, and the fearmongering "Terror Alert Desk" be aired so many times in a day, some stations sneakily air them late at night or other "low viewer" times like 2- or 3-AM. I have a feeling they won't get away with that forever.)

When I read that Sinclair was attempting to purchase the Tribune Media Company, it would increase his holdings to 233 stations in 108 markets, of course, I went back to the internet. When I found the following video, I felt I wanted to share this. It's rather lengthy, so if you want to save it until later, be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post.  (NOTE: I'm sorry to say that I did not watch John Oliver's video to the end before I posted it here. Unfortunately, profanity of the worst kind is now considered acceptable in our society -- especially since we have such a profane president. Even though Oliver's segment on Sinclair was absolutely correct and necessary, the PBS video at the end of this post covers part of his tirade without the profanity. Their coverage of what I consider a very important subject for the American public is complete and accurate. You can watch the entire Oliver video on YouTube.)           John Oliver on Sinclair Group

"If completed, Sinclair will control a whopping 233 TV stations that reach 72 percent of U.S. households. The transaction, which includes Tribune Media's 42 stations, radio station WGN-AM and other assets, is being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department's antitrust unit." Big Problems with Sinclair-Tribune Deal

The news reports online state that the chairman of the FCC, a January Trump appointee, Ajit Pai, has been shaking up the department and making it easier for corporations to command a majority of stations by eliminating many initiatives from the past. The Sinclair Group announced its intention to purchase the Tribune shortly after the relaxing of the rules.

Green dots: Stations owned  by Sinclair

Orange dots: Stations owned by Tribune

Sources: Company websites | Note: Only primary TV stations are counted. NYTimes

My kids often tease me about being such a worry wart. When I first noticed what was going on with the Sinclair takeovers, I felt maybe I was being a little paranoid. However, the more I researched, the more I found others were feeling the same as I do -- that our freedom of the press is in danger. Sinclair's monopoly, control, and methods of assuring his conservative (pro-Trump) messages are given priority wherever possible sound more and more like an attempt to control the media as it is done in totalitarian governments around the world.

I nearly always watch the 5 o'clock local news followed by network news. As soon as that hour is passed, I tune in to my most trusted news source, The PBS Newshour. As the hour progressed, I was playing a game of solitaire when my ears perked up as I heard the following segment. I was thrilled to hear everything I had been researching being validated by so many reliable sources. I am not alone anymore. (By the way, this is not the same as the John Oliver video above, although it shows a brief portion of it.)

With everything the Trump administration, along with the GOP-controlled House and Senate, has been eliminating it's hard to recognize the democracy we once knew as the United States of America. 

If FOX News and the Russian Facebook ads truly did sway the election - especially targeting the vulnerable states, what would the takeover of the content of so many other outlets do to those who only listen and not do the homework to discover the who and what motives are behind it?

What to do?

Peace and awareness,

Marilyn

Open Your Hearts

In light of the recent terrible losses of people who lived in the path of both Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, it helps to remind ourselves how fortunate we are if we are among the lucky ones who escaped their fury. 

As I saw the total devastation of so many homes and businesses in Texas, in Florida, and on so many Caribbean islands, all I could think of is how much the people still have to suffer to regain some semblance of a normal life. The lack of basic needs such as food, water, and utilities only make more complicated the work of cleaning out, rebuilding, and replacing their personal belongings. Governments can only do so much. These people need our help. If you wish to donate and are not sure where to start, this site, Charity Navigator, will point the way. It not only lists the organizations already in existence and onsite in most cases, it rates them according to their efficiency. You will know how wisely your money is being spent. 

As we view our many blessings, let us open our hearts and pocketbooks to help the victims.

Oh God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;
When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;
And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion.
Make me concerned enough to help by word and deed; those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen - -Samuel F. Pugh

Love our neighbors,

Marilyn

The Triumph of Evil?

The recent actions in Charlottesville and the subsequent comments by our President have created so much backlash that it is difficult to say anything more without it being repetitive. One thing in particular I didn't hear - of course, I may have missed it - is that if the rally had not been so highly publicized in advance, there would not have been anyone there to protest against the hateful groups. Of course, the KKK, the neo-Nazis, and the White Supremacists wanted the publicity. That way, their numbers might increase each time they congregate. With their current seeming acceptance, if not encouragement, by the President they continue to get bolder and more military-like in their appearances. I also think the huge media coverage of their events encourages them as well. 

I was reminded of an incident in Denton, Texas in the summer of 1993 or 1994. My best friend Carol and I met at my Barn, along with her gentleman friend at the time. We had heard there was to be a Ku Klux Klan rally in the Civic Center Park (later named Quakertown Park) that afternoon. We made our "peace" and "love" signs, stapled them to wooden posts, and set off to show the Klan that love could overcome their hate-filled rhetoric. I ran across an article presented for a Master of Science Thesis by a University of North Texas student, Gary Ray Webb in August 1994. In part, he wrote about the Klan rally:

"Female keynoting significantly differed (from the males). As the rally began, a group of 4 protestors, 3 of them female, arrived with signs in hand. Two of the females, dressed in clothing reminiscent of the 1960's, stood near the center of the crowd, singing peace songs. At one point during the rally, 6 of the 8 people bearing anti-KKK signs were female." 

Quakertown Park by Glenn McLain

It was a large crowd, considering one they held earlier in Grapevine was cut short due to lack of interest. There were enough angry, aggressive anti-Klan people attending that if it were held today, there would probably have been some sort of violence. The speakers were often completely drowned out by not only shouts from some in the audience, but my friends and I got others to join in singing loudly with us, "Let There Be Peace On Earth" and "Love is the Only Power". I don't think all of the speakers had their chance to be heard before they gathered themselves together, looked at us with disgust, and with their police escort exited the area. Police had the foresight to have them park very close to the rally space, so they didn't have to walk the gauntlet except for a short distance. The only violent acts we witnessed were one young black man hit one of the Klan members in the face before he was stopped by police, and another one spit a huge amount of something red on a Klansman's white shirt. We continued singing as they drove off. 

Some churches in the area chose to hold a type of peaceful prayer service rather than attend the rally. Their thinking was that it was better to ignore them. I fear that that way of dealing with the Klan and other hate groups has been instrumental in the growth of such groups in recent years.  A good article regarding "Silence=Complicity" was written by Kevin Curry, a blogger at The Admitted Liberal . I urge you to hear his voice on the subject. I'm not advocating violent resistance at all, but there must be a way to show their rallies are not welcome other than resorting to violence. I like to think that a loving presence such as the one shown by many of us, kept the aggressiveness at bay.

(ABC News)

The Klan members who spoke that day had done their best to appear like ordinary, upstanding citizens. The men were dressed in business suits, and the women in dresses. They were not accompanied by anyone carrying signs or flags.. or dressed in any kind of uniform. There were young, clean-cut men handing out brochures of some kind to those who would take them. Looking back, this seems scarier than the marchers we saw at Charlottesville.. armed and carrying Nazi and Confederate flags. At least one was able to tell who the "bad guys" were.

There was an element of religious leaders present in Charlottesville holding the peace -- and probably praying during the rally. And last night, thousands of people gathered to hold a peaceful candlelight vigil, marching along the same route as the white nationalists, carrying torches, had used days before. They were "showing up" against racism, bigotry, and hatred. Sooner or later, this kind of resistance will surely make a big difference. And we will triumph over evil.

("Blessed are the peacemakers.." Matthew 5:9 KJV)

Let peace begin with me... and you... and you... and you!

Marilyn

PLANNING HER FUTURE

The older my grandchildren get, the harder it is to keep up with all of their activities. I'm always curious about the ones in high school or college. They can change their minds frequently about their plans for the future, and this grandmother likes to be "in the know". 

Ashlyn is the middle child of my daughter Carajean and her husband Branch. She has been something of a social butterfly most of her young life. I could always count on a good story from her mother about her antics. I also resort to questioning Carajean about Ashlyn's college life and courses. This time I enlisted her help in getting Ashlyn to slow down long enough to let me know about her busy, busy life. She will be a Senior at Oklahoma State University this fall, and has been working most of this summer. I was thrilled when I got the following. The first part is a speech she gave at her best friend's wedding. I would have loved to hear this in person.

Maid of Honor Speech

"First off, I’d like to say how happy I am to be here to celebrate this beautiful couple. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Ashlyn, and 16 years ago I met a really loud, crazy little girl whom I didn’t know at the time, would be my lifelong best friend. 

The first time Channing ever came over to my house, my mom had made us dinner. She asked Channing what she would like to drink and Channing, being the impressionable little 5-year-old that she was, responded in her raspy voice, “I’ll have whisky on the rocks”. Obviously, she had no idea what whisky on the rocks was, and of course my mom gave her orange juice. This is just one of many examples of how she has brought my family and myself endless laughter and joy over the years. 

Channing and I have been through many phases of life together. From my parents saying we weren’t allowed to be friends anymore (for reasons some of you may know and some of you should be glad you don’t), to being the most loving and supportive friend I could ever ask for during all kinds of change, loss, and heartbreak. I am extremely lucky to know Channing. Ever since we were kids she has always shown so much compassion for people, whether she realized it or not. It has always been in Channing’s nature to care for people, but just in this past year, the amount of change I have seen in her is incredible. 

Ashlyn, Nimbus, Channing

There was a time when I felt like I was out of touch with myself, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of self-doubt. Channing looked me right in the eye and told me 'Ash, I know who you are. Don’t think for a second that you are alone, because I am here. It’s okay to not be okay, but just know that this is not forever.' This was a defining moment in our friendship, and in my life. Those words were so comforting, and impactful.

They say that you are friends with people that you want to be like, and I can 100 percent agree with that statement because not only is she the life of the party and can light up any room she enters, but because she is the most intentional person I know. I believe there is something we can learn from everyone, but I think there are so many things we can learn from Channing. She knows herself, and inspires people to get to know themselves. She unknowingly shows God’s love by example every single day, and I can honestly say she started a change in me ever since that day she spoke.

I remember when she met Josiah, Channing told me, 'Ash, he might be the one', and I have to admit, I thought 'oh that’s just Channing being Channing... she will be over him in a couple of months' (sorry Josiah). In my defense, Channing has always been intense... she feels intensely, she loves intensely, and I had to learn to take what she said with a grain of salt at times. Boy, was I wrong. Ever since she let herself love and be loved by Josiah, I have never seen her any happier. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but the girl glows… As if she could be any more beautiful. Their love is so real, and so contagious. Seeing them together has given me the courage to refrain from settling… both in love and in life. 

I’ve had little time with Josiah, but it didn’t take long for me to know that he loves Channing. People say that it is important to marry someone that brings out the best in you. I believe it is evident that they bring out the best in each other, and I have complete faith that God molded Channing and Josiah for each other. I couldn’t have picked anyone better for us to spend the rest of our lives with. And I say 'ours', because we are a package deal. They don’t know this, but I’ve been looking forward to our trip to Cancun for weeks now. I wish I was being serious... unfortunately, I have to let her go, but I know she is in good hands. 

Congratulations Channing, and Josiah. I wish an endless amount of happiness, patience, and love for the both of you."

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Ashlyn continues:

"This summer has been one of my favorite summers that I have had in a long time. I spent 4-weeks shadowing various PAs (Physician's Assistants) and nurse practitioners in different departments throughout the BSA Hospital system. I am also taking two online classes one of which is forensic psychology, and the other is one that monitors my shadowing hours. I really enjoyed shadowing, and have made the decision to officially pursue a career as a PA. I really enjoyed working in the ER. I think I need something fast paced, and more hands on than clinical work. A couple of months ago I was really upset because I didn't know if I wanted to be a PA, and had the urge to get my Masters in Psychology. I wanted to be a therapist. I thought my personality was better suited as a therapist, because all of my friends tend to come to me if they need someone to listen, but I quickly realized that I don't think my heart can handle being a therapist.

Kappa Alpha Theta

I leave next Friday for Stillwater. (She attends OSU). I have rush for my sorority a week before school starts. I am going to be in 16-hours next semester, so it definitely will not be easy. I'm in Nutrition Pathophysiology of Chronic Disease and Human Metabolism I, which will be my toughest classes.

I am planning on graduating in May 2018, and moving back to Amarillo to work for a nurse practitioner I met here in Amarillo. I want to be a CNA, which is a Certified Nursing Assistant. I am doing this instead of jumping into PA school, because they require hands on experience, which I thought was stupid at first, but I am actually beginning to appreciate. I want to love what I do, and don't want to jump into anything too fast. 

These are just future plans, but I've realized that there are just some things in life I can't control, so who knows what will happen. I'm just going to try the best that I can, and go from there. I'm really nervous/excited for the challenges I'm about to face. My life is about to change a lot in this next year, but I'm going to try my very best to just embrace the change, and see that so much good can come out of change. I've always known I am very blessed and live a great life, but this summer I have realized that I am so extremely thankful for my family and friends. My parents have provided a life for me that a majority of people don't get, and I am going to do everything I can to make them proud."

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Oh, my sweet Ashlyn, you have already made them prouder than you can ever imagine. You make your "Fancy Grandmommy" pretty darn proud as well! I see a wonderful life ahead of you... You can do anything you want to with your many gifts and talents. The speech you wrote is so moving and beautifully written, you might even do some writing in your future.

Love, pride, and gratitude for all the children in my life,
Marilyn

IMAGINATION

Audrey

Two little girls were playing in the yard. One was holding a tin can, stirring small pebbles in it with a stick. The other little girl asked her what she was stirring. She answered, "Beans." "Those aren't beans! They're rocks," said the other little girl. "Just use your imagination," answered Audrey, my oldest granddaughter.

She had a wonderful imagination as a child. While I don't think she was in need of "beans", she was probably manifesting other parts of her future with her delightful antics. Always eager to put on a "show" for the adults in her life, she often danced and acted out her favorite songs and videos of the day. I will never forget the time when she was about three years old. She picked up a small brass horn I had, and using it as her microphone, climbed to the middle of my bed, began jumping, and started singing "Ten Little Monkeys Jumping On a Bed".

Audrey is all grown up now, and working with EDF (Environmental Defense Fund) as a Habitat Exchange Program Specialist. She is also extremely talented as a musician and dancer. These are not her profession, but they still bring much joy into her life as she performs in an orchestra as well as enrolls in dance classes as time permits. I'll bet her tender heart also played a huge part in choosing her profession in environmental causes.

Imagination. What a wonderful tool to have if we know how to use it properly.

One night this week I heard Stephen Colbert interview an actress who has won two Tonys for her acting on Broadway. (Sorry, I don't remember her name.) What caught my attention was her answer when he asked her if she always expected to be a winner. She told him that when she was young, she aspired to performing on Broadway. At age 15, she would use her hairbrush as a microphone, stand in front of her mirror, and practice a speech thanking everyone for her Tony award.

 A couple who attended Unity with me many years ago had married after 

meeting at church and dating for awhile. The woman told me that she was envisioning the "love of her life" for quite some time before they met. She said she would dance alone in her living room, holding her arms up as if she were holding onto a partner. When they met, and when they shared their first romantic dance, she knew her vision had materialized. Sounds a little crazy, huh? Read on.

Someone very close to me.. my late sister Jean, did something similar when she was young. She told me that when she was unhappy, she would dress in something very lovely, pour Tab (a diet Coke at the time) into a champagne glass, and pretend she was sipping champagne, and waiting on her date with a man who would love her and shower her with all the good things she wanted out of life. And you know what? She realized that dream when she met and married her husband, Mike. They had a wonderful life together. Early on, he was so in love he asked her to make a list of everything material that she wanted out of life, and he promised to fulfill it. He did that and more. The list even included frivolous things like a mink coat. I don't know if she ever wore it. Mike never knew about her pretense of being well-off and in love with someone like him when she was younger. It took quite a few years for that to come about, but it did. Was it magic?

It is nearing the anniversary of my sister Jean's death, so stories and pictures of her keep coming to mind. This one is at what we always called The Barn - a structure my former husband built for us to live in temporarily while he built our permanent home on the same property. It was built with a package of lumber from Payless that they termed a barn. Little did I realize at the time that it would be my home for nearly 20-years, thirteen of those years I lived there alone with my little dogs and many cats to keep me company. During that time I often referred to it as my Walden Pond -- without the pond. Lots of happy memories of those years spent in The Barn.

The two-room Barn was filled comfortably with antiques, a wood-burning stove, and lots of furniture and family mementos collected through the years. The one thing it didn't have that I really wanted/needed was a real desk. I fashioned one out of a couple of two-drawer metal file cabinets (white - this is important) and the rectangular-shaped top to a card table (blue) I laid across them. This was positioned in the large back room of the Barn so that each time I walked to the door, I would glance over and look at it. I used this for several years, always thinking I needed a real desk.

One day my son Matthew called and said, "Mom, how would you like a desk?" It seems the apartment manager where he lived was getting rid of furniture that had been left behind by tenants. There was a small desk, and Matthew brought it to me. As he got out of his car he told me I might not like the color, and he would take it back if I didn't. I knew immediately what it would look like. I said, "It's blue and white, isn't it?" He looked surprised. And, of course, that's what it was.

The small desk indeed had a blue top with two white drawers down one side. The only difference was my makeshift desk had two file drawers on each side. We both got a big laugh at this. I realized that my constant viewing of the old desk was accompanied by the thought, "I've got to get a new desk". The picture in my mind was very close to the manifested new desk. I told myself that I should have pictured a pretty antique oak desk!

By now, you might be familiar with the Law of Attraction that I am writing about. We've all heard the expression, "Be careful what you wish for." That's easy to do when we are consciously wanting certain things in our life -- a new car, perhaps a new home, or even a new baby or pet. However, it's the unconscious thoughts or wishes we must be careful to control. Especially our hateful or negative thoughts. If we are constantly thinking of things or people or experiences we do not like or want, the energy we put into those thoughts can, and often will, manifest those very things in our lives.

(Sometimes I believe it was the collective thinking of millions that got our current President elected. Maybe we should be concentrating on having someone new - and saner -- in the White House. All together now... )

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When my daughter Carajean's son, Tanner, was about 11-years old, his imagination took the form of homemade videos. As he showed a talent for it, his dad Branch took him one summer to a week-long seminar on the art and techniques of making videos. The ones that he created afterwards were so good that it was hard to believe someone that young could have made them. He cloned himself in many. Because I loved them, I often shared them with friends, and bragged on him.

Tanner just graduated from high school in May, and for a Senior English assignment, he and some of his cousins and friends made the following "film noir" of Shakespeare's classic "Hamlet". I was so impressed, I asked for permission to post it.

This was filmed in my daughter's home, and the cast of characters is as follows: 

Ace Detective Prince Hammy - Jorden Hix

Polonius and referee- Tanner Archer

Claudius and Ophelia- Race Schaeffer

Horatio - Holden Archer

Gertrude - Jewel Goodfellow

Tanner wears the plaid hat and mustache very well! Oh, and by the way, it's not surprising that they made a grade of 100 on this project, is it?

Tanner will attend the University of Texas this fall. Even though he is very interested in the environmental sciences just like his older sister Audrey, I wouldn't be surprised if he is enticed by Austin's artistic, musical, and filmmakers' venues. (He is also a very talented cellist.) Who knows, maybe he will someday be another Al Gore, and make wonderful movies that will be instrumental in saving the environment as well.

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If you will look back over your own life, you might be surprised at the things that happened to or for you that were something you had desired or dreamed of at an earlier time.  Tell me about them.

Peace, love, and sweet dreams,

Marilyn