I've been thinking...

There have been few reasons for me to feel like posting on this blog during the summer, but I have been doing a lot of thinking. The political climate has been so depressing that it spills over into my thoughts much too often. I am fed up with all of the news being dominated by our current President and his administration.  Not being on Facebook, at least I do not have to get into snarky political debates. And if I receive too many political emails (unless they are cartoons) I have begun to delete those.

A few times in the past, some have made me feel apologetic about my "liberal" political/philosophical views. Mostly this was by members of the small West Texas town where I attended high school. Many of those folks are ones who profess to be Christians.. ignoring the fact that Jesus the Christ was indeed a liberal. If He were alive today, He probably would be "throwing them out of the Temple" (the hallowed halls of Congress)!

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"Forgiveness should not lead to forced reunions. There may be some people you are better never to see, hear from, or even think about."..(Stephanie Dowrick "Choosing Happiness") This quote comes to mind every single time I "think about" those people! Why not some good advice on how to keep one from thinking?

We are told both from a spiritual and a psychological viewpoint that it is necessary to our emotional and physical well-being to forgive the people who harm us. (I wonder if that includes a government administration that appears to be destroying our way of life? But I digress..) 

There was a time that a particularly abusive person who had brought a great deal of pain into my life showed up at my door. He asked me if I could forgive him. I answered, "Of course. I've already forgiven you, but I can never forget what you put me through." He was one of those people I never cared to see or hear from again - and I (kindly) told him so. Our thinking can sometimes be intrusive...something we cannot control. At least I cannot. However, the blessing bestowed by passing time, in this case over 30-years, is that negative emotions are no longer attached to the thoughts. That may not be true for everyone, but it works for me. 

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(from Brainy Quotes)

Maybe the above quote from my favorite Transcendentalist, Emerson, is the reason there is so much dissension in our country today. Too many folks are watching the 24-hour news stations or reading the online news sites, or listening to carpers like Alex Jones. The people who are in the worst shape, i.e., out of work - or if farmers, suffering from drought (or trade deals), and are otherwise discouraged by what they think is all caused by our government, have more time on their hands to watch, listen, or read.  Human nature causes each of us to seek out the things that most represent our own beliefs or needs. Based on the last election returns, the current administration won overwhelmingly in states that contained the most suffering and discontented. Fed daily by information from FOXNews and the likes of Alex Jones and Infowars, they believed the likes of our current POTUS had all the answers and would "fix" what was wrong in their world.

All of that negative "thinking" and the reinforcement by negative commentators must have been complicit in the formation of the current chaos that is coming out of Washington. Do you think?

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Somewhere it was written that Matthew Fox -- the former priest and noted progressive political activist -- was talking about his pet dog. Like most of us pet owners who love their dogs and speak to them as if they always understand what we say, he said that when he leaves his house he tells his dog "Do your job, now. Protect our home." I told my beloved little dog Fancy (who lived almost 20-years) the same thing for years after that. I'm not certain she understood my words, but she allowed me to leave her and the house feeling a lot less guilty.

FANCY

"..only human beings talk for the sheer pleasure of it."..(from Senior Moments by Willard Spiegelman) Maybe that's why seniors who live alone often get depressed. No one to talk to! And maybe that's why pets are so welcome to those who live alone. I have always talked to my pets - even to my daughter's little dog Nimbus, who is totally deaf. She reminds me, "Mom, he can't hear you!" But he and I share a secret. As I talk to him, he locks onto my face, and we make a heartfelt connection. I know that little darling understands me. It's a language of love. (Nimbus dropped by for visits recently, and we have had lovely conversations. But then, it may be the back massages I give him rather than our conversations that makes him excited to see me!)

NIMBUS

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School is back in session. It's so hard to believe that my youngest grandchildren are so grown up now! Travis proudly celebrated his 16th birthday in July by getting his driver's license. My little beauty Kelly will turn 13 in November, and is now in the seventh grade.

Travis played in a golf tournament in Fredericksburg last weekend, and his parents and Kelly all went to cheer him on. I've heard through the grapevine that mom Amy woke to see a ghost at the foot of her bed! I'm anxious to get the whole story soon. Dooh dooh dooh dooh..Daughter Carajean and my neighbor April and I have decided we need to hold a seance, as I have had a resident ghost in my cottage! Things That Go Bump in the Night  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time, may all the September stormy weather miss you and yours completely!

Peace and Love,
Marilyn