Gisa and Julian

You know Gisa, I've been thinking more on your 9/2/10 post. What you and the whole family are going through is truly amazing with the significance of it all. And still, there are several perspectives one might assume.

Were my name Gisa Rollin, it's guaranteed I'd feel overwhelmed and somehow inadequate to meet all these challenges … at first. Then, I'd gather myself (somehow, and you have resources,)

Your husband's got *major* health issues, and is to receive a new liver. This isn't a small thing - without his liver, he cannot survive. Hence, his own Mother, Rosa, endures absent that liver transplant and will likely die. She amazingly is well at peace with this situation, yet I think she at times seems to waiver.

Your own Mother's suffering with [ovarian?] cancer. Amazingly, you're there - attending to her every whim and desire. Gisa, this is absolutely wonderful! Wonderful, and oh, so hard. And your Mom's a bit of a pistol; she's a real fighter, and her battles lie ahead of her.

Kenji and Keo each make demands of their Mom that are altogether stringent and yet very, very dear. I love the way you reflect on needing to tell them both that you'll be there for them - no matter what (and no matter your own state of mind.) In fact, the sadness of the entire piece suggests a retreat into the space of a little girl, say of Kenji's age? We all do this you know, when tired or otherwise overwhelmed. We probably even do it when very happy!

At any rate, be good to yourself. No one in your world is able to do this right now. You are all alone … but for that still small voice inside that says, "Peace. And all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." See the Optimism of Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Essay on the 'Showing of Love." http://www.umilta.net/barsotti.html

Encourage Patriotism, Urge Voter Turnout

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote," said the American writer George Jean Nathan.
http://tinyurl.com/vhksg

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Something in me couldn't conceive of *not* voting when I turned 18. Admittedly, at 18, I'm not sure I had any understanding of government policy. Presently, my comprehension possibly makes me dangerous with every election cycle.

What amazes me is that from 1971's 26th Constitutional Ammendment, this nation broadened the right to vote to include 18yr olds. I suppose, because we as a nation send those folks to fight wars when we deem it fit to do so. (Someday, we'll give Puerto Ricans - also serving in our Military - the right to vote in presidential elections.)

Over a very short period of time really, from the '20s to now, we've seen fit to legally grant women (1919,) african americans (1965,) and 18 year olds (1971) all the right to vote. People have struggled, even died to secure that right.

I humbly feel it is my duty as American citizen to find my way to the polls on Election Day. It seems to me, the first duty of anyone who's "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN."

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"Why You Should Vote"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu_989Y557I

Evening After-Work Totem Message

11.01.06 (9:05 pm)

When I got home this evening (after a twelve hour day) I was greeted by our household dog-friend, naturally. That would be Gracie. Nothing strange in her behavior, though she's sometimes a little mopey after being so long home alone (John's away in the DC-Baltimore area on business.) Well! Apparently she hadn't been quite so alone ...

Unloading my burden, (don't get me started on all the *stuff* I carry around when working) I stepped my usual path through the first floor of the house. Once in the living room I stopped cold. There lying in front of the television cabinet, was an opossum, looking quite worse for the wear, sourrounded by its own feces and spots of blood on the rug.

Geez - okay Andrea, think this through. Gathering my steele as quickly as I could, I started gathering supplies to bundle this poor beast and launch into cleanup. Great first order of business at the end of a long day, eh?

Anyway, once I was prepared to gather this critter with plastic bag, I saw that the opossum was clearly breathing. Alright. Then I grabbed an old towel, and thinking better of it got John's new work gloves - those teeth looked really impressive.

Soooh, at last, gloves donned and with the old towel, I scooped up the opossum and carried it to the fron door. It dropped lovely dollups of black tarry possum-poop along the way (thank you fella.)

Left the guy on the fron porch, wrapped nicely in the old towel and returned to the business of cleanup, now made more expansive by an act of kindness. Now it stinks to high heaven with the combination of "I'm dead Opossum smell," poop, and Pet Fresh anti stain products which has a horrendously strong anti-stink stink.

Fed Gracie - and I couldn't eat if my life depended on it now. Just minutes ago, I stepped out to check on my opossum friend's status, and guess what?

IT'S GONE!! Nothing there but my old towel.

Here's the message from the totem web-page I referred to for the Bat the other day. (I love the final line, "Congratulations and welcome home." Yeah, great ...):

http://www.sayahda.com/cyc3.html

"The Opossum

The opossum is a crafty animal that shows us how to play different roles. It knows when to act, when to hide, and when to show its true colors. Opossum is a master at recognizing truth as well as falsehood. When it wants attention it gets it. When it wants to be left alone it plays dead. It is a strategic animal that knows how to mold each situation according to its needs. It has the ability to decode hidden messages and read between the lines.

A supreme actor, the opossum can be aggressive or submissive depending on the situation. The opossum knows that each situation has commonalties as well as differences and reflects on them carefully before it responds. This links the opossum to the energies of practicality and ingenuity.

Always full of surprises and unpredictable opossums are masters at playing dead. When the time is right they can suddenly spring back to life. Playing dead is a self induced state in which the heartbeat actually slows and the pulse becomes minimal. This ability serves to confuse many predators giving the opossum an escape from life threatening situations.

Opossums are nocturnal and raise their young in a pouch on their mid section. The young are born blind and rely on their feelings to guide them to their destination. They learn to sense their way around at an early age developing strong instincts by the time they reach adulthood. These instincts are complimented by their inherent ability to disguise themselves. The opossum is a multi-faceted actor that continually changes its appearance. It does not allow its emotions to consume its actions and partakes in the game of life with strategic maneuvers. Part of what the opossum teaches to those with this totem is emotional and mental stability.

The opossum is a craftsman in the art of appearances. When it appears in your life it is telling you to wake up and pay attention. Things are not what they seem to be. By observing your actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings, deeper insights emerge. This emergence leads to self-empowerment. Congratulations and welcome home!"

Sucking on Toads - bear with me

I heard this story on NPR the other day, and see that it's already been blogged about elsewhere. Still, I sincerely hope all who visit here will enjoy the story as I did - more will understand that it's been lingering in my thoughts as one truly strange story!

Go to http://tinyurl.com/vsl6a and have a listen! (or just click on the title of this blog post ...)

ps - I posted this first on my tBlog account - I'd welcome your visits there too! ;^)
http://akelso.tblog.com/

Cracked Pot - Folk story for Whisper

Cracked Pots

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 yrs of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full
value from your efforts," the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.

But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!

Blessings to all my crackpot friends and family too!.

Bring On the Elections

During this last week, I encountered an old friend who recently returned from a tour in Iraq. With any luck, he'll not be redeployed again to Iraq; he's somehow convinced he won't. Now the Army Reserves wants him to relocate to a base where he'll train others to fight relying upon his own expertise as survivor of horrific experiences in a war that simply cannot be won.

Ya know what he said about our efforts in Iraq? He said, "We've got no business there. Our military's not trained to do police work, we're trained to fight. If they let us, we could clean it up quickly ..." [but the size of our forces on the ground is far smaller than what is needed to get the job done.] He also described what so many of us have been hearing about: inadequate protective gear; insane missions involving racing humvees through ciity streets, running down pedestrians, not daring to stop for risk to their own lives of facing Iraqi guerillas who increasingly dominate in the region.

Of course during the same week when I saw the old friend, Iraq was suddenly eclipsed with Republican scandals: from tawdry-but-villainous sexploitation of youth, to a reconciling of truth with those lies leading up to this war. Bob Woodward finally unleashed his journalism with the "State of Denial" that unravels the deceptive, republican support of his first two books about the Bushies. George (Senator Macaca) Allen struggles with ceaseless ill-effect to cleanse himself of his inner impulses to offend non-dominant others - "out damn spot!," failing miserably to dignify his own family's minority status ("just had a ham sandwich" and "Mom makes great pork chops!") Mark Foley - that sick, sick puppy - needs major treatment involving blood testosterone levels primarily, and perhaps alcohol secondarily. Our House leadership's mired in their inadequate management of certain knowledge of Foley's compulsive appetite for boys in the congressional page program.

Wow. Then, continuing this week-long expose, Bill Moyers's program Capitol Crimes, running on PBS during the same week as part of a three episode series "Moyers on America", expertly laid out the story about the Abramoff scandal which arguably points to an extraordinary number of Washington players: Tom Delay, Bob Ney, Grover Norquist, Ralph Reed, Michael "YOU IZ DA MAN" Scanlon, and many more good, Christian Republicans - not to mention Mr. Bush himself.

"Hot Tub Tom" Delay wows us all with righteousness and faith in his lord and savior Jesus Christ, whom he makes visible to the world through his mug shot from his Texas jurisdiction. "I said a little prayer before I actually did the fingerprint thing, and the picture. And my prayer was basically: 'Let people see Christ through me. And let me smile.' Now, when they took the shot, from my side, I thought it was the fakiest smile I'd ever given. But through the camera, it was glowing. I mean, it had the right impact." http://www.slate.com/id/2139263/

Oh yes, Delay's sincerity's truly eye-moistening. A nurse friend of mine used to say "it would gag a maggot!"

Hallelujah, the Freedom Tide's Risin'!! It won't get better than this. Bring on the Elections - NOW!

Habeas Corpus: More Congressional SHAME

We've just returned to the Middle Ages of western civilization, in the name of Homeland Security (read: protection of a corrupt and unruly, un-American administration from righteous consequences of their national and international actions against the human beings THEY fear - they fear for reasons they're UNWILLING to publicly disclose.)

In fact I'm myself given to exaggeration; and my knee-jerk, dramatic reference to the "Middle Ages" felt as if I might be exaggerating. However and alas, I fear Middle Ages is indeed the period of time, in Europe, between the 3rd and 14th centuries to which I refer. First arrival of the codification of habeas corpus, which legal writ was thrown out by this republican Congress yesterday (Sept 28, 2006) is dated 1305, Great Britain, under the rule of King Edward I.

"A writ of habeas corpus is a court order addressed to a prison official (or other custodian) ordering that a detainee be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he or she should be released from custody. The writ of habeas corpus in common law countries is an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action." - Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus

"This procedure, part of English common law, was considered important enough to be specifically mentioned in the United States Constitution, which says, "The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it." (Article One, section nine)." - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus#History

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R- PA) have been working arduously to preserve habeas corpus and the rights of detainees to due process of law in these United States (so sanctified if you will, by our beloved Constitution, which is lifted up as that which marks the wonder of American Democracy.) Leahy and Specter have been in this struggle since early in this Bush administration when John Ashcroft was Attorney General. They will go down in history as tireless servants of citizen protection from government tyrrany, while this administration and the corresponding congress will be marked for an attempt to fly in the face of the Constitution of the United States of America.

"If the Administration and the Republican leadership of the Senate believe that suspending the writ is constitutional and justified, they should grant the joint request that Chairman Specter and I made last week for a sequential referral of the bill. Constitutional issues involving the writ of habeas corpus are at the center of this Committee’s jurisdiction. We can and should review this legislation thoroughly, and if a few habeas petitions are filed in the meantime, we will not lose the War on Terror as a result of those filings. If this Congress votes to suspend the writ of habeas corpus first and ask questions later, liberty and accountability will be the victims." - Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont http://tinyurl.com/qkkxd

For SHAME ... and heaven help us.