Kindness, Respect and Pervasive Division

What do you see as you walk down the boardwalk? Do you turn left, go straight or take a right into the woods? Does turning left or right, or staying in the middle, make you better or less than the next person to come through? Are we supposed to see life through the same lens or be the diverse and free-thinking people that started with two humans, a snake and an apple? In the story of Babel, the Holy TrinityRead more

#TDWC: The Eden of our Own Making

Thank you, Susan Rushton, for your inspiring door! Welcome! C’mon in! We are here to acknowledge and celebrate your humanity, no matter who you are. Black, brown, white; male or female; Christian, Muslim, atheist; whatever sexuality or identity; addict or teetotaler; the guy who doesn’t take care of the yard or the woman who bakes cookies for the neighbors; left or right; near or far. We are all friends and neighbors here. We all love one another here. Without question.Read more

#TDWC: Battered Door

Thank you, Teagan Geneviene, for this sonnet’s inspiration. Darkest Angel, why do you haunt my soul? Is passage into depths of hell your goal? Standing in the way of a glowing light Darkening the path of a greater might Good Father, I ask you, come rescue me Hurt in a torn world, peace I cannot see Unlatch the battered beige door and step through Bring hope to earth of brown and sky of blue Shadows of gray weave up andRead more

Beholden

Sitting here, wondering, what do I praise? In a week filled with stuffing and turkey Surrounding self, I fix a knowing gaze Faithful gratitude is never murky A bike, a home, gray and white purring cats Family, friends, community feels right I step on the earthen beholden mats And wipe away thanklessness with delight Upright and breathing is who I am now Fed with food and love and blue butterflies Embracing what matters like sacred cow Receiving life’s blessings isRead more

The Measure of Humanity

In a beloved episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a cyberneticist arrives on the starship Enterprise with the intention of dismantling Data, the android, for scientific discovery and for the goal of creating more androids like him. Data would not survive this, and when he tries to give up his commission as an officer so they cannot order him to submit, Data is told he is not human and cannot make that decision for himself. He is a machine.Read more

They Died for Life

They did not die so that we could protest A self-centered right to damage others They did not die so that we could protect A lump of metal rather than mothers They did not die to devalue our life The lives of youth, adults, humanity They did not die to cause hatred and strife The divide of nation, insanity They did not die for monetary gain To line their uniform’s pockets with blood They did not die for ego, toRead more

#SoCS: Tie a Knot

Tie a knot of hope with ropes of blue and yellow Make them strong everlasting never to fray Tie a knot of love with ropes of many colors Keep them fused unified eager to help Tie a knot of resilience with ropes for all Ukraine Bind them in resolve supplication opposing the dark Tie a knot of freedom with the ropes of humanity Always to rejoice peacefully in God’s hands in our hands Stream of Consciousness Saturday is the brainchildRead more

#WATWB: The End is not the End

“Ends are not bad things, they just mean that something else is about to begin. And there are many things that don’t really end, anyway, they just begin again in a new way. Ends are not bad and many ends aren’t really an ending; some things are never-ending.” ― C. JoyBell C. In early 2017, two women – Damyanti Biswas and Belinda McGrath Witzenhausen – came up with an idea for a monthly blogfest that would promote positivity and light inRead more

Be Who You Are

Cheers to being who you are! The title of this post comes from a Sunday sermon, but I’m not here to impose Jesus upon you – although, what I’m about to say not only comes from who I am, but also from my spiritual heart. Many of you know who I am to some degree – Biker chick (both Harley and bicycle); cat lover; animal lover; beer and chocolate taste-tester; lover of outdoors and all things Star Trek and NCIS;Read more

Are you Annoyed?

“We need to give serious consideration to the fragility of democracy and less to our annoyances (like gas prices and masks).” ~Pam, on Facebook~ I don’t know who Pam is, but she put into words what I have been feeling long before Russia invaded Ukraine. As citizens who live in democracies with many freedoms and opportunities, we sure do whine a lot about our inconveniences. About masks and vaccines; rising gas prices; the cost of living; the lack of customerRead more

#WATWB: Knit the Rainbow

Knit the Rainbow (KtR) was created in 2020 after the founder, Austin Rivers, discovered the housing disparities facing LGBTQ+ youth in New York City. KtR provides knitted clothing for this population, to help them survive the NYC winters. “Austin learned to knit while performing on a tour in Japan and felt he could use these skills to provide warm protective winter garments for LGBTQ+ youth facing homelessness. KtR hopes to educate people across the country about the housing crisis theseRead more

Christmas and the Gift

“And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans–and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused–and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins,Read more