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No explanation needed~

11/27/2017

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Blog topics that need no further explanation.

• That three leaf blowers make three times as much noise as one blower.
• That those same three blowers kick up three times as much dust as one blower.
• That Face Book doesn’t give me the option to check off that I never asked for that ad in the first place.
• That I don’t have to read about Harry and Meghan’s engagement
• Why I’m grateful that no one in my family plays football.
• Why I would never take any subscription advertised on TV.
• Why I’m wearing my pink hat.


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Thankful for the present moment~

11/25/2017

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 I’m thankful for the present moment. That’s what I’m working with. Just Be with whatever I’m doing. For example, making up the beds after company. Not a favorite task of mine; it takes time. But what if I remain conscious each time I smooth the sheets and tuck in the blankets? Staying present to the entire undertaking may become a way to express gratitude for the company who slept in the beds. Nothing like have a grown son asleep under the roof of the family homestead!

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Everyone is special~

11/22/2017

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For the past twenty-four hours I’ve been pondering what it mean to be special? Let me start theologically: Jesus says that God shows no partiality, which to me means that everyone is special. Then there is Mr. Rogers who implied the same thing when he told everyone in his neighborhood that they were special. Merriam-Webster defines special as: ‘being the one or ones of a class with no other members; granted special treatment or attention; of a particular or exact sort.’ As I see it, special can describes some groups well, but when applied to half the human race, the word takes on a different definition.
When the President said, “Women are special,” I was left feeling diminished and defined by someone who has no right to do so. Of course, I don’t have to buy into his definition, nor do I have to feel what I feel, but when a person in such power places verbal parameters around my life, it’s hard to ignore. More to the point, here is one male putting women in one category. I don’t even want to be special, nor do I need to be told I am special. I AM. And, I’m of other things, too.
Enough. That’s all the special energy I want to put into that one.

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Winter hats

11/18/2017

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     I got my winter hats out this morning. My three favorites cover my ears and feel light and warm., the kind of comfort that should suffice to make them favorites. But it is their message that put them firmly in the favorites category.
     First, there is red hat that my mom wore into her one hundred first year, right up to the time when she stopped going outside. I can picture her in that little red hat, aided by her walker, picking up trash along the road on a fall day in 2010.
    The next hat is the Grateful hat that my cousin sent me. I’m reminded of my mom’s last words, “Very Grateful,” and hopefully never to forget to be grateful and to express it.
     The third hat is the pink hat given to me at the Woman’s March in D.C. last January. It was knit by a woman who couldn’t make it to the march but who wanted to be there in spirit. I’m reminded of the list of the women’s (and a few men’s) names I took with me that day. These women are with me today as hearts break open and truth is bursts forth. No explanation needed.


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What's going on~

11/13/2017

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 Here’s my status report as of today.
• I’ve read 95 books so far this year. I set my 2017 Goodreads Challenge at 52. I figured one a week, but it looks like I’m on my way to doubling it. I think I’ll go for 100 next year.
• My bad: I got into watching too much news. Channel flipping indicates too much.
• My good. I’ve spend every morning looking out the window and praying, “No guns, no guns.”
• I spend a good deal of time each week visiting people who are more or less homebound. I love it, but am feeling the to get off by myself to write. Solution: Florence, December 3-16.

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My "No guns window"

11/8/2017

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      I’m not going to say anything about guns. It’s all been said, argued, refuted, agreed upon, etc., etc., etc..
      Instead, every morning I’m going to look out the window and breath in and breath out, “No guns, no guns.” I’ll do this until I’m ready to get on with my day. It only needs to take a few seconds.
    On most days my window view will be of my driveway, but if I lived in the city I’d still have a window. In fact, everyone has a “No guns window,” and everyone has a second or two to lift up this prayer.
    Do we dare imagine what would happen if everyone in the world took a few seconds to offer this hope?

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Today's gratitudes~

11/3/2017

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Here’s what’s on my Top Ten Gratitude List this morning-- in no particular order.
I am grateful that:
• I do not want the new iPhone X.
• I am going to visit my granddaughter at college tomorrow.
• I am not Angelina Jolie.
• I am a member of an awesome church.
• I do not have a dog.
• I am married to a caring man.
• I live in a country where democracy will prevail.
• I belong to a family that communicates well and often.
• I had a clear mammogram yesterday.


    A few things to note:
• All of these gratitudes begin with “I.”
• Even the gratitudes that seem humorous and trivial have profound meaning behind them.
• Every day I am reminded of the gratitudes that my mom offered ever day: her health, her friends and family, her life, and her faith.

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