It's Good Beginnings Make Good Endings Thing

Dear America,

precepts, quotes, t-shirts, greeting cards...and bumper stickers, oh my!  these are the things that make me go hum...

and today is no exception.

cue the silver bumper of a Prius, just plastered with opinion, yesterday: 

WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER

 yes, indeed, we would like to hope so, anyway.

WHO for Pete's sake really wants WAR, for jiminy crickets?  (Besides Iran, North Korea, Boko Haram, ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Queda, Russia, Environmentalists, Atheists, Illegal Immigrants, Gay Marriage Enthusiasts, and the latest, the poor, black "children" of Baltimore....)

But I just sat there -- at the red light and with nowhere to run -- and looked at this liberal's rear end and sighed....heavily, and almost to the point of hyperventilation.  There was not an inch uncovered, but that's beside the point; this "war is not the answer" hit me upside the head a little differently than usual -- and left me broadsided and motionless upon the idea for hours.  

And as for this morning --  I still find myself hardly in the position to just shake it off.

Context is always fun; and how things change from generation to generation seems to be at the crux, as if the "olden days" are always set up against the latest modern conveniences of what is essential, or true.  Beliefs systems get tossed around, laws get upended, what is practiced and preached go into direct conflict with one another in each new day, escalating and overreaching with hidden agendas and propaganda, and all the while using the cultural divide to evolve and transform nearly everything under pressure, under duress.

I would have loved to have stopped this gal and ask, just how important was that Revolutionary War? Because , you know, lady -- the option of airing that vast, beautiful, ideological, opinion of yours everywhere you go came on the heels of granting you a certain independence dating back over two hundred years ago FROM THE OUTCOME OF A FRICKEN WAR!

Even better -- how about that CIVIL WAR?  You know -- the one that ended slavery in America!!!!!!!!!!!  [ Thank you, Lincoln -- a REPUBLICAN!]   

Of course, the sex slave industry -- here in the US, over there in Syria, and pretty much everywhere, especially during big sporting events like the Super Bowl -- is an industry doing a bang up job year over year, there is that; and what about the use of children to provide cheap labor all over the world? Slavery wars of inhumane terms and treatment, in tandem, and with no light in sight -- but then again, that's not the kind of war you are commenting on, am I right?

And given the context of the last 48 hours --  how about you take that soapbox piggybacking hope upon hope of yours directly to the streets of Baltimore -- perhaps popping it down right in front of that CVS Store that got burned, almost to the ground, and tell those "kids" to stop -- think about what you are doing -- in a 'war is not the answer' kind of way -- and see what kind of response you get.  Something tells me, from what you tell me about yourself all over that sassy little hybrid of yours, the war happening on the streets of Baltimore is something different; the violence being totally justified under the protections of a higher purpose under heaven, or something (no -- wait -- what did the bumper say; did you have anything about WWJD or no?)

Funny though --

considering how quickly emotions and reactions flared in real time --  who knew?

War...being at war and the senseless, violent acts of all kinds and measures to quell or control or change the world or protect, never works right?  Never a good reason, huh?   UNLESS YOU'RE A MOM!

Now famous -- the slap upside the head and heard 'round the world!   

And notice how her son did NOT slap her back.  He may not have shown respect to the police, or to his very own hometown of Baltimore, but he cowered, and ducked his little hoodie-head, weaving himself across the blacktop as fast as his feet could travel.  There were two sides:  his and her's.  And her's won; and nobody died in the process.

So perhaps -- in a lesson gleaned is a lesson learned kind of way -- next time we see trouble coming in our inner cities or otherwise, never mind the PoPo.  Just send in the moms.  Send in an army of moms and we'll have all the kids home with their hands washed and the table set in no time.

Now -- do we dare go down that road of having babies out of wedlock or families without dads?

As much as I applaud this  "get the fxxx over here" kind of mom -- taking care of her own business and making sure that all of her business ...all SIX of them...aren't all about town and misbehaving -- I must add my two cents:  kids need fathers, too!  Sure, it appears she's got things very much handled (get it?), but my second thought is that she needs reinforcement.

I know -- how old-fashioned, right?

The thing is -- and we have gone round and round with this more days than I can remember -- for a civil society to live long and prosper, nearly everything gets back to one major component being the priority.  The priority!  Not the "maybe it's highly recommended, but not mandatory" category; it's a priority!    And that component is the family unit.

That's it.

FAMILY -- with a mom and dad watching over our every move we make, teaching us values, making us go to school, supplying the unconditional love and support and balanced meals, restricting TV and video babysitting, taking us to church, promoting good grades and going to college, guarding us against gangs and drugs, teaching us manners and respect for authority, reading us bedtime stories and kissing us on the forehead goodnight -- these are the things a family is made of.

AND --  if we all did just this one thing, and did it well, throughout all America, what happened in Baltimore never would have happened.  Never.

And make no mistake --  it works whether rich or poor, liberal or conservative or libertarian, and no matter the color of thy skin.  It's a system indiscriminate and far-reaching and good for all.

Sure, it can be done, even in the inner-city -- raising a child well as a single mom.   Look at the shining example coming from Dr. Ben Carson!    And just look at his response to Baltimore, here.

But let's be clear.  This single mom thing is not the ideal (ask me how I know).

It's not ideal at all.
As a mom, it takes at least twice as much of everything; twice as much work, energy, courage, food, patience, grace,..including bubble baths and prayers.

What happened in Baltimore marks a sad, sad day that turned into two and is hardly over.

But the good news is we can fix it!

There are times when war is not the answer...like on the streets of Baltimore.

While sometimes, the answer is not creating the conditions on the ground in the first place.  

And that begins with going back to the BEGINNING -- before the animosity, before the crime is committed, before the child is lost, before the game begins.  It begins in the comfort of our homes and  within the confines and protections of family surroundings and upbringings.  While the left will never have you believe it could ever be that simple.

It begins with a mother and father bringing into the world a child -- coupled with their undying commitment and integrity to do their very best and TEACH their children WELL.

[And go ahead and laugh] but I have no problem with saying it is just that simple. 

So here's your G bumper sticker for today:

Good BEGINNINGS make good ENDINGS.

Make it a Good Day, G

let's pray for Nepal and pray for Baltimore and pray for America.

It's a Wonderful Thing!

Dear America,

"I know in my heart

that man is good.

That what is right will always

eventually

triumph.

And there is purpose 

and worth

to each and every life."

Ronald Wilson Reagan

upon his tombstone 

Of course!

Indeed!

Absolutely.... the very thing that begins today comes forth, as if spewing from a fountain, out of yesterday.   Yesterday -- that being the last post -- centered upon our origins of faith, keeping proper perspective of seemingly dual realities,  of  "Old" being the new "New," and all of which resting upon the understanding that if things are not well, things are not finished...

...and poof!  as if out of thin air and only the stuff that new life is made, guidance springs eternal, and there it is!

Today's THING!

Until reading the latest issue of IMPRIMIS, (an adaptation of a speech from John Marini, of the University of Reno, titled Frank Capra's America and Ours) -- I had no idea the depth of Capra's love of country.  No idea.   [Capra -- credited for such beautiful films as It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington -- that Capra]

And, what Marini did, IF I can be so bold to bring it into proper perspective for you quickly -- is nothing short of DIVINE.

Weaving American principles and practice and incite from both Reagan and Capra, we gain immediate context of an era in America that appears to no longer exist.  [I would have just loved to have heard this speech in it's entirety and in person.]

It's not allowed to exist in the greater scheme of fundamental transformation -- something originating out of the minds of progressives, atheists, environmentalists, and any other left-wing extremist, all gladly working in concert with one another to create the collectivist, and yet uber elitist,  Utopian dream (which is really a big fat lie) and thereby leaving the America of old in the dust.

It's a hundred years in the making, and then some.

As some days here in G land -- reveling in the good comes easy; other days, not so much.

Some days really take the pink punch right out of the party.

This is one of those days.

So, without further adieu -- 

and perhaps in the same vein as that famous line from Tom Hagen,  "Mr. Corleone is a man who insists upon hearing bad news immediately" ...not that we want a battle between directors, Capra vs. Copolla, just because this girl might be hard-pressed to take a side...

--   allow me to redirect:

A Must Read, Frank Capra's America and Ours, go to  IMPRIMIS, here.  It's a wonderful thing!

And now let me end the day with a quote from Marini --  with his last paragraph:

"For American elites today, and for too many of the American people as well, the past has come to seem no longer meaningful to the present, and the celebration of the heroes of the past, like Lincoln, has come to seem naive.  Looking ahead, I'm afraid, the moral regeneration of America that Capra had hoped to bring about will require more than a Capra.  It will require a Lincoln."

The End.

Make it a Good Day,  G

It's Old is the New New Thing

Dear America,

this morning finds me captivated by dual realities...

the reality of what we see happening in our daily lives, alongside the greater reality of something really huge -- that being, that which God wills.

When we really come to know, deep down, that our world is shaped by a Higher Will, a Higher Purpose under heaven, so to speak, we finally arrive at that quintessential, emotional point of light.  

We release,  

Pressure is off.  

We breathe into our day and are rest assured all is well -- and if not all is well, then most definitely, all is not done (yet).

It's by this kind of faith -- for those of us traveling a belief system set forth at our country's founding--  we find relief, even as our whole entire world seems to be on fire.

This makes me think of my latest discovery here at home.

And for a little background first -- 

my days and evenings usually end in the same spot:  at my window --

at my window, overlooking the grounds covered in eucalyptus and pine, jacaranda and oleander, natural sagebrush, red apple ice plant,  a busy city street, and a Starbucks. 

I keep a stash of some of my favorite reads for inspiration -- Bible, The Quiet Mind, Essential Thinkers by Thomas Paine, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen...

Morning comes, and my path takes me directly from the kitchen, with a cup of coffee fresh in hand, to the window.  And it is there I stop... for as long as it takes (he he).

Evening comes, and again,  my path takes me directly from the kitchen, with a glass of wine (or whiskey!) fresh in hand, to the window.  And again, it is there, I stop ...for as long as it takes. 

Point is, my days start and stop at the same spot nearly every darned day.  And while I don't get into my personal whirlwind all that much -- consciously keeping more fully engaged with the politics and paradigms and propaganda of our times -- today, I will veer just a wee bit from the common G. (What a treat, right?)

so anywho,

As the world turns, the day may start and stop at the same spot, but perspective is constantly in flux.  What a joy!   And what a curse!  And what a beautiful life it truly is!

SO --

A couple of weeks ago -- while enjoying a spring break with nearly nothing to do.  I did exactly that --nothing.   All week long, I "putzed"  around the house -- doing what I like to call, re-decorating.  But let's be real, shall we -- it's merely just moving things around.  [Never discount a change in perspective...no matter how little or how small, even if we must manufacture it virtually out of thin air from within.]

And I napped.  I cooked, only minimally -- but somehow seemed to eat all day long.  

And I didn't even think about writing.   Not even once.   

So for the week, I pretty much lounged -- I lounged in the good ole California sunshine as if without a care in the world.  [And for those who really know me KNOW that I have a few cares in the world going on all around me...most of which I have absolutely no control, much like the brunt of us, am I right?] 

And perhaps, due to my empty nest syndrome going on within my four walls these days, it has left a void to fill; leaving ample room to mull and contemplate and basically freak over just how intense the trials of the entire world have grown from day to day.

So for many days in the last several months, let's just say, it was easy for the window to find me sad.  

Buried by the natural, yet conflicting emotions, of having my baby girl living on the opposite side of the country --  it has become rather easy to get lost in the thoughts of what is lost.  

And yet, given that I live for being the Half-Full Kind of Girl to the umpteenth degree, I revel in what is changing for both myself and my girl.  How beautiful it is in every way.

So here I am, in this reality of fighting with my own reality, but loving it at the same time, but sensing an inner turmoil always at the ready to bubble to the surface -- I often sit.  

Only, while on this spring break, I broke with tradition.  

I made my way all the way to the front stoop.

I sat myself out in the open air, where the sweeping branches of the eucalyptus tree nearly reach out and touch me.  And while I sat there, letting the morning sun warm my heart and soul I looked up.

And just as I do from my window, my thoughts went to prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for my needs, and plenty of prayers for my dreams.  And just as it usually happens, I end up just pleading for the courage to just follow "Thy will."  Just let me know what to do and I'll do it, I cry out from the spirit of my inner child of God.

And it was on one of these days -- outside -- away from the comfort and convention of my window seat, that something all of a sudden shakes me to the very core.  For as I looked up, I saw it.

Unbeknownst to me,  there it was -- perched above the cornerstone of my window,  amounting to a mere few feet above my head but apparently an infinite number of degrees in separation -- a nest.

And instantly, I laugh.

I get a little hysterical actually.  And I couldn't stop laughing.

I laughed until I cried. 

And I  thought to myself, oh this is rich.  Ripe for the taking, the immediate symbolism left me utterly stunned.  

But then, feeling every bit of my fifty somethen somethen somethen years and fully recognizing a crossroad when I see it   -- either the universe was rubbing it in my face with aplomb and a side of bird doo  OR, it was sending me a message, a gift, a blessing of a new perspective, verily filling my void with a tangible, natural, beautiful expression of a full nest. Boom. 

Clearly, it was what I needed in that moment; it was an offering, a gentle reminder of the organic possibilities of the circle of life and love,.. no matter how large or how small, and even if we must manufacture it virtually out of thin air from within.  Because, half-full is better than nothing.

The thing is, if we stop long enough, and keep our mouth shut long enough, we are supported by Something far greater than we can ever really imagine.  It's the Stuff that which all life comes. And It usually sends us exactly what we need -- and more than that, in equal portion to our needs, matching our efforts, our attitude of gratitude and grace.

Contemplating the conflicting multiple personalities and realities in America, alongside that which we all dream it to be, is a matter of great debate.  

And when I say great, I mean really Great.

Somehow, we must remain steadfast in our faith in Something Larger than Life at the top, orchestrating a Higher Purpose for it all, and let go.

Creation is always in flux;  there is a reason for the trials, just as much as there is a reason for our joys.  We win some and lose some, and then start all over again.

Sure, there is always what I like to call "the good fight" -- withIn and withOut, but truth is, our realities are really not in conflict at all.   It's all good; it's all God; and it's always in flux when discussing anything involving being human.

There was most certainly a reason for the Revolutionary War; just as there was a reason for the Civil War.   It's all good at work.

There is a reason for the culture war happening today and at the core of perhaps the most trying era in American history since the 60's -- and how it all ends will remain to be seen -- it's all being busy right now, wrestling with that which is most certainly unseen. 

With the winds of change,  perspective shifts, actions of vigilance move us, nests are built and even re-imagined, while a sense of revival gives us courage and strength to give it our very best in each new day.

It's what we all live for, right.

On another subject -- even though we have always known negotiating with terrorists is NEVER a good idea --   now, gaining perspective on the possible war with Iran as we are right in the middle of negotiating a total bend over on the Nuke deal, should give us all reason for pause, on a number of fronts.  But we will have to shelve that for another day, for things here were just looking up and we were having such a good day getting all introspective and all.  [But if you care... here's more on that, if you dare to look.]

Let's go back to what we live for...

Love your kids.

Teach them well.

Do your best.

Teach your kids to do their best, too.

And so on,

And all the while, here's something funny I recently came across; and given all the choices at my discretion, in the end,  it just might be the best way to come to a full stop and sit at the proverbial window and contemplate :  

OLD

is the new

NEW

yup.

In so many ways....the reality is, it just might be.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Day to Be Brave Thing

Dear America,

as I was sitting there, Sunday afternoon, catching the last couple of hours of the Masters Tournament, and watching another round of history in the making, gazing upon another young buck take the green jacket like it was just any given Sunday (...and don't even get me started at wondering who I've turned into...watching golf??    really,G??)  -- Quicken Loans teed off a humdinger of a 30-second spot:

Beginning with...

..."the American Dream is terrifying.  ..American history is the history of the scary things we have to do....   cross the ocean...walk on that moon...fly...none of these things make rational sense; only makes American sense....scary.   sure.    but it's no match for our colossal self-belief"


and ending with...

..."without scary, we don't get to be brave..."


And on that note,
picking the next president of the United States is a wee bit terrifying, too.

Now the sun, has just barely cracked the horizon.  Roughly, fourteen thousand hours from now,we get to vote again.   Clearly, it's going to be a long day.

yay.

So as we embark upon the 2016 Presidential Picking Season,  let us be reminded that without a little scary, we don't get to be brave --

"Oh Hill No."   We won't go.  

Somewhere between Clinton to the Second Power and Bushie to the Third, we might just find ourselves a president worthy to be called Forty-Five.   But in the meantime, the hours ahead will be terrifying indeed.

But this morning, let's revel --

for Jordan Spieth...who considers his autistic sister his inspiration....wow!

for Quicken Loans....for a little inspiration that feeds our soul -- and hopefully staying with us into our days ahead.   (And may they profit, too!)

Oh, and
because it's Our Time, right, Hillary-because-it's-your-time-Clinton?  [Question:  if it's our time now, what time does it make for you?   Or is that just a question of what difference, at this point, does it make?]

Here's to the coming fourteen thousand hours of mixed messages, forget-me-nots, double standards, hypocrisy,  sideshows, war games, blame games, gaffes and laughs, --  and that's just covering the media bias.

It's going to be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad day.

And the odds of it ending well?  It doesn't matter.  IF we did everything based on the odds of success,we wouldn't dare to do anything worthwhile, now would we?

We must play the whole course,... cross another ocean... walk on the moon... fly... climb a purple mountain from sea to shining sea and live in liberty and freedom for all...and eventually, we vote.




Make it a Good Day, G