It's a World Without End, Amen, Thing

Dear America,

"I am grateful for what I am & have.  My thanksgiving is perpetual.  It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite -- only a sense of existence.  Well anything for variety.  I am ready to try this for the next 1000 years, & exhaust it.  How sweet to think of!  My extremities well charred, and my intellectual part too, so that there is no danger of worm or rot for a long while.  My breath is sweet to me.  O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches.  No run on my bank can drain it -- for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."  Henry David Thoreau

oh Lord

it is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite...

This guy, Thoreau.... boy, did he seem to have it all figured out.

Ugh.
It's a new day; and while this girl would love to dwell in a perpetual thanksgiving in the good company of Thoreau in this moment, the last twenty-four finds me struggling with death once more.  Given it's permanence, it's ability to surprise, it's immediate shift to living in a new reality -- whatever needed to be said, whatever needed to be resolved, is no longer even in the realm of possibility, in death.

No more, no more.

Life and death are only separated by fine lines, we cross over it when it's our time, whether it makes sense, or not, and no matter who we leave behind.

O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches....

O how I laugh....and toss and turn, not getting a wink of sleep.

It's not like I was even all that close to her, anymore; we were torn apart by a ridiculous rift, and oh how I wish to only remember the good...

It's like, one can only imagine being the doctor, struggling to revive a patient, only to realize the patient is his wife.

But this isn't about the Poway shooting; it's about my circle, my family, my brother, his wife.

Gone. 
She is gone gone gone.

And it is final; it feels sharp, piercing through every sensibility; I can only imagine how he, my dear brother, must feel.

And the reality there is that there's a pretty good chance I never will.  There hasn't been a word between us in years.  like, years and years.

yes.  I know.  It is tragic.

I think of their children, losing their mama.
I think of her parents, surviving their daughter.

But surely surely, God must have a plan for us all; but God knows what it is just now, there is that.

Truth is, God has a plan for all the world.

And this girl is pretty sure Beto is a little off, predicting we've only got about ten years left; correction, that the planet has only about  ten years left to make the drastic changes necessary to curb climate change.  It's like, what kind of nonsense is that?... talk about Climate Change Extremists 

And you, you Beto get your head examined if you believe that.

And just maybe, Beto should be reading more Thoreau, right? -- it is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite...

O this life -- it is not permanent people; we can't take anything with us when we leave; and the planet will live on with our without us until GOD says so.  It's Gods creation, God's world. And God's prophecy lives through generation after generation, in spite of whatever nonsense we are fed for political gain through the progressive agenda.

Beto is apparently in town today....taking questions as we speak.  heavy sigh.

The family of the Poway Synagogue shooter released a statement:

"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue. But our sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people. He has killed and injured the faithful who were gathered in a sacred place on a sacred day. To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries. Our son’s actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold. Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith, and a community that all rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do. How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act. To that end, our family is cooperating with investigators. We ask only that the media and the public respect our privacy and allow the criminal justice system to work. Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors. Our thanks go to the first responders who prevented even greater loss of life and the well-wishers who have supported us. And we pray for peace"

My sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish my brother must be feeling just now, losing his soul mate and mother of his precious babies, all six.

and maybe I'm bouncing from one thing to the next just trying to see what will stick, what will keep my sense and sensibilities together, in the midst of all this fraying, the knots inside my stomach, the dizzying swirl of thoughts inside my head, trying to make sense of that which doesn't make any sense at all.

Why God?  Why Julie, why Janet, why Lori....

But who am I to question, right.

I am wee big in God's world; a world that is beautiful, boundless, and self-perpetuating in every way. It is a world everlasting, enduring, and without end.  And can I get an amen?

The truth is, that in a world according to God -- in Christ -- we are deathless.

as blog #995 meets its abrupt end.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a slew of news with a fresh cup of Joe Thing

Dear America,

so, awakened by an officer involved shooting this morning.  correction, make that two officers down.  not sure of the details yet, but it all started about 4:45 am.  apparently, a robbery gone bad, beginning in Orange County, things escalated to a police chase all the way down south to my neck of the woods, and just up the street... so far, the word is, the suspect is still loose and on foot...comforting, isn't it?

normally we are a sleepy neighborhood; nothing bad happens around here.

but this morning, two of America's finest are down..with the seriousness of their injuries unknown.

will keep you posted.

welcome to blog #994...creeping ever so close to my thousand

In other news, it's the annual take your daughters and sons to work day...but just so we're clear, it started out as a girl thing, k.  The first official day took place on April 22, 1993; and its birth was intended to open the hearts and minds of young girls to reach their full potential in career goals, offering an opportunity for girls to be apart of a typical work day with one of their parents.  The day eventually had to expand to include boys (2003).  Why?  Because, well, its just not fair, right; why do girls get all the fun? 

Truth is, nothing can be gender specified anymore.  Not boy scouts; not Little League; not restrooms in schools; not baby showers....oh thank goodness, we are girl interrupted with breaking news:

Oh yay! ...two hours later...the guy is in custody; I can take the garbage out now.  

Oooooh and the news on the suspect  -- he's injured and on the way to the hospital.

The two of America's finest -- have non-life threatening injuries, and will recover!

In other news. Joe is in!

yippee skippy

this is gonna be good....

Former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris, ex-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. John Delaney, Miramar, Fla., Mayor Wayne Messam, author Marianne Williamson, and former tech executive Andrew Yang.

Officially NOT running -- Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda (announced run, but dropped out).

What I love most about Joe jumping in -- besides making it a congested field of twenty contenders --is we have lots and lots of Joe video!  AND, we have an entire eight years of  mistakes, controversy, lies on video about videos.... and more recently, fraudulent dossiers, unwarranted FISA findings, plenty of Russian collusion and obstruction of real justice all under the authority of the Obama Administration, with former Vice President Joe riding shotgun.  It's gonna be great.  There is just so much available!  So excited. Can't wait for what Rush has to say....later today...

 Re-litigating the Obama Administration here we come!
 Here's Joe:

"Everything That Has Made America America Is At Stake"

“We are in the battle for the soul of this nation,” according to Joe.

Basically, his inaugural campaign address, out on video -- with great hair and makeup and all...and surely with a schmear of Vaseline on the lens and made to look, like,  twenty years younger -- goes back to what happened in Charlottesville ....you know, that time when multiple factions hit the streets, with rioting and violence, escalating with a female protester getting hit and killed by a car with a white supremacist at the wheel.  This was all in response to a peaceful demonstration following the destruction to a few historical monuments around town; the peaceful demonstration was interrupted and hijacked by extremists from both sides of the political pendulum, and understandably, everything got out of hand.  Even the police were told to stand down, allowing the rioters to have their day. 

Joe -- Charlottesville became a CF of hate, almost overnight, if you know what I mean; ANTIFA is not without fault, nor are they angels.   Trump was simply trying to keep the peace.

But no matter, Joe seems to be leading with this lie, right from the start. To which I say, go for it.

In other news, "Easter Worshipers" fell victim to a terrorist attack in Sri Lanka.  [yes, it was days ago, but this girl hasn't shown up in days either...]

"Easter Worshipers"

It is Christians who were killed during Easter Services, aka "worship."

[gotta love my choice of YouTube channel, right?]

Anywho, with multiple blasts, 359 people have been killed, and to date, 58 people have been arrested -- with the radical Islamic Extremists, known as ISIS, claiming responsibility.

Can we talk about the hate crime heard round the world and  killing 359 people -- including 4 Americans? Can you address that, Joe?  Do you have the balls to call that hate for what it truly is?

I wonder if Antifa or  ISIS take part in the take your daughters and sons to work day?  Wouldn't that be sweet?   [yeah, and if you think I made a mistake including ISIS there, think again.  ISIS operates within America's borders.]

In other news, NYT Columnist Thomas Friedman (not to be confused with Milton) happened to say this OUT LOUD! --

“The whole day left me more certain than ever that we have a real immigration crisis and that the solution is a high wall with a big gate — but a smart gate,” Friedman wrote, which Blitzer read on the air.

 “Wolf, I’m as radically pro-immigration as they come. But, it’s pretty clear to me and unless we can assure a significant number of Americans that we can control our border, we’re never going to have proper immigration flow. I think we need, we desire, and that we actually have a moral responsibility given our history as a nation of immigrants,” Friedman stated.

got that right, Tommy; and thank you for confirming for all of us, that America needs "a high wall with a big gate -- but a smart gate."  And given the southern border lies only about 45 minutes from my front door, I appreciate your support of our nation's sovereignty and applaud your liberal guts to say so... big hugs...

okay, that's it on your news today.

but in my final, parting shots, allow me to give my girl a shout out today...as she's at work!  She's at work and has only just begun her career years; goodness knows where it will all lead, or just when this girl will get a couple of grand-babies...:)

If only we lived closer, like, in the same zip code, let alone the same state; she could have taken her mama to work today!   teehee.

Fun fact:  that girl grew up being taken to a couple of places of work with me...not just one day a year, but upon multiple occasions... like, days in a row sometimes, when she was sick, and at times before or after school.  But quite honestly, I really don't know what kind of an impression that left upon her, if any; being born in the mid-90's, she grew up in an era when everyone grows up and goes to work, whether you're a girl, a boy, or something in between.

the end; now that we have come full circle, I can stop and get myself a fresh cup of Joe to go along with this slew of breaking news going on around here.  yippee

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Enough and Not Enough Meeting Up With Providence Thing

Dear America,

"At some point in life

 the world's beauty is enough. 

You don't need to

 photograph, paint, 

or even remember it.  

It is enough."  

Toni Morrison, writer

exactly, and thank you, Kathryn and Ross Petras, for another random opening of your little book -- "Nothing is worth more than this day." -- that elevates a sense of calm and awe, simultaneously; all we must do is close our eyes and breathe the words in, and let the osmosis begin.

To characterize this in a moment, it feels like Tiger Woods on the eighteenth hole and sinking his little putt in for the win...releasing twenty two years and a whole host of demons into the dust. Feel quite certain, everyone who witnessed the occasion came away with tears, and cheers, for all the world to hear.  

In great contrast, witnessing the horror of the Notre Dame Chapel with flames higher than its steeple brought us to our knees, realizing that this awesome thing of beauty, history, significance and grace, will never ever be the same.  If you had the luxury of seeing it live and in person, before yesterday, than that vision is captured within your heart for all of eternity; if, however, you are like me, and never have seen her, all that really remains true will be through other people's eyes, whether in photos, acrylics, or a story of a thousand words.

This girl is still wrestling with the heartache that only death of a good friend can bring.  And really, its not like we were incredibly close, it's more, perhaps, the reality of her beautiful life, gone in an instant, that intensifies the yearning for understanding, and searching for meaning, and wondering how in the world were Julie's fifty three years on this planet enough? 

But alas, I am not God.

The world's beauty must be enough just as it is, as it is right now, no matter what changes; for to think otherwise, would make ourselves culpable of a great sin, judging God Itself, and begging that an infinity of mea culpas might just be enough.

If we have breath, it is enough.

And better still, it may be everything.

Non sum qualis eram --  yes, this girl is alive, and "I am not the kind of person I once was."

I love Latin.  It feels like, in my heart, I should know Latin inside and out.  There's just something about the way the language captures a moment, the spirit of things, with so few words, that makes this girl twirl with excitement.

Take the phrase, mala fide -- in bad faith, said of an act done with the knowledge of its illegality, or with the intention to defraud or mislead someone.  This basically defines the last two years of the collusion/obstruction circus surrounding the investigation of the current Trump Administration; although, instead of defrauding simply a someone, try all of America, if not the entire world; this activity personifies a certain bureaucratic malfeasance unbecoming of a republic, that is for sure.

As the Latin turns, any word beginning with the three letters 'm a l' seems to automatically veer to the wrong side of things, generally speaking -- from mala fide, previously discussed, we can go to 'malum in se', something that is wrong in and of itself, a legal term of something inherently wrong; then, 'malum prohibitum', defining something wrong due to being something prohibited -- in other words, it is wrong because it breaks the law.   And all the while, the word malfeasance combines 'mal' meaning evil, with Old French, 'faisance', speaking of activity itself....

oooh so there you go: evil activity -- malfeasance.

Of course, we live in a world at the twilight of common sense and the common man; may as well be, post mortem of the greatest country in all the world, setting the stage with the sun for the most poignant and heartrending postscriptum of the history books!  

We are watching it in live feed. 

America is burning.

Have you read the fine print on the backside of the one dollar bill, by chance?  Above the unfinished pyramid....and just above 'Eye of Providence'  are the words, Annuit Coeptis: 

ANNUIT means to nod assent, to favor, to smile upon.
COEPTIS means undertakings, endeavors, beginnings. 

Annuit coeptis means "favors (lit., gives the nod to) undertakings." The subject must be supplied. Who favors? The Eye (Providence) does. 

The verb annuit can be either present tense or perfect tense, therefore an accurate translation of the motto is: "Providence favors our undertakings" or "Providence has favored our undertakings." (The word "our" is supplied.)  

It has also been translated as: "He favors our undertakings" or "He has prospered our endeavors." 

The meaning of this motto is better understood when seen in its original classical context.

Divine Providence lives in our founding documents, by design!  And all the while, our motto, "In God We Trust," is written upon the very money we use everyday in exchange for goods, services, assets large and small, giving God the Glory.

What do you think will happen when a people act with a certain malfeasance against its first law, God's Commandments, let alone virtually set ablaze its founding principles?  Between destroying the honor of a life built upon self-reliance and independence, to the current array of eye-popping appeals of nothing more than policy gimmicks, all in conjunction with the growing trend to dis God...just what do you think Providence will do? 

Whether you choose to define Providence as God Itself, or simply Mother Nature, the end result is the same; Providence, which is always Divine, is not happy with us.

Notre Dame poses as a perfect metaphor on multiple levels.  See also, @The Patriot Post.

All the world was made by God, including everything in and of this world, seen and unseen.

God made all the world; God made the putt; God made the steeple; God made Julie; God made me.

Can you hear me now?

Audio -- the Latin word to say, I hear.  We can only hear, when our mouths are closed, and our posture is open from our ears to our toes.  Om.  Picture the Eye of the Divine.  Meet up with the seventh Chakra of "a thousand petal lotus."

At some point, 

"At some point in life

 the world's beauty is enough. 

You don't need to

 photograph, paint, 

or even remember it.  

It is enough."

And from this point, from this perspective, the conversation should shift among us to a higher level of communing with each other within this world; basically, in a world according to G, the politics of everything can just burn in hell.   [But of course, what fun would that be, right?]

I believe things always happen for a reason; and the timing of things is not only makes all the difference in the world, but it may very well carry the potential to alter mind and body forever.  An entire trajectory can be dramatically changed, if not come to a full stop, in an instant.

Annuit Coeptis -- a couple of words that just might sit with me for a long time, in the back of my mind and maybe even right up front  -- if, in fact, God nods at things begun, what happens when the pioneering spirit, full of faith, reliant upon God's Good Grace, ceases to have its gentle pull on the reins?  What direction do we go, as a whole, as a people?  Do we really want to find out?

Whether it comes to us in bits and pieces, or in plumes of smoke and flames, I believe God wants all the world to wake up; what we have here, is a situation, where enough and not enough is competing for attention. 

but maybe it's just me.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's How Voices Carry or Not Thing

Dear America,

to set the day's stage, let's go to a light moment in the current book I'm reading, The Destiny of the Republic, A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard:

Candice writes of the "astonishing speed" in which the telephone -- newly invented by Alexander Graham Bell -- won over the hearts and minds, even the skeptics and naysayers, like someone by the name of Mark Twain.  He lamented that "the voice already carries entirely too far as it is...if Bell had invented a muffler or a gag he would have done a real service."  And yet, duly noted within this context, Twain had convinced his boss at the Hartford Courant into getting one for the newsroom -- and he installed a couple of phones at home!  too funny

But it's that part that reads, "the voice already carries entirely too far as it is" that got to me. And oh how we must wonder, just how much a certain man like Mark Twain would hate what's afoot these days, with all the smart phone and twitter and Snapchat and Instagram-ing going on. yikes.

The thing is, voices do carry.  oh how they carry.

And these days, it's not only about the ways and means our voices carry, it's also about who controls the voice -- which then translates to things like, who hears it, the content itself, and how it aligns -- or doesn't align -- with a certain agenda...and so on. Which explains why, until Fox News, the Left had a monopoly on controlling the voice and messaging to the general public; until Fox News, the liberal optics and perspective was all the American people ever received, no matter if it went in one ear and out the other, or settled comfortably into the psyche, and right next door to a mind full,  a community really, of neighboring thoughts.

The news of the day -- the voices of the day -- were cherry-picked and pruned, bound and gagged,  before any of it made it to the airwaves or went to market.

And to be sure, if you happen to have a voice as loud and entitled as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, even someone like Nancy Pelosi has to set the world according to the AOC straight from time to time...“While there are people who have a large number of Twitter followers, what’s important is that we have large numbers of votes on the floor of the House" ....Pelosi said in an interview with USA Today.

we can bag that beauty alongside this little turn of a Pelosi-peach:  "The green dream, or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they're for it, right?"  Yes, Nancy, you are in charge, huh.

It's just amazing how riled up the Left gets, however, just by the thought of hearing something that they do not agree with, right?  It's like, they go ballistic; they throw tantrums; they protest the right for someone to speak their own truth, ad nauseam, and even before they hear a thing!

I'm so tired of it.  It's like grow a pair, will ya?

Like, take for instance, Matt Walsh -- set to speak at Baylor (today) -- a private, CHRISTIAN  University, by the way... Headlining a petition, entrenched knee deep in hate, it reads, "This [speech] cannot be allowed to take place. Please remove this from campus events,” the petition states. “For the benefit of all LGBTQ+ students, alumni, and future students, this harmful hate speech must be kept off of our beloved campus.” hate on hate on hate...

If you signed the petition against the speech, you were one of about 2100 signatures; the petition supporting Matt and his freedoms, garnered more, over 2300.  [So the speech lives on!]

Headlining the petition in support, went a little like this:  “This is a free speech issue. No one has to agree with him. No one has to listen to him. He was invited by those on campus who do want to hear what he has to say, and he should be allowed to speak his mind,” the petition stated.  For more, just go to The College Fix.

And that's just it --

Just because someone is pro-LIFE, or pro-Traditional marriage -- doesn't make you a hater of alternative lifestyles and life choices; it simply confirms what you are FOR!

All the while, many religions -- not just Christianity -- cling to certain truths and beliefs that shape and influence these very principles and values. Matter of fact, some Muslim countries, for instance, are not only against the homosexual lifestyle altogether -- if the powers that be find you  guilty of such behavior, given it is illegal, they may even sentence you to death. Just a fact, k.  Don't hate.

Walsh was INVITED by Baylor's Young Americans for Freedom chapter, to present: "The War On Reality: Why the Left has set out to redefine life, gender and marriage.”   exactly.. I wanna hear more of what he has to say about that...

When responding to The College Fix about the controversy, Walsh said it is “just another example of the decline of our university system.”

“College should be a place where challenging ideas are embraced and engaged,” he said. “Instead people expect to only be exposed to ideas that fit into their ideological framework. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

In reality, the destiny of our republic has been shaped by challenging ideas all along; and even so, some ideas (like socialism) have been challenged (and completely repudiated through logic, through trial and error heard 'round the world) long before the modern world of today, long before the telephone, long before twitter and Instagram and news feeds 24/7, all of which, celebrate and glorify  this new world where voices carry all the live long day, and ricochet back again and again!

Certainly, it would be nice to put a muzzle on it, in some instances; but that's the joy of living in a culture that celebrates independent thought -- we figure out a way to co-exist peacefully, while still holding true to our personal values.  It is a world where  nobody is forced to listen and nobody is forced to agree -- but we can still speak; we can respectfully use our inside voices and speak our truth any and every day of the week.  And it is a beautiful thing...when we are allowed to do it that is!

Oh life in America,
always entertaining.

And how about that Kim Foxx -- blaming racism, now, for the rush of  recent criticism on how she handled the Jussie Smollett case; like, what?

Yes, it's the same Kim Foxx who IS the first African-American woman elected to serve as Cook County state’s attorney, screaming racism.  hilarious.

So here we are, in a new world where... when there is any criticism against actions, when motives/or process is being questioned, well, automatically, it's gotta be because I'm a person of color when you happen to be a person of color (otherwise, you're outta luck); yeah, yeah, it just couldn't be because of an error in judgement, or process, or what have you...

Um, did Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman scream racism when they got caught paying someone off for college admission for their kids?  NO.  They just pleaded guilty, straight up.

Now, let's look at that Jussie Smollett -- the case where JUSSIE staged a hate crime and just recently got off, thanks to the work of the office of the Cook County state's attorney, Kim Foxx.  Did Jussie get off because he's black, just like Foxx?   And the Fraternal Order of Police in Shy-Town are not too pleased about it either...there is that, too.

This is a good read from "Prosecutor X" -- out of Chicago..."It isn’t about race; it’s about basic legal ethics..."  go ahead, I dare you to keep reading...and trust me, it won't hurt, let alone kill you.

Oh, it has been a true joy to show up today.
It doesn't even matter if you read me or not.  so there.
I feel so alive -- and Bin Laden is dead; and that has nothing to do with today, but what the hell. It must be the whispers of Joe Biden still sneaking around inappropriately inside my head.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's all about the Wordsworthians Thing

Dear America,

"There is ecstasy

 in paying attention.  

You can get into a kind of 

Wordsworthian openness 

to the world, 

where you see in everything 

the essence of holiness."  

Anne Lamott, writer

of course, wanting to be completely sure my inclination to lead back to the famous poet, William Wordsworth, was correct -- pertaining to the point of context within that lovely quote --  my assumption turned out spot on.  I googled it and got:

Words·worth·i·an
/ˌwərdzˈwərTHēən,ˌwərdzˈwərT͟Hēən/
adjective
1.
relating to or characteristic of the English poet William Wordsworth or his works.
"this form of Wordsworthian reverence for nature was immensely influential in American life"
noun
1.
a student or admirer of the English poet William Wordsworth or his works.
"even Wordsworthians are cautious in commenting on the poem


How brilliant a life must be to have a word made up around your name and have everyone naturally connect the dots, right?

If you have been reading along with me of late, my last post was turned entirely over to the loss of a friend; a friend gone way too soon.

This Lamott quote, leading the day, is a good one, for it encapsulates my immediate shift to see in everything the essence of holiness  because that is just what happens.  Every moment is suspended in time and place, to grasp its pure beauty, capture its essence, and breathe in its holiness; and all I can wonder -- just how long this Wordsworthian feeling is going to last?

My Heart Leaps Up by William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold 
   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began; 
So is it now I am a man; 
So be it when I shall grow old, 
   Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety

I know the ridiculousness of life will seep back in, like tales of our creepy Uncle Joe -- there is that.

And just like that, we're back to the sleazy business, multiple personalities, reckless reality of politics, political correctness, principles or the lack thereof...and just maybe, some twisted combination of all.

Any essence of holiness in any of it?  um, that would be a resounding, no.

'Tis the season to use whatever tools, history, video, one can muster to change minds and sway loyalties, right?

The thing is, what's truly creepy is the timing of these "new" revelations, when quite honestly, are years in the making.  [And that Vox article, linked above, does a splendid job in explaining it.]

We've all joked about Joe being Joe -- but now, oh my gosh -- now -- as if his behavior has suddenly taken a turn, Joe just being Joe is now just too creepy to overlook anymore; his political holiness, notwithstanding.  I mean, we're talking past Vice President to President Obama; like, he was next in line to the crown with every whisper in the ear, every kiss to the back of the head or popped, smack, straight on the kisser.  It's just Joe being Joe.

But I have to say -- not one woman seemed all that upset at the time; not one woman stepped back, away for good ole Joe,  landing a decent slap to the face in a proper, timely turn.  No. All the women seemed to be smiling, almost enjoying the sweet, personal attention from the senior statesman.

Perhaps I just don't get this hashtag drama of late, this #metoo movement...

For -- if I were in charge of the world of this hashtag -- I would be upset that some women are twisting their truth, and basically usurping the hashtag for nothing more than personal gain, to amass their fifteen minutes of fame -- or, with more devious motives in mind, aim to totally upend a political career, even if such a career is already forty years strong. 

I would just be sick about it. 
How dare these women reduce the seriousness of real sexual assault to a tactic. 

Perhaps the truth of Biden's actions lands somewhere over the rainbow while under a dark cloud, simultaneously.

[I wandered lonely as a Cloud] by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
   That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
   A host of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
   And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
   Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
   Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:—
A Poet could not but be gay
   In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the shew to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
   In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
   Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils

Surely, given the climate of the day, even a saintonian like Wordsworth would have to apologize for using the word "gay" -- and in matters surrounding the essence of holiness for the entire community of gay people, be forced to find another way to say gay that rhymes with they.

Unlike Wordsworthian, pulling a Joe-Bidenian, is not one for the history books; the Bidenian openness to the world is challenged by nature and nurture in multiple dimensions --- but still, isn't he still a decent guy? Isn't he?  [It's complicated, right, Joe?]

The thing is -- returning back to how this day began -- the tight rope of managing and living in reality while recognizing the pure beauty, sanctity, and "ecstasy in paying attention.  You can get into a kind of   Wordsworthian openness to the world, where you see in everything the essence of holiness."

This is where we should aim to live as much of the day as humanly possible. It's just a great goal.

Life is full of beautiful things.

And to end this day, firmly and soundly, this girl is moving to a certain Letter to the Philippians, written by the Apostle Paul, because it is probably one of the prettiest verses in all the Bible (and its a repeat on G):

"Finally, brothers,

 whatever is true, 

whatever is noble,

 whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable --

 if anything is excellent 

or praiseworthy -- 

think about such things."

amen. 
and finally, finally, please recognize that Paul was speaking to both men AND women, in a brotherly love kind of way...in other words, this verse of Wordsworthian proportion and significance and grace, is gender neutral, k.

Make it a Good Day, G