dR. mAnHaTtAn'S view of my trip to the beach

Hello everyone, God's many blessings on every body, as always. I don't know if Carlton will be viewing this entry or not, but this submission is my 'cosmic wink,' to him, in addition to being my rather ambitious attempt to recreate some of his favorite scenes from "Watchmen." ("Watchmen" is a comic book soon-to-be-movie, and one of the main characters, Dr. Manhattan, has a particular way of viewing time, which I will attempt to mimic. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, google Dr. Manhattan, or Watchmen, for more info. OR, look at the site where I took my 'cues' from: http://www.philobiblon.com/isitabook/comics/Watchmen1Medium.jpg) The memories are ensconced in my photographic mind. My friends and I are enjoying a scrumptious cookout while Miles Davis plays in the background. The wooden park bench feels comfy and lived in underneath the cozy b and b. It's 2008. In twelve seconds my mind will bring me back from my reverie and I will once again be at my computer typing about my weekend at the beach. I am on the park bench, tasting the delicious steak in my mouth as I'm slowly chewing it. Ten seconds now. I am at my computer typing about my fun weekend at the beach. I am looking at the photographic memory of being on the beach. 96 hours ago. 24 hours into the past, I'm taking photographs with my mind to look at later. I'm there now, taking the photographs. I am sitting on the park bench laughing uncontrollably, taking a swig of beer, seizing the moments of pleasure in being with my friends, listening to the Miles Davis CD, and deliberately masticating on the grilled steak my brother made me. Seven seconds now. It's later July, 2008. I am at my computer relishing memories from my wonderful trip to a B and B and the beach with friends. I'm hitting a shuttle cock (yes, I said shuttle) over a net; I'm on the beach watching the waves come in and listening to the soft *swish* of the ocean. Four seconds. Three. I am tired of trying to fit this blog into past and present, lol. The memories recede to the recesses of my mind to be retrieved again at a later date. I am going to watch the news. So many things happen in the world, and we get the news too late sometimes. "All we ever see of stars is their old photographs." God bless you, every one! :)

When I call you friend

Hello www, Hope all is well in your world. I pray for peace everywhere: in families, between friends, and especially amongst enemies. Readers, I must tell you that this blog entry has been one of the most difficult for me to write. I’ve edited and re-edited this entry a dozen times, and that’s just been in the last day! Every time I thought I wrote what I thought would be a nice way of discussing this topic, my soul just didn’t feel right. And I’ve got to get this right, or it’s just going to come across as insincere and my writing quality will suffer for the ‘lie’ I wrote, so please keep this in mind as you read. As I’m turning the very young age of 40 this weekend and celebrating with friends on the beach, I began to reflect on all the friends I’ve had, and still have, these past 4 decades. When I was little, I remember going to church with my mom, and whenever there was a celebration being held after mass, we would attend. Of course there was always food present at these events, and being a child, I would want to grab a bunch of cookies, or whatever the treat was, and my mom always saying, “Think of others,” which was my mom’s way of basically saying that we weren’t to get all we wanted, that there needed to be enough for everyone to have some. Well this concept of ‘think of others,’ has stayed with me, especially with regard to friendship. I looked up the definition of friendship, just to see what good ol’ Webster had to say about it, “Friendship \Friend"ship\, n. [AS. fre['o]ndscipe. See Friend, and -ship.]1. The state of being friends; friendly relation, or attachment, to a person, or between persons; affection arising from mutual esteem and good will; friendliness; amity; good will. Notice that the definition considers friendship a noun, whereas I would say it is a verb. But this particular definition still didn’t fit my idea of friendship, so I looked at other meanings, “2. Kindly aid; help; assistance, [Obs.]” There it is, my defnition of friendship! When I call you friend, it basically means this: …yes, I will, as a favor to you and our friendship, have your sourpuss of a mother come over to my house for Easter, even though I’m inviting disaster into my home. …yes, I will, pray for your little boy’s illness every time you ask, even though I know you won't contact me again, until you need another prayer(s). …yes, I will, l listen to your problems even though I know you won't ask me about my life, or what’s going on with me. …yes, I will, help you through your “I’m-having-a-hard-time-keeping-my-faith-in-God-right-now,” phase, even though I am almost plummeting into your dark abyss as well. …yes, I will, take a chance on trusting you, even though I know you are a notorious gossip. …yes, I will, take you to and from the doctor for a minor procedure, even though it will take up my time and gas. In all of the above situations I keep Mother Theresa's thoughts close to my heart: People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway. And of course I want to say thank you to my friends for being in my life: be you near or far… Thank you for your kindness to me when I know I don’t deserve it. Thank you for listening to me, even when I’m rambling. Thank you for helping me when I’m in a dark place. Thank you for being yourself and sharing yourself with me. Thank you for forgiving me when I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. Thanks for getting angry with me and ‘setting me straight.’ Thanks for communicating with me when I’d rather be silent. Thanks for loaning me money. Thanks for making me laugh. I appreciate all of you, my dear friends, and all the ways God has blessed me by putting you in my life. I can only hope and pray that I’ve been a good friend to you, and that we are friends for a long, long time. This also reminds me of a cliched, kind-of-cheezy view of friendships, but I'd be remiss if I didn't add it: (author unknown) People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON, or a LIFETIME. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on. When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

God bless ALL friendships.

What the Hek is going on???

Hello www, I pray for peace for everyone, in every aspect of their lives, all over the world. As my BFF Jesus says, "Peace be with you." Also a special prayer for a friend who is having twins today. May her health and the health of her babies be strong. And of course a special intention for Irene, who has an important doctor's appt on Tr...and for everyone I said I'd say a prayer for, this is a prayer for you. :) So I'm listening to NPR this morning and hearing about IndyMac's problems. I didn't even know who or what "IndyMac" was until I find out this morning they are a bank that went bankrupt on Friday. "The bank is the second-largest financial institution to fail in US history." All Things Considered, Monday, July 14th, 2008 This IS the 21st Century, is it not? This whole housing problem has, and probably will continue to have, larger and greater affects on the US economy. I guess I thought of the 'housing slump,' like it was just a pebble thrown into the economic pool of the US economy. A pebble doesn't make a big splash, but the ripples can certainly affect the serenity of the surface, and I think that's what's happened. Then Fannie Mae and Bernie Mac, lol, were you paying attention? That should read FREDDIE Mac, need help by the government. But even with the government's help, FM and FMc could still be in BIG trouble. This is some serious *&^% going down! Gas prices are ASTRONOMICALLY high. For me, offshore drilling IS NOT an option because I think it will harm the environment. Recession is creeping into inflation. I've always marvelled at the New Yorker: it's seemed to me, as a writer, a fantastic goal to achieve, to aspire to be included in, to be a contributor to, to enjoy reading for it's touted intellectual attributes, was truly an accolade worth noting. But I was disappointed with it's cover, unveiled today. I heard the interview with the Editor-in-chief today, David Remnick, again, on NPR, during All Things Considered. It's supposed to be satirical, Mr. Remnick tells us; meaning it was "to hold a pretty harsh light up to the rumors, innuendos, lies about the Obamas. Satire is a different vocabulary than essays, or radio essay, but there it is." 'Politics of Fear' is the title of the article tied to the depiction of the Obamas. I thought better of the New Yorker than to print something so blatantly offensive. I understand satire, but I think this particular arrow missed it's mark. Besides, I don' think a literary magazine needs to be poking it's nose into politics. If I want to know politics, I'll go to the New Republic, Economist... Many of the emails Mr. Remnick is rec'ing has people saying, "I get it, but I don't think so and so's going to get it..." Mr. Remnick seems to think that because one person gets it, and that that person thinks others won't get it, is preposterous. He scoffs at the idea only the highly intelligent will understand the satire... This got me to thinking about intelligence, or lack thereof, esp with regard to some of the above mentioned catastrophes...I decided to research ONE way intelligence is measured, and that is if a person has a college degree or not. In 2003, according to the US Census Bureau Press Release, 27 percent of adults age 25 and over had a college degree, and that was a record! That's not even a 1/3 of our population dear reader! If you'd like to see other interesting tidbits about education in our country, check out this website: http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/education/001863.html. I for one am appalled at those numbers. I am an educator, and this just sickens me. So, Mr. Remnick, do you really think Everyone will understand your satire? But you know, I am optimist; I will not end this entry on a negative note. The positive for me is this: alone, I may not be much, though I am a force to be reckoned with, but when I am counted as one of the millions of humankind, ah, there is a force mightier to be dealt with than just me. It is in humanity as a whole where I know God is greatest and He is working with us, and is always working on our behalf. Education, money, fame, whatever, We think is Important, Isn't, and it esp isn't important to God, our Almighty Savior. He is the Great Equalizer. He sees our Souls. Together, as the human race, We can do better. Yes, we have made some Terrible mistakes, but I do think we are learning, however slowly, about our mistakes and We are making an effort to rectify those situations. How? You may ask? Begin by looking into your own heart, what do You do to make the world a better place everyday? Are you kind? Do you smile at perfect strangers? Help little old ladies with their groceries? Maybe you don't do anything 'special,' well guess what? It's not too late to start doing some good, every day. God bless.

Gossip-free

Hello www, I pray this day finds you well and content knowing you are in God's hands. :) My entry entitled "Infantile Shananigans," caused a great stir in certain circles and has left me thinking about gossip in a whole new way. I decided to go online and do some searches about gossip and came up with interesting results; everything from 'gossip is good,' to 'gossip is a sin.' (Gossiping is a good sin, lol. Kidding) Personally, I think gossip has the potential to be both. According to one article I read, it's sometimes good to gossip because, as this website http://www.lukeford.net/Dennis/indexp271.html, whose source is an 8/96 issue of Psychology Today states, "If people aren't talking about other people, it's a signal that something is wrong - that we feel socially alienated or indifferent," says Ralph Rosnow, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Temple University and coauthor of Rumor and Gossip: The Social Psychology of Hearsay. "For a real understanding of our social environment, gossip is essential," agrees Jack Levin, Ph.D., professor of sociology and criminology at Boston's Northeastern University and coauthor of Gossip: The Inside Scoop. "It's primary function is to help us make social comparisons. For example, ...(if we) get into the gruesome details of our neighbor's misery over a cup of coffee, our own problems begin to pale in comparison...Gossip is a way for people to let you know, without confrontation, the limits on personal behavior. If you move into a community and your neighbor tells you how the previous homeowner never disposed of his garbage properly, his gossip is letting you in on something else. Gossip shepherds the herd. It says: these are the boundaries and you're crossing them. You're not abiding by the rules and you'd better get back in step," says Rosnow." Interesting, huh? Then of course the reasons we gossip, taken from a PBS kids site, of all places! I liked the way PBS urges us to handle our children when we find out they gossip. I also think adults can benefit from what the kids site offers. Here's the site: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/rumors/article4.html Here are the reasons: to feel superior; to feel like part of a group; for attention; for control or power; out of jealousy or a need for revenge; out of boredom; Then I went to a Catholic website to find out what the Church teaches on gossip; http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/965/141/ Before getting into what the bible teaches, I want to mention what the site says about gossiping specifically in the bible: "Gossip, however, is not one of the literary forms scholars find in their Bibles. Still, that doesn’t mean the Bible is unconcerned with how people talk about each other." And what does the bible say, pray tell? (no pun intended) "As people might expect, the Book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about the harm done by talking about other people. In Proverbs 2:12 gossip is a part of the “way of evil” we should keep away from; It (every good path) will save you from the way of evil, from those who speak perversely. False witness is presented as the sort of inevitable stock-in-trade of gossipers in Proverbs 21:28:“A false witness will perish, but a good listener will testify successfully.” Advice from Jesus Son of Sirach is to keep one’s mouth shut.“A bad name incurs shame and reproach; so it is with the double-tongued sinner” (Sirach 6:1)." The PBS site also gave some suggestions on how to avoid gossiping: Decide whether it’s hurtful or harmless. When you hear something about someone you know and have the urge to pass it on, don’t think about whether it’s true or not. Instead, ask yourself these questions: Why do I want to pass this on? Would I want people to know this kind of informationabout me? How will this person feel if he or she knew this rumor was being spread? Will this rumor reduce this person’s status or make him or her excluded from the group? Your answers will help you figure out the right thing to do. AND, Make the rumor stop with you; Don't be an audience; Be a peacemaker; Respect other's privacy; Get the facts; All rightie, then, I'm off to pratice my new attitude about rumor spreading... God bless, and may U2 become Gossip-free.