If you don't know a lot about Brit-pop, you probably won't recognize the song title above. I find myself returning to this song over and over again for inspiration.
Today we buried a good friend of mine. She died of cancer at the age of 50. Way before her time. She was a kind and gentle soul who was always concerned with the welfare of others. Someone you were actually happy to know.
As her casket was rolled out of the church and all our tears flowed, I realized just how important today is. One year ago my friend seemed perfectly healthy. Today she is dead.
She did everything she was supposed to. Had annual checkups, exercised, ate right, went to church every week. I feel a deep sadness, tinged with fear, for myself and those I love.
What is this all telling us children? Well, we knew that there were no guarantees in life, but the older you get the more you see this happening every day. How someone in their 80's makes it through the day is beyond me. It must be ever present in their lives.
In the meantime, let's do just what the song suggests. Savor every minute we have. No day but today...
Friday, September 30, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Our German Shepard
Yes, being about 75% German myself, I was trying to put the best face on this new pope. Let's give him a chance, I said. Maybe he will grow into the job.
As the linked article (above) clearly shows, this guy is much worse than first thought. Banning gays from the priesthood??? That's like banning women from being nurses. It's just the way it has always been.
I grew up in a strict Lutheran household, so I don't have too much invested in the Catholic church. Except that there are over a billion people professing the faith, which makes it kind of important to all of us. If you ignore them, they won't just go away.
We all know why this is being done. The church has never really addressed their child abuse scandal. So now they figure they can blame it on the gays. It wasn't the churches fault that they (the church) kept covering up for all these perverts, transferring them around the country just to get them out of the way. Never calling the police to report what unspeakable acts had been performed with these kids. No, they don't want to talk about how they dealt with the problem. How they could have stopped much of the abuse by booting these guys out right away.
Most Americans often equate gays with pederasts, but gays are far less likely to molest children than straights are. I am not even sure if you can use the term gay and straight for a pederast. I think it is just a predilection for children. The power over them, not having to deal with an equal in a relationship, etc. I think the church is counting on most American's misconceptions.
The other thing the Pope's minions will be doing here is ferreting out dissidents in all of our seminaries. Gay, straight, it doesn't matter, if they speak (at all) against the teachings of the church, they are out! It's like we just went back 500 years.
When Galileo was hauled before the Pope's rep, he was told that the earth could not possibly revolve around the sun. He ended up backing down, but that did not change the facts. It wasn't until the late 20th century that the church finally apologized for what they had done. How long will we have to wait for any apology for this Pope's behavior? When I think of all the needy people on this planet who could use the church's help, just to live, and the church is spending its energy rooting out gays and dissidents.
What I don't understand is why American Catholics don't break from Rome and just have their own church? Most Americans don't agree with the Pope on birth control, divorce, artificial insemination, celibacy, the list is endless. So why don't they just break off and go in a more forward direction? We can call it The Great Schism of 2005.
I think we need to have a bitch-slap the Pope day. I would really like to get my hands on that twit. The worst part is, he is probably a closet case himself.
As the linked article (above) clearly shows, this guy is much worse than first thought. Banning gays from the priesthood??? That's like banning women from being nurses. It's just the way it has always been.
I grew up in a strict Lutheran household, so I don't have too much invested in the Catholic church. Except that there are over a billion people professing the faith, which makes it kind of important to all of us. If you ignore them, they won't just go away.
We all know why this is being done. The church has never really addressed their child abuse scandal. So now they figure they can blame it on the gays. It wasn't the churches fault that they (the church) kept covering up for all these perverts, transferring them around the country just to get them out of the way. Never calling the police to report what unspeakable acts had been performed with these kids. No, they don't want to talk about how they dealt with the problem. How they could have stopped much of the abuse by booting these guys out right away.
Most Americans often equate gays with pederasts, but gays are far less likely to molest children than straights are. I am not even sure if you can use the term gay and straight for a pederast. I think it is just a predilection for children. The power over them, not having to deal with an equal in a relationship, etc. I think the church is counting on most American's misconceptions.
The other thing the Pope's minions will be doing here is ferreting out dissidents in all of our seminaries. Gay, straight, it doesn't matter, if they speak (at all) against the teachings of the church, they are out! It's like we just went back 500 years.
When Galileo was hauled before the Pope's rep, he was told that the earth could not possibly revolve around the sun. He ended up backing down, but that did not change the facts. It wasn't until the late 20th century that the church finally apologized for what they had done. How long will we have to wait for any apology for this Pope's behavior? When I think of all the needy people on this planet who could use the church's help, just to live, and the church is spending its energy rooting out gays and dissidents.
What I don't understand is why American Catholics don't break from Rome and just have their own church? Most Americans don't agree with the Pope on birth control, divorce, artificial insemination, celibacy, the list is endless. So why don't they just break off and go in a more forward direction? We can call it The Great Schism of 2005.
I think we need to have a bitch-slap the Pope day. I would really like to get my hands on that twit. The worst part is, he is probably a closet case himself.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Life Carries On
Just when I think this power of positive thinking thing is workin' for me, I find out that a good friend of mine is on a vent in Intensive Care, dying from cancer. We all thought she was doing better, but that is not how it turned out. She just turned 50 in March, so we are all just devastated.
Suddenly I hear my more religious friends wonder if God really does answer prayers. Being a spiritual but not necessarily a religious person, I don't have any answer. I thought religion was supposed to comfort people at a time like this. She's going to a better place, she won't have to live with this earthly toil, etc. There's the comfort of religion. A place to rest, where it is not all about the journey anymore.
Faith can be shaken, I know, I have seen that many times before. If it can't, then you are probably not very bright and can't think through things very easily. God gave us the power of reason, and that often conflicts with any faith we may hold.
I often find comfort in the circle of life. I remember seeing my pregnant sister-in-law standing at my grandmother's death bed. I saw it again as my pregnant niece-in-law stood at her mother-in-law's death bed. It is all about renewal and the power of life to carry on. Even if it is not necessarily your life. That's when it gets really hard to see the circle, as only the end is visible.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Time Passages
Trying to find our way through life, we often find ourselves depending on others for comfort and solace. As we travel down life's road we often lose these people along the way. People die or move away, or can't find time for you anymore (and vice versa).
Look back on life's road and think of all the people you thought would always be around. All the friends from college that meant so much to you, who you haven't heard from in years. All the loved ones who have died long before their time.
I visualize walking down a road, hand in hand in hand with the people who have been important to me, and gradually as I keep walking they all let go (one by one) and I am left alone. No matter how hard I try and hold them tight, they let go, and disappear into the mist. Off onto another path, on earth or otherwise.
How do you keep going, how do you find your way again? How do you recreate that sense of community that existed in the past? Tears only last so long, then you sit there looking for happiness again.
As you age you don't make friends as quickly and easily as you did in your twenties. I so don't want to end up lonely and bitter. Having other people around keeps you young and keeps your mind active, and studies have shown that social interaction helps keep depression at bay.
So folks, I will endeavor to be more outgoing and see what comes of it. See, I'm smilin' already, "Hey - how ya doin' today..."
Monday, September 05, 2005
Yikes!
Even I never thought Bush and his cronies could screw up this much. After all they are a well-oiled machine.
Let's start with Katrina. How do you wait for five days to fully respond to a disaster, in a place where said disaster has been predicted for years? How do you cut funds for completing a levee system for a city that is basically a bowl or dry land surrounded by water? Then spend that diverted money on
Main Entry: New Or·leans 
Pronunciation: 'or-lE-&nz, 'or-l&nz, 'orl-y&nz, (")or-'lEnz
Usage: geographical name
city & port SE Louisiana between Lake Pontchartrain & Mississippi River population 496,938
People (not just Kanye West) say that the Bushies did this because they are racist . I don't really buy that. I think that they looked at the
Let's move on to John Roberts. How do you nominate a 50 year old man with two years on the bench to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? Think of all the great jurists out there in this country of ours, how do we end up with this man who has so little experience. I'm not saying I wanted Scalia as Chief Justice, but how about asking Sandra Day O'Connor back, or something!!! Roberts may be bright, but he is not the best man for this job.
And what about putting more women on the court??? We have one woman now (on a 9 person court), when women make up over half of this country's population. Sometimes I think Georgy Porgy just goes with his gut instincts, thinking they are infallible. Well, guess what, they are not.
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