Newsfeeds around
the world, the nation and our local cities have lately been flooded with deplorable,
appalling, unforgiveable acts against human lives: beheadings of journalists by
terror striking ISIL ‘soldiers’, civilian shootings and assaults by trigger-happy
guised city police and neighborhood watchmen, domestic acts of violence on women and children by
people we intimately know. Killings and
threats to lives of ordinary and extraordinary people have inundated our home
circles, neighborhoods and wider world arenas.
What thought and action must we take to get to the bottom of senseless
attacks on neighbors by neighbors? How
must we ‘turn the other cheek’ to perpetrators of despicable crimes? Why couldn't we co-exist in peace? Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Despicable
Blog 84 ...
Despicable
Newsfeeds around
the world, the nation and our local cities have lately been flooded with deplorable,
appalling, unforgiveable acts against human lives: beheadings of journalists by
terror striking ISIL ‘soldiers’, civilian shootings and assaults by trigger-happy
guised city police and neighborhood watchmen, domestic acts of violence on women and children by
people we intimately know. Killings and
threats to lives of ordinary and extraordinary people have inundated our home
circles, neighborhoods and wider world arenas.
What thought and action must we take to get to the bottom of senseless
attacks on neighbors by neighbors? How
must we ‘turn the other cheek’ to perpetrators of despicable crimes? Why couldn't we co-exist in peace?
Newsfeeds around
the world, the nation and our local cities have lately been flooded with deplorable,
appalling, unforgiveable acts against human lives: beheadings of journalists by
terror striking ISIL ‘soldiers’, civilian shootings and assaults by trigger-happy
guised city police and neighborhood watchmen, domestic acts of violence on women and children by
people we intimately know. Killings and
threats to lives of ordinary and extraordinary people have inundated our home
circles, neighborhoods and wider world arenas.
What thought and action must we take to get to the bottom of senseless
attacks on neighbors by neighbors? How
must we ‘turn the other cheek’ to perpetrators of despicable crimes? Why couldn't we co-exist in peace? 
Bill
Blog 83 ...
Surprise, good and bad, comes
my way when I am not asking for it. Take
for instance, a water bill! I have not given
thought about water bills for a long time having lived down countryside for years, and having
been supplied water from my own well.
Paying for city water resource to fulfill my present home's basic use is a necessity,
but paying for its safe delivery is quite something else to figure. Has anyone else besides me, actually looked at a city water bill lately, and scrutinized what it
charges? My awakening surprise: a base
fee of $6.95, a sewer processing for $18.49, storm water charge for $5.20, and
an environmental fee for $9.35. Add my
$14.95 month’s consumption, and behold … a whopping final charge of $54.41! Conserving ‘liquid gold’ is indeed a must,
but getting it to flow from the city’s reservoir is a much larger cause for
serious pause and thought . Ponder that!
Surprise, good and bad, comes
my way when I am not asking for it. Take
for instance, a water bill! I have not given
thought about water bills for a long time having lived down countryside for years, and having
been supplied water from my own well.
Paying for city water resource to fulfill my present home's basic use is a necessity,
but paying for its safe delivery is quite something else to figure. Has anyone else besides me, actually looked at a city water bill lately, and scrutinized what it
charges? My awakening surprise: a base
fee of $6.95, a sewer processing for $18.49, storm water charge for $5.20, and
an environmental fee for $9.35. Add my
$14.95 month’s consumption, and behold … a whopping final charge of $54.41! Conserving ‘liquid gold’ is indeed a must,
but getting it to flow from the city’s reservoir is a much larger cause for
serious pause and thought . Ponder that! Art-LifeMix
Blog 82 ...
From displays of
conflicted human relationships, indifference, injustice, and taboos or the graceful
movement of bodies through music, artistic drama copies our day-to-day life. Juxtaposed realistic and fantastic
experiences delivered through artistic performances mesmerize us, lift up our
spirits, and allow us to witness the hurts and joys of life we encounter. We are touched by the emotion and resilience
of the human spirit rendered flawlessly by actors. We are either made aware or forced to face
difficult issues in life through heartwarming and believable acting. Art and life mix onstage is a phenomenon we
truly could celebrate again and again!
From displays of
conflicted human relationships, indifference, injustice, and taboos or the graceful
movement of bodies through music, artistic drama copies our day-to-day life. Juxtaposed realistic and fantastic
experiences delivered through artistic performances mesmerize us, lift up our
spirits, and allow us to witness the hurts and joys of life we encounter. We are touched by the emotion and resilience
of the human spirit rendered flawlessly by actors. We are either made aware or forced to face
difficult issues in life through heartwarming and believable acting. Art and life mix onstage is a phenomenon we
truly could celebrate again and again!Balance
Blog 81 ...
At a corner garden by the roadside, my eyes spot three interlayered rocks standing majestically and peacefully. Someone, either moved by the rocks’ smoothness, unique shapes or natural beauty must have decided to make a sculptural statement emphasizing some kind of a relationship. What could the eye make of it? Beyond pure aesthetics and natural inspiration, the artist might have experienced an ‘Ikebana' floral arrangement. It is possible that the artist could be an enthusiast of Eastern 'Ikebana' thought representing and reflecting an understanding of connections between and among heaven, earth and humankind: humankind depends on resources provided by the earth, which in turn depends on the graces of heaven, and God … the one Great Force. A perfect balance of interdependence strikes a pose, and it drew me to it. It invites over and again passersby like me and you to notice and be awed!
At a corner garden by the roadside, my eyes spot three interlayered rocks standing majestically and peacefully. Someone, either moved by the rocks’ smoothness, unique shapes or natural beauty must have decided to make a sculptural statement emphasizing some kind of a relationship. What could the eye make of it? Beyond pure aesthetics and natural inspiration, the artist might have experienced an ‘Ikebana' floral arrangement. It is possible that the artist could be an enthusiast of Eastern 'Ikebana' thought representing and reflecting an understanding of connections between and among heaven, earth and humankind: humankind depends on resources provided by the earth, which in turn depends on the graces of heaven, and God … the one Great Force. A perfect balance of interdependence strikes a pose, and it drew me to it. It invites over and again passersby like me and you to notice and be awed!
Monday, August 25, 2014
TLC’s
Blog 80 …
What is not to love about our hairy friends? Yes, they must be fed. Of course, they must be walked, and you must
do so several times in a day or you’ll be sorry about messes! Remember to get them combed or they’d look
shabby and unkempt. Bring to mind their
scheduled vitamin supplements and medicines.
Don’t forget to take them to their vet for wellness exams and required
pricey shots. Keep in mind, however,
that they require tender loving care the most.
Loving our four-legged friends is good for our mind and soul. They love us back, and that gives us
tremendous joy!
What is not to love about our hairy friends? Yes, they must be fed. Of course, they must be walked, and you must
do so several times in a day or you’ll be sorry about messes! Remember to get them combed or they’d look
shabby and unkempt. Bring to mind their
scheduled vitamin supplements and medicines.
Don’t forget to take them to their vet for wellness exams and required
pricey shots. Keep in mind, however,
that they require tender loving care the most.
Loving our four-legged friends is good for our mind and soul. They love us back, and that gives us
tremendous joy!Talent
Blog 79 …
Can you sing? Can you work
well with your hands? Can you visualize
something and create it? Do you have
fluency with words? Are you able to lead
and excite others? Can you move
gracefully with your body? Are you able
to and process solutions to a problem?
It does not matter that you have a little or a lot of something
special. It is only important to know
and remind yourself that you are endowed with talent … God’s gift, so be happy
about it. Feel proud that you have
it. Sharpen, refine and perfect it. Use it every minute you could. Showcase it.
Share it. Enjoy it. Talent, whether inherently given or acquired
through patience and practice is too precious to waste!
Can you sing? Can you work
well with your hands? Can you visualize
something and create it? Do you have
fluency with words? Are you able to lead
and excite others? Can you move
gracefully with your body? Are you able
to and process solutions to a problem?
It does not matter that you have a little or a lot of something
special. It is only important to know
and remind yourself that you are endowed with talent … God’s gift, so be happy
about it. Feel proud that you have
it. Sharpen, refine and perfect it. Use it every minute you could. Showcase it.
Share it. Enjoy it. Talent, whether inherently given or acquired
through patience and practice is too precious to waste! Hoard?
Blog 78 …
Figurines! Dolls!
Plates! Pottery! Costumes!
Fabric! Maps! Cultural symbols! I look around my home one day and discover
that my collection of superfluous things has gone haywire! In drawers and cabinets I find items that are
pretty to behold, but have no function.
I utterly realize that I even recently purchased an extra showcase
cabinet to make way for things I have acquired just sit. What for do I have such things? I do not have
defense for keeping them. Some things
even require senseless dusting and re-arranging … useless work! What’s the
impetus for our collecting things?
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