School Days

If I am not, 

may God put me there;

and if I am, may God so keep me.

         

                                   Joan of Arc

 

Always darkest before the dawn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing for battle with an

elementary school principal. 

 

As an eighth grader, 

I selected Joan as my

patron saint.  Whenever I 

require courage, I turn to 

her.  Just a girl, obedient to God, 

with the courage

of men.  It's all I need.

For many, I am invisible, a tiny

disabled teapot of a women.

Most strangers seem uncomfortable 

with my appearance. Does it hurt?

Do you have back problems?

My my you walk fast with that cane.

Yeah, get out of my way.

 

I don't mind the comments. 

They are strangers, after all. 

White noise after all these years.

What I mind is being disregarded.

 

My brother, Joe, used to say that 

I would go from zero to 60 in under a 

second.  I am slower to burn these days,

but if you bring me to anger, especially 

if you mess with my children,  WATCH

out.

On being Optimistic

I have become my own version of an
optimist.  If I can't make it through
one door, I'll go through another door-or
I'll make a door.  Something terrific
will come no matter how dark the
present. 
                                    Joan Rivers

Amen

On the Path of Light

But Betsie put a finger on my mouth.
"Don't say it, Corrie! There are no 'ifs'
in God's world. And no places that 
are safer than other places.  The 
center of His will is our only safety-
Oh Corrie, let us pray that we may 
always know it."
                          The Hiding Place
                          Corrie Ten Boom


Things come to my intuitive self.
I don't believe in coincidences,
never  have.  Everything happens
for a reason.


The other books on my nightstand.

the sociopath next door
                              martha stout, ph.d
This book is a slow read,  I got to the part
where the child sociopath blows up frogs and
have had to struggle to get through it.  It is necessary
reading for the place I find myself.

click here Bill Moyers', 21 song salute

On Bill Moyers link above, scroll down to
Compared to What listen to the
lyrics.  No coincidences.

                
Here for John Legend preforming
Compared to What

The Jesuit Guide to almost EVERYTHING
                                James Martin, SJ

With God in Russia
                                 Walter J. Ciszek, SJ

Fortune Son  - Credence Clearwater Revival

No WAR in Syria or Iraq.  No support
of moderate  thugs.  God help us. 

Visiting Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

The call of a junk show.
We travel near or far for the love
of vintage junk.
Sunrise, two hours sitting on the 10 East due to
a hazardous waste accident. 

Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market in Scottsdale

People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness set in, their true beauty
is revealed only if there is a light from within.
                              Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Flo's Asian Kitchen
Yum 

Changing Hands Bookstore

 Fabulous  bookstore.

  A perfect visit.

In All Things

Be grateful.  It's the only totally
reliable get rich-quick scheme.

                             Ben Stein


 The Get-Along-Gang travels a lot and
 witnesses a variety of things. 
 While I am trained to be aware of my surroundings,
 I am, after all, a small disabled female.
 I am not observant of the contents of vehicles,
 unless they are occupied by people.

 Mr. Lee, however, is aware and very observant.

 In  a Vegas parking garage,
 he called me over to the car below.
At first, I observed colors of white,
ivory, ecru, and beige. My first
murmurer was of a vintage wedding gown,
it was Vegas after all.

Mr. Lee prodded, look again.
Looking more closely, my heart fell with
knowledge of mental illness.  The passenger front seat
was full to the brim with tissues, napkins and power towels.
Some obviously used and others were new,
with the exception of the driver's seat the car was full of
trash.

There is help:
NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Health,
Suicide Awareness Month.

While visiting in Arizona this weekend,
we had the pleasure of breaking bread with friends.
My friend Patty, works as an instructional
aid at one of the local school.
She works with primarily non-native speaking
low income children.  Children with few resources
often lacking the attention required to feel
valued.  More importantly, lacking the parental guidance
and strong hand necessary in developing a healthy
contributing adult.

What chance to these children have when someone
with all the prevelage like Robin Williams chooses
to end his life.  One of Patty's 11 year old students recently
confided he wanted to die.  Frighting but common in
our modern world.

Say a little pray for those less fortuate, those struggling with
mental illness today.
 

September: A Door to Favorite Seasons

From September 1 on out through Epiphany
is my most favorite time of the year.

All of it every last bit.
Colors, cool weather, gatherings,
tasty desserts, and hearty meals.
A home full of holiday scents.

Pumpkins, fall colored pansies.
Harvests and feasts.
A road trip or two.  (There are
two planned already.)

School breaks.
Poinsettias.
Crafts.
Cozy family evenings.
Vintage Christmas.

 

Nothing ventured, Nothing gained Chaucer c. 1374

I am stretching out our Las Vegas trip.
In reality it went something like this:
No. 1 son arrives at the airport at midnight
from his trip to Canada.  Mr. Lee picks
him up and comes home to wake the family.
Mabel, the van, is packed and ready.  A quick
shower for me, and in the van we go
under the cover of darkness.

We couldn't have left without No. 1
returning because the Get-Along Gang
has a ten-year old insulin dependent cat.

One day and one night in Vegas
Get-Along Gang style.

The High Roller
is like a huge Ferris wheel with
pod.  Pods with a capacity of accommodating
40 people. Miss Holly was not an enthusastic
participant.  There were a few tears shed
and a great deal of fear.  It was
a bit of trauma at first.  In the end,
she relaxed and enjoyed the experience.
At the top position, the pod is 550 feet up
in the air.  The views are amazing.
Night rides are available, too.

All smiles in the end.  That is
Jacob smiling. 

Please visit again dear readers.

Neon Museum, Bone Yard, Las Vegas

Happiness is a form of courage. 

                                        George Holbrook Jackson

Dave, our volunteer neon enthusiast
at the Neon Museum, made us excited about the
extraordinary history of
Vegas, gangsters, hotels.  The seedy
side of gaming.
And yes, so very,intrigued about the art of neon.

The Art of Embriodery

Pinterest...is like crack. 

Marriage Bliss

Mr. Lee knows it was his smile.
His perfect warm smile to first attract me.
Then, his sharp and intelligent wit
that keeps me engaged.

Happy Anniversary.
It continues to be a wild ride.
Mountains and valleys.
Acres of compassion and patience.
The kind of love with capacity for
continued growth.

they slipped briskly into
an intimacy from which
they never
recovered.

                 F. Scott Fitzgerald