Sunday, June 28, 2015

Supporting Human Rights

   

          There have been far too many acts of violence committed by human beings against one another. The recent massacre in Charleston, South Carolina when nine individual lives were brutally, & suddenly taken is a tragic reminder that we all have a long way to go in creating a peaceful world. It is acknowledged that our specie though at the top of the food chain are the most violent. Change must start at the beginning, in the home, the community, & the country we each reside in.

     I was inspired by hearing the eulogy President Barack Obama shared at the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckeney. President Obama did not shy away from addressing the topic of guns & race relations in the United States. He referred to our history of slavery being the original sin of our country. The president went on to say we are "not to go forward with business as usual" in these matters. He ended his touching & relevant eulogy by singing Amazing Grace.

     I am concluding today's entry in a plain & simple manner, forever with hope in working towards ending~ racism, gun & domestic violence, human trafficking, continuing to uphold gender equality, & to work at preventing & ending all wars...
It is a seemingly endless list.. but the choice is ours- to be or not to be. What is the question? 



The above photo is in it's early draft form. It will eventually become a banner & also a flyer to promote the message of good will in our community at large. The purpose as always on this peace garden site is to make art not war.





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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden





     

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Fracking Is Not Healthy For Children Or Other Living Things~ At Pomfret's Lois Orswell Award Ceremony [Part II]





     On Thursday evening June 11th our Pomfret Conservation Commission hosted the Twelfth Annual Lois Orswell Conservation Award. To learn more about this click onto Part I of our award ceremony-


   
     Our evening not only had wonderful award recipients, but special guest speakers who traveled two hours to our neck of the woods in order to inform all our attendees about the latest technological information regarding fracking. Most everyone has heard & read about fracking, but during our award night additional information was thoroughly explained. We are now further in the know about a dangerous technology that is presently being done in numerous states across our country. We were very fortunate to have had some very enlightened people participate in the educational portion of our event to share an informational forum on fracking that evening.

Our guest speakers-

Jennifer Siskind

Our main speaker was from Food & Water Watch.  Jennifer Siskind gave us the nitty gritty about the fracking technology from it's beginning history, & to the present- deep down into the shale beds, the transportation of the fracked gas, & the treatment of water that is returned to the earth's surface, & what becomes of it. 
The following is the link to-  Food & Water Watch

www.foodandwaterwatch.org


      
 The Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter was represented by-

 Martha Klein

Martha was at the helm making the introductions, along with a short closing statement by

John Calandrelli 

John is the program director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club.
The following is their link-

www.connecticut.sierraclub.org



      In order to remain positive on this topic what needs to be said is plain & simple- The big energy companies continue to put a price tag on the beauties & wonders of our natural world. To billions of earth dwelling individuals that thinking is off. These billions include the every person, you & I. Those of earth based conscience will continue to do what they can. Creating more & more links in the chain of changed public opinion is necessary to fortify healthy treatment of this planet in order for it to be viable. We are no longer innocent in all this. Knowledge is power, which is necessary to share & act upon. The solution is within our grasp. Please work in your towns & communities. Make new laws & regulations, & revamp out dated ones that are not applicable for this century. No one has the right to create a toxic world. No one.

A very special thank you to Jennifer Siskind of Food & Water Watch, & to Martha Klein, & John Calandrelli of the Sierra Club's Connecticut Chapter.
You gave all of us a deep education into the down & deep world of fracking.  Many in attendance will keep ourselves updated, including our Pomfret Conservation Commission, who will add this as an important agenda item at our next meeting.

Thank you all~!

 *Additional Entry of 6/14/15

     I just received a link early this morning for a government report confirming what the environmentalists have been saying all along about the dangers of fracking. Here's the link-








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Friday, June 12, 2015

The Lois Orswell Conservation Award [Part I]






     Last night our town hosted it's Twelfth Annual Lois Orswell Conservation Award. This award is given by the Pomfret Conservation Commission. Those awarded are honored for their outstanding work in conservation in our community for the previous year.

The award is given to an individual, an organization or both, that contributes significant work in the area of conservation. There were two 2014 Lois Orswell Conservation Awards given last night. For this honoring both categories were recognized for their hard work.

The first recipient of last night's program was the organization-

Peoples Harvest


Peoples Harvest is a farm that is worked, & run by volunteers they grow vegetables, herbs & flowers which are all donated to the various soup kitchens, & food pantries in the northeast corner of Connecticut. Every year Peoples Harvest lovingly distributes their freshly grown crops of 100's of pounds of healthy produce.
Accepting the award for Peoples Harvest was John Lorusso.


Our next recipient was an individual-

Fran Baranski

Fran Baranski has been volunteering for Connecticut Audubon for fifteen years. He's been instrumental in implementing, & leading trail walks, & other creative activities, & projects that Connecticut Audubon in Pomfret provides for the northeast corner.

Congratulations to all our Lois Orswell Conservation Award recipients, you are all most awesome~!


***





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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden





Taking The Water Cure




     Above is a card a dear friend sent me last month for my Gemini birthday. I absolutely love it, love her too I must add~! The reason for it's spot in today's entry is regarding one's relationship with
water-

     Most of us have heard the term water cure. The term has been introduced to us by various religious practices & traditions, in literature, & referenced in plays & movies with conversations between characters, usually of a later time period. We are all connected to water. We biologically come forth from water. According to my moments ago google search, 60 percent of our overall bodies are water, with 90 percent of our blood being water. 

     Since my teenage years I began to take note that working out in the water was a good system for me. When I was back in nursing school the hospital I was training at had a wonderful pool. With all the studying, & test taking I found that doing a few laps several times a week was a perfect stress reducer. I still try my best to find the time to workout in the water, & when life has become a bit loaded with anx I think.. hmm I know it, I'm way overdue!

     Science has proven we've come from the sea. I'm convinced. So if you have the opportunity & the chance to do so- take a dip. This season in this neck of the woods the water's just right!







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Monday, June 8, 2015

We Are..







     The question of- Who are we?, is as old as time. A relationship with ones own self has always been the key. So many cultures & traditions have come upon the earth. We absorb what we've been exposed to by conditioning. Yet we may still ponder.

     It is natural for a child to question. No one has all the answers. It does take a village for the child that resides in each of our hearts. Our modern technology can be a blessing or a curse depending on how we choose to use it. As we grow forward continuing to seek knowledge the Internet has become a vast library of resources improving an individual's quality of life with the click of a button.

   The beginning of May was a big first step for me I signed up for an online course titled-
 Body and Mind are one, taught by the master Thich Nhat Hanh through Udemy. The information I learned about this company was all good. During my involvement in this course I experienced a glitch of not being able to re enter my account. A few emails straightened it all out, & I was up & running again in record time. Wonderful, wonderful~!
 
    Human beings backgrounds are all very unique. What remains the same is we're all on this planet together doing the best we can-  balancing, coping & doing what we need to do, taking it all in with the mindful task of circling our sun every twenty-four hours. All very complex, yet simple.
   
    The topic of forgiveness has come up time & time again, especially if one has felt wronged by a person close to them. When an individual has had a close relationship with someone when they were a young child often the experience is beyond words when a large percent of that relationship  has gone toxic. Trust is no longer trust when laden with decades of flypaper encrusted pitfalls. For me daily forgiveness is often as necessary as going through morning stretches & daily workouts. For a long time my prayerful meditation remains- God please help me, please help us all. 

     Sharing today's entry is inspired by my experience of taking in the-
 Avalokiteshva Chant offered in Udemy's Body and Mind are one. This chant helps us in facing & embracing our suffering. I spontaneously cried on hearing this chant, & was able to forgive. I have yet been able to eliminate the flypaper condition, but am positive & hopeful this will be done. As my son Z said when he was a young boy- Practice will never make perfect mom, it will only make better.
And in keeping with that I wish us all peace, true peace.


********

*The opening photo above was taken from my laptop as I was playing the lesson of the Avalokiteshvara Chant from the course Body and Mind are one, taught by the master Thich Nhat Hanh. I highly recommend this course. To find them just put in Udemy for your search & they'll come right up. 





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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Roses Of June


   
      I never tire upon viewing a rose. Who does? It's form in the realm of flowers is as perfect as perfect can be. We have a climber on our front walkway. It's a bit worn, but still finds a way to bloom. She's probably due for a good clipping, but I'm somewhat hesitant as I don't want to sacrifice the buds that are getting ready. So I'll wait a bit, & as we work on our brambling garden we'll come up with a plan to eventually prune her back. After all who doesn't appreciate a good clipping of one's foliage once in a while? Why just today mine was. About a half inch all around was taken from my locks. It did feel good I must admit. Years ago I was told my soft fluffy hair has the feel of a lama's. Today when I got home it needed a ton of conditioner. To say it frizzes is an understatement.
     This evening just before walking my pooch Dolly I cut back a few wayward stems on our rose bush. We all need similar things us roses & humans-  Environmentally sound room to grow. Proper nutrients including fresh air, clean water, & some rays of sun. And a song. Let's not forget the song. That eternal song the heart always sings, of springtime's promise. Her beauty, & potential for peace. Peace for all.











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Monday, June 1, 2015

On The Way To Coast Guard Beach





     As we approached Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts the other evening this is what we saw. According to a fellow naturalist this hazy view was caused by a controlled burn that the Rangers in charge of the National Seashore had done earlier in the day. We had seen the large orange warning signs along the Coast Guard Beach bike trail informing all to keep out of the prescribed controlled burning sections that were indicated in the woods. By the time we rode by the burning was long over, except for the haze that moved across the sky. 











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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden


Shelter From The Storm

     
     There's a tendency for many of us to retreat to the seashore when one's inner life has become too too.. The ocean offers a tonic for all life's senses. From a wave's first sparkle to the fog rolling in, the effect envelops one's very soul. 
Peace, inner peace, deep peace.









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