Saying Farewell To 2017

     

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."  Thank You~ Charles Dickens, & so it remains... 

     It's that time of year when we attempt to tie up some of the loose ends we've seemingly cast off during the furries of our lives. 2017 has certainly been one of those times when darken clouds brought forth storms ravaging many a body, mind & spirit. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, & raging wild fires are now part of this year's natural world history. Also political unrest throughout the world continues to bring forth manmade loss of life & ongoing suffering. In order to remain sane many of us continue to find it healing to help even when the tragedy is in another part of the world by acting local- we attend benefit concerts or prayer vigils to support one another whenever we can, & continue in our involvement with community groups that support our philosophical activism which is purposeful & fulfilling, working very hard to find creative ways in order to donate financial aid to areas that need our help both local & far away.

     Here in the United States hundreds of thousands remain upset regarding the Presidential Election of 2016 because the person who was elected as president has unleashed a tsunami of hate, disrespect & lack of compassion. The disrespect coming from his administration is aimed not only at human beings, but at our very planet. It is because of this that I haven't been able to compose my thoughts for the Peace Garden for sometime now. 

     The intention of this blog is to put forth thoughts & ideas to benefit peace in this world, & the challenge was & is how to go forward in doing so without turning these pages into a space of anx & grievances. After much thought & consideration I've decided to continue with this blog by contributing to our garden of ideas which is the mission of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden. I will continue to share perspectives of what it means from a person of my gender born after WWII in a newly released Nuclear Age- a time that was most historic & has shadowed Our World ever since, because now it becomes more relevant with each passing day to, Make Art Not War~xo~

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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden

     

Just About Autumn

     Yes, it's just about autumn, & most days the air feels fresh. The turtles in this photo reside in our National Zoo, Washington, D.C. When we saw them on Labor Day just a few days ago they seemed quite content to sun themselves in just the right spot. My fondness for turtles goes back to when I was five & had one as pet who my father named Tobey. Turtles are known for their longevity, but Tobey only lived for two years. He died from the effects of a moving day car trip when my Depression Era parents became home owners for the very first time. The move produced overwhelming feelings- one of extreme joy due to our first new home, & the other of immense sadness on the loss of my one & only ever, childhood pet.

     Loosing a pet for any child can be very tragic, & so is loosing one's home. Hurricane season is upon us now & just a few days ago horrific flooding from Hurricane Harvey hit the area of Houston, Texas causing thousands to leave their homes. The additional news of individuals having lost their lives due to this terrible flooding is the worst part of this tragedy.  We also have Hurricane Irma heading into Puerto Rico & other island counties with the peninsula of Florida in it's site. I can't help but wonder how we'll all get through these massive upcoming climate disasters. Turtles are intuitively wise, they pull themselves into their shells, & also burrow into the mud to remain cool & avoid all danger. One would think that because humans have bigger brains we would have better adaptation skills, at least better than turtles. Not true, not true! Not true because we are herd following creatures & don't fully access the deductive reasoning part of our brains, including the section that is capable of forward thinking techniques. Instead this beautiful country has voted it's self back into the Stone Age by electing men who were born to destroy rather than mend & heal.   

     The United States of course is not solely responsible for global climate change, but we are a big factor in contributing to it's cause. We are a special agent of our own destruction & qualify for this by allowing big business to override sound scientific information that could prove helpful.

      My husband continually reminds me that human nature is one that is driven by an individual's self interest, which makes the thinking of the masses akin to mob rule. Ultimately taking care of planet earth is by far the best number one thing we could ever do & even those that deny know intuitively that their denials are false. Tragically the self interest selfish gene remains, which adds another diagnosis to an ever growing list of MMAs-  Medical Mental Abnormalities.  

      

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It's That Tme Of Year~!

Have yet to visit our Farmer's Market so today's the day~!

Why I Blog

Why I Blog

As Included from the side bar of about me.

     Sometimes we hear the tree in the forest when it falls, sometimes not… Life is a discovery process, & with it our mutual search for peace in our hearts, & in our world at large. Love & acceptance is the key.

     I am now a mother & a grandmother, but during my childhood’s generation many of us were given limited choices if we wanted any type of job outside the home. The word career was never mentioned. We were often told to become teachers, secretaries, waitresses, & nurses. I chose the later. It suited who I was, & as I delved into it year upon year I acquired knowledge & skills I never would have achieved in any other way, because the nursing profession provides unique human experiences which not only helps our patients to heal, but enriches the lives of our fellow/ fella nightingales too.  All of which further developed my desire for- peaceful solutions in all matters.

     The purpose of this blog is a hint of what all human beings desire whether verbalized or not… “The Peace Poles you find all over the world has this phrase posted on various sides written out in multiple languages-

“May Peace Prevail On Earth”,

of which we work for it’s possibility -

One Person, One Nation, at a time.

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Books and Things

Books And Things 

    

     I can remember my first day of school, my first sleepover at a friend's & also the arrival of new siblings that became an integral part of our family. These are just a few life chapters that come to mind. One other that stands out is being given my very own brand new book when my father took me to the movie, Pinocchio. Never before had I experienced giant moving images in bright beautiful colors projected on a screen. The story of the elderly man who so earnestly wanted a little boy touched the heart of this 4 1/2 year old, & when his finely crafted puppet came to life the events that followed were spellbinding. At that time we were living in the Bronx & out on the street after the movie was a peddler with a cart selling souvenirs depicting the movie. My father who was also a kid at heart asked me what would I like? I immediately said a book for there in the man's cart among the hats & other memorabilia were a stack of Little Golden Books with a big picture of Pinocchio the star of the day on the cover! 

     Since that time the impulse to return home with a book remains, be it at an authors presentation, or other places that have the promise of a fine story. I especially enjoy finding that special volume when we are visiting a museum & the exhibit is just so wonderful that having the images on a page at home is far too tempting to resist. As my life has evolved chapter upon chapter remembering the various characters from books I've especially enjoyed & things I have learned, the wisdom that the various authors have shared are of course priceless & the reason books have become my enduring friends. 

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Life's Varied Puzzles

Life's Varied Puzzles

Technology's a wonderful thing, when it works that is. Sometimes it's all garbled with criss crossed wiring much like a mind on overload. Due to the on & off reliability of my technology at hand I've put off getting a few interesting Peace Garden episodes out there. Nonetheless there's no time like the present & now that my tech tools are more finely fine tuned I plan on returning with a post or two before the relaunching of this blog for
New Beginning's at Mother Lightning's Peace Garden~xo~!

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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden

       

The Challenges We Face

     I've lived in the United States all my life and in my lifetime there has been no lack of wars or human rights violations. The recent presidential election speaks volumes to the values that have been voted in by our fellow citizens. I've promised myself that I will keep politics out of the Peace Garden, it is also important that I speak my truth. This recently elected U.S. president is the elephant in the room throughout the land. He is not supported from this end, but one of the joys that has come from this election is that we live in a town that did not vote him in. From time to time I will post entries that celebrate what various citizens are doing to wage peace against this outrageous man who's administration is daily hammering down the basic rights of individuals. 

     We are presently living through a time that can be compared to the McCarthy Era, which predated Nixon & the Viet Nam War. And now since that horrific war, it is time once again to stand up, speak up & raise our voices loud & clear in actions & deeds for human rights on our very own shores. 

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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden

Celebrating The Lessons Of Spring

Celebrating The Lessons Of Spring

     Spring is my fave time! Each year coming out of winter jubilation takes over with each wafting breeze!
     Our home is Southern New England where the winters can be harsh, & isolating too. This past winter offered a few storms but not enough to get snowed in. Some say it's due to global warming, only time will tell.
     I must confess this past season's been a really tough time of technological challenges. It's kept me off this computer & eventually off the blogger app on my phone too. A challenge sooo complicated it took three trips back, & forth to where I purchased this laptop which on the final visit took nearly two hours including a telephone call to Google which went no where to unravel a security issue that was locking me out, & sadly preventing me from returning to my own Peace Garden blog.
     Through it all I was horribly reminded of my own short comings, bringing back an unsettling disconnected feeling of my younger schoolgirl self with my struggles with math. It helped that I periodically mentioned this roadblock to understanding friends, & finally, finally so sick of hearing myself talk a week prior to spring I made myself call the Apple Store once again & finely calmly pursued the issue explaining a very convoluted problem.

Voila! 

~Am sooo very happy to finally be back, I've missed you all~!~

A sincere shoutout thanks to the Apple Store at Evergreen Walk in Connecticut. My appreciation is addressed to the following two special people who rescued me from a technological nightmare-

  Manager- Fred, & their most patient & wonderful Tech Lese who worked on this issue through thick & thin. 

~Thank you both~!

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*Post Script, I've had some glitches getting back into the Peace Garden late this PM, but hopefully it will all level out. It really is a disorienting feeling when what you thought you knew how to do no longer works & the safety settings for your own security locks even your own self out. It really is #@*&*!!! , but we do persevere, & once again I'm back! And so very glad o be here~!!!

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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden