Category Archives: Sharing Life Stories

Me in the Middle of Order, Disorder and Reorder

Could this be what our Country, the USA, is going through?
“A sense of order is the easiest and most natural way to begin; it is a needed first “container.” But this structure is dangerous if we stay in its safe confines too long. It is small and self-serving. It doesn’t know the full picture, but it thinks it does. “Order” must be deconstructed by the trials and vagaries of life. We must go through a period of “disorder” to grow up.

Only in the final “reorder” stage can darkness and light coexist, can paradox be okay. We are finally at home in the only world that ever existed. This is true and contemplative knowing. Here death is a part of life, failure is a part of victory, and imperfection is included in perfection. Opposites collide and unite; everything belongs.”

Me In The Middle

I had a Cancer Scare!

…….. And I need to write about that this week.

It all began a little over two months ago …….. out of the blue …… when life was going smoothly and all was well.  I’ve very few medical problems aside from some inevitable aging issues passed down the line among family members.

OrderORDER

And then …….. there it was.  A sign that something was wrong and things were about to change.  What was going on!?!

stock-photo-uterus-or-uterine-cancer-medical-concept-as-cancerous-cells-in-a-female-body-attacking-the-218163580Appointments were made and, one by one, tests began to return negative biopsies and hope started to settle in.  I was on the threshold of life where the outcome was uncertain ~ 75% chance of cancer in a woman my age.   Slowing down and getting myself prepared for any possibility was a process that took me deeper into the letting go of where I might be holding onto the…

View original post 886 more words

Pandemic 2020 ~ December

The Gift of Vaccine

Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting, people standing, child and indoor

Jeffrey Sherman

When I was a kid, they rolled out a vaccine for polio. We were given it at school on a sugar cube. I went home and my dad, who was working on Mary Poppins, asked how my day was. What I didn’t know was that Julie Andrews who was hired to play Mary had not really liked the song my dad and uncle had written -“Through the Eyes of Love” – and it was rejected. It was their favorite song for the movie. Walt asked the Sherman Brothers to come up with a new song that would be in line with Mary’s //Julie’s philosophy. Dad asked me how my day was and I told him about getting the polio vaccine at school. I was known for rejecting the booster shots at my doctors’ office and running away. He said, “ Didn’t it hurt?” I told him they put it on a sugar cube and you just ate it. He stared at me, then went to the phone and called my uncle Dick. They went back to the office and wrote -“A Spoonful of Sugar” (Helps the Medicine Go Down.”) It’s my little corner of film music history I suppose. Inadvertently. For anyone I know here on FB, trust the doctors. When the vaccine for Covid comes out, get it. We are all dependent on each other in this pandemic. Trust science and doctors and epidemiologists. We are a small world and we will beat this enemy if we listen to those who know. Be safe. Wear a mask. Be kind and thoughtful and considerate to your fellow man and woman. We will beat this. xo J

*********************

“I wasn’t nervous at all.” 90-year-old British grandma is the world’s first to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID vaccine.

First COVID Vaccine In U.S. Goes To NYC Critical Care Nurse🇺🇸
😷🧡🩺💉👏

********************

I was one of the lucky 16 days of giveaway winners at my apartment complex! A wonderful Spa Kit to help me get through the next two cold, winter months.

No photo description available.
Holiday Grab Bag 2020

It turned out to be a very nice Christmas this year. My son, Jeff, came down a few days before to take me out to lunch (a first for me since COVID-19 began) and we were the only ones in the cafe. Masks and social distancing were strictly enforced and yet it was still a pleasant experience. Jeff received his first vaccine provided for the healthcare providers.

I was able to talk on the phone with my other sons and know that they are all well. Each is fortunate to have jobs that keep them secure.

The long-term care facility where Pat lives provided a wonderful Christmas lunch that was delivered to his apartment. We’re both happy to have made it this far and to have had each other to lean on.

********************

Lie of the Year (Yup! You guessed it!) The “award” this year goes to claims that deny, downplay or disinform about COVID-19:

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/dec/16/lie-year-coronavirus-downplay-and-denial/?fbclid=IwAR1NALg-EHRlS3_luZYRDTFUEaEp_yvmCc–FAVvGce2GHUxdZPHbLKwTKo

Quotes of the 2020:

“One day – It’s like a miracle – It will disappear!” Trump 2/27

“Wear a Mask!” Fauci 5/21

“The science should not stand in the way of this.” McEnany 7/16

Source: Worldometer.com

********************

My wishes to all of you, both near and far, for a safer and healthier New Year 2021.

********************

Add your thoughts in comments below: American interest wanes in getting COVID-19 vaccine. Why?

https://dailyprogress.com/news/national/american-interest-wanes-in-getting-covid-19-vaccine-why/article_4dfac339-0bbd-5761-9b8b-f4b731ad296d.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_The_Daily_Progress&fbclid=IwAR12dgGCe1NFeuGFo17pytEID_Bn09krkqEms8tTSqarbWyfbZH2gtWQfN8

Me In The Middle Of Feeling Christmas Spirit (Reblog from 2015 looking back during Pandemic 2020)

Christmas Roses #2 (2)
(c) mlq

************

~ The Christmas Rose ~

She stood beside the doorway softly weeping,
without the slightest gift for the newly born
who lay within a manger, peaceful, sleeping.


Three travelers, all richly dressed, but worn,
brought royal treasures for him in their keeping ~
the shepherd maiden wept unseen, forlorn.
In the chill of winter, she had found no rose
nor blossom; ‘midst the rocky hills none grows.

An angel saw her sorrow; understanding
at once the reason, swept away the snow,
revealing there some Christmas Roses. Handing
these white and waxen flowers to her, “Go –
an offering so pure is right,” commanding
with gentleness that only angels know.
The gift was made – beneath the angel’s wink,
the petals blushed from white to palest pink.

© Margaret I. Gibson

************

Some of the best memories I have of past Christmas holidays were when I let go of expectations and just let it happen.

 Ever since I was a little girl I’ve felt that Christmas was meant for all people of good will.  It never dawned on me that Christmas would belong to just one religion.  I knew it was the birth of Jesus ~ the tiny infant who was born in a humble stable ~ who came to love the world and the message he brought to us was to love one another.

My early memories of Christmas were more of the feeling of togetherness, belonging and acceptance.  There was a feeling of magic in the air.  There weren’t many gifts under the tree ~ yet it was my favorite time of the year.  There was something infectious about the outpouring of Good Will as you went about the day meeting people along the way.

When my children were growing up it was fun taking on the passing along of this tradition.  Seeing their eyes brighten with anticipation as the day grew nearer, and gathering them around the Nativity Scene to impress upon them that it was this humble birth we were celebrating.

Then there were the times when I was weary and burdened with worries and stresses.  When I didn’t have enough money to get them gifts or a tree.  When I watched the hustle and bustle of every one caught up in the season and felt isolated from it.  I thought it was all going to pass us by.  Surprisingly, these were the times I remember the most because it’s at times like these that even the smallest gift and the smallest gestures of kindness and love mean the most.  It was at times like these that I experienced what the real meaning of Grace is.  It was at times like these that I learned that Christmas happens every day when we’re open to it.  

That humble birth of that one small child speaks to all of us about the simplicity of Love ~ A Gift that shouts out at a World that desperately needs it.  It’s not a gift that belongs to any specific religion.  It’s a gift that belongs to all of us!  

************

“Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10).

Birding Saudi’s Riyadh Province

Welcome to my son, Greg, who’s joined the WordPress community. If you’re a birder and/or want to learn more about birds in Saudi Arabia, take a look at his first post.

Saudi Birding

Visiting birders to the Kingdom’s capital will be happy to know that Riyadh Province boasts some very fine birding with several quality hotspots. Each is a relatively short drive from the city center—about one to two hours—and would make for quite a full weekend of exploring. Tracking down the highlights at each, however, might require a repeat visit or two. As these spots appeal to more than just avian interests, you won’t mind either way.

Al Ha’ir (الحائر)

A little less than an hour south of Riyadh, following the running of the Riyadh “River”, the voluminous flow of treated wastewater coming out of the capital by way of Wadi Hanifah, isAl Ha’ir. On account of the mix of habitats, Al Ha’ir likely offers the most avian diversity anywhere near Riyadh at any time of the year. Therefore, there’s no “best time” to visit. Even during the summer, the…

View original post 1,897 more words

Pandemic 2020 ~ November

November 2020 will surely go down in history as the most memorable during this pandemic. After grooming his followers with expectations of massive voter fraud, the president set the tone that the only way Vice President Biden could ever win would be through fraud via mail-in ballots. Meanwhile, states began preparing for a different kind of election because of COVID-19 and put in place a process of requesting ballots early and voting early. In my state alone a majority of the Virginia votes cast in this election were done through early voting to the tune of 2.7 million. From all accounts the process worked well for most states and I learned that there are already some states who have been successfully doing only mail-in voting for some time.

No photo description available.

The Pandemic has also changed the way we are approaching the 2020 holiday season. On going warnings from the CDC and medical professionals brought many to reconsider travel and large family gatherings for the Thanksgiving weekend. It’s expected that the next months are going to be even worse than what we experienced in the beginning. For those of us who are elderly and/or dealing with health conditions that make us more vulnerable, the best option was to avoid exposure to infection in any way. I was grateful to be able to spend Thanksgiving Day with Pat at his long-term-care facility. They served a wonderful turkey dinner and, because it was a gorgeous day, we were able to take a walk outside.

COVID-Wise Thanksgiving 2020

President-Elect Biden continues to be certified as the winner in all states at this time yet there are still steps being taken by this president to ‘steal the election’. It appears that the two main reasons that he lost the election were his disturbing performance in leading us through the pandemic and the fact that he encouraged his base not to trust the mail-in ballot process early on which might have contributed to some not voting at all. In any case, this election brought about the highest number of voters than in any other election totaling more than 155,000,000 votes. To date, Joe Biden is 7,000,000 votes ahead of Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, world-wide case of Coronavirus totaled 63,071,670 with the USA at the top of the list with 13,750,608 (according to worldometer.com). We’re told that a vaccine is coming in the next few weeks. Virginia is getting 70,000 doses which will be given to healthcare workers and the elderly living in long-term-care facilities.

I turned to watercolor paints to help me through this month and keep me distracted from all the ongoing drama in our news. I signed up for Joanne Sharpe’s Holiday Greeting online course. We had a lot of fun sharing our creations and now I’m deciding who gets which card. The next two or three winter months ahead of us are predicted to be bad so I’m looking for ways to keep the stress level down and remain lowkey through it all. Meditation, reading books, watercolor sketching and basically just keeping a calm routine are all a part of my plan. My connection to family and friends is very rewarding and the daily love and support connection over the phone with Pat keeps me going.

My Holiday Card Assortment ~ Watercolor Online Class

To My Blogger Friends here in the United States and all around the world: Be Well! Stay Safe! Happy Holiday in whatever way you celebrate!