Freedom is not free

Today please take time to thank and honor the men and women and their families for the service given and sacrifices they have made.

Photo by Evan Vucci/AP

Kait Wyatt carries her 1-month-old son, Michael, at the burial for her husband, Marine Cpl. Derek Wyatt, at Arlington National Cemetery, Jan. 7. Wyatt was killed Dec. 6, 2010, in Afghanistan. Kait Wyatt, who was pregnant at the time of her husband's death, was induced the day after he was killed so she could attend the service.

You may listen to the Wyatt's story here

Magpie Tale -Rainbow

storms come and go
the earth may quake
this much I know
you are always there
when I need you
most

c.m. jackson 2011


This is a magpie tale--walk on over here for some shelter from the storm..
Hope you and yours are safe and sound after this week's show of what Mother Nature can do..

Infinity

When I look into your eyes

I see what is possible

When I met you

I found a soul so close

To mine

My daily goal is to inspire

and

Create

A place

We can thrive

Together

C.M. Jackson 2011

Monday Morning Wake Up Call---From sea to shining sea

Happy 4th to all--let's remember and honor our men and women fighting abroad for our freedom and independence.

Count your blessings!

Flash 55-Working

Heels
High on
Hope
Red lipstick kisses
Four babies’ cheeks
As they sleep
Dreaming 'bout stories
Mama has told
Drinks sliding cross the bar
Wondering
When is her next day off?
The tips filling the jar
Maybe a picnic at the park
Hoping it won’t rain
Red lipstick kisses
Protecting her babies
From the dark

C.M. Jackson 2011

It is Friday and if you can say it in 55 words, go tell it to the man--that's the g-man! Happy weekend all!!

Thank You

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where the stand in times of challenge and controversy.- Martin Luther King Jr.

toujou isit la

Still here...

my thoughts and prayers are with
... the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild after the earthquake.

Peace on Earth

 May your Christmas be joyful and your loved ones near--

Happy Thanksgiving

A Blessing

May your home be filled with laughter and the warm embrace of a summer day.

May you find peacefulness and beauty, challenge and satisfaction, humor and insight, healing and renewal,

love and wisdom, as in a quite heart.

May you always feel that what you have is enough.

Author Unknown

Best Wishes to all for a happy Thanksgiving!

Magpie Tales-Lessons learned

Crashing into brick walls
Develops character
Loving and losing
Opens the heart for true love
Missed opportunities
Awaken the mind to possibilities
Failures
Drive the potential for future success
Doors closing
Signal a new beginning
Fear, sadness and doubt
Are just moments in a life
Filled with blessings
Count them

C.M. Jackson 2010

Inspiration and more may be found at Magpie Tales.

Flash 55-Esperanza

33 men lost

In

Darkness

Their families
And
The world
Watching
Wondering
Praying
Found
Rising up
Like a phoenix
Evidence
Of the good
That is possible
When
We work
As one
Heart
As one
Love
As one
Mind
Sharing
Knowledge
Solving
Problems
Ignoring
Embracing
Differences
Crossing
Borders
Families
Reunited
Anything’s
Possible
When
There is
Hope

C.M. Jackson 2010
 
It's Friday and you know what to do--say it in 55 words and go see the g-man! Happy Weekend to all!

Never Forget

Hold On

Hold on to what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if someday I'll be gone away from you.

A Pueblo Indian Prayer

No matter how many years go by and how far we travel--the memory of those lost on this day will live on.

To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.-Thomas Campbell

Theme Thursday-Help!!!

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.


Henry Ford



If there is a place in this country that epitomizes character and the ability to move forward against all odds, it is New Orleans and the Gulf region. The gulf oil spill is not only an environmental disaster unlike any that we have experienced but also is an event which threatens a way of life for the people who live and work in the area.

As BP works to stop the oil flowing into the Gulf, the companies who were working to find oil safely (if there is a safe way) are leaving the region and a moratorium has been placed on future drilling. So those jobs along with fishing are in danger of being lost for good.

The Gulf Oil spill is a wake up call to all of us to recognize the limits of our fragile environment, question our reliance on oil and find a way to "do the right damn thing."

Let's move forward and start thinking how we all can help.

Today is Thursday and the theme is help. For more thoughts on the subject, take a look here.

Independence Day

TO THE FOUNDING FATHERS

Your light still lingers in our distant morning,
A star that we perceive across the void.

We chart our passage by your words, still burning

Long after your bright core has been destroyed.

No longer do we speak of "natural" rights,

Nor can we think that Reason guides our will.

We've been through far too many gruesome nights

To hope we have reduced our lust to kill.

Yet hope remains the engine of our fire,
Hope that someday all of us will be

Happy in the least that we require:

Well-fed, well-housed, safe, secure, and free.

This dream we still pursue. Though darkness come,

Your wisdom, hope, and courage through us run.

Author Unknown

One World

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.  Margaret Mead




Tonight I watched 60 Minutes and listened as Byron Pitts interviewed volunteer doctors regarding the conditions under which they are working. The term used, "Civil War medicine", terrified me. With limited supplies including rubbing alcohol to sterilize instruments and no electricity, the doctors have had to resort to the use of hand saws to remove limbs of those injured. As Dr. Paul Farmer a volunteer doctor walked Byron Pitts to the location where bodies were being disposed of because of concern for public health, he noted while horrifying, it was necessary for people to see for themselves the horror and therefore, understand the need to assist in any way possible.
I chose the YouTube video above because like the 60 Minutes interview, it not only shows the faces of the people devastated by this earthquake but also gives one a sense of their strength, their joy and their belief in what is possible.

I have used Margaret Mead's quote a number of times here. Given what my fellow bloggers have written, I am convinced she was absolutely right about the power of a group people to make change. Distinct viewpoints all engaging their readers in thought and the need for action.  Read on:

Keeping it in Perspective

Help!

In Honor of Molly Hightower   (see sidebar)

From Texas to Turkey to Haiti

Happy Sabbath

Call to Action?

Maybe February...

Prayers for the People of Haiti

Conscious Friday: Yele Haiti

For My People

Bloggers Unite for Haiti

Relief Work in Haiti

One more take from 60 Minutes...A US soldier sent on her first deployment witnessed her parents homeland for the first time. She took solace in the fact that she could speak to the people and they could understand that help was on  its way. Their response was that they were proud of her and that she was doing a good job.

Believe!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies!


Francis P. Church--From the New York Sun, September 21, 1897.

The Festival of Lights

May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind. ~Author Unknown

Now

One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.

- Sigmund Freud


Yesterday, I came home to let Max out and let him stretch his legs. Midday, a pb &j with a tall glass of cold milk , I ate my lunch and watched as the oldest puppy in the world circled the yard, accomplished his task and made certain his world was secure. It took all of twenty minutes, Max circling the yard and me finishing my delectable pb&j. I got him settled back into the house with the assurance that Mr. Jackson (eg the person who gives him treats) would be home in a few hours and got back into my car. I backed down my driveway and as I moved, I noticed something on the fence post. I slowed the car and realized it was probably the biggest praying mantis I had ever seen. I turned the car engine off and ran to get my camera. Running out of the house I turned the camera on and it told me "No CF Card." I started back to the house with intent of finding my card and by the time I reached my desk I decided that this wasn't a photo opportunity. I set my camera down and returned to my car and spent the next ten minutes or so just watching and being.

Just what I needed. Amazing.

One Good Thing

When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.-- Vietnamese  Proverb

My dear friend, Elyce, despite an epic battle, lost her husband, Harry, to leukemia. Harry Purcell was an amazing and kind man. His spirit lives on in the people he touched.--magic happens when we all believe in the possibilities--Cherilyn Swenson from Santa Fe is running a marathon in his honor.

"For anyone who would like to to support the cause and/or follow along on my journey, you can go to my Team in Training webpage. I will continue to post updates about the training and the marathon, where I will proudly represent Harry. With gratitude and appreciation, Cherilyn Swenson"

National Literacy Day-September 8th

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

The ability to string together a few letters, understand a word and then a few more words to become a sentence, "See Spot run." was a noteworthy moment in my life. From that point on, I devoured what ever book was put within my reach. Like breathing, reading became a necessary function that enabled me to imagine places and people that were outside my world. The ability to read and as a result, spell and write, set my mind on fire and made the possibilities endless.

I owe much of my success and happiness to the ability to read--it built foundations of understanding,taught compassion, fueled dreams and offered a place of contemplation. Now more than ever I believe that education, not just in the US, but throughout the world, is the answer to many of our concerns.

What can we each do to help make this happen?--here's an example--one small step..imagine the possiblities.