Good Morning on this beautiful morning..
It is another beautiful day. The month is coming to an end and so is the year come to think of it . The trees are shedding their leaves and soon the green grass will be brown. There could be a metaphor here reminding us that eventually we will all have to shed our "leaves" , our coverings.. the material things that make us feel beautiful and safe and warm and hide our flaws and crooked limbs. Maybe in the big scheme of things that is why we have Autumn ....a time to make ourselves naked so to speak and free of all that encumbers us so that in December we can quietly assess our paths and where we are going and what our lives are all about and what is the meaning of life to us.
Certainly for me it is a time to reflect what I am all about. I am in that time of my life where I am close to that infamous " ticket window ". My genes tell me that I will probably live a lot longer but I am definitely in the last lap of my "run". So this is why it is even more important to remember this quote because even in the Winter of my life, I still want to keep dreaming and planning and seeing life as a wonderful challenge even as I shed my leaves. And so I smile. Life is good.
I love this quote because it is so true. What makes my life better is how I perceive it. Even in the worst situations, and after living this long, believe me, I have had them, how I perceive life is so important. Even with those bad moments, I cried, sobbed and dealt with all of the nasty stuff, the pain of abandonment and rejection but eventually I had to smile because in spite of all of the darkness there is always the light.
I found out something else about life and smiling. Those who can laugh at themselves have the gift of humility. I think that when we can smile at our own shortcomings and failings, we recognize our own humanity . We are not caught up in the false pride that we are above limitations. This kind of false pride is what brings us down. It feeds arrogance and greed and the inability to empathize and most of all the ability to forgive others. This is sad because what happens is that when we judge others without forgiveness we judge ourselves the same.
So today I want to smile at life . So grab your cup of coffee and let's smile together.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Yes, We can " Just Do It "
"There are people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world and they do." Steve Jobs
I love that quote. It makes me think of all of the times we feel a little timid or fearful perhaps of trying something.. of taking a risk...of forging ahead in some goal or project in spite of the obstacles.. and the criticism we may be getting. I think of the Nike commercial.... "Just do it."
I remember when I went to the annual Chicago book convention and some of the speakers, writers and publishers told me that I would never be able to write and publish my books and run the business too.. too big a challenge.. I went into the ladies room into one of the stalls and yes, cried a little. It was my dream and all of these experts told me it would be impossible. I wiped my eyes and came out and flew home to New Orleans and wrote , published and sold two books and still ran the business with a profit. I dared to dream and make my dream come true. Just do it.
If there is anything thatI I could pass on to my kids it is that message. Like the song.. " I Hope You Dance " there is the same message. Get off of the sidelines and do it. Dance. Make your dreams come true. Just do it..
We can all make a list of the thousands of reasons why we won't achieve something. Anyone can make lists and excuses. Just do it.
And you know what I would tell them. You have to see it first . You have to have your dreams in front of your mind like the old fashioned Drive In Theatre, that constant vision.. William James the psychologist once said that in order to perceive you must first conceive. You are the writer of your own script. Put yourself up on that screen and see yourself already doing that dream. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't , no one else will.
I remember telling that to my my grandson, Brett. He wanted to do better in baseball in hitting the ball when up to bat. I told him to see himself already smashing that ball way out into the sky and out over the fence and to always keep that vision in front of his head. What happens is that when we have those visions, we end up doing whatever it takes to make that dream come true. The body, mind , and will power go into auto pilot. Sure enough Brett started to improve and yes he now hits a mean ball. This is the positive visualization.
But what he also learned is that most people do not achieve their goals and dreams because they are not willing to do what it takes to reach that goal. You do not succeed in anything unless you are willing to do what it takes. So he started working with coaches in learning to hit the ball better and how to run better. and faster .. so many things. Today he is a great athlete in many sports but it started so long ago with that dream and his positive visualization and the willingness to do what it takes to reach the goal..
There are so many metaphors like the little tyke who learns to walk but has to crawl first and keeps getting up and falling but he finally stays up and walks. His dream was that he wanted to walk so much. I wonder if he kept telling himself, "Just do it."
Good luck with your dreams. Only you can make them come true. Just do it.
I love that quote. It makes me think of all of the times we feel a little timid or fearful perhaps of trying something.. of taking a risk...of forging ahead in some goal or project in spite of the obstacles.. and the criticism we may be getting. I think of the Nike commercial.... "Just do it."
I remember when I went to the annual Chicago book convention and some of the speakers, writers and publishers told me that I would never be able to write and publish my books and run the business too.. too big a challenge.. I went into the ladies room into one of the stalls and yes, cried a little. It was my dream and all of these experts told me it would be impossible. I wiped my eyes and came out and flew home to New Orleans and wrote , published and sold two books and still ran the business with a profit. I dared to dream and make my dream come true. Just do it.
If there is anything thatI I could pass on to my kids it is that message. Like the song.. " I Hope You Dance " there is the same message. Get off of the sidelines and do it. Dance. Make your dreams come true. Just do it..
We can all make a list of the thousands of reasons why we won't achieve something. Anyone can make lists and excuses. Just do it.
And you know what I would tell them. You have to see it first . You have to have your dreams in front of your mind like the old fashioned Drive In Theatre, that constant vision.. William James the psychologist once said that in order to perceive you must first conceive. You are the writer of your own script. Put yourself up on that screen and see yourself already doing that dream. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't , no one else will.
I remember telling that to my my grandson, Brett. He wanted to do better in baseball in hitting the ball when up to bat. I told him to see himself already smashing that ball way out into the sky and out over the fence and to always keep that vision in front of his head. What happens is that when we have those visions, we end up doing whatever it takes to make that dream come true. The body, mind , and will power go into auto pilot. Sure enough Brett started to improve and yes he now hits a mean ball. This is the positive visualization.
But what he also learned is that most people do not achieve their goals and dreams because they are not willing to do what it takes to reach that goal. You do not succeed in anything unless you are willing to do what it takes. So he started working with coaches in learning to hit the ball better and how to run better. and faster .. so many things. Today he is a great athlete in many sports but it started so long ago with that dream and his positive visualization and the willingness to do what it takes to reach the goal..
There are so many metaphors like the little tyke who learns to walk but has to crawl first and keeps getting up and falling but he finally stays up and walks. His dream was that he wanted to walk so much. I wonder if he kept telling himself, "Just do it."
Good luck with your dreams. Only you can make them come true. Just do it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Happy Birthday Jerrie
Good Morning on this special day of the Year for "moi"..
It is my birthday today.. .so...pardon my narcissism.. but I want to celebrate it with all of you because it is a good moment to share. Hey I am alive and kicking. Right? And so are you in spite of our challenges. We certainly have enough rough moments lately so why not take a few moments to light the candles on our imaginary cake & make our wishes as we blow out the candles and join me in my special moment and remember that life is good. Happy Birthday to all of us.
Grab your coffee or better still let someone bring it to you. Hey I am here alone sipping my coffee that I made myself Thank you very much. I have already received messages via the texting, Facebook , and emails wishing me Happy Birthday One of them is from my niece's son, Dalton Steiffel and I think that this is such a loverly surprise that he would remember me because we do not interact at all lately. Our lives are on different journeys. I remember him for his spunk, his energy, his love of life and his wonderful head of hair matching his handsome self and he obviously has good taste. Right? Well bless him for his kindness. He is now a grown up young man at Jesuit.
I also just had a text from Brett who is my sweetheart grandson and he is about to go to his new school but before he did he had to shave. I can't believe it. They have checkups for the right haircut and the clean no fuz look. My 14 year old handsome grandson is growing up. Talk about birthdays.
Not to worry age is something that does not matter unless you are cheese, i.e. We may as well enjoy our birthdays and move on. I love some of the greetings from google:
“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.
"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.“
"Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world."
“It takes a long time to grow young.
Birthdays have good news and bad news..
Good news : Birthdays are important. Statistics show that people who have the most live longer.
Bad news : You reach an age when your back goes out more than you do.
Good news: Few women admit their ages.
Bad news: Few men act theirs
More messages are coming in. I wonder how can I expect people to remember my birthday when I never look any older?
Speaking of birthdays and aging, inside every older person is a younger one wondering what the hell happened. So there are the two of me and I am wondering why my mind and soul are alive and kicking and my body is hanging like the heavy rained branches on the tree outside.and my arthritic joints are hollering out to me, " Ever think about smoking a joint? "
As though. Advil will have to do. Thank you very much.
So as I start my special day and I blow out my special candles, my wishes will be for all of you.... that L J is soon up and about ..that Ted Carter gets better and finds peace with healing.. that Liz Burton meets her challenge once again tomorrow with the chemo and that she knows that she is in God's Hands....that God continues to bless my family and friends.. that each of us knows that whatever we pray for.....whether it be a job or a healed relationship.. or whatever.. that the happiness is not in the goal itself but in our hearts and souls. No matter what happens; we can trust ourselves and God to steer ourselves on the right path to peace and joy.
And as for having my birthday and I will not be 39 anymore, I like to recall the English proverb.. "The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune"
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be..." Robert Browining
Big Hugs & Kisses & .....again Happy Birthday ...One & All.....Mom... Nana .. Aunt ...A K A ..Jerrie
Monday, June 13, 2011
Feast of the Lost & Found Department - t. Anthony
Today is the Feast of St. Anthony
Good Morning on this special day...when people all over the world celebrate that infamous saint who helps us find lost things.. Now I am not one to pass along prayer chain letters..and I do not want to offend anyone but my clinical background sometimes places me as a skeptic about a lot of these "miracles" ,,,that we hear about.. but I must say... something really weird has always taken place when I pray to this guy... whoever he is.. to help me find something.. I kid you not.. freaky.. absolutely freaky...
Born in Lisbon in A.D. 1195, St. Anthony, né Ferdinand, was the son of noble, God-fearing parents. He received a good education, and, at the age of fifteen, joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine which whom he studied Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Fathers. At around the age of 25, he became inspired by the Franciscans martyred in Morocco and decided to join their Order, taking the name "Anthony."
St. Anthony taught at Bologna, Montpellier, and Toulouse, but it was as a fearless orator (he became known as the "Hammer of the Heretics") and a miracle worker that he is most reknowned.
He is know for his many miracles.... but some of the festivities will celebrate his famous preaching to the fish... where he preached and the fishes in hundreds all gathered on the edge of the sea and lifted their heads and opened their mouths.. .or the time the woman's child drowned and she asked St.anthony to bring the child back to life... in return ... she promised bread to the poor.. and the blessing of the Lilies is often celebrated.. they are representative of his purity and were said to have stayed fresh after being placed at a church in the revolutionary France when many priests were murdered...and when some women marry on his feast day they bless their food with a toast.. of Sangria.. and since he died on a Tuesday..many novenas are started on a Tuesday and last for 13 weeks..
Now I am just recording what has been said about him.,,I am not saying that I hold this as fact or truth..but what I do know is that when i ask him to help me find something.. it works..
St Anthony St. Anthony please come around..
Something is lost and can't be found..
When I find it oh how happy I will be
Dear St. Anthony I will thank thee...
He died on June 13th on a Tuesday at the young age of 36...and Gregory IX canonized him within the year.. the fastest one ever..
St. Anthony is the patron of sailors, pregnant women, amputees, fishermen, and the poor. He is invoked against shipwrecks and in order to find lost objects, by women to find a husband, to conceive a child, and to ensure safe childbirth. He is also invoked to see that mail and packages are safely delivered. St. Anthony is most often depicted in art wearing his Franciscan habit and holding a lily and the Christ Child, or sometimes with loaves of bread or a book.
I probably picked up the quiet fascination and praying to this saint from my mother who named my sister after him when she had some blindness at birth.. and was able to see..believe me when i say that I am not one to buy into these "miracles".....but in my own life.. whenever I have prayed to him to find something.. I do.. and sometimes in freaky places.. ...and sometimes forgive me St. Anthony I try to explain this away by saying that it may be that it is a kind o mantra and I am able to channel my thoughts in the right direction..to the goal of finding my lost object.. and some of the findings have been darn right bizarre.
I named my daughter Lynne Antoinette after him..and of all people she is such a non believer.. so she says until a time like the other day when she called me on the phone from Dallas... ."Jennifer has lost her wallet...pray to St. Anthony right now.."..I did and sure enough they called back and the wallet had been found. I know they might have found it anyway. Then there was the time Lynne and I and the kids were lost in the woods on trip .. she ran up to me with a frightened face and whispered, "Pray to St. Anthony . We are lost and I do not want the kids to know..". She was almost at a panic mode. Needless to say we found our way out. Again..this could just be a matra that helps one calm one's nerves and allows him to focus on the issue at hand.
Today I am praying for the very special request that I do not share with everyone and so far the answer has been positive and I feel good about the result Maybe this request will be finalized today on his feast day.
Ironically there is one thing that I have never found and have said the prayer over and over.. I have his statue in my garden holding the Baby Jesus.. and the dogs ...bless them ....have knocked off the stone head of the Baby Jesus.. .and I still have not found it.. only God knows where Charlie has been running around carrying this Head of Jesus..but maybe I should let it be.. maybe he is about the work of St Anthony.. maybe that is Charlie's mission in life..to help St. Anthony find things & carry the word of Jesus.. who knows.. ..well Charlie certainly has helped me find happiness and peace.. with his precious presence.
Now to get back to the living and the practical world..
Do you think St. Anthony had anything to do with the Dallas Mavericks and the glorious win last night ? They are now the NBA Champions.
I didn't need St. Anthony to find the millions of leaves that fall from the beautiful Birch trees that I planted when I moved here Actually i wanted to lose them so I just got out my leaf blower. Talk about miracles.
And maybe St. Anthony inspired me a wee bit to ignore my aching body and find the strength while leaning over and cleaning out the skimmers also filled with leaves.
Speaking of losing things.... I wonder Do you think he can help me lose something like this fat that will not look so good on the beach in Ocean City N J next week.
Can he help me lose those ugly 4 Amadilos that I saw out there in my yard last evening.. yuks..I mean ugly.. yuks..but I wonder They are fantastic at finding nasty critters who destroy my plants. They do eat the insects and beetles and grubbs that eat my plants. So are they then doing the work of St. Anthony finding the nasty critters ?
There must be something that you are searching for So why not give him a try. What can you lose. No pun intended. Maybe St. Anthony will come through for you.
Time to get on with the day. Happy St. Anthony's Feast Day to you and my prayer is that you find the the special request you may have and the peace and joy that you are looking for. Hugs & Kisses.. Mom Nana AKA Jerrie
Good Morning on this special day...when people all over the world celebrate that infamous saint who helps us find lost things.. Now I am not one to pass along prayer chain letters..and I do not want to offend anyone but my clinical background sometimes places me as a skeptic about a lot of these "miracles" ,,,that we hear about.. but I must say... something really weird has always taken place when I pray to this guy... whoever he is.. to help me find something.. I kid you not.. freaky.. absolutely freaky...
Born in Lisbon in A.D. 1195, St. Anthony, né Ferdinand, was the son of noble, God-fearing parents. He received a good education, and, at the age of fifteen, joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine which whom he studied Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Fathers. At around the age of 25, he became inspired by the Franciscans martyred in Morocco and decided to join their Order, taking the name "Anthony."
St. Anthony taught at Bologna, Montpellier, and Toulouse, but it was as a fearless orator (he became known as the "Hammer of the Heretics") and a miracle worker that he is most reknowned.
He is know for his many miracles.... but some of the festivities will celebrate his famous preaching to the fish... where he preached and the fishes in hundreds all gathered on the edge of the sea and lifted their heads and opened their mouths.. .or the time the woman's child drowned and she asked St.anthony to bring the child back to life... in return ... she promised bread to the poor.. and the blessing of the Lilies is often celebrated.. they are representative of his purity and were said to have stayed fresh after being placed at a church in the revolutionary France when many priests were murdered...and when some women marry on his feast day they bless their food with a toast.. of Sangria.. and since he died on a Tuesday..many novenas are started on a Tuesday and last for 13 weeks..
Now I am just recording what has been said about him.,,I am not saying that I hold this as fact or truth..but what I do know is that when i ask him to help me find something.. it works..
St Anthony St. Anthony please come around..
Something is lost and can't be found..
When I find it oh how happy I will be
Dear St. Anthony I will thank thee...
He died on June 13th on a Tuesday at the young age of 36...and Gregory IX canonized him within the year.. the fastest one ever..
St. Anthony is the patron of sailors, pregnant women, amputees, fishermen, and the poor. He is invoked against shipwrecks and in order to find lost objects, by women to find a husband, to conceive a child, and to ensure safe childbirth. He is also invoked to see that mail and packages are safely delivered. St. Anthony is most often depicted in art wearing his Franciscan habit and holding a lily and the Christ Child, or sometimes with loaves of bread or a book.
I probably picked up the quiet fascination and praying to this saint from my mother who named my sister after him when she had some blindness at birth.. and was able to see..believe me when i say that I am not one to buy into these "miracles".....but in my own life.. whenever I have prayed to him to find something.. I do.. and sometimes in freaky places.. ...and sometimes forgive me St. Anthony I try to explain this away by saying that it may be that it is a kind o mantra and I am able to channel my thoughts in the right direction..to the goal of finding my lost object.. and some of the findings have been darn right bizarre.
I named my daughter Lynne Antoinette after him..and of all people she is such a non believer.. so she says until a time like the other day when she called me on the phone from Dallas... ."Jennifer has lost her wallet...pray to St. Anthony right now.."..I did and sure enough they called back and the wallet had been found. I know they might have found it anyway. Then there was the time Lynne and I and the kids were lost in the woods on trip .. she ran up to me with a frightened face and whispered, "Pray to St. Anthony . We are lost and I do not want the kids to know..". She was almost at a panic mode. Needless to say we found our way out. Again..this could just be a matra that helps one calm one's nerves and allows him to focus on the issue at hand.
Today I am praying for the very special request that I do not share with everyone and so far the answer has been positive and I feel good about the result Maybe this request will be finalized today on his feast day.
Ironically there is one thing that I have never found and have said the prayer over and over.. I have his statue in my garden holding the Baby Jesus.. and the dogs ...bless them ....have knocked off the stone head of the Baby Jesus.. .and I still have not found it.. only God knows where Charlie has been running around carrying this Head of Jesus..but maybe I should let it be.. maybe he is about the work of St Anthony.. maybe that is Charlie's mission in life..to help St. Anthony find things & carry the word of Jesus.. who knows.. ..well Charlie certainly has helped me find happiness and peace.. with his precious presence.
Now to get back to the living and the practical world..
Do you think St. Anthony had anything to do with the Dallas Mavericks and the glorious win last night ? They are now the NBA Champions.
I didn't need St. Anthony to find the millions of leaves that fall from the beautiful Birch trees that I planted when I moved here Actually i wanted to lose them so I just got out my leaf blower. Talk about miracles.
And maybe St. Anthony inspired me a wee bit to ignore my aching body and find the strength while leaning over and cleaning out the skimmers also filled with leaves.
Speaking of losing things.... I wonder Do you think he can help me lose something like this fat that will not look so good on the beach in Ocean City N J next week.
Can he help me lose those ugly 4 Amadilos that I saw out there in my yard last evening.. yuks..I mean ugly.. yuks..but I wonder They are fantastic at finding nasty critters who destroy my plants. They do eat the insects and beetles and grubbs that eat my plants. So are they then doing the work of St. Anthony finding the nasty critters ?
There must be something that you are searching for So why not give him a try. What can you lose. No pun intended. Maybe St. Anthony will come through for you.
Time to get on with the day. Happy St. Anthony's Feast Day to you and my prayer is that you find the the special request you may have and the peace and joy that you are looking for. Hugs & Kisses.. Mom Nana AKA Jerrie
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
For God & Country Geronimo Geronimo Geronimo
"For God and country Geronimo Geronimo Geronimo." That was the message sent over the wires to the president and the others sitting in the White House waiting to see if the Navy Seals had succeeded in killing Osama Bin Laden. After ten years they finally got him.
This will end up being a movie for sure. I was surprised to hear how many months they planned this. It all started with some information received from some prisoner who told them about a courier and they ended up finding this courier and following him for months. This led to the compound. The White House even built a compound like the one Osama was living in and did rehearsals on how to succeed . They even had alternative moves. There were two dozen navy seals and the average age was 38 and we see in the picture several of the white House people who played a part in secretly planning and working on this and all of the time we in our country were going about our business even making jokes about Osama. What surprises me the most is our president. How quietly he went about his business. He even attended the Journalists big dinner event the night before and made jokes about his being an American. It kind of puts in focus the foolishness of the previous week with Trump and the birth certificate but he made the jokes while all of this time he was quietly doing the job we voted him to do and that was to be the strong and wise president we needed.
He made the toughest choice to go in and get Osama and not just bomb because he knew that we needed the proof. The picture of all of them sitting there watching and waiting tells it all. Look at Hillary with her hands at her mouth. Note the faces revealing the quiet tension. You can feel it. Look at the stark faces on all of them. And we at our homes had no idea. This was no a united political move and both sides of the isle who were involved in it were united on one goal and that was to get Osama . Both sides of the isle applauded the courage of the President. I do commend the president with his quiet strength and his way of dealing with this stress. I admire his way of reaching his goals like the goat going up the mountain. He is steadfast and definite in his track. This is to me very American. It is what we Americans do when faced with a huge challenge. The recent tornadoes have challenged many Americans and they are typically facing the battle and on the road to recovery as they pick up the pieces and begin life again like the goat slowly but definitely climbing the mountain. So this final historical event of finding Osama Bin Laden is so typical of what we Americans are. Yes our president reminded us of what it means to be an American.
And now we have to rethink our relationship with Pakistan and the billions we have sent them. There is no doubt in my mind that the top officials had to know about that compound and had to have allowed Osama to stay there safely. How do we now manage this relationship. It is complex for sure. They have the nuclear weapons and we would hate to have the terrorists groups there and near by get their hands on this. I know that we will now have to remain vigilant and be aware of the possibility of some negative reaction from some Osama Bin laden followers.
Now we also ask what do we do with our troops in Afganistan ...
They used a quick way to check out the DNA. It was probably on that carrier ship at sea. They say that the president spoke with some " higher ups " in the Muslim community and were told how to bury him at sea with a proper Muslim burial. So they washed his body and did all of the rituals required for the proper burial and video taped it. Some might ask why. I think this may have been done so as not to offend the many Muslims in the world. I can only guess and assume that the thinking would be even though he was a murderer he was human and was given a proper burial. The video is to prove that the event took place.
Personally, I say leave it up to God to judge.
The many people dancing in the streets could be seen as offensive to some. These were probably the younger people who may not have had the sad memories of 9-11. The people who remembered the many lives lost were probably quietly thanking God that justice was done. I suggest that it was a quiet rejoice.
Of course we always have the humor on late night TV but that is how some deal with this kind of event. Some use humor to accept what is really a dramatic scary killing but a " just '" one many would agree.
Jay Leno was funny. He said that the president called in Maury Povich to do the DNA testing. "Yes it is Osama bin Laden. " Jay also suggested that they must have had Dick Cheney with the navy seals because Osama was shot twice in the face. I smiled at the irony that the president's speech interrupted the final moments of Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice. Then Jimmy Fallon asked about the poor ocean. First they had the nasty B P oil spill. Then the radiation from Japan. Now we had to say, "Do you mind if we put Osama Bin Laden in now? " The ocean screamed back, " What did we do? We are just an ocean.."
Well the humor goes on and will for several days I am sure but the reality check will start soon. We still have many decisions to make resulting from this event.
What we can rely on is our country's ability to stay strong in spite of all of the challenges we face. There are so many challenges.. jobs.. economy... education...terrorists.. enviornmental issues. I personally feel good about us and the outcome.
God bless America and bless all those who have died on both sides of the wars.. most of them are soldiers who just do their duty and think they are in the right and all of them are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
Peace and Grace to all . Jerrie Mc Greal
P. S. When will the movie be out and who will get the lead roles????
This will end up being a movie for sure. I was surprised to hear how many months they planned this. It all started with some information received from some prisoner who told them about a courier and they ended up finding this courier and following him for months. This led to the compound. The White House even built a compound like the one Osama was living in and did rehearsals on how to succeed . They even had alternative moves. There were two dozen navy seals and the average age was 38 and we see in the picture several of the white House people who played a part in secretly planning and working on this and all of the time we in our country were going about our business even making jokes about Osama. What surprises me the most is our president. How quietly he went about his business. He even attended the Journalists big dinner event the night before and made jokes about his being an American. It kind of puts in focus the foolishness of the previous week with Trump and the birth certificate but he made the jokes while all of this time he was quietly doing the job we voted him to do and that was to be the strong and wise president we needed.
He made the toughest choice to go in and get Osama and not just bomb because he knew that we needed the proof. The picture of all of them sitting there watching and waiting tells it all. Look at Hillary with her hands at her mouth. Note the faces revealing the quiet tension. You can feel it. Look at the stark faces on all of them. And we at our homes had no idea. This was no a united political move and both sides of the isle who were involved in it were united on one goal and that was to get Osama . Both sides of the isle applauded the courage of the President. I do commend the president with his quiet strength and his way of dealing with this stress. I admire his way of reaching his goals like the goat going up the mountain. He is steadfast and definite in his track. This is to me very American. It is what we Americans do when faced with a huge challenge. The recent tornadoes have challenged many Americans and they are typically facing the battle and on the road to recovery as they pick up the pieces and begin life again like the goat slowly but definitely climbing the mountain. So this final historical event of finding Osama Bin Laden is so typical of what we Americans are. Yes our president reminded us of what it means to be an American.
And now we have to rethink our relationship with Pakistan and the billions we have sent them. There is no doubt in my mind that the top officials had to know about that compound and had to have allowed Osama to stay there safely. How do we now manage this relationship. It is complex for sure. They have the nuclear weapons and we would hate to have the terrorists groups there and near by get their hands on this. I know that we will now have to remain vigilant and be aware of the possibility of some negative reaction from some Osama Bin laden followers.
Now we also ask what do we do with our troops in Afganistan ...
They used a quick way to check out the DNA. It was probably on that carrier ship at sea. They say that the president spoke with some " higher ups " in the Muslim community and were told how to bury him at sea with a proper Muslim burial. So they washed his body and did all of the rituals required for the proper burial and video taped it. Some might ask why. I think this may have been done so as not to offend the many Muslims in the world. I can only guess and assume that the thinking would be even though he was a murderer he was human and was given a proper burial. The video is to prove that the event took place.
Personally, I say leave it up to God to judge.
The many people dancing in the streets could be seen as offensive to some. These were probably the younger people who may not have had the sad memories of 9-11. The people who remembered the many lives lost were probably quietly thanking God that justice was done. I suggest that it was a quiet rejoice.
Of course we always have the humor on late night TV but that is how some deal with this kind of event. Some use humor to accept what is really a dramatic scary killing but a " just '" one many would agree.
Jay Leno was funny. He said that the president called in Maury Povich to do the DNA testing. "Yes it is Osama bin Laden. " Jay also suggested that they must have had Dick Cheney with the navy seals because Osama was shot twice in the face. I smiled at the irony that the president's speech interrupted the final moments of Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice. Then Jimmy Fallon asked about the poor ocean. First they had the nasty B P oil spill. Then the radiation from Japan. Now we had to say, "Do you mind if we put Osama Bin Laden in now? " The ocean screamed back, " What did we do? We are just an ocean.."
Well the humor goes on and will for several days I am sure but the reality check will start soon. We still have many decisions to make resulting from this event.
What we can rely on is our country's ability to stay strong in spite of all of the challenges we face. There are so many challenges.. jobs.. economy... education...terrorists.. enviornmental issues. I personally feel good about us and the outcome.
God bless America and bless all those who have died on both sides of the wars.. most of them are soldiers who just do their duty and think they are in the right and all of them are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
Peace and Grace to all . Jerrie Mc Greal
P. S. When will the movie be out and who will get the lead roles????
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Naked Truth
Good Morning on this lovely Spring April Morning
Get your cup of coffee. We need to talk. The other day my daughter, Lynne, sent me a text picture that she really liked. She found it in an art gallery. It looked like a photo of some fire works with a burst of white lightening. I could not even guess what it was. Her comment on this photo was, " Interesting but I find it a positive statement on humanity. "
Well I did find it positively interesting for sure when I found that it is a bunch of naked people jumping into water.
"Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." is a quote of Ryunosuke Satoro. I have no idea who that person is but his quote is in Google. Could this have been the inspiration for the photo? Hmmm.
And speaking of humanity, Albert Einstein's quote might be quite relevant. "It becomes appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."
Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote may be explaining why they all jumped into the water naked. He said, "We all boil at different degrees." Maybe they were all boiling. Maybe they live in New Orleans.
Voltaire may have commented on this photo with his quote. “The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.”
Mahatma Ghandi may have inspired this art with his statement on humanity. "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. "
So maybe jumping into water naked, completely vulnerable is a statement. We are all vulnerable and all in this together and Ghandi did call humanity an ocean. Lynne's comment may be right on target.
Now I have to admit that I did find this interesting especially after reading these quotes and thinking about the possible statement the art photograph may have made. But I did almost go into cardiac arrest when I found that it cost $9000. HELLO ! Wait. Let me put something stronger into my coffee.
So I thought hey I can get all of the gang here to jump naked into my pool and cut a deal for $2000. But would there be any takers. Then I thought of how we would all look naked, not skinny like those flashes of naked lightening streaks on that film. This brought to mind another quote, this one by Mae West. "To err is human but it feels divine."
William blake said, "Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed." That would be us.
And Nikki Giovanni said, "A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die. "
I guess the people diving naked into the pool of life has a message. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. You are not alone in the sea of humanity. The naked truth is that we are all vulnerable to an extent and we can find peace perhaps in the sea of humanity.
But I leave you with this quote of Mark Twain. "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." So go and get dressed you guys. No photos today. Sorry. Leave your number Don't call us . We'll call you.
Get your cup of coffee. We need to talk. The other day my daughter, Lynne, sent me a text picture that she really liked. She found it in an art gallery. It looked like a photo of some fire works with a burst of white lightening. I could not even guess what it was. Her comment on this photo was, " Interesting but I find it a positive statement on humanity. "
Well I did find it positively interesting for sure when I found that it is a bunch of naked people jumping into water.
"Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." is a quote of Ryunosuke Satoro. I have no idea who that person is but his quote is in Google. Could this have been the inspiration for the photo? Hmmm.
And speaking of humanity, Albert Einstein's quote might be quite relevant. "It becomes appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."
Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote may be explaining why they all jumped into the water naked. He said, "We all boil at different degrees." Maybe they were all boiling. Maybe they live in New Orleans.
Voltaire may have commented on this photo with his quote. “The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.”
Mahatma Ghandi may have inspired this art with his statement on humanity. "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. "
So maybe jumping into water naked, completely vulnerable is a statement. We are all vulnerable and all in this together and Ghandi did call humanity an ocean. Lynne's comment may be right on target.
Now I have to admit that I did find this interesting especially after reading these quotes and thinking about the possible statement the art photograph may have made. But I did almost go into cardiac arrest when I found that it cost $9000. HELLO ! Wait. Let me put something stronger into my coffee.
So I thought hey I can get all of the gang here to jump naked into my pool and cut a deal for $2000. But would there be any takers. Then I thought of how we would all look naked, not skinny like those flashes of naked lightening streaks on that film. This brought to mind another quote, this one by Mae West. "To err is human but it feels divine."
William blake said, "Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed." That would be us.
And Nikki Giovanni said, "A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die. "
I guess the people diving naked into the pool of life has a message. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. You are not alone in the sea of humanity. The naked truth is that we are all vulnerable to an extent and we can find peace perhaps in the sea of humanity.
But I leave you with this quote of Mark Twain. "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." So go and get dressed you guys. No photos today. Sorry. Leave your number Don't call us . We'll call you.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Ok...so today is April Fool's Day. I have my own thoughts about "fools". First my friends feel that whenever I make a fool of myself it is only temporary. Thank Heavens. I have noticed, too, that I am not alone. I seem to surround myself with lots of other fools. And I have a special fondness and trust in fools..since I am one myself. So here is my April Fool's Day toast to all. So grab your coffee.Mark Twain said that we celebrate this day to remind us of how we are the rest of the days of the year. He also said "Let us be thankful for the fools ; but for them the rest of us could not succeed."
If you ask me the best test of another's sense of humor is to play a joke on him. If he laughs he has humor along with humility. If he does not he is a real fool because it is in being able to laugh at ourselves that we find salvation in our humility.. We recognize our limitations and our shortcomings. We know are not Gods. The wise can play the fool but the proud self-centered ones are the genuine fools for they perceive themselves as Royalty.
So raise your coffee to all of those who know the difference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
