amazing song..one of my all time favorites.

thoughts on a touchy subject

so , Osama Bin Laden has been killed..and americans are dancing in the streets celebrating...the same way Iraqi people were celebrating the deaths of american soldiers...by dancing in the streets. and i think about how we as americans reacted to their celebration...and wonder about the hypocrisy of it all. I understand that sometimes, when all else fails decisions have to be made ..necessary evils.. and having been privy to top secret info while in the military and working for the dept of state...i understand why Osama needed to be neutralized. what i don't understand is the celebration of death..any death.. it is not something to joyfully dance and sing about.. it is a somber solemn thing that needed to be done. I think of Martin Luther King's words ‎"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."  I know that some people will not agree with what I am saying..and that is ok.. at the end of the day I have to be able to look into the eyes of my children..the greatest mirrors of my soul..and be ok with what i see reflected there. I have tried very hard to raise compassionate , intelligent, beings who will look for other routes other than violence ...but they also know that there may come a time when it is their only option.. and I hope that if it comes to that choice that they understand the seriousness and solemnity of that decision... that it is not something to be made lightly nor is it something to celebrate. Buddha says "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive" If we lose our humanity..then we are truly lost.. if we spiral into revenge and fear then there truly is no hope .  Will we learn anything from all this...Will we gain any understanding...I don't know the answer.. but my heart hopes that the world is listening, learning, and growing...and understanding that there is no future in violence. It ends badly for all involved. so if you need to feel grateful or happy that death has happened..then do it quietly ..with dignity..and with the understanding that there will be repercussions..and if we respond to them all with death..then eventually there will be no one left  . I personally am not rejoicing , I am not glad, I know it was necessary for the greater good...and I am saddened that our world is such that death is deemed necessary for peace....and I worry for the future..

mother nature

Over the past couple days I was treated to a spectacular reminder of the beauty and power of mother nature. The Upper Hudson River and Schroon River both reached record flood stages and standing at the edge of these rivers listening to the roar and tumble waters , feeling the spray misting my face, watching the raw power and speed .....I was awestruck . what does a river care for time, or things. A river just flows sometimes high, sometimes low...but always moving, changing, becoming. A river just is a river, awesome, beautiful, strong,and free....sometimes calm , sometimes raging...but always powerful..

my favorite time of day.....

hush, let the silence speak
 words filling souls
create peace, contentment
centered being spiral out
power of silent words

liquid sunshine

awoke to drum beats keeping time for the universe
thunder shaking me from my dreamsleep
lightening flashing seconds of enlightenment
fresh cleansing springtime smelling green
glorious liquid sunshine
singing blooms into being

Choices

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Life is a series of choices. Some major , who you're going to marry, what your career will be. Some seemingly minor, what to wear today, what to have for breakfast. It's those "minor" choices that move your life forward , stagnate you, or move you two steps back. Everyday we make thousands of choices, each one leading to the next set of decisions. Major choices set our goals and put our dreams into achievable context, minor choices ...that's how we reach those goals and dreams. All the things you do from brushing your hair to turning left instead of right...they all have an impact on your life.  You are the choices you make in each moment. They shape and define you. Your choices show the world your true soul. Ultimately you are responsible for the decisions you make. There is no blame game." I had no choice" is a cop out..there is always a choice ; not liking the options does not negate the choice, sometimes you do choose the lesser of two evils or refrain from making a that choice. to quote one of the greatest rock bands ever (Rush) "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."

 You chose to be who you are today. If you are not happy with you..then you have the power to change that by making conscious choices that move you to the future you envision for yourself. Choose to be the best version of yourself. Choose to let your inner light be your guide. Choose to be happy. Choose to be...

"It is more than probable that I am not understood; but I fear, indeed, that it is in no manner possible to convey to the mind of the merely general reader, an adequate idea of that nervous intensity of interest with which, in my case, the powers of meditation (not to speak technically) busied and buried themselves, in the contemplation of even the most ordinary objects of the universe."

~Edgar Allan Poe~- from "Berenice