Seamus Heaney

August 31st, 2013
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Seamus Heaney, a celebrated and grand Irish poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, sadly died yesterday in a hospital in Dublin at the age of 74.
Irish Poet And Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney

To say that Heaney had a way with words is an understatement.  His powerful verse transported readers around the world to Ireland and sometimes to its rural landscape and the grind of its daily responsibilities.  To me, his phrasing always felt magical and lyrical no matter what subject he addressed.

As a tribute to Heaney’s great talents, here is Digging, one of … Read More

Tossing My Plastics

August 30th, 2013
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Staying healthy is job one for me. Every healthy tip that I can incorporate into my life is just one more thing that may keep me out of the doctor’s office as far as I am concerned.  I try to eat foods that are as fresh as possible, exercise whenever I can and verbalize my stress so that it doesn’t remain bottled up inside me and cause some kind of sickness.Recently I added a new health concern to my wellness list: avoiding plastics and/or preservatives.For years I used to bring frozen food products (read Lean Cuisine) to the office and… Read More

50th Anniversary of March on Washington

August 28th, 2013
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“Our goal was not to gain power.  It was to heal a torn-up community.” ~ Diane Judith Nash, a civil rights leader Marching for your human rights and dignity is healing.  It is an act of restoring faith in yourself and your community. Marching is also rewarding for the human spirit and good for the human soul.  Standing up for your rights confirms for you that you are not alone in your feelings; that others share your thoughts and emotions. Peacefully marching, holding protest signs and delivering passionate speeches gives rise to feelings of respect for those who are declaring,… Read More

My Baby Doesn’t Want This Letter

August 27th, 2013
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You can file the following under silly, sad, ridiculous or just plain ole unnecessary and inefficient. I came home from work yesterday and, as I usually do, picked up the mail from the door slot and started going through it.  Monday’s mail is usually thin and this time it was no exception.  A few real estate solicitation cards, a catalog and even a letter from a friend. But there was also a curious piece of mail addressed to my husband.  My husband who died nine years ago.  My husband whose name I would think at this point would show up… Read More

A New Place To Live

August 26th, 2013
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Good Morning Fantastic Readers!This past weekend was interesting and productive and I hope yours was too!  The weekends just fly by wayyyyy too quickly don’t they? Part of my weekend was spent visiting a family member.  In the course of my visit, I could tell we were going to fall into our usual conversational trap of going over the same ground that we have covered many times before.  You know what I mean, right?  The person brings up a certain subject and you know what they’re going to say and you try to change their mind or at least get… Read More

Sweet Days of Summer

August 23rd, 2013
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Summer songs are special because they evoke all that is supremely wonderful about the sizzling season of summertime. When I hear songs that became popular during many of the summers of my today and also of my young adult past, I am instantly transported back to driving in my car with the windows down and the summer air mixing with my hair.  T-shirt, cutoffs, flip flops.  It’s all about the essence of summer.   I recently was reminded of the special nature of summer songs when I was at a local farmer’s market and “Summer Breeze”, that oldie but goodie… Read More

News That Inspires

August 22nd, 2013
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I don’t know about you, but when I read newspapers, magazine or books, I am always looking for stories about people who have overcome a tragedy or some other kind of obstacle in their lives. I am always amazed when I read about how someone who has experienced the death of a loved one or another kind of personal crisis then manages in the midst of this personal pain to find reserves of inner strength to work through their conflicting feelings and move forward to pursue something positive.  The same is true of someone whose life seems full of things … Read More

Two True Friends

August 21st, 2013
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Knowing that I have at least one person in my corner, always supporting me as a true friend, makes life feel less scary and full of many more possibilities.I can almost bear anything if I know my friends are holding my hands and understanding what I am trying to do and say.Friends for life, friends until the very end, this is the unique gift that Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe gave to each other. “Just Kids” is a beautifully, beautifully written memoir by Smith.  You may know of Patti Smith from her infamous Horses album and also from her magical… Read More

Jesus Tweets

August 20th, 2013
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There is definitely an art to tweeting.  The ability to say something precise and succinct in 140 characters or less is not an easy thing to master.  I still have a lot to learn about tweeting but I have to say that I do enjoy it!  I don’t find tweeting to be shallow or a waste of time.  I think it’s a matter of letting extraneous words fall by the wayside and getting right to your point. Thousand of tweets ago, when my son helped me open my account, I first stared at the computer screen and thought, “What should… Read More