Sunday, August 30, 2009

Where did the time go?









This past weekend my family had the joy of gathering together to celebrate the upcoming marriage of my eldest son Paul, to his wonderful bride Jacquie. Of course having a wedding requires a certain amount of harassment and humiliation which, we as parents, have already prepared well in advance!!! I hope you'll enjoy sharing some of these pictures....bare with me!! mean BEAR!!!! Stay tuned!!


Father and Son

"Edward M. Kennedy Jr. shares a ride on a sled with his father at the family's McLean, Va., home in December 1973. The boy (Ted Jr.) was diagnosed with cancer that year and had to have a leg amputated. "

Yesterday, Senator Edward Kennedy, the last of the Kennedy "boys" was laid to rest alongside his brothers in Arlington Cemetary.
The funeral and it's procession were somewhat delayed by the overwhelming outpouring of support from mourners along the roadways. The family, in appreciation for their support, waved out of their windows...the crowds applauded...an unusual event during such an occaision...but totally fitting for this man.
The sun was fast fading when the hearse finally turned the corner into Arlington Cemetary.
By the time the mourners were arranged, the sun had set.
The family ended up standing in the dark. The grandchildren struggled to read what they had prepared to say, but could not see, and had difficulty speaking.
No matter...they continued on, a large group of shadows, with faces dimly lit by the eternal flame.
Whatever anyone wants to say about Teddy Kennedy, he fought a good fight...he had faith...he had flaws ...he had remorse, and repentance to the end. I don't know how it was possible for him to be so close to so many...an amazing feat. Please listen to his son's eulogy on you tube posted on my page opposite. It is deeply moving, and inspiring.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."


Mahatma Gandi: If you know little about this man I encourage you find out more.

Wiki Encyclopedia has lots of links as follows...

He was the pioneer of satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence—which led India to independence and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi (Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā or 'Great Soul', an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore),[1] and in India also as Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ bāpu or 'Father'). He is officially honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence. I have never heard of the International day of non violence....you? Hmmmmm!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Eggs


I was recently talking to a friend struggling with relationship issues, and I began to ponder the importance of relationships in our lives, and how much they resemble eggs.
Yes I did say eggs. Apart from the obvious "good egg" and "bad egg" idea, the very nature of eggs lends them to this soliloquy. Eggs are fragile in some respects, but extremely strong in others...it all depends on the approach taken toward the egg! If you were to bang it on it's head or bottom it would survive intact...however if you were to tap it firmly on it's side WHOOSH! It's all over with, and there's yolk everywhere. Everyone (inclusive of the egg) has their weak spot...that area of vulnerability that we try to keep secret in order to protect ourselves....and yet in the process of a relationship, being vulnerable is part of the package....it's a decision of how vulnerable, and how soon to allow ourselves the danger of the consequences of vulnerability.
To be brief...you gotta be careful who you allow around the middle!

Once the middle has been revealed it's a whole other ball game or egg toss!
The "bad" eggs stink right away, and you know they're bad, you know that you'll get sick if you eat it......BUT>>>>some of us EAT IT ANYWAY! Over and over again we eat it....we keep hoping it's gonna taste better....but deep down we know...it's a bad egg...they don't get better...and no amount of "wishing" it was a good egg is going to change that!The longer you try...the sicker you get!!!!

Then there's the raw egg...it's still strong on top, but once you get past the cracking it's all gooey inside....there's slimy stuff, and lumpy stuff, and the big bulbous orange orb....it's like it doesn't really know what it is yet! You might try to play with it....give it a chance to get to know you but then.....it just s l i p s through your fingers and falls all spread out and mushy....you may try to pick it back up but it keeps sliding around...even with support, like a paper towel, you really have to work hard to clean him up. Wow....I'm exhausted!!!!! These eggs are just not mature enough to understand themselves yet. And no matter how hard we in our maturity, might want to help the egg realize his true potential....we can't...he's raw... he'll even blame you later for trying to control him...he's simply too much work!!!

So here we are at ....you knew it was coming...the hard boiled egg! Solid...you can even batter it's outer shell and still...as you penetrate the inside it is ...SOLID....HARD...INFLEXIBLE. A hard boiled egg ...was...is...and will always be ...a hard boiled egg!!! You cannot reshape it...you cannot do anything with it...it is NOT in transition...unless you yourself are hardboiled you will never find happiness with this egg. The best you can hope for is that when it all falls apart you can make egg salad sandwiches with him...but be very careful...he spoils quickly!

Now we are left with soft boiled...yup...good old softy...strong on top and bottom, but when you get past the crack in the middle you have a lovely white smoothness that flexes to the touch. You can play with it...tapping off the harder shell, and bouncing your spoon off the albumen...just you and your egg....bouncing! You can push your favourite small vegetable into it and make a smiley face...you can go further....digging to the depths of it's vulnerability and find silky yellow softness which will welcome and warm you. You can use the shell as a little bowl and mix the yolk and albumin up before you dip your toast soldier in...or not. You can choose just to eat the yolk, and leave the albumin untouched...just think of all the possibilities...they are endless...that is what you want....flexibility with strength...the protection of a shell with the enticement of a soft warm inside...the ability to consider, together, whether a few more seconds in the hot water might be needed...It's open...honest...real....everything a good egg should be...so next time you're "shopping for eggs" ...consider these words and....remember what Grandma always said...don't put all your eggs in one basket!




Why I have trouble sleeping at night.....and other childhood traumas!

Okay my sister and I grew up in England....after the ice age....but not before CNN. There were only 2 television stations...BBC1 and of course BBC "2"! Children's programming was limited to about 2 hours a day between 5p.m. and 7p.m., where after, all good little children should be in bed! The other day my sister left me a telephone message starting with (appropriately enough) OMG..."The singing rining tree is on You Tube"....I could hear in her trembling voice that the "flash backs" had already begun to recur!! "This" isn't possible", I say to myself (I do that alot...and sometimes yes...I answer) Nobody in their right mind could wish to traumatize an entirely new generation of innocents...I sat in muddled disbelief for a few moments...but the laptop kept calling...."come here my pretty..I want to show you something"....I knew it was going to be dangerous...like when the girl goes down the dark stairway to find the source of the noise...which you and I both know is a Psycho Killer...but no matter how loud we yell...:DON"T GO DOWN THERE...she goes anyway!...I digress....well you know what I did...yes....I went on you tube....I searched the "singing ringing tree" and there it was....
The singing ringing tree....colourized!
Now once you've seen this....all the answers you ever had about what happened to me will be answered. The years of psychotherapy and repeated bouts of depression...you will finally understand my fear of bears and total dislike of princes and short people. The countless goldfish in my life....
It's hard to explain but there are a few characters reminiscent of past husbands???!!!!
Don't.....I MEAN DO NOT SHOW THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Saving Time For......?

As our new techno communication system has become speedier...for some reason, our ability to read and write has to be transformed also. After all, since it takes so much LESS time to send an email than write a letter, it makes total sense that you be replaced by y o u, since those two (2) extra letters take such an enormous amount of extra time to type!
(YO YO YO YO) time yourself!
Then there's the number/letter style which may actually save you a fragment of a second to type but on the receiving end some of us are (r) at a loss as to the meaning of the message and can take inordinate amounts of frustrated time decoding it....
4 u 2 b l8 u r 2 sk8 2 ur d8 b4 8 ! (get the idea!)
Also....I do wonder what everyone is doing with all this "saved" time...good works?....good books...? I'm not sure...but I don't think so....but I do have this gnawing image in my head of the "new death" ...a death too terrible tell...but in the interest of this Blog I'm going to share....at the end...(at least what we anticipate to be the end) we time efficient humans draw (or rather draw out) our last breath in accordance with the amount of "time saved"....think ......it could go on for days....weeks....months....nursing home halls filled to capacity with the "brevity breathers"....on the very cusp of death...mouths open....eyes wide....wishing they had written "your" in it's entirety....think about it now...before it's 2 l8!!!!!

Response from Minster Cannon, Foreign Affairs

Yeah Minister!!!!!! Pretty great language in his letter...very firm and FAR from "wishy washy" in style. I appaud this sentiment, as we all should :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):..
................................what now!

Letter from Min. of Foreign Affairs re: Iran

Ms. Sally Gardner salamander_newt@hotmail.com
c.c. pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Ms. Gardner: The Office of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, has forwarded to me on June 23, 2009, your email concerning the situation in Iran following the Presidential election of June 12, 2009. The Government of Canada is deeply troubled by the current situation in Iran. On June 15, 2009, I made a statement in which I outlined Canada's concerns regarding allegations of irregularities in the voting process and reports of violent crackdowns by Iranian security forces on their own citizens. Furthermore, on June 21, 2009, I made another statement condemning the use of violence against protestors. You may read my statements at http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/index.aspx.
Officials of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada have also relayed these concerns directly to the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in Ottawa, on a number of occasions, as Iran is not represented by an ambassador in Canada.
As well, on June 22, 2009, Prime Minister Harper made a statement on the situation in Iran, which you may view at www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=2647. On June 17, 2009, in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Harper clearly articulated Canada's position on Iran: There is no secret to the Government of Canada's position. We have been outspoken for a very long time in the councils of the United Nations and elsewhere about the unacceptable ideology, democratic practices and human rights record of the Government of Iran. We are obviously strongly displeased by the reaction that has taken place by authorities to events this week. We encourage those authorities to respect people's basic human rights and to move forward on democratic progress in this country.
We find the behaviour of that regime unacceptable in so many ways that I cannot even begin to name them. On the same day, I stated in the House of Commons that: Everyone knows that this government has been very active on the Iran file, particularly in terms of condemnation and the commitment we made at the United Nations to condemn human rights abuses. We have also very strongly condemned the latest elections. We demanded that the elections be transparent and that every vote be counted. In addition, Mr. John Weston, Member of Parliament and Government Liaison to the Persian and Iranian Community, introduced the following motion, which was unanimously adopted by the House of Commons: That the House express: its solidarity with, and support for, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people; its concern with ongoing violations of civil and human rights in Iran, and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners; and its support for a transparent electoral process that respects the genuine will of the Iranian people.
On June 19, 2009, Mr. Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the following statement in the House of Commons: The situation in Iran remains extremely alarming. Hundreds of thousands of people have been demonstrating on the streets of Tehran and throughout the country, questioning the results of the presidential election and demanding justice.
Today, Ayatollah Khamenei warned that street protests must stop or opposition leaders would be held responsible for the ensuing violence. Our government continues to express its deep concern over the allegations of fraud and we continue to call for a full and transparent investigation. The votes of all Iranians must count and innocent Iranians must be able to freely express their views without fear of intimidation or violence.
Iranian authorities have asked Canada to abstain from commenting on the situation.
We will do no such thing.
Our government will continue to promote democracy and we will continue to challenge Iran on human rights. On July 8, 2009, Canada joined with other G8 countries in expressing serious concerns about recent events in Iran. G8 Leaders deplored the post-electoral violence, which led to the loss of lives of civilians, calling interference with media, unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals unacceptable. They called upon Iran to solve the situation through democratic dialogue and the rule of law. You may read the statement at www.canadainternational.gc.ca/g8/summit-sommet/2009/political_declaration-declaration_politique.aspx. The Government of Canada will continue to insist that the votes of all Iranians must count, and that ordinary Iranians must be able to freely express their views without fear of intimidation or violence. The Canadian government's concerns about human rights in Iran are long-standing. As part of its ongoing efforts to focus the international community's attention on the human rights situation in Iran, Canada successfully led a resolution on this situation at the fall 2008 session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The resolution was adopted by UNGA on December 18, 2008. The resolution calls on the Government of Iran to fully respect its human rights obligations and implement previous resolutions. The adoption of the Canada-led resolution sends a strong signal that the international community remains deeply concerned about Iran's unacceptable human rights violations.
Please be assured that Canada will continue to use all means available to raise its concerns about human rights and the post-election situation in Iran. Thank you for taking the time to write and share your concerns.
Sincerely,
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P.Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Maiden Voyage

Well it's been awhile...sorry...I'll try to do better. Sometimes I feel as if I just don't have anything profound enough to say!!! May be I NEVER do!!!! But anyway...Matt has been GLUED to his Xbox, and although the weather has been awful, I wanted get us back onto the water again. We had an aluminium boat, but I am incapable of backing it in and out of the water, and our exits and entrances into the Marina were something akin to a Keystone cops water ballet!
....So.....we got 2 kayaks!...with the money from selling the boat....which we haven't sold yet(!).....
That being said, we immediately went to test them out (I mean immediately, wrapper still on the bow and stern of one of them)
Now entering and exiting a kayak for a 50 year young stiff woman who is ever so slightly overweight is not what you might describe as poetic...but I consoled myself with the fact that the boat ramp area was secluded by 9 ft. high bull rushes. I got in....we went out on the water and all was beautiful. We paddled over to an island and Matt decided to explore (into poison ivy we later discovered) I stayed in my boat and continued to paddle around. After and hour or 2 I felt tired and suggested we head back to shore. The wind had picked up a bit, as we started across the lake side by side, when Matt suggested that he would like to go for a swim~! I indicated that I didn't think that was such a great idea....that once out of his kayak he'd be unable to get back in....He suggested I could pull him back into my boat....I said NO....as I would then be in the water too!....but try as I might to dissuade him...he hopped out of his boat and swam! It was "wonderful" he said! He kept swimming (with life jacket) until he felt weeds under his feet, and then it was not so wonderful! I now have 2 kayaks that' I am failing at paddling, and a child who starts to yell "Help"! I quickly paddle to him...."what's wrong" I ask....."there are weeds in my feet" he answers!!!!! Over the next few minutes I try to get Matt to swim to the shore nearest to where we are where I can meet him with his boat, and he can get back in...but no....he's swimming to the boat ramp...way away from me....and I continue to get blown around with 2 kayaks going nowhere!!!!!
Then came the RESCUE! A family whose house is on the lake, had been watching our dilemma, and out they came in their powerboat....sped over and scooped Matthew out of the water.....sped to my side and picked up the other kayak, and took them to the shore in front of their house. They had another couple visiting them, and their teenage son with them on the lawn, as I paddled my kayak over to the shore, and then attempted to exit it gracefully.....attempted to exit it.....I couldn't get out on my own!!!!... I required assistance from the young man to pull my stiffened body...complete with numb legs that buckled in their first attempt to remain erect....onto the shore ....while smiling at the same time!!!!!
Matthew had a wonderful time, and we both enjoyed meeting our rescuers. They drove me back to my car, and the previously mentioned "secluded" launch spot, and then we went back to their house where they assisted us in securing the boats on and in the car. We shared with them that this was our maiden voyage, and all agreed that it was lucky that Matt has disembarked the kayak as he did, otherwise we would have no story to tell!!!!
And there it is...our Maiden Voyage!