The ressurection of the nearly dead!

Well I've been away for awhile....swimming in the darkness and dancing on the edge of death! I knew that I was slipping into the darkness, but thought that maybe it was just circumstantial. My eldest son Paul got married in Hilton Head Island South Carolina, a beautiful place with years of wonderful memories for all of us. I don't think that I had ever achieved spiritual and physical peace anywhere, other than there. Walking by the ocean, breathing in the sweet salty air, feeling the soft silky sand between my toes. Heaven....at least that would be my sense of heaven. The closer it got to September 22nd, the sadder I became because we couldn't go. At first it was just little outbursts of tears....sometimes sobbing uncontrollably. Then it became more difficult to go out, because I didn't want to draw attention to myself. Then I was crying more than breathing, it was more than missing the wedding...it was about missing life... I knew I needed to reach out to get help. I had had some bloodwork done and by this time the results had revealed that my TSH was 3 times higher than it should be, and my mood meds I had reduced after increasing them without permission ( I was getting a bit high) but had then reduced them again. This whole whack of medical issues. and medicines, which can cause side effects, and the multiple diagnoses that cause symptoms get very confusing, and very difficult to discern whats actually happening! Lots of fun...So I crashed with my fibro...I crashed with my bipolar, and it was a mess! BUT I"M BACK! Forgive my absence from the blog/cyber world!

Remember the Tractor?!

This takes me back!!!! This is the backyard at Mountainside...our first apartment for the 3 of us! Actually you couldn't really call it a backyard....as it was the size of a postage stamp!
Still, we managed to have lots of fun there...planted a garden even though everyone said nothing would grow, and built a sandbox which the boys loved to play in, and every summer we had an overflow of sand into the apartment. I couldn't afford to buy "play sand" so I would drive to Hamilton beach and fill up buckets full of sand, using a flour sifter to remove any glass or other debris!! I wonder if you guys (Paul & Andrew) remember it?

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.

"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!

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....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-D9pObZKw

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

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

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!

Chippy Church

The other day I was driving out to yet another medical test, and up ahead I noticed a tiny little chipmunk rushing out from the ditch and into the road. Anyone who knows me will know that I LOVE animals, and spent many hours rescuing different critters from an untimely death, so imagine my alarm as my vehicle bore down on this little creature.
"RUN CHIPPY RUN" I yelled, while I slowed down to let him pass safely ....feeling relieved that at his present rate he would successfully reach the other side....then all of a sudden he stopped in his tracks... sat upright in thought....his little tail pointed to the sky...and he did the unthinkable......he turned his cute tiny feet in the opposite direction and proceeded to retrace his steps.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I yelled and in seconds my right tire smucked chippy, and all I could see in the rear view mirror was his tail....twitching back and forth. It was done. He was dead.
At first I was angry with chippy...why had he run back under my tire...was he STUPID! and then I started to think about "looking back" and how since I've been ill, I've spent allot of time looking back...thinking about my own death...planning my own funeral...and defining myself as where I've been, rather than where I'm going...alive or dead!
So chippy taught me something...We can be scared of moving forward, and indecisive about where to go. We can cling to where we've been, and prefer to live in the past....In doing this we sacrifice the wonderful plan that God has ahead of us...however it plays out.
And that's all I have to say about that.

We Are The World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxT21uFRwM

If there's one thing only that comes from this man's struggle, I pray that it is his message to love one another...constructively. Whatever his demons it was and is a good message...one that we should all ACT on.

Goodbye Sweet Zoey

This Saturday I said goodbye to a loyal friend...a friend who quite literally was by my side through some of the most painful years of my life. She was always happy to see me, even if I'd only been gone for a few minutes! She was quiet in her demeanour...but also entertaining. We spent countless hours together chasing balls into the lake, or roaming the back trails together. She took "retrieving" to a new level, when she visited a friends cottage and proceeded to retrieve every pool noodle in the lake, whether there was a person attached to it or not!! She towed Matthew back into shore over and over again, and that was after she allowed him to swim at all...at first she would pull him out of the water as soon as his feet got wet. She loved to talk, and she and I had lengthy conversations together...she always knew just what to say.

I will miss her more than I can say, and the decision to bring her suffering to an end was probably longer than it should have been. But in the end, we were together still, and it was quick. Almost too quick...you're never ready to say goodbye no matter how prepared you think you are....you're just not.

Fibro Fun and other craziness

I've been Down and out for the past 5 days....severe IBS and Nausea....this is another wonderful aspect of my illness. My head has quieted...my thoughts have settled, and the noise has settled. The "racing thoughts" stuff is difficult to describe, but it's akin to your brain being a TV that is turned up really loud, and someone is rapidly channel surfing... go go go...even stranger is that u notice it more when it's stopped, than when it starts....it kind of sneaks up on you...like a ride slowly speeding up....I guess like a frog that will sit in the water and boil to death without jumping out...it just escalates and is kind of okay for while. It's not fibro though...it's an extra! I've never really kept track of the time stretch, but I'm going to try. You'll see by my "posts" when it's up and when it's down. I was quite a bit "up" when I started this blog...and came down to land around the 26th I think.

2 Icons in one day...Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

I was going to continue my blathering about angina (no irony here) to discuss the inconveniences of "sudden death"...however in consideration of the day, and the fact that this date will mark the passing of actress Farrah Fawcett, and singer "king of Pop" Michael Jackson.

It's difficult to discuss them both together...not to diminish the talent of Michael Jackson...but the scandal that surrounded him, puts him in a separate place from Farrah in my heart and mind.

I think if we women were honest we would probably recall being ambivalent about Farrah. On the one hand she had a beauty to aspire to, but also a knowledge that we could never compete with that poster on our boyfriend's wall!!! She also took us along through the aging process, in a graceful way. I haven't seen her documentary, but from all accounts she displayed true courage throughout her illness and to the end.

Michael I feel, was a gifted, but tortured soul, whose demons, from wherever they came, perverted the beauty of his talent. His fame, though well deserved as to voice and dance, transformed his success into a seduction of innocent lives. He squandered his resources and was proud of it. I hope that he made restitution spiritually before his death. Like I said ...you may not know when...so always be prepared. Very sad for everyone involved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8

The Inconvenience of Angina

As anyone who has ever had heart problems can probably attest...there is nothing more inconvenient than having an angina attack.

First and foremost...what IS angina...well there's the rub...you probably right away thought "chest pain"...well you might be surprised that the pinching in your shoulder; jaw; throat; could be angina too..or... it could be just a "pinching" in your shoulder; jaw; and throat!



The first time I had severe angina (after suffering with the pinching, shortness of breath; extreme lethargy...figuring it was all due to inactivity) I lay in bed and had a discussion with myself, and with God. I asked myself whether or not I was REALLY in pain! I'm in pain all the time, and when you deal with chronic pain, it changes all the definitions! The pain then increased and moved to my left arm...but...I asked myself...is my left arm REALLY hurting more than my right? Yes...yes it is. Am I having a panic attack? Been there...done that...no this is different...Hmmmmm.

What to do! It's 11:30 p.m. and my son is sleeping soundly. I don't really want to disturb anyone...so I tell God that if He wants me, I'm ready to go...but 9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday would really be much better...and after all He's God! I didn't call anyone...didn't mention it to my doctor for about a month, and finally discovered that yes I did have blocked arteries...and got stents and nitroglycerin.



That was 2 years ago, and I'm back at the angina thing again, and have found via angiogram, that I have several at least 50% blocked arteries...but not blocked enough to fix...yet! Lovely!!!! So the whole angina thing has changed now...because I know now....whereas before I was blissful in my ignorance! Now when it starts, I know that I have 15 minutes and 3 nitro puffs before I'm in real trouble, and because I live alone, as a single Mom, there are things to do!!!



Whatever needs to happen...I'm the only one that can make it happen...I can't just lay still and have someone else do all the calling of ambulances...getting Matt woken up and looked after....someone will have to open the door and hold the dogs when the paramedics get here...all the stuff that has to be done is too much...particularly if it turns out that you don't have a massive coronary after all!!!!!

Seriously...once you make that call for help you are pretty much obliged to to have a fatal. or near fatal, heart attack!!!!! Ask any heart patient!.....thats why we die!

Social Networking and other perils

As you may have noticed...I'm not really all that savvy at the social networking stuff. I find that Facebook has terrified me with it's ballooning abundance of questionnaires; games; quizzes; albums; videos....I could go on and on!...and on. It's simply amazing to me how someone could ever have that many friends! I admit that my existence since becoming ill has rather paralyzed my "friendship" abilities...but that's exactly my point....friendships require care; time; effort; investment of heart and energy (which I am sadly lacking..hence my limitations) and therefore would seem to limit the ability of someone to effectively manage the number of friends they seem to have acquired! It is exactly my limitation with respect to pain/energy/inability to plan...that has made this media a real breakthrough for me. I mean...I'm here by myself (well not really...I have 3 dogs, a cat, 5 birds, and a son to look after!!!!!!) and presently have a spontaneous moment of lucidity...and that is never to be overrated...so now I can release some of the thoughts that are continually running around in my head. This, I feel, will allow me to free up space in my brain for other thoughts, and leave it in a continuously emptied state ( sort of like the recycle bin emptying that I forget to do) so that on the rare occasion that I DO go out, and I DO speak to someone...maybe I'll be less likely to ramble on without pause for breath until I excuse myself for frightening them (usually some poor unsuspecting clerk) and explain that I'm out on unsupervised leave and will be returning to hospital soon! They look relieved!

Anyway....my point is....(u didn't think I had one did u!)....that for me...and other poor sods like me who are stuck at home...this is a great way to reach out to the world...but if you are blessed with good health....then please....get off the computer ...and go visit someone you love ...before you can't!

God Bless

Pray for our soldiers in Iraq - Thanks Bernice

GOD BLESS & PROTECT THEM!!!

7-Day Forecast for Baghdad,Iraq

115ºF89ºF 117ºF89ºF 120ºF90ºF 122ºF91ºF

122ºF92ºF 121ºF95ºF 120ºF95ºF

Prayer request According to the weather reports, it is our understanding that it is 122 degrees in Iraq right now -- and the low will be 111! Our troops need our prayers for strength, endurance, and safety.. If it be God's will, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail.

Let us pray.Prayer chain for our Military..please don't break it...

Please send this on.

Prayer
'Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.' Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world.
Just send this to all the people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you, please.

Of all the gifts you could give a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine & others deployed in harm's way,
Prayer is the very best one!

Iranian Officials hold Bodies of Dead for money

Just now CNN reveals that they have sources that are telling them that the families of Iranian protestors who have been shot dead by the Basij (or whoever), are being told thay have to

"pay a $3000.00 bullet fee"

in order to retrieve and bury their loved ones.

I just don't know anymore...what is going on in our world.

Apparently this is a repeat of multiple other obscene actions taken during the Iranian revolution 30 years ago.
Protestors who are detained will face a special court, and be made examples of!!
What does that mean?!!Keep Praying...God is Great!

Letter 2 Foreign Affairs Minister

Honourable Lawrence Cannon
CannoL@parl.gc.ca
Foreign Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa Ontario
K1A0A6

Dear Sir,
I have recently contacted the Prime Minister's office, and have been referred to you to hear my plea. I'm certain this is a plea that you are hearing from across our free country. As our Foreign Minister, you are representative of our great democratic nation of Canada.

I ask you to send a clear message to the governments of Iran, that Canadians will not tolerate nor recognize the present tyrannical regime of Iran, as they murder their citizens in the streets.
That Canada will not tolerate the violations of Human Rights that are occurring in Iran, and that there will be consequences to their actions.
We ask for swift action on this matter.

Respectfully,
Sally Gardner
Free Canadian Citizen

Response from PM Harper's Office

Dear Ms. Gardner:
On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to thank you for your e-mail, in which you raised an issue which falls within the portfolio of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Prime Minister always appreciates receiving mail on subjects of importance to Canadians. Please be assured that the statements you made have been carefully reviewed. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your e-mail to Minister Cannon so that he too may be made aware of your comments.
I am certain that the Minister will give your views every consideration. For more information on the Government's initiatives, you may wish to visit the Prime Minister's Web site, at www.pm.gc.ca.

Neda in happier times

Neda was in Tehran with her music teacher for a peacful demonstration...
He said...
"We were stuck in traffic and we got out and stood to watch, and without her throwing a rock or anything they shot her," he said. "It was just one bullet."

Such a tragedy...the name "Neda" means "voice" which is so ironic, as she has become the most profound and graphic image of this conflict.
I'm sure she and her family would have preferred not to have this infamy.

Silly Sally Stories

Trying to be on a lighter note for a quick change, I have decided that occasionally, when the whim overcomes me, I will share a silly story about me! I have discussed this with Matthew, and he heartily approves, as long as the silliness is strictly on my side, and not on his! This could prove to be difficult, but I will do my best!

I am, apparently, according to Matthew, one of those people who apologize for absolutely everything, irregardless of my role or effect on any particular situation. For instance, I regularly apologize for coming into a store when someone else is going out, irrespective of, and mostly in the absence of, collision. I simply can't help myself! It just slips out, and there it is...an apology.

I also apologize when rolling my shopping cart past another customer in an otherwise open aisle. This usually causes a look of confusion on the part of the other customer...and again I realize that I have apologized yet again ... for no apparent reason!

Well...today I happened to go outside onto my deck to retrieve the dog shampoo I had left on the railing, and upon re entering the house I went to close the screen door, and as I turned back I saw a bumblebee had slipped in, and was now turning back towards the closing screen to escape...and so...I said.........I'M SORRY................to the bee........and opened the door again so that it could leave...which it did.....but luckily....it didn't say anything to me in return.

Then I'd be really worried!

Email PM Harper

It's free and easy, and could make a difference....please do it

Harper.S@parl.gc.ca

Letter 2 Parliament for IRAN just cut/paste and mail

Monday, June 22, 2009

Prime Minister Harper
House of Commons
Ottawa Ontario
K1A0A6

Dear Prime Minister,

As our global representative of our great free and democratic nation of Canada, I ask you to send a clear message to the governments of Iran, that Canadians will not tolerate nor recognize the present tyrannical regime of Iran, as they murder their citizens in the streets.

We call for an immediate stop to the violence, and will hold them accountable for crimes of war, should they continue their assault.

We ask for swift action on this matter.

Respectfully,




Free Canadian Citizen

Father's Day...Bittersweet

Happy Father's Day to all those Father's out there who are involved in their children's lives, and being great role models. As Dr. Phil always says, the same sex parent is the most significant role model for any child. This fact is not meant to hurt or diminish those of us who are raising boys on our own, but it is a fact that we must consider as we continue to challenge ourselves to be both parents, which we cannot do. So what's the alternative...try to engage good male mentors for our boys...this is hard...families are busy and we must also be wise in choosing those mentors so as not to place our sons in vulnerable situations. It is a very hard juggling act. I have been blessed with a great Church where my pastors have taken the time to invest in my son's life, as had my own father, who goes to great lengths to do things with him, and help to support me in providing opportunities for camps etc. that we would not otherwise be able to afford.
Father's Day is still tough though. The week prior is tough because school of course is involved in making things for "DAD" inviting "Dad" to school activities. Our Principal, Mr. Winters, took time out of his busy day to help Matt with his project one year, which Matt then gave to our pastor, who gracefully accepted the gift without skipping a beat. May God Bless these men! TRULY BLESS THEM. Pastor Petersen took Matt fishing and they caught about 60 sunfish which they then filleted and we ate them for lunch! They were like little fish chips...I didn't know you could even eat sunfish!!!!! A true labour of love from both he and his wife.

Rooftop Poem from Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUZuv6_bus

God IS Great.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOIN DOWN?

Okay it's June 20th 2009, and I haven't left the house all day! What else is new....but what is drving me around the bend is all the crap going on in Iran. There's a whole part of me that wants to turn it off, because I keep yelling at the tv and computer screens, yelling at the people to "run back to your homes...they're shooting at you" I listen to the night time chanted prayers from the rooftops in Iran....God Is Great...I watch a utube film where a woman watches from her balcony at nigh...the voices crying out into the night air...pleading with God...Okay so then I turn off the news to watch a movie....what's on u ask?...."the band played on" a 1996 piece about the begininng of the AIDS epidemic, and how it was handled (I think that's a gross mis carriage of the word but all I could politely come up with. Another travesty...that made me MAD....so after 2.5 hours of that I switched cnn back on....and yes I looked at Neda's video...I shouldn't have...it will haunt me for a very long long time. I wonder how many other Neda stories will come out by the time this is over.