Tis four days before Christmas and all through the house the rescued twin kittens are terrorizing Queen Smokey and playing with the dog's tail as he begs deliverance from his harassers. Armed with my trusty spray bottle...I am trying to guard the Christmas tree from the rampaging kittens. The margin of my hopes that my collection of ethnic ornaments would be hung on the tree is growing slimmer as the unbreakable ornaments fall to the floor ... victims of a small black paw swiping in delight The twin's gift this holiday season was LIFE, Because they were nearly solid black..they had been sentenced to death... a sentence the old dog once shared. He and his siblings had been dumped in the woods high on a mountain before his rescue. The queen mother cat had been dumped in a residential neighborhood and had survived by her wits for months before a family whose pets had died in a house fire snatched her off the street. Rescues...all...and all have a home this season.
Pulled out of a fast food restaurant after picking up one of my sons from work and to my shocked surprise...saw two elderly (apparently homeless) people walk out of the park pushing a grocery basket each loaded down with all their salvageable possessions. Didn't have any room in the car and didn't have any cash on me so we drove home in the near freezing rain. Older son grabbed some plastic bags (to keep their possessions dry), checked his bank account (thinking he could at least feed them), left the house looking fruitlessly for the couple. Never could find them.....and yes, we live in a small city at the end of the bus line...so the prayer is that someone (better able to help) found them but I suppose I will never know the answer to that question.
Son went to visit his sister in a not so far away city....spent one day helping out the Salvation Army's Angel Tree drive and that evening serving at a church dinner for homeless folk. Cops in a town near us tried to chase homeless folk out of a park and threatened to arrest anyone caught feeding them. I remember a time when a homeless lady used to sit on a park bench not 40 feet from my classroom, Daily...the students would buy an extra school lunch and take it to her. Some days that lunch was paid for by the New York born Italian principal (who claimed not to know a thing about the lady even though he let the students out every day to feed her), Then some nose in the air Board of Education member spotted the lady and her park bench...and demanded that the bench be removed from the bus stop. The city complied...the bench was taken away and I do not know what happened to the lady.....another question with no answer.
Then there was the Christmas we drove north to a major city....and found two men dumpster diving for food. Sons gathered up their take out food...put it in a bag..and demanded that the two men cease diving and accept the still warm food. Told the men they had too much food and please help them before "Momma" got back to the car....all the while telling me to stay hidden until the men left.
My point...with this rambling post? Maybe, just maybe...each contact with a person or a creature in need is a test of who we are as human beings....a challenge issued by the Almighty? Is it possible that people in need are angels administering the test not only of our humanity but also of the sincerity of our religiosity? Just saying...?
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
IRONY in SPADES
The scenario is duplicated daily...here there...in towns and cities across the country. Devotees of a certain "news" outlet place the blame on the "media." Such incidents couldn't be happening in 'THEIR" America. REALLY? Guess what folks...are we living in the same country? Because...this is no anomaly in MY America. It is NOT coincidental that when citizens get together to talk...every single person (with very few exceptions) can share similar experiences....eerily similar experiences.
Mr. Okie R. lived in our "holler" and he was the town cop as well as the father of one of my best childhood friends, B.J. and her siblings (and I) would happily run the deer trails above her house laughing with pleasure over the freedom of running in the woods, Many Sunday afternoons (after church) we would run through the woods until we got tired and hungry. Then we would pool our change and head to the neighborhood store to buy hot dogs and bread.....run by my house to pick up the firebucket, find a suitable spot on my grandparents' pasture field hill. Then we would make a fire in the bucket to roast our hot dogs and drink Koolaid from the mason jar that her momma had provided. Our parents did not worry about our whereabouts...there was no need to. All they needed to do was listen and they could hear us laughing and playing on the hills above.
Such were the carefree (and prejudice free) days of childhood. Our little town only had about 800 people in those days and there were very few people we did not know. Mr. Okie would be busy on Saturday afternoon running between the two beer joints in town controlling the drunks. The rest of the week he would be sitting in his souped up "patrol" car catching speeders on Route 37. Anyone stupid enough to speed through town got caught because everyone in town knew there was no car around that could out run Mr. Okie's car. Many tried...none succeeded. I remember watching one chase through town and to this day I would swear...Mr, Okie's car would jump off the ground and fly through the air when he was chasing someone.
B.J. and I grew up and left home. I went off to college and she joined the Air Force. Occasionally I would hear about her but I never really saw my friend again after the early sixties although once or twice..I ran into her little brother...also named Okie.
I mention Mr. Okie because he formed my impression of what a "cop" should be. What I came to realize much later in life....there were very few men in that profession who could measure up to his standards. He was husband, father, and neighborhood elder and he took all of those responsibilities very seriously. Sometimes he would ride up the holler to talk to "Uncle Grant," otherwise known as my grandpa. Some days he wanted tomato plants from our "hotbed" and sometimes he wanted to talk..to gain some wisdom...on life... I guess.
The next person I knew in the profession was Rob S. He was a veteran and an undergraduate at Howard University. He and his wife and I lived in the same apartment building in D.C. I think we became friends because early on....there were not many black people in the building..so we all soon knew each other. Rob had a brother in law school and another brother who lived in the building. After school...Rob joined the D.C. police force...as a plain clothes officer. At the risk of life and limb, he and his partner interrupted a bank robbery. Years later I heard of his actions leading to the arrest of a major east coast drug dealer. My more memorable recollection of my friend was a night during the riots after the death of Martin Luther King. Rob and a couple of other guys who worked part time jobs at a neighborhood liquor store (owned by a Jewish neighbor) decided to sleep at the store. It so happened that the rioters decided to break in the store that night only to be confronted by three angry young men. The message was simple, "Leave this store, this merchant alone! He works in the neighborhood, he lives in the neighborhood, he employs folks from the neighborhood, and he treats us the right way. Go bother someone else!" I don't know what else was said but I do know that a cracked window was the only damage the store sustained while the store across the street (owned by a man who had NO ties to anyone in the area) got cleaned out!
These were/are folk who took the mantra "to protect and serve" seriously. There was Tom S. who was born and grew up in the town he served. He would put on his uniform and proudly walk the streets of his town talking to his people. Because he treated folk with respect, he was respected as a friend, as a neighbor, and as a police chief. One of his officers suffered serious injuries and could not work for an extended period of time. Tom reached out to people he knew could help and help was given without further discussion, The injured officer was also part of the community and the community responded in kind. I knew of a female officer who knowing of a young family's need, quietly arranged that the needs were met. I have known of officers who served their churches, who coached little league teams and who took the time to warn children away from potentially bad situations. I have known officers (in a couple of municipalities) who bought run down houses in the areas they served. fixed up the houses and moved in ....to become an integral part of the neighborhood.
Two cousins wear the uniform (and have for years). My children have friends who wear the uniform (and walk the walk - to protect and serve). Because of those I have known and those I know, it is so difficult to comprehend the mindset of others I see. These are the antagonistic, bullying, power hungry "cops" who operate more (to me) from an organized gang mentality. They think their misdeeds will never come to life (in this age of internet social media...they have GOT to be kidding)! In this age of instant communication (cell phone cameras and social media) the "village that raised the child" has taken over the world! The fact is...my phone has a better camera than my first professional camera (an Argus C-3 stolen from my car many years ago). My phone also takes great videos and so does everyone else's! Not only does the "village" see and hear what you are doing, they are recording it! There is on the market today a professional video camera that is smaller than my phone! Just saying....if I know this (in my seventh decade on this earth) why don't these miscreants know this? Most peculiar.
Mr. Okie R. lived in our "holler" and he was the town cop as well as the father of one of my best childhood friends, B.J. and her siblings (and I) would happily run the deer trails above her house laughing with pleasure over the freedom of running in the woods, Many Sunday afternoons (after church) we would run through the woods until we got tired and hungry. Then we would pool our change and head to the neighborhood store to buy hot dogs and bread.....run by my house to pick up the firebucket, find a suitable spot on my grandparents' pasture field hill. Then we would make a fire in the bucket to roast our hot dogs and drink Koolaid from the mason jar that her momma had provided. Our parents did not worry about our whereabouts...there was no need to. All they needed to do was listen and they could hear us laughing and playing on the hills above.
Such were the carefree (and prejudice free) days of childhood. Our little town only had about 800 people in those days and there were very few people we did not know. Mr. Okie would be busy on Saturday afternoon running between the two beer joints in town controlling the drunks. The rest of the week he would be sitting in his souped up "patrol" car catching speeders on Route 37. Anyone stupid enough to speed through town got caught because everyone in town knew there was no car around that could out run Mr. Okie's car. Many tried...none succeeded. I remember watching one chase through town and to this day I would swear...Mr, Okie's car would jump off the ground and fly through the air when he was chasing someone.
B.J. and I grew up and left home. I went off to college and she joined the Air Force. Occasionally I would hear about her but I never really saw my friend again after the early sixties although once or twice..I ran into her little brother...also named Okie.
I mention Mr. Okie because he formed my impression of what a "cop" should be. What I came to realize much later in life....there were very few men in that profession who could measure up to his standards. He was husband, father, and neighborhood elder and he took all of those responsibilities very seriously. Sometimes he would ride up the holler to talk to "Uncle Grant," otherwise known as my grandpa. Some days he wanted tomato plants from our "hotbed" and sometimes he wanted to talk..to gain some wisdom...on life... I guess.
The next person I knew in the profession was Rob S. He was a veteran and an undergraduate at Howard University. He and his wife and I lived in the same apartment building in D.C. I think we became friends because early on....there were not many black people in the building..so we all soon knew each other. Rob had a brother in law school and another brother who lived in the building. After school...Rob joined the D.C. police force...as a plain clothes officer. At the risk of life and limb, he and his partner interrupted a bank robbery. Years later I heard of his actions leading to the arrest of a major east coast drug dealer. My more memorable recollection of my friend was a night during the riots after the death of Martin Luther King. Rob and a couple of other guys who worked part time jobs at a neighborhood liquor store (owned by a Jewish neighbor) decided to sleep at the store. It so happened that the rioters decided to break in the store that night only to be confronted by three angry young men. The message was simple, "Leave this store, this merchant alone! He works in the neighborhood, he lives in the neighborhood, he employs folks from the neighborhood, and he treats us the right way. Go bother someone else!" I don't know what else was said but I do know that a cracked window was the only damage the store sustained while the store across the street (owned by a man who had NO ties to anyone in the area) got cleaned out!
These were/are folk who took the mantra "to protect and serve" seriously. There was Tom S. who was born and grew up in the town he served. He would put on his uniform and proudly walk the streets of his town talking to his people. Because he treated folk with respect, he was respected as a friend, as a neighbor, and as a police chief. One of his officers suffered serious injuries and could not work for an extended period of time. Tom reached out to people he knew could help and help was given without further discussion, The injured officer was also part of the community and the community responded in kind. I knew of a female officer who knowing of a young family's need, quietly arranged that the needs were met. I have known of officers who served their churches, who coached little league teams and who took the time to warn children away from potentially bad situations. I have known officers (in a couple of municipalities) who bought run down houses in the areas they served. fixed up the houses and moved in ....to become an integral part of the neighborhood.
Two cousins wear the uniform (and have for years). My children have friends who wear the uniform (and walk the walk - to protect and serve). Because of those I have known and those I know, it is so difficult to comprehend the mindset of others I see. These are the antagonistic, bullying, power hungry "cops" who operate more (to me) from an organized gang mentality. They think their misdeeds will never come to life (in this age of internet social media...they have GOT to be kidding)! In this age of instant communication (cell phone cameras and social media) the "village that raised the child" has taken over the world! The fact is...my phone has a better camera than my first professional camera (an Argus C-3 stolen from my car many years ago). My phone also takes great videos and so does everyone else's! Not only does the "village" see and hear what you are doing, they are recording it! There is on the market today a professional video camera that is smaller than my phone! Just saying....if I know this (in my seventh decade on this earth) why don't these miscreants know this? Most peculiar.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Ghosts?
Do you believe in GHOSTS? I will probably chuckle and never really answer that question. In my own way,in my own time, in my own words, if you listen carefully, there is an answer to that question...somewhere out THERE. My grandmother once told my sister that there was a room in her house that I refused to enter,as a baby. She said I would scream and yell until they took me out of that room. Of course I don't remember that but what I do remember is that, to me that room was always cold, even on the hottest of summer days...until the summer I turned 17.
That summer was just before my senior year in high school. It was a fairly typical summer except....my grandmother had been dead for a year and both my uncles...who lived at home with Grandpa and who were significant adults in my life were unknown to me...battling cancer. One rainy day....I was nosing around in the drawer of an antique dresser and a thought entered my mind....LOOK IN THE BOTTOM DRAWER! Finally I looked and there...was a significant stash of unused sewing fabrics. I flew through the house to the Chinese elm tree in the front yard...to ask my grandfather if I could have the fabric. "Of course," he answered, "your grandmother saved it for you."
Until that summer...my "school clothes" had consisted of four cotton blouses and two cotton skirts....for three years. My stepmother saw no necessity to spend my father's money on dressing his youngest child....and honestly...by this point in my life, I saw no necessity to spend any more than the minimum amount of time anywhere near her. The fabric was a godsend. That was the summer I sewed...using my grandmother's treadle machine and that school year...I ACTUALLY had some decent clothes that were NOT threadbare, Somewhere in the back of my mind was a voice whispering.."You can take care of yourself!" That room never felt cold to me again.
Monday, June 30, 2014
WRONG IN SO MANY WAYS!
So, the Supreme Court has spoken ...again.....out of the wrong side of its mouth......twice before noon. Makes me wonder what thinking evolved into the decision. So now......the owners of Hobby Lobby can force their religious convictions on their employees and it is perfectly legal?
A dear friend of mine pastors a church and has for many, many years. Every Sunday, in their church bulletin there is a list of the members and what each family put in the collection plate the previous Sunday. My belief is that what I put in the plate is between me and my God. Were I to attend his church...the donation would be in CASH or in a sealed envelope and there would be NO name attached. I may visit his church but I am not a member of his church or his denomination. He and I have had that discussion and have agreed to disagree. An elder down on his luck approached me one day near a fast food restaurant and asked if I could buy him a sandwich. I could, I did and I would never say what was spent. My children were riding in the car one day and saw a man standing in the rain with a sign....they rolled down the window and handed their fast food out the window to the homeless man. They saw two men dumpster diving in a major city stopped them and handed out their own fast food meal to the men. Both incidents are years past and are mentioned for illustration only. I raised six children to adulthood....I am not wealthy and I never have been and its not going to happen now. My church provides the framework for my actions (and those of my offspring) but that's not for public accolade or knowledge....and there is no way I would demand that others (in my employ or in my range of influence.....assuming I have such) should follow my example.
What is my point? My religious convictions govern my behavior...but I have no right to force my beliefs on others and others do not have the right to force their beliefs on me. NO EMPLOYER should have the right to cherry pick the health coverage of his/her employees. Whether a female does or does not use birth control is NOT the employer's business! Whether the employer does or does not use birth control is NOT the employee's business. TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
The only choice left to me is to vote with my feet and me purse. I will NOT set foot in Hobby Lobby ever again. In my belief...they have gone TOO FAR. Two of my historical relatives came to this country for FREEDOM of RELIGION. One set were Quaker....one set were Catholic. One set didn't (supposedly) practice WAR...the other set (supposedly) didn't practice Birth Control. There were probably lots of differences in beliefs....but the singular agreement between the two sets was the right to select and practice their chosen religion....without interference.
A dear friend of mine pastors a church and has for many, many years. Every Sunday, in their church bulletin there is a list of the members and what each family put in the collection plate the previous Sunday. My belief is that what I put in the plate is between me and my God. Were I to attend his church...the donation would be in CASH or in a sealed envelope and there would be NO name attached. I may visit his church but I am not a member of his church or his denomination. He and I have had that discussion and have agreed to disagree. An elder down on his luck approached me one day near a fast food restaurant and asked if I could buy him a sandwich. I could, I did and I would never say what was spent. My children were riding in the car one day and saw a man standing in the rain with a sign....they rolled down the window and handed their fast food out the window to the homeless man. They saw two men dumpster diving in a major city stopped them and handed out their own fast food meal to the men. Both incidents are years past and are mentioned for illustration only. I raised six children to adulthood....I am not wealthy and I never have been and its not going to happen now. My church provides the framework for my actions (and those of my offspring) but that's not for public accolade or knowledge....and there is no way I would demand that others (in my employ or in my range of influence.....assuming I have such) should follow my example.
What is my point? My religious convictions govern my behavior...but I have no right to force my beliefs on others and others do not have the right to force their beliefs on me. NO EMPLOYER should have the right to cherry pick the health coverage of his/her employees. Whether a female does or does not use birth control is NOT the employer's business! Whether the employer does or does not use birth control is NOT the employee's business. TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
The only choice left to me is to vote with my feet and me purse. I will NOT set foot in Hobby Lobby ever again. In my belief...they have gone TOO FAR. Two of my historical relatives came to this country for FREEDOM of RELIGION. One set were Quaker....one set were Catholic. One set didn't (supposedly) practice WAR...the other set (supposedly) didn't practice Birth Control. There were probably lots of differences in beliefs....but the singular agreement between the two sets was the right to select and practice their chosen religion....without interference.
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