Happy Birthday Ali!

Yesterday November 13th was my little dog Ali’s 4th birthday.
He has been with me for a little over 3 years and is my constant reminder that I am loved.

Although he is not above being in the way

He wants to be with me all the time and really tells me if I am neglecting him.

Then He perks his little ears and looks at me and all is well.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY ALI

Happy Veterans Day!

My thoughts have gone to the citizens of this country that have chosen the military as part of their lives. I have just watched the ceremony in Arlington Cemetery and listened to the marches and watched the flags go by and it gave me thought about how different we as Americans feel about this activity than when I was little.

I was raised between the Navy Post Graduate School, the Defense Language Institute and Fort Ord. Most of my friends were from families who had dedicated their lives to service of our country. There was a feeling of commodore, support and pride in doing this which I don’t feel in this country at large.

We do not realize how much support of a military force and the right use of these young people is in our own best interest. There have been engaged horrible wars that have been at the expense of the brightest and best of our young people. The Oval office has taken these forces and used them very poorly, VERY POORLY. But this does not mean we do not need these young men and women to be there for us.

I am proud of the dedication, and courage that the forces of our country show every day. I am NOT proud of how those forces have been used to further some presidential agenda.

My prayer is that each one of us that knows one of these brave people will give them a big hug, love them for their dedication and courage, and help them in any way we can to readjust to being home when President Obama brings the back.

Today is a day to remember those who will never come back. Pray for their families, friends and us all for their loss.

Happy Veterans Day!

Friends

I have been very partisan in this last year as we came toward choosing a new leader of our country. Now that the country has made its choice, I choose to be an American rather than being named one party or another.

We have challenges that are at best hard—at worse could divide us further. But we must now accept the decisions and turn our eyes to the things that matter to us most. It is time to rally to our own best interests and drop the bickering that has caused us this harm.

There is no better place to live, no better way to live it. But, in order to benefit from this way of life we must embrace it and go on to fill our selves with hope for our own and our grandchildren’s future.

If we stay bitter we will kill our own future. The world is dying and we need to heal it. Species and ecosystems that we depend on for our own lives are threatened. Drought will come. Too much rain will come, earth quakes will come, economic instability will come, food shortages will come, our loses will show up in so many ways it may be hard to bear. But we will still be here!

What will we do about it? Will we fight with each other? Blame each other? Find fault with each other? Will we pick at each other until it is beyond our reach to change what is wrong?

Or, will we find a way to heal ourselves so we can look those who have been our opponents in the eye and say—“Let us find a way to fix this!” I will say to my very soul—

What can I do to fix this?