ONE HEN, TWO DUCKS, THREE SQWAKING GEESE

In high school, our advanced placement English teacher was Mr.  H. He was married to our freshman chorus teacher, Mrs. H.

One day we began to whine and say,"That's not fair!" We did this because Mr. H had just announced that we were having a pop quiz.

And as we continued to whine and fuss, he said, "Life is not fair!"

And then we played a memory game. 

Mr H said to the first student in our quarter classroom of the new theater in the round faciIity in the new English/History wing.

The memory game goes like this -

Teacher -- one hen

1st Student -- one hen

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks

2nd Student -- one hen, two ducks

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three squawking geese

3rd Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters

4th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sawaking geese, four Limerick oysters

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises

5th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers

6th Student -- one hen, two dunks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don Alverzo's tweezers

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array

7th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt

8th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt

Teacher -- - one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt, nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth

9th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt, nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth

Teacher -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt, nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth, ten lyrical, spherical diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.

10th Student -- one hen, two ducks, three sqwaking geese, four Limerick oysters, five corpulent porpoises, six pairs of Don alverzo's tweezers, seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array, eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt, nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth, ten lyrical, spherical diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.

* * * *

One hen
* Two ducks
* Three squawking geese
* Four limerick oysters
* Five corpulent porpoises
* Six pair of Don Alverzo's tweezers
* Seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array
* Eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt
* Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth
* Ten lyrical, spherical diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.

BUSH FIRES AND FOREST FIREFIGHTERS

BUSH FIRES AND FOREST FIREFIGHTERS

Until I was watching the movie "Always" today I had forgotten a great deal about the first time I was in Fairbanks, Alaska. The movie is about romances involving smoke jumpers and pilots who fly planes with water or other chemicals in them to drop it all over forest fires or brush fires. I stayed in temporary quarters on Eielson Air Force Base. A lot of wild fire firefighters were staying there that summer, too . . . it was August of 1981. Because another lieutenant in my office was out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at the last minute I had to take his place on a six week assignment to the Air Force Base near Anchorage, AK (Elmendorf).

The major I worked for was very skeptical about sending me. Our colonel was even more doubtful. At about 3:30 pm on a Friday (1530 for you military types) I was told the news and I had to fly out of the Melbourne, FL airport on Sunday afternoon. The general idea was that not only would I fill in for a detachment commander on Elmendorf, but that I would also get some orientation tours to our laboratory facility near Sacramento and our detachment near Fairbanks.

So at about 5:45 pm, I found myself in our colonel's office where he gave me a kind of pep talk. Among other things, he said that he would see me in six weeks unless I messed up and had to be brought home early. As I was about to go out of his office, I turned to give him a last salute and said, "Oh, sir! Let's be positive about this!"

Do you remember that show from the 50s and 60s called "Queen for a Day"?

It was kind of like that . . . as a very junior US Air Force officer, I was getting a chance to command a detachment. Even though it was for a very short term--it was a bit like getting to be "Queen for a Day" without the gifts of washing machines, etc.

Being a firefighter means that you are either bored silly or in a huge adrenaline powered flash of nearly thoughtless, mostly instinctive, dissociated terrifying busyness. So the cadre of smoke jumpers were either in the midst of a fire or trying to keep busy waiting to be in the midst of a fire.

http://fire.ak.blm.gov/afs/fireops/jumpers/akjumpers.php

Drinking quantities of alcohol on days off or when certain of them were not eligible to be called out to fight was almost a given.

So I found myself in the company of very macho men at a time when they were in no way used to a woman working anywhere near them unless it was in a secretarial kind of position.

In August the air is mostly fresh, clear and cold over the big pie plate-type space north of the Alaska Range of mountains that includes Mt McKinley (called "Denali" --the Great One in the aboriginal language) and south of the approach to the North Slope oil fields.

At least it was in the early to mid 80s when first I, and then the rest of my family were there.

There were little houses on top of towers where those who looked out for signs of smoke and fire existed. I think one had over 180 steps to get to the top.

(If you have ever seen "How to Marry a Millionaire" [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045891/?ref_=nv_sr_1 ] with Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable, the scenes when Betty Grable's character goes up to Maine from New York City in the winter may remind you of what I am trying to describe.)

It seeks like it was a "long long time ago in a galaxy far far away".

Anyway, please excuse me so I can fall asleep and finish this tomorrow, Beloved.

Sweet dreams. As ever, angels guard your rest.

<3 <3 <3

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

I wrote in the past about the concept of spiritual "thinness". Maybe you remember. In the last four days or so I've experienced that spiritual state quite often, but I am not sure why. In case you missed the earlier discourse about it, or would like to be reminded, we can start with some metaphysics.

An illustration from an anecdote might help.

Between May of 2002 and June of 2004 I taught college courses in the Western Humanities; in Ethics; and in World Religions at Brevard Community College in Melbourne, FL and for Columbia College of Columbia, Missouri on Patrick Air Force Base just south of Cocoa Beach, FL. Some of the sections were taught to advanced placement students at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, directly south of the Air Force Base.  We used many multi-media resource for the courses and one of my favorite movies to start the classes out in the proper mood was a movie called "Time Bandits".

Usually the first showing of the film was greeted various levels of teen whining and moaning as well as broad yawns.  After every video or presentation I gave the students ten minutes to write down questions or observations about what they had seen or heard. For the most part, very few of the kids had any knowledge of the classical history and mythology that was irreverently depicted.

Then, at the end of the semester after finals, we watched it again, and you could almost see the little light bulbs lighting up over and over above their dear little heads. But back to "thinness' . . .the main premise of the plot was that there is a cosmic map of time/space reality, but there are holes and/or perforations . . . even maybe screens and windows that can be used to travel from one culture to another across the centuries.

I hope you will watch it sometime.  It's really wonderful.  For instance, Sean Connery plays a 20th century London firefighter as well as King Agamemnon from the Trojan War era.

Anyway . . . You know that time/space confusion as you are falling asleep or daydreaming or just beginning to wake up, trying to stay in your dream? Or you think you catch a glimpse of an angel or a ghost . . . A leprechaun or a fairy . . . (or perhaps a talking fish . . . or Mr. Ed the talking horse).

Or maybe you've spent sometime beyond the Looking Glass or in Neverland?

Even if you've been told it's all just your imagination, maybe you are still not sure.  That's the "thinness".

For me, it's just a reminder that we are more than just who we seem to be physically.  We are Spirit . . . and even maybe stardust.

Some examples: my grandmother's spirit sitting on my bed and talking with me on the 2nd anniversary of her passing and telling me I would have wonderful news that afternoon.  Then my daughter called me about 3pm to tell me she was pregnant with her first child.

Or when on a lovely spring day in DC/Northern Virginia I felt led to pray for my teen-aged son.  the first thing he asked me when I saw him that evening was whether I had been praying for him.  He and one of his friends we climbing a rock face on the Potomac from the Virginia side near Great Falls.  They both lost their grips and fell about 15 feet. (No doubt the angels taking care of most teen-aged boys have to work over time.)

So what about "The Long and Winding Road"?

I'm not sure, but it's possible that we can connect "thinness'' to that concept, top.

What do you think?

NO HELP AT ALL

You would think that the English sheepdog and the great Dane might've been some help well we got ready to go horseback riding, but if you do or you think that you are sadly mistaken.  First of all, when we sat down on the floor and tried to pull on our riding boots, the English sheepdog had the impression that one or both of uswere playing with him. So he would try to pull our boots off at the same time we were squeezing or feet and calves into the boots. Then second of all as we walked to the barn with our hard hats in hand and our riding crops at the ready, the great Dane seemed to think that getting between us and the horses was his most sacred duty.  This made it very difficult to place saddle, harness and other tack in their proper places on the horses.

Finally we found that if we fed the dogs and shut the, up in the mud room, we would save a half an -hour to and hour and a half of our preparation time.

What a relief!

Of course the next challenge involved how to close the door to the barn and open the gate to the paddock in the right order so that the horses would be willing to head out to the riding path as opposed to surreptitiously scurrying back to their stalls feigning innocent expressions on their long faces as if to say, "Really?  You wanted to go riding today? Oh!  So sorry . . . I didn't realize!!"

Once there was an ice storm and just getting safely to the barn with mincing steps crunching the ice-enclosed grass blades and small grade stones of the roadway between the house and the barn.

Of course if it was too cold we would just ride ion the exercise barn . . . Round and round . . . Post when you trot . . . Hang on tight if the possibility of a canter presented itself.

And if I had been riding with a western saddle more recently than with English equitation accoutrements I almost always would feel like my knees were much more close to the horse than necessary or safe.

There were two times when the first few walking steps seemed strange and disconcerting.  One was after a half day of trail riding and the other was after piloting a light plane.

Do you know what I mean?

Transitions . . .

There is more to write about this, but I need a nap first.

See ya on the flip side.  

THE LORD ALWAYS HAS THE VICTORY

Dear Heart, Precious One . . .I know you have been struggling and the Lord knows this completely and absolutely beyond anything I can try to express.  

Please be at peace and be gentle on your self.  You are adored and cherished beyond your imagination.  

The battle you perceive is already over.  The Lord already and always has the victory.  

This is reality and everything else that denies this truth is a lie.  Reject it.

You can only do what you can do in each moment.  

Let love prioritize what that is.  

Sometimes the best thing is not to struggle at all.  Let go and know you are upheld and protected.

Do not to try to do anything for anyone else. Allow the Lord to do it in and through you.

Trust that the Lord is meeting each one's needs.  It is not always up to you. 

In His loving reality, it is never up to you Instead He will accomplish all that is necessary.

All that is needed is up to the Lord.  You can leave it in His hands.

You are only responsible for knowing that HE is responsible. 

Love wins no matter how things seem to be in the short term or in this moment. 

You can live in the long view from His Throne of Love and Grace. From the position of resting in His arms, you can be sure you are welcome.  The Lord longs for you to be at home in Him.  

And each person you love is completely loved by the Lord, too.

So you and everyone you love is not only welcome, but desired and treasured by the Fullness of Love -- God in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This is what counts the most.  It is all that is worthwhile.

This love and peace in Him is the fulfillment He brings and in which you truly dwell. Everything else is just a reflection or an image projected on a thought.

When we completely entrust our selves and our loved ones into His care, we can be free to really receive the joy and peace that is ours.  

Yes!!

The victory is always His and He is the one who fights the battles.  

When we exhaust ourselves trying to fight and hold on -- or trying to make sure the disaster and pain and heartache that we foresee coming to someone we love -- or that we know he or she or they are immersed in . . . we miss the true reality.  The Fullness of Love is in charge each and every moment.  The Lord has as everything in hand and with Him nothing is impossible.

We can't make choices for anyone else.  We can't live their pain or solve their problems. 

We can only do what God allows us to do.  He is able to bring about much greater and much more valuable results in and through us.  All that He does is more helpful and more edifying than anything else we can try to do.

When we sit with Him we come to know that He is in us and we are in Him.  The Lord's love and grace and mercy are always victorious and always the is best in every situation. When we focus on His sovereignty, God in Christ truly reigns  in our hearts. 

We see and know reality.  

The pain and problems are only transitory.  

Love, peace, grace, joy and mercy are eternal and everlasting.

Anniversaries and reminders can trigger grief and heartache, but we can turn them around and use them as triggers that help us praise and open our hearts to receive more love.  

What counts are the decisions we make in each moment.  

Sometimes the effort to go against what seems to be true is overwhelming, but that just SEEMS to be the case.  

For God the troubles, or the doubts, or the problems are never overwhelming.  What flows through, flows past.

In Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are still standing.  

Our reality is NOT that we are helpless, grief-stricken, wounded, down-trodden.  

Our reality is that we are clothed in Christ and always victorious.

We have on the armor of God and no weapon formed against us will prosper.  

No matter what problems or evils or difficulties come our way, love always wins. 

And if that is not how it seems right now, we can just be comforted that we have not yet come to the end of the story.  

The end of the story is ALWAYS a happy ending. 

The conclusion may not be exactly how or when we want it to be,  However, when we accept and receive His gifts, we come to realize that God's way is the best.

He always has good intentions for us.

His gaze is never turned away from us.

Each and every part of our lives is monitored, protected, nurtured.  When we are able to release all that is negative and despairing into His hands, the way becomes clear.

Beyond the clouds the sun is always shining.  That light is the love and life and illumination of Jesus Christ.

Whenever we allow ourselves to say, "It's yours, Lord, not mine.  I trust you and I love you," we open a channel to receive more love, grace, peace, joy and mercy.

It is okay to say, "I can't do any more."  

It is okay to say, "I can't do anything at all."  

The Lord will do more than you can possibly do for each person you love.  Nothing will be lacking.  More blessings, more healing, more gifts and more grace will come to them.  Some may come through you, but the best and most important provision and blessing will be from the Lord of Love and Life and Light.  

The more you trust that is true, the more peace you will realize.  Every time you open your heart and mind even to the possibility of His love, more and more will come to you.

In each difficult situation, please get used to writing down essential elements in two columns.  

One column is -- "What I Can Do With God's Help." 

The second column is -- "What Only God Can Do".  

Then step by step in His time, do what you know is possible under the first column. You have the ability to act with His help, so act.  

But, please don't put your self under any time pressure. 

Don't put your self under any pressure at all.  

Don't judge and condemn your self or anyone else.  

And then consciously release to the Lord all the things in the second column one by one.

Keep making that conscious release activity a spiritual discipline.  

As you release each requirement or problem into His hands, thank the Lord.  Tell Him that you know He is doing everything and that He is able to bring it all about. 

Tell Him that you love and trust Him, even if you feel sure of that.  He will reward each little bit of love and trust in immeasurable ways.

Start with just knowing that you are who you were created to be. 

Know that you are loved.  

Release all worries, fears, cares and problems, doubts and despair into His hands.  

Then keep your hands and heart open to receive what comes back.

Don't focus on any thoughts or fears or doubts of what might come along for anyone you love or for your self. 

Focus only on God's love, joy, peace, mercy and grace. 

Each and every moment you can choose what to believe.

Always believe the love. 

When we are waiting for joy to return or don't think we will ever have it again, we forget that joy is not a state that comes.  

Joy is always within us already.  

Although joy seems to come, in reality it is revealed.

Joy is not somehow manufactured or on its way from a distant place or state of mind. 

Joy is an atmosphere and a component in which we abide because the Lord loves us and He IS that joy, love, mercy and peace.

I know that sometimes you feel numb and like there are huge barriers that can never be overcome.  But they are already overcome because He has overcome them.  

Don't anticipate difficulties and problems.  Don't dwell on them.  

Again, the problems, doubts, fears, injuries, pain and grief are not reality  

They are transitory and fleeting.  

Love abides and remains, always conquers and always carries us through.  

Love is never passive, but always active.

Love is always creating, always refining, always essential.

Keep seeking the Face of the Fullness of Love, Joy, Mercy and Peace. You will see your self reflected in the Lord's loving eyes.  

When you look, you will always see the light and life and joy of His love for you.  Always take it personally.  

Keep resting in Him and trusting Him. He loves you and all the people you love so very much.  

God's love in Christ is always greater than any problem or choice or difficulty.

Don't take to your self what belongs to Him.  

He has it all in hand and He will continue to help you receive all the joy, love, peace, mercy and loving kindness you need every moment of every day. 

I will keep praying for you, assured that the Lord is doing so much more than we can even think to ask.  The light always shines in the darkness and no darkness can ever overshadow the light.