"Out of the mouth of Babes" or "The Small Child"

Many years ago there lived an emperor (empress, you or I) who loved beautiful new clothes so much (approval of the world) that he/she spent all his/her money (time) on being finely dressed (following "modern" trends such as in speech or behaviors). His/her only interest was in going to the theater or in riding about in his carriage (showing: hey, I'm hip, I am with you and "modern times") where he could show off his new clothes (having no shame or second thoughts about his/her behavior). He/she had a different costume (behavior) for every hour of the day. Indeed, where it was said of other kings that they were at court, it could only be said of him that he was in his dressing room (His/her behavior is still hidden from the world. He/she is now living life of: use of inappropriate speech, immoral dress standards, drug use, immoral physical activities, promiscuity, illegal activities)!

One day two swindlers (people out of his/her own peer group) came to the emperor's city. They said that they were weavers, claiming that they knew how to make the finest cloth imaginable (telling him/her: hey, what you are doing is not all that bad, let's get out of the closet and be more open about what you are doing in secret, the world is now accepting what you are doing). Not only were the colors and the patterns extraordinarily beautiful, but in addition, this material had the amazing property that it was to be invisible to anyone who was incompetent or stupid (evil became known as good and good became known as evil).

We all know the rest of the story. He/she became more and more blatant in the behavior and as time went on it became obvious to all to what extent he/she had deviated from the normal.

Ode to a great woman

Today, of all days, my thoughts go back many years. It was on a beautiful, fall, Sunday morning, with church bells ringing throughout the land, that I saw, for the first time, the light of day and took my first breath of air. All this as a result of a couragious woman who decided, in a very difficult and embarrasing situation, with no family or financial support, and in a little attic bed room, to give birth to a child, instead of to abort. Because of her couragious and faithful act, I am he who I am, and you, my five children, sixteen grand-children and (by latest count) seven and a half great-grand-children, are who and where you are today, because of her. All of us came forth, and are today, of this queenly woman we know as Wilhelmina. Even at her birth, all of us were already present in her procreative parts of her body and destined to come forth out of her at some future time.

She was very futuristic in her thinking and must have seen much of the problems ahead of her days. Let me just paraphrase some of her ideas. In her own life and marriage, she saw the beginning of a consumer culture of marriage were commitments would last as long as the other person would be meeting their needs. All her life she believed in commitments, because she knew that committed relationships are good for us, but that powerful voices coming from the inside and outside would tell her that she would be sucker if she settled for less than she thought she needed and deserve in her marriage. She believed in marriage and gave it all she could give to stay in it.

She said that if we would be serious about renewing fatherhood and motherhood, we must be serious about renewing marriage. She lived the way she talked when she said, from her own experience, that healthy marriages would not always be possible, but that we must remember, they are incredibly important for children. Many of her choices in her marriage had to do with that philosophy. A father to her was a husband to whom she was married to and not a visiting friend. Having had a father in our home made our home a place where I learned the value of having a father and a mother.

Today I am thinking of her and I know that she is thinking of me, too, today, this crispy but sunny and mild fall weather day.

Life has a second verse.

Life has a second verse; and it is good to sing the chorus a little more intense.

Remember, we don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Just pondering

Today, again, is a wonderful day. It's a good day to let your mind wander and wonder and let your mind and fingers do the walking over the keyboard.

It's color I want, not black and white;
Color in my thinking,
Color in my soul,
Color in my feelings,
Color in my relationships,
A colorful life.

Sunshine works delicious wonders
Rain refreshes
Wind gives you a jolt
Snow cheers you up
There is no bad weather,
only different kinds of good weather.

The Best Medicine
Everyday I swallow pills and count drops;
Medicine is a sure support to healing.
But the best medicine you don't get in the pharmacy,
The best medicine is the joy for life, together,
with deep gratitude, courage, confidence, faith and love.
The best medicine are the people, who I am attached to.

Vertrauen: Ein Seelen-Geschenk und Fundament unserer Gesellschaft

Gutten Morgen und hier ein Antwort auf deine Frage von gestern, in deine eigene Sprache.

An viele Stellen spuere ich in diesen Tagen, wie zerbrechlich das Fundament ist, auf dem unsere Zivilisation ruht: das Vertrauen. Aschwer ist es aufzubauen und schnell zu zerstoeren. Luegen, Skandale, Betruegereien, Verrate, Affaeren, Korruption fordern ihre Opfer und missbrauchen deren Vertrauen schaendlich. Dabei gehoert "Vertrauen" zu dem tragfaehigsten Gut unserer Gesellschaft.

Ohne Vertrauen koennen wir gar nicht leben: Wir vertrauen darauf, dass unser Herz den naechsten Schlag tut, dass die Sonne immer wieder aufgeht und wir den Tag, den wir beginnen, auch bewaeltigen werden.

"Vertrauen" ist gut, Misstrauen schaedlich" hat der bekannte Psychoanalytiker Horst-Eberhard Richter gesagt und an vielen Stellen beschrieben, dass Vertrauen bereits in unserer Kindheit entsteht und damit zusammenhaengt, welche Einstellung man schon als kleines Kind zur Welt gewinnt. Waechst ein Kind in eine Welt hinein, auf die es sich verlassen kann oder muss es aufpassen, dass es nicht zu kurz kommt, bereit sein, sich zu wehren und zu misstrauen? Vertrauen ist ein Seelen-Geschenk.

Menschen, die nicht mehr vertauen koennen , verschliessen das Fenster ihre Seele. Wer nichts und niemandem mehr vertrauen will, begibt sich in eine geistige Gefangenschaft. Vertrauen ist das tragfaehigste und eben auch zerbrechlichste Fundament, auf dem wir Menschen immer wieder neue Gemeinschaften bauen.

Und obwohl fast jede Biografie von mindestens einem Vertrauensbruch berichten kann, bleibt am Ende die Erkenntnis: Menschen, die vertrauen koennen, sind gluecklicher und selbstsicherer als andere, die stets muehsam ihr Misstrauen ueberwinden muessen. Vertrauen kann immer wieder gebrochen werden - aber es ist auch immer wieder neu erlernbar.

You have a wonderful day - I have!

The Longest Journey is the Journey Within.

Many people come to the realization and the idea, some earlier and some later in life, to "find themselves" and looking towards "self actualization." They are not being able to put a finger on it but feel that within them self something is missing. They sense a lack of essence and an emptiness they cannot define. They, not having reached their potential, and yet, not being able to identify with any potential within themselves are now looking for answers on an, for them, unmapped road.
From where came these thoughts: "Is this all there is to it?" "There must be something else to it!" "It can not go on like this!"
This inner voice, this mood, this attitude of discontent and dissatisfaction will not be silenced or sent away by simply moving to an other locality or by new won wealth or fame.
Is the discontent or despondence with oneself, many times, not a sign that points to the question: "Who am I?"
The longest journey is the journey within.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Not only is this the first day of the rest of my life, it is the first blog posting I've ever attempted. I congratulate all of you who are such experts in such a short time and got me hooked on it too. I still like to hold on to email as a major form of contact with friends and family. I don't see myself doing a lot of "blogging" because of lack of the time it takes to keep up with it. But I'll do my best. Maybe I can transfer some of my biography on the blog. Does anyone know if previous written material in Word can be transferred in this program? I see that it is possible to transfer pictures, so why not written material.

Who am I? I am basically a happy individual and seeing the positive and the good in all situations and individuals. I said in my profile that I am, who I am, meaning I don't blame anyone or any situation in my life as having "made me." I see some influence from without but in the end it is I who decide to be who I am. The free agency of man is much misunderstood. In the end as dust returns to dust to earth, it is a collection of our own doings, be it physical or spiritual. What the mind of man can conceive it can achieve. We are our own creators and arrive so at our final destination.