Jan 29, 2012

Valuable quotes for love, land and humans

I’m for a humane world. A world that values humanity. I’m for a world where we meet our emotional needs not through the consumption of material goods, but through human relationships. A world where we measure our progress not through how much stuff we produce, but through our quality of life—whether or not we’re actually promoting a higher quality of life for human beings. I don’t think we have that in any shape or form now. I mean, we have a world where, in order to place a value on human beings, we monetize it—and say that the value of a human life is $3 million if you’re an American, $100,000 if you’re an Indian, or something like that. And I’m for a world where we would say that money has value because it can make human lives better, rather than saying that money is the thing with value. -Tim DeChristopher

You know, with Breyten Breytenbach, going back to that comment, “You Americans have mastered the art of living with the unacceptable,” my next question to him was, “So what do we do?” And he said, “Support people on the margins.” Because it’s from the margins that the center is moved. -Terry Tempest Williams

What is real to me is the power of our awareness when we are focused on something beyond ourselves. It is a shaft of light shining in a dark corner. Our ability to shift our perceptions and seek creative alternatives to the conundrums of modernity is in direct proportion to our empathy. Can we imagine, witness, and ultimately feel the suffering of another.” ― Terry Tempest Williams
“I wonder how it is we have come to this place in our society where art and nature are spoke in terms of what is optional, the pastime and concern of the elite?” ― Terry Tempest Williams, Leap

Compassion

We all live with our sorrows and pains.

We all need compassion to continue and realize that actions from fellow humans is not always aimed at us as much as their own pain that lives inside them.

I am slowly learning that not everyone can show or feel compassion or even give love as we would want them to. It is not always about me or you... as a child I would often think inside "why do people treat each other in such strange cold ways?" "why are people invisible sometimes or confused about emotional issues?" "where is the love?" "what does it take to bring out compassion and lift the veil of human indifference?"

I am here for reasons... sometimes reasons undefined...

I am here for others ...yet how do I revive myself...

Breathe into life know it will all work out as needed

That damn guilty catholic backpack.... guilty no more...

We try the best we can..

We are here for people who can connect to us.... not everyone

Jan 26, 2012

remembrance



I remember being a child...with wonder



I remember my feet connecting with the land as each foot pushed into the sweet earth



I remember the smells, the sights, and the sounds that filled my senses



Colors and sensations were on high alert as I breathed the air around me



I still see the Big Sandy river flowing by filled with crawdads, turtles, and catfish



I smell the muddy water with musky aroma... the cow pies that sprinkled its banks...



New hay being put up in the adjacent fields



I rediscovered being a child after everything went henshit in my life...



We have choices when this happens, we can crawl into a hole, we can blame others around us... or we can simply scream, cry and get it out.. release then breathe again



I began to wander the land again... first just wandering to great spiritual trees that survived on our road, then to long hikes up mountains that surrounded us.






Finally I ended up in land that had called me as a child. We came up to Lincoln every fall so that our men could hunt, fish, survey the land. As we passed through the Wolf Creek area, the Dearborn area... I looked out on the lonely snarled trees that bent and grew from the jagged rocks underneath their branches and I marveled at the hillsides that gave birth to such majestic creatures....






Little did I know that I would date a kind and gentle man who remains a good friend and who would allow me to lay my feet upon this lonely land..



healing became complete with golden hues and my puppy beside me. The bubbling creek that flowed through the land held marvelous sandstone and green moss that was so vibrant it shook me to my very soul. I laid in the richness for hours.... and I have never quite been the same.



A longing began in my heart for lands unknown, for creations from the great creator... for meaning....

Jan 20, 2012

Animal friends

Interestingly enough I was thinking about a childhood memory last night. Strange how things hit us between the eyes as we ponder life and its goofy ways. I have been drawn deep into animal spirits since I can remember. I grew up with them surrounding me, deep sensitive eyes that seemed to know far more than their human comrades. Innocence at every turn. My horse Cinnamon filled a deep longing in me for freedom from the ties that emotions set upon me. This beautiful earth rised up to meet me when I flowed along on her back content with the wind whipping beneath us, the sun spilling forth on our flanks, and the drumming of her hooves as they met the earth in dizzy rhythms. Dogs of every make and color, cats licking us with their gentle sandpaper tongues, birth happening all around on the farm. How fortuanate were we...

Jan 18, 2012

Ready to see new vision and new horizons



Well here we are ready for new visions and horizons! For the first time I'm packing up camping, clothes, good food, and a puppy to join a wonderful man in a pursuit to see new land masses! Time to refresh our minds, our bodies and our visions. It's exhilirating and yet sometimes a wee intimidating when I think about leaving my children and grandchildren for a month and a half to two months...



I know it will bring about wonderful changes in all of us but my life centers around my family (and so does Trace) so this is a whole new step in our life together. Possibilities are endless in the search for new growth and education. I think it would be marvelous to find an art center or coffee shop in the area we are traveling to and work a couple days a week! What a great way to get to know about an area and make some cash along the way. Being creative is a spark that keeps me alive and vibrant. Why not share information with other cultures about our piece of heaven in Montana!



I want my family to have this link for Trace and I will be checking in through blogging and photos every week with all of you!! Can't wait to share our journey. Love to all

Jan 7, 2012

Exhaustion

Yes I feel exhausted, exhausted but not so much for myself but for my loved ones, my friends my fellow human beings who deal with such diseases as cancer and other life threatening illnesses.. Yes I know one must plug forth, keep the light shining as we try to understand or perhaps not even understand but accept that life hands many obstacles in our life paths. We are blessed with certain souls on this earth who enter for a very short time period. Would the world be a far cry different if these souls had not been in our life... I think so. I find allowing myself to feel, cry, rant, rave, breath, peer into the very back of my head.. believe it or not... helps.

I have no answers just great love for my fellow people.

The other illness that has surrounded me all of my life is suicide... so many in my lifetime..fellow family members, friends, students, .. the list goes on and on. People enter my life who have dealt with this same illness.. yes we are all drawn together. We need each other, we need to all be touched, hugged, loved and quietly listened to.

Pain is a given in life, it is the treasured moments of happiness, laughter, love that need to be treasured and gobbled up like sugary candy. For pain and sadness follow us in many aspects We need not make more pain and sadness with worry about the future or concern over small items for there is pain enough to go around for all souls. Let us smile and spread some softness where needed..

Heed my own words.. this is why I write...