When the time has come...

What great and powerful STUFF is going on around this household these days.
What we thought would take until mid October - the Damsel ready to move out - will be all over by end-of-day on Wednesday. Yes, next Wednesday...5 days from now. OMG!

She'll have a long drive.
We'll have work to do.

This is all very strange.
And yet, I have inklings about the magnitude of what can happen for us if we remain open and present
and very very brave...

Say a prayer or shine a light, please.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And if you haven't done so, check out the Antwatching Blog (link in sidebar). She's doing some Shake-Rattle-and-Roll of her own!

TTFN :)

Did You Know that Fritos come in Honey BBQ Twists, Now?!

And guess who's eatin' 'em at 2:00 AM!

So, I've already broken my promise to myself (and to you) to write here every other day re: the AGO posts...and I'm not going there this morning, either.

I've been totally ignoring the drama going on in the present tense. (I use the word 'tense' advisedly.) I hesitate to write here because I'm basically chicken s#%t about some kinds of things: one of them being hurting people. (Yeah, I've heard we're all in charge of our own pain; but I came by this particular button a long time ago and I've been sticking with it!)

So, what's the point?
We've been sharing our home for the last three+ months with a friend - well, at least she was - we thought...I think...

You know what really happened?
We heard the call to Rescue a Damsel, so naturally, we hopped on our white chargers and headed off to 'take care of it/her'. Can you identify?

We even thought we thought it over. Hah!
Little did we know that Universe was setting us up for some really huge (and, no doubt, timely) lessons in the shape of a big ol' hairy dragon that looked like a friend.

Now, do NOT get me wrong.
This woman is my friend, and if I'm very careful, and as open as possible, I may be able to keep her a friend for a long long time. Or at least for an email buddy. Her castle walls are really thick and the battlements are high...but, hey, anything's possible.

So what am I learning here? Well.

• I don't have a white horse.
• You've heard about The Emperor's New Clothes? Well, that's kinda what my armor looks like.....not even rusty...just not there :(
• We didn't think it through in the light of our own history, and our shared experience.
• We didnt' set parameters. - for any of us.
• I'm vain (VERY) about my peace-keeper/mediator 'role'.
• I failed to listen and really hear my partner.
• I'm STILL judgemental.
• I give away too much sometimes, without considering the consequences. (This is a formerly undetected left-over dragonlette from when I used to 'buy' my friends. Take note: generosity is not always a virtue.)
• I can be a raging Pollyanna without even trying - and no, that is not a contradiction in terms!
• I don't keep promises. (ouch - this one really hurts)
• I am extremely uncomfortable in the middle - One can't/mustn't try to mediate in one's own household.
• I AM a middle.
• I can't rescue Damsels unless I have liberated myself...and unless I've hand-written at least two full pages of 'pros and cons'.
• I still handle stress with food. (hence Fritos at 2:49 AM)

And maybe the biggest

• I don't know if I can trust my impulses re: peacekeeping and love.
• And I think I am hurting three people, not just one.

So where are we now?

The damsel is packing to move. There is anger, and hurt feelings, and guilt, and shame all over the place - and that's just ME.
The others are feeling those things, too, I think - or their own versions of something that looks like those things from the outside - and the tension in the house is high. We all know it's coming to an end. No one wants to pick a fight.

Except the dragon, of course, and at the moment she is winning.

Inhale

Exhale

repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat...

Ruminations - AGO, etc.----SORTA

There is a duality in The Big Picture and The Details, too, don't you think. Both pieces of the same pie. The Big Picture is where God is (whoever that is...) and where everything makes some kind of Cosmic sense. As in Julie Gold's song lyrics:

From a distance We all have enough - And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease -No hungry mouths to feed
From a Distance We are instruments Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They are the songs of every man

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I am just dumbfounded!

I spent quite a bit of time working on this blog...wrote, ruminated, revealed, and risked.....

Then I hit the "publish post" button

and the whole thing disappeared!

Joel and I spent a lot of time trying every trick we could think of to get it back, including Blogger Help, Temp files, 'recover post', prayer... you name it, we tried it.

I will continue tomorrow....but I'll 'wordpad' it first.

If everything is right with the universe though, then there is a lesson here, too.
What, the hell is it!?!?!?

Ruminations on AGO and various aspects of Antwatching - Part 1

For context on this post, see the link to the Antwatching Blog in the sidebar...

As my previous posts have noted, something's up for me. I'm in-process, as 'they' say.
Today, I spent a bunch of time starting back at the beginning of Laura's blog entries on Anticipated Grief Observed and now want to pull some of my impressions together here.

I'm not going thru the process of learning how to deal with the imminent death of someone I love very much. I have never had to do that... yet.
My interest in Death at the moment is the sure knowledge that I will be experiencing it one of these days, and a VERY strong desire (almost a compulsion) to do it consciously and as a part of LIVING. It is all the same process, after all; just one step on the trail...kinda like hiking: a hard climb in places and then you crest a hill where the vista opens up before you and just takes your breath away.

I want that for myself. And I want to "be there" in some conscious way for those I love. I want to do a bit of what Laura is doing - teaching - that death is just a step on the journey....
we can fear it or we can embrace it. The point is in the choice...knowing that we have a choice to make, and then making one.

I don't know yet, how all of this will manifest for me. It feels very Omnicronish, and quite possibly a place I will go in retreat and when I am facilitating retreats. Now that would bring some meaning to my life....
wouldn't it?

And so now we come to some of the things I am learning from Laura and from those who 'comment' and link to her... what teachers :)

The first thing that struck me in this re-reading was this line: "You don't know the whole story" She was talking about other people's stories (mostly) in her post.
What really struck ME today, is that we don't even know our own story, really; at least I don't. Everything I know about my own life is filtered through my own perceptions, my own delusions, or thru the filters of those who told me the tales...
my mom's story about why my dad left; my brother's memory about the Christmas gifts; and on and on.

There are the tales I believe to be true about my stepdad; and then there are the things my sister (his daughter) remembers about him. I'm sure that both are true and neither are true.
SO, I don't even really know my own story.

Can I know it?
Does it matter?
Must my 'reality' match yours?
Can my 'reality' match yours?

I say NO, it can't - it won't - there is no need for them to be similar --- in the details.

I have lots of things I want to say here...but I'm finding that there is no way I can do it all in one posting. I will promise this - to myself:
I'll post to this subject at least every other day starting now.
I'll be as honest as I know how to be (that's VERY honest, actually)
and I won't hide from the scary stuff.

Later, then.
Thanks for 'listening' :)

BreakThru or BreakDown...?

I wonder these days...
Like diamonds, I tend to crystalize under pressure.
(That, in itself, is a nice perspective on what's happening with me. I keep getting these lessons about perspective. Very interesting. In fact, I got a wonderful graphic lesson thru email the other day. I'll post it here just as soon as I can find the source and figure out how.)

I claim to be retired now. Sometimes I claim to be a coach. Sometimes I claim Omnicrone.
Mostly these days, I am coaching myself - with some amazing help from Laura Young and Molly Gordon - and with the magical, serendipitous blessings that pop-up in email or in various blogs that I "just happen" to find.

Something's up with me. You can sense it in some of my posts, and I see/feel it almost constantly in my body and my spirit.
I'm practicing Tai Chi, as you may remember. I find sometimes that I want to cry in the middle of class. The one cool thing during the process is that I am less concerned with hiding the tears. Folks can just do with them what they will.

(I am aware that it's not always safe to be open like that.)

What is really going on is that I am on the path to finding me.
It's scary.
But I am very very good at doing scary things. (not including Freddie Kruger movies)

I am a funny paradox.
On one hand I am a consummate performer, always ready for the spotlight (literally).
On the other hand, I'm most comfortable with invisibility.

What makes this duality work for me is my expertise at role-playing.
It started in college with scripts and costumes and make-up, so that she-who-nearly-flunked-Speech-class for simply refusing to stand up in front of the class can now (then, actually) garner awards for theatrical expertise.

Then I learned I could "put on" a business persona and speak to colleagues at meetings, etc.

So I've been stepping out to slightly greater degrees for quite some time now...even made a speech or two.

---within these various personas---

So who am I?
If I decide to stop being invisible
and I decide to stop wearing costumes
...who will I be? Who am I?

I have a vision about that.
Maybe I'll share it with you one of these days...

Meanwhile, I explore the process of shedding old personas - old costumes - old flaky makeup...

Hooray for me!

I want to talk about dragons this morning, and the related activity - dragon slaying.
(If you're not sure what the heck I'm talking about you'll find intro information here at Laura's blog or here in another entry. In case you don't know, she's my dragon-slaying coach.)

Dragons - sometimes they come in tribal groups. One very large and active tribe is called Expectations. These are the dragons that convince you that

• if I just buy enough tickets I really can win the lottery
• if I get job A then my life will be all rosy
• if she/he loves me I'll get the perfect life and 2.5 children
• if I figure out my "life purpose" I'll finally have value

There are many clans within the Expectations tribe. Some take charge of how you feel about dusty furniture, some are in charge of what the bridge club thinks... (you fill in the blanks).

One clan is known as Exfot, or - Expectations for (and about) Others. These dragons say; "well, you really love her and she knows all your secrets, so of course, she's your very best friend", and other useless stuff like that.

These can be very big and hairy dragons with which to do battle, but they have some interesting and little known characteristics. Because they are a tribe - an interconnected unit - they all feel the pain when you wound one! And when you actually succeed in slaying one, they all start to bleed, the gas jets that send out those long scary flames begin to leak and hiss. Some have even been known to spontaneously combust! It's a wonderful thing to behold!!! :)



If you want context for the rest of today's post, just check back a few days to this entry.
So, anyway...
My friend called very early yesterday morning; "My morning's open, do you want to go hiking?"
Well, yes, of course.
- only now, it's scarier. She doesn't know that yet, of course, but I'm not exactly the same person who was talking to her before. I know I said/thought that I might need to talk about these things with her - but WOW! - it's only been a coup'la days - don't I have to worry over it a little longer, first?

So we go.
It's a trail she's familiar with, but one I've never seen. It's beautiful. A climb...slowly, inexorably uphill. I've just come from a workout, so my quads are feeling it quickly, burning a little, and mirroring in my physical body the struggle going on in my mental and emotional bodies.

Soon, though, we're following a tiny stream. The sound is wonderful, just enough sun and shade to make the temperature perfect.
And there's me - making small talk and figuring whether, and where, and how I might clear the air between us.

So we got to the the turn-around point and sat to rest for a moment and...
I KILLED IT DEAD! Boom!
I took a deep breath, pulled out my trusty sword, and killed this big, ugly, hairy dragon that was hoping I would die because I found out she wasn't really 'my best friend'.

Instead I saw the dragon and knew him for what he was...mostly hot air...an Exfot...
.......................poor baby; his days were numbered from that moment on.

So, even while I was crying, I could laugh. And feel powerful...very Omnicrone-ish.

I do still have a friend. She's wonderful. She knew how to hear this - how to be present for it.
We both understand the 'us' thing better. We will always love each other and be ready to step up if needed. And we can go hiking when it works out... She's a mentor, a model, a life-long connection who will always want exactly the best for me.

We're not best friends.
She never was my best friend.
I don't have a best friend right now.
I'd really like to have one.

So...what are the ramifications of slaying dragons?
In this case, I find that I am stronger, less fearful, more open, more honest about who I am (to myself!), a better model (for anyone looking), closer to Spirit, and more ready to face the next dragon that pops up.

(And I know that the entire tribe of Expectation dragons has suffered a mortal blow. They may not all die quickly, but their fate is sealed. )

Now, this is not entirely over. I still have some grieving to do. The fact that I never really had this 'best friend' does not change the fact that I believed I did and now I don't. I get to grieve this loss. And even though it is the loss of a fantasy, it is indeed a REAL loss.
I don't think it will take me very long, but the day got crazy and the car broke down, and things got in the way of getting some private time. Meanwhile, I don't have to wait for the power... I already discovered that yesterday.

Whew!
Exhale
Relax
Thank you God/Spirit/Laura/Joyce/Joel/John

Transitory Flights

Times of transition - confusion - growing...mostly painful... ...because the 'buttons' I inherited in my childhood are of the 'you're really not worth it' type...

I once met a woman who told me that she got to learn her lessons thru fun, play, and prosperity and such...I didn't really like her much. -and I didn't really believe her, either. My lessons seem to come to me thru pain; most of the people I know (who learn) seem to learn thru pain.

But I've grown and learned since I knew that other woman, and now at least, I'm willing to grant that it may be possible to learn valuable life lessons in the midst of joy and prosperity. I can't personally testify to it. And she wasn't someone I held close, so I can't speak for her, either.

I'm looking for my 'life purpose' whatever that is! Or do we even get one? I don't know. I know that I'm not blissfully happy; I know that I don't 'give back' enough; I know that I don't have a sense of making anything better for the world or for anyone.

I've been spending a lot of time of the blog site of my personal coach, Laura Young. She's come to a place where she is willing to share a deep, thoughtful, and painful process she went thru/is going thru on her way to conscious living, and more importantly, conscious dying. Thru her I am finding others and spending more time on this blog of my own. I like thinking thru my fingers.

I started this post many days ago - before Katrina - before new understandings about friendship - before one or two experiments with setting boundaries...so naturally, my perspective has shifted already.
(Do you find that true, too? Almost daily differences in perspective or outlook?)
Anyway
How could one be the same after Katrina? And I am no where near Louisana! I mean, the magnitude of the physical disaster was horrible, then we have to deal with all the political, racial, and social issues that have come from so many aspects of the..the what? response? mistakes? What do we call all...that!? (If you're not sure what I'm talking about check out a few of the blog services. Be sure to take several deep breaths before starting to read...some of the posts will know your socks off!)

For those like me - far away with no family there, never been to New Orleans - I can, at least, begin to look for the lessons. I can, at least, focus my energy and hold a positive spiritual space. I've sent what money I can - I'm sure you have, too.

What I simply can NOT do is imagine what this devastation must be like for those actually living thru it! And so many of them are children! Or look like my great-grandmother!!!!

So now what? This event is turning out to have far-reaching effects that I would never have thought of on my own. I couldn't buy distilled water today because someone needed it more. I think longer about car trips now...I'm beginning to think more about other ways that my lifestyle affects the town and the planet where I live.

We are unlikely to see any relocated victims here; we're a tiny resort community with very little housing and virtually no jobs. So, what else can I do? Well...for one thing, we are already seeing that the numbers of local people needing help seem to be gorwing a little, and resources for helping them are a little smaller. Remember them, too. Dig just a little deeper for your own local charities; they are going to need you.

******

So - am I nearer to my purpose?
No.
Does it matter?
Only to me.
Are others matters more important?
Hmmmmmm - situational question requiring multiple, situational answers.
Do I EVER really have to know what my purpose is?
Oh, I would SO like to....
but, no, really...I don't HAVE to know.

What I think I HAVE to do it to show up (as Laura says)
To be here now.
To live in the moment while holding hope for the future in my heart.
To be at peace in the midst of turmoil.
To roll with the punches.
To get so good at feeling 'in balance' that I can stand up in the boat and just not worry about falling out.
To accept you where you are - and me where I am - and to know that every moment prepares me for the next.
And to know that walking thru a string of moments, however long or short the string, with my eyes and my mind and my heart OPEN will bring me to that last (earthly) moment with... ...with that same openness - a readiness - for the next moment, the next lesson, the next...

Happy trails to you

comtemplation upon new understanding

I've just come from one of my favorite blogs. Now I need to write about what's been on my mind for a day or two, and how Laura's blog has affected it/me.

This is about a friend and something I just lately discovered. I love her, you see. I think of her (have thought for years) as my 'best friend'. I see now that isn't really true. We don't hold even a similar position on each other's list of priorities. She knows me better than anyone (or almost anyone), but that's because of our particular shared history. We've come thru some 12 Steps and some workshops, and some really intense learning experiences that gave us special knowledge of each other.

Because of that, and because it was so easy, and because I really wanted a best friend; I made a couple of assumptions that have turned out to be untrue. Now, that's not to say she doesn't love me, too. In fact, I think she does. But I'm pretty sure, now, that if someone were to ask her who her best friend is, mine would not be the name that comes to her mind.
-- Now that's just sad --
...or that's sad, just now...

I get it that this new understanding can be ok. There are lots of ways of looking at the two of us that I can see, and see value in. And I think I don't/won't come to love her less...
But I think I do need to love her differently. And I need some time for this just to be sad....... :(

And one of these days when I can, I need to check this all out with her somehow. That part is scary to me; which is really kinda funny, when you think about it. I mean in the light of our history and all...

So, just to be sure you understand: I'm OK with being sad about this. It seems good and appropriate that there be a period of mourning. I used to have a best friend, and now I have a good friend who wants only the best for me.

The Real Me...

no frills

From here, you can only see 1 1/2 chins. Cool!
I'm still playing with the learning curve here at Blogger. But there will be some real meat coming soon. I'm rereading My Ishmael (and the others) and am sure to have comments.

I call this Kate on the Rocks

This was taken up in the White Mountains near home. It's just truly gorgeous here, and I've discovered a new passion for hiking!

Let's try another...

Ok, I got the one in the profile...(one of these days I'll post the one that REALLY looks like me - now).
Let's try one in the blog... Ok?

Some Changes Going On...

Well, now I'm learning how to post pictures. Not working exactly right just yet. Stay tuned, though; I always figure it out sooner of later. :)

"Remember that the Divine rule is that we all need, as the Real One, to have free will. For that to occur, Fear will prepare for each event in our lives a message or explanation based on and fueling fear/separation, and Love will offer another perspective which tries to unify us."

"Only measure a story, message, or a life situation by the following criteria and make it the litmus test of evolution: If the situation brings you closer to Oneness, enter it and choose it. If it brings you closer to fear/separation, fear of lack, and elitism, please do not give it energy for it will grip your reality and manifest further. Remember you are the One, you are the only one granted free will."

The above are excerts from an article appearing here:
http://www.bloginservice.com/cgi-bin/webbbs/webbbs_config.pl/read/2267

The is a long article...read it anyway.
Mr. O'Donnell goes off on a few tangents of detail that I don't follow - but, in general, this is one of the best explanations for the existence and purpose of duality that I have read.

9/11 - Where are we now?

I'm including this link to Michael Moore's latest open letter to George Bush. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=185
I think there is a ton of truth in it. Many of you may have seen it already if you are on his emailing list.

I don't feel safer.
I went to Europe back in the 80's. Most of the trip was wonderful.
There was a little French pension, though, that wasn't wonderful. We were almost booked in, when the proprietor heard me whisper a question to my friend (she who was taught French by an Englishman). Suddenly there was no room.

I was brought up short by the 'Ugly American' syndrome.
I can not imagine what others must think of us now.

I have read blog posts since Katrina that let me know the depth of the international hearts for our people - for the families and individuals - who are affected by this disaster. And I've read the ones (and the news reports) that spoke of the offers of aid that sat waiting. Why was that, do you think? Waiting for what?

I still live in America. I have more opportunities here than most of the people in the rest of the world. I am delighted to live here and not in a country where I would be considered property and not worthy of education, etc. And even when I have to stretch the budget to pay for $3 gas, I still have a LOT more 'stuff' - more than others, more than I really need.

What concerns me is the culture that we have built in America (don't know enough about other places to comment on them). A culture of money and acquisition. The 'haves' are our successes; the 'have-nots' (or the 'have-less') are our failures. We bought into all of this and then went to sleep, or got lazy and stopped paying attention to what was happening to us in our governments at all levels.

So now we have what we have. And it's scary to me. And I bear some responsibility because I didn't fight the soporific of consumerism that put us all to sleep and messed up our values.
In case you haven't noticed, we no longer value honor, truth, charity, happiness, or freedom.
We reward division, greed, manipulation, etc.

I'm sad this morning. It's Sept. 11, 2005 and I think my country, as a nation, has taken some giant steps backwards. What a waste of talent, resources, lives...dreams...
We're left today to remember that disaster and the way our government came together - then we can turn on the TV and see what's happening in the South after Katrina.

Something's wrong, America. Something is really and truly wrong! And it's not about Republican vs Democrat, really. I think it is about a nation asleep while the wolves steal the country and pen up the sheep. And the world watches...

A Message from the Interfaith Alliance

September 9, 2005Fellow Americans, Members of The Interfaith Alliance:
Seldom, if ever, has the interdependence of our lives been more apparent. When one of us hurts, all of us hurt. Our lives are inextricably linked together.
As head of The Interfaith Alliance, the national non-partisan advocacy voice of the interfaith movement, and as pastor of a congregation in Monroe, Louisiana, my recent experiences have prompted me to assess what has happened in the wake of hurricane Katrina, and to rethink what we need to be doing in the days ahead.
My strong hope is that the realization of our interdependence that has emerged from shared problems will prompt a commitment to interdependence focused on help. When one of us is in need, all of us can and should help.
But not even “I’m sorry,” rings with much authenticity in the ears of loved ones grieving the loss of lives that could have been saved. And certainly, someone who is not hurting should not try to tell someone who is hurting how loudly to scream.
In the days ahead, we must commit ourselves to empathy, compassion, charity – and politics. We’ve got to work harder. Conscientious involvement in politics on the part of people of faith and goodwill has never been more important. Americans who are grieving, suffering, and bearing witness will now be acting in the spirit of democracy.
For starters, just as there is no place in our national psyche for racist attitudes, there must be no place on our national agenda for racist actions. A national outcry against racism is not enough; actions are needed now to assure that our institutions of justice, commerce, government, and education are free from racism every day even as our systems of rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation are devoid of racism in the aftermath of a disaster. Americans must recognize the racism, and actively, immediately, work to stop the hate.
Americans will act, and Americans will listen. It is precisely because Americans are hurting so badly that we cannot afford to give a pass to John Roberts’ nomination to the Supreme Court. A “Roberts' Court” may, in the wake of Katrina, be certain to confront grand issues of morality – and immorality -- in the coming decades: the moral responsibility of providing assistance and real homeland security to all Americans; the moral questions posed by the recently exposed (to all) economic duality that is America; and the morality necessary to balancing rebuilding with security.
Now, more than ever, I believe that we cannot confirm any nominee, affirm any policy, or endorse any legislative proposal simply because of a recommendation from the president. Nothing that this president does should escape our careful scrutiny.
Let us pay attention to facts: several months ago President Bush led our nation into war on the basis of false information. In recent days, the president has concluded a tour of the devastation in Louisiana praising the man whom he named as the executive officer of FEMA for doing “a heck of a job” facilitating recovery efforts that simply were non-existent early and inadequate late. Acknowledging grave difficulties related to the timing and quality of rescue and recovery efforts after Katrina, President Bush has blamed the Washington bureaucracy for failures in the timely delivery of services, though he is the chief executive officer, of that bureaucracy.
All of us—especially members of the United States Senate at the present moment—have a moral and patriotic responsibility to ask the hardest questions possible about the president’s nominees. We must examine with equal care his legislative proposals. We simply cannot afford listlessly to open the door to decades of retrenchment in support for and defense of the basic rights and freedoms that have guided our pursuit of a nation led by a government of the people, by the people, and for all the people. Fellow Americans, as we continue to do all that we can to help the poorest and weakest among us as well as to assist all devastated by this deadly storm and its aftermath, we are more aware than ever that real help resides not in the rhetoric of religion or the claims that we make about the importance of moral values but in the actual substance of our actions. Our theology holds us responsible, our faith allows us to listen, and our shared democracy demands that we act.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. C. Welton GaddyPresident, The Interfaith Alliance


Washington Post: Online Resources and How to Help

www.interfaithalliance.org

Identity Theft Protection

My choice for the best protection available is PrePaid Legal's Identity Theft Policy. See a local representative or contact Karen or Peter at startrust@valornet.com@valornet.com.

The article that generated this comment is found at my coach's blog: http://antwatching.blogspot.com/2005/09/has-your-identity-been-stolen-make.html

I'll post my comments to her article here:
Great posting and (unfortunately) so needed these days. Identity Theft insurance is now available also. My home insurance provider has an option for that. Many credit card companies do also, but often only cover their own card.
In considering identity-theft insurance, look for the paragraph that tells you who has to do the work of contacting all the banks and credit agencies. Many policies will insure you against financial loss and provide a list of contact information, but still leave YOU to do all the work. If you are going to be paying a fee, at least get the most bang-for-the-buck that you can.
And re: shredding - Absolutely YES, but spend the extra for a cross-cut version. It's way too easy for an industrious crook to tape together a straight-cut document (as I learned by experience).

Be safe :)

So you want to help?

If you don't know where to go or what to do to help the victims of Katrina, start with these.
Please don't forget your own local food banks and charitable opportunities.

America's Second Harvest - 800-344-8070 - http://www.secondharvest.org/default.asp
Oprah's Angel Network - https://www.oprah.com/uyl/angel/donate/uyl_angel_donate.jhtml NOTE: Read the note about Katrina relief before making your decision.
American Red Cross: - 800-435-7669 - http://www.redcross.org/
Habitat for Humanity: - 800-422-4828 - http://www.habitat.org/
Missing People - 800-THE LOST - (800-843-5678) - http://www.missingkids.com/
Rescuing Pets - The National Humane Society - https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005? OR
Best Friends - Another pet site - http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&mode=cat&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-9001EF6EC01318A4 click on the white cross with paw (upper right corner) to donate

Get Creative:
That's what Katrina Blackenship, the owner of katrina.com, did. She posted a ton of resources here.
Although she owns that domain name and uses it to promote her web design business, she quickly responded to the hurricane situation by temporarily converting it to a one-stop site listing resources for victims and those who want to help. In just a few days her site got more than 350,000 hits. What makes you unique? Can you take advantage of those talents or abilities and find a way to help? You don't have to feel helpless. Connect with others and give what you can--money, love, support.

First, last, and always, help IN YOUR HEART through prayer, meditation, imaging...whatever spiritual practice works for you will add immensely to the efforts being made. And as a last reminder today, don't forget yourselves, your family, and those you know near home. If my friends and neighbors are any barometer, there is NO ONE unaffected by this disaster and the plight of these people. I think it is important to remain positive and hopeful while doing what we can to bring the vision of resolution to life.

Perspectives on the Katrina Disaster

Here are some interesting comments, blogs, etc. about Katrina and our responses to it. I’ve been doing some blog reading lately – I’m surprised, sometimes shocked, saddened, and sometimes angered…it’s just hard to know what’s up with the world these days. We are so quick to judge each other, and our hostilities are so near the surface…

I do not believe that Katrina is God’s punishment of a wicked city. There are NO cities, towns or hamlets free of wickedness.

I have wondered if, perhaps, the planet herself is not simply tired of us all and is beginning to shrug us off, the way we might flick an ant off a summer picnic table. I do believe that every one of us will be (already are) affected by what is going on. And I know that we have much to learn. Are you up to the challenge of turning tragedy and despair into lessons learned, and more love for your earthly family?

http://antwatching.blogspot.com/2005/09/lessons-from-katrina-maybe-you-and-i.html A great posting by Laura Young.

Joel's comments - I’ve posted some excellent comments by Joel at this blog.

http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/index.html 2004 article - Prophecy?…you bet. Though it’s been coming (and people have known it) for much longer than 10 months.


A certain kind of detachment seems to be required. We must, certainly, do all that we can to help our own fellow citizens recover. If you can't give for the sake of poor, homeless Americans, then give for the sake of your own soul. Opening your heart is a good thing.

We must see ourselves in the victims' shoes and work hard to understand the fears and frustrations they must be feeling. We must come to understand that...'there but for grace...'. We must be willing to acknowledge in our hearts that we, too, would be stealing to feed a sick child or put shoes on our own bare feet. ...a TV...I can't say I wouldn't take it...could I trade it later? I'm in shock...maybe it's better to have something, anything, than to be standing waist deep in sea water and sewage in what used to be my front yard.
I don't think we have to be wearing rose-colored glasses to decide to make the best assumptions about the behaviors of people hit in this disaster. And ok, some of them may be "just criminals". So what? They are still human, still homeless, many dying, all of them scared and angry. So would I be. Wouldn't you be, too? Perhaps there is a 'bigger picture' here.

So detach a little from the politics, from the panic, from the (real) concern over rising prices. Count the blessings you can see, and GET IT that it was only a matter of geography that it isn't your family there. Send money if you can; send prayers or white light or light candles. Don't forget the poor in your own home town, because there are about to be more of you.

Look around you. What disaster could carry away all that you have, and all your dreams as well. In my town, the threat is forest fire; in the plains it's tornados; in the west earthquakes; near rivers flooding...we are, none of us, provided any guarantees. Our job is to keep peace in our hearts and to see our neighbors - our plantary neighbors - as sisters and brothers, all members in the human family and all equally subject to the same hopes and dreams, the same fears and nightmares.

This struck me as timely. It was sent to me recently by a good friend.

" To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns,
To surrender to too many demands,
To commit oneself to too many projects,
To want to help everyone and everything,
Is to succumb to the violence of our times."
---Thomas Merton

So much is happening to our world today. Iraq, Katrina, are just the two biggest in front of us right now.
Some of us (if we're really paying attention) are going to learn from these experiences. Here are words from the latest lesson of my partner and dear best friend, Joel Carothers.

To Editor
Ruidoso News


It is amazing to me that I have been on the planet for nearly 65 years and only last Wednesday did I really learn what “Love Thy Neighbor” has come to mean in these United States.

A friend in Dallas invited an older neighbor/acquaintance for coffee last week. The conversation centered on the Katrina aftermath in New Orleans. The neighbor confided that she “deeply believes” that the disaster was right and good. My friend was taken aback and asked for clarification.

The neighbor lady said, “I am a good Christian woman and as far as I am concerned the devil lives in New Orleans. It is sin city and we don’t need it anyway.”

Like my friend, that thinking appalled me. As a few more days have passed I have become deeply saddened by the sentiment in the neighbor’s statement. I’ve heard similar sentiment expressed on talk radio, by people who hide behind their own morality to pass judgment on others.

Love Thy Neighbor has been edited. It has come to mean, “Judge Thy Neighbor”. The neighbor lady is clearly fearful of anyone who doesn’t think, live, or practice her way of living, and by inference, her religious beliefs as well.

Judging thy neighbor has become the most ravenous, deadly social disease there is. It eats at the very fiber of our existence. It is more life threatening than the bite of the most venomous creatures on land or in the sea; more deadly than flesh-eating bacteria; a killer of more souls than AIDS; more destructive than any terrorist attack, real or imagined; more serious than any drug problem or alcoholism in any family.

Judging thy neighbor gives permission to hate, without reservation. It is a horrible horrible thing and it is being taught on TV, on radio, in the papers and magazines, in the schools and in the churches. And the fear of being judged has made us a nation of weak, fearful people.

I have been no different. I judge my neighbors but I am going to change that. I am committed to becoming more tolerant, more patient, more understanding, more loving and less fearful. If I do not judge, by example I will not be judged.