Love Love Love

           HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

 WITH ALL MYTO YOU!!

                     

                       Dear JLand                          Cathy

An Experience Of The Unknown

                  This might interest you.  It is an analogy and you may've heard it before.  My brother Chris related it to me several times in my life.   
An elephant stood in a clearing on the African plain.
Six blind men surrounded the elephant.  Each man touched a different part of the beast.  One touched the ear, another a foot, another the tail, a tusk, the body, etc.  But none could see a thing.
They were then asked to describe the animal they had just experienced. 
"This animal is flat and smooth, very thin," said the man who touched the ear.
"No, it's tiny and wiry, hairy," said the man who touched the tail.
"It's actually very tall and round, with deeply wrinkled rouch skin," said the man who touched the body.
The blind man who touched the trunk said, "You're all wrong, it's long and serpentine, winding, with a small mouth at the end."
"It has large, sharp spikes on it," said the man who touched a tusk.
The man who touched the foot and nails said, "No, this is a small animal close to the ground, with armour plating."
Each had touched the same animal.  Each had come away with a difference experience of it.  It reminds me of how each of us experiences a God, by whatever name.
If you relate to a God who is waiting to judge you, keeps a place of incredible beauty and peace, another of eternal pain, fire and damnation, your experience of God is as a judgmental deity of vengeance, which has no "gray" areas and in fact sounds very human.  "Right and wrong" and nothing in between.  A no-nonsense God.     
If you relate to a God who is loving and forgiving, like a parent for a small child, you'll experience God like that - as a child to its parent - always accepted, always forgiven, always cared for and loved. 
If you relate to a God who has anthropomorphic habits ascribed to it by humans, you'll experience a God of gender (He) of feelings (happy, sad) of age (about 70-ish) of confusion (why do my children forsake me) and other human qualities.  Sometimes, this is an easier way to visualize it and express love, gratitude and worship. 
If you relate to a God beyond all things human, better and finer, out of all realms we understand, you'll experience a mysterious deity of great power that we humans can never grasp but nonetheless can use a blinded faith to bring comfort and primal joy - whether true or not.  What's the difference if it makes one lead a better life?   
If indeed, you cannot relate to any power or presence of spirit or mystery beyond what you see, hear, feel, touch, taste, i.e., all things human, then you most likely will worship only things of this world - as is so visible in our society - with no thought to what may exist in another dimension, except perhaps extra-terrestrial beings.  A life with ones' self at the heart seems shallow, but is certainly a life and deserves respect.  We make our choices, we live out the consequences. 
Yet surely whatever God is, everyone's conception of it is right.  The elephant was always the same animal.  Someone's Allah and someone's Yahweh are to me, the same.  It matters not that we humans concoct so many religions, organizations, titles and rituals by which to show  worship and praise, our needs and petitions.  All that should matter I believe, is that humanity lives with respect for the choices others make regarding a God of any name or disposition, which may represent the home our souls yearn to return to ~ or may be an invention of man. 
Some believe sadness is only the soul feeling homesick for its maker, its true home.  We cannot comprehend it.
When people say they "know" God, understand it, I can only think it's simply their experience of that elephant, the part of God they are in touch with, the part they relate to.     
What part of any God do you "touch" ?  

Angry Red Moon In Earth's Shadow

You're looking at our magical Luna, in full rusty colors, as she is shadowed by the earth, who's edge is seen in white.  This is how ancient Greeks were able to determine the size of the earth, much larger than the moon.  And it's time for this event to happen again, the Full Moon being eclipsed by the Earth's shadow on February 20-21st.  Everyone will see this no matter where on earth you are.

For the Americas, we'll see the shadow of the earth totally swallow the full moon on Wednesday the 20th from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm, EST.  For Europe, it'll happen in the early hours of Thursday, the 21st.  During this hour as the moon passes through it's stages, the sight will be incredible.

There are five stages Luna will go through, the first being called the penumbra.  When Luna crosses the inner part of earth's shadow, it's called the umbra, and this is when no direct sunlight will hit the surface of the moon.  Few sights are more eerie or impressive than watching this deep shadow creeping along, minute by minute, across the bright surface of the moon. 

Total lunar eclipse begins when the very last bit of the moon slips into umbra, and will last about 52 minutes, sometimes longer.  This is called totality.  We'll all see it. 

As Luna continues in her orbit in an eastward direction, the stages will unwind in reverse order and the leading edge will emerge into the sunlight.  At this stage, totality is ended and the eclipse is once again partial, just as it started.

As the final duskiness gradually fades, for the next 40 minutes or so, you'll see a very bright, white Luna shining in the sky as if nothing at all had happened.  It's a truly magical sight. 

The umbra is the part of earth's shadow where the sun is completely blocked.  So why does Luna glow in that eerie reddish-orange light, instead of blacked out?  A wondrous answer:

The red glow on the moon is coming from all the sunrises and sunsets occuring around the earth at the same time.

If you happen to be standing on the moon during this event, it would be more obvious to you what is happening.  You'd see the Sun covered by a dark earth, which is ringed by a bright band of the colors of sunrises and sunsets.  Just fastastic.

You might want to watch for other colors, especially if you have binocs or a scope.  Time-lapse photography has caught many "flying shadows" in purple and blue-green shades crossing the face of the moon during totality.  This oddity is caused by features of the earth as our atmosphere bends and scatters sunlight, as the sun itself changes position behind the earth. 

We're really fortunate this time, it should be one amazing sight as all features fall into place.  Look close and you'll see a very bright Saturn in the picture.  All in all, you cannot miss it. 

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Basics courtesy of Gryphon, S&T, star charts. 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Love And Other Ironies

Two people fall in love and have a child.  They fall out of love and both want the little girl, who just wants a Mom and Dad.

The woman decides to get rid of the man, and has him killed.

Now she has no Daddy.

The woman is caught and goes straight to jail.

Now she has no Mommy.

The little girl is now a ward of the State of New York and I can't imagine what she's thinking each night as she tries to fall asleep in some strange home, strange bed, strangers all around.  And all for what?  

Did they just love their child too much?

Not a chance.  It was vengence.  It was a tragic waste.   

 

CAPTURE!!

The calendar has been screaming "WINTER" for months but the planet thinks otherwise.  Nonetheless, it's that time when cold weather makes little creatures seek warmth, and in this complex where I live, that means mice.  For some, you already know how wonderful my habitat is Why Would I Move? and if not, you can read about it.  This complex takes up a huge city block and is more secure than the bank account I wish I had.

I've seen the commercials for weeks now, trying to frighten me into buying those spring-traps in case, heaven forbid, a furry little long-tailed creature wants to sleep under my frig.  In the 8 years I've lived here, the only time I saw any other forms of life were when I moved in (an ant) and a few years ago (a mouse who saw me and immediately climbed back into the walls, ne'er to be seen again).  But I must be pragmatic so Saturday I called the maintenance people and asked about mouse-traps.  Within an hour, a duly-uniformed man appeared at my door pushing his cart full of any-and-everything necessary to live as a human being.  Like light-bulbs.

In very broken Spanish I told him what I needed, though he knew already, but I was trying to convey my concern about those spring-loaded torture devices.  I needn't have - he proudly displayed the very humane "sticky pads" used for some time now to safey catch a mousie then release it in the neighbor's yard.  I was delighted, and said I'd take five - cinco - he looked at me strangely but I assured him it was only my greed, not a hoard of mice, that made me ask for so many. 

It was Saturday and fast becoming night - I wanted to watch my cop shows, so after a hurried "muchas gratias" I stored three and unpeeled the safety-paper from two, which I then strategically placed in my kitchen where I thought the attack would come from.  Following instructions, I never touched the sticky side of the pad which, to me, looked harmless enough.  Feeling like a member of Greenpeace, I decided I'd done my part and after a shower, got comfy with the TV.  As usual, American's Most Wanted showed me faces which I imprinted on my memory - in this largest of New Jersey's cities, I'd already seen one "TV star" of that show only blocks from here.  During a commercial for football, I fell asleep.

It was around 3 a.m. when my mind started making logical pictures again, and I knew I was awake.  But very thirsty.  With my toasty knitted socks on, I padded into the kitchen with half-closed eyes, thinking about cool waterfalls.  After getting a tumbler full of water I padded back to the bed and started climbing in.  As I tucked my feet into the still-warm sheets, I cried out in a kind of weird "WHA...?" because there was a big sheet of cardboard stuck to my foot.  And I do mean STUCK.  Fast slipping out of bed I pulled my foot out of the sock then tried to tear that sock off the sticky stuff.  No way.  Wouldn't budge, wouldn't move, it was as planted as if nailed there.  As I struggled, my fingers kept getting stuck on the darn thing too.  Then as I changed position, my other foot hit the paper and WHAM I'm stuck again.  Letting go an old Italian oath, I pulled my other foot from the sock and stared down at these two lovely hand-knitted argyle socks stuck like two giant green aliens on a piece of sticky-something.  Now I'm getting mad.  At my idiocy.  And somehow, at that maintenance guy, the poor soul.  He should've told me these things could trap humans, too.  And their socks.

Nothing worked.  Not even my largest, sharpest knife could pry those socks away.  Now I'm thinking more logically:  Yeesh these are the special socks Mern knitted for me for Christmas, damn it.  ( Remember Mern of  Thelma and Louise  fame? )  I didn't want to lose these thick silly looking things, I really used them alot and expert knitter she be, Mern did make them just for me.   So I put the whole lot under the sink and ran hot water over them.  I have NO idea why.  It only made everything worse.  What to do, what to do .....

There is no ending to this tale, the sticky pad which caught my socks is sitting in the hallway under my old walker, where I (hopefully) can't trap anything else as dangerous as clothing.  It's now Monday afternoon, and I think I hear tiny laughter from the kitchen walls....... 

 

   

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Comment On Comments

This is an incredible place - because of you. 

People make the difference, their opinions and drives, their caring remarks - as in the previous post.  I don't know why I should be surprised, but when first reading how you responded to my simple fasting, it occurred that this Land of J has some remarkable souls in it.  Then I slapped my forehead when the light came on:  EVERYONE is special.  EVERYONE deserves to be validated in some way.  And that includes, perhaps more especially, the ones who decry my little habit of praying.

I want to thank you for understanding, for not making what I do into something more than it is, and in keeping with the reason I posted it, I thank you for reinforcing my belief that what I do is perfectly fine. 

Drinking Water, Eating Crow

          

Right now, I'm fasting.  Once a month, every month, at the start of that month, for about 30 hours I eat nothing and drink only water.  For some reason it hurts, but I don't care.  I do this on behalf of something more important - an act of empathy.  Let me explain.

Remember when you had that operation, how frightened you were?  The prayers you asked for?  Remember when your dog died, how sad you felt?  And your cat, when he was so sick.  What about your Mom, who you miss so much, and your Father who you haven't spoken to in so long.  That brother who died so young, who you can't stop grieving for.  Let's not forget the pain you live with every day of your life.  At some point, almost all of you have asked in your own way for prayers, for rememberances, for empathy.  When I tap out my comments on your pages about something close to your heart, I make a commitment and I do this most seriously because I keep each commitment I make.

I'm looking at two pages, both sides filled with names of people, things, animals, intentions.  To read any would do a disservice to those who have wants and needs but don't know how to ask, so I'll say only that if you've ever made a plea for something or someone, your name is here.  Some of these names represent lives who've died to this world.  They don't need my prayers anymore, I need theirs.  But I keep the names.

Why am I disclosing something I've kept so private...Up to now, this post would never have been made, but something's gone so terribly wrong and I don't understand it.  I've been confronted with anger, confusion and fierce opposition to what I do each month.  So of course, I come here to present my position.  Certain members of my family and several friends somehow found out I do this, and the more vocal of them are furious. 

"Are you an idiot??  You're damaging your health for people you don't know!"

"These aren't real people, Cathy, they're virtual.  You don't even know if they exist."

"Without food for that long you can't walk.  Keep this up and someone will have to step in." 

"No one really cares - why should you?!"

When a person galvanizes themselves, their body, mind, spirit, on behalf of another life, to me it makes that person so much more than ever they were.  I'm grateful and privileged to be able to use this ability in the name of someone other than myself. 

Yet I love my family and friends, they're all hard-won and precious.  Incredibly, I've heard myself agreeing with some, eating crow to preserve the peace - and I'm ashamed of that.  Though I'm set on continuing this tradition, it's important to me that my acts don't affect them in a negative way.  This seems to be one of those acts.  I note that some don't seem to understand the real value of people, even themselves, and look upon what I do as self-destrutive - one insists I have a mental defect.  Is it a character flaw to care about people?   

Whatever God represents to others, I see that as private and inviting no preachful sounds from anyone.  God to me is not so much loving as LOVE ITSELF and no power can match it.  So I look to that Supreme Love on behalf of you, your needs, your fears and hopes, your family, your life.  I've been invited into your lives, I'd be monstrously selfish to decline such an offer.  To me, every person who takes the time to venture into this experiment of public journalling makes a statement, and it's one of trust.  Trust and hope that someone will read their words and it'll matter.  It will make a difference.  It does to me.

Whether it's a tale of woe or one of joy, whether it's about the broken washing machine or the broken heart, whether it's simple or complex, I see each word as a direct call to others, just as I do here.  I'd be a sorry excuse and a blatant liar if I said I write in these pages only for myself.  If I wanted to hear myself talk there's an easier way to do it than this.  The input and feedback I get in comments, even if it's but one, is welcome help and sometimes just the right guidance and assurance needed.  Other times, and most of it, all a human being wants is contact.

So I put it to you:  Does caring really matter anymore, in a world where people are so focused on what affects them and nothing more?  Why do we put such distance between each other?