LETS BLESS THE MIRACLE OF LIFE WITH THE SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS

Before publishing part II of yesterday’s post entitled
MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE NOT WAR
My existential voice awaken me, this morning, with
Need to say that insights added to that train of thought prove
So worthy of your consideration as not to be missed before
We advance toward observations concerning
Communal celebrations, which were originally meant to
Unify though reality suggests that we consider this reality:
Religious celebrations actually recreate the big divide that
Separates so many families into angry camps, deeply mired in
Defensive reactions, which keep both sides stuck in sad places
So dark as to blind every spirit from seeing
The light of insight at the end of the tunnel, beckoning
One and all to awaken from sleeping spells cast over
Humankind, eons ago, when egos, struggling for dominance
Dismissed our innate potential to respect (rather than fearing)
Each other’s differences so as to deepen each person's connection to
Inner peace by gifting one another with the freedom to arise
Each morning, feeling as self confident as does a child, who
Having being blessed with The Miracle of Life, feels
So deeply loved and safe from harm as to
Believe himself/herself adventurously able to accomplish every
Task, no matter how complicated, as the future unfolds, and
So, before we take two steps forward toward embracing
The joyful blessing of togetherness that we wish for
The world, let’s consider insights added to yesterday's post, which
May brighten your path and mine, enabling us to
Stumble less frequently over yesteryear's rocky missteps as
Our futures unfold, and as always tis important to note that
Whether you choose to take steps that will identify and heal
The injured portions of your self image (Otherwise known as
Subconscious hot spots, which when poked cause
Repressed reactions of defensiveness to flare) is
‘Soully’ up to you—as for me, I’ll continue to call upon
My well practiced line of self control to line up
One positively focused train of thought after another, each
Spotlighting the spirit of togetherness, which lights my path with
Strings of insight concerning my hope to continue to encourage
My loved ones to follow my lead as I choose to role model
The emotional intelligence necessary to work through
Differences, which are bound to erupt as family life continues to
Expand, and with that end in mind do I remind myself during
Moments fraught with conflict to place my defensive reactions in
Time out (which is not easy) in favor of conscientiously keeping
My mind’s eye trained upon maintaining a joyous sense of
Familial togetherness for this reason:
The fixer, who could not fix anyone but me, may be retired; however
The Pied Piper continues to sing in tune with lyrics that lovingly encourage
Each next generation to embrace the gift of peaceful co-existence in
Home after home—as can be seen by glancing over
Our family's time line, beginning with David's birth, over 40 years ago
(And yes—if you look closely, you’ll see David snuggled in the photo below :)

Future Leaders of America

MAKING MATZOH BALLS WITH LOVE—NOT WAR Part I

With the approach of Spring comes Passover—
And having lost many family members to
The Holocaust, I celebrate this holiday as
The human soul’s universal quest for
Freedom of heart, mind, body and spirit—and
As such, Springtime, being birthing time, portends to be
The perfect time to free my existential, self assertive voice to
Express the depths of my desire to encourage every person who
Hopes for world peace (which I believe will
Some day, grace the lives of our brothers and
Sisters around the globe) to tune into intuitive need to
Muster the courage to consciously work at mastering
Self control by sitting our defensive reactions of
Fight/flee/freeze in time out so as to make better use of
Our smarts when electing leaders, who were raised to
Resolve long standing conflicts by absorbing
The self confident, cooperative attitude of
All-for-one-and-one-for-all, knowing that divided
Our communities fail to achieve
Heartfelt goals; united we work ever more effectively toward
Developing the illusive inner strength of emotional intelligence that
Precedes inner peace, which factors in whenever
A summit, made up of leadership, brainstorms successfully toward
Achieving a mutually respectful and thus equally
Beneficial sense of global need for world peace—

You see, I believe that, some day in the distant future
Heightened levels of emotional maturity will guide
The educated minds of world leaders to base their
Decision-making process less in power struggling for
Dominance as more of us open our minds to embrace
Humankind’s innate potential to integrate
The power of intuition into our trains of thought, and
As such will the decision-making process of
Future generations evolve toward gleaning wisdom from
Sages past rather than giving lip service to
High principled ideals, which had long ago inspired
A great prophet, born of humble beginnings, to
Intuitively and thus naturally encourage the populous of
His time to gather round, listen up and set aside
Their instinctive defensive reactions in favor of placing
Their faith in mankind’s generosity of spirit most especially
During moments fraught with conflict, and then—
As artfully rendered by Leonardo DeVinci—
I imagine this great prophet, presiding over what
Proved to be his last supper on the eve of Passover, suggesting
That, during his lifetime, he had not separated from his Jewish roots
And as he'd asked the same four questions that
Jewish families the world over will ask at sundown, tonight —and
Since today’s post raises a fifth question in my mind, here it is:
Is it possible that each of you who feels naturally drawn to
Consider my personal trains of thought may be hoping that
One day your sense of self awareness will be enhanced by
Flashes of intuitive insight that will spotlight hidden pockets
Of subconscious memory within which your emotional
Reaction to one terrifying experience or another has been
Buried alive in such a raw state of pain as to stimulate
Anxiety to spike each time repressed fear of
Re-experiencing another episode of undeserved pain
Arises, most especially at those times when your personal needs
Clash with the needs of those who hold your sense of
Security within their hands, because if that's true then
This is true, as well:
As long as the subconscious presence of unresolved
Undeserved guilt remains buried alive in a repressed
 Unidentified state of being, fear will unknowingly
Infiltrate your decision-making process causing
Certain basic needs to go unmet, and
When basic needs remain denied, over long
Inner conflict results in the disruption of inner peace
And that negative cycle can not begin to reverse until
Your conscious awareness begins to connect with
Your intuitive power of insight on a regular basis
Whew!  Time to take a break to breathe!

As the herding instinct of makes us creatures of habit
Human beings habitually enjoy the annual re-creation of
Traditional celebrations, which, being communal in nature
Draw us together so as to deepen our sense of
Safe keeping within the herd, and as we hope to re-create
An idealistic perception of family life as often as possible
We look forward to experiences, which, for the most part
Are spiritually uplifting; for example (in addition to
Holy festivals during autumn), every winter, Christmas is
Celebrated in close proximity to Chanukah and
The same holds true each spring of Easter and Passover—and
With each of those star-like insights dancing brightly round inside
Our heads, here comes the emergent chorus line of
Intuitive thoughts aiming to kick up mankind’s soulful desire to
Make love not war by spotlighting this next deeper truth, which
My sixth sense can feel tunneling forth from within
The positively focused side of my mind ...

MAKING MATZOH BALLS

I just stopped by to mention that insights were added to yesterday’s post, conveying our need to muster a whale of patience as we work toward achieving our looong range goal of world peace, which, upon closer examination, moves along the historical time line in infinitesimal steps—two forward, one back—in an impassioned tango-like fashion.

Next, if we glance over my personal time line, zooming in on these last three years, we’ll land on today, where you’ll see Ravi clearly preparing our Passover feast (with just a tiny bit of help from me), and just as Ravi was eagerly rolling light-as-air matzoh balls, this morning, you can be certain that she’ll happily gobble them up at Seder, tomorrow evening.

A HEARTFELT FLASH OVER THESE PAST THREE YEARS

Ravi's first Passover

 

Ravi's second Passover

Gramma—I have hair shimmers (beneath flower) just like you!

And lipstick, too! I 'lob' it!

Face painting still fading

PERSONAL TIMELINE UPDATED TO INCLUDE TODAY

As tis wise to conserve time on such a busy day
All I feel need to say is—
Boy oh boy do Ravi and I wish Tony and Ray
Had been with us while we cooked up
Tomorrow's feast, today!
However, we are separated by hundreds of miles, and
Though we've not yet prepared a holiday feast all together
By and by, that's bound to change for the better

Little can compare with blending these three ingredients as
Seen above into a  recipe for personal happiness, which proves so
Delicious and nutritious to heart and spirit as to
Inspire the soul of our family to create as many memories of
Togetherness as busy calendars permit
And if you ask how we maintain this mutually respectful
Spirit of familial togetherness, year after year, I'd reply:
We consciously place as high a value on
Each other's differences as we do on loving one other with
Generosity of spirit
As to the three munchkins above
In addition to melting our hearts
They personify the melting pot, which our nation proves to be
And hopefully, as each one grows toward adulthood
All three will feel encouraged to be counted amongst
Countless, well educated, future leaders of America whom
The silent majority will one day depend upon to inspire
The spirit of togetherness to flourish in
Every endeavor that each one chooses, existentially, for him/herself

AN IMPASSIONED DANCE OF LOVE

If my thought processor takes
Two steps forward while yours takes one back
Followed by both standing in place, over long
Then common sense suggests the music will
Play on while a pair of impassioned dancers remain
Suspended, separately, in space until one or the other
(No longer fearing a misstep) feels emboldened to
Take the lead, drawing his/her partner ever more
Gracefully within such a loving embrace as to
Pick up the pace until the dance of
Love twirls itself ever more artfully into
A waltz of magnetic attraction so mesmerizing as to
Naturally erase every trace of defensiveness thus
Slowing a quick step into a two step that remains
In step with the musicality of both hearts, forevermore
And if you ask:  What does today’s rhyme
Have in common with wishing stars, teen leaders or
Ambulance rides?  I’d reply:  No conscious clue
Comes to mind, as of yet, other than to say that
This lyrical post danced out of
The intuitive portion of my think tank as
Naturally as a limerick leaps forth from
A leprechaun’s lips, charming every
Spritely spirit in sight to embrace
The luck of the Irish while we wish
Upon a star in hopes of lining up all of
The future leaders of the world, who
Arm in arm, will tap out a lively jig until
The prize at the 🌈‘s end shapes itself into
The bigger picture that will, one day in
The distant future, magically appear, offering
The farsighted amongst us an expansive view of
Children of both genders and all colors holding
Hands while enjoying existential freedoms around
The globe where world peace, gained by
Tomorrow’s future leaders, will be so
Wisely maintained as to suggest that today’s
Intuitive, long range view, coupled with imagination, may
Prove to be so forward thinking as to draw upon
Your sixth sense and mine to become ever more
Self aware of our communal need to work
Proactively, yet patiently, at closing the gap that separates
Our war-torn world of today from
The peaceful coexistence toward which
The historical timeline had been heading ever since
Cave dwellers, dependent upon brawn brandishing
Clubs to survive, emerged from
Mental darkness to see the first dawning of
Intellectual light, which ignited the first spark of
Insight that would, over time, fire up
Mankind’s innate desire to work productively to
Create a prosperous life in times of peace—and
By keeping the bigger picture concerning where
We've come to stand on the historical time line, today
Clearly in mind will we come to see tomorrow’s
Global leadership becoming ever more deeply
Inspired to power struggle for dominance less in favor of
Brainstorming, together, in hopes of encouraging
The world population to take less defensive missteps backward as
More of us gain insight into intuitive need to grow ever more
Self aware of mental confusion—based in our brains’
Absorption of mixed messaged madness during
Childhood—for this reason:  In the absence of conscientious
Mental re-organization, mixed messages continue to
Mess with our connection to clarity until, periodically
A bolt of intuitive insight, spotlighting a deeper truth tunneling
Naturally forth from within the inner sanctum of our brains
Brightens our minds to see ourselves so clearly as to
Ease your way and mine toward taking each next
Leap of faith once we've ensured that our personal perceptions of
Today's reality are actually on the same page so that, each time
We come together in hopes of creating change for the better, we'll
Feel secure to advance another infinitesimal dance step forward on
The historical time line at which time a present day scribe will feel
Intuitive need to record his/her deeply considered perceptions for
Posterity, and in this manner will humankind’s heartfelt desire to
Embrace a peaceful, loving and prosperous co-existence continue to
Be inscribed within each next chapter of
 THE BOOK OF LIFE ON PLANET EARTH ☀️

MORE ABOUT TODAY'S TEENS—TOMORROW'S LEADERS

Headlines address the current issue of teens
Fearing for their lives
Staging walk outs from schools

Headlines address the current issue of teens

Rallying together, drawing the attention of adults, who have
Not yet taken definitive steps to insure children’s safety in school

Headlines address the current issue of today’s leaders
Who still refuse to hold themselves and special interest groups
Accountable for undermining the safety of today's youth—

Headlines address the current issue of teen leaders

Doing much more than hoping for change by working

Proactively to mastermind The March For Our Lives

Several posts back
I stated that today's teens are
Our future voters and leaders

At that time, short sighted naysayers, who care as
Deeply as I do about safeguarding human life, replied:
Young people don't vote

And with that retort ringing in my ears I challenged with:
Please remove your blinders, thus expanding your mindset’s narrow
Range of vision by considering this insight concerning change:

That which was true yesterday
Does not necessarily
Hold true forever

I believe our young revolutionaries will remain pro active—
Not because their cause is just (though it is) but
Because their need for change is personal in nature

The more personal the need, the more each person's mental focus
Concentrates on brainstorming with kindred spirits toward creating
(Rrather than waiting for others to effect) change for the better

But rather than taking my word for resurrecting that deeper
Truth, concerning history repeating itself, let’s consider
The word of two student activists at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High—

The first student, David Hogg, represents one teen who has risen
To lead a team of teen organizers whose impassioned oratory
Inspired the silent majority to march in protest of adult apathy-–

"We are going to make this the voting issue.
 We are going to take this to every election, to
 Every state and every city."

"Our target is the November elections ..."
             —Jaclyn Corin
                Student activist—Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

Since speech writers did not pen this rhetoric to be
Recited (and once elected, forgotten), student voices
Personify the heartfelt resurgence of sages past

Alongside David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin
The newest Time magazine cover features #NeverAgain Movement
Teen leaders:  Emma González, Cameron Kasky and Alex Wind.

If life is a series of revolving doors offering an
Agile mind a plethora of timely choices to highlight for
The populous to consider ever more deeply then—

Today, I awakened to greater need to pen a post referencing
The bigger picture of this national issue, which dwarfed
Thr brevity of my most recent hospital stay—though

Addressing that topic will prove timely in its own fashion due to
This fact—once again, my personal experience will spotlight
The ways in which Big Business has enslaved the medical profession—

And thus does today’s post address our communal need to reconsider
The classic nature of this deeper truth:  Within every generation
A Hitleresque evil eye remains trained upon enslaving us, one and all—

Suggestive of today’s intuitive insight imploring tomorrow’s adults to
Grow up to become ever more aware of this deeper truth than
Had been true of latch-key-children’s hard working parents:

Big Brother, which (has already callously enslaved Big Government to
Cowardly shake in its boots), has focused its evil eye upon
The eventual enslavement of the entire populous of planet Earth

However, once today’s activist teens grow aware of the fact that
Today’s tyrannical threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of
Existential happiness goes by the moniker of Big business, that’s

When tomorrow’s leaders will be less blindly ensnared within
The bottomless pit of terrorized enslavement to the time clock than
Proved true of their parents, whose barely suppressed anger and guilt

Over biting too hungrily into the apple, IBM and whathaveyou before
Gaining a clue as to how quickly creative giants would update machines to
Subtly usurp control over human brains at work, home and wherever we go ...

Seriously, by now, you’d have thunk that our intuitive powers would offer
More than lip service to personal need to better govern our family time
Based in countless books and movies, reflecting this post’s train of thought

And having offered the intuitive portion of my think tank this opportunity
To stand on its soapbox, tis time to consult my calendar, thus ensuring that
My revolving door sees me arriving at today’s appointments on time

DAILY LIFE IS A REVOLVING DOOR FROM ONE EVENT TO THE NEXT

Flew home from the west coast, yesterday
Spent last night in the hospital
Once my energy level rises naturally to normal
I’ll post good news concerning
The bigger picture connecting
Those back-to-back events
Hint:  Bananas factor into the remedy

INTUITIVE INSIGHT: A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE

                                                      

(New lyrics added)
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

If your heart and mine
Hold fast to the very same dream
No request is too extreme
When we wish upon a star
As dreamers do

When we wish upon a star
Our dream of creating
Change for the better, together
Comes true unless—

We both remain blind to
The fact that certain dreams
Slip through our fingers
Just like grains of sand when
Your self confident attitude
And mine
Experience a meltdown at
The very same time

More about partnering
Dreams that come true with
Positive focus
Self confidence
And wishing stars
When next we meet

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR ...

While glancing over The Trio’s
Most recent Facebook posts
My spirit’s smile was inspired to
Offer David’s kindred spirit
A high five upon spying
This high achiever’s self confident attitude
Refueling its positively focused resolve to
Figure out how best to rocket his
Comedic project to swing upon a star

As seen on David's Facebook page:

AT THE AGE OF FIVE, DAVID PERSONIFIED ROCKY

David was five when Rocky II came out, and
He was so smitten with everyman’s underdog that
You'd have thought our family would have caught
A clue as to where our youngest son would one day
Be heading—you see David, who’d internalized
The character of Rocky before he’d even seen
The original film, began to sign all of his
Kindergarten papers:  Rocky II
His most prized possessions became a pair of
Red boxing gloves, a punching bag, a red robe with
Rocky II printed across the back, his black knit
Cap, a gray sweatsuit and a splendid, life-sized poster of
The champ, which claimed a good portion of
The wall across from David’s bed until
The home in which we raised a trio of imaginative boys to
Manhood was sold while our youngest was in college, but
I’ve gotten ahead of myself, and reflection suggests that
Today’s train of thought has lots more to disclose, so
Let’s return to kindergarten at which time friends of
David’s devoted Gramma Jennie asked if she'd lost
Her mind upon agreeing to take her youngest grandson to
See Rocky II at least five weekends in a row to which
My mother's good natured laugh replied:
David wants to spend time with Rocky, and I want to
Spend time with David, so whatever you may think of
Our plan for this weekend, it works quite well for us

By the time David had left for college—declaring
Political Science as his major—he'd rented
The original film, Rocky, at least forty times—and
By the time he chose to leave law school in favor of
Driving to Hollywood, none of us (except for his father, who'd
Felt stunned) was surprised—another story for another time

Over these last sixteen years, David's kept his eye on
His long range goal by accepting every grunt job in
'The Business' until, step by step, his bright mind
Genial personality, natural talents and
Unshakable perseverance saw him ascend to
Writer's assistant for a well respected screen scribe with whom
He has now partnered up concerning a project, which was
David's creation, and as no long range goal of merit is simple to
Achieve, the project that they've been honing is not
The project that concerns David's peace of mind, right now—in fact
The project that has just taken a frustrating turn is
A comedic pilot co-written by David and another scribe—but
More about how both of those partnerships shaped up at
A later date; as for now tis time to rein in
My agile mind before it drifts off target, again—

Once David had earned writing credits on
Several TV series, his natural talents were rewarded with
An annual income enough to warrant the industry to issue
His hard won Writer's Guild card (which offers
Excellent benefits as well as additional perks), and so
Our son's choice of life-sustaining work has been
Paying off in more than dollars as is evident whenever
David's spirit is heard whistling while
His intuitive inner drive works consistently and productively at
Penning scripts in which intriguing characters magically come to life—

I remember enjoying a good chuckle with David
A few years back after he'd listened to me say:
If I'd known that your desire to rent hundreds of
Movies during childhood had reflected the fact that
You were studying to hone your future craft
I'd have embrace a well balanced view of
The adult you were meant to become as a whole—
Upon reflection,  you and your best buds had earned
Honors in school while also participating
Enthusiastically in pretty much every team sport known to
Mankind, and your good natured imagination
Played well with both boys and girls, which
Brings to mind the day that you'd invited a second grade
Classmate named Jeannie to come home with you after school, and
I, overhearing you ask if she'd like to play Rocky, smiled
At her response—No.  I don't like fighting—Then
Came your reply, releasing my laughter to bubble forth:
You don't fight.  I do.  You're Adrienne.  I'm Rocky.
 Shortly after that play date, David and one of his besties
Shot a video, which having been transferred to DVD, remains
Archived amongst our home movies, today
The title of David's first film, ever, is: Rambocky—
Suggesting that our future film-maker's mind’s eye had
Blended two iconic characters, Rambo and Rocky into
One, and so, though seven year old David's idea of
A good time with Jeannie had met with defeat, he’d gone on
To direct countless Rocky moments with 'his boys'

Though David's most recent adult Rocky moment knocked
Him off his feet, within 24 hours his creative mind inspired
His irrepressible spirit to stand up and refocus
His zoom lens upon the next horizon, as objective reflection
Considered how best to direct his project to
Shoot for the moon—once his star's shiner felt less
Black and blue—BTW—Insights were added to yesterday's post

A TRIO OF HOMEGROWN HAMS

 All for one and one for all strengthens each child's sense of self worth

While directing one’s natural talent toward achieving
Personal success—

(two steps forward, one back)
Spirit, timing, attitude and self confident perseverance are everything!   

DAVID’S ALL TIME FAVORITE FILM COMES TO MIND

So—if left to stand on its own
Yesterday’s post would lead you to believe
That every puzzle piece fell into place without
So much as a hitch which might mar
The perfect picture of family-life penned and
Published right before a big black cloud thundered
Darkly down over one of our heads—namely
David’s, whose project, upon which he’d hoped to
Hang his star high in a clear blue sky, flew
Unexpectedly, into a wall, which, being
Rubberized in nature had seemingly dashed
His hopes right back to square one, causing
David’s professional life to feel like
A game of chutes and ladders, where
Each next card chosen determines whether
His spirit gets a lift up or down—however—unlike
That game, which demands no wit on the part of the winner
David had received feed back, here, there and everywhere
Giving his project such a hearty thumbs up as to assure
Him of having created a sure thing—a done deal, though
Deeper truth suggests our son knows that
No sure thing is a done deal until contracts have been
Signed, sealed and delivered into the talented hands of the scribe—and
Thus do I see this experience as David’s Rocky moment—not
At the end of the film when everyone's favorite underdog yells:
Yo Adrienne!  I did it!
But rather early on when the storyline shows
The main character walking alone along rain soaked streets of
Philly, pondering over his plight until he enters
His one room apartment where we see the bruiser's spirit (which
Has been flying at half mast), choosing to pick up his battered ego off
The floor as though something (or someone) has sparked his processor to
Lick life's wounds back to health, and as one scene leads to the next
We watch this fighter's positive attitude re-ignite, fire up and burn so bright
As to refuel his self image to muscle up the resolve to achieve
His personal goals, thus exemplifying what can be accomplished when
The human spirit feels self empowered to resuscitate a winning attitude so
Fleet of foot as to be impossible to beat, offering each of us
A fully re-energized main character to cheer for whose eyes remain
Focused on a star, which proves not as distant as it seems to be, today, and
Once Rocky chooses to go for the gold with every fiber of his being
You and I can barely sit still until our favorite underdog, having achieved
His long range goals, at long last, exclaims:
Yo Adrienne!  I did it!—at which time every kindred spirit in
The audience applauds spontaneously before rising up in
Solidarity to march out of the theater, feeling every bit as
Emotionally elated as is true of Rocky Balboa—who
Rather than feeling whipped into mid life crises, challenges himself to
Win the title of World Champion and thus does
David's all time favorite film, Rocky, offer us
A mirror image of everyman, woman and child who
Has ever experienced a letdown so great as to reflect over
Personal need to resuscitate a winning mindset so as to
Regain and maintain a well-balanced view of oneself as
A down-trodden-hero-no-more, because
It’s easy to feel on top of the world until your spirit's
Rising star hits a glass ceiling or rubberized wall, causing
Your processor to feel dizzily humbled, yet again, until
A steadying influence suggests sitting your wounded ego in
Time out so as not to beat yourself up, and given time to
Calm down, insight into deeper truth will emerge to
Remind you to stand up for yourself by taking
A firmer hold of the courage of your convictions so that
Once the agony of today's defeat has passed, your connection to
Clarity will inspire you, anew, to take yet another
Proverbial leap of faith toward refocusing your spirit's
Positive focus to persevere, thus ensuring that
Your heartfelt, realistic long range goals do not ever feel so
Severely beaten as to go down for the count—unecessarily

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

No time to write over the weekend, because
Every minute was devoted to fun!
David, who can’t stay away from Ravi for more than
A few weeks at a time, flew in, and
We all played together, day after day, culminating in
Sleep overs for Ravi with her gramma, papa and uncle
Then, today, just before we were about to
Go to the duck pond, bread crumbs in hand
The front door opened and guess who walked in?  Barry!
We had no clue that he'd scheduled a business meeting, here
Tomorrow, and as today is our anniversary
He decided to add to the fun by surprising us—gosh—
How fortunate we feel—this is the second year in a row that
We'll be celebrating with Barry, Steven and David, as
The gala they threw for our fiftieth was last year
Generally, Will and I enjoy this special occasion on our own, but
As David’s departure is not till tomorrow, we decided to
Party with family, and now that Barry is with us
We’ll set the table for ten—whoops—
David's head just popped into my room to ask:
Mom, why are you in here when
We're all in the living room?  And Ravi, who at three
Echoes everything she hears, just chimed in with
Gramma, we're all in the 'libing room', so—
You can see why time to write has happily been slim :)

TOMORROW’S LEADERS MARCHING IN PROTEST, TODAY

Just as Mothers Marching Against Drunk Drivers saw
Legislation passed in years past—hooray for
Today's youth, marching in protest of
Gun violence, because adult minds, responsible for
Keeping children safe from harm, remain
Tied up in too many knots of self absorption to think straight
And if the reality of youth, making headlines by taking action
Tastes sweet then here’s the sour:  Right next to that
Newspaper article on page one was another describing
Two women who'd created a video mocking Muslims
And thus does the classic advancement of progress take place—
Two steps forward, one back—as mankind continues to
Cycle across the historical time line as a whole—

Several years back, after being a guest speaker at
A university I came home feeling inspired by an image that
My intuitive powers had guided my conscious mind to
Draw on the blackboard, which offered my audience
A visual concerning the train of thought that shaped up within
My head during the seminar, and later that same day
I penned a post describing my vision of
The historical time line, which had been drawn on
The black board as a long series of back-to-back dots, ending
In a bell shaped curve so as to illustrate
The full spectrum of attitudes that make up
The current population of the world, and as
The peak of the bell represented the silent majority, it was
Flanked in the rear by reactionaries whose fearful attitudes
Consistently attempt to tug the bulk of the present population
Back in time while on the forward side of the bell
The courageous attitudes of visionaries pull
The silent majority forward in hopes of effecting
Change for the better for one and all
And while drawing this vision on the blackboard
I turned to face my audience in order to voice
This next insight aloud right after it flashed through my mind:
All factions that make up society’s bell shaped curve are necessary to
Ensure the on-going stability of the world as a whole except for one group—
Those people raised to become maniacal fanatics, who are so
Self absorbed as to dig their razor sharp, power hungry claws into
The tender flesh of anyone who so much as voices a dissenting opinion—
These are the monsters that brainwash kidnapped children into
Gunning down villagers, who’d once been family and neighbors, or
They are those who’d been so brutally abused as to
Traffic heartlessly in human flesh, and if we continue to
Close our eyes to issues concerning slavery, which
Persists beyond our personal lives then
What’s to stop those who, living quiet lives of
Desperation right next door, amass
An arsenal of firearms that aims to shoot
Straight through your family’s false sense of
Personal safety once your neighbor’s
Subconscious struggle with emotional agony
Turns your childrens’ school yard into the next killing field ...

Today, here's what I'd draw on the current historical time line:
Kids feeling need to be proactive by marching in angry protest for gun control
Kids grieving for classmates as well as for their lost sense of safety, staging sit-ins
Kids making protest statements by lying down as if they’re 'dead' heads—

Kids—please note that the silent majority of adults, who make up
The center of today’s bell shaped curve, applaud the courage of your convictions

Hopefully, kids lying down in protest of no action taken by today’s adults will
Grow up to become strong upstanding, proactive leaders and voters of tomorrow

A JEWISH PERSPECTIVE OF SAGES THROUGH THE AGES

As your intuitive powers grow well practiced at guiding the conscious portion of your mind to reshape and deepen your understanding of history, you may feel need to stand on a soap box, readying your voice to express a personal opinion that’s been so sincerely considered as to hope that others will view your position as gutsy without taking personal offense—and, with that said, I've decided to pen and post the following opinion, concerning sages through the ages, which may offer a different perspective from yours.:

Though your religious ideology (ideas absorbed, which develop into a belief system) may differ from mine, I hope we can agree to disagree when I express my personal opinion, which considers Jesus a sage, whose intuitive brilliance offered a humble stone cutter sound reason to evolve, over time,  into a compassionate leader of mankind as was true of the mindful genius of Moses, Solomon, and David, all of whom subscribed to the religious belief that no man rises above all others to God-like status, and while each of these magnificent leaders are classically revered as sages, whose enlightened mental processes far surpassed the polarizing, war-mongering side of human nature, none was perfect—in fact, the moment that I realized David (whose brilliance as a boy slew Goliath) grew up to embrace the role of leadership as the biblical king whose lust for Bathsheba sent her husband to the front lines of battle where he was killed, freeing the graces of this beautiful woman, impregnated with her monarch’s child, to continue to pleasure her lover—my jaw dropped to the ground in similar fashion as was true when I learned that Jesus was raised by Mary and Joseph to embrace the same religious beliefs that live and breathe within my heart, mind, spirit and soul, today.

In fact, I remember feeling shocked to the max upon learning that the messiah of the Christian world had been a Jewish boy, born in a manger in Bethlehem, who'd transitioned from stone cutter to learned rabbi whose flock was so mesmerized each time his words of wisdom quoted from The Old Testament as to grow into countless numbers of followers who would seek out his guidance, every where—so as to hear my voice exclaim aloud:

Jesus was Jewish?  Then why so much killing over religious differences for thousands of years?  I mean, seriously—if Jesus was resurrected, today, we’d surely hear him say:

What was with those lions feasting on Christians in Rome?  What was with the Crusades?  The Inquisition?  The Klan?  And then, after the war to end all wars, how was possible that leadership throughout the world sang hymns in praise of the Lord in church, eyes tightly closed to the fact that  children were literally being herded into boxcars of trains engineered to deliver terrorized families to camps where manhandled boys and girls (who'd been cruelly torn from the arms of parents who proved strong enough to be enslaved), found themselves cast amongst the elderly and ill, all of whom went up in smoke during the Holocaust?  Had the world gone so insane as to believe that Atomic warfare would keep the peace, forever?  And what am I to make of today's religious (?) fanatics, who strap explosives to the bodies of innocent children, today?  If, rather than absorbing need for each one of you to participate in effecting some positive aspect of lasting change throughout the world, your ancestors failed to do more than offer you lip service instead of offering you sound reason to seriously consider my words for thousands of years then can't you see that I was crucified in vain?  If not so much as one word stated in good faith during my lifetime has inspired your generation to embrace the brotherhood of humanity with courage, humility, forgiveness and love for one another, then—those of you who see me as your Lord—please heed my words, once and for all—take a time out to calm your minds so as to reconsider man’s inhumanity to man over thousands of years, and once your processor's connection to historical intelligence is intact, please get a grip on your egocentric emotional reactiveness so as to stop repeating horrific atrocities, generation after generation—in my name—and once the bullying portion of your processor has rebalanced so as to feel your think tank’s defensive, vindictive reactiveness recede, that's when leaders of nations will actually grow toward embracing the concept of two heads are better one so as to brainstorm effectively through long standing conflicts by way of acknowledging that our long range goal of world peace can not be realized until Christianity, Judaism and the Muslim faith has absorbed the know-how to calm the egocentric, power-struggling portion of our minds in favor of inspiring intuitive powers to emerge so naturally as to gain insight into historical hindsight so as to brighten our think tanks with foresight that proves so farsighted as to reform today's festering attitudes by way of choosing to embrace a universal sense of generosity of spirit beginning at home where families, brainstorming, together, to gain the emotional maturity to identify and heal subconscious wounds will actually be taking first steps toward repairing our war torn world.

And with that said, Jesus would discuss Tikkun Olam, a Jewish concept, which over thousands of years, rabbis continue to define as performing acts of kindness to repair the imperfections of our world.  In fact, Jesus would tell us that this phrase appears in the Mishnah, a body of timeless rabbinic teachings, which is often referenced when social, political and economic strategies to better the plight of the under dog are discussed.

Then, in hopes of having offered our thought processors sound reason to reflect over thousands of years more expansively than ever before, Jesus will ask us to talk amongst ourselves in hopes that his soliloquy may have inspired today's flock to reflect, at a glance, over the historical time line while the spirit of this sage, spying the spirit of Socrates, swooping down from on high in support of his old friend's plight, feels reason to lighten up as this pair of wise old souls (both of whom have been known to inspire youthful minds of future generations to re-ignite the eternal flame of hope by way of resurrecting and spreading yesteryear's words of wisdom throughout the world of tomorrow) gives each of their current disciples a thumbs up, right before they take off, winging high into the sky while we, both feet planted firmly on planet Earth, find ourselves choosing to open closed mindsets in hopes of listening to opinions other than our own when, much to our surprise, we hear Jesus and Socrates, both draped in white—no halos in sight—reaching toward the stars while belting out the courage of their convictions in unison:

We place our confidence in the hope that your self-help generation will continue to encourage each other to muster the patience necessary to effect monumental change for the better, which will continue to evolve ever so slowly with the birth of each next generation of well educated children, who will absorb an ever heightening degree of emotional intelligence than proved possible for generations, which had grown toward maturity, before, and with this mind bending ideology in mind will your processor and mine fall in line, over time, with the positively focused mindfulness of yesteryear’s sages, namely—Moses, Jesus, Socrates, as well as The Bard, Honest Abe, Gandhi and Dr. King—whose spirits inspire our well educated, intuitive intelligence to aspire to take courageous leaps of faith toward believing that as the historical time line moves naturally two cycles forward, one back, the best is yet to come—in fact, when we stop to think about it, here would be their watch words, today:

Moses:                 Let my people go, once and for all!

Jesus:                   Make love not war

Socrates:              Know both sides of thyself

The Bard:            To be self absorbed or to be ever more self aware, that is the question
Honest Abe:        You can fool some of the people, some of the time but not all, all of time
Gandhi:                Be the change you wish for the world

Dr. King:             I had a dream and the reality of evolution suggests that it is coming true—
Erma Bombeck:  If life is a bowl of cherries, why am I always in the pits pushing against
                            that damned glass ceiling?

(You didn't think I'd compile a list of sages without including a woman of wit, right???)

The more expansive our processors grow toward inclusion rather than exclusion of historical information, the less tomorrow's leadership will feel defensive need to power struggle to dominate the thoughts of others for this reason:  Deeper truth suggests that within our melting pot, each next generation of children is becoming better educated about embracing strangers in classrooms, made up of all colors, religious faiths and nationalities, as new friends, who, over time, will grow up to enrich each other's lives in so many ways that cooperative attitudes, learned at home, will create peace-keeping interchanges that will benefit one and all–more often than proved possible for their parents' generation, which was blind to how often lip service tarnished our most deeply valued democratic ideals— so, once again, here I am, feeling thankful that my think tank has grown so peaceable as to have repeatedly tapped into insight driven intuitive trains of thought, which proves necessary to developing the foresight to fully embrace the expansive nature of farsightedness that honors each personal experience, both sweet and sour, that makes up my history, which in turn, has served to inspire many of my loved ones to feel free to go, do and believe whatever their existential souls feel need to become—next  instead of power struggling, defensively, as if to love me is to become my clone ...

Just as wedding lists tend to grow out of hand
I am here to hand over
This fledgling list of sages so as to
Ask you to ask yourselves
Who would your think tank include?
Hmmm—how about ...

The President whose desk sign held leadership responsible:  The buck stops here

The President whose insight declared:  We have nothing to fear but fear itself

The President whose charisma charmed us:  Ask not what your country can do for you but
                                                                       what you can do for your country

The President who brashly bragged:  I'm really, really smart

Whoops!  Wrong list—he belongs on the list of leaders who
Are as blind and deaf to themselves as was true of
Evan Mecham, who was impeached

The First Lady who said:  Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events;
                                           small minds discuss people

The First Lady who offered this reflection:  If you bungle raising your children
                                                       I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."

Left on its own, my mind would back track through
Historical memory to make a point, pretty much forever, which
Is why my intuitive powers have grown ever more
Self aware of those times when my think tank has need to
Call a self disciplined line of control to draw
A complex train of thought, like today's, into a rest station, suggesting
My decision to wrap up this list of sages, whose names surfaced while
My power of intuition penned today's post, so
Last but not least here comes Helen Keller, whose
Insight and foresight serve to inspire one and all ...
"Life is either a great adventure or it is nothing"

PS
This next sage popped out of my memory too naturally to tuck her back before she's had her say:
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” “I freed thousands of slaves, and could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves.”
                          —Harriet Tubman

IF OBJECTIVITY SUGGESTS THAT EVERY RELATIONSHIP IS SWEET AND SOUR THEN—

With an attitude of objectivity in mind
We come to see that
We need not love others—vulnerabilities and all—less
In order to love ourselves—vulnerabilities and all—more
In fact, upon awakening to the rude, yet
Rewarding insight concerning the fact that—
Both sides of human nature exist within us all—
Every heartfelt relationship will experience
Surprising changes, some of which will
Taste as sour as others are sweet

With an attitude of objectivity in mind
We come to see that
Two people are free to choose to
Muster the courage and humility to consciously
Place their defense systems in time out, at which time
The positively focused, calmly intelligent portion of
Both brains will feel more apt to tune out
The survival instinct's need to fight/flee/freeze in favor of
Tuning into intuitive insight concerning each one's need to
Identify and heal emotional wounds repressed during childhood, and
As a result of working in tandem to identify and heal
Wounded portions of one’s own self esteem, whatever had
Soured their relationship will naturally repair itself

Sweet—right?

PS
When defensive reactions are consciously placed in time out
Guess which character trait tends to lead—naturally?
Objectivity

SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT ...

I finally had time to add photos to two posts entitled:
UNMET EXPECTATIONS OFFER A RUDE WAKE-UP CALL and
SOMETHING TO KVELL ABOUT

SNOWBIRD SEASON IS IN FULL SWING

As is true, every winter, it's our pleasure to welcome so many snow bird friends who fly away from snow and ice to bask in the warmth of the sun, suggesting why our daily merry go round spins so fast as to dizzy our heads without slowing down until spring is sprung.  And though time to write vanishes into thin air, Will and I, acknowledging our good fortune to enjoy so many friends, wouldn't have it any other way!☀️

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL DOES NOT STAND ALONE

Though you may choose to reread yesterday’s post (which was revised, overnight) on your own, let’s review the end of that post, together, right now, for this reason:
Common knowledge suggests that—no man is an island, suggesting that divided we fall short of achieving life's most illusive long range goals; united we stand strong so as to succeed—however, it's the rare family that stops power struggling long enough to work together effectively toward resolving conflicts, which, left to fester subconsciously, grow ever more complex, over time.  In order to resolve long standing conflicts productively, it’s necessary to adopt a positive attitude that proves so kind-hearted, mutually respectful, compassionately forgiving and calmly soulful as to straighten out yesteryear’s defensive misunderstandings by embracing the classic nature of this universal solution-seeking creed:

—All for one and one for all—

However—here’s the rub:

‘All for one and one for all’ does not stand alone for this reason—mutual respect assumes that family members will not take personal offense if time spent in reflection spotlights a string of insights, which expand a person’s perspective, catalyzing need to express an opinion or make a decision that's no longer in total agreement with the stance that’s been adopted by the rest of the clan.

In order to maintain the strength of the clan as a whole—all for one and one for all—is not defined as—you’re with me or against me—and differentiating between those stances requires a heightened degree of objectivity, based in emotional maturity, all around.

Seriously, if the computer age ( and our engagement in two world wars) has expanded our nation’s perspective with sound reason to consider life on a global scope then it's past time to take conscientious note of leadership's need to partake in the resolution of conflicts, which having become international in nature, suggests embracing brethren throughout the world, who are in desperate need of liberation from murderous despots, whose goals have expanded to include world domination, and that statement does not refer to future generations, because today's reality verifies that terrorist movements, which have been unconscionably raising and heartlessly arming suicide bombers to push the Israelis into the sea, are infiltrating and terrorizing nations throughout the entire free world—which, ready or not—includes you and me

If we know that history ignored, repeats itself, then I can't help but wonder why our generation continues to be so shocked when bearded Hitler-esque leaders come gunning for us, today?

Ever since The Holocaust, Jewish people the world over can
Be heard to say:  NEVER AGAIN!
Currently, we all have need to absorb that mantra, not just
Concerning terrorists whose goal is to enslave
Your mind and mine but also to include
Everyone of us, who applauds youth's march on
Washington, concerning the passage of legislation that
Seriously considers gun control to be one of our nation's
Primary issues, so that our children are no longer terrorized by
Twisted minds, shooting up our establishments of learning 

It's way past time for the voting populous to stop
Drinking the cool-aide so as to awaken and
Arouse our nation's leaders to grow ever more
Mindful of this fact:  If we are not our brothers keepers and
If we do not do our part to unshackle women in burkas from

Their shadowland in which they grieve for

Education and freedoms denied their gender by

Masterminds whose rhetoric casts hypnotic spells upon

The disenfranchised young, who aspire to be killing machines, which
Murder our families as well as those of the Israelis, then
We’ll have no one to blame other than our shortsighted
Defense systems’ walls of denial for blinding us to
This classic truth, which has been staring us in the face for centuries:

History will continue to repeat itself until we hurt as much

As is true of those in third world nations, who live under
The constant threat of enslavement or annihilation, and as

My free time for writing is spent but I certainly do not want to
End today's post on such a down note, most especially because

Today's train of thought feels as if it’s just beginning to

Pick up steam, I believe that round the bend
This engineer’s positively focused attitude is

Bound to switch tracks; so once the next post pops up on

Your screen please open your eyes and turn up your brain’s

Hearing aide so as to more fully absorb

The next string of insights, which will hopefully

Take our minds to a better place when next we meet ...