Coping with life

I can understand how people abandon their ideals, what they believe deep within and then lapse into despair. When they are hit over and over by hardships, when they peek out into the real world and see such chaos it is no wonder that their spirits are broken. Their pure and good ideals seem somewhat absurd when put up against the uncertainties that this world we live in represents. Not only uncertainties but this world we live in holds some horrible realities. Yet, in spite of it all, taking everything bad into consideration, this world we live in is wonderful and there are a lot of good, moral, loving and caring people in it.

When we are facing our most difficult days, the ones that feel as though the earth is going to open up and swallow us. The days when the chaos that surrounds us makes us feel that it is impossible to build enough of a foundation to stand and get through what life has in store for us. The moments when not only our own life seems too heavy to carry but when we sense the suffering of so many others and cannot find in our soul the strength to go on. These are the times when we must look up into the heavens and behold the beauty and find in our heart the courage to put one foot in front of the other and walk toward the light in front of us that represents hope for a better tomorrow.

At moments like this we may begin to not care about our future. Whether we live or die seems irrelevant because suddenly it doesn't seem possible to get through today. The fact is that this world will go on no matter if we live or die but it will not be the same without us in it. We made a difference in this world simply by being a part of it. History would not be what it is without our birth and the life we have lived. We have a hand in shaping the future and we should take that responsibility serious.

The choices we make each day will shape our life and the life of those around us. We can choose to live our life to the fullest and not concentrate so much on the bad things and allow things to just fall into place as they happen and not dwell so much on the what-if's. We can also choose to dwell only on the bad things and while we are doing this we'll miss out on all the good that our future holds. These sound like brave words but they aren't. When I'm alone, I cry and I realize how tough things are and may be in the future. I fail many times at being strong, and always looking at the good and not dwelling on the bad. The key though is to pick yourself up after those failures and brush yourself off and gird yourself with every measure of happiness you can grasp and move on to the next day.

Opinions

I choose to believe as I do and respect other peoples right to do the same. I expect to be able to present my view just as others should be able to present theirs and I never try to change theirs. I think sometimes we try to push our own views onto others, I guess that is human nature to a degree but I've learned to avoid this. I also have learned from other peoples views at times and what I learned has changed mine but no one enjoys it when someone presents their views in a way which makes you feel like its being crammed down your throat or that you are being judged personally by how you believe. I haven't felt that from anyone here I must say. Everyone has their own unique views on life and other things and they are personal to them just as mine are to me.

I'm still here

Hey folks I'm still here. I haven't had a lot of time to blog but I have been reading others. I hope all are well.

JobBenet

The confessed killer of JonBenet Ramsey is set to be returned to Colorado This is a good ending with a sad history behind it. We all remember the story and the years of accusations surrounding her parents. I have said many times that how terrible it would be if they were telling the truth about what happened to their daughter. They always maintained their innocence. Even the police fed the media with talk that pointed to her parents. Only a few years ago after a change in Boulders police leaders was it admitted that evidence did lead elsewhere. Now they have tracked down their man and he has confessed. I'm sad that Patsy didn't live to see the truth come out but she is hopefully with her daughter now and enjoying a reunion. This goes to show that in cases that are hard to find a motive too often police home in on the easiest explanation which requires the least amount of work in an attempt to wrap up the case. If they could find this man now clear on the other side of the world then just imagine how soon they could have solved it early on if they had even tried to investigate that the parents were telling the truth. I know that with statistics as they are that family must be looked at and considered as the possible suspect but that is not the only angle police should focus on. There should be a team of investigators looking at each possibility. This family was put through the ringer to the extent of even being brought up to a grand jury trying to get an indictment. Just imagine if they had got it then these parents could have been put into jail for a crime they didn't commit. Compounding their grief for their daughter. I think the Boulder police owe this family at the very least a very public apology. They had the ability to stand and condemn them so now let's see if they have the decency to apologize for the many years of agony they put onto this family. Better yet let's see if the media focuses on the truth here as much as they did on the false accusations.

Columbus Dilema

From our youth we are taught that Christopher Columbus "discovered" America. He is hailed as a great person in history which is evident merely by the fact of there being a day of celebration in his honor. Discovery would seem to imply that it was new land yet to be found or inhabited. This couldn't be further from the truth. If this had been true than why in 1493 following his so called 1492 "voyage of discovery" did he need to return with 17 ships which at that time qualified as an invasion force? His diaries and other documentation show a glimpse into his wish to overpower and even annilate those who resided on the lands he had came upon and that he desired the riches that was there. He positioned himself as governor over the Caribbean Islands and mainland America. Using Espanola (today's Haiti and Dominican Republic) as his headquarters he instituted slavery and the killing of Native Taino's and in time Native inhabitants on all the lands he took control of. Does this sound like the land he "discovered" was uninhabited?

During my own research of Native studies I've learned that what is taught in school text books given to our children bear only part of the story and even go as far as to glorify the horrible dececration he brought to the original inhabitants of the lands he took occupation of.

The truth is that on the day Christopher Columbus first sailed his ship to the shore and stepped foot on the Western Hemisphere there was an estimated 100 million people living there. From my research it appears that on many levels we Americans have been fed and have embraced a lie.

This merely touches the edge of this topic but I hope others will research for themselves and beware who our children are taught to admire. For all his accomplishments there are many elements that when weighed show him not to have been the person we are taught in youth.

Do you always vote?

I became politically motivated back during the Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford campaign. I was too young to vote then but it really interested me. I watched every minute of television coverage regarding the campaigns, conventions and the election. From then on I had a keen interest in politics and as soon as I was old enough to vote I couldn't wait to send in that registration.

I never had any interest in being personally involved in politics it was more of a deep rooted sense that in order to bring this world to a place where we can live in peace we must make correct decisions about who we put into power. I believe that we should view it as our duty to vote. I feel that I have no right to complain about how things are run in this country if I'm not committed enough to stand up for my belief and vote my conscience. Our vote counts and when we allow our voices to be heard through our vote and each individual vote is collected and grouped together we can send a message to the government that will definitely be heard.

Sadly in recent years I've seen it become more of a popularity contest rather than about the issues important to our way of life. You'll hear media coverage about the way the candidates dress, speak, walk, etc. Sure you can get to know something about a person by observing their demeanor and actions but this shouldn't be the "know all and end all" in our decision making process. I've heard people comment that they aren't voting for a candidate because they seem dry when giving a speech. SOooooooooo what is up with that? What in the world does that have to do with the issues that are important? In my view, that is a shallow way to decide who you are going to vote into public office.

People better wake up and begin focusing on the issues that matter and vote for the candidate that is truly focusing on those issues. This is about who has the peoples best interest at heart and has the experience and gumption to follow their heart and fight for us. If we begin to focus on the issues and choose our candidates according to that focus then it will force the candidates and the media to realign their campaigns in that direction. The political world is absurd at times and very out of control but we as the voters can force them to get back inline with what is best for this country. Another thing I really stay away from is being committed to only voting for a candidate of one political party. I vote for the candidate not for the political party of which they are affiliated. No matter the affiliation if the candidate makes me feel that they are the best candidate for the job then they get my vote.

Traveling Today

I have been in the beautiful state of Tennessee for the last 9 days and am traveling back to Michigan today. I am posting via my blackberry. Got on the road around 9am and expect to arrive in Michigan around 8 or so tonight. We are in the mountains of West Virginia as I write this. It is so beautiful here. The views are spectacular. If you like to go white water rafting the area near Charleston WV is about as good as it gets in this country. We just passed the capital building for the state and the dome on the top resembles the rotunda on the Nations capital but it is gold toned. For a state capital it is quite breathtaking. I love the blue ridge mountains and have many fond childhood memories. I will post comments under this heading today as I continue my trip.

Why do we exist?

My first reaction is to say I don't know. However, I know in my mind that we all exist for a reason and with a purpose in life. Jokingly I've said that I was born with a big mouth and that my purpose in life was to suffer adversity so I could use my big mouth to tell the world about it. . I don't really have a clear answer for this one because I think I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Yes I'm 44 and I don't think I've fully matured. LOL. In all seriousness I believe that you don't really understand the reasons for your life and why what happened to you has until your last days. I think as you go through life that each day is another step in getting to know who you are and finding your purpose in life. Different events on each day of our life shapes us into the person we are destined to become. Sometimes we take detours and then get back on track. With that in mind it is hard to say at any stop along the way what your true purpose is and what the true course of your life will be. What if you've stopped to make that analysis during a detour...then you don't have any idea how your life will be shaped once you get back on the right road. I just take each day for what it is and hope that my decisions for that day will lead me to where I should go. The question of why I exist is really one I don't think I wish to answer because there is no real purpose to examining that in my mind. I do exist and that is all that really matters. I exist and I should make the best out of each day in my life.

What does survival mean to you?

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and so many other disasters in recent years the thoughts of survival are heavy on our minds but what about the rest of us? What does survival mean to us? Survival to me means a lot of different things to different people. I will just name a few that are personal to me. Survival is living each day to the fullest. Learning to like who you are even if it is to spite something we don't like about ourselves or our life. Learning to search our soul and get to know who we really are and to locate the inner strengths that we didn't know existed. To learn compassion for others but also to learn how to be compassionate and forgiving to our own selves. To empower ourselves with knowledge about what we must face and to take any obstacle and turn it into a stepping stone.

I also believe that survival means facing realities and not hesitating to reach out to others when we are in need. Sometimes we confuse support for pity and put a wall up so we don't allow someone to support us. It isn't a sign of failure to allow someone to help us through a difficult time. They too must learn compassion and how can they if we don't allow them the opportunity to shower us with theirs?

Have I survived? Well I'm traveling down that path. I'm not going to give up. I will be weary at times and there will be moments of despair. I will need shoulders to lean on. But I also will be able to enjoy the love of my family, the true joy of my grandchildren. I'll see wondrous things occur. I have so much life ahead of me. I also love to laugh and plan to do a lot of it. Life has its ups and downs for me but when I compare the rocky parts with the happy parts, the good by far outweigh the bad. It isn't easy to always see that. When I'm going through a difficult period I sometimes can only see the bad that I'm being forced to endure. I have to make a conscious effort to see past the bad and refocus myself on positive thoughts. Sometimes I accomplish this while at other times I must try over and over again before I begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Close your eyes during these dark moments and listen to your soul. The hope is there, you just have to allow it through. When you close your eyes and remain in darkness reach out your hand and allow someone to hold it while you find your way.

Another day of catching up

I spent today reading up on the news and boy oh boy is there a lot going on to blog about. I plan on getting to that perhaps as early as this evening. I am planning a nice night out for dinner with friends and am looking forward to it as I've not been getting out much. I even got fixed up which I've not been doing lately. I didn't have the energy to put on makeup LOL but I did today. One of my problems has been that my blood count hit rock bottom with treatments and it pretty much put me on my back. Finally my blood count is improving and thus I am beginning to feel better. There were times I didn't have the energy to brush my hair or so it seemed. I am just so happy this appears to be all behind me. To those who read my blog and have blogs of their own I will be visiting tonight to catch up there also when I return home. So hold on to your caps folks because IIIIIIIIII Ammmmmmmmmmm Backkkkkkkkkkkk! You know how outspoken I can be well I've been keeping my opinions to myself too long now so I'm in withdrawl so it is hard to tell what I'll write about here LOL.

Hi Gang

Well it has been a while since I've posted. My life has been so hectic that finding time to blog has been near impossible. I am in the midst of planning a move in a few months and that alone has taken up a lot of my time. My health is on the road to better days which I am so relieved. It has been very stressful dealing with so many doctors, tests and just the reality of being ill. Thankfully it seems to have turned out for the best. I am so behind on news and such so you can expect for me to be adding a lot of entries over the next few days as I love to put my two cents into everything in the news LOL. Hope all who read this are enjoying a wonderful day.