2017 was a pretty good year, all things considered. The last two months brought with them some good luck in the way of improved conditions at work and some money for laboratory consumables. So you could say my luck turned suddenly. But I was already lucky, because I have the most important things in life--people whom I love and who love me. So it no longer matters to me what happens at work, because work is not my life. But I am grateful for the improved work conditions and extra money, because it makes going to work that much more pleasant. Much better to go to a workplace that is pleasant than to one that is in constant conflict. So if you wait long enough, things do turn around. Upon reflection, I know that the adversities of the past five or six years have made me stronger but have also made me appreciative of what is important in this life. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'; I'd have to say I agree with that. I learned this already in my mid-twenties, but sometimes you need a reminder, because sometimes you forget how strong you really are. So perhaps God reminds us in different ways. I'll have to trust him on that one.
I have several writing projects I want to accomplish in 2018 and am already well-underway with them. I've been told by several people that they like my work; those same people are pleased to know that I am planning on focusing on my writing full-time when I retire. It's nice to know that, even though I would keep on writing without the support. But it's nice to have the support. I have enough work to keep me busy in the new year, and plans to travel and visit many people. I'm looking forward to the new year, and hope you are as well. I wish you all a very Happy 2018!
These are some of the songs that have gotten a lot of airplay here in 2017 on the different music channels......some new, some older, but all of them good......
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ― Desmond Tutu
As 2017 draws to a close, I am glad that I saw this little quote today--a reminder that whatever good we do, no matter how small, really does count. As I get older, I understand this more and more. It's not about the big gestures, but rather about the little ones. A small donation to a charity organization, or giving money (or food) to the beggars on the street, volunteering where your help might be needed, sending a card or letter to someone who is sick and/or immobile, a phone call to someone who might be lonely or depressed--the list is endless. I know that the small good things matter, because when I have done them, the reaction from the recipients is incredible. You would think that you had given them a million dollars. And that reaction is their gift to us. I have looked into the eyes of two homeless men on the street this month, after I had given them money. I saw gratitude, yes, but I saw their souls too; I saw that they were not so different from me. They just have less material things in this world. But they have the same desires and dreams as I do--to love and be loved, to be happy, to be remembered, to be acknowledged.
And that is my wish in this Christmas season--that if we have joy, love, and blessings in abundance, that we share those things with those who are less fortunate. I have talked to so many friends and colleagues during the past month, and we all say the same thing. We are fortunate, we have more than enough to live, to make us happy. We are blessed. And those blessings impart a certain power that we can tap into. We have the power to change lives, to make others feel loved and happy. We can start with the small things, because in the end, it is the small gestures that most people really do remember--the gift of your presence, your attention, your caring--taking the time to really 'see' others for who they are. It's about acknowledging and respecting others.
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas season and a healthy and happy new year. May God grant you peace and many blessings.
The US Embassy in Oslo seems to be starting a fun Christmas tradition--making humorous video Christmas greetings! This year's video Is called Merry Furry Christmas. Enjoy!
I was a teenager when this band was popular, and I fell in love with their album It'll Shine When It Shines, which came out in 1974. Jackie Blue was one of the songs on it that became a major hit. I loved it, and I loved Lowlands too, for its mournful, peaceful tones and rhythm. When I take a long look at the music my country has produced over the years, it makes me proud to be an American. My country is a rich mixture of so many different musical types and influences and those blends and heterogeneity are what define us. I'm not even sure why I came to think of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils today, but I'm glad I did, because I got a chance to hear Lowlands again after many years. I'm including the lyrics as well--pure poetry.
I heard a song that was taught to a baby
And it made the mountain sing
I knew a gift that was given to my lady
It was hidden in a dream
And there's a light in the lowlands
And a river that runs so clean
I'm a poor man feelin' lazy
And the lowlands are callin' my name
I knew a man who said he was a stranger
'Cause his heart he could not trust
I knew a man who could not face the dangers
Even though he knew he must
And it's hard in the lowlands
And the grasses will turn to rust
But the sun is a fountain
Flowing through the lowland's dust
Whenever I am tempted to think that nothing nice ever happens in the world (a thought reinforced by the media that choose to cover only the lousy, depressing, horrific, grotesque and otherwise miserable stories in the world), something comes along to challenge that inclination. This story is true, I grew up in the same Tarrytown neighborhood (Tappan Landing Road) as Bill, the main person involved, and he deserves all the good things that come his way. Bill is going to the Super Bowl! Here is the link to the story:
A friend of mine posted this yesterday on Facebook. It made an impression, especially in these days of so many world problems and depressing news. I don't know why I am so affected by it all, but I am. So it's good to be reminded that God has our backs even though we forget that sometimes........
One of my personal favorites........I used this motif several years ago to make Christmas cards. There is something about the lighting and the snow falling, and the snow on the tree branches, that gives me peace of soul.
Continuing with the black & white photo challenge on Facebook, a challenge that I have been enjoying. It's fun to try to come up with motifs that cannot include people. And difficult to not give an explanation for why I chose the motif I did, or where the photo was taken......
Show your support for Net Neutrality. Took me 2 minutes to do this.
1. On your computer, not your phone! - go to: www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express 2. Enter under Proceeding 17-108. 3.Under Filer, enter your name and press enter 4. In comments, say you support Title 2 oversight of internet service providers. Also say that you support net neutrality. *Fill in the form carefully; they've made it less friendly and impossible to fill in by phone, on purpose. *Don't be silenced. Do it now. Pass it on. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Read about why you need to support Net Neutrality in this excellent article in The New York Times today: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/technology/internet-dying-repeal-net-neutrality.html?_r=0
I posted this street art photo of The Gray Wolf that I took at the beginning of November, but am using the photo again for Day 3 of the black & white photo challenge on Facebook. I love this art by Jussi Twoseven. Here is the post:
I've been challenged by a good friend to post seven B&W photos of my life over the next seven days. No people. No explanation. So here is photo #1 that I posted on Facebook today......
Globally, the sheer number of women who have told their
stories of sexual harassment in the #metoo campaign astounds me. Here in
Norway, 487 actresses joined the campaign, and many of them told their stories
anonymously to the newspaper Aftenposten (https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/metoo/aftenposten-487-kvinnelige-skuespillere-tar-et-oppgjoer-mot-sex-trakassering-og-overgrep/a/24189361/).
When you read their stories, it is both heartbreaking and infuriating. Over
1000 artists in the music branch in Sweden did the same, and my reaction was
the same. Who do these men think they are? And how did we get to this point in
2017? Where women are groped, probed, and violated against their will? Many of
the stories describe attempted rapes—criminal behavior in other words. Do these
men think they can get away with treating women like this? Apparently they do,
because in truth, they get away with it, and have gotten away with it. None of
the sexual harassers here in Norway have been named and shamed. Personally, I
think they should have been, but it hasn’t happened and isn’t likely to happen.
That makes it all the more important that men like Harvey Weinstein and Charlie
Rose are held accountable for their disgusting behavior. I am glad that they
are toppling, one after the other. I have zero sympathy for them, because they
had zero sympathy for the women they abused. My reaction to most of them is
that they can rot in hell.
But the entire campaign begs a larger question. Why are men
behaving this way, and where were their parents in all of this when they were
young boys? Why didn’t their parents teach them respect for women and for
others generally? Did their schools fail them also? I went to Catholic school
and we were clearly taught right from wrong from day one. Is it so difficult to
behave correctly, to behave decently, and to behave respectfully? No it isn’t.
It’s just that these harassers did not want to behave. They wanted what they
wanted, when they wanted it, and it didn’t matter that the women didn’t share
their desires. These men had immense power, and they abused it, as many men in
power are wont to do. Otherwise, the old saying would never have been uttered
by Lord Acton—‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. These
men are corrupt degenerates, loathsome individuals, and terrible people.
Perhaps they can change, but most likely they will not unless they are forced
to do so, or forced to spend some time in jail for rape/attempted rape.
It infuriates me that some men (and a few women) are already
calling for an end to the #metoo campaign, giving as the reason that not all
men are sexual harassers. We already know this; #metoo is about some men's behavior, not all men's. But
this is not the point. It is not up to men to decide when this campaign is to end. It is not their call. We have to be
able to discuss this horrible behavior ad
nauseam if need be. It has to be made clear over and over that men do not
own women. They do not have any say over women’s bodies. Women are not their
property; that idea went the way of the dinosaurs at the beginning of the 20th
century. The only way things will change is when the discomfort is so great, so
painful, and so crystal clear, that male leaders and male employers wake up and
do something about this behavior. If the campaign makes some men uncomfortable,
good. That tells me that they are being hit close to home. Are they closet
harassers? Do they have their own episodes of harassing behavior of which they
are ashamed? That’s just too bad. Deal with the shame and the discomfort, the
insecurity, and the nagging feeling that you are not good enough. Deal with
feeling uncomfortable around women, of not knowing what to say. Drop the
arrogance and the power plays. Drop the brutality. Drop the attempts to be cool
in the eyes of other men. Drop the bullshit and learn to behave as a decent
human being. Step up to the plate and call a spade a spade when you see sexual
harassment of women. Call it out for what it is. Don’t stay silent, don’t be
complicit. We’ve had enough of that in society. Stand up for women, treat them
as your equals, be kind, be fair, be good men.
