can you hear it?

music is the sound of god's voice in our everyday world

Jazz Is the Sound of God Laughing
http://tinyurl.com/8ejut
by Colleen Shaddox

this is a great essay
and it makes one think...............

what would the soundtrack for your life be?

bluesy and hopeful?

or gospel, joyous & uplifting?

or jazzy (the sound of god's laughter)?

or classical, delicate & resourceful?

can you find the music in your life?
can you hear the music in the world?

can you hear god laughing?

moments

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
~Rabindranath Tagore, Indian Poet, Playwright and Essayist

we so often pass thru life in fits & starts,
not really seeing what is around us,
not really feeling what is within us,
not really hearing what is said to us.

we need to remember to pause
to just wait a moment
to see
to feel
to listen

our memories are made of those moments when we took that pause
shouldn't we be making more of those every day

a man once said that this life is the longest thing we will ever do

shouldn't we enjoy more of it along the way
shouldn't we make this the journey worth remembering
shouldn't we particiate more actively in the events along the way
shouldn't we remember that we are all part of a bigger picture

wednesday

welcome to the middle of the week

leaving

Now I do try to keep the political commentary out of my blog..............

out of my journal................
and out of the workplace..........

But this needs to be said,
this needs to be commented on,
and the excerpt that most concerns me is this:
"...the new contract, to deliver intelligence services in Iraq through 2009..."
the article is here:
http://tinyurl.com/d734y

are we ever going to leave?
the government keeps saying we aren't an occupation force but contracts like this seem to indicate otherwise...................

when are we bringing our soliders home?

stitched gums

and so there is the gum graft (#2)

and from inside my mouth,

the place where the graft was harvested

harvested

what a word for this part of the operation

there was lots more blood with this graft than there was with the first

choking on it at times even

altho, truthfully,

I was practically upside down in the dental chair so the surgeon could see what he was doing
and the suction thingy was right there

but the taste....

blech

so now I get to heal

and keep my teeth

keep my health

purple part deux

so I get to go for part 2 of the gum surgery today........

not overly excited about this...........especially as the doc mentioned 'shaping' the previous gum graft........................so does this mean both sides of my mouth will be numbe & sore & PURPLE for days?

guess we get to find out in a couple of hours...............maybe I should take & post a pic this time........................

I do like the way the 1st graft took......and I lost a bit of the weight that I wanted to (eating only the very softest & luke-warm foods very slowly will do that)

and I'll be keeping my teeth for a good long time.............so it's worth it & not a vanity thing...a health thing..........vanity would be a boob job, teeth are for health.................

no really
read about it
here:
http://www.breathcleaner.com/TIPS_gums.html
It is important to know that research has shown that people with gum disease are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease. Several theories explain this link. For example, oral bacteria may enter the blood stream and intensify fatty plaque formation in the coronary arteries. Gum disease also increases the amount of fibrinogen (a potent natural clotting agent in the blood stream). That would increase the chance of blood clots and a stroke.

and here:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/104/107269.htm
Gum disease does more than endanger your teeth and gums. It can also lead to and worsen far more dangerous ills.

so I'm keeping my health by keeping my teeth

and I can smile more & better with healthy gums which makes the day just go by all that much more happily

clearing the air

rain is wonderful

and rainbows are better

they clear the air
clear the skies
and if you sit patiently & watch
they clear the mind

listening

do we really hear when we listen
(or so pretend)
to each other
to ourselves
to the world

to really hear what we are listening for, we need to pause, breathe and turn our ears on, turn our hearts on


to really hear each other, our selves & the world,
we must first hear the quiet silence of peace,
then we can truly hear, truly listen, truly understand what is being said

even if it is unspoken

so pause
breathe
be still
listen

you'll be amazed at how much you'll hear

traveling time

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time to travel

to get away, even for a bit

to relax

to rest

to recharge

Love the summer traveling time

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

Vacations are wonderful time to visit with family and friends

time to get into the out & about

time to explore the world around us

time to share yourself

family visit

We have family visiting

this is a good thing...........they are wonderful, generous, gentle, vivacious, spontaneous people to whom we happen to be related

an unusual occurance for many it seems

I was talking with my on-line family of buzzard sisters, and we have more than a few blood relatives that we'd rather not have to deal with any more than necessary.

I have some of those in my blood relatives as well..................but these visiting are NOT of that ilk. (which is why we are enjoying the visit so very much)

what a gift to have family members that supports & encourages each other in the day-to-day world

& what a shame that there are so few of those in our real-life world

be sure to let those you care about know you are thinking of them
give them a jingle, a hug or send a card (email or snailmail)

they are a precious, wonderful part of your world.

clean carpets

carpets take forever to dry.................

even when they are professionally cleaned & you live someplace with extremely low humidity

so we are walking on damp flooring...............not wanting to move any of our predominantly wooden furniture back onto damp carpet...........

we did decide that if this doesn't really clean the carpet of the pet-mess smell, then it will come out......piece by piece & we'll do the following:
1> paint the cement flooring
2> tile the floors
3> wood laminate
or 4> some combination of the above

this house is a bit older & the carpet had been here thru a renter or 2 (at least that's what we were told when we bought it) and that can generate areas where the current resident pets feel obligated to mark the turf as theirs...........................unfortunately that is all too often in the main living areas................

carpet will remain clean or be removed...............

and the cleaner guy (bless his heart) commented that taking out ALL the carpet in the house would be way too big a job.................

LOL...............oh my --- he's never seen me at that kind of work but my hubby has & did that comment make him laugh......

so off to watch the carpets dry & dream of hardwood laminate, tile & brightly painted flooring......................

company.........

company is coming.............

they are making lists of places to visit
things to see
foods to eat

this is going to be a good visit

it's only for a long weekend so we'll see just how much we pack in to do & enjoy

the company all by themselves will be wonderful
no matter where we go or what we see

dad's day

My dad has taught me many things....................

..........how to think & discuss those thoughts clearly
mind you it was taught by discussion of topics that we didn't agree on

........how to look at the bigger picture & our place in it
we are but a speck of time, and how we live (or don't) won't have much (if any) impact on that very big cosmic picture, but it does have immediate and lasting effect on those around us whom we love

............how to consider the other side and to think before speaking
that now might be something that causes me to pause for a bit too long in heated or urgent discussions, but when I do speak out now, it is more well formed & expressed because I did Think First

..........how to be happy in the Now
for that is really all we have. Right Now, this moment in time, and how we live it can make a wonderful memory, have a positive influence on those around us or be a blip that is unnoticed (which is a sad way to live)

............how to look around & explore where we are
adventure in the everyday places, we used to take longish drives once a week to see what there was to see around the area where we lived..............each week a new place & that is something that I continue to do no matter where I am...............

so as the song says...............Stand in the place that you live................that is something else my dad taught me

for all those things & so many more.............
Thanks Dad
& Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's day....... 

sunshine and dust devils

it is summer ........
well nearly - June 21st is the solstice this year
and the weather is warm
the sun is shining
and the wind is making afternoon dust devils
they appear and fade like djinn

and as long as you are well away from them, they are marvels to watch
upclose, well, they can move your car very easily, or you, or your dog

respect is key here................dust devils are not to be fooled with

but they do make wonerful summer wind watching

purple

purple is an intersting color

one of my favorites.................mostly

I say mostly because there are some things that should NOT EVER be purple.......................like the inside of one's mouth............
but that is the thing that happens when one has had little bits of one's gum peeled out for grafting elsewhere in one's mouth

if only I could get a decent pic of this............it's almost Dali-ish in appearance.................but then that's just too much information I suppose

at least it doens't hurt as much as yesterday ........... and the only very soft foods are kind of fun (at least right now) like:
jello......haven't had jello in years
sherbert..............also a treat I've not had for years
mac & cheese with chopped spinach or tuna (those were staples when I was growing up)
tuna noodle casserole............
mashed potatoes, with lots of butter & melted cheese
or maybe even twice baked.....those innards are yummy soft
pasta.....lots & lots of pasta with cream sauce

altho I do suspect that by the end of 2 weeks this is going to be very old......for now it's like being a kid again.......soft comfort foods abound.................and the kitchen is getting a workout

Anne Bancroft 1931-2005

and here's to you Mrs Robinson, you were never ordinary.

"Film critics said I gave a voice to the fear we all have: that we'll reach a certain point in our lives, look around and realize that all the things we said we'd do and become will never come to be -- and that we're ordinary." http://tinyurl.com/75jlg

teeth

so today I had gum surgery.......................it hurts, it's swollen, I have a freak'nstien smile

but I will be able to keep my teeth

they are important to me, my teeth that is...............

I had years of braces and in the process many teeth got pulled
because
much to the amazement of many of my friends
my mouth was too small

it is still small
the voice I have is large but the mouth isn't

and the teeth that remain I'd like to keep

it's simple really
at least to me.............. I'd like to be in my all when spirit calls me home
and that means I do have to work to keep my teeth

other parts have been removed as health became an issue..........that will happen as we age it seems.................but my teeth, my smile, my small mouth with the large voice, those I'd like to keep

goddess reclining