Martin Luther King, Jr.---Blog Post #800

Shed a Little Light

By James Taylor

 

Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the Earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

(Chorus)
Shed a little light, oh Lord
So that we can see
Just a little light, oh Lord
Wanna stand it on up
Stand it on up, oh Lord
Wanna walk it on down
Shed a little light, oh Lord

Can't get no light from the dollar bill
Don't give me no light from a TV screen
When I open my eyes
I wanna drink my fill
From the well on the hill

(Do you know what I mean?)
- Chorus -

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

Oh, Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the Earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood

I always sing this song to myself on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  I love the words to the song, and at the end of this post, I have posted a video of James and his band singing this song, if you would like to listen.

The last time I visited Washington D.C., I was able to visit the newly created memorial for Martin Luther King Jr.

As I walked through the memorial and read some of the quotes he had said or written in his lifetime, I was amazed at the love and compassion and leadership this man possessed.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  1963

 

 I took photos of some of my favorites, and the quotes that meant the most to me.  I think the quotes of MLK, Jr. always are  special to me, not only because of what he was doing at this point in history, but because it was happening around the time I was born.  For some reason, that makes me feel more connected to this time in history.

 I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.  Norway, 1964.

 

 If we are go have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional, our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.  Georgia 1967

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.  This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.  Norway, 1964

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.  1963

 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged us to shed a little light on our world.  A light that comes from love, not hate.  From nonviolent action, not violence.  From embracing our differences and helping that unite us, instead of making those differences segregate us and drive us apart.  But this wasn't a new message.  It wasn't one he created on his own.  It was one he had been taught his whole life, as he attended church every Sunday, learning the words Jesus Christ said in the New Testament.  King took to heart the verse in Matthew 22: 37-40 that says:

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[d] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

 

Today, King's daughter Bernice King, Chief Executive Officer of the King Center posted this statement on her blog here


On the national holiday today, The King Center is calling for a moratorium on violence. Specifically, we are asking that there be no shots fired -- no shooting off at the mouth with our tongue, no shooting off physically with our fists and no shooting off of any type of gun! Just for one day -- on the King Holiday -- in recognition of my father, and as TIME magazine has said, one of our nation's Founding Fathers, let us honor the memory of one of the world's most highly regarded nonviolent proponents of peace on his holiday, with no shots fired. Instead, we ask that people engage in something positive and uplifting in service to humanity.

Shed a little light.  Engage in something positive and uplifting to service humanity.  What if we all took this statement to heart.  What if we all took one day to fire no shots.....to do something positive and uplifting in service to humanity.  What would the outcome look like?

I think for one day our world would be a much brighter place, and light would drive out darkness, and love would drive out hate.

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr., for shedding your light, and letting your message continue to shine on our world today.



Canning

I love preserving food.

It is almost like an art form.

I love the sound of the "ping" when the lid has sealed.

I love looking through my canning books for new recipes.

Yesterday I canned some pears.

They are "Spirited Pears".  They are "spirited" because each jar has a dash of rum in them.

I can't wait to try a jar.

Here is how they looked lined up in the pantry.

Since canning these pears, I now have got the canning bug.

My freezers are full of frozen fruit and berries and hot peppers from last summer that are just waiting to be made into hot pepper jams of various kinds.

Tomorrow my plan  is to take an inventory of all the frozen fruit I have, and what kind of jars I have, and make a plan to make some different kinds of jams and other canned goodies.

Canned goods are always a nice thing to have on hand to give away as a gift. 

It also makes me feel like I have accomplished something good.  Something with purpose......like my word for the year....purposeful. 

Canning is very purposeful.

How Smells Take You Back in Time

Last night I was cutting some corn off  a cob, and when I cut the first kernels off, the air was filled with summer.  The smell of corn on the cob transports me back to summer.

Especially the summers we would spend a week at my Grandma West's house in Orofino.  Because corn on the cob was always on the menu.  And if we weren't eating corn on the cob at Grandma's house, then we were sitting outside at my Auntie Lila's enjoying corn on the cob.

Here I am at Grandma West's house in Orofino when I was little.

When I work in my garden, especially with tomato plants, I am back in Grandma's West's vegetable garden.  Orofino has a unique soil, very dark with a particular smell.  And for some reason I think of that smell every time I work around tomato plants. 

It is interesting how smells can transport you back in time.  A few years ago Paul and I were walking down McKinley Avenue in uptown Kellogg, past our old house, around where the Bunker Hill Mine workings used to be in that area of town.

One of us kicked up some dirt, and the smell again transported me to another time....to the playground at Sunnyside Elementary when you would be out for early morning recess, and there was a burning in your throat from the smelter smoke.  Because that smell was still in some of the dirt down on McKinley Avenue.

Every time I smell fresh green beans cooking on the stove, with a little bacon in them, I am once again a child in my Grandma Woolum's house on Bridgeport Avenue in Spokane, Washington.  Often Grandma would have green beans cooking on her stove that would fill her house with a wonderful smell. 

Here I am with my sister and brother outside of my Grandma Woolum's house in Spokane.

We have a small dresser drawer that we got from this same house, and, even years later, I can open those drawers and smell Listerine, a staple always in my grandma's medicine cabinet, and what her small little bathroom off the kitchen often smelled like.

Homemade bread baking in the oven reminds me of Sunday afternoons at home when I was growing up.  If Mom was going to make bread, that was the day she baked the bread.  And it was often accompanied by some delicious dinner.  Mom made the best homemade white bread!!

A friend in high school would always where "Brut" cologne.  If I ever smell that cologne, I am reminded of him.

 Whenever I smell Constant Comment Tea, it transports me back to the faculty room at Silver King School, because this spicy orangy smell was very prominent in that faculty lounge at the school. This is the school my mom taught at until I was in 7th grade, so I spent many hours at that school. Later, when I was in high school, I helped clean this school and the same smell permeated from the faculty lounge many years later.

These are just a few small examples of how smells transport me back in time.  Fortunately, most of the time these memories are associated with good things. 

The National Cathedral

I have had a privilege of visiting our Nation's Capitol three different times.  The first time was in June of 2007, then in July of 2008, then again in July of 2012.

During my second visit was the first time I was able to experience the National Cathedral.  I don't think you just visit cathedrals....you experience them.

I was in D.C. for a conference for my job.  I had arrived on Saturday, and didn't have anything to be at until Sunday evening, so I took advantage of some sight seeing on Sunday.  I hopped on the Trolley and headed up to The National Cathedral for a service and to tour the cathedral.

Below are some excerpts from the blog post I wrote right after I had my first experience at the cathedral.

Sunday was explore day. I didn't have to do anything until about 6 p.m., so I hopped on the trolley that drives you around D.C., and my first stop was the Washington National Cathedral.

It was breathtaking. I had never been to a cathedral before, and it was unbelievable.

When I went inside, the formal Holy Eucharist was just finishing in the nave. The Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral, but the bulletin says it is a church for national purposes called to embody God's love and to welcome people of all faiths and none.

At 10 a.m., in St. Joseph's Chapel in the lower level or Crypt level of the cathedral, I attended the Contemporary Folk Eucharist. When I arrived, there was a man playing a guitar, and going over the songs that would be sung during the service. From this moment on, I knew I would be blessed.

The service opened up with the Presider saying, Blessed be the one, holy, and living God.

We responded with, Glory to God for ever and ever.

The opening hymn was "We Gather Together", a song my mother likes to sing as we gather together for Thanksgiving dinner.

An Episcopalian service is liturgical, and everything that is said and responded to is written down in a bulletin. The lesson was from Romans 8:12-25. The Reverand Canon Preston Hannibal, who presided over the service that morning, based The Discussion on this passage of scripture, particularly the verses that say:

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

He shared some thoughts on hope, then posed some questions about hope to those of us sitting there in that small chapel, and we listened as people shared about hope to a group of total strangers, but strangers who were part of a family of Believers in Christ.

One lady talked about living in Egypt a few years ago, and found she grew up, and her hope and faith in Christ became stronger as she learned to live her Christianity in the mid east.

The man leading songs on the guitar shared about his journey with cancer and one of the ladies he met during his chemo treatments who reached out to other patients with her positive and hopeful outlook.

Another lady shared about her hope was in how Christ transforms her life each day.

After everyone finished sharing who wanted to share, the Reverend challenged us to go out and share hope with those who have no hope. The homeless person asking for money. The unlovable person. He said it is easy to be a Christian inside the walls of the church, but when we really give hope to others is when we share that hope with those in the world around us.

After the message, I joined in taking communion, which was quite moving sharing "The Lord's Supper" with brothers and sister in Christ from all over the world.  Then it seemed especially moving to recite the Nicene Creed with all those other Christians in that room.

 

The Nicene Creed

 

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

It was a joy to pray for the community, the church and the world with these other Believers. It was a joy to pray for George Bush our President, and the leaders of other nations with these people.

The Communion Hymn seemed very appropriate after the message we heard on hope.

It is called "Breath of Life", and the first verse goes like this:

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

fill me with life anew,

that I may love what thou dost love,

and do what thou wouldst do.

Then we prayed together...

God of abundance, you have fed us with the bread of life and cup of salvation; you have united us with Christ and one another; and you have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue for ever in the risen life of Christ. Amen

Then we closed with they hymn "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."

I love worshiping with people from other churches, places and faiths. I always get such a bigger picture of God's Kingdom here on earth, and what He is doing throughout the world.

The next time I visited Washington D.C., Paul accompanied me.  It was again for a work-related conference that he also attended.  That Sunday morning we also decided to attended services at the National Cathedral.

This time the small service in the basement was not being held at the time we were there, so we attended the service in the nave. 

It was wonderful being a part of this type of service as well.  Not quite as intimate as my first experience, but beautiful in a different way. 

The Cathedral Singers sang beautiful songs, and The Reverend Dr. Francis S. Wade shared the sermon that morning.  Again, we were partakers in communion, The Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, however you want to describe it.  And again, I enjoy the sense of community you feel sharing in this experience with worshipers from all over the world.

As an extra, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite moments from the show "The West Wing".  This is a monologue President Jed Bartlett shares in the National Cathedral after his dear friend and secretary Mrs. Landingham dies in a car accident after she has just purchased her first brand new car.  The depth of his emotions in this still gives me goosebumps today.  And you know, because of previous episodes, that this man has a very close relationship with God, and that is what makes this even more powerful.  And, as you are watching, you can get a glimpse of inside the Cathedral.

A little National Catherdral trivia.....The Cathedral is so big, you could lay the Washington Monument down inside it and still have 55 feet to spare.....The Washington Monument is 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall.

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine

One of my favorite authors in Madeleine L'Engle.  While living in New York City, L'Engle was the Writer in Resident of St. John's Cathedral.  The first time Paul and I visited NYC, I put taking a tour of the Cathedral on our agenda, because I wanted to experience the place that inspired one of my favorite writers.

L'Engle used the Cathedral grounds as the setting for some of her books, so it was great seeing the grounds and understanding what they really looked like.

 

 

When we visited the Cathedral, we took what was called the "Vertical" tour, where we went all the way to the top of the cathedral, in the eaves right under the roof.

 

The whole experience was so wonderful, and learning about the community where L'Engle was a part made it even more special.

She was not only the writer-in-residence at the Cathedral, but taught at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School, which is located on the Cathedral grounds.  In 1965 she became a volunteer librarian.

Since I never had the chance to actually meet L'Engle in person before she passed away, visiting the Cathedral was the next best thing to meeting her.

Burke, Idaho

Burke is a ghost town in Shoshone County, Idaho.  Once a thriving silver, lead and zinc mining community, it is far smaller now than at its height.  In 2002, about 300 people lived in or nearby in the lengthy and narrow Burke Canyon, about 300 feet in width.  In its early years, Burke was home to the Hercules silver mine, as well as the location of the Hecla and Star Mines.  After years of decline, Burke mining operations finally ceased in 1981, with the closing of the Star Mine, which reopened for a short period in the 1990s.


For the last three summers I spent time sharing the history of Burke with people who take the Ghost Town Trolley.  I enjoy learning about the history of the Silver Valley where I live, and sharing those stories with others.  And it is part of my own family's history as well, because my dad's family lived up in Burke Canyon before he was born.

Here are some shots I took of Burke last September on a photo walk with my brother.

 

If you want to enjoy a real ghost town, journey up Burke some day, and you will see what is left of a thriving mining area with stories that can fill volumes.

The Salvation Army

Like most people, my only experience with the Salvation Army was dropping money in the red bucket at Christmastime.

This summer I discovered it was so much more!!

Here is a bit of history on how the Salvation Army began, according to their website:

William Booth embarked upon his ministerial career in 1852, desiring to win the lost multitudes of England to Christ. He walked the streets of London to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.

Booth abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit, instead taking his message to the people. His fervor led to disagreement with church leaders in London, who preferred traditional methods. As a result, he withdrew from the church and traveled throughout England, conducting evangelistic meetings. His wife, Catherine, could accurately be called a cofounder of The Salvation Army.

In 1865, William Booth was invited to hold a series of evangelistic meetings in the East End of London. He set up a tent in a Quaker graveyard, and his services became an instant success. This proved to be the end of his wanderings as an independent traveling evangelist. His renown as a religious leader spread throughout London, and he attracted followers who were dedicated to fight for the souls of men and women.

Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards were among Booth's first converts to Christianity. To congregations who were desperately poor, he preached hope and salvation. His aim was to lead people to Christ and link them to a church for further spiritual guidance.

Many churches, however, did not accept Booth's followers because of their past. So Booth continued giving his new converts spiritual direction, challenging them to save others like themselves. Soon, they too were preaching and singing in the streets as a living testimony to the power of God.

 

We had the privilege of partnering with the Salvation Army in Harlem when we went there last summer.  We stayed in the Harlem Temple, and daily went to the Manhattan Citadel to minister to the people in the surrounding neighborhood.

If you have ever read the Gospels in the Bible, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor.  And while we were in Harlem for that brief period of time, the people in Harlem became our neighbors and we loved on them.  Some of these people worked for the Salvation Army.  Some lived in the areas around the Temple and Citadel.

We met people who worked in these facilities who loved God and loved the people they worked with each and every day.

We were able to feed the hungry.  We were able to give water to the thirsty on a very hot Fourth of July summer's day.  We prayed.  We shared Bible stories.

I sat and talked for about two hours to a mother of three of the kids who showed up in the park for Kid's Club.  No agenda.  No strings attached.  Just listening, talking and loving.

We served hot dogs, drinks and popcorn one night.

We served lunch to people in the neighborhood.

We sang hymns and spiritual songs on the sidewalk as people walked by.

We cleaned bathrooms.  We scrubbed floors.  We did anything that was asked of us.

And it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

So the next time you drop some money in one of those red kettles, know that the money is helping love your neighbor in your own community, and communities near and far.

Here we are before Christmas this year ringing the bell and singing Christmas songs as we manned one of the Salvation Army Red Kettles in our community.

Vision Board

Last year my friend April shared an idea with me when we were out for coffee.  Because a group of friends who had attended school together in Kellogg were all turning 50, she wanted as many of those friends to get together to create "Vision Boards" for the upcoming year.

Well, that was in the spring of 2013.  April's life became a little topsy-turvy with some things in her life, so it never happened last spring.  Instead, it happened in December.  Three of our group were able to gather together at my house and look through magazines, and cut out images or words that meant something to us about our vision for the year ahead.

If you want to take a look at April's vision board, you can see it here.

I hope to get a photograph of Tina's board when I see the finished product.

Here is a photograph of my vision board:

April and I plan to get together once a month to do some kind of exercise to get our creative juices flowing.  We hope Tina is able to join us again, as well as the list of our life long friends we have known for many, many years.

Creativity sparks creativity.

Things happen when people gather together to be open to their creative selves.

And being creative does not mean you have to be a good artist, or write poetry, or sing songs.

Each of us has been born with the ability to create.....to have visions.....to birth new ideas into being.

These new ideas don't have a format.  There isn't a mold.  They are new, they are born of who we are.

A woman named Julia Cameron has helped me to create many different things, and she has written many different books on being a creative person.  I love this quote of hers...

"No matter what your age or your life path, whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.” 
― Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

I want everyone to realize this....that creativity can be worked on at any point in our journey.....the sooner we make creativity a priority....the richer our lives become.

Favorite Food

I'm not going to elaborate on this post for too long.

My favorite food is fresh Dungeness Crab captured off the Oregon Coast.

You get it cleaned, take it home, steam it for a bit, then dip the meat in butter and eat.

Add a nice green salad, some good bread, and you are set.

It has to be freshly caught, or it just isn't the same.

I have never tasted any food that I enjoy more on this earth than fresh crab.

Pottery

The first year I lived in Glendive, Montana, I purchased this pottery vase.  It still has the sticker on it that tells who created it.  It says:

Vandalia Pottery

 

by

 

Panny Strommen

 

Vandalia, Montana  59273

 

 

I probably purchased it at one of the county fairs I had to attend as part of my job with Dawson Community College.  This was the beginning of my pottery collection.

 

 

Many more pieces would follow.  Some I would purchase myself.  Some I would receive as gifts.

 

The next thing I want to do is learn how to create my own pottery creations.  Fortunately one of my friends now teaches pottery, and has plans in the future of doing a pottery class for adults in the evenings.  I can't wait for that to happen.

 

As I was photographing my pottery, I was reminded I had received a piece of pottery created by this pottery instructor.  I received this piece of pottery as part of a creative exercise we did in a former creative group I started a few years ago.

 

 

 

I am so glad I kept the card that explains about the pottery piece.  Here is what it said:

 

Pottery....I am  a bowl factory------

 

Winter/Spring/Summer 2004---Pottery Class.  I blushed when the instructor wedged the clay.  Could not see the clay as anything except the female body.  Eventually after endless tries I created many crooked vessels---including this one.  By the summer my nickname was bowl factory.

 

I cherish this piece even more now that I am reminded of the story behind its' creation. 

 

I hope I get the chance sometime in the near future to create my own crooked vessels.....and become a bowl factory myself.

 

 

 

This is my newest piece of pottery, a colander, added to my collection as a gift this Christmas.  It is one of many pieces I have received as gifts or purchased from a potter in Spirit Lake, Idaho named Brad Sondahl.

 

If you would like to see some of his inventory, visit his website at here.

 

And here are a few more of the pieces I own from Sondahl Pottery.

 

 

 

The Bible makes many references to clay and being a potter, as this was a visual image that people could relate to during the time the Bible passages were written.

 

One of my favorite Bible verses with this theme is Isaiah 64:8.  The Voice translation interprets the verse like this:

 

Still, Eternal One, You are our Father.
    We are just clay, and You are the potter.
We are the product of Your creative action,

shaped and formed into something of worth.

 

Yes, I do believe I am a creation of God, that He created the whole universe.  In fact I find it rather humbling that He created me as well as the planets and the stars.

 

I like this version of this verse because it refers to we humans as a product of God's creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth.

 

We are all special.  We all have worth. 

 

And sometimes we need to be reminded of this part of the story of our own creation to realize how truly special we are in God's eyes.





Baltimore

Back in the summer of 2007, Zoe and two of her friends made it to National History Day in Washington D.C.  While on that trip, we spent five days in Washington D.C., then spent the last two days in Baltimore, Maryland.

The harbor area has been recently renovated and has lots of shops and restaurants.

But what is Baltimore famous for? Fresh crab. So I wanted fresh crab. Well, after crashing and taking a nap for a few hours, Zoe and I got up and looked at the map, and I found a place about 10-15 blocks down the harbor that had fresh crab. So we headed out on foot. It is about 8 p.m. at night.

One of the first places we saw on our walk was an Irish pub. I told Zoe if she hadn't been with me, I may have gone in and checked it out. It was named after James Joyce, and it sounded kind of cool.

As we kept walking toward the restaurant, we were in a neighborhood with houses really close to each other with stoops out front. I think they are called row houses, maybe. When we walked by one of these buildings, Zoe got really excited because there was a table outside one of the doors with a chess table on it, and two old men playing chess. She thought it was just like something you'd see in a movie.

When we were about five blocks into our walk, I stopped and wondered if this was such a wise thing to do. This was uncharted territory for us. But I guess we are more adventurous than I thought, because we kept walking.

We made it to the restaurant, and actually ate at the wrong one, but that's okay. We did get crab, but not sure how fresh it was.

We headed back and toyed with the idea of hailing a taxi, but we had no idea how one goes about doing that, so we walked.

I headed us up a few street too far at one point, and as we were walking down the street there was a big police station, so that made me feel pretty good. But then we got to the crosswalk, and on the side of the building across the street it said "videos, lingerie and books" I figured we shouldn't keep walking that way, so we took a left past the "Gospel Mission", and told Zoe to now walk quickly.

Most of this area actually seemed safe, but we did go down one street with a vacant lot, and, as we got closer to this vacant lot, a big black rat scurried across the road into the lot, carrying a plastic grocery bag. The rat was about the size of our Pomeranian Sadie. You gotta love the city!!

Well, I got us back on track, and we made it back to our hotel safe and sound. That was our evening in Baltimore.

I remember after returning home, telling this story to someone who was familiar with the town.  Their reaction was that we were lucky because Baltimore had the #1 crime rate in the country. 

But I did actually feel safe the whole time....and Zoe and I always have a great story to tell about our Baltimore adventure!!

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is a 2010 non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand, author of the best-selling book Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

I would say this is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in the past couple of years. 

And it is coming out as a movie at the end of next year.

I really hope the story is told well under the direction of director Angelina Jolie and the screenplay written by Ethan and Joel Coen.

Here is a synopsis of the story:

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

The last line of this description is what made this story so gripping for me...... because it is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

After reading this book, it showed me how much the human spirit can take and keep on living, if the will to live is there.  And what can happen if that will is not there.

Yes, there is unpleasantness in this book.  Part of the atrocities of  being a prisoner of war.  But that isn't the main story.  The main story is how Zamperini lived through and survived and what happened on the other side of the war.

The other interesting part of this book is the author Laura Hillenbrand's story while she wrote this book.  If you read this Washington Post article here, you can see what she went through while writing "Unbroken". 

 If you want to read an incredible story, I highly recommend "Unbroken". 

Cozomo

Cozomo

 

 

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life:

music and cats.
Albert Schweitzer 

Seventeen years ago, this sweet little black cat found us.  We have four cats.  Two of them, we found and brought them home.  Two of them found us.  Cozomo is one of them.

We lived in Meridian, Idaho at the time.  It was the fall of 1996.  Paul and I were youth group leaders in our church, and we were participating in an activity that had groups of us walking around the neighborhood near our church, and near our home.  Our group was joined by a little talkative kitten that joined our group as we walked around the neighborhood.  We kept hoping it would find its way home.

The next morning, this little kitten showed up again....this time at our church.  Two of our church members were cleaning the church, and had left the door open.  In comes this sweet little kitten to check things out.  They ended up taking her home, but, unfortunately, this little sweetie didn't get along with their other cat.

So they called us up, wondering if maybe one of the students at Meridian Academy, the alternative high school Paul taught at, wanted a kitten.  So we kept her for the night.  I still remember her being exhausted and sleeping next to me all night long.  So, instead of giving her away, we realized it was time to add another cat to our family, since our beloved Lynx had died the previous February.

We named her Cozomo....after the first two letters of each of our daughter's names.  Looking at her today, you would never know she was 17 years old.  She is very cuddly and continues to be a sweet little girl.  For those of you who have or do have cats as pets, you know the special bond that develops, and they do become a part of the family.

And we have been blessed to have enjoyed Cozomo for all these years.

I'm glad she found us when she did.



Just Do It....Don't Wait To Be Asked

A few weeks ago my friend Jennifer posted this story on Facebook, and I can't stop thinking about it.  It is quoted from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Last week I had dinner with a friend whose husband recently passed away and I learned a big lesson.

My friend's husband passed away after a long illness and when I asked her about some of the lessons she learned through those tough years, she said something that will stick with me forever.  She said, "When people are going through hard life circumstances, don't say 'Well if there's anything you need just let me know."

My friend said most days she couldn’t process how she was going to get through the next ten minutes, much less be able to ask others for help. I was challenged by this and wondered how I could help someone in need without being asked.

I could deliver dinner. Gas up their car. Mow their lawn. Pick up an extra gallon of milk or some pet food from the grocery store. Whatever it is, I’ll think I'll just do it and I won’t wait to be asked.


This is my challenge this year.  To "Just do it....and don't wait to be asked".  I am horrible in situations when I feel I should help out it some way, but I never know what to do....then I usually end up doing nothing.  Even though I feel my "knower" telling me to reach out and help.

My friend Anita, who has a wonderful blog http://www.littlegreygardens.blogspot.com/ posted this today on her Facebook after a mutual friend of ours, Barb, didn't wait to be asked, and just loved on her today.  Here is what she said:


Very awesome experience this afternoon... I got a text msg. from Barb, and she'd made us a huge bowl of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Croissants, and some cheese slices, and wanted to deliver them to us for dinner. The way I was feeling, we were going to having a "fend for yourself" night from various leftovers. What a blessing it was, and so delicious! And it came special delivery, along with big Hugs! Thanks so much, Barb!
 It is just taking the time to do it.  It is just listening to that voice inside, and acting on what it is telling you.  People like to be loved on.  And people love to love on other people.  So why is this so hard?

I don't want it to be hard any more. 

I want it to be second nature. 

To reach out. 

To help. 

To shine a little light in the darkness of someone's day.

Because I want to............

 

Cross Country Skiing

There are activities Paul and I used to do more regularly before we had children.  We liked to go fishing.  We liked to golf.  And we like to go cross country skiing.

Once the girls were born, none of them ever seemed interested in any of these activities, so they kind of went by the wayside.  Now that the girls are grown up, and almost "out of the nest", Paul and I have discussed bringing some of these activities back into our life.

One of those activities is cross country skiing.  We started doing this when we lived in Glendive, Montana.  We ordered some skis and boots from the Lands End catalog, and also purchased some clothing and other supplies...everything we needed.  Which was great, except for one small problem.  It didn't snow much in Glendive, believe if or not.  We lived there in the late 80's, and that area was experiencing a bit of a drought.

But the fun thing about that was we needed to go and find some snow.  So off we traveled to Yellowstone Park.  We stayed near Mammoth Hot Springs, which are absolutely beautiful during the  winter, because they are all iced over.  I remember driving into the park, and we were still down low enough that there still wasn't much snow.  Elk were just lying around on the ground as we entered the town.  It was quite a sight to see.

The nice thing about the park is there were lots of trails just for cross country skiers.  So fortunately the people on snowcats went their way, and we went ours, which was much quieter.

And very unpopulated.  We hardly saw any other skiers the whole day.  But we did see wildlife.  It was rather awe inspiring to be skiing along a trail as a 500 pound buffalo is staring down at you while bedded down in the snow on the side of the hill.

We also saw an ermine....pure white with a little tip of black on the end of its' tail...pop up out of the snow. 

This was in the winter of 1988.

Later during the summer of that same year, some big news came out of Yellowstone National Park.  The park experienced the largest wildfire in recorded history.  If you recall, one of the reasons we had traveled to Yellowstone to go skiing in the first place was because of a drought.  Well, that drought contributed to this big fire, because the park was so dry.

Because we had enjoyed our time at Yellowstone so much the first time, we decided to go back the next year, in the winter of 1989.  This year we invited Paul's brother Kevin and his wife Linda to join us.  This time we met at West Yellowstone, and rented a cute little cabin to stay in for the weekend.

The park had changed over the year.  As we skied along the landscape, the charred remains of the trees looked like wooden matches that had been burned then blown out.  It was easy to trace the fire's path during the winter.  And often you would have a path of burned, charred trees, next to living, healthy pines.  It just depended on how the fire's path wove through the park.

Again, we encountered wildlife.  We saw a beautiful herd of elk, over 100, traveling through the park.  We also saw an elk dead under a tree as we skied by...not quite as lovely and majestic looking as the herd.

We also had a visit from a baby moose at our cabin.  It came down the road and was looking in the window.  It was so cute....but we knew the danger.  We did keep our distance.

Some day I hope to return to cross country skiing here in the Silver Valley. 

Some day it would be fun to experience cross country skiing in Yellowstone Park again.

I'm ready to go!!!

James Taylor

James Taylor is one of my favorite singer, songwriters and performers.  I really want to attend one of his concerts in the near future.  Recently he and Carole King toured, and I so wished I could have attended one of those concerts.

He is performing in Maine on my birthday this summer in July.  I keep dropping hints to my family that it would make a great birthday present, but I'm not sure that is going to happen.

The first James Taylor album I owned was called "JT".  It was one of the purchases I received when I was a member of the Columbia Record Club while in Junior High and High School.  I knew every song by heart, and loved each and every song on the album.

Later, I purchased the album on CD.  One day I was listening to the album, and the song "Another Grey Morning" started playing.  It was as if I had a sort of epiphany.  The words to this song had a different meaning to me than they ever had before. 

From the time I was pregnant with my first daughter, until my youngest daughter was around two years old, I dealt with depression.  It was like the lyrics in this song said, I walked around in a gray fog.  My life at times seemed very repetitious as a stay at home mom with three kids.  I struggled quite a bit at times. 

Here are the lyrics to this song:

Another Grey Morning

Written by James Taylor

 

When I feel as though my love is sinking down
The sun doesn't want to shine
When it feels like she won't face another day
Life is unkind
She's frozen in time

And here comes another grey morning
A not so good morning after all
She says "well, what am I to do today
With too much time and so much sorrow"

She hears the baby waking up downstairs
She hears the foghorn calling out across the sound
Repetition in the morning air
Is just too much to bear
And no one seems to care
If another day goes creeping by
Empty and ashamed
Like an old unwanted memory
That no one will claim
The clouds with their heads on the ground
She's gonna have to come down

She said "move me, move me
I'm locked up inside"
Well, I didn't understand her
Though God knows I tried
She said "make me angry
Or just make me cry
But no more grey mornings
I think I'd rather die"

 

But I don't think I realized I was dealing with anything unusual until I heard the words to this song.  It was as if the grey clouds lifted and it helped me understand a little bit what I had been dealing with all those years.  The words of this song had a whole new meaning. 

 

If you would like, take some time and listen to the song yourself.