Go on, Celebrate Life.

When you are young, the winds of Fate can carry you to places you would never dream of traveling.  The young have an innocence, a joie de vie, that often has been put to rest in later years.   Undaunted, the young step bravely into the Unknown.

C and I were inseparable until a young man stopped at the bottom of the hill, a door opened, and we squeezed our bodies into a fire engine red MGA.  It was the literal opening of a door, a pathway to a new life. 

This was the 60s, when life was meant to be explored and enjoyed. C and I honestly weren't that keen on men, the odd species. In no time at all,  he fell madly in love with her, while she was madly in love with me.  Eventually, an amicable dissolution was reached and nearly a decade had past. Time had moved us all along.  He had decided … in his own words… to become a monk. Had I known monk meant cult member I might have chosen differently, but monk sounded noble, selfless. The concept itself hit my soft spot; I could only think of one appropriate farewell gift. Sex. 

Upon discovery of the small, yet powerful, enigma growing inside me, it became time to let Destiny once again have her say.  He cowered and ran for protection. I stood my ground, or rather "she" stood hers.  This little life inside me insisted on being born, insisted on truth.  In that moment of certitude, I swear the heavens rejoiced.  The mortals were about to get a run for their money.  She would take human form and choose to live among us. 

Today, we celebrate that life and light. 

Happy Birthday, Anisse.

God

We ask a lot from God. As One who is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient, our paltry requests – even those that include gut-wrenching and pathetic bargaining to spare a life or become cured of an incurable disease – are nothing for someone like God to grant. God can do anything God wants.

It is the same argument of old. If God is on our side, then the “favors” we ask are granted; God is pleased with us and acts accordingly. However, if we ask God to grant our request and God is not pleased with us, our requests are denied. We are shamed, shunned, and reminded that we are less than perfect. We are unimportant and dismissible. We are outside of the Light. Too much to bear, we turn it around to then believe that God is showing us a special kind of favoritism: God knows we need to suffer to grow in spirit. Father Knows Best. For this, we are supposed to be thankful. If we are thankful enough, we will end the circle of absurdity and maybe even rebirth. If we show signs of anger, resentment and heaven forbid, hostility toward God, we just may slip through the cracks to the bottomless abyss below.

When I was a young woman, I did something that would be considered a very significant sin in the eyes of the church (oops, I mean the Church). So grievous was my sin that, according to church doctrine, I would be forever be outside the love of God. God was not happy and crossed out my name from the Book of Life with a permanent marker. There were others. Here we were, a mismosh of evictees, victims of circumstance thrown into the ring with convicted felons, all to be fed to the lions of pomposity.

In that moment, on that day of sentencing, I was set free. Not by God, but by the absence of God. For if God would condemn me forever without reprieve, then I was free to live my life in any way I chose, good or bad, without fear of spiritual consequence.

What happens when we take God out of the equation? God has gone to the Bahamas without his cell phone. Drat. What happens when our intermediaries are gone as well? God-in-Christ-and-All-the-Saints-and-Buddhas have taken holiday en masse. The petitioner and the petitionees are incommunicado. Please leave a message after the tone.

Like my second daughter, I really want to believe in God. I want to believe in the God that others are convinced exists. I have looked for God as earnestly as anyone. I have boldly walked into the heart of all faith traditions and practices, attempting to leave no stone unturned. I did not find God. What I found was the freedom of not-finding, the wisdom that God can not be found. The best I can do is feel for the essence of life and witness the incomprehensible majesty and beauty of ordinary living. I can feel for what lives in you that lives in me, our common spirit that feels good and right and true.

My trinity is that of Wisdom, Compassion, and Beneficence. The three are inseparable and are in and of everything that exists. Now that I am free, I can take my them with me everywhere I go.

Fraudulent Authenticity

The purpose of this timely article is to educate and to stress the critical and urgent need to protect against a terrible virus known as FA. There is no known immunization or antidote once the infection has taken root. Once infected, the virus spreads rapidly to affect brain function, culminating in irreversible brain damage, save a few isolated cases.

This has been a major coup for those whose primary goal has been dumbing down the masses. Nearly everyone now carries the virus. Like other virulent pathogens that have reached epidemic proportion, efforts to arrest the spread of infection have been largely unsuccessful. Prevention efforts, such as this one, have been too small in number to effect any significant change, but I’m hoping with this blog post, things might change. Most people who carry the virus don’t even know they have it, as the auditory-brain connection is severed. Epidemiologically, it is the worst virus known to humankind to date.

Replicating at speeds beyond comprehension, FA is like a thief in the night, entering silently and unannounced, replacing healthy cells with a “cell-double.” Looking and acting like its predecessor cells, this cell double is virtually undetectable by modern medicine or microscopy. It takes up residence unnoticed, usurping and ultimately annihilating its former inhabitant: you.

It began over a decade ago as a fairly circumscribed virus, infecting only a small percentage of the population. The virus appears benign, subjecting its unsuspecting host to its toxin. Those who are newly infected exhibit the same symptoms with disturbing accuracy in a matter of months, thus spreading the disease to more immune-naïve individuals.

To perpetuate and grow the virus, however, took concerted and unified efforts on the part of businesses, corporations, governments, schools and other major players of society. Perhaps the most insidious and lethal disseminators of the virus have been, and continue to be, supermarkets and houses of worship. Ironically, the very places people feel safe are those where 100% infection is almost guaranteed. Their collective efforts have paid off: FA is has reached global proportions and to date there is no known treatment or cure.

“Have a nice day!” she said as I finished my transaction at the supermarket. No sooner did I pick up my bag when I heard, “Would you like some help out with your bags?” Earlier, someone said, “Are you finding everything you need?” At first, it sounded almost sincere. But now, I have heard those very same phrases over a hundred times, without alteration. It could be the cable or the phone company: “I’m sorry to hear you are having problems. Please know we are making every effort to resolve your issue.” You will be hard pressed to find any business or venue that is infection-free.

There are few places left that are safe. But I am well and sane enough to tell you this: there is still time to save yourself from this devastating disease that literally eats your brain alive! This is no joke!!!

Please, I caution you, take every safeguard to protect yourself. Signs and symptoms of those infected with the virus include unconsciously repeating rote phrases and responses the most common of which is “Have a nice day,” usually accompanied by a feigned smile. If you have been exposed, cover your ears immediately and leave the premises. There is no guarantee that airborne droplets have not entered your auditory canal and are enroute to the brain. Isolating yourself it is your best defense. Remaining aware that you are a separate and distinct entity can boost your immune system to ward off the disease.

If someone demands that you repeat certain phrases as part of your job, quit then and there and seek refuge. These people have reached the final stages of the illness. REMEMBER: there are no known treatments or interventions that have proven useful at this point.

Recognizing the symptoms of this devastating disease will save not only your life but also your rational mind. Ultimately, the future of our species is at stake. It’s up to you. Guard against FA. Spread the real word.