I am thankful for the mess to clean after
a party because it means I have been
surrounded by friends.
— Nancie J. Carmody

Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length.
— Robert Frost

Whoever one is, and wherever one is, one is always in the wrong if one is rude.
— Maurice Baring

glumbert.com - Master Juggler

glumbert.com - Master Juggler

Put all your eggs in one basket and – watch that basket.
— Mark Twain

Tori 4 Secretary

Kate and Tori's video.
Fun to watch.

They Don't Sell You This At Hallmark

Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their sons. Here is the original Mother's Day Proclamation from 1870.

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies.
Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not betaken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summon sof war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that ageneral congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests ofpeace.

Julia Ward HoweBoston 1870

Short Term Mission Trips

Another perspective.
And they say we are self sufficient!
We go for us, not for them.
Turns out, we need all the help we can get!
DanSheffield

Sarah Harmer -I'm A Mountain (Shelter Valley Folk Festival)

Kate and Meghan are Hippies

Born 35 years too late they say.

Alas, they look longingly at this video from the 60's and pine and mourn.

meghan says

My prediction: In 35 years, their grandchildren will be saying the same thing when they look at this photo and video....

Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring your hope
Songs that bring your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice
-Delirious

What the *&^%$#@ are we doing. Or not doing.

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.- Proverbs 31:8-9

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.
— Palmer Sondreal

meghan says

meghan says
is our daughter Meghan's blog. Very interesting and insightful reading -- if I do say so myself!

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
— Anne Lamott

I Like To Try New and Different...

And sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.
This template just feels more like me.
And my husband should be happy: he was struggling to read the text on a black background.
Like and old sweater, this new look feels good.
Snuggly, warm -- me.

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
— Ruth Ann Schabacker

Waving or Drowning?

Waving or Drowning? Mike Todd's Blog has a great piece about what we as world citizens to help to help GW see a better way.
If you agree Gitmo is incredibly unamerican, sign here....

The Dignity to Give and Receive

"Nobody is so poor that he/she has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich that he/she has nothing to receive."

These words by Pope John-Paul II, offer a powerful direction for all who want to work for peace. No peace is thinkable as long as the world remains divided into two groups: those who give and those who receive.

Real human dignity is found in giving as well as receiving. This is true not only for individuals but for nations, cultures, and religious communities as well. A true vision of peace sees a continuous mutuality between giving and receiving.

Let's never give anything without asking ourselves what we are receiving from those to whom we give, and let's never receive anything without asking what we have to give to those from whom we receive.

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim.

~ A Franciscan Blessing