"You must be the change you want to see in the world." Ghandi

The silent meditation walk for Peace, "Peace is every step", started at the Yoga Center on
Elena. We walked single file and in silence, while meditating on the present moment peacefully. My guess is there were almost one hundred of us winding through Hollywood Riviera, past Hennessy's, past Harmony Works, past Ribbons and down to the Esplanade. It was beautiful, emotional, important and a long-ass walk. I will make the same walk everyday starting tomorrow with my sole intention being the experience of peace. It takes practice and discipline to keep your mind focused for such a long period of time, especially when there are so many distractions but it's an empowering discipline.

Aging Parents

My mother is a soft spoken woman. She never cusses. Well, she used to when she was sewing five little girl dresses for Easter. I heard her say, "Shit!" more than once as she ripped out a seam that was on the wrong side. But since she gave up sewing, her four letter words are safe enough to have her around the grandkids, that is, until yesterday. I was shocked at her response when I said, "Mom, it may be time for you to stop driving."
Her response? "Bulllshit!" I swear. My 86 year-old mother responded like a seasoned sailor.

The DMV is asking her to take a written and a behind-the-wheel test before her next birthday in June. I pray they take her license. The other day she was sitting at a red light waiting to make a left-hand turn. As soon as the light turned green she turned. Her passengers screamed. She said, "I had the green light." (Nevermind the oncoming traffic.)

Yesterday she asked the handyman to look at her bedroom window. She thought something was wrong with it because she couldn't open it. It's only a few years old and works great. She's been opening it and closing it for at least three years. He and I both took a look and it opened right up. I think she forgot how.

It's so sad to see my competent mother lose her grip. She raised six children, worked, kept house, took care of my father, and made her decisions quickly and with clarity. My four sisters and I are having to come together to decide what to do if the DMV lets her keep her license. She and I own property together. I'd have to take her off the title to protect my investment in the event of an accident. It will be hard to tell her this or to get her to agree.

Most of my friends have lost both of their parents. Some of them had to suffer with their dementia and diseases but I've been lucky. My mother is healthy and strong and still drives herself to work every morning. However, I'm paying off her car next week and I'm hoping she will retire, finally. Her sister still works and drives even though she has glaucoma. It's crazy. I think my mother is in denial about her age and her capabilities. Maybe I will be as well when I reach that age. I hope I have the sense to let it go when the time comes.

Honor your mother and father. Love them and take care of them. Even when it's making you nuts.

Speaker Series..tonight I'll hear this man at the new Disney Hall

Carlos Fuentes is one of Latin America's most prominent men of letters. He is an essayist and literary historian of the highest caliber, as well as the author of numerous screenplays, dramas, and short stories; however, Fuentes is best known for his novels, which use complex and innovative narrative techniques to probe Mexican history. Born in 1928 in Panama City, the son of a Mexican diplomat, Fuentes was raised in Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile. He took a law degree from the National University of Mexico, and pursued graduate studies at the Institut des Hautes Études Internationales in Geneva. Fuentes combined his life as a writer with a successful career in international relations that culminated in being appointed Mexico's ambassador to France in 1975-77; since then he has held distinguished lectureships in England and America, and has been the Robert F. Kennedy Professor of Latin American Studies at Harvard University since 1987. He has received numerous literary awards, including the Cervantes Prize in 1987. Fuentes' major works include: Where the Air is Clearer (1958); The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962); A Change of Skin (1967); Terra Nostra (1975); The Hydra Head (1978); The Old Gringo (1985); and The Campaign (1990).

Silent Meditation Walk For Peace

Saturday at 3 o'clock, starting in South Redondo, just off Catalina and Avenue I, will be a silent meditation walk for Peace. Please join us.

Imagine

I've Been Wondering Where The Christian Left Went....

http://www.cafepress.com/turn_left?source=Google&kw=Christian_Left

Rain, Rain, Rain....

Who ever said it never rains in California? Wrong! It rained again last night and has been raining for weeks and weeks. And it's cold too. I've been wearing sweatshirts and turning on the heater. Last night I needed a blanket to watch TV. It's crazy, man. But the flowers are so happy and everybody's lawn is a rich green.

I need a badge.

I went to Arico's Hallmark store today to get a card and gift for my nephew and his fiance. My sister is giving them a little engagement party tonight where we will meet the bride's mother. After I found a little something and a little something to wrap it in I paid for it and left the store. I got into my car and noticed that there was a green and white cab sitting out in front, with the door open. A man came running from the store and jumped into the cab. He seemed to be in quite a hurry. A second later a woman came out and said they had just been robbed. Well, I wasn't going to just sit there and let him get away so I put my little Saturn in reverse and chased after him. Of course, it is the one time I was without cell phone. I'm never without my cell phone, that is, until today. I followed him down the street and down a hill to a big boulivard. The cab driver was driving normally but the robber was laying down in the back seat. I wasn't sure what I was going to do or how long I was going to follow him but it didn't take very long before I saw a police car coming down the street from the opposite direction. I waved him down and he made a U turn behind me. The light ahead turned red and the cab stopped behind another car. I pulled up next to him. The police car pulled up behind him. I slowly backed up and told the officer that a store had been robbed and the guy was hiding in the cab in front of him. I wasn't sure if he believed me. He said sarcastically, "A store was robbed?" "Yes!" I said, "and he's hiding in that cab." The light turned green and I pulled in behind the officer's car. I followed him, following the cab, all the way down 190th Street to Hawthorne Blvd. When the cab changed lanes, the cop changed lanes, I changed lanes. We all turned south on Hawthorne Blvd. and I kept wondering why the cop didn't turn on his lights and get this guy. We continued down another mile or so when all of a sudden cop cars came swooping in from all directions. They stopped traffic on Hawthorne Blvd, Del Amo Blvd and blocked driveways from the major stores. I had kept a safe distance but found myself in the middle of their circle. With guns drawn and shouts in the air, "Put your hands up!" I slowly backed my car out of the line of fire. The cab driver got out but the robber held back....cursing his luck, no doubt. They finally got him to get out of the cab but what struck me as rather humorous was all the cell phones and PDA's in the crowd of cars and bystanders. Everyone with camera capabilities had their delight with something to show and tell tomorrow around the office water cooler.

I feel like a hero. I think I want a badge or sumthin.

I am so loving LIFE!

I'm busier than a one armed paper hanger but it's all good. I spent Easter in Phoenix with the family and drove back here to finish up the office remodel. The new floor on the patio will be finished next week, as will the bathroom ceiling, with the only exception being some upholstery items. It looks so beautiful. I couldn't be more pleased. It's warm and soothing and the energy is clear and high. All of the flowers I planted last month are delighted to be here.

I have a couple coming tonight for my "Couples Nite". The hot tub has a new fragrance and the fireplace has a fresh log. I've lit fifteen candles out there and a few inside too. The music is soft and relaxing and the comforter is in the dryer for fluffing.

They should be here any minute. I love working with couples.

Better run.....

21 Suggestions for better living....

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

5. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don't judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

17. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Spend some time alone.

He doesn't have the passion for politics....

It's a shame he won't run for President of the United States, he says he doesn't have the passion for politics. I think he could win and I think we'd be pleased with his diplomatic touch and his vision for the future of the U.S. as well as the rest of the world. It was a pleasure to see and hear him speak tonight. I didn't agree with everthing he said but he was entertaining, funny and straight forward and he has a very positive outlook on the state of the world's evolution....'the flattening of the the world'. If only the main monkey had listened to him three years ago....but we are where we are and his opinion is that we keep looking through the front windshield, not the rearview mirror. We keep moving forward, we keep working to make a better future by focusing on our children. We need more Head Start programs and others like it. I like him. Did you know he and Elvis were in Germany together?

JB said that it's not that he doesn't have the passion for politics...he doesn't have the enough of a desire to tolerate the year of dirty politics leading up to an election. His children and grandchildren's lives would be forever changed if he ran and won. The freedom they enjoy just walking to the park and playing without the secret service would have to end. They sacrificed for 44 years with his career. So, what a shame. Men of his caliber are not easy to find.

I think we need a third party. I'm so sick of the Republican party and just as sick with the Democrats. The extreme left, the extreme right are screwing things up for the true majority. And we need campaign reform badly. We need to have campaignes paid with public funds and keep it clean, keep it real, keep it honest. JB said that will never happen. I think he's wrong.
I often think he's wrong. LOL

Gen. Powell said it's ridiculous to think the United States would engage in a nuclear attack on any country and that the rumors about bombing Iran are ludicrous. Iran is years away from nuclear weapon capacity and we have lots of time for diplomacy. That, of course, would mean we need a president who is capable of such. hmmm. Who could it be?

Gen.Colin Powell

Monday night at the Music Center.....Colin Powel. I'll be there and I can't wait to feel his vibe.

I so love how life works....

Ya know how I wrote about the new office, bathroom and patio? The new furniture, paint, art, flowers, shelves and such? When it was completed I stood back and looked at it all and thought...."Man-o-man, this is beautiful." I also thought, "I'd really like to change the look of that old tub and shower in the bathroom. It needs a new shower door and I'd love to raise that ceiling to make it really great. I could put in that new lighting I want. Yep, that's what I want."

This morning the bathroom ceiling caved in from a leak in a water pipe.....now I have to pull out all the soaked drywall and spray everything with bleach and let it dry out before we close it up....but now that it's down, isn't it the perfect time to raise the ceiling and put in the new lighting? I say, yes! I'll probably keep the old bathtub and tile but it's time for a new shower door and steam unit, lighting and shower head. See how it works? You say what you want and the universe delivers, even if it has to hit you over the head with it. LOL

Los Angeles Music Center Speaker Series

Bill Clinton was in Los Angeles this week, fund raising for a project like the one he has in Harlem, where business people volunteer their time and expertise to assist small business owners to achieve greater success with existing businesses and "how to" advice for the beginners.

He's involved with projects, locally, nationally and internationally, as a citizen who believes we must all do more to make our country and our world a better place.

He talked about the health care crisis that is looming in the generation of children who are feasting on fast foods and sugary sweets and drinks. He said that this will be the first generation of Americans unable to reach the age of their parents. Young parents will outlive their children who will be dying at record numbers, of diabetes and heart disease if we don't do something to stop it.

There is a program at our local schools where parents are volunteering their time to teach kids about nutrition and show them how fresh, healthy foods are planted, grown and harvested. They've taken over a plot of land and are growing beets, onions, lettuces, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries. The students are right down in the dirt, pulling weeds, watering and feeding the food they end up eating at party at harvest time. It's your everyday citizens making the differences.

Bill Clinton urged everyone to get involved in making a difference locally and globally. One dollar sent to ONE will help feed a child in the poorest of countries. One phone call a day to your Senator or Congressman to demand better schools, food programs, health care and social security will do more than you can imagine. We have more power than we know...we just aren't doing the doing.

Bill Clinton was a great president and a great citizen. I have a enormous amount of respect for him and was pleased to see him in person.

It's raining, it's pouring....

.....the lifeguard is snoring!

My beach city has had more rain this Spring than it had all of Winter. My new flowers may not make it for all the water. But, there is that old saying....April showers bring May flowers. Let's hope so.

I'm snuggled all warm in my home, listening to Janis Joplin's Greastest Hits...next up? Chicago Soundtrack.

Shanon and Michael are still here. It will be three weeks on Friday, but she's planning on leaving late Thursday night. I will miss them terribly. They just left to go to Chuckie Cheese to meet some of her friends who have little ones Michael's age. I miss them already.

.....Summertime time time....and the living is easy.... go Janis go.

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

The Viking Rune, Sowelu

Wholeness
Life Forces
The Sun’s Energy

This Rune stands for Wholeness, that which your nature requires. It embodies the impulse toward self-realization and indicates the path you must follow, not from ulterior motives but from the core of your individuality.
Seeking after Wholeness is the Spiritual Warrior’s quest. And yet what you are striving to become in actuality is what you, by nature, already are. You must become conscious of your essence and bring it into form, express it in a creative way. A Rune of great power, making life force available to you, Sowelu marks a time for regeneration right down to the cellular level.
Although this Rune has no Reversed position, there is reason for caution. You may see fit to withdraw, to retreat in the face of a pressing situation, especially if events or people are demanding that you expend your energy now. Know that such a retreat is a retreat in strength, and that it can indicate the need for a voyage inward for centering, for balance. Timely retreat is among the skills of the Spiritual Warrior.
At the same time, for some this Rune counsels opening yourself up, letting the Light into a part of your life that has been secret, shut away. To accomplish this may call for profound recognitions, for admitting to yourself something that you have long denied.
There is a prayer known as the Gayatri that embodies the spirit of Sowelu. Address the sun in this fashion:

You, who are the source of all power,
Whose rays illuminate the whole world,
Illuminate also my heart
So that it too can do Your work.

While reciting the Gayatri, visualize the sun’s rays streaming forth into the world, entering your own heart, and then streaming out from your heart center, back into the world. This is a powerful and life-enhancing prayer.

Again, there is a caution here not to give yourself airs. Even in a time of bountiful energy, you are required to face and vanquish our refusal to let right action flow through you. Nourish this capacity, for it is a mark of true humility.

Practice the art of doing without doing: Aim yourself truly and then maintain your aim without manipulative effort. For by our own power we do nothing. Even in loving, it is Love that loves through us. This way of thinking and being integrates new energies and permits you to flow into Wholeness, which is the ultimate goal of the Spiritual Warrior.