Light for My Children

Animal Consciousness & Morality

2011-02-26T21:32:00.002-07:00

If you ever find yourself wondering about the consciousness and morality of other animals on our planet, click back to this video. The presence of "heart and soul" is difficult to miss when one is face to face with it. Never allow yourself to forget the kinship we share with the other creatures of the world who are our brothers and sisters.

Pappy

The Gullibility of Faith

2011-02-24T20:38:00.002-07:00

Very often, we can learn much from those with whom we do not totally agree. I find this to be true particularly with atheists. I am not an atheist, but share many views in common with them. The video shown here, expresses one of the best oratories on the negative aspects of faith I've heard in a while. I'd like to share it with you.

Enjoy,
Pappy

Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

2011-02-18T01:39:00.004-07:00

To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.

The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man extort her secret, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection. Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood.

When we speak of nature in this manner, we have a distinct but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean the integrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood-cutter, from the tree of the poet. The charming landscape which I saw this morning, is indubitably made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate all the parts, that is, the poet. This is the best part of these men's farms, yet to this their warranty-deeds give no title.

To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, -- he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece. In good health, the air is a cordial of incredible virtue. Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear. In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth. Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he should tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, -- master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.

The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them. The waving of the boughs in the storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right.

Yet it is certain that the power to produce this delight, does not reside in nature, but in man, or in a harmony of both. It is necessary to use these pleasures with great temperance. For, nature is not always tricked in holiday attire, but the same scene which yesterday breathed perfume and glittered as for the frolic of the nymphs, is overspread with melancholy today. Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. To a man laboring under calamity, the heat of his own fire hath sadness in it. Then, there is a kind of contempt of the landscape felt by him who has just lost by death a dear friend. The sky is less grand as it shuts down over less worth in the population.

Bottom Of the Barrel

2011-02-18T00:36:00.010-07:00

What is at the bottom of the barrel? I'm not sure that I have been there, but I know I've been close. I have smelled the brimstone neath my claws. I don't know what lies below that, and I don't want to. Every father wishes that his children forgo the mistakes he has made. I'm no different. If I had a magic wand, I would surely wave it now over all of them. I don't have a magic wand. All I have are my words, my experience, my story to tell. I am lucky to have lived to tell it. I will be even more lucky if it is heard.

Once upon a time your Pappy was another man, much different than the one you have known. You would not like him very much. He was a fighter, an abuser of women, a drug fiend. He went down all the wrong roads and thought he was having so much fun. If I am dead when you read this, it is what I deserve. I have taken all the steps necessary to hasten that inevitable day. I only hope that you can learn about the "bottom of the barrel" from me instead of going there for yourself.

In this short post, I want to talk to you about the drugs. They feel great, and they take your life from you. My drug of choice was cocaine in it's powdered form. There was a time in my life when money was no object, and I used it to purchase piles and piles of cocaine. I spent $3,000 - $5,000 every month on this drug for three years. You need to put that into perspective with your time. This was the 1990's. I didn't care about the money. I didn't care about anything but doing cocaine. It ruled my life, and it took me to the depths of despair.

After three years, I kicked the habit all by myself. I thought I had gotten off light, but the physical effects caught up to me. Afterwards I have experienced chronic depression, of which I have no control. My immune system has been altered and resulted in rheumatoid arthritis. My nervous system has been altered and left me with "ticks" that will not go away. My psychology has been weakened and left me with paranoid delusions. I did not get away with anything.

Where is the bottom of the barrel? I do not know. I am still digging, but I do know that if my children were to follow me here, it would be more than I could bear. If I can leave anything behind that would make this journey worthwhile, it would be the impact of my experience from which my children would learn. Keep your bodies whole. Respect what the great spirit has given you. Do not abuse your mind, your heart, your lungs, your spirit. I love you all with everything I am and wish nothing more than for you to never see the bottom of the barrel.

With All My Love,

Pappy

God Is Not Good

2011-02-16T18:13:00.005-07:00

When I make comments like this, they should not be taken to mean God literally, but God as described in the Christian / Hebrew Bible. I do not believe that the source of all life on earth and the universe is anything like the personal deity depicted in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mythology.

I felt I should clear that up before proceeding to the video, which coincidentally is a pretty awesome clip from the BBC movie, God on Trial: The Verdict, directed by Andy DeEmmony - well worth the watching. I hope you take something from this clip worth thinking about. After all, my entire goal is to instigate thought. The answers to all our questions have already been answered if we will only allow ourselves to think freely.

With All My Love,
Pappy

My Friend the Bluebird

2011-02-16T17:56:00.001-07:00

Since I was a very young, no more than 8 or 10-years-old, I've had a little friend who has followed me through life. I call him Blusey the bluebird. Each of us inherit something special from the source of life from which we come. My "something special" has been an oft' faithful companion, Bluesy.

When Blusey was young, he knew no songs. He hadn't the gift of music in any way, so I have taught him, over the years, a few of my own. Now on the days when the bluebird comes and lights on my shoulder, I insist that he leave something behind to remind me of his visit. Something more than tears and a troubled mind.

Now that my friend has learned to sing, his trips are lighter, brighter, and bring truth my way - a learning in the music of the soul. The heart's cry tells no lies. What I have learned of myself and others could have only been found in Blusey's songs, as sleep escaped us through the years, and as we've sang together all night long.

A Song for You 04

2010-10-25T16:51:00.001-06:00

Be Happy

2010-10-07T21:41:00.002-06:00

Her name is Katie Kirkpatrick. She is 21 years old. Next to her, is her

fiancé, Nick. He's 23 and a deputy sheriff in Lapeer County, MI.

This photo was taken prior to their wedding on January

11th, 2005. Katie has terminal cancer and spends

hours in chemotherapy. Here Nick awaits

while she finishes one of the sessions.

Through the pain of her organs shutting down, with the help of
morphine, Katie took care of every single part of the wedding
planning. Her dress had to be adjusted several times,
due to constant weight loss.

Katie had to use oxygen during the ceremony and reception. The other

couple in this photo is Nick's parents. They were very emotional

at the wedding to see their son marrying the girl he

fell in love with in high school.

Katie , in a wheel chair listening to her husband and friends singing to her

In the middle of the party, Katie had to rest for a bit and catch her breath.
The pain does not allow her to stand for long period of time.

Katie died 5 days after her wedding. To see this fragile woman

dressed as a bride with a beautiful smile, makes me think;

Happiness is always there, within our reach, however

long or fleeting a moment it may last.

Enjoy the simple pleasures.

Love one another.

Life is too short.

Work as if it were your first day.
Forgive as soon as possible.
Love with no limits.

Laugh out loud.

Play in the dirt.

The Right to Think

2010-10-01T19:03:00.006-06:00

Have you ever been curious about where our beliefs come from - really come from? I have dissected the question over the years - always arriving at the same crystal conclusion - most of our beliefs are inheritances. They are passed from one generation to the next, like my Grandfather's uniquely tattooed twenty-five pound Bible - of the giant print variety, or in my case, his still functioning Sears & Roebuck 12 gauge shotgun. That old gun lives in my personal closet among other multifarious relics from the past, whose ghostly remains are now precious to me. I love that worn-out chunk of southern hardwood and rusting metal. Handling it often brings tears to my eyes, as I travel the years, in an instant, to the days when Grandpa would invite me to plod along behind him, through grasses, towering over my head, on the occasional rabbit hunt. These memories are filed away, with many like them, as splotchy old movie clips of more innocent years - cherished more now than then.

Much like Grandpa's shotgun, I also remember his faith. I have no desire to forget. If I listen closely, I can faintly hear an earnest baritone crying out to the God of his inheritance. Grandpa could vibrate the whole house in a strangely gentle way, as he pled with the almighty for protection of each family member - by name - then always, the President of the United States. I distinctly remember kneeling across the room from him - hair standing on the back of my neck and arms, in wonderment of his absolute relation with God. It often felt like Grandpa was God! I loved him then, and will cherish his memory for the rest of my life. From what I've learned of him over time, he was a stern conservative man, tamed finally by old-age and tenderness of heart. I got the better of his life it seems.

Today I write, from a liberated mind, these recollections of life as a youngster growing up inside the confines of a microcosmic system of religious belief - alien to much of the greater civilization that lay beyond my reach. It became my inheritance, and in the years that followed, I would digest it all, grow into its fullest capacity, and ultimately reject it through bitter tears. I have long espoused the notion that children have rights, which are just as valid as those of their parents - in some cases more so. Still today I rage against the scars of my heart - left there by the loss of all I knew, years of fear and the lonely journey into an even more frightful unknown, by the sweaty dreams who stole into my bed on many lonely nights, and the oft felt throb of an amputated soul. Christianity was my inheritance - not my choice.

I am human, as are you -

as are your children

and their children too.

Please don't rob them

of their right to choose

what they will think -

what they will do.

Along this life's cheery path,

we'll all meet God -

bask in his love

and not his wrath.

Think Before You Believe,

Pappy

The Seven Hermetic Principles

2010-09-30T01:41:00.000-06:00

"The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open." — The Kybalion.

The Seven Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, and which existed at least 400 years before the time of Moses, are as follows:

I. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM.
"THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that "All is Mind." It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the terms of "The Material Universe"; the "Phenomena of Life"; "Matter"; "Energy"; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT, which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING MIND. It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe is simply a Mental Creation of THE ALL, subject to the Laws of Created Things, and that the universe, as a whole, and in its parts or units, has its existence in the Mind of THE ALL, in which Mind we "live and move and have our being." This Principle, by establishing the Mental Nature of the Universe, easily explains all of the varied mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portion of the public attention, and which, without such explanation, are non-understandable and defy scientific treatment. An understanding of this great hermetic Principle of Mentalism enables the individual to readily grasp the laws of the Mental Universe, and to apply the same to his well-being and advancement. The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the great Mental Laws, instead of using them in a haphazard manner. With tire Master-Key in his possession, the student may unlock the many doors of the mental and psychic temple of knowledge, and enter the same freely and intelligently. This Principle explains the true nature of "Energy," "Power," and "Matter," and why and how all these are subordinate to the Mastery of Mind. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: "He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery." And these words are as true to-day as at the time they were first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.

II. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE.
"As above, so below; as below so above." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature. There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be unknowable to us. This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universe — it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown. Its use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of the goddess might be caught. Just as a knowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant suns and their movements, while seated in his observatory, so a knowledge of the Principle of Correspondence enables Man to reason intelligently from the Known to the Unknown. Studying the monad, he understands the archangel.

III. THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION.
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is in motion"; "everything vibrates"; "nothing is at rest"; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. And yet this Hermetic Principle was enunciated thousands of years ago, by the Masters of Ancient Egypt. This Principle explains that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration. From THE ALL, which is Pure Spirit, down to the grossest form of Matter, all is in vibration — the higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale. The vibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidity that it is practically at rest — just as a rapidly moving wheel seems to be motionless. And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms of matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at rest. Between these poles, there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and universes, everything is in vibratory motion. This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration); and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibrations); and even on to the spiritual planes. An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables Hermetic students to control their own mental vibrations as well as those of others. The Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural phenomena, in various ways. "He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the sceptre of Power," says one of the old writers.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY.
"Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is dual"; "everything has two poles"; "everything has its pair of opposites," all of which were old Hermetic axioms. It explains the old paradoxes, that have perplexed so many, which have been stated as follows: "Thesis and anti-thesis are identical in nature, but different in degree"; "opposites are the same, differing only in degree"; "the pairs of opposites may be reconciled"; "extremes meet"; "everything is and isn't, at the same time"; "all truths are but half-truths"; "every truth is half-false"; "there are two sides to everything," etc., etc., etc. It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that "opposites" are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them. To illustrate: Heat and Cold, although "opposites," are really the same thing, the differences consisting merely of degrees of the same thing. Look at your thermometer and see if you can discover where "heat" terminates and "cold" begins! There is no such thing as "absolute heat" or "absolute cold" — the two terms "heat" and "cold" simply indicate varying degrees of the same thing, and that "same thing" which manifests as "heat" and "cold" is merely a form, variety, and rate of Vibration. So "heat" and "cold" are simply the "two poles" of that which we call "Heat" — and the phenomena attendant thereupon are manifestations of the Principle of Polarity. The same Principle manifests in the case of "Light and Darkness," which are the same thing, the difference consisting of varying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena. Where does "darkness" leave off, and "light" begin? What is the difference between "Large and Small"? Between "Hard and Soft"? Between "Black and White"? Between "Sharp and Dull"? Between "Noise and Quiet"? Between "High and Low"? Between "Positive and Negative"? The Principle of Polarity explains these paradoxes, and no other Principle can supersede it. The same Principle operates on the Mental Plane. Let us take a radical and extreme example — that of "Love and Hate," two mental states apparently totally different. And yet there are degrees of hate and degrees of Love, and a middle point in which we use the terms "Like or Dislike," which shade into each other so gradually that sometimes we are at a loss to know whether we "like" or "dislike" or "neither." And all are simply degrees of the same thing, as you will see if you will but think a moment. And, more than this (and considered of more importance by the Hermetists), it is possible to change the vibrations of hate to the vibrations of Love, in one's own mind, and in the minds of others. Many of you, who read these lines, have had personal experiences of the involuntary rapid transition from Love to Hate, and the reverse, in your own ease and that of others. And you will therefore realize the possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the Will, by means of the Hermetic formulas. "Good and Evil" are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity. In short, the "Art of Polarization" becomes a phase of "Mental Alchemy" known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Masters. An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.

V. THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM.
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide; between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago. There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat a rising and a sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, suns, worlds, men, animals, mind, energy, and matter. This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man (and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most important). The Hermetists have grasped this Principle, finding its universal application, and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of the appropriate formulas and methods. They apply the Mental Law of Neutralization. They cannot annul the Principle, or Cause it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape its effects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Principle. They have learned how to USE it, instead of being USED BY it. In this and similar methods, consist the Art of the Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole. All individuals who have attained any degree of Self-Mastery do this to a certain degree, more or less unconsciously, but the Master does this consciously, and by the use of his Will and attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum. This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the methods of counteracting, neutralizing and USING them form an important part of the Hermetic Mental Alchemy.

VI. THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect from every Cause. It explains that: "Everything Happens according to Law"; that nothing ever "merely happens"; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law. The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects. The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life. But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities, and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns. They help to PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment. They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge — let him read who can.

VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER.
"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles Gender; manifests on all planes." — The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything — the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes. On the Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as SEX, on the higher planes it takes higher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this Principle. An understanding of its laws will throw light on many a subject that has perplexed the minds of men. The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle, within it, him or her. Every Male thing has the Female Element also; every Female contains also the Male Principle. If you would understand the philosophy of Mental and Spiritual Creation, Generation, and Re-generation, you must understand and study this Hermetic Principle. It contains the solution of many mysteries of Life. We caution you that this Principle has no reference to the many base, pernicious and degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and which are a prostitution of the great natural principle of Gender. Such base revivals of the ancient infamous forms of Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has ever sounded the warning note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and perversion of Nature's principles. If you seek such teachings, you must go elsewhere for them — Hermeticism contains nothing for you along these lines. To the pure, all things are pure; to the base, all things are base.

I encourage you, my children, to absorb the philosophy of the Kybalion. In it, I have found truth and light. We will discuss the depth of these principles over time together, but for now, I hope this entry serves as an introduction to the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus of Egypt. I expect that you will each find your own way, but my hope for you is that you will leave your minds open to new information - always. These teachings are worth your time and energy.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Pappy's Song for Gracie

2010-09-27T03:24:00.005-06:00

Gracie Darling,

This is my song for you.

Learn it and we will sing it together.
If you learn to dance to it, we can dance together too!
It's a fun song.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Wise men say - Only fools rush in,
But I can't help falling in love with you.

Wise men say - Only fools rush in,
But I can't help falling in love with you.

Shall I stay - Would it be a sin,
If I can't help falling in love with you.

As a river flows
Gently to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be

Take my hand - Take my whole life too,
For I can't help falling in love with you.

As a river flows
Gently to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be

Take my hand - Take my whole life too,
For I can't help falling in love with you.
For I can't help falling in love with you.
I can't help falling in love with you.
I can't help falling in love with you.

Amazing Gracie

2010-09-27T02:45:00.006-06:00

I've lived this life long enough to know

the sweet smell of jasmine

and the beauty of snow.

The warmth of a fire in bitter cold,

and the sound of laughter

have lifted my soul.

I've sat beneath the giant oak trees.

I've counted the stars.

I've prayed on my knees.

I'm no stranger to the gifts of God;

the caress of his angels,

in whose presence I'm awed.

Then heaven smiled, and now I know

the kisses of children,

and how they glow.

The best of all that life can give

has been the time

I've spent with them.

I am a man who's growing old,

but there's more to come

so I've been told.

Today she called me by my name.

She's a new baby princess.

My heart she has claimed.

I'll call her name Gracie.

She's a sweet little lady.

She is, you see, my first grandbaby.

I will never miss another day of your life!

With All My Love,

Pappy

Galileo & The Christian Church

2010-09-10T16:42:00.000-06:00

The story below is an excerpt taken from Foxe's Book of Martyrs and is an account, published first in 1563, of the atrocities against humankind, committed by the Christian church in their effort to eliminate other religious and secular beliefs. Science was considered the enemy of the church, much as it is today, albeit the consequences were more harshly delivered.

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 and died after having fever and heart palpitations on January 8, 1642. He was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations resulting in his conclusion that the earth revolved around the sun. As noted below, it was this discovery that would put him at odds with the Christian church.

During the inquisition Church officials set no limits upon themselves regarding the tactics they would stoop to employ against those who were found guilty of any action or statement contradictory to "Holy Writ" or church dogma. As scripture attests on multiple occasions that the earth is still and the "sun moves across the sky", it was considered heresy to suggest otherwise - death could have easily been the result of such audacity by Galileo.

The account that follows provides a few short lines of insight into one instance of what happens when Christianity meets science. Sometimes it is easy to forget how far we have come as an intellectually advanced society and the efforts that were made to get us here. It is very easy to simply take all that we know know for granted. Someone dared to think beyond what was allowed. Cherish your right to think before you believe.

With All My Love,

Pappy

The most eminent men of science and philosophy of the day did not escape the watchful eye of this cruel despotism. Galileo, the chief astronomer and mathematician of his age, was the first who used the telescope successfully in solving the movements of the heavenly bodies. He discovered that the sun is the center of motion around which the earth and various planets revolve. For making this great discovery Galileo was brought before the Inquisition, and for a while was in great danger of being put to death.

After a long and bitter review of Galileo's writings, in which many of his most important discoveries were condemned as errors, the charge of the inquisitors went on to declare, "That you, Galileo, have upon account of those things which you have written and confessed, subjected yourself to a strong suspicion of heresy in this Holy Office, by believing, and holding to be true, a doctrine which is false, and contrary to the sacred and divine Scripture- viz., that the sun is the center of the orb of the earth, and does not move from the east to the west; and that the earth moves, and is not the center of the world."

In order to save his life. Galileo admitted that he was wrong in thinking that the earth revolved around the sun, and swore that-"For the future, I will never more say, or assert, either by word or writing, anything that shall give occasion for a like suspicion." But immediately after taking this forced oath he is said to have whispered to a friend standing near, "The earth moves, for all that."

Never Give Up

2010-09-03T20:59:00.001-06:00

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Consider the postage stamp: It's usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there."
~ Josh Billings

"The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground."
~ Anonymous

"I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
~ Thomas Edison

The Missionary Position

2010-09-02T01:49:00.000-06:00

During the 20 years of my life in which I found myself sitting in church listening to a Christian bobble-head, behind the pulpit, puke forth his wisdom, I heard only one lesson that still makes some sense to me today. That would be that God will not judge men, women, and children, on the great day of reckoning, for that which they did not know during the course of their life on earth. For example, the naked savage who lived his or her life in the jungles of New Guinea, having never heard the name of Jesus, will have a much more pleasant meet and greet at the pearly gates, than the rebellious American party animal who had every opportunity to accept Christ but would not.

This teaching falls under the doctrine of "Therefore to him who knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17. So, those lucky bastards get to run around naked having sex with everyone in the village, their entire lives, and then escape the fire and brimstone of hell, because they didn't know any better, correct? This is the commonly understood theology held by Christians regarding culpability for sin.

This line of reasoning does sound logical, but it poses one hell of an issue for the Christian missionaries who invade the far flung corners of the earth in an effort to convert unlearned heathens to Jesus. If the targeted converts are all bound for the promised land prior to the missionary showing up to rescue them, what the hell is the real mission? If I were a Christian missionary, I might have to rethink my position.

Missionary: "How many people did I save today?"

Conscience: "Zero! They were all on the way to heaven before I presented my theology and took a giant shit in their proverbial soup!"

Missionary: "How many people did I send to hell today?"

Conscience: "Everyone I talked to that didn't believe me."

With this in mind, I have even more reason to now believe that the missionary position really is lame in more ways than one. The Christian philosophy doubles back in this respect and collapses upon itself in the grandest way imaginable.

Faces of Religion - Christians 02

2010-08-31T22:06:00.002-06:00

A Fight For Freedom

2010-08-16T02:20:00.000-06:00

"It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion

will legislate its creed into law

if it acquires the political power to do so."

- Robert A. Heinlein -

Never take for granted the freedoms you enjoy, and be willing to fight for them - to raise a vitriolic voice in defense of your rights and the rights of others. There are those on our planet who hide themselves behind marbled podiums, inside gold encrusted cathedrals, who shroud themselves with the transparent vestiges of charitable deeds, and regurgitate the rhetoric of good will towards men, while lining their swollen coffers with the meager pennies of widows. These are Christian vampires who would fatten themselves upon the consumption of the most basic of human dignities - our own opinions.

Religious rule of governments must never be given life in our societies again. As an international community, let us have the foresight and ambition to awaken now from slumber and actively protest the filth of righteous indignation. We can give a fresh start to the future in the heart of a child. Teach them well, and guard their minds as the crown jewels of our human race. We will make a better tomorrow, as we live to fight forever.

"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider to be God-fearing and pious."

~ Aristotle in 343 BCE

Hold fast to logic. Never abandon reason. Think before you believe.

With All My Love,
Pappy

I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!

~ Rev. Jerry Falwell

Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.

~ D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Ministries and Bush Advisor.

I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the constitution, but I believe that it is a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do ....

~ Mike Huckabee, Republican Candidate for President 2008

Americans must be Christocrats - citizens of both their country and the Kingdom of God, and that is not a democracy. That is a theocracy. That means God is in control, and you are not.

~ Rod Parsley, Supporter of John McCain for President 2008
Our purpose for Campus Crusade for Christ at the Air Force Academy is to make Jesus Christ the issue at the Air Force Academy and around the world. They're government paid missionaries when they leave here.
~ Scot Blom, Director of Campus Crusade for Christ / Air Force Academy
I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good.... Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism.
~ Randall Terry, Founder of Operation Rescue
The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.

~ Rev. Jerry Falwell
After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil.

~ Gary Potter, President of Catholics for Christian Political Action
The Christian community has a golden opportunity to train an army of dedicated teachers who can invade the public school classrooms and use them to influence the nation for Christ.
~ D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Ministries and Bush Advisor

A Song for You 03

2010-08-16T01:02:00.001-06:00

Feast each day

on natures bounty.

Feed the mind

golden rays of light.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Wisdom of Our Fathers

2010-08-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

I have heard so much propaganda over these last few years insisting that the United States of America was formed as a Christian nation - furthermore that the framers of our country were themselves Christians, thus literary interpretations should be taken in the context of that presumed bias. Should any of these assertions bear truth, they should certainly hold up to the scrutiny of the very "fathers" from whom they claim to have been birthed.

Below please find an ever growing sampling of quotes from the wise men who shaped our free land by literally ripping it from the heart of a Christian theocracy reviled by all those who first declared independence. Lets keep it that way.

With All My Love,

Pappy

"As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

~ John Adams ~

1797 Treaty of Tripoli

----------

"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."

~ Benjamin Franklin ~

Toward the Mystery

----------

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Letter to Danbury Baptist Association
----------

"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every
opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if
there be one, he must approve the homage of reason rather than of
blind-folded fear. Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its
consequences.... If it end in a belief that there is no god, you will find

incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its
exercise and in the love of others it will procure for you."

~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Letter to Peter Carr
August 10, 1787
----------

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

~ James Madison ~

Memorial and Remonstrance

Against Religious Assessments, 1789

----------

"It is not a God, just and good, but a devil, under the name of God, that the Bible describes."

~ Thomas Paine ~
----------

"The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills."

~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Letter to John Adams
January 24, 1814
----------

"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But
how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been
blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the
most bloody religion that ever existed?"

~ John Adams ~
Letter to F. A. Van der Kamp
----------

"My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation
and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger
with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change
them."

Abraham Lincoln
Letter to Judge J. S. Wakefield
----------

"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme
Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."

~ Thomas Jefferson ~

Jefferson's Works Vol. IV
----------

"The Christian system of religion is an outrage on common sense."

Thomas Paine
----------

"Are we to have a censor whose imprimatur shall say what books may be sold,
and what we may buy? And who is thus to dogmatize religious opinions for our
citizens? Whose foot is to be the measure to which ours are all to be cut or
stretched? Is a priest to be our inquisitor, or shall a layman, simple as
ourselves, set up his reason as the rule of what we are to read, and what we
must believe?"

~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Letter to Dufief

April 19, 1814
----------

"Democracy does not need the church, or the clergy."

James Madison
----------

"There is scarcely any part of science, or anything in nature, which those
imposters and blasphemers of science, called priests, as well Christians as Jews, have not, at some time or other, perverted, or sought to pervert to the purpose of superstition and falsehood."

Thomas Paine
----------

Faces of Religion - Christians 01

2010-08-11T15:26:00.011-06:00

"The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites."

~ Thomas Jefferson, 1813

What kind of people are Christians? They are people who satisfy themselves with answers to life's questions which require the suspension of reason and with the indulgence in incoherent bits of logic like those found in the examples below.

Think before you believe,
Pappy

Obscenity - A Philosophy

2010-08-03T01:49:00.012-06:00

When I was a child, the lady's underwear section of the Sears catalog was, hands down, the highlight of my young life - that is, when it was possible to open that section with enough stealth to get away with it. It was years later that I began to understand the guilt I had mourned as a teen, growing up under the influence of strict religious doctrines, for what it was. Coming to terms with those negative impressions has taken every day since, including this one - the task remains incomplete.

There is little more that I could wish for my children, in more earnest, than that they be happy to be alive in a uniquely beautiful body, that they bask and play in the pleasure it wishes to give, responsibly and respectfully, that they understand the difference between perversion and sexuality - between lewd and nude, and that they let no man or woman extort them of innocence with the trappings of shame.

Many heroes have fought tirelessly against the tyranny of religious and political systems, designed for the purpose of enslaving all of mankind within the iron bars of sin. Shrouded in robes of justice, men and women of the law, have taken their religious dogma into the courts of our great country and made every effort to take from us, the vestiges of our humanity. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to those who have stood against this injustice, at great personal cost. The following is a excerpt from the writings of one such man.

If the human body - far and away the most remarkable, the most complicated, the most perfect and the most beautiful creation on this earth - can become objectionable or abhorrent when purposely posed and photographed to capture that remarkable perfection and beauty, then the world is a far more cockeyed place than we are willing to admit.

The charge of obscenity is sometimes used as a cover for other things to which the censor objects. Political, philosophical, social, medical, religious, and racial ideas have, at times, all been damned for being obscene.

It has long seemed quite incredible - indeed incomprehensible - to us that detailed descriptions of murder, which is a crime, are acceptable in our art and literature, while detailed descriptions of sex, which is not a crime, are prohibited. It is as if our society puts hate above love and favors death over life. ~ Hugh Hefner

Never fear the defense of truth - even when truth is reviled. Never stand silently by, while another takes an arrow that could have easily sank its steely head into your own heart. Love yourself, your mind, your soul, and your body too. They are all beautiful. Think before you believe, and teach your children the same.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Happiness Made Simple

2010-08-03T00:25:00.004-06:00

The idea that living organisms are motivated to pursue pleasure and avoid pain was proposed by the Greek philosopher Epicurus. He called his theory hedonism. Since the great philosopher's death in 270 BCE, his ideas have been warped by many into logic for sexual promiscuity and the lesson has been lost to taboo.

Epicurus' philosophy is based on the theory that all good and bad derive from the sensations of pleasure and pain. What is good is what is pleasurable, and what is bad is what is painful. For Epicurus, pleasure and pain were the basis for the moral distinction between good and bad or "right and wrong". Pain is often chosen over pleasure only because that choice will ultimately lead to a greater pleasure.

Although Epicurus has been commonly misunderstood to advocate the rampant pursuit of pleasure, what he was really after was the absence of suffering - both physical and mental - and the attainment of a state of satiation and tranquility that was free of the fear of death and the retribution of the gods. When we do not suffer pain, we are no longer in need of pleasure, and we enter a state of "perfect mental peace".

I believe that all living things are imprisoned by the pursuit of happiness until such time as happiness is attained. These ideas lay a strong foundation for a belief in the general philosophy of reincarnation. The notion that a human spirit can shake itself clear of imperfections and attain the knowledge necessary to achieve Epicurus' "perfect mental peace" during the fleeting moment of a lifetime, defies all logic.

What a challenge we all face - seemingly insurmountable odds loom before us as we struggle forward into the great darkness. What little light we have at times. So many distractions infuse every day, and the path is often forsaken for mere survival. The task of finding a path at all feels miserably impossible for those lost in the labyrinth of the soul. Hearts bleed, bruised minds scream, and children cry aloud in the dark for the golden light of truth to show them the way.

Your light will be love. Follow the light. Love one another, and you will be happy. It is as simple and as difficult as that.

For My Children,

Pappy

Animal Rights vs Human Rights

2010-08-02T18:44:00.011-06:00

dilemma: an argument presenting two or more equally conclusive alternatives

Dilemma is no stranger to me - seems now more of an old friend or familiar garment, but wears like a prickly pear sweater, still. In a perfect world these unruly creatures would never be allowed to live. Their only purpose seems to be the creation of indecision - a state of being I detest.

I challenge you to consider the following question. Make it a daily thought as you live life and prepare your meals. Do human beings have a justly obtained right to end the life of fellow creatures for the purpose of consumption? Does the answer seem obvious? It may, but consider these notes:

In the United States, it is illegal to kill and eat a dog, cat, or dolphin, but not a cow, sow, or catfish.
What are the monumental differences in these animals? Some make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Others do not.

Obviously the general public has concluded that animals in possession of attributes that make us smile and feel tender, have more of an established right to life than those who are less charming and lack the charisma to which we attach so much importance. Can we live with such grossly skewed logic and pretend to be civilized? Is there one ounce of morality in this reasoning?

Alas, I am a hypocrite and selfishly feast on fish, chicken, venison, elk, and bison. I make a meal of these animals regularly. They are no longer necessary to sustain biological life, but I love the way they taste. The best that can be done with this disturbing complexity is to confess that I continue to consume these children of the earth by nature of my own weakness and lack of conclusion.

I continue to replay this introspection in anticipation that someday the courage of my conviction will overtake the flaws of my character. Until then, I have set myself to the task of earnest gratitude and responsibility in the harvest - the least of meager penance due, until I become a better man.

Today Was a Good Day

2010-07-28T23:08:00.015-06:00

Today was a good day. I am with my family, and Tipper has found her way home again. She is a puppy, like we have never seen her before. She is one of us, and her soul feels good in our arms. I can smell the breath of angels in her downy hair. She shines bright in our hearts. It is our blessing to have her here.

My family is good to be near. I am happy to be alive with them. I know they love me. What a wonderful day this day is. The sun has shown it's warmth upon my back. I have seen lightning in the clouds. Heaven's tears have fallen from the sky. The earth has been kind.

Father spirit, fill me with thanksgiving for all that you have brought into this life that I may learn. Mother earth, remind me of your many wonders. Thank you for this life ... for the peas, the corn, the potatoes, the trees, the grass, the flowers, the birds, and the bees. Thank you ... thank you.

Pappy

A Song for You 02

2010-07-28T22:26:00.010-06:00

All your dreams will surely come true someday.

Never stop dreaming. Never give up.

There's a shiny pot of gold waiting

Somewhere over the rainbow.

It's really up to you.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Genius of Thought

2010-07-27T23:24:00.006-06:00

In my opinion, no one could "say it better" than Ralph Waldo Emerson. I believe if ever there was a human being whose writing was often inspired by the Great Spirit, it must be this man. Below is an excerpt from his Self Reliance essay. Read and contemplate the nature of your own thoughts - gifts from the infinite mind.

I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instill is of more value than any thought they may contain. To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men — that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost — and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment.

Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

My hope for those who follow me is that they recognize the genius of their own minds without permission to do so, and come to live in the light which shines from their own hearts, without shame.

With All My Love,
Pappy

Faces of Religion - FLDS 01

2010-07-27T21:17:00.006-06:00

God is not lost and neither are you. Search your own heart, where his eternal spirit lives. Seek his voice calling in the cool of an evening wind. Feel that he is watching all through the eyes of beautiful friends. To find God is to know him as the father of your spirit - as your source, from which you can never be separated by time, space, or deed.

No one can possibly know what is in your heart - what is born in you from eternity. Each living part of the universe is a particle of the greater whole. We are one with the all - with God. Keep this bit of sunshine as a most precious gem. Know it for yourself. Treasure it.

Always question. Never relinquish your right to unbelief. The world is filled with men and women who have given over their minds to the whim of prophets, preachers, and ancestral traditions. You have no need to do the same.

With All My Love,
Pappy

Science, God, & the Big Bang

2010-07-14T12:23:00.003-06:00

"The scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation... His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."

~ Albert Einstein ~

The most popular theory of our universe's origin centers on a cosmic cataclysm unmatched in all of history - the big bang. This theory was born of the observation that other galaxies are moving away from our own at great speed, in all directions, as if they had all been propelled by an ancient explosive force.

Scientists believe that before the big bang, the entire vastness of the observable universe, including all of its matter and radiation, was compressed into a hot, dense mass just a few millimeters across. This nearly incomprehensible state is theorized to have existed for just a fraction of the first second of time, before providing the initial thrust to have set the universe into perpetual motion.

Big bang proponents suggest that some 10 billion to 20 billion years ago, a massive blast allowed all the universe's known matter and energy - even space and time themselves - to spring from some ancient and unknown type of energy. I find my hope restored in the honesty of mankind's quest for knowledge, in that science has come to a conclusion which allows us to embrace science and God in the same thought.

"Study to show thyself approved

A workman that needeth not be ashamed

rightly dividing the truth."

~ II Timothy 2:15 ~

Never Give Up the Search,

Pappy

The Heart of a Child

2010-07-13T15:08:00.003-06:00

Let's step back in time. It's now Saturday the 10th day of February. The year is 2007, and my children are playing outside. The temperature has finally warmed up to freezing here. Morgan - she is eight - and the youngest, Melena - she just turned five. I love them both. They are children of light and love. They make my day, almost every day.

My baby, Melena, has big medicine with me. I am completely in love and have long since given up trying to hide it. I think she figured this out last year sometime – the situation has worsened. She shines on everyone she meets, and they shine back at her. Her mother and I call her “Sunshine”. She is a special little light.

Today she made me look inside myself, as she so often does. She and Morgan were playing, while I messed around in my office that overlooks the back yard. I saw them coming my way at a full gallop. Melena obviously had something in her cupped hands, and she looked distressed, in her own special stressed-out way. The "something" turned out to be a dead mouse.

They both burst into my office declaring that Tipper, the dog, had killed a poor mouse and they wanted permission to bury it in the yard somewhere. I laughed a little but quickly stifled the chuckle upon realizing the seriousness of the demise of this mouse, in their minds. I told them they could bury it inside the fence of the garden. Off they blasted, mouse in hand, to the garden.

Ten minutes passed, and here they came again – full bore. This time they produced a blank piece of paper and a stick. Melena asked that I write something“special” on the paper and tape it to the stick, so she could “put it in the dirt next to the mouse.” Did I mention they had given the mouse a name by now – Rapunzel? I obliged as follows: “RIP Here lays the body of Rapunzel the mouse.” I taped it to the stick, and away they flew once more. I thought that was the end of it, but no.

Here they came again. Melena took me by the hand and asked if I would come and pray with them at the “grave”. Of course, I couldn't say no. We made it to the fresh dig, and I noticed that not only had they buried Rapunzel and put a marker out for her – they had also built a barrier of broken twigs around the grave to ward off potential intruders. Great care had been taken in the burial.

We held hands and knelt beside the grave. Melena asked if she could lead the prayer. Morgan and I agreed readily, and in her tiny sweet voice, she offered these words with great care:

“Mouse, I am sorry you died.

We made you a bed.

I hope you are comfortable.

Amen”

Dear reader, I am not a mouse lover. I have trapped hundreds and never given it a second thought. Thus, what I have to tell you is out of character but nevertheless true. Suddenly, I felt some kind of unexpected compassion for Rapunzel, lying there dead, with eyes closed forever. I looked down into the green eyed, blond haired, five-year-old face of my baby girl and saw the purity of her heart.

I felt a bit ashamed of myself for having grown old and callous – for having allowed the life and death, I had witnessed through the years, to sear my heart. I wanted to be like her. In a flash, I lost myself in remembrance and felt five again. It felt good. Melena has taught me many lessons. This is the one she taught me in February of 2007.

For My Children,

Love life. Respect life. Honor life - always.

With All My Love,
Pappy

Cry a Little

2010-07-13T13:46:00.007-06:00

Have you ever thought much about your tears - how they swell around your heart and fall from flooded eyes? Ever wonder why they feel so good no matter what may have summoned them here? When you feel them rising upward, through the marrow of your soul, breath in, breath out - take it in ... and cry a little. Tears of joy or tears of pain will wash your soul with heaven's rain.

My father sang a song when I was small. I loved it then; I love it still. The sound of that music carries me home to roots in the south - to a time long ago. One line sings, "Don't let Satan see your tears. Learn to smile through your fears." Now that I have grown into a different kind of man, it don't matter who sees these tears. They've cleansed my heart over many years.

The best of all the crying times have come my way in moments of truth. From out of the blue, my chest has been filled to an overflow - the feel of bursting forth - too much inside. I've called those moments the "bubbly warm glow". Nothing can replace it - nothing feels the same. You'll know it when it happens - in the still of night or middle of the day. My best advice - when truth shows up, or you're feeling down and brittle, is to cry, children, cry a little.

For My Children,

Pappy

A Song for You 01

2010-07-13T12:19:00.009-06:00

If I could sing you a song on the days when you feel blue,

It would be this, my favorite song. I'll have George sing it for you.

Wherever you may roam. Whatever you may do.

Remember, love is in the air, and the sun will shine again soon.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Native American Code of Ethics

2010-07-13T11:51:00.002-06:00

Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks to the Great Mother and Father for the life within you - for all life. Give thanks for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strength to be a better person today than you were yesterday. Seek out gifts within yourself that may be used for the benefit of others.

Respect means to feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or something with deference or courtesy. Showing respect is a basic law of life.

Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times.

Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.

No person should be made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.

Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.

Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).

Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.

Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.

Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.

Be truthful at all times with yourself and others. Let the light of truth shine through you by your words and deeds.

Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family. Treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.

All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of a meadow - all are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be shown respect. They are your brothers and sisters.

To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is the most noble duty. Do not fill your life entirely with your own affairs and forget the most important tasks. True happiness comes to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.

Observe moderation and balance in all things. Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.

Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart. Expect guidance to come in many forms - in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.

Think About It

2010-07-11T14:45:00.013-06:00

Certain religions have actually convinced people that there is an invisible man, living in the sky, who watches everything you do, every minute of every day of your life. And he has a list of ten things that he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and ash and torture where he will send you to suffer and burn and scream and cry forever and ever, until the end of time!

... But he loves you. He loves you, and he needs money! ~ George Carlin

For My Children,

Never believe anything simply because the majority does.

Never believe anything simply because someone you love does.

Never believe anything simply because its been around a long time.

THINK BEFORE YOU BELIEVE!

With All My Love,

Pappy

Teach Us To Pray

2010-07-11T00:47:00.001-06:00

Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.

Hear me now, for I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.

Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - Myself

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.
Chief Yellow Lark - Lakota Tribe
For My Children,
Your prayers go somewhere into the ether. The universe responds by the natural law of cause and effect. Learn to pray. Learn to acknowledge that there is a cause more substantive than the tiny spec that you are in time and space. Give thanks and show reverence to the source from which you came. You may never understand it all on this side of life, but it will do your spirit good to acknowledge the father of your soul - whomever or whatever that may be.
With All My Love,Pappy

No Fear - A Silly Rhyme

2010-07-10T23:25:00.015-06:00

There is no heaven, for what would we do?
Sing carols forever, until we are blue?

Fear no hell, or its red hot flames.
For who you are, there's no one to blame.

Live life to its fullest. Get all that you can.
The next life is coming in spite of your plans.

Follow your heart. Hear the voice in the wind.
Respect all life and make millions of friends.

There's nothing coming, you can't explore.

No death, no parting, no hell to ignore.

Send Satan packing, his fiddle and all.

Tell Jesus hello, and let's have a ball.

I'm sure he would want it and Krishna too.

Life's too short to be down and blue.

Get your ass in gear, and make life a splash.

I'll meet you in forever, and we'll have a blast.

A Silly Rhyme by Your Pappy

For My Children,

Chase fear from your mind. We are here to learn that there's nothing to fear. Live your lives with no regrets. Everything you do - everything you choose, will carry with it a lesson you will pass down to the lives that follow you. There is nothing more stifling to the human spirit than fear - just lose it.

With All My Love,

Pappy

Amazing Grace

2010-07-10T16:12:00.036-06:00

My life was once spent wandering a sea of thunderous clouds and riding an unfriendly tide of voices inside the fragile grey - no light aboard my ship, save the occasional glimmer of what was once a soul. Many years were spent in frantic search of warmly lit harbors to call a home.

One long journey led only to another. No drink satisfied the thirst of hell's own hand. Each meal I took left, desperately, more hunger than before. The search for light, for warmth, for safety, and God, went on - miserably on. There was no land; if only I could have known where I was - where I was going; if only I could have known I would arrive someday - any day would have been fine with me.

And then, there was light in the darkness - a familiar, shrouded in golden locks beckoned me, come through the misty haze. I was alone no more. She was there. I knew her from a past. It was clear that I had loved her before the earth was formed. She is my sister, my lover, my friend, and mother. She is your mother too - more precious than you know. Together we have walked, hand in hand, for the last years of our lives - the only years of my life.

And then there was you, and you, and you - my babies. Now its clear what I must do. I must share the endless journey of a wretch like me. I must tell you of amazing grace and what I know is true. Listen to me children. It takes light to get you through.

Where is it we're going? We'll have to wait and see, but as for now I'm certain we are on our way to somewhere, and we will surely get there - someday - any day is fine with me. From this day until then - until we meet again, let the light in my heart shine through you and be happy - exceedingly happy indeed!

A Look Back by Your Pappy

With All My Love,

Pappy