Day of the Dead

I love this holiday and am fascinated with the possibilities of ghosts and spirits. Religion is one thing, but afterlife is another. Spooky!

I don't live my life believing that I have a soul that will seperate from my body after death. I just can't wrap my mind around that way of thinking. HOWEVER...so many people claim to have seen ghosts, talked with them, and have witnessed paranormal events that I must consider it a possibility. I myself have had a strange experience that to this day makes me wonder...did it really happen, or did my mind make it happen?

On this Day of the Dead, I will tell you my ghost story.

My daughter was about five months old, the first grandchild born unto my side of the family. I was having a bad day and feeling exhausted from recently having gone back to work full time, then having to pick up baby from daycare, cook, clean up, do laundry, all alone with a baby on my hip. Evening bath time came and by then I was really whipped. Having nobody else to talk to, I talked to my precious baby while I bathed her. I began to feel so joyous watching her little wet pink chubby self thrash about in the tub without a care in the world. She was so friggin happy to be in that moment, it just completely elated me and erased the begrudging day. Her joy gave me energy to play with her and make bathtime last as long as possible.

Out loud, I began to count off things that I was thankful for. Remembering my grandma and how she lived on a farm, birthed three children within three years and had to pump water several times per day in order to hand-wash dirty diapers (plus the rest of the laundry and linens), hang dry everything, then chop wood to cook on the woodstove, and walk to town when in need of supplies because the only vehicle they owned was a tractor...I began to feel pretty fortunate and a tad guilty for having felt sorry for myself.

"After all", I told my little one, "I have a car to drive to work rather than have to walk. I have someone else taking care of my baby while I did the job that required sitting on my duff all day. I have running water, gas heat, a machine to wash my dishes, and machines to wash and dry my clothes. Disposable diapers and bottles! Need I ask for more? Why the heck should I complain? I tell you child, I don't know how grandma ever did it...and she didn't complain from what I'm told."

Just then, my baby stopped kicking and playing. She became very still and concentrated her eyes on something directly over my shoulder. As I leaned over the tub, with my back to the rest of the bathroom, the hairs on the back of my neck whipped up and I felt a slight breeze. My baby just blinked and curiously stared. There was a definite change in the room and a...prescence.

"I don't know about you, little one, but mommy has the creeps and whatever you're looking at you can stop now." I nervously giggled. She didn't stop. After a whole minute, which felt like a damned eternity, my baby smiled at whatever it was behind me. I verrrrry slowly turned my head to peer over my shoulder and...
Grandma. Was. There.

Just as my heart was about to explode and I was about to pass out...I blinked, and she...it...was gone. Baby acted like the moment never existed. She was back to giggling and kicking and splashing. I quickly wrapped up bath time and got the hell out of that room. Needless to say I was in no hurry for bed that night. I put baby in my room and only half-slept with all the lights on, the TV on, and jumped whenever a shadow caught the corner of my eye. Freaked right out, I tell you!

When I told my dad about this experience, he said "Your grandmother loved babies, especially at bath time. She would cuddle up to their clean little naked bodies and kiss their bellies and love up all over them. She was the type to take a baby right out of a mother's arms so she could snuggle with them and feel their chubby cheeks next to hers. Your grandma came to see her first great-grandchild...and you helped her get here by talking about her."

All I know is that sixteen years after her death, I saw my grandmother. As I think of her now and type out this story...home alone...the hairs on the back of my neck are prickly and I feel a slight chill. I cannot get the nerve up to look over my shoulder.

Today is the day to remember and honor your loved ones who have passed.
Happy Halloween, Grandma!

My Special Day

I love my birthday! As much as I pretend it's no big deal, I secretly get pretty excited. This morning I logged in and found four e-cards (I just love those) and came home to presents, and went to dinner with family & friends and got even more presents. It's that one day of the year when I get more phone calls than the rest of the year combined. I don't like the numbers climbing, but at the end of the day I feel really youthful and joyous. I hope Hillary Clinton is having as good a birthday too!

A look at this day in history:

1825 - Erie Canal opened, a project envisioned by New York Governor DeWitt Clinton
1911 - Mahalia Jackson is born and later became the "Queen of Gospel"
1951 - Winston Churchill wins the general election, becomes Prime Minister
1959 - Soviet Union reveals first pictures of the far side of the moon from Runik 3
1994 - Israel & Jordan sign peace treaty, witnessed by U.S. President Bill Clinton

And now for a look into the fyoooo-churrrrr! The following predictions covering 2007 are for both myself and Hillary, courtesy of Astrology.com:

Mars symbolizes the energy necessary for successful accomplishments. When Mars aspects the Sun, it is a good time to work on a project that requires a great deal of energy to complete. Success can come in the form of personal or professional achievement, or with defense.

What this means for Hillary: Running for president and taking the hits of a Republican smear campaign
What this means for me: Getting out of bed daily after much battle with the snooze button.

Relationships tend to be competitive, and you need to balance self-centered drives with the needs of others. Learning to deal with aggression, conflict, and anger in an effective rather than detrimental way can enable the individual to handle negative situations positively. Less spiritual themes involve destructive or self-destructive urges. Prolonged anger creates blockages which waste energy in a cycle of negative emotions that have no real purpose or goal. It is better to direct efforts into positive endeavors.

Hillary: Bill is a cheat and will always be a cheat, focus on restoring democracy.
Me: Everyone sucks this year, lock self in house and screen calls while meditating.

Saturn aspecting Mercury suggests a more serious and structured perception of reality. Life is organized in such a way that decisions and changes have serious consequences. Choices may be studied in depth before decisions are made. For some, there will be no good and clear choice. Dilemma situations can plague the Mercury-Saturn combination. It is likely that at least one major decision will be made during the year. Sometimes this decision is made under stress and usually it involves great responsibility. For these reasons, the individual tends to be conservative. He or she is looking for changes that produce greater stability, not chaos.

Hillary: Work your ass off all year campaigning but keep it calm & cool.
Me: Don't dare have any fun because you will land yourself in prison.

While Saturn-Mercury aspects are associated with pessimism, Jupiter, on the other hand, can imply optimism, and confidence. You may look forward to the future with great enthusiasm. But what you believe to be possible may differ from your actual experience. Optimism can lead to miscalculations and poor decisions if you overestimate your chances for success or underestimate the amount of time you will require to complete a task. Overscheduling is directly related to this inability to foresee possible future difficulties. You might assume that tasks are quite simple, when in fact they are very difficult. You may not be able to honor deadlines and promises you have made if they are unrealistic. The tendency is to overwhelm yourself with too many tasks or projects, too many details to remember. Stress results from these miscalculations.

Hillary: On second thought, you'll never win, save your energy honey.
Me: Just when you think your ahead of the game, you discover it's all a lie. Lock self in house, screen calls, meditate...invite Hillary over.

The Struggle of Compromise

The United States, knowing no distinction of her own citizens on account of religion or nationality, naturally believes in a civilization the world over which will secure the same universal laws.
~ Ulysses S Grant, 18th U.S. President

I didn't make it out to see Jesus Camp as I had intended, and I'm kind of glad I didn't. Just watching the trailers gave me a nightmare. I dreamed of being strapped to a seat in a theatre full of fundies who were watching the film and nodding their heads in agreement, and when I tried to get loose and escape, they surrounded me while preaching and yelling at me to repent. I either watch way too many horror flicks, or I am genuinely afraid of religious folk. Perhaps a bit of both. Kudos to the women who filmed this documentary to expose the power of fundamentalism and helping the world to be aware that this is out there.

I did make it to my first MoveOn event. We made calls on behalf of Pennsylvania congressional candidate Patrick Murphy (D) and watched Iraq for Sale, a powerful documentary about the scandalous American companies involved in profiting largely off the U.S. government for providing services to the military and Iraqi civilians. Downright horrifying what the Bush administration has allowed and gotten away with, all at the expense, reputation, and losses of the American and Iraqi people.

Participating with the MoveOn organization is just a small step, but it's a contribution I have time for. I've been donating to my local HAVEN for years, and I've written letters to politicians all over the world on behalf of Amnesty International, still somehow it never seems to be enough. At the same time, I'm skeptical of choosing the wrong organization to donate my time and money to for fear of mismanagement and corruption, yet I don't have the knowledge, money, or time to start my own organization while I'm trying to support myself and my family.

Like Becky Fisher of Jesus Camp, now more than ever I hear the call for change, the call to be proactive. Although we have completely different reasons and ways to become activists, Becky and I both do want something to change. The problem is though if she and her organization should prevail, people like me would be miserable and subjected to much oppression. If me and people who share my views should prevail, then she and her organization would be subjected to much oppression.

So how do we all come together peacefully? How can there be a winner without there being a loser? How can we compromise? Universal law is such a struggle.

Why it's called Fall

Wearing trendy 4-inch heels
I slipped on a wet oak leaf
Praying that nobody saw
Empty parking lot I scan

Ouch I get up and brush off
Up above on second floor
They all laughed from the window.

Protesting Literature

Perhaps since I live in such a diverse community, or because I am way north of the bible belt, I just don't see this problem. Great works of fiction from Moby Dick to Harry Potter have been offered in my daughter's school library and I don't recall there ever being a protest.

Religious poetry and spirituality-oriented literature is often discussed in the local junior high (8th grade) as a part of classroom communications activity. The bible is excluded, but surprisingly I would not mind it being included. The only way I'd take issue with any of this type of material is if the teachers themselves were pushing their personal/fundamentalist ideas on my child and grading her according to her agreement/disagreement with those views.

I beleive to offer such works openly, allowing the children to discuss freely and write essays on their interpretations without personal judgement from the teacher, is absolutely wonderful for diversity training and exercising freedom of speech.

My daughter recently had a journalism assignment to cover a "controversial topic" in which she chose to present her views on the abortion issue (and much to my surprise, she is quite fundie about the whole thing - I would have given her a big fat "F"!) *wink*

Seriously though, what I'm getting to is this - fundamentalist beleifs only work inside the comfort of your own home, and even then you have to be willing to fully explain and example to your kids why you think and act the way you do. They are watchful and inquisitive little creatures. When you send your kids out into the big world, which you HAVE to do eventually, realize that they are going to be exposed to a plethora of opinions, religions, new ideas, lifestyles, and social issues. If you don't simply let them explore and just be there to guide them, you as a parent will suffer the consequences of them turning from you. Save the protesting for truly harmful or damaging issues, like drug/alcohol/sex abuse.

Exploring diverse literature will only make your kid a better person. Jason also touched the subject of book banning as well, so take a gander at what he has to say if you like.

Gotta go - the Governor debate is on live tonight. Go Granholm!

Finally a funny email

This came across my inbox today... I'm still snickering...

"Granny, do all fairy tails begin with 'Once upon a time'?"

"No, dear child, some of them begin with 'If elected, I promise'..."

Pedophiles in the Republican Party

Mark Foley was recently caught emailing sexual conversations with a 16-year old boy, the latest Republican scandal.

There are countless hypocritical members of the Republican Party and supporters thereof who have been convicted of sexually abusing children, despite their high-and-mighty crusades for the "return to moral values".

The following is a very disturbing list of Republican child molesters. I've included links, so feel free to research these people independently. Keep in mind this extensive list is just a partial list and not for the faint of heart.

Howard Scott Heldreth - Republican anti-abortion activist and convicted child rapist.

David Swartz - Republican County Commissioner molested two girls under age 11.

Mark Pazuhanich - Republican judge molested a 10-year old girl. (credit to www.prisoners.com)

Nicholas Morency - Republican anti-abortion activist in possession of child pornography on his computer.

Edison Misla Aldarondo - Republican legislator drugged and raped a 17-year old girl.

Philip Giordano - Republican Mayor molested two girls aged 8 and 10.

Tom Shortridge - Republican campaign consultant photographed nude under-age girls.

Strom Thurmond - Republican Senator empregnated a 16-year old girl.

Mike Hintz - Republican pastor (George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign) had sexual affair with a 17-year old girl.

Peter Dibble - Republican legislator molested a 13-year-old girl.

Donald "Buz" Lukens - Republican Congressman solicited 16-year old girl.

Richard A. Delgaudio - Republican fundraiser produced child pornography.

Mark A. Grethen - Republican activist convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children, including his own two young daughters.

Randal David Ankeney - Republican activist solicited, drugged and molested a 14-year old girl.

Dan Crane - Republican Congressman had affair with 17-year old girl.

Beverly Russell - Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader admitted to incestuous relationship with 15-year old step daughter.

Robert Bauman - Republican congressman and anti-gay activist solicited 16-year old male prostitute.

Jeffrey Patti - Republican Committee Chairman involved in child porn ring, arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty") - Republican activist solicited and drugged 14-year old girl.

Howard L. Brooks - Republican legislative aide molested 12-year old boy and was in possession of child pornography.

Stephen White - Republican and anti-gay preacher solicited a 14-year-old boy for oral sex.

Jon Matthews - Republican talk show host exposed himself to 11-year old girl.

Earl "Butch" Kimmerling - Republican anti-gay activist molested 8-year old adopted daughter, after stopping a gay couple from adopting her.

Paul Ingram - Republican Party leader pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his own young daughters in religious rituals.

Kevin Coan - Republican election board official solicited 14-year old girl.

Andrew Buhr was - Republican politician had sexual relationship with a 13-year old boy.

Keith Westmoreland - Republican politician lewdly exposed himself to children on seven counts.

John Allen Burt - Republican anti-abortion activist engaged in sexual misconduct involving two 15-year old girls.

Keola Childs - Republican County Councilman molested a male child.

Richard Gardner - Republican candidate molested his 12- and 14-year old daughters.

Jack W. Gardner - Republican Councilman and former Marine molested a 13-year old girl.

Merrill Robert Barter - Republican County Commissioner engaged in unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.

Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr - Republican City Councilman raped a 15 year-old girl.

Parker J. Bena - Republican activist in possession of child pornography on his home computer, some children as young as three years old.

Larry Jack Schwarz - Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, fired for possession of child pornography.

Robin Vanderwall - Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate solicited sex from underage boys and girls via the internet.

Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," - Republican city councilman convicted of repeatedly molesting/raping girl from age 11 to 13.

Jon Grunseth - Republican businessman withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four teen girls, including his own daughter.

Richard A. Dasen Sr - Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups solicited 15-year old female prostitute, admitted to having spent over one million on prostitution.

This website supplies yet another longer list of Republican criminals.

Vote Smart!