Wise Men

I read a sign outside a local church today:

"Even wise men constantly strive toward a closer communion with the savior."

Sage advice to ring in the New Year. The parent-child connection between the good god and man means it is worthwhile to keep our hearts and minds open to new relationship advice. He only wants our hearts to be open and loving but there are times when we lose our temper. In those times he can give compassionate assistance in helping us detach ourselves from the situation to look at it from broader perspective.

In the grand scheme of things I think we may get too worked up over some very silly stuff.

And on that note, I think this would be a good time to list my New Year's Resolutions!

1) Yell less.
2) Listen more.
3) Fully understand that others are capable of solving their own problems and I don't have to be there to kiss every boo-boo just because I can.
4) Go easy on the Nutella. That stuff is addictive and I don't plan on buying a new wardrobe this year.

Breasts! OMG!

Defiantly lactating in public, women across the USA have united and decided to go out to their local stores and feed their babies in order to show their support of a woman who was harassed in Texas.

Oh we have such horrid hang ups over the female body.... I can understand the act of procreating as something not to be seen in public but naturally feeding a child? Hey, the baby has NO problem whatsoever with it. All they see is foooood. Not booooob. Well, maybe they do equate the two in their mind and start furiously salivating in response to seeing one but seriously- WHAT is the big deal??? It's not like a woman is flashing you in a sexual way or anything. We have milk bags and sometimes they're used for what they were created for. Most moms hang a small blanket over their shoulder for privacy anyway and to keep their baby comforted.

The accompanying vid to the article is more informative but here's the article itself:

Breastfeeding In Flash Mobs Protest At Target Stores

By Cory Perrin 12/29/2011 10:06 PM ET

Breastfeeding Flash Mobs – Breastfeeding moms are so upset that they are taking their anger out in a protest against 100 Target stores. The mothers have created a flash mob and have joined the cause to support a fellow nursing mother who had an unpleasant experience.

Yesterday mothers around the US went to their local Target in full participation.

This was an act to support Michelle Hickman, a Texas mother, who felt she was being harassed by Target employee’s last month when she was nursing her infant son in the Fortune 500 retail store.

These flash mobs took place in 35 states following the story of Michelle Hickman being aired. According to the mother of four, she was nursing her baby in a remote area of the Target store in TX when employees approached her and asked her if she wanted to use a fitting room.

Hickman is receiving way more support than she ever imagined she would. She feels hopeful that the actions taken yesterday, December 28, will encourage Target to educate their employees about their breastfeeding policies.

________________

Good for you, moms!!! And according to Target's corporate offices, they do allow breast feeding mothers to do so anywhere they wish so it was the employee who was out of line, not the mother.

The more women push back and fight for what is natural and right then our laws will reflect this. My mother never fed me in a bathroom or a closet at work when I was nursing; she fought for the right to be comfortable and the men in her office spoke up in her defense as well. At break time and lunch she'd come and get me from the office nursery and feed me while chatting with co-workers. She fed me in restaurants and stores. And when another baby cried nearby, yes, my mother was the one running out to the car to change her shirt because she let down in a flood. It's natural.

Hilariously, my own husband thinks public breast feeding is 'indecent.' I told him that if our boys were still at that age I'd whip a breast out anywhere I felt like it and feed them. He looked at me like I had two heads. Then again, he's never had a great relationship with his own mother or the mother of his children so.... perhaps more a more prudish attitude was the result? I love him anyway but wow we butt heads on some weird stuff! lol

Bugs, Infections, and more Internet naughtiness

The above lolcat photo accurately depicts my frustration when dealing with my mother today who, Pleroma love her, has the common sense of a mouse when it comes to dealing with technology of any sort. I had to set up her address book for her with her cell phone, show her how to work her cable box remote, and now... NOW I have to figure out how to reformat her computer because she clicked on one of those antivirus protection program pop-ups which are, in fact, an invitation to download the virus itself which will wipe out your hard drive. We've done this twice now in the past year. It's a tad bit frustrating.

So that was my day. I am about ready to rip out her computer and chuck the damn thing out the window.

And in other news my in-laws are starting fights with my husband, yet again, trying to get him all riled up so that he'll divorce me(snickersnort) and complaining about his children supposedly being used for slave labor around our house because I make them do all their laundry, clean their room, and their bathroom. Oh and heaven forbid they vacuum the living room once a week to help me out because if I use the vacuum cleaner it makes my whiplash flare like hot pokers are being shoved through my neck. Heaven forbid a ten and an eleven year old take care of their belongings and help take care of the house. We wouldn't want to teach the poor little dears how to have responsibility, now would we?

Is it a full moon or something?

'Tis the Season to royally make our blood pressure go sky high. I am really starting to despise the holidays. This happens every year with my husband's family and I swear that next year I'm considering hibernating my way from October 15th until January the 5th with the help of tranquilizers. I wish my husband had the same option. I really feel for the guy. His side of the family just plain likes fighting. I don't know why but they do. All I know is that after the past two days of their shenanigans we are both so emotionally exhausted that we turned our phones off.

The kids will come back in two weeks with attitudes from hearing all that crap and... ugh. Every. Time. I hate it.

Why can't we all just get along?

Day-to-Day Gnosis

Everyone's journey is different but there are key insights which all gnostics can agree on:

1) Make love not war, it's so much more fun. *wink*
2) There is no One Way toward gnosis. There is no certified Correct way which will earn you points in Heaven and you're not damned to hellfire and brimstone if you 'screw it up' a few times. Those bumps in the road on your path toward gnosis are all lessons learned and have far more worth than what you may see right now. Consider them the 'flavor' in your pot of gumbo you call Life.
3) We take ourselves far too seriously- LAUGH! Life is the most hilarious rollercoaster ride we could ever imagine experiencing. We're all imagining it together and that is what makes it more fun.
4) Live lucidly; minute by minute and hour by hour. This lifetime is fleeting so live life in the moment and enjoy whatever we can whenever we can. Count your blessings by the ounce, not the pound.
5) Living is not the same thing as learning. Learning takes effort and mindfulness to the task. Just because you see something happening doesn't mean you've learned from it. Seeing and doing is not the same thing as retention.
6) All living creatures are connected through pleroma(the fullness/the totality). Respect ourselves and one another. We are one another. If we remember this and live like this then we can truly be at peace with ourselves and one another. Big Love is the answer.
7) There is no such thing as a coincidence. Irony, yes. Comedy and poetic justice, most definitely. The All does have a wicked sense of humor. But there is no such thing as a coincidence.
8) Everyone talks to themselves and when we do we are reinforcing our own innate wisdom. It's something we do by instinct. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we are wise beings so we don't get bogged down in the day-to-day crap that we forget our divine heritage.
9) Past is not prologue! We can learn from our mistakes and our bright sparks will shine all the more brightly for it. Dare to break the mold of what your friends/family members may tell you is your fate. It's your life. So live it!
10) Dream. And then share those dreams with others. Communicate your visions so that others can know they are not alone.
11) And if you're really depressed take a look around at Nature. It'll always give you a good chuckle. Take this cat for example:



See, you're laughing and already further on your path toward gnosis than you were five minute ago!

If we can't laugh at life and the quirky creatures and situations we're surrounded with then truly, what can we laugh at? We tend to get angry with other human beings but animals.... animals show us what we need to see. Like for example: the not-so-subtle hint that you're out of toilet paper; a priceless lesson in humility.

I Love You Always Forever

Here's an adorable blast from the past- 1996 to be specific. I heard this song playing in a store today and it's stayed with me all evening. Listen to it and see if you can feel Someone trying to give you a nudge to smile more today. Because He really does love you. Always and forever.

I Love You Always Forever
By: Donna Lewis

This vid I've embedded below has the clearest sounding lyrics but doesn't have the original television visual clips. Linked here is the original vid from back in '96 if you'd like to see it but the vocals are too soft really to be clear. Heck, I was unsure of a few lines and had to look them up so I could post them for you below! She speaks quite softly in several verses.


Feels like
I'm standing
in a timeless dream of light mists
Of pale amber rose
Feels like
I'm lost in a deep cloud of heavenly scent
touching
Discovering you.

Those days
of warm rains
come rushing back to me
Miles of windless
summer night air
Secret moments
shared in the heat of the afternoon
Out of the stillness
Soft spoken words

Say it, say it again

[Chorus:]
I love you always forever
Near and far closer together
Everywhere I will be with you
Everything I will do for you
[Repeat]

You've got
the most unbelievable blue eyes I've ever seen
You've got
me almost melting away
As we lay there
under a blue sky with pure white stars
Exotic sweetness
a magical time

Say it, say it again

[Chorus x2]

Say you'll love love me forever
Never stop, never whatever
Near and far and always
And everywhere and everything
[Repeat x4]

[Chorus x2]

Beautiful Heavens

In the Boötes constellation there is a celestial reminder that grammar counts: VV 340. Beautiful, yes?

Australia's Uranium Deal

http://news.yahoo.com/video/business-15749628/australia-set-to-sell-uranium-to-india-27482406.html (vid)

Oh Australia.... I weep for what I see in the future for this deal. Some crazed people a little north and far west of India will be more than happy to take those wonderful barrels of uranium off your hands. They'll give you a fair deal, too. They'll wait at least a decade or so before taking out the really big population cities.

If there was ever a time to decline a business proposition for the sake of peace and prosperity of the human race long term then I'd say this would be it for Australia. Does India need the uranium? No. They want it. But someone else who thinks they need it and who has a stronger will to survive will likely start WW3 because of it.

Folks, what happened to solar, wind, and water energy? Hell, my ELEVEN YEAR OLD just came up with the plans last week in his Science class for a neat energy alternative-- harnessing sound waves and turning it into electricity. The boy will be in highschool by the time he's twelve(that is true, he's doing all of middle school in one year) and he'll probably be in engineering school by the time he's sixteen or seventeen. There are bright minds in this world today; bright sparks who know beyond the shadow of a doubt there are peaceful alternatives besides being so arrogant and prideful with our chemistry prowess that we outsmart ourselves straight into extinction.

Let us hope the worst does not happen. And in the meantime let us also make ourselves heard. We do not need nuclear energy to thrive as a species. We need to use our common sense and say no to death and destruction.