United We Need to Stand

Here in the United States, there is trouble and division. Politically, racially, and in other ways. We are four months into a pandemic. There has been fear, tension, worries, confusion, and lack of direction or leadership. I have been guilty of watching and laughing at the "Karen" videos, showing irate women screaming about slight injustices in public places. Karens used to be middle-aged white women who made petty complaints in a loud, rude way to management. It has now devolved to mean racist or anti-mask people having a fit.

I took a step back from those videos and tried to figure out what is behind their rage? Why are they so unraveled? Driven by fear of losing liberty, just like the ongoing fear of losing gun rights, these people act out defiant and full of fury. Part of it is the media's fault, and I include both sides on this. They have stirred up fear, anger, division. I have angrily lashed out at racists and those who differ in my political beliefs, including the president. The current president has done nothing to calm or unite people. Many of his posts on Twitter and his speeches are hate-filled, angry, anti-immigrant rants. I am not perfect and can't guarantee I won't ever resort to such negative responses again.

I tried to look at all of this from a Christian perspective. We are supposed to love our neighbor, but how can I even like a white supremacist? Racists are afraid of blacks, of immigrants, of anyone who doesn't look like them. Their minds have been poisoned, perhaps from their parents or other adults they admired, and from radical conspiracy theories. We can't underestimate the media's role in this. But that poison has seeped into their brains, blocking all rational thought, turning themselves into a cult.  How can we get racists to see the light? To understand we are all one in God's eyes? How can I become a better person too?

I had a daydream where I encounter one of them in a store yelling about masks or saying something about blacks. How do I speak up and get them to see that their way of thinking is wrong? How can I unite people? I am praying every day that we become united again. We are supposed to be the United States. We all need to pray for our country and the world. We've gotten so far away from practicing our faith. Those who don't believe in God can still understand and support the basic principle of decency in being kind to one another, being peaceful and united, and caring enough to wear masks during a pandemic and practice social distancing. Can white supremacists be changed? I will pray to God to help me be an instrument for this change, if possible. I want a peaceful country and world, a place where there is no hatred, no division, and more unity. How do we achieve that?

Maybe my idea is too utopian. Perhaps it isn't possible to change people and have them see the similarities between us, the fact that we all have the same primary goals in life. But it wouldn't hurt to try. Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world. I want us to care more for one another, be kinder to one another, and soothe the disharmony that has infested our country and the world.

I urge you no matter what religion you are, even if you don't follow any religion, to be a catalyst for positive change in your neighborhood. Practice kindness. When you see someone in a rage or angry, try to be a calming influence. Listen to them and, if possible, help them understand your goal of uniting people. Ask them to practice kindness and to be at peace with others and the world. Maybe our small drops of influence can help bring about change and a better place to live. I can only hope.

Paradise? Get Lost!

I hated getting phone calls from my Florida friends and relatives. They started innocently by asking what the weather was like here. Usually, their calls occurred during a New England snowstorm or blizzard. Oh, those folks who moved to Florida were so cunning. After reluctantly telling them it was 20 degrees below and we got 24 inches of snow, they would say to me in a sing-song voice, "Well, it's 82 degrees here, and I'm sitting by the pool with a nice glass of iced tea". They would also refer to "watching the palm trees sway in the gentle breeze." Well, let me tell you, I bought into their sales pitch and moved to Florida. Now I feel I must tell you the truth, not only about the weather but about the other "residents."

In November 2003 I packed up my car and, with my sister's help, we drove to Florida. After we crossed the Florida state line, we went to a welcome center. The sun shone through the palm trees. We got a free glass of orange juice and looked at the tons of brochures describing the wonder and beauty of every square inch of Florida. Birds chirped as if on cue while we walked to our car. I was high on the anticipation of life in Paradise - until I arrived at my niece's house in Port St. Lucie. We made the stop before heading to my brother's house in South Florida. Nancy's home should have had a huge sign out front "Debriefing Center."

Nancy had a lovely house with a big yard. She escorted us to the 'lanai', which apparently means "patio with pastel cushions and white wicker furniture." Oh, those clever Floridians had fancy words for everything, I would later learn. We sipped some iced tea, and Nancy offered to take us for a walk around the outside of her house to see her plants, and "oh, don't step on any ant hills," she said. How sweet, I commented, her concern for living things. "No, there are red ants, and if you step on the hill, they'll crawl up your legs and attack you." I stopped in my tracks as Nancy continued to point out hibiscus plants to my sister. For the rest of my time in Florida, I would walk everywhere with my head down terrified of these evil little beings making a snack out of my legs. Nancy was explaining how her dog runs around in the yard. "It must be a pain to clean up after him," I said. "No. Dung beetles deal with that". Dung beetles? I glanced at the cat‘s food bowl. There was a half inch wide, nine-foot-long trail of ants, not the evil ones, leading from outside the lanai into the cat food bowl. I pointed it out to Nancy. "Oh," she chuckled, "we can't leave any food down because the ants get at it." What I want to know is this: how did the ants know in less than five minutes, and what must have been to them a long distance, was a tasty treat? Is there anything more frightening than intelligent bugs? That night, I had nightmares about welt-covered legs, genius ants with GPS units attached to their belts and industrious dung beetles in janitors' uniforms, feasting on pet waste and smoking cigarettes.

The next day, I arrived at my final destination, my brother Mike's house. I mentioned my nervousness about bugs. "Oh, those are just some critters. Wait until you see the Palmetto bugs." What a pretty name, I thought. Maybe they look like butterflies, with colorful wings flying around. My brother laughed when I mentioned this. I was first introduced to one while trying to help the neighbor's cat down from a tree. Some black oval disc the size of a brooch landed on my arm, and I brushed it off. I was glad it was dark out. I mentioned the incident to Mike. "That was a Palmetto bug." Another encounter took place when I was sweeping the living room floor. I saw what appeared to be a small black sock in one corner. When I approached it, I realized it was another Palmetto bug. Luckily, it was dead. I told Mike about it. "Ya, it flew in, and I killed it." Flew in? The bastards can fly! This one was so big you could strap a saddle on it and ride it to work.

But this would not be the end to my up close and personal account of what I now call the Critter State. As I walked Mike's dog, Bowser, different critters would jump out and run across the sidewalk. To my credit, I stopped screaming after the ninth time it happened. Some of these critters were geckos. Now, I have to say I liked the geckos. Maybe it was the car insurance commercial with that cute talking one that softened my heart to them. But what I liked most about them is that they feared me and didn't attack me or my cat's food or waste. Those criteria helped me to enjoy the small tree frogs I would see in the doorway at night. The same little silver-green one would appear near the door each night, with a one-eyed, cheerful wink as if to say, "Hey, how'd work go today, Ruth?". I named him Willy. It saddened me when one day he disappeared, replaced by a big, ugly bullfrog, the size of a large orange, who had a mean, pissed off look on his warty face. He would glare at me as if to say, "So, I ate your friend Willy. Wanna make somethin' out of it?". Mike further educated me that these frogs have poison on their back. What joy!

I figured there just couldn't be any more critter surprises left. I was wrong. I forgot about mosquitoes. Now, we have mosquitoes up north, but these Florida ones are a lot more clever. One night I made the mistake of walking home with a sleeveless blouse on. I counted 22 mosquito bites on my left arm only. How do you think they decided just to bite one arm? That night I dreamed there was a mosquito party. They all sat around a cocktail bar passing around tiny bottles labeled "Stupid Yankee blood, 2004, left arm". And it left yet another pest, um, a critter to encounter. The aptly named no-see-um. I do not know if this is the official name of this tiny flying bug. I know they travel in packs and enjoy invading your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hair. A swarm splattered me one afternoon when I went bike riding. Looking in the bathroom mirror later, I looked like I had the black measles.

I've written a lot about Florida critters; now it's time to expose Florida weather. It is, for most months in Florida unbearably hot. You could emerge freshly showered, step out of your air-conditioned house and within 60 seconds you will produce a gallon of sweat and return to your pre-showered state. Air conditioning in Florida is like oxygen in space: it is necessary for your survival. Maybe your happy little Florida friends will chit-chat about the beautiful weather during a few winter months, but I suggest you call them in August and ask them how long they spent outdoors that day. If they say anything longer than five minutes, they're lying. I called my friends back north when I was wearing shorts on Christmas day, not to brag but to lament about it not feeling like Christmas. There is just something wrong and unholy about wearing shorts on Christmas day.

Also, it doesn't rain properly in Florida. I drove down a highway one time, with perfectly blue skies. Within seconds a torrential rain poured down. It rendered my wipers on their highest speed useless. I had to pull over until it stopped because I couldn't see. Other drivers seemed used to it, calmly driving along. I thought the world was ending. As quickly as it came in, the rain left, and the sky was blue again as if the cloudburst never happened.

Oh, don't forget about the hurricanes. Florida gets them often. I experienced four. What gets me about them is the places that have tracking maps so you can track exactly when your home and possessions will blow away. I would stay up all night alone watching the weather–Mike worked the night shift–and waiting to see if I needed to evacuate. Mike's home had metal shutters that covered all the windows. It could be night, day, sunny, raining outside but I wouldn't know. I felt like a can of tuna.

I gave up on Florida after a year. I cried tears of joy when I drove through the state line of New Hampshire. Today, I happily watch it snow, offering to shovel entire driveways and smile as I chop four inches of thick ice off my windshield. I can take frostbite in winter and an occasional bug or two in summer. Florida, you can keep your heatstroke and evil critters.

Atheism Revisited (but I am still a Christian)

To take the first step in faith, you don't have to see the whole
staircase: just take the first step.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



There has been a good amount of response to my previous blog about 2007 possibly being the year of the atheist that I need to address the issue again. Naturally, as a Christian, I don't want to turn my blog into an debate on atheism, but I have been enlightened by the comments, especially from Vjack at Atheist Revolution and feel it is necessary to revisit this topic.

One of the points I've learned is not every atheist is angry and hostile towards those who are religious. There may be some like that, but it is not the majority. We have made a stereotype and also some atheists make a stereotype that we Christians/religious people are all trying to force or convert atheists and others to our beliefs. It has been mentioned that Christians back in history were brutal and violent in this effort. I don't disagree with this, but would like you all to keep in mind that many Christians and other religious people were also brutalized for believing. So one of the main concepts both groups, believers and non-believers, need to keep in mind instead of passing a quick judgement is that it is not right to stereotype and that both groups have faced persecution or harrassment for their opinions.


In a recent blog post at Atheist Revolution, Vjack states,while it is not universal for all atheists, that their are two prongs to atheism: faith is irrational and religion is harmful. I would like to address the first prong about faith being irrational.
Because something can't yet be proven, or any concrete evidence found to prove it's existence, does that mean it doesn't exist? Every day scientists are learning new things, finding and inventing new means to quantify, measure, and prove the existence of different things. Right now, we are just finding many new species of animals and plants we never even knew existed. If years ago, someone found a drawing of one of these animals and stated it existed, they would be laughed at and ridiculed. Yet now it is fact. Just because there currently, today, exists no proof for the existence of God does not mean He doesn't exist. Perhaps the right tools or measuring devices just aren't around to verify His existence. Also, perhaps we aren't MEANT to find His existence through science, as this would eliminate the need for faith. Maybe we are meant to find God only through the means of faith, as many Christians do believe. And that is not irrational to us at all.
The second prong mentioned, religion being harmful, may be true in some cases. Again, we are talking about religious extremists who want to beat into submission those who don't believe. I don't subscribe to that path, nor do many other Christians and people of other faiths. Again, it is necessary to avoid stereotyping. In fact, research has been done and it has been proven that religious practice promotes the well-being of individuals, families, and the community.

Perhaps it would be better for atheists to consider themselves "apatheists": Continue not believing in God or religion, but also stop worrying if others believe. To put it simply: live and let live.

2007: To Be the Year of the Atheist?

I am not psychic at all, but I predict this year will be the year of the atheist. What prompts me to believe this? Looking at the Reddit.com website, there are many articles about atheism in the news today. And the popularity of Richard Dawkin's book The God Delusion, which reached the top ten (ironically at Christmas time), seems to confirm it.
I have no problem with people who have other beliefs than me, or no beliefs at all. But why do people find it necessary to try to remove the faith of others? Do these same people relish telling children there is no Santa Claus? Do they look forward to divulging that the Tooth Fairy is a myth? Yet, by my using these examples maybe I am putting God in the same category, which will not truly defend my beliefs. I am by no means a child believing in some magical entity. I am an adult who has given much reflection and study to define my own spirituality and determine who or what to believe. And I believe in Christianity, in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, Mary as the Blessed Mother, the Saints, the whole bit. I do believe that much of the Bible was distorted and some important texts were omitted and altered. But the fact that these texts were even found is, in itself a miracle and only proves that maybe this was God's way of having the truth come out.
What is the difference, really, between an atheist and a skeptic? An atheist is defined as a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings. Part of the definition of a skeptic is a person who doubts the truth of a religion, esp. Christianity, or of important elements of it. And for the record, an agnostic is defined as a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience. So the main difference between these three labels is that atheism is flat out saying 'no, no way' while skeptics and agnostics leave a little wiggle room for the possibility, exhibited by the words 'doubt' and 'unknown'. The only way an atheist can become a believer is if there is definitive proof of the existence of God, a skeptic would need some evidence to remove all doubt, and the only way an agnostic can believe is if the existence of God becomes known, which, like the other three would result from proof or evidence. But isn't faith believing without total proof? And wouldn't the atheists, skeptics, and agnostics still question the validity of the evidence? Look at the people who don't believe the Holocaust ever happened. There is evidence, there is proof yet they don't believe it. I think there are some people who, no matter what will choose to stubbornly deny things in order to be right or to be so narrow minded that no other opinion but their own can be the truth.
I may someday read Dawkin's book, borrowing it from the library as I don't wish to put money in the pocket of someone so aggressive in his disbelief.
All I'm asking is for tolerance towards one another, and keeping an open mind. I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the end your right to an opinion. Just don't force your opinion on me.
UPDATE: Here is an article that shows the increase in popularity of atheism:http://businesslogs.com/web_20/digg_and_youtube_powering_atheism_20.php

Another Chance

It is 2007, and with any New Year comes the promise and hope of change for the better. This is displayed by the increase in all the diet ads, health club ads and ads for products to stop smoking. What prompts our desire to change? Is it looking back on the past year and seeing the areas we didn't improve? Or is it just society's and media's direction to be thinner, healthier, and better?
I believe the New Year reminds us of getting another year older and of our "failure" to be as perfect as we hoped.
Unlike a birthday, New Year's is celebrated world-wide by billions of people on the same date. It is a mass celebration of the end of one time period and the beginning of another, or "out with the old, in with the new". This doesn't mean that we don't pause and reflect somewhat in the same way on a birthday. It just means that it is the perfect opportunity to reach masses of people who might all be in the same state of thought. My favorite diet-related ad, by the way, is the ad for Special K cereal. Had my child, upon seeing my posterior clad in a red and white bathrobe exclaimed, 'Santa!', I would most definitely be putting coal in her stocking.
Certainly, there is nothing wrong with planning to change for the better, as long as it is not being done out of pressure, such in the book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, or a feeling of having to do it. Personally, I'd like to see the New Year brought in with a "Life List" that not only has the obligatory 'I will lose x pounds', or 'I will stop smoking', but a list of experiences that would make our life richer, fuller, and happier. (Keep in mind the experiences refered to here should be legally and morally ok.) I will share with you some experiences I would like to have. Warning: these experiences border on the bizzare, but once you get to know me you'll just say 'oh', like most of my friends and family do. Also, keep in mind these are not in any specific order (except for the parade one):
1. Ride a float during the Macy's Day Parade. This is something I've always wanted to do. I don't need to be the center of attention, like Ferris Bueller, as I'd be happy just to be a generic winter-coated person waving a gloved hand. I think I've found a legitimate way to get in on this: this past parade, I saw a sign language interpreter signing a song an artist was singing on a float. Since I have started taking classes in American Sign Language, this could be a possibility. Maybe.
2. Ride in a hot air balloon. Actually, I was saving this one for my fiftieth birthday. The real reason is I'm afraid of heights, so the longer I can postpone it the better.
3. Have a Youtube or Google video that shows up in the top ten. I must emphasize that it should not be too embarassing, though who can beat the guy doing one of my favorite videos, The Numa Numa dance, or the hypnotic OK Go video? Looking at the current list of top videos on these sites, it seems I would have to be a famous, very attrative woman with a wardrobe malfunction to get there. Oh well.
4. To do something heroic. Giving blood might seem heroic enough to people, but I've already done that. I was thinking more of pushing a kid out of the way of an oncoming truck or car, saving someone who is drowning, etc. I can be totally anonymous, as it is just the experience I am looking for.
5. Own a home. I don't need a mansion. I only want a nice mobile home in a coop park I've selected in Merrimack. Nothing fancy. Do you hear me, Oprah? Bill Gates? Anyone? Bueller?
6. Own a Toyota Prius or Toyota Camry. OK, now the list is turning into a materialistic wish list rather than life experience. But isn't reducing carbon emissions and lowering dependence on foreign oil a life experience itself? Isn't it?
7. Lose weight. Boring, I know. But I just copy it over year to year.

That's all I'll share with you for now. There is a guy who had a list of over 100 things, and he's done 104 of them already. I'd be happy with a list of 50, and maybe get three things done. We must be realistic. (But keep in mind I never thought I'd be swimming with dolphins, but I did it three years ago.)

Thoughts about Snow

There is something almost graceful and majestic about snow. While rain has its own beauty, it falls fast and steady, each drop barely seen. Snow glides slowly most of the time, with flakes that are small, then sometimes turning large, a slow-motion hypnotic show. I spend way too much time staring out the window, unable to tear myself away from watching it. People walk by my city window, muttering and cursing, barely looking at the beauty of it all. They are cold, wet, some are driving in it or wrestling it off their cars. But if they were like me, inside warm and dry, and just watching it, they might smile and enjoy it.
I had been one of those cursing the snow. I initially would enjoy it during the first one or two snowfalls of the season, but when I had to go out in it or drive in it, would hate it. It took spending a year living in South Florida, in a constant state of sweating and dealing with torrential rainstorms, for me to truly appreciate the gift of snow.
Who doesn't remember as a child the joy of snow? How about the simple act of cutting paper to make a snowflake?The radio announcement of our school closing for the day was the equivalent of Christmas,Easter, and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. My mother would bundle us up from head to toe, and we would nearly break the door down to go out and play in the snow. This was before PS3, Xbox, WII, or even computers. We used our creative minds to build snow forts, had snowball fights, and played King of the Mountain on every large plowed heap of snow we could find. We made snow angels, and used snowballs to carefully knock down large icicles off the side of our house. And we would sled down the side of a hill squealing and laughing, not the least bit afraid. When we were almost frostbitten, we'd go inside and my mother would have a saucepan of homemade cocoa on the stove, which she'd serve with a heaping tablespoon of Fluff. Mom would take an old bleach bottle, rinsed thoroughly and fill it with hot water. She'd put a towel around it and we'd place our numb,red feet on it, and think that this was the closest to Heaven as it could ever get. When our coats, mittens, socks were dry enough on the radiator, we'd get bundled up again and go out this time to make a snowman. We would listen to the crunching sound of the snow under our boots, and watch as the sky started to turn soft pink and lavender. And again, frostbitten, the sun starting to set and the temperature dropping, and with clumps of snow frozen to our mittens and pants, we'd head home for a hot, hearty dinner.
Each year I am tempted to go out, and with no one looking, make a snow angel. I haven't gotten the courage yet, but maybe this winter it will happen.

NOTE:This is written with my apologies to the folks in Colorado.