Under a Red Roof

It Was Forty Years Ago Today…

April 4, 2008 in Practicing, Quoting, Remembering, Thinking by admin | 1 comment

When Martin Luther King, Jr. died on April 4th 1968, I was three years from being born. As a white girl, living in a predominantly white neighborhood, I would only be scarcely aware of his existence until I bought my favorite U2 album The Unforgettable Fire in 1984. Despite this pathetic history, he is ever present in my life now, providing me with a shining example of goodness, bravery, intelligence, and wisdom.

There is rarely a day that passes that I do not think of him and find inspiration in his deeds and words. Through them I find my own strength and courage. Here are just a few:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined non-conformists who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood.”

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites. The idealists are usually not realistic, and the realists are not usually idealistic. The militant are not generally known to be passive, nor the passive to be militant. Seldom are the humble self-assertive, or the self-assertive humble. But life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony. The philosopher Hegel said that truth is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in the emergent synthesis which reconciles the two.”

This is me now, sending a little prayer out for peace and happiness to all. Infinite blessings upon your path…

Abundance

April 2, 2008 in Practicing, Thinking by admin | Permalink

In January, after one of my quarterly trips Buffalo Exchange to sell and donate clothes, I had an epiphany. If I “am” my possessions, why am I constantly getting rid of them?

What does that say about me? “I am constantly getting rid of me?” Why do I have so much of myself that I don’t need? Which brought me to the next question – what, in life, do I really need?

I’m sure you already know the answers. So, then and there, I made a decision to do something that I previously considered radical. I would not buy any clothes until June. I love clothes!

Then, after looking at the giant pile of other miscellaneous junk waiting to be chauffered off to the Goodwill, Gregory and I decided together to not make any purchases, besides necessities, for our entire household until June. No clothes, no shoes, no gadgets, no art, no CD’s. Zip, zilch, nada!

Our start date was February first, and, with the exception of an Easter Lily ($6.49 at Trader Joe’s – brain fart!), we have kept our word. It’s been really exciting, not just to see the savings add up, but to know that we can set a limit and stick to it.

By my calculations, after a couple years of whining that we didn’t have the money, we’ll have enough to reupholster some chairs that are in dire need (darn kitty claws). Who knows what other seemingly monumental task will be within our grasp? I can’t wait to find out!

The picture is what our garden looks like in June, full of flowers and lush greenery. Right now, there are some weeds and a few sprouts. I think I forget that we already have all we need – with a little patience, the blooms reveal themselves!

Angel Cards and Inspiration

March 31, 2008 in Being, Reading, Thinking by admin | Permalink

I first saw Wayne Dyer on PBS when they were advertising for his special about The Power of Intention. Something about the commercials really turned me off, so I didn’t watch the show or buy the book.

I guess it must have been a couple of years later when the show for his next book Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling came on the air. Like the first time, I was resistant, making sure I kept away from PBS the first night it was aired. However, rather surprisingly, when I turned on the television on a lazy Sunday afternoon and saw that it was on, I kept watching.

I enjoyed what I heard. Like the title, I actually felt inspired and a bit awed, expecially about the butterfly story (you’ll have to read it – I’m not spoiling it). So, I told Gregory, “I think I might buy that book. It sounds like it might be what I’m looking for in my life right now.” He was less sure, but I tend to be the first in our household to jump on any sort of exercise or self-help bandwagon.

Here’s what convinced us both:

Have you ever seen Angel Cards like the one above? They are small, probably 1″x 2.5″, and have a word or phrase with a drawing of an angel (or angels) in some corresponding way.

We first saw them at our naturopath’s office. Each patient drew a card at the beginning of their visit for something to ponder in the waiting room. We liked the idea of the cards, so Gregory bought us some (in French! They’ve got them in many languages :).

In a strange coincidence, or maybe not, the card I drew on the Monday after viewing the program was Inspiration (insert weird sound effect here). You bet your booty I bought that book at the first opportunity, and, of course, it changed my perspective about the world and my life in a very profound way.

Wanting to be Remembered…

March 7, 2008 in Thinking by admin | Permalink

I’ve often wondered why suddenly, quite out of the blue, I think about someone I haven’t seen in a long time. Lately, I’ve been thinking about Paula Pfeiffer, a girl I knew in my school days. Over the past week, I’ve seen her face, heard her voice, and remember a drawing she made of a guitar.

Paula and I were friends, but never terribly close. She was in and out of my life. Her parents were among the first I ever knew to have been divorced, and I think she moved between their two houses, so she wasn’t always at the same school as me.

I remember seeing her in high school after a long absence. She looked a little spaced out and her hair seemed funny to me. I knew something was awry, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Weeks, or maybe months later, my memory doesn’t serve me, she died. It turns out she had leukemia. She was probably on drugs and wearing a wig the last time I saw her.

I remember driving to her mother’s house for a wake. I couldn’t get up the courage to go inside. I felt embarassed that I didn’t really know her anymore, but wished there was some way I could communicate that I had always liked her. She was good and sweet and kind.

In another strange twist, my husband and I watched 2010 on Sunday, February 10th. We’d thought about watching something else, but then had a “feeling” about 2010. It was as good as we remembered, even recognizing Helen Mirren in a way we hadn’t before – that was her? Goodness, she’s been around for a while. The strangest part, however, as I learned today, is that the star of the movie, Roy Scheider, died that very day, possibly as we were watching.

Are these two people communicating with me? Or did their cosmic dust, caught in the ebb and flow of the universe, just cross paths with me, a happy coincidence? I really don’t know, but if there is something greater happening here, message received. I remember you…you are not lost.

It is interesting to begin a blog with death and memory, but I guess that is what this is all about – telling the universe that I am here. I feel, think, believe, exist, just like Paula and Roy did. We are all together, embarking, disembarking in blogs and in life. Welcome to another part of the journey.