Wildflowers

the bonnets blue
call me to walk in the fields
paint with brushes
and the roses are prim

threads of green
drink cups of wine
as prickled poppies
dance in the wind

nightshades in silver
yarrow and flax
phlox of drummond and
a daisy called engelmann

they call forth the spring
wild sages in blue
court larkspur and reach
for the heavens

Trapped

My choices
Have rendered me helpless
Unable to do what I wish

I feel stifled
Immobile
And completely at risk

Why did I put myself
My life
In harms way?

I can't breathe
Can't rest
Can't do what I want with my day

Boxed in
No freedom
No power at all

I need peace
I need a break
I need not to feel so small

Banana Face

You make me so happy
Each time you say something I would say
And especially something I wouldn't
Or tell me you love me when I'm being silly
It is awesome that a long walk and wildflowers
Is all it takes to bring us together
I am more proud of you than anything else in this life
You are amazing in each and every way
Your sense of humor
Care for others
And sense of self
Bless me like nothing else
There is simply nothing better than being your Mom

A Mile in His Shoes - for Chris

He's been in a bed for months
And I take for granted, every step I take

He's been fighting his body
Ferociously for every cell

He looks different
More mature, more aware

He understands how precious life is
And I'm ashamed to squander mine

He inspires me to keep fighting
For what I know has meaning

He didn't want to be my hero this way
And I would take it on if I could

He just wants everyone to understand
What it would be like to walk a mile in his shoes

He will come through
And I will be glad that he supplies me with such hope

Which rights will you exclude?

Recent comments by Kirk Cameron, Rush Limbaugh and MANY celebrities weighing in on the issue of homosexuality and birth control got me thinking.  It is very important to separate these issues from religious doctrine.  Who a person sleeps with is simply none of mine, or anyone else's business.  It is simply not good manners to discuss or display such things.  They are private and intimate.  To me, this discussion is inappropriate.  I believe in equal rights for ALL people in ALL circumstances, from ALL walks of life with no regard to race, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, political affiliation, favorite color, type of car they drive, type of house they live in, whether or not they pop pills, deserve grace, are a convicted felon, have ever had an impure thought or been a complete angel.  Rights are definite and specific.  They do not change because of who someone is.  Granted, what someone does in the context of breaking laws can limit their rights, but that is of their own volition.  I have the right to pursue my dreams, believe what I want, protect myself and insist on basic human dignity and respect from others.  I believe that that has been tested over time in a million ways but the fact remains that because I am a living, breathing, human organism, I am entitled to what every other human organism deserves.  I have no issues with any person celebrating the rights I have for one reason.  I will treat you as I want to be treated, which in fact, happens to be a biblical principle.  I don't want anyone to tell me who I can marry, how I can worship, or what I can do with my body.  Those things are gracefully given to me to decide.  The church has forgotten the basic tenets of love in favor of judgment.  Judgment is God's job.

As far as contraception goes, and whether or not it should be provided for free - please educate yourself on how the rights of women have been overlooked and violated since before and after suffrage.  Why shouldn't contraception be provided for women who can't afford it?? Would you provide them with medication to prevent heart disease, seizures, diabetes, etc?  Your response may be that pregnancy is preventable by abstinence so it is different.  Aren't heart disease and diabetes largely preventable?  Yet you'd have no problem providing those for free to someone who is indigent.  When did it become acceptable to not care about a whole person and only consider certain parts?  Again, it is important not to force one's views.  Everyone is at a different stage and level of understanding in their walk.  The most important thing is to love them through each and every step.

Just my two cents.  Perhaps, the only "Change" we need.

Live YOUR Life!!!

I took a vacation day yesterday and relaxed.  After a great breakfast and walking the trail I got to see "Act of Valor".  It was a good movie and I appreciated that they didn't try to make some huge political statement, they simply showed what the Seals go through and the sacrifices they make.  This quote by Tecumseh was in the movie and it really touched me.  This is how I hope to live my life.

"Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."