INNER VOICE – Musical: when there are three or more melodic lines, the middle one is the inner voice. My ear has always sought that sound which lies below the surface, following the melody yet searching out its own harmony::::: INNER VOICE – Spiritual: the speaking of your soul:::::The still, small voice of Spirit
Over the millennia, the concept of “God” has evolved and become warped because of legalistic religions, superstitious beliefs, and fanatical delusions. Here are some alternative descriptors for the idea of a Supreme Being:
Ultimate Reality
Essence of the Universe
Life Force
Ground of all Being
Universal Eternal
The Great Mind
Absolute Infinite
Fundamental Essence
Power at the Heart of All Existence
Great Spirit
Transcendent Center
Divine Matrix
Nature of Reality
Mother of All
Primordial Essence of All That Exists
The Wholeness and Completeness at the Heart of All Things
A long, long time ago there was a wise and ancient Mother. Her children were grown and had given her grandchildren. One day she gathered them together to show them something.
“My precious ones, I am giving you this Home. It has everything you need to live. It has shelter, warmth, cooling breezes, enough water for drinking, washing, and enjoyment; copious food growing everywhere as well as a great deal of space for growing your own food; animals for you to love, abundant sunshine for heat and light, and trees for shade. You must take good care of this home, and when you are old, like me, you must gift it to your own children.”
Her children were overjoyed. Their new home was unbelievably beautiful and plenteous. They lived at the home and tended it for a very long time.
But after a while, they became restless. They let the home fall into ruin. The stronger children ate most of the food and used most of the resources that the home provided. The weaker children suffered hunger and need because of the greedy ones. They began to fight and even kill each other.
Some of the children created substances that harmed their home and the people. The air became unbreathable, the water dirty, and the gardens produced less food. They invented machines that seemed to be able to make their lives better, but they only complicated things.
Many of the children left the home to find new homes, but this only caused more problems. They took homes that belonged to other children and brought their unhealthy substances and machines with them, which also ruined the other peoples’ homes. And they fought with the other children and sometimes even killed them.
Finally the children cried out in despair, “Mother! Help us! Our home is ruined and we have no food or clean water or shelter, and we are killing each other! And we no longer have a beautiful home to give to our children!”
Mother sighed. “My children, I told you what you must do, but you have not listened. Only you can save your home, your children, and the other people. You must take care of your home and your children the way I told you to, and live in peace with the other people.”
The children sighed. They talked among themselves, “Is it too late? Is everything ruined? Let us discuss what we shall do. Look! See? The sun is rising. It is a new day. Let us live a new way. A new, very very old way.”
Today we remember the brave patriots who gave their lives to save our democracy. We also remember those who fought and survived, and those who supported those efforts. They sacrificed their lives, their safety, their mental stability. For US.
Their precious, sacred honor is being threatened today. Our beautiful nation was designed by other brilliant, brave people who came here for freedom. Freedom to govern themselves. Freedom to practice their beliefs. Freedom to live as they choose so long as it harms no one. This freedom is now threatened by some of our leaders who would like to turn our country into a dictatorship. They want to limit or eliminate elections, the power of the courts, and the voices of the people. They want to make life better for the ultra-rich at the expense of lower-income, hardworking men and women. They plan to sacrifice our beautiful and life-giving environment at the altar of their cryptocurrency. They want to silence voices of dissent. This is the ultimate disrespect for those who gave their lives for us. Destroying our democracy and freedom while enriching themselves shows where their hearts lie.
No matter your political persuasion, you should be opposed to these provisions in the budget bill. All freedom-loving Americans, true patriots, must act now. The highest honor for our fallen heroes is to continue their work. Please commit to calling and writing to your representatives, repeatedly if necessary. Their phone lines and mailboxes must overflow with our messages. We must flood the streets with protests. We cannot let this happen. Minor differences can be discussed later. We must stop the current legislation that will end our Constitutional rights of free speech, press, elections, rule of law, and the courts. There is no higher priority. THIS IS A CONSTITUTIONAL EMERGENCY. America, in honor of our heroes, let freedom ring!
He’d be 96 today, years of struggle, changes slowly come
what would the world be like now
if he had lived past 39
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Flags flying at half staff, remembering
a great leader who passed
one hundred years he set the example
lived his faith to help the poor
“We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make the changes, and we must.” Pres. Jimmy Carter
Lying unqualified hateful man
friend of tyrants near and far
no good thing ever has he done
how can so many follow him
“We’ve been waging an all-out war on American democracy.” Pres. Donald Trump
On this day we remember, we look back
at lives well lived and great deeds done
inspiring us all to help the world
lift up the fallen, heal our awesome planet
On this day we look forward with trepidation
fearing the future, fighting for what’s right
people of goodwill joining together
to stop his evil plans
call, write, sing, march, help, love
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you visited me… as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me… Jesus (Matt. 25)
January 20, 2025 Martin Luther King Day, Inauguration Day
Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! To see the one who saves the world Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! The star will show the way
Let’s bring him gold So he can flee The terror that is coming Let’s bring him rare herbs To heal his wounds Let’s go to honor him
Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! To help the one become the king Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! To stop the ones who hinder him We’ll flood the streets and government house And overturn the rule of law
Let’s find the leaders who stand in his way And seat him on a throne of gold The rightful heir will lead our nation And the faithless will be overthrown Bring guns and knives, a post and noose To hang his enemies
Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! To see the one who will become The prince of peace who teaches love And humility to all
Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! To see the one who will put our nation Back to rights and rid ourselves Of all who think and live differently
Let’s go! Let’s go! We must go! Let’s grab this opportunity To be in the presence of holiness With love for all humankind Peace on earth, goodwill to all
Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore sat on a log outside Eeyore’s house. The Hundred Acre Wood was all a-twitter with the news that a new Leader would soon be taking over the Wood.
“Why so glum, chum?” asked Pooh.
“Ahhh… I’m worried that I’ll lose my health insurance and won’t be able to afford my antidepressants,” lamented Eeyore in his sad, singsong voice.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, friend,” counseled Pooh.
Presently, along came Piglet. He was squealing about the news. “Did you hear? The tariffs on imported products are going to make prices in the Wood skyrocket!”
“Yes, I did hear, Piglet,” answered Pooh sadly. “I just hope I’ll still be able to buy locally-sourced hunny.”
The next friend to amble down the trail was Christopher Robin.
“My parents voted for the new Leader, but now they’re not so sure. Now they say that Grandpa and Grandma’s retirement and medical care will be cut or even done away with. They are SO WORRIED.”
Suddenly a loud thumping sound came towards them. It was Tigger! He bounced into the clearing.
“Cheer up, everyone! We will be just fine! The Hundred Acre Wood is going to be better than ever!” he shouted as he bounced around the circle of friends.
“Don’t be so sure, Tigger,” said Eeyore. “Did you know that the Leader plans to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency? Not having environmental protection means chopping down the trees, and no trees means no shade, which means being hotter, and not keeping the water clean means no clean water to drink. Tiggers like cool shade and fresh water, don’t they?”
“Yeah… I guess…” muttered Tigger.
Everyone looked as Kanga and Roo came down the path. Kanga looked sad.
“At school today, a boy said to Roo, ‘YOUR body, MY choice!’ She was so scared!” The friends all sighed deeply. “On top of that, I heard that the Department of Education is going to close, and that means no more special education for Roo.”
They all sighed again. “What will we DO?”
Just then a flapping sound came down from the trees. Owl swooped into sight.
“Surely Owl will have some words of wisdom for us!” cried Pooh. “Maybe he will tell us that things will not be as bad as they seem!”
Owl alighted on a tree stump.
“I am very sorry, everyone, but I can’t do that. Our new Leader and his friends have decided that he will be a Dictator, and no one can stop what he and his friends plan to do. Even though our Wood was created with freedom of speech and freedom of religion, they plan to stifle any opposition, and have one religion be taught in our schools to the exclusion of all others.”
An audible gasp arose into the trees.
“In addition, he will round up all the Friends who were not born in the Wood, and send them away. Since they have done so much to help us, doing jobs like picking our crops, we will not have enough workers, and this will make our food much more expensive. We tend to forget that all of us were immigrants to the Wood at one time. Also, many of us will no longer have equal rights under the law.”
“Why are they doing this?” squeaked Piglet. “Why did people vote for them?”
Owl sighed. “Many people thought that their ideas were best for the Wood. And some people just don’t like people who are different from them, so they want to make life more difficult for them. But they didn’t know that these policies will also hurt THEM.”
Kanga and Eeyore began sobbing.
Pooh spoke up. “Is there anything we can do?”
Owl looked around at the circle of friends, in Eeyore’s yard, by the crooked creek with the yellow daisies on the edge, and slowly, slowly, slowly intoned,
“Be kind to one another. Be patient. Be strong. Help one another. Speak your mind. Show the people that there is a better way to live. Encourage the good leaders who are still in government to stand their ground. There will be another Vote in two years. Be sure to get to know who is running and what they stand for, and then VOTE.”
The friends all came close into one huge group hug.
“We won’t let them make the Wood a dicktatership,” said Pooh quietly. All the friends nodded and said “Mm-hmm.” “We will stand up for Democracy and Freedom. That’s what the Founders of the Wood intended,” assented Christopher Robin. “I learned that in school.”
“And we will keep the Wood safe for Roo,” said Tigger, bouncing slightly on his tail. “Grrr!!!”
If this plan is enacted (if the proponents of it are elected, it WILL be enacted), life as we know it in the United States will cease to exist.
I’d been looking forward to the year 2025, when I can enroll in Medicare and finally have decent, affordable health care. Project 2025 plans to decimate Medicare.
I’d been hoping for a comfortable retirement, but Project 2025 would drastically cut the Social Security benefits that I and millions of other Americans have paid into all our working lives and depend on for our survival.
Project 2025 would undermine the separation of church and state, as well as freedom of religion, which are mandated in the Constitution and related documents. Our future citizens would no longer have the freedom of religion on which our founding fathers and mothers created this nation, and that generations have enjoyed since the founding of our democracy.
This plan would dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency and climate change research. My granddaughter and our future generations would grow up in a world that is more polluted and increasingly hotter, and without any protection to keep their environment safe and healthy.
Under Project 2025, our future generations would have fewer civil liberties than previous generations did, who worked and fought hard for our rights. When our nation was founded, only wealthy white men had full rights, such as the right to vote and own property, but gradually full rights have been extended to all citizens. Under this plan, the rights that we have fought so hard for would be eroded.
2025 would decimate funding for public schools, so my granddaughter and her classmates would learn in substandard schools.
It would cut funding for medical research, making our children grow up in a less healthy nation; cut the Department of Homeland Security, which would make their cities and towns less safe; slash corporate taxes, which would be unfair to our working and middle class; and end birthright citizenship, which would separate families and send legal immigrants out of the country of which they are citizens.
2025 would overturn the Affordable Care Act, under which my family and millions of others have good quality, lower-cost care. Untold numbers of our citizens will be left without medical insurance.
It would place the executive branch of the federal government under the complete control of the president, in effect making him or her a dictator.
Project 2025 is an extremely dangerous plan. The nation that my granddaughter and millions of other children would grow up in would be unrecognizable. The United States of America as we have known and loved it will cease to exist. It’s ironic that these changes would be carried out by 250 years after the US was founded in 1776.
We must all take action before this project can go into effect. Please vote for and support candidates who do not endorse Project 2025 so that we can continue to work for a more prosperous America, ensure our civil liberties will endure, create policies that put our people and our welfare first, and a healthier environment for everyone.
I’m old now. I won’t be around much longer to worry about this. But my children and grandchildren will be, and so will yours. Please join me in working for a safer, healthier, and more equitable nation and world for them. Our planet is an incredible, precious gift – let us not squander it. Our democracy is brilliantly designed and hard-fought – let us not destroy it.
When I was a kid in the 60s, we lived along the main street in a small town. We had a front-row seat to July Fourth parades every year. I loved to sit on our front porch and watch them go by, with the surge of patriotic fervor of an eight-year-old. Figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were an inspiration to me. As I grew older and became more aware of the world and learned American history, some of the things I learned bothered me. Why were there so many wars? Why were we in one now, thousands of miles away? I learned about European settlers coming to America and taking over the indigenous peoples’ land, and I couldn’t understand slavery at all. Why did some of our ancestors take people from Africa and make them work for free and never allowed them freedom? While other of our ancestors strived to stop slavery?
I also learned that one of the reasons that people came from Europe was for freedom of religion. They didn’t want the government to tell them how to worship. Our new democratic government did not allow the establishment of a state religion. Many of the founders were agnostics or deists; some of them believed in God but not necessarily a specific faith and didn’t adhere to a certain religious book such as the Bible.
When our country was founded, the idea of the right to vote was new. The founders decided to create a democracy, where every citizen had a say in the government; that is, white male landowners were allowed to vote. Of course now that seems horribly wrong, but at the time it was quite revolutionary. Over the almost 250 years since the American Revolution, the right to vote was of course extended to women and to people of color. The democracy of 1776 was a step in the right direction, though. It took many decades to stop slavery and notions such as wives being the possessions of their husbands. We have indeed come a long way.
Our country and much of the world has made other progress too. People are generally becoming more of what could be called “civilized” – more aware of the rights and needs of others. Most of us avoid stereotyping people now. We are more conscious of not pointing out others’ differences. Schoolchildren are being taught kindness, to avoid bullying, and to report physical and sexual abuse. In this regard we have made tremendous strides. People of various ethnicities, backgrounds, orientations, and religions are becoming more accepted.
But this tide is beginning to turn. There are people and forces who want to go back. Some folks would like our country to go back to the times when white men dominated, when women kept quiet, when people of color “knew their place”, when one religion was taught in public schools, when people who are different are shunned. There is a movement afoot called Project 2025 which would reverse the progress that America has made. Its proponents are threatening violence to achieve their aims. It would slash environmental protection, and allow religion to be taught in public schools, which is counter to the Founders’ intentions. We must all educate ourselves about what this proposal would do, and then act and vote to stop it.
The other day my husband said something that I’d been thinking. He said, “Maybe we should put up a flag in front of our house.” I replied that I agreed, and that we love America as much as anyone else. So we did. Sometimes it seems like flags are just a seasonal summer decoration, like lit-up pine trees and red bows are sometimes just a winter decoration. But to me a flag is more. I’ve been on this earth, and an American citizen, for 64 years. I love America and all she stands for. She was a beacon on a hill way back in 1776 and she still is today. I have children and a grandchild, and I don’t want them to live in a country that is losing its freedom and progress.
We must stop and look at what is happening. This country is for all of us. We are in danger of losing our democracy and becoming a dictatorship. We have a supreme court that is in the pocket of extremists. Last week they decided that a president should in effect be a monarch. People of either political side should be able to see that this extreme move is dangerous either way. If progressives win, they also could make decisions with no consequence to them. There needs to be checks and balances.
The founding fathers of 1776 were radicals. They started a grand experiment that has mostly gotten better and better. We need to continue the work of these great people. Progressive thinkers are not the enemy. WE LOVE AMERICA. We want her, and all of us, to prosper. WE ARE PATRIOTS. My father and father-in-law served in World War II. My brother and brother-in-law served in the Vietnam War. Servicepeople deserve our highest respect. They did not serve for nothing. They served to stop the oppression of the weaker by the stronger. Let us not let their service be in vain.
Inner Voice 