October 31--Sad, But Not Spooky

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.  --Robert Fulghum

    I am mourning the passing of a dear friend. We met in Kansas City at a spiritual growth workshop and became instant friends. She moved to Florida to be closer to her offsprings' families. Both of us are writers, and we re-connected a few years ago, adding a third writer and having fairly regular Zoom meetings to share our lives and our written words. The three of us truly were "a match made in heaven." 😉 She was a mighty example of facing death head-on, even hosting workshops for folks to process their issues regarding death and dying. I know that her final days were quite uncomfortable, and that she is now in total bliss, and I am happy for her, yet still sad for me and her many other friends and loved ones who are missing her brilliant light. 

    Soul-rinsing continues,

        Leta

October 30--A Meditation of Love

This is from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation of October 29. It is by CAC teacher, James Finley:

This is a meditation to help us experience the immediate presence and intimacy of God’s love and those who have joined God before us:

I invite you to imagine that you are sitting alone in the middle of a well-lit room. There are no windows and no furniture in the room other than the chair you are sitting in…. As you sit there alone in silence, the light in the room slowly begins to dim. As the room dims, a light on the other side of the wall you are facing slowly becomes brighter and brighter. You begin to realize that the wall you are facing is not really a solid wall, as you had imagined, but is rather a gossamer veil that is becoming increasingly translucent in the light that is shining through it, filling the darkness of your room with an unfamiliar light.

In the light shining out from the other side of the veil you see God, the angels, and the saints. They are all laughing and waving at you, letting you know how delighted they are that you can see them. You start laughing and waving back at them.

Then God, the angels, and the saints pass through the veil to join you, rendering the room radiant with communal joy and delight in which your very presence begins to glow with the presence of God. Illumined and transformed in this way, God and the angels and saints carry you with them into heaven, just on the other side of the veil, where all are dwelling who have died and crossed over into God. Then God and the angels and saints carry you with them back through the veil, back to the room, now aglow with heavenly wonder and delight. Then, once again, they transport you back into the celestial realm, and then back again into the room….

You are left once again in the familiarity of your earthly experience of yourself sitting there alone in the room, facing the wall. But while everything is the same as before, everything is, in an interior way, radically different. For you now realize that while, yes, it is true that, on one level, the wall you are facing really is a wall, … yet in the afterglow of the unitive experience that has just graced your life, you now know in the depths of your awakened heart that, ultimately speaking, the wall is no wall at all…. You have been graced with a fleeting experience of being immersed in God-immersed-in-you in a boundless communion that utterly transcends, even as it utterly permeates, the darkness and fragmentations of this world.

    AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

        Leta

October 29--Love Anyway

Sometimes people just need to be loved. Even when they have made mistakes. Even when they have been mean. Even when they get a tattoo that you don't love. Sometimes we just need to speak love.  --Mary Davis

    I might add this: "Even when they belong to a cult." My husband brought to my attention the word "cult-ure," emphasizing the cult part. Examples are the Trump cult-ure, the Catholic cult-ure (or any religion), the Republican cult-ure, and so on. Most likely these days we all know someone, or several, who are strongly attached to a cult. I should have added to my "advice" post: do not discuss religion or politics at family gatherings. Keep those events love-focused. 

    My husband succinctly pointed out that the Republican mission is to give us all PTSD. I've mentioned the mission to create a peasant class, necessary for a ruling king. So those peasants can be appropriately controlled because they are poor, terrified, sick and dumb. Poor--we are seeing the end of the middle class. Terrified--the whole Republican party is based on fear-mongering. Sick--take away their medical insurance and make needed care ever harder to get. Dumb--destroy public education, re-write history, ban books, on and on. 

    Love may be the answer, but it surely is challenging!

        Leta

Barney reminds me that love is easy.

October 28--Go, Blue Jays!

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.  --Dr. Seuss

    I've finished with one round of the legacy questions from the Oct 21 post. I encourage you to answer those questions for yourself, whether you be a youngster or a senior citizen. 

    I am in sports heaven. Last night I had the option of watching two NBA basketball games, the Chiefs football game and the third World Series game of Blue Jays vs. Dodgers. I really want the Blue Jays, a Canadian team (Toronto) to win the World Series. Alas, I did not make it through the 18-inning walk-off loss the Blue Jays suffered--bummer. All games are recorded so I can view them at my leisure. My husband has learned not to discuss a sporting event until he finds out if I've watched it. Baseball will end soon 😞 but college basketball will take its place 😀

    Meanwhile, have I mentioned that I'm back in physical therapy? Two sessions down, 10 to go, this time to strengthen my left calf, ankle, foot and arch, lingering effects from sciatica. I'm doing such fun things as walking heel-to-toe and picking up marbles with my toes. I've added firm arch supports to a couple pairs of shoes, and those, while necessary, make walking uncomfortable. I'm so grateful for Crocs, as they seem to be the best option for my feet wherein my left foot is about 3/4" longer than my right due to the fallen arch. My strength and arch seem to be improving. I'm looking forward to the completion of all this by year-end, and I'm hoping for NO need for medical attention in 2026! 

    One day at a time,

        Leta

Thunder basketball,
reigning champs!!

October 27--Who Wants Advice?

Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it. 
--Agatha Christie

    What do you wish for your family and dearest friends? What advice would you give them? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

In no particular order:

•     Your thoughts are creative--change your thinking, change your life.
•     Be yourself.
•     Learn something new every day.
•     Do something creative every day to feed your soul.
•     Rest more.
•     Worry less.
•     Connect more with nature.
•     We are here for joy, expansion and freedom.
•     Forgive quickly.
•     Create an intimate working relationship with Something Bigger.
•     Know that you are dearly loved and nothing can lessen that love. 
•     Ignore other people's sentiments or opinions of you.
•     Remember: "This, too, shall pass."
•     Travel! Experience other cultures and marvel at our magnificent Mother Earth.
•     KEEP MOVING!

    Some of these are easier than others. Life is a practice!

        Leta

From Google Images

October 26--What Will the Memories Be?

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others. 
--Rosa Parks

    How do you want to be remembered? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    Yikes! This is a biggie. My first thought is that I had a great sense of humor. I would like to be remembered as creative, starting with my early days when Mom taught me to sew and crochet, all the way through life with gardening, assorted crafts, and most recently painting. I hope folks think of me as a good family member and friend. Anyone who knows me well would note that I am nuts about baseball, so much so that I completed the quest of seeing a game in all 30 MLB stadiums. There were some brave solo trips involved, and all that fed into my love of traveling. I wouldn't mind if folks noted that my favorite hobby was napping!

    I'm gonna think about this one a lot more!

        Leta

"That's Odd" by yours truly...
Geometry was my favorite subject in school!

October 25--I Would Have...

Happy or unhappy, families are all mysterious. We have only to imagine how differently we would be described - and will be, after our deaths - by each of the family members who believe they know us.  --Gloria Steinem

    What do you wish you had done differently? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    I've said many times that I would have purchased a vacation home on a large body of water. Fortunately over the years, I have had friends who shared such properties with me. Most recently it has been the condo on the beach at Ocean City, Maryland, where my niece and I have had a lovely week's vacation the past few years. It's no problem to drive from Kansas to Maryland--I love the water and beach that much! 

    I would have asked a lot more family historical questions of the people who could answer them before it was too late. What were my mom's and dad's childhoods like? What traumas did they experience? How would they answer these legacy questions?

    One of the most powerful lessons the 12-Step program has taught me is to make amends, and to do it asap. Having learned to live this way, I don't feel like I have "loose ends" hanging out there that need attention. That's a comforting feeling.

        Leta

Something like this would be quite cool!!!

October 24--Gratitude Is Creative

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.  --Gilbert K. Chesterton

    What are you most grateful for? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    My mind immediately starts making a long list, but at the top is my health. Having gone through the awful bout of sciatica with its very lengthy (still underway) recovery, I most definitely do not take my active life and my ability to move for granted. 

    The next thing that comes to mind is being a mother. I had two very different pregnancies and births, and no surprise, my sons have very different personalities. Certainly raising children had its challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The joy far outweighed the difficulties. The best thing I have ever been called is "Mom!" 

    More to come on the gratitude list as I ponder these legacy questions.

        Leta

Grateful for art and travel--
Chihuly glass in Australia,
Adelaide Botanic Garden

October 23--Those Special Folks

You have to be in the world to understand what the spiritual is about, and you have to be spiritual in order to truly be able to accept what the world is about. 
--Mary Oliver

    Who were the most positive influences in your life, and what did they teach you? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    Here my first response is my dad and my sons. 

    The foremost thing I learned from my dad is generosity, both with his time and financial resources. He drove door-to-door in the boonies of Pennsylvania to collect for the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. He worked hard creating his own business, a sawmill, to support his family. He paid for my college and grad-school education. If someone was in need, he helped. He paid for the overseas trips my mom and I took, maybe because he was glad to get rid of us for a while! If I was not in school, I was in the truck with my dad delivering lumber. Those trips always seemed to culminate at an ice cream place. I can't think of black raspberry custard without connecting it to Dad. He was also the one who taught me how to swim. He built a pool at our house where my nieces and nephews and I spent many a joyful hour. To his credit in teaching me, yesterday I completed lap swimming of 100 miles for the 28th consecutive year. Yes, I love to swim. 

    Learning from my sons would have to fall into the "infinite" category. Both have very different personalities, thus each creating different challenges for me as a parent. Though I loved my parents, I did not grow up learning a successful way to deal with life and people (mine was "stop crying and eat this, you'll feel better.") Fortunately the 12-Step program put me on a better path to parenting. Those two boys made me laugh, cry, and rage, and I marvel at their creativity to this day. 

    What is your answer to today's question?

        Leta

The last blooms of fall

October 22--Formative Events

All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.  --Jon Kabat-Zinn

    What life event most shaped you, and what did you learn from it? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    These legacy questions likely won't have a one-time answer--more will be revealed as I ponder them. For now, I'm going with what comes to me first. 

    My answer is walking into a 12-Step meeting for the first time. I didn't know how brave I was then, but I have certainly learned that. I elected to "keep coming back!" and that changed the entire course of my life. I was on a path to slowly kill myself with food while driving myself completely nuts. The program has given me a constructive way to live without substance abuse. It has given me extraordinary friends who love and support me just as I am. It has given me the courage to do things that I would not have otherwise done, like solo travel, skydiving, and becoming a yoga teacher. It has enabled me to maintain better relationships with family members and friends. Most importantly, it has given me a spiritual life and relationship with a Higher Power that sustains me every moment. 

    Life is good!

        Leta

A perfect lily

October 21--Thought-Provoking Questions

Every person has a legacy. You may not know what your impact is, and it may not be something that you can write on your tombstone, but every person has an impact on this world.  --Dara Horn

    There was a short article by Peter Moore in the Aug/Sept AARP Magazine about writing a legacy letter about the most important things in one's life. For inspiration, these questions, written by Jay Sherwin, were suggested:

• What life event most shaped you, and what did you learn from it?
• Who were the most positive influences in your life, and what did they teach you?
• What are you most grateful for?
• What do you wish you had done differently?
• How do you want to be remembered?
• What do you wish for your family and dearest friends? What advice would you give them? 

    I will use these questions for blog topics over the next few days. I'm thinking that one pass at these questions will not be enough, that they are worthy of revisiting periodically. 

    These are life-appreciation questions in areas where we are happy with our lives, but also potential-for-change questions where we would like to leave a different legacy. 

    Stay tuned,

        Leta

Some of my 70th birthday gifts

October 20--MILLIONS!!

SUPER CALLOUS FRAGILE RACIST SEXIST NAZI POTUS 
--protest sign, Mary Poppins song parody

    That was one of my favorite signs at the NO KINGS rally in Wichita on Saturday. There were so many great signs and costumes. The enthusiasm was inspiring, along with photos of the huge crowds that gathered around the country. 

    Saturday also happened to be my 70th birthday, so it was quite thrilling to have millions of people out in the streets celebrating with me! I now have two gorgeous bouquets of flowers, heavy on the lilies, my favorite. My son ordered a carrot cake from a local bakery, and my guests and I devoured that at the party and game night I arranged at a local bar. No cooking or cleaning on my part, so it's a great way to have a party. About two dozen folks showed up and made it a super birthday celebration. 

    I've reflected that turning 60 was hard for me, but 70 has not been bad--I'm just happy to be here still!

    Keep moving!

        Leta

Another favorite sign

October 17--Turmoil

It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health.  --Joyce Meyer

    I'm in a bit of emotional turmoil right now, so that I'm having trouble focusing in on anything I want to write about. So I'm going to take a break for a few days, likely back next Monday. 

    Stay tuned,

        Leta

October 16--An Important Choice

Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness... 

Empires are never built or maintained on the basis of compassion... Empires live by numbness. Empires, in their militarism, expect numbness about the human cost of war. Corporate economies expect blindness to the cost in terms of poverty and exploitation. Governments and societies of domination go to great lengths to keep the numbness intact.  --Walter Brueggemann

    I am just going to let us sit with this one. Which do we individually choose to be--compassionate or numb? It matters. 

        Leta

October 15--Home Sweet Home

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.  --Seneca

    We finished our journey home yesterday going through some rain but otherwise without incident. I was all unpacked with laundry finished by bed time. How wonderful it is to sleep in one's own bed!

    Getting back to routine sort of, I have a full day of simulated patient encounters with medical students. Today's malady is a bad headache, and I had practice with that for a couple days in Minnesota, so I'm good to go. 

    Happy Hump Day!

        Leta

On our deck

October 14--Feeling the Need to Write About Anxiety

It is very hard to explain to people who have never known serious depression or anxiety the sheer continuous intensity of it. There is no off switch.  --Matt Haig

    I am writing this Monday evening in Mason City, Iowa, where we are 3/8 of the way home and resting for the night. 

    For most of my life, I did not know what anxiety is, and I assumed that it was not something I experienced. Once I learned what it is, I was dumbfounded--I have been anxious virtually my whole life. It comes and goes in intensity, but as Mr. Haig says, there is no off switch. 

    This Minnesota trip has been "anxiety central." It started with my husband being unable to find pet-friendly lodging. That's how we ended up staying in the unlevel no-bathroom camper on our son's property. (My husband's mission is to level it on a future visit; we were told not to on this trip so we complied.) You may not know this, but it is quite difficult to roll one's body "uphill" in bed. I was also in the shorter bed wherein I had difficulty stretching out fully. LSS, sleep was not great and my fragile back (from months of sciatica recovery) did not appreciate it. I feel like I should be able to "suck it up" and enjoy the "adventure" of it all, but I cannot.

    I am neurotic about staying hydrated, but I did not want to have to walk the 30 yards to the house to pee in the middle of the night in the cold and dark, so I stopped drinking anything at 6pm, and managed to avoid the middle of the night pee trek. More anxiety--will I be able to make it through the night without a bathroom break, a common necessity for us old farts. 

    Very different parenting styles also created anxiety, because I always feel like I'm doing stuff wrong. And I feel like if I ask questions, they think I'm being judgmental when I'm just trying to learn and cooperate. 

    Another stress point is spending 800 miles in the pickup with one's spouse. We get along just fine, but then occasionally when I am driving, he grabs the dash (for NO good reason, in my opinion), which irritates me to no end. So I'm anxious about my driving, even though I have driven literally thousands of miles around the country by myself without incident. 

    I did have great fun with my son's family, especially my one-year-old grandson. Northern Minnesota is very beautiful this time of year, and we went on a couple lovely hikes.

    Tonight, I am crazy grateful for a level, comfy bed! 

        Leta

Two Harbors, MN, where they load iron ore
brought by trains onto ships

October 13--All Work and No Play...

These are the words of Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry (since napping is my #1 hobby, I must check into this further!!):

We are grind culture. Grind culture is our everyday behaviors, expectations, and engagements with each other and the world around us. We have been socialized, manipulated, and indoctrinated by everything in culture to believe the lies of grind culture. In order for a capitalist system to thrive, our false beliefs in productivity and labor must remain. We have internalized its teachings and become zombie-like in Spirit and exhausted in body. So we push ourselves and each other under the guise of being hyperproductive and efficient. From a very young age we begin the slow process of disconnecting from our bodies’ need to rest and are praised when we work ourselves to exhaustion….

Our bodies and Spirits do not belong to capitalism, no matter how it is theorized and presented. Our divinity secures this, and it is our right to claim this boldly. I’m not grinding ever. I trust the Creator and my Ancestors to always make space for my gifts and talents without needing to work myself into exhaustion…. 

Rest is as natural as breathing and waking up. Rest is part of our nature. Resting is about getting people back to their truest selves. To what they were before capitalism robbed you of your ability to just be. Rest is anything that slows you down enough to allow your body and mind to connect in the deepest way. We must be focus on knowing that our bodies and our worth are not connected to how many things we can check off a list. You can begin to create a “Not-To-Do-List” as you gain the energy to maintain healthy boundaries. Our opportunity to rest and reimagine rest is endless. There is always time to rest when we reimagine.

    Take a break!

        Leta

From yesterday's lovely walk by Lake Superior

October 12--Do You Care?

UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.  --From "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss

    PLEASE join me in peaceful protests on October 18! Consider deeply the U.S. you choose to leave to your children and grandchildren. 

        Leta

October 11--Add Your Voice!!!

Let's take back our country from the fascists.  --Leta Miller

    Yesterday's fun included a hike in Gooseberry State Park (below), Dairy Queen treats, and lots of fun with the grandsons. 

    Please check out your opportunity to let your voice be heard for democracy: NOKINGS.ORG Peaceful protests are happening nationwide on Saturday, October 18. That's my birthday and I am thrilled to add my presence and voice in the Wichita area. 

    It's democracy vs. dictatorship.

        Leta

Gooseberry State Park, Minnesota

October 10--Up Nord Hey

    We completed our drive to Two Harbors, Minnesota yesterday. Along the way from Wichita, we saw very few pro-Trump signs, highly unusual in Missouri and Iowa, where they were formerly plentiful. We did see the above sign in Duluth. I like it!

    Below is our home for a few nights. It was this or a $300/night Airbnb. The camper is not level, which makes it more interesting. I slept OK. I'm simply happy to be near my grandsons! 

    Onward,

        Leta

There are even Christmas lights around
the awning!

October 9--Money and Soul

From Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation of October 7, words written by Lynne Twist, founder of the Soul of Money Institute:

For most of us, this relationship with money is a deeply conflicted one, and our behavior with and around money is often at odds with our most deeply held values, commitments, and ideals—what I call our soul…. I believe that under it all, when you get right down to it and uncover all the things we’re told to believe in, ... what deeply matters to human beings, our most universal soulful commitments and core values, is the well-being of the people we love, ourselves, and the world in which we live.

We really do want a world that works for everyone. We don’t want children to go hungry. We don’t want violence and war to plague the planet…. We don’t want torture and revenge and retribution to be instruments of government and leadership. Everyone wants a safe, secure, loving, nourishing life for themselves and the ones they love and really for everyone…. 

Each of us experiences a lifelong tug-of-war between our money interests and the calling of our soul. When we’re in the domain of soul, we act with integrity. We are thoughtful and generous, allowing, courageous, and committed. We recognize the value of love and friendship....

In the grip of money, those wonderful qualities of soul seem to be less available. We become smaller.... We often grow selfish, greedy, petty, fearful, or controlling.... We see ourselves as winners or losers, powerful or helpless, and we let those labels deeply define us in ways that are inaccurate....

In a world that seems to revolve around money, it is vital that we deepen our relationship with our soul and bring it to bear on our relationship with money…. We can have our money culture both balanced and nourished by soul.

    It's always a good practice to consider one's relationship with money. 

        Leta

October 8--Making the Inner Connection

Creating a world that works for everyone begins with each individual. I offer this prayer by Mary Davis inviting the enrichment of one's inner world to benefit the greater good:

This Glorious Day

Spirit, come into my heart

and create with me this glorious day.

Walk through me

so I will know where to go.

Speak through me

so my words may be of kindness and peace.

Pray through me

so I may know how to assist.

Praise Spirit through me 

so I may know how to serve. 

Think through me 

so my ideas lead me

to what You would have me do.

Be joyous through me 

so I may celebrate the beauty of all creation.

Parent through me 

so I may be respectful and helpful.

Be a friend through me 

so I may love and be loved in return.

Work through me 

so I may do my work in the consciousness of Spirit.

Write through me this unwritten chapter of my life. 

Spirit, come into my heart 

and create with me this glorious day. Amen.

Some of the "beauty of all creation"

October 7--"Old People" Items

Why are we focusing so much on artificial intelligence when human stupidity is still so rampant?!?!!  --Leta  Miller

    Now the blog writing software is offering me AI, and it is randomly changing words to what it thinks I meant. Above, when I typed my first name, it changed it to "Read." Huh? Leave my words alone!!

    I have a 3" bruise on my left forearm that I acquired via the past weekend's gardening. This included a tiny scrap that bled like crazy. Welcome to "old people skin." Even if my hair was not gray, my forearm bruises would give me away.

    Though I fell asleep last night watching an NBA game, when I woke up briefly to turn off my Chromebook, I couldn't get back to sleep. Then I finally slept for a few hours, woke up for another two hours, then slept fitfully for two more hours. Welcome to "old people sleep."

    I'm learning that women around my age are either always cold or always hot. Since I would prefer to be always cold, of course I am always hot. Even when I walk Barney in the "dead" of winter, I come back sweating profusely and ripping the layers off as soon as I get in the door. 

    Young people tend to assume the older folks like me are technology-incompetent, a myth I am determined to dispel. I can pay with my phone, look up stuff, do a 3-way call, text and email, and I have driven many thousands of miles around the U.S. using Google Maps. I will give credit to my techy husband who helps me out often, but I can hold my own in the "old people phone skills" world.

    Despite all this, I am happy to be a member of "old people." 

        Leta

Tiny bugs on my basil plant--
they hang out together, all on one leaf.

October 6--Best Laugh in a Long Time

Never again should anyone be amazed at how Jim Jones got his followers to drink poison.  --Unknown

    On Saturday Night Live, the "Village People" did another version of the "YMCA" hit in response to Trump's gross use of the song. It is the funniest thing I've seen lately. Click this LINK to watch the Youtube video. 

    Start your lovely Monday laughing!

        Leta

October 5--I Don't Think Religion is Helping

The feminine energy is so strong that men had to create patriarchy and religions to control it. --Unknown, TikTok

    There you have it! I've been pondering lately the gross and rampant lack of critical thinking among too much of the U.S. population. I see religion as a huge contributor to this. Religions say "this is how thou shalt think, and though shalt not question." That is clearly the easy way out for a vast number of folks. Obviously in our world today, there is enormous confusion between beliefs and truth. Any religion (including Trumpism) offers a set of beliefs that may or may not have anything to do with the truth. 

    I am forever grateful to my (brave-soul) dad who taught me to question everything--thus my history of traveling through several religions and finally settling on none. 

   THINK!
        Leta

October 4--What Was I Thinking?!?!

Perfect isn't normal, nor is it interesting.  --Amy Adams

    The sight of a blank canvas excites me, but looking at this empty blog page screen does not. So I went off and did about 25 minutes of painting. 

    I had lunch with a friend recently who showed me a paint-by-number portrait that she did of her dog. Via Amazon, one sends a photo to VATO and they return a paint-by-number canvas of the photo. "That looks like fun!!" this rookie painter said. So I found a good photo of Barney and went for it. 

    Holy cow. This is not for the faint-hearted. My initial emotion upon unrolling the canvas was pure terror. There are 36 teeny pots of paint. Let's conservatively guess about 40 spots of each color. That's 1440 spots, but I'm thinking there are thousands more than that. The photo below is a section using the 4"-wide magnifier that is necessary to see and fill in the tiniest spots. I was hoping for this to be an end-of-October gift, but I'll be lucky to complete it by Christmas. I am keeping track of how long it takes me. Given the complexity, I realized immediately that perfection is neither necessary nor possible. 

    Alas, I have painted enough #29s so far that I am obsessed. I shall not be defeated!!!

    Stay tuned,

        Leta

October 3--Not Everyone Can

I closed my eyes for just a minute, and when I opened them, I started thinking about the obvious miracles in my life today. I can see. Not everyone can. I can read. Not everyone can. I have lots of friends. Not everyone does. I have good health. Not everyone does. I have a job I love. I know that many people are unemployed and would love to have any job, let alone one as good as mine. The apple I had for dessert was particularly tasty. Not everyone had an apple or dessert or even lunch.  --Suellen Miller

    This baseball fan can celebrate. Not everyone can. The Cubs won the third playoff game against the Padres to advance to the NLDS against the Brewers. That means at least three more Cubs games this fall. YIPPEE!!! 

    Let's talk "good health." Yesterday for the first time since the whole sciatica mess began, I walked Barney a mile without using the cane. That's big balance progress, supported by recently added ankle strengthening exercises and compression sleeves for my knees. I played pickleball three (yes, 3!!) times this week. All those times I screamed, "I want my life back!"--well, I think I'm just about there. And I am SO grateful!

    Keep moving!

        Leta

October 2--Our Survival Depends on It

It’s that vision of peace, nonviolence, and the new creation, the vision of the promised land before us, the practice of proactive nonviolence, that offers a way out of environmental destruction, as well as permanent war, corporate greed, systemic racism, and extreme poverty.
All we have to do is open our eyes to the reality of creation before us, to be present to it, to take it in and honor it, and welcome its gift of peace—and do so within the boundaries of nonviolence.  --John Dear

    Here's a synchronicity for you--I had no idea until searching for an image that today is the International Day of Nonviolence.

    Each morning I finish my prayers with "Please help all of us to be kinder to each other and kinder to our magnificent planet." 

    Child abuse, neglect and trauma are the no. 1 main root cause of the bulk of today's rampant mental illness. Why do we hurt those we supposedly love? STOP IT!

       Leta

October 1--Party On!

Believing that Trump and his billionaire buddies care about you is like thinking that the stripper likes you.  --Read to me by my husband from his internet scrolling

Could someone explain which crimes get you deported and which ones get you elected President? It's so confusing.  --Ariana Grande

    Yippee! It is October, my birthday month and my second favorite month. (My favorite month is whichever one holds Opening Day of baseball season, usually March now.) The Cubs won their first playoff game yesterday, so we have a great start. 

    October appears to include birthday celebrations for both my husband and me, a trip to northern Minnesota to see our son's family before winter sets in, lots more pickleball and swimming, and fall garden projects. Cooler weather encourages more meal and reading times on the deck. The trees light up with bright colors. I may actually play a bit of golf for the first time this year. The NBA season starts. 

    Loving autumn and October,

        Leta