tao1776

This is the first " real '" Christmas that me and Gaia Girl have enjoyed together. Technically speaking, this is our third Christmas together but the first two were a time of change and turmoil. This year we enjoyed Christmas eve together and sang carols at a U.U. service. A cold night, we returned home to a hot fire even as the snow was beginning to color the grass white in preparation for giving all those who pray for it, a white Christmas. Memories have sweetened my heart the last few days with smells and sounds reflective of the season. I lit a cigar the other evening and the pleasant smell lingered in a cloud several feet above the room's floor. It curled and rolled and silently dissipated into the candle light. Like a ghost memories of my Pe'pe' came flooding back. A clear visual before my mind's eye. A stout little French Canadian named Rossaire, he smoked those dried up little cat turds, the Parodi . He also chewed tobacco. He carried a spit...

I'm cautious when I hear people say that we need to restore America back to the faith that made it strong and that we need to put God back in our schools and classrooms. Those that make such broad statements never really define what they mean. Usually it means "Christian Faith" with the Ten Commandments posted on the wall while hoping that people of other religions will worship quietly and in the background. Often it centers around a designated authority who cannot be questioned or challenged.  I propose that we DO let God back into our classrooms - not through fear and a strong authoritarian rule but through teaching that which is contained in all religions: The Golden Rule and Loving Your Neighbor. Maybe even throw in some tonglen practice. :) How beautiful would it be if Kindness was our Religion. But that would require that we take more personal responsibility. What if we bought less guns because we felt them unwarranted in our home. Our decision. What if felt that...

Driving as much and as often as many of us do, I can't help but try and visualize the volume of gasoline that we are pissing away on a daily basis. I'm stunned by the volume of traffic, the great number of larger vehicles and that most everyone is driving from ten to twenty-five mph over the posted speed limit.  The majority of vehicles that I see on the road are the same as me; Only one or two persons per vehicle. The US Energy Administration Agency states that the U.S. uses an average of 367,000,000 gallons of gasoline every day. But just how much is three hundred and sixty seven million gallons? And the truth is? No one cares. The Purse is first. I often say to my Paint customers. "If the automotive industry was as regulated as the house paint industry, we'd all be riding horses".