10-4-13 RMB All Good

10-4-13 RMB All Good 

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

Today is a Friday in sunny Southern California and I am working out and about with customers in a beautiful park setting, meeting a friend for lunch and finishing the day with finishing a good book by another fine author, Gerri Hill, titled The Scorpion. Life is good, right?

Yes, when we count our blessing and see the glass half full, it is good, beyond good. Yet, this day, the very same day, for someone else, it is not good. The same sun shines, the same wind blows, the same hours pass, yet my good day is mine and not theirs. A corner of my heart, that is more theirs than mine feels amiss. Tug. Ouch.

The boys, my trio of nephews, take turns behaving. I think they form a weekly pact, “Tuesday you get in trouble. I’ll be the one in trouble Wednesday. And that leaves Thursday for you. Ready, set, go.”

Ever heard the saying, “It can’t be all good all the time”? Why not? What would it take for “it” to be good all the time for everyone? I wonder.

Blessing to you,

Loraine

10-2-13 RMB Giving Voice

10-2-13 RMB Giving Voice

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

I escaped into a corner booth with my copy of Rest in Pieces this afternoon for lunch, just Rita Mae Brown and me, nothing more, my only obligation being to join Harry’s mission as she unravels the mystery behind the crime. Thank you for the respite from my everyday life into Harry’s.

I must apologize. I am going on and on about this and that, rarely mentioning your writing, your impact on us as a people, our nation and our place in history. I’m sorry to have let my life run amuck in these letters.

And then again, this is your legacy. This is a person who lives free-er because of you. My world is a bit more accepting on several levels because of you and those that are the likes of you, as well as those that came before and offered their own contribution to the greater good. All of you empowered the voice of those to follow, those that see what is askew and are bold enough to speak out.

I’m not openly dating anyone, I guess I’m not a “good lesbian” either. First of all, I don’t date. I prefer solitude. Secondly, I don’t think anyone is actually a lesbian. I think we are people, with a fluidness in numerous ways, including sexuality, which we fail to recognize, let alone explore.

There is a fluidness of time, memory can take us back and aspiration can show us possible futures. Those who have crossed over, ending their life on earth can still visit. Those yet to come, make an early appearance in insightful readings. Space is a vast ocean of possibility, where we can visit one another in thought and carry each other in prayer. Who hasn’t thought of someone and heard them call on the phone simultaneously?

There is more to this, too much for a single letter. So there are several letters. Through these letters I have hoped to convey the concept that “We are all One” is more of a reality than an ideal. “We” stretches beyond, and includes, humans, animal life, mother earth and God, whatever version one subscribes to.

You have influenced more than one sect. You have said all that I am saying, with other words and in other ways. You gave much of yourself in giving voice to possibilities that others might grow to understand. I appreciate you, in case I have failed to mention that lately, there you have it here.

Yours truly,             

Loraine

2-14-14 Happy Valentine's Day

2-14-14 Happy Valentine's Day

To all whose eyes pass by these words today, or any day, Happy Valentine's to you.

               

Know that there is someone whose heart you have filled and another who will fill yours. Whether for a moment or a lifetime, everyone has someone to hold them dear and another who they will hold.

And just for fun, once in a while, allow the sun's warmth to hold you dear, allow the wind to surround you in its embrace, allow the earth to be strong and supportive under your feet. Give of yourself to these caretakers, give your attention, your hello. They ask for so little in return and appreciate it so much.

The stars will shine on unnoticed, but once noticed, might they shine brighter still? Who's to say? Who can measure what we let pass by compared to what we offer our attention to?

The point being, Valentine, that we have all there is within us and all around us. The one that holds us dear, may not have brown or green or blue eyes and two arms to hold on to. The one that holds us dear, may be as vast as the ocean, as strong as a fir tree, as present as time and as distant as the constellations.

In return, along with our loved ones, our memories and our hopes, let us hold a moment. Hold it dear. Live it. Share it. Celebrate it. Take stock of the elements within it and know those elements are there for you.

Happy Valentine's Day from this one to all, to ALL.