Gratitude?

“All humanity shares the sunlight: that sunlight is neither yours nor mine. It is life-giving energy, which we all share. The beauty of a sunset, if you are watching it sensitively, is shared by all human beings.” Krishnamurti

“Harmony on the basis of mutual respect is the key thing.” Dalai Lama

I woke up to snow this morning. Good grief it isn’t even December yet. It is the first day of Advent but still not December. I think I agree with my coworker who said we should have snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then it needs to go away and leave us alone. Not going to happen. ;-)

I am printing out the first of my calendars right now. I finalized the design last night. Once I print my first one out I do not go back and change it. It is the only way I can stop myself from fiddling around with it and making constant changes. Sometimes I can be too much of a perfectionist and sometimes I need to get firm with myself and finish a project.

I am spending time this afternoon writing letters on behalf of my brother. He was put in a position of where he had to retire from the Army as his job was going away. They gave an incentive program to many servicemen like my brother to entice them to retire. What they failed to make clear was that they were going to take that money back if they actually started to receive their retirement benefits down the road. A good portion of the people they are pulling this on are servicemen whose lives are haunted by Vietnam.

I am keeping up on the political news these days and as I read about politicians like Ted Stevens in Alaska enriching themselves with ill gotten gain I wonder how they can live with themselves knowing that they put into effect the laws that are taking money away from our Veterans. They take pork in projects like “the Bridge to Nowhere” and leave the people who served their country high and dry.

Representative Ron Paul has this to say about the treatment of our veterans:

Congress recently voted to send $87 billion to Iraq, money that will be used to build everything from roads to power plants to hospitals. Yet while Congress appears ready to rubber-stamp unlimited monies for nation building in Iraq, thousands of our own soldiers at home are languishing with substandard medical care.

You may have read about conditions at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where hundreds of injured reserve and National Guard soldiers are housed in deplorable conditions and forced to wait months just to see a doctor. These soldiers made huge sacrifices, leaving their families and jobs to fight in Iraq. Now they find themselves living in hot, crowded, unsanitary barracks and waiting far too long to see overworked doctors. This is hardly the heroes' welcome they might have expected. Only an exposé in a major newspaper brought attention to their plight, prompting an embarrassed Defense department to rush additional doctors to the base.

Many of these men and women expressed shock at their treatment. They assumed wounded soldiers returning from Iraq would receive priority treatment, given the "support the troops" rhetoric coming from Washington. Their complaints went ignored, however, until the media became involved.

Similar mistreatment of soldiers has been evident throughout our occupation of Iraq. Some wounded soldiers convalescing at Walter Reed hospital in Washington were forced to pay for hospital meals from their own pockets! Other soldiers returning stateside for a two-week liberty had to buy their own airfare home from the east coast. Still others have paid for desert boots, night vision goggles, and other military necessities with personal funds. It's shocking that our troops are forced to pay for basic items that should be supplied to them or paid from the defense budget.

Perhaps the most shameful mistreatment of our veterans is in the area of concurrent receipt benefits. Existing federal rules force disabled veterans to give up their military retirement pay in order to receive VA disability benefits. This means every VA disability dollar paid to a veteran is deducted from his retirement pay, effectively creating a "disabled veterans tax." No other group of federal employees is subject to this unfair standard; in every other case disability pay is viewed as distinct from standard retirement pay.

For years veterans have fought for concurrent receipt benefits to no avail. Last week Congress finally passed a very limited concurrent receipt law, but the change is unlikely to satisfy those disabled veterans who need benefits the most. Under the new partial concurrent receipt bill, only those veterans in essence deemed "disabled enough" will qualify; this means roughly two-thirds of disabled veterans will not receive concurrent receipt benefits at all. Even severely disabled veterans who do qualify may never enjoy their long-sought relief, because the bill passed by Congress takes ten years to phase in. How sad that some disabled soldiers will die in the next decade without seeing a penny of their concurrent receipt benefits.

Members of our armed forces deserve more than platitudes when they return from foreign wars with illnesses or disabilities. Unfortunately, the trust our soldiers place in the federal government to provide for their health care has been breached time and time again. Last week's partial grant of concurrent receipt benefits will prove woefully inadequate for most of our disabled veterans, veterans who could be well-served with just a fraction of the billions Congress gave away in Iraq.

Happy Thanksgiving

“He is the happiest who has the happiness of God within his soul.” Paramahansa Yogananda

“I truly believe that compassion provides the basis of human survival, the real value of life, and without that there is a basic piece missing.” Dalai Lama

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It is a good day to remember that if the Native Americans has not helped and welcomed our immigrant forefathers we would not have a United States today. Maybe we should rethink our own anger and hatred towards the immigrants who want to be a part of our country today.

So-So Saturday

“I have found that life persists in the midst of destruction and therefore there must be a higher law than that of destruction.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Another result of spiritual development, most useful in day-to-day life, is that it gives calmness and presence of mind. Our lives are in constant flux, bringing many difficulties. When faced with a calm and clear mind, problems can be successfully resolved.” Dalai Lama

My brother has finally gotten connected to the high-speed cable that I have enjoyed for a week. Of course he had to spend and extra $100.00 dollars while working with a tech in the Philippines and running back and forth between my computer and his to get it up and running. You would think with the kind of money they make on the routers that it would be free tech support wouldn’t you from here in the United States? And they wonder why our economy suffers. Too many companies out source to other countries rather then supporting our own people

Now of course I am stuck with trying to restore the settings on my computer to what I want. The idea that I may have preferences of my own were completely ignored in last night’s marathon to get his computer up and running so he has fast access to his Rush Limbaugh site. And yes I am not happy! I am getting real tired of his selfishness. Mom spent many hours cleaning his filthy room while he was down visiting his daughter and grandchildren. Her reward was he has the room all messed up again. He has hair dye all over everything in the bathroom. His mess is making its way out into the rest of the house.

I really dislike having to deal with selfish people. Their are too many people from the government on down who want their own way and the wants and needs of others don’t matter. No one cares about anyone else. It is all me, me, me!

I feel sorry for Obama. He has a giant mess to clean up and everyone expects him to be able to walk right in and fix everything up. I read an article the other day on how other countries expect Obama to be able to fix the American image abroad. He is one man but the expectations for him are staggering. So far he has been able to retain his calm and cool in the spotlight. I have been rereading his book The Audacity of Hope and I think that the essential goodness of this man will continue to shine through in his terms as President.

Now if someone could just figure out how to fix my brother I’d be really happy. In the meantime I will continue to be the main support for my Mother. I am the one she counts on for support in everything. I'll be going out into the cold shortly to get her shopping done for the week. She is my number one concern.

Some Thoughts on Art

“Great is the man who has not lost his childlike heart.” Mencius

“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.” Dalai Lama

I’ve got my calendars for next year. If you are wondering where I get my quotes from I get two daily calendars for the year. One is Wisdom from the East and the other is Insights from the Dalai Lama. Both are published by the Andrew McMeel Company and are well worth getting. I also have the calendar kits for my art calendar that I create each year. The hardest part for me is trying to decide which of the 12 pictures that I want on the calendar. The only constant is the December picture which is always the Christmas card picture for the proceeding year. I have my Christmas picture designed for this year. I am almost done with the calendar and can start printing them soon.

Other then that I am spending most of my time trying to help mother out on various things. I am very much hoping that she is finally finished with working at the hospital and come January she will start getting money in from her investments and retirement so she will have no excuse at all to work. Woo-Hoo!

We are starting to get winter weather here including a few snow flurries. Nothing substantial yet which is fine with me because I hate driving in the stuff. Snow may be beautiful to look at but I hate driving in it especially here because the normal idiots on the road are even more idiotic in the snow.

With the cold weather coming in I’ll be spending more time inside. I probably will spend the time once I’m done with Christmas in exploring how to turn the website into a business and start selling the art work like I have been promising myself that I would do for years now. It would be nice to get a little more money coming in. The more important thing for me though is getting the art out to the public. I really like sharing my art with others. I bring my new pictures into work with me and put them on my computer as screen savers. My office mates look forward to seeing what I am doing.

One thing about art is that it needs to be seen by others. Art should never be locked away and viewed only by a few people. I always feel a bit sad when I read about a private collector buying artwork for their own purpose because that is that much fewer works available for the public to see. Art for its own sake just doesn’t make sense to me. Why should a person create art that they don’t want anyone to see? Art should have the widest possible audience so that it may bring pleasure to as many people as possible.

The picture is called High Flight and several people have told me that they would love to be on that balloon.

The Blanket

“Creeds and doctrines are like a raft to carry one to the other shore, and then to relinquish. Either cling to the raft forever, or reject it when drowning. Even better, become a strong swimmer.” Diamond Sutra

“Even today’s sophisticated computers cannot provide you with mental peace. Mental peace must come from the mind. Everyone wants happiness and pleasure, but if we compare physical pleasure and physical pain with mental pleasure and mental pain, we find that the mind is more effective, predominant, and superior. Thus it is worthwhile adopting certain methods to increase mental peace.” Dalai Lama

We are expecting our first snow this afternoon. In the meantime it has been drizzling steadily since last night. I decided to go ahead and do the shopping after work last night so that I didn’t have to go out into the lousy weather this afternoon. The weather change has brought my arthritis into overdrive and I’m going to just take it easy this weekend.

I brought out a forest green blanket that I got from the National Wildlife Federation one of the groups I belong to that tries to protect our environment. I don’t have a lot of money but I do try and join some of the people who care for this planet of ours and try to protect it. I believe you have to try and do your part to protect his fragile home of ours.

Back to the blanket, it is one of Merlin’s favorite things. He loves lying on the blanket, in part because it makes him rather invisible to his pesky little sister, Pixie. It is also an extra source of warmth and comfort to him. As he gets older he is also starting to show signs of arthritis. The blanket also brings out in him wanting more affection from me. He has always been a momma’s boy and as he gets older he seems to want more and more affection. He sees how everyone makes over Pixie and he wants his share of affection too.

People need that affection also. We have a lady in our office who has been the brunt of nasty comments and the cold shoulder from some of her coworkers. It isn’t that she is a bad person but she is overwhelmed by her job and others who are also overwhelmed have decided that she gets to be the target. I make sure to share my lunchtime with her. She is a sweet person and doesn’t deserve the way she has been treated.

Affection is something that everyone needs. I think if we all make it our job to reach out to someone who needs affection that this world would be a better place. It doesn’t take a big gesture to make someone’s day. It can be as small of a gesture as a smile to someone whom you see while shopping or a compliment to someone you encounter. You can hold the door open for someone and that would be a gesture that brightens their day. Something that is small and costs you nothing could mean something big to someone else.

The picture is called Best Friends.

Becoming

“Does a flower, full of beauty, light and loveliness say, ‘I am giving, helping, serving?’ It is! And because it is not trying to do anything it covers the earth.” Krishnamurti

“The antidote to hatred in the heart, the source of violence, is tolerance.” Dalai Lama

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. My Dad was a World War 2 veteran. He would sometimes talk to me about his experiences in the war. I always was fascinated by his remembrances of that time and era. I have his scrapbook with old black and white photos from that time.

He would sometimes talk about other things connected with the war. I was fascinated by his description of the Navaho Code Talkers. I think it was his knowledge about these heroes of the war that got Dad interested in the books of the late Tony Hillerman. The Navahos, in spite of the fact that their lands had been taken away from them and they were stuck on reservations, were patriotic enough to do their part in helping the United States win the war. It was believed that less then 30 people in the world who were not part of the Navaho Nation would be able to decipher the code, which was their native language. Countless lives were saved because this code could not be broken. It is a story of true heroes and I would urge anyone who wants to experience a fascinating part of our history to read up on these exceptional people.

Dad and I both loved the books of Tony Hillerman and we would often try to be the first to get his new books and pass them on to the other one. I was saddened by Mr. Hillerman’s death and the world lost not only a great writer but also a true gentleman. He did so much in educating the world about the Navaho people. We can learn a lot by studying how the Navaho people live with nature and not fight against it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my Dad lately. Today I went with my mother to pick out wallpaper for the hallway. I am realizing that in many ways that since his death I have had to pick up the pieces and do the things that he use to do for Mother. She just doesn’t seem to want to make decisions on her own. She also seems lost when there are problems and I have stepped in and helped find the answers for her and in many cases fought against companies that have tried to take advantage of her.

We have all heard the jokes about women complaining about turning into their mothers. As I sit in this room with Dad’s books and diplomas on the wall I have realized that in many ways I have turned into my Dad. That is a good thing.

To Help Take Away the Chill

“We all want to be famous people, and the moment we want to be something we are no longer free.” J. Krishnamurti

“When fear, hatred, jealousy dominate our mind, then the best part of our brain which can judge cannot function properly.” Dalai Lama

Although it may be tempting to do another political post I think I am going to pass this time around. Granted I do read The Daily Kos every day and while I agree with them more then I disagree with them I still have my own opinions about things and tend to vote and think how I want rather then how someone else thinks I should. I have my opinions and you have yours and if we agree fine and if we disagree fine. That is my view of what a democracy is all about.

Instead I am going to offer up help for the frigid weather we are now experiencing and those of you in California I really don’t need to hear how warm it is okay? I had to turn the defrosters on this morning to get the ice off my windshield and the temperature is dropping rapidly. Already parts of the United States are dealing with snow and no doubt we here in Indiana will be a real “blue” state soon with snow of our own. So to keep you warm here is my recipe for Out of This World Chili. If you like to cook take a look at the recipes section of my website. I think you will find some recipes there that you will like.

PS: To any Texans just leave the beans out already. As I told the last Texan who whined at me that they don't put beans in their chili, we won the war and we do. ;-)

Out of This World Chili
Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time:0:15 - Start to Finish Time: 2:30
"Slow cooking for a long time makes this one of the best chilies you will ever taste!"

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds beef stew meat, R-T-C -- cubed
29 ounces low sodium tomato, canned -- diced, drained
31 ounces low sodium kidney beans, canned
4 ounces green chilies -- diced
8 ounces no salt added tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1 large onion -- finely chopped
6 large garlic cloves -- minced
1 large green bell pepper -- seeded and diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons low sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces four-cheese Mexican-style shredded cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add meat, onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook until meat is browned on all sides and vegetables are softened. Drain.

Add rest of ingredients except kidney beans and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for two hours stirring every fifteen minutes.

Add kidney beans. Uncover and simmer for two more hours, again stirring every 15 minutes.

Serve with cheese sprinkled over top.

Per Serving: 419 Calories; 13g Fat (29.8% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 78mg Cholesterol; 464mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1½ Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; ½ Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Going Forward

“Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?” Shirdi Sai Baba

“When fear, hatred, jealousy dominate our mind, then the best part of our brain which can judge cannot function properly.” Dalai Lama

As an Obama supporter from the very start from when he first ran for Senator when I was living in Illinois I am of course ecstatic over his big win and the thought of him being our President. I think he will go down in history as one of the best President we have ever had.

As happy as I am about his election I must say that the reaction of some of the McCain/Palin supporters and the absolute vitriolic things they are saying about Obama now really disturb and sadden me. You would think that the viciousness of the Republican ads and the fact that the American people rejected those attempts at smearing Obama would wake them up to realize that something is fundamentally wrong with their view.

If this election has taught us anything it should have taught us that we as Americans are fundamentally decent people and we do not want the negativity and hatred that was shown by a few of the McCain/Palin supporters. That is what it was, a few people who allowed their prejudices to be exploited, and as a result the American people again have to face the scrutiny of the press from around the world and the entrenched view that much of the rest of the world has of us as “Ugly Americans.”

Some of the Obama critics might want to realize that the man doesn’t take office until January and he can’t make the decisions on what to do about the economy, Israel, Afghanistan, world trade or anything else until that time. The important thing is that he can’t make those decisions by himself; he needs the approval of Congress. He will be President but this is a democracy and we do have three entities that make up this thing we call democracy. Remember your civics lessons about the three branches of government. You know the legislature, the legal and the executive? It takes all three working together for things to work properly. Obama was just elected two days ago. He still needs to get a staff together. He is not in office. He can’t solve anything right now he doesn’t have the power. He hasn’t been sworn in. Back off!

One of the ladies at work who has been known to be a real prejudiced person and has made some nasty cracks about Obama in the last few days had a concept suggested to her today that really rocked her way of thinking. I made the comment that maybe it is time to stop thinking about separate races, and how people who are of mixed heritage like Obama should be categorized, and start thinking about how we are all one race. We are a part of the human race. It started her thinking. Hopefully more and more people will start thinking that we are one people.

In the meantime there has been enough hatred thrown around in this campaign and maybe the McCain/Palin supporters should emulate Senator McCain and start being a little more gracious towards President Elect Obama. The world has enough turmoil right now and we as Americans need to give our new President our support as we try and find a way to regain the respect this country once had and try and be there to help solve the problems that face us as a nation and as a planet. We have to stop thinking as Democrats or Republicans, black or white, rich or poor, American or foreigners. We need to start thinking of ourselves as what we really are. We are one people, one race, and members of one little fragile planet.

Vote, Vote, Vote

“The Universe is God’s own shadow.” Ibn al’Arabi

“Human life is more precious than man-made boundaries.” Dalai Lama

I will be following the election results avidly tonight. I would like to get that Apple computer they are offering over at the Daily Kos for the person who gets the closest in their predictions of how the various races are going to come out.

I waited in line for 1-½ hours on Saturday to vote. I had never thought I would see the day when Indiana might go Democrat but we may see that tonight. A majority of the people there Saturday were talking about voting for Obama. In our little town the candidate signs are running three to one in favor of Obama. I have talked to Clinton supporters while waiting for my Doctor and they are supporting Obama. I have heard core Republicans in my office planning on voting for Obama. In some cases it seems that there will be votes not so much for Obama as votes against McCain/Palin. I heard one lady in my office say she had always voted Republican but she can’t wait to vote against Palin.

One thing this election has seen is a powerful upswing in people actually caring about it. That is something that people have been apathetic about in recent years. People actually care. Get out and vote if you haven’t already. Remember you can only legitimately complain about your government if you actually participate by electing them.

Get Out and Vote

“We do not progress from error to truth, but from truth to truth.” Swami Vivekananda

“A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.” Dalai Lama

Well by Tuesday night it will all over and we will see if History has been made and we have finally transcended race and elected Barak Obama President. I voted for him yesterday. I was downtown any way and decided I may as well try and early vote. It took close to and hour and a half but everyone was patient and no left before their name was called. This election has become important to many people who have been apathetic before. I was especially pleased to see so many young people there some voting for the very first time.

It doesn’t really matter at this point which candidate you prefer. It only counts if you get out and vote for your candidate. If you don’t bother to vote then you have no right to complain if things are done you don’t like. Your voice in government is the person you choose. If you can be bothered to choose a side and vote for it then why should any elected official pay attention to you?

Democracy and freedom are two-way streets. The elected officials have to be responsive to the public. The public needs to let our politicians know what we really want from them. The dialog goes both ways. I f government cannot be responsive to the people then we have a choice of electing someone who will be responsive.

The choice is yours, either you vote and make a choice or you shut up because those of us who did become involved don’t want to hear you whine. You had your chance to make your voice heard.

Space

“Light and darkness creates an opposition, yet depend on each other just as the step taken by the right leg depends on the step taken by the left.” Sekito

“One of the most powerful visions I have experienced was the first photograph of earth from outer space. The image of a blue planet floating in deep space, glowing like the full moon on a clear night, brought home powerfully to me the recognition that we are indeed all members of a single family sharing one little house.” Dalai Lama

The fuzziness of the last few weeks has finally lifted and I no longer feel like I am in a fog. I hope it means that this infection is finally on its way out.

I plan on trying to do an early vote today on my way to doing the shopping for Mom. Other then that I will be working on the calendar. First up though will be some new art as I have this image in my mind that I need to translate into a picture.

I love the Dalai Lama quote for today. This is the only planet that we have and we must take care of it. There is only one race when you come down to it, the human race. We can be proud of our individual heritage, as I am proud of being Irish, Scottish and Cherokee. We also need to know that we are part of the bigger picture and that all men are our brothers and sister.

The picture is called Earth Rise.