August 31, 2005

The Hatbox

My wedding memory box, safe and sound in Arkansas
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"Missus, Missus, what is dis kine thing? Important? Fragiles?"...

Manu was the special packer of our fragile belongings, a huge Hawaiian man, a friend of Woody's from his car sales days, he indeared himself to me with his careful treatment of my treasures, and his plantation bred manners. His address of me as "Missus", rather than the often absence of any address prior to the question or request by local people was always deeply and honestly repectful, and filled with Aloha.

Manu was holding delicately with careful fingers a beaded, white satin hairbow with a long white veil attached. It had fallen out of its wrappings as he opened a round laqquered paper hatbox.

"Manu, that is a memorybox. You are holding my wedding veil I wore when I married Woody. I have all sorts of things in that box. My slippers that I wore, cards, letters I received and other things. That big blue book has all of my notes and samples of things in it, like a scrap book."

"Ho! no girl in my family has thing like this kine thing, stuff rots and you cant save nuttun" Manu pulled out the tissue and handed it all to me so I could wrap it all up. He stared into the box and then looked up at me and said "Nutting break in dare no way?" I smiled and said..."only my heart, it was the last perfect day of my life. I have never looked at life the same way again..." I gave him the tiny crunchy bundle, symbol of all my hopes once upon a time...

I patted his hand as he tenderly repositioned the little package "No, Manu, nothing will break in there, you can close the lid and wrap it, please dont tape it shut, tape will tear the box..."

"Yah, no worry" said the perplexed male, I think he wasnt sure if I was happy or sad about my memories.

That was a troubled day. I had just come from my beloved cliffs having just said goodbye to Aloha ke Moana or the Sea that I Love...the hat box made me confront another troubling fact...

Woody.

This move flew in the face of a promise that I had extracted from Woody prior to our marraige that we would not move from place to place as he did when he was maried before. Woody had moved his first wife 6 times during eight years of marraige, I told him that I wasnt going to be married to a moving van. Woody likes the newness of a house and the adventure of the whole thing. Yet this impermanace of place also shows itself in our relationship. We never have gotten further in our relationship than the packing and unpacking of the various things in our lives so to speak. Its somewhat superficial and satisfying only at a companionship level.

We have been married ten years in November. I have had about enough of the superficiality. Im not moving again until there is a foundational breakthrough in this relationship. Pray for us if you will.

As we were sorting through the cartons with the movers last week, a bulky bundle that was un numbered had to be opened right away to be identified. It was the hatbox. I have it out in what will be my little studio room, front and center to remind me that we need to un pack our relational baggage as well. I feel that God has brought us to a place where we can do this work. Its vital as I feel that it will be the end of us if we do not. Both people in a relationship must equally be committed and growing in it. If not one will grow away from the other. It is an ieveitable fact of life

August 30, 2005

The Journey Home

Heralding the Storm, gilded evening clouds drifting north ahead of hurricane Katrina,

I took this photo last night at the watermelon feast as the sun was fading in the west and the evening was comming on. I entered prayers and prayed much of the night for those in the path of hurricane Katrina.

Things are very bad of course, but I am so very glad that there was a "lessening" of what could have been worse. But I am glad that the initial loss of life was not as great as predicted, but obviously the next days and months there will be more casualties in both life and property.

The change in the weather has cooled things off and made it pleasent for us to start the process of unloading our cartons. We did a full cleaning in our kitchen, and cupboards, the plaster dust permiates everything!. I lined all of the drawers and cabinets, so we can set up housekeeping, kitchen, laundry and our bedroom...

We were able to get a electrician out to finish off the lighting and the ignighter for our water heater. Now once the water heater passes its test by the gas man we are all set and can move in...

We dont really have a choice, as we must be out of this vacation rental by Sept 1. The timing is perfect, and we are bounding forward. Much of our "excess" stuff we moved today and I think I could move out in one hour, if that was all the time I had , kitties included.

I was in my kitchen today, and Woody brought in a open carton marked "Extreeeemly (I kid you not) fragile" I had opened it when we were checking undocumented cartons off the manifest. I hadnt pulled anything out but Woody had this afternoon. He was all excited and said "Hey I found your lady"... Now this isnt "Our Lady" a figurine of Mary, Mother of Jesus, but rather a figurine of the woman of John Chapter 4, the Samaritain woman with her water jar balanced on her sholder. She is a allogorical image of myself. God spoke to her through Jesus about her life, just as I had a audible voice experience with God that resolved so many of my questions of life.

I have a number of personal objects that once unpacked and set out say to me... "Hokulea, you have arrived... welcome home." I will try to take a few photos of them in the next few days for you.

I have arrived, this potion of my journey is nearly done...

(a side note... my internet acessability is not decided as of yet. My posting my be suspended for a few days, stay tuned.)

August 29, 2005

Between Hell and High Water

Kamoamoa Bench Flow, Glowing in the twilight. Lava flows and volcanic erruptions are growing in intesity world wide.. Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory Photo


We have been attending another church this past few weeks, The First United Methodist Church, more formal and traditionally based than any church Woody has attended, and I am pretty happy about the situation.



Tonight there was a dinner and watermelon feed, it was a happy time for most, but for many of these older people, they were very concerned...

The church Watermelon Feast


There was talk of the end of the world... of family and friends between Hell and High Water

Caught between hell ad high water, refugees at the Superdome courtesy of MSN

Many spoke of family and friends that live in the southern parts of Louisiana, and were unsure of their status. People asking for prayers, and the exchange of tales of disasters past.

Its thought that we in NW Arkansas will not experience much effect of this monster hurricane, we at the picnic werent so sure. We need the rain, any would be welcome... but the worry is that the hot-cold line will shift and the tonado risk for us will elevate.

I am praying for a safe passage of this storm. I know that the damage is going to be horrific

August 28, 2005

Luke 7:11-17- "I Say To You, 'Arise' "

Forest Foliage Kalopa State Park near Honokaa Big Island of Hawaii



Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.


Many are called to "Rise up." Few listen and do. If the voice of Jesus is calling to you, heed it, and be raised up. I promise you a life that will surpass anything the dead world has to offer.

August 27, 2005

American, By God's Amazing Grace

Woody and a Civil War re enactor Dressed in "local" farm dress of the 1860's Pea Ridge National Military Park and Battlefield Pea Ridge Arkansas.

You have likely heard this song already... we hear it a lot on all sorts of radio stations, for Luke Stricklin, the solder turned singer story teller is a local native son. The people here are very proud of him and pray for great things in his future


American, by God's Amazing Grace

by Luke Stricklin

Bottom of my boots sure are gettin' worn
there's a lot of holes in this faded uniform
My hands are black with dirt and so is my face
I aint never been to hell
but it couldn't be any worse than this place.
Tell my wife don't worry 'cause I know what to do
it makes you feel better sometimes, but don't know if it's true.
I know if I die it's just my time to go
but I pray to God every day that I may get back home.

Well when you've seen what I've seen
things don't seem so bad
quit worrying 'bout what you aint got, thank God for what you have
'Cause I could be raising my family in this place
but I was born an American
by Gods Amazing Grace.

For the last twelve months I've had a new address
the neighborhood smells like sewerage and the streets are lined with trash.
You never know what's gonna be the next thing to explode
but unlike these people, I have another home.
It breaks my heart to see these kids out on the streets
walking barefoot through the trash, diggin' for something to eat.
I give them what I got, just to let them know I care
and I thank God it's not my son that's standing there.

Well when you've seen what I've seen
things don't seem so bad
quit worrying 'bout what you aint got, thank God for what you have
'Cause I could be raising my family in this place
but I was born an American
by Gods Amazing Grace.

You want to talk about it, you better keep it short
cause I got a lot of lost time I gotta make up for.
Really don't care why Bush went in to Iraq
I know what I done there and I'm damn sure proud of that.
You got somethin' bad to say about the USA
you better save it for different ears 'less you want to crawl away.
And I laugh in your face when you say you've got it bad
until you've spent some time on the streets of Baghdad

Well when you've seen what I've seen
things don't seem so bad
quit worrying 'bout what you aint got, thank God for what you have
'Cause you could be raising your family in this place
but you were born in America, By God's Amazing Grace!!!!


I often fail to thank God for what I have. I will try to be more mindful of my current blessed circumstances. Thanks Luke for the reminder...

August 26, 2005

Moving Day...part one...

heres Woody supervising the install of the floor....

We are starting to move in. I cant hardly believe it.

I have been scrubbing and getting things ready... Im very excited and a touch overwelmed.

The shower is not done, and we still dont have hot water, but we will have the inspections next week and all should be well.

The old contractors had another come uppance. Our new heat pump had been run against our wishes while the place was being painted. the result was a fully contaminated system filled with a load of plaster dust and paint. The fan motor was damaged and had to be replaced. The whole system was filthy and all of the ducting needed cleaning. So we had that done.

four of the seven lift packs arrive first thing this morning


We took a day or so to get the place cleaned up after the floor guys got done. We had hired a handy man type guy to do a few things and yes he did a great job on the things we had him do, but we realized that we need to have real trades people come in and finish up on some things, and I am going to do a few things on my own. Basically, I told Woody that untill the house is the way I want it and we are settled I am not going to struggle looking for work.

the accumulated goods of a life well lived.


Its going to take a while to get everything put away and I really want to settle in this time. I dont want to make a move like this again for a long time.

Because the water is not on and because the kitties find boxes and unpacking unpleasent, not to mention that things reall need a good airing out, we will be staying on at the rental until the end of the month.



I am sunburnt and weary to the bone, I hope you wont mind me cutting this one short. I need to get to bed.

August 25, 2005

The New Civil War ?

closeup of Confederate Artillery Line near the Leetown Battlefield, Pea Ridge National Military Park and Battlefield Pea Ridge Arkansas...

I wonder, if on that winter's day
Were thinking men around?
That saw cruel ironic twist
At their Brother's bugle sound?

To preserve the Union Border,
Was the mission on that day
A family's son or brother
was the bitter price to pay...

I fear that the new Civil War is brewing. Its between "haves and have nots", Legal and illegals battling it out for necessary services. In some places it already is a "us against them" battle. In Arkadelphia, AR, a chicken processing plant was raided and over 100 illegals were arrested. People that saw it cheered...

In the papers there were complaints that these people were home owners, paid taxes and mortgages, and were valued members if the community, but others said that these people are bringing crime and drugs into their quiet community. Loud music and 25 people to a house are the complaints. "We didnt have a school over crowding problem untill they came...I dont care if they were born here, these kids are as illegal as their parents and need to be shipped back to where ever they came from..."

There is big time anger over this here, Serious stuff.

I agree that the problem is complex, but it is one that we must deal with.

I take up this cry as a number of great bloggers have written great post lately and I wanted to share them with you

First a long but important post that is moving throught the blogosphere from Mark in Mexico called "the last word on Mexico" He shares a lot of cultural insights on this complex problem.

My friends Eric at the Fire Ant Gazette (his post here) and Cowtown Pattie at Texas Trifles (her post here) are doing some great writing regarding the huge influx of illegals into their great state of Texas. Texas and California are coveted by Mexico and this take over by attrition must be stopped.

As I was house shopping in Texas, I noticed the work gangs building ornately beautiful houses, that were priced very cheaply. I came to the realization that slave labor of any sort is vile, and that those cultures that are built on such labor will fail. We have many many examples, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Fuedal Europe, The Antebellum South, Communism, and God willing, the cursed Islam. Slave holding nations fail... and so do companies that skip the I-9 and hire illegal workers...

I will repeat the post here. and may God give us the backbone to seal up the borders and tell these petty tyrants that they need to use the oil money that they get for the good of their people and we wont be running their welfare programs anymore. Period.

Exerpt from the May 2005 post "Rome Wasn't Built With Union Labor"

Illegal Immigration... Oh I can hear it...." Hoku why do this? Just write about the Great Journey and leave the moaning to Bill O'Reilly but I want to write about it because this issue has a direct impact on the Great Journey...

We Woody and I are astounded at the building...It amazing it really is... Buildings, great and small, Miles of new tract homes, many with ornate brickwork, and hand cut stone work in the kitchens baths and exteriors. Many have hand plastered and detailed ceilings and archways...Even one of the malls near our hotel has ornate plasterwork with stautary and a facade remenisicant of the palace of Granada in Spain. The most basic of new homes has all of this sort of thing which made me run not walk to this 1990's ranch with low ceilings and wide PLAIN windows in a established retirement community... When I say basic house, Im talking a 1500 square foot 3 bedroom two bath, no yard to speak of... some no landscaping but you can have that for a small amount that made me gasp for its cheapness. These homes start in outlying areas as low as 80,000, to the 150,000 for a great view and more squarefootage...

Its not just Texas, but Arkansas too. We looked at 50 or so houses and much of the new constrution was like this... Near the XNA as the Northern Arkansas Regional Airport...(which is a great airport) Huge hotels are rising out of farmlands, creating new cities almost overnight...

We saw the work gangs finishing exteriors at Del Lago at Lake Conroe,Texas and in Rodgers Arkansas, as far as the eye can see farms are being cleared by dark skined men in work gangs, and the brickwork and new landscaping going in.

The New South being built on the back of illegal labor. When I said this to Woody in a hush hush voice he scoffed at first. But this former labor union steward looked again and later as we were going back to our lodging agreed and said that you have to count So Cal as a part of the South as we always do because it is very much like that...We always knew that Big Agrabusiness was fueled by migrant/illegal labor, and that was always the way... But this is something else and for the first time it bothers me and him with regards to our future home and location.

It bothered me in the 90's as I worked in the Intermodal/Transportation business when I knew that the freight was being transloaded by guys here illegally and the drivers were sleeping in their trucks so they could send more money to the family in Mexico and beyond... The place I was working for stated that they paid the "going rate" but I wondered about it...

I love our President but this is the one thing I have against him. He has done NOTHING to secure the borders and protect us from this invasion. In this post I have not brought up all of the financial issues and the crime issues... (The official I spoke to in the Galveston mayor's office honestly told me that 80 percent of the violent crimes charged there were commited by illegals from "Latin America" This was also true for Florida as we looked into this. I dont have the stats in front of me, but it is very scary to think of this situation getting worse and worse...)

Lest you think me a bigot, let me remind the readers that I am of Hispanic heritage, and proud of it... but my Father's mother came here legally, as a child to live with business associates of the family and be educated here. My Father's father was of English and Welsh decent and his Grandmother emmigrated to California a war widow with three small children...(That is a long story and one that you will enjoy, someday I will post that. I come by a lot of my spirit and impetuous nature from that lady, or so my father would tell me.)

I have to agree with the calls for a more stringent Border patrol, and yes the use of troops if needed. It will drastically effect the economy of this area, but it will also be better for the government as a whole. You may get a cheap gardener or housemaid, but you pay for it in taxes going out. The money you pay them doesnt stay here to help the economy of your state, it goes out of the country in a drain that is harmfull to us as well as the state of origin... It makes a colony of counties like Mexico, who now depend on these dollars for the major part of the national gross income. (who'd of thought that the money being sent home by those drivers, maids and bricklayers surpasses oil as the cheif source of revenue for Mexico. I think its tragic that President Fox cannot use the vast resources of his truly rich nation like Mexico to help people so they dont need to try to come here...)

Until the nations that refuse to help themselves out of the poverty that generates migration, then nothing that the US does will matter. We do not have to have cheese cloth borders to be good citizens of the world, nor are we somehow bigots and racist for wanting National Security. This is a problem that has deep roots and wont be solved in a day, but it needs to be solved, because to continue creates a society that is not free, equal or moral, and certainly not just...

As things stand there is no justice possible with things left as they are..."Will We The People" have to one day defend our borders and fight for our very existance as a nation. Will we fight each other over this issue as Mexican Americans have to decide whose side they are on? Will states pull out of the Union over this... its possible... People are red hot mad about this and the problem is not going to go away. We ignore it at our peril.

August 24, 2005

The Fatwa

Flag in the breeze, near Holiday Island, AR

A fatwa (Arabic: فتوى) plural fatāwa (Arabic: فتاوى), is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue. Usually a fatwa is issued at the request of an individual or a judge to settle a question where ’’fiqh,’’ Islamic jurisprudence, is unclear. A scholar capable of issuing fatwas is known as a Mufti.
Contrary to what is believed by many non-Muslims, and even by the majority of Muslims, a fatwa is not binding on all persons professing the Muslim faith. The only ones who are obliged to obey any specific fatwa are the mufti who issued it and his followers.. Read more here, I found it rather interesting

A fatwa was issued from the halls of the 700 Club. Rev. Pat Robertson seemed to do what his Islamic peers do all the time....

There was a popular coup that overthrew him [Chavez]. And what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing. And as a result, within about 48 hours that coup was broken; Chavez was back in power, but we had a chance to move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he's going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.

You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United ... This is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.

Pat Robertson on the 700 Club

with thanks to Daily Kos

The target of the fatwah was Hugo Chavez, the dictator, I mean, the president of Venezueala. A thorn in the side of the US, a exporter of revolution, friend of Fidel Castro. He courts the favor of China and Iran, and is spending billions to prop up dictators all through Latin America. He is a nasty, ego centric, baffoonish sort, who thinks with enough money he can create a "EU" sort of united entity in Latin America. He says he emulates the revolutionary Simon Bolivar...which is a joke as "El Liberator" Bolivar was a courtly gentleman, much like George Washington and would never behaive in the boorish fashion that Chavez has. Even Fidel, the peasent, has better manners.

But I digress...

The doctrine of assassination was attempted, in the Congo, Cuba, Chile, and perhaps against Saddam. It has never been sucessful, in fact it has worked against us.

I cant support Rev Robertson in this sort of twisted view of the Monroe Doctrine and many other whacky things he and other leaders of religious organizations say off the cuff. We have see all sorts of these moments and they pass by...and they dont reflect the views of the nation.

It amuses me to see the Left get all bent out of shape over these sorts of things. Men like Pat Robertson (and James Dobson, the current whipping boy of the Left) are not elected officials and what they say surely comes under the same rights to free speech as say Michael Moore, or any of the Hollywood types that run their mouths in public.

What is sad is that there are reprocussions for these things that are said in foreign lands. People take these words too seriously and it inflames them. These hotheads take their rage out on those that have the least to do with the words an are the most vunerable. Aid Workers, translators, incountry exchange workers and teachers, and missionaries and their support systems.

Already Chavez has ended cooperataion with the DEA and more and more drugs are now flowing out of Caracas. He canceled a visit by Peace Officers for Christ, a Christian organization of police officers that go to foreign countries at the request of the leaders and law enforcement agencies. They train in country police in tactics and behavior, and identify coorrupt pratices. This was the 15th year of cooperation and it has had a huge impact in local police corruption. Too bad this good thing had to end

Another news item, a severed arm was found off the Venezuealan coast and DNA processing hasnt been done because of pressures being placed by the Holloway family. This creep has been quoted to saying some unkind things about Ms. Holloway Twitty, and the tests are back burnered. (I cannot back this intel up as the news posting has vanished off the net... but it sounds true and should I find out differently I will retact it)

Another implication is oil. We have depended on Venezuela as a "friendly source" of oil and now that the "friendlies" view us as the enemy, we could lose that source. Perhaps that is why President Bush doesnt do anything about the illegal alien problem, Mexico is one of our top oil sources....

Robertson, like Billy Graham, or Jerry Falwell, or even James Dobson, are men in their 70's and older. They are beloved by millions of Americans, their ministries have served the cause of Christ for decades. They are like our elders, our grand fathers... You know what I mean... their mouths are filled with wisdom, you love to listen to them... then comes the zinger that makes you wince and you wonder if they are loosing their minds...

Woody and I were discussing singers, athletes, and actors that hung it up before thier abilities failed them. I have to wonder if preachers should do the same. Each of the men I listed has made a gaff in the past year that while you admired them for speaking teir minds, but wish they had more tact...

For tact is what makes the world a civil place to live.

August 23, 2005

Political Derailment

Wooded Railroad under crossing. Gravette, Arkansas

I don't think its any secret. I am a conservative, was a registered Republican in Hawaii, and supported our President and his policies, but somehow I feel like things are not well in Bush Country.

People that I respect and admire are pulling all of their support, leaving only their loyalty to President Bush as our standing president. Bloggers like SmoothStone and his post here. Then there is LaShawn Barber,who seconded a post by Professor Bainbridge, who remarks here about the sloppy handling of issues by the President and how it undermines the war on terror.

First there is Iraq. Yes I think we are winning and I think this post from NYgirl, describing a letter from ol'osama points out that the polls can be manipulated. I dont think its just the polls, or even the body count, but just a sort of softness in direction and a feeling that we are rudderless

I don't agree we should walk away on Iraq, but when I find myself agreeing with Geraldo Rivera the other night when he suggested that we draft, double the size of our forces, secure Iraq, then get the heck out..." ... I know that something is dead wrong.

Our Commander in Chief is not interested in the Domestic war on terror, so the immigration issues and border security issues are back burnered. We are in such desperate straights, with regards to the hordes of illegals flooding our borders, and absolutely nothing is being done about it.

When Mr. Bush has spoken in the past six months on healthcare, social security, and reforms in government, we have gotten slogans. This is not good. These problems are sucking us dry. And we need to have our leaders in the legislature and the executive branches of government get off the fence and really take a hard look at these tough issues

The situation in Israel, with this disengagement and evacuation out of Gaza is a blunder. It gives the extremists a new base from which to move. For Secretary Rice to say "Gaza is only the beginning." made my hackles rise. Why not just give them what they want, every square inch of Israel's soil and the heads of every Jew that lives there? I am baffled at this. Why are we giving in to our enemies? And why are we encouraging our allies to do the same?

Fifteen years ago we sent our troops into Kuwait, against the evil Saddam and his crimes and rightly so. It is said that it is to secure the oil, and perhaps that is true too...We fail to care for our ally Israel, we fail to defend them, we fail to send in our armies when they are invaded... Because there is no tangible benefit to defending Israel, no oil, of course...The riches are intangible.

God made a promise to Abram regarding his descendents. A man that had no children was to become the "Father of Many Nations" That promise is found in Genesis 12:1-3

Then the Lord told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

I think we need to think twice before we ask Israel to give up more territory. And before we start the church and state discussion, we have treaties of mutual cooperation with this nation. If keeping our word wasn't enough reason, being allied with the most fearsome fighting force in the region if not the world...

Having nothing to lose gives you extraordinary courage...


I would also ask the president to look at this passage in Proverbs that was written to address the ideals for rulers to follow...

Proverbs 29



A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad, But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.
The king gives stability to the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps.
By transgression an evil man is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.
The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern.
Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger.
When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life.
A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.
If a ruler pays attention to falsehood, All his ministers {become} wicked.
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.
The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
When the wicked increase, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall.
Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.
A slave will not be instructed by words alone For though he understands, there will be no response.
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
He who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be a son.
An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing.
The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.
Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.
An unjust man is abominable to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.


In the Old King James Translation verse 18 states "Without vision, the people perish." Turer words were never spoken and they apply directly today to the President. We need a fresh vision in the White House, and we need it soon for the Enemy is at the gates, at the very door, and we need his leadership to see us through, and with Gods help, he will. I will keep praying, and I hope you will too.

August 22, 2005

Loose Ends

Beautiful Lake Avalon Bella Vista AR

My life is a series of loose ends right now. Its seems that there are a lot of loose ends in the things that I have written. So we tie them up now if we can.

The are still ripping people out of their homes in Gaza. I don't agree with it, and yet I wonder why Arik Sharon would give up anything, a grain of sand, inch of ground. I personally think there is a plan that we don't know about, than is likely bad and will fail. I see the Arab jackals the buzzards circling, can you imagine the cauldron of bitterness,rage and hatred brewing in and among the empty towns? Like dogs fighting over rancid meat, the factions will fight over the power to be gained... Its going to be ugly.
.
My baby girl Nani with her favorite yellow jingle ball, she can pick out the yellow ones, her favorite color over any other color.
.
They flew the orbiter Discovery back to the Cape where she and her sisters Atlantis and Endeavour will sit in mothballs until at least the end of 2006. I prayed my heart out that the crew would get home safely, and now I hope that they don't fly again, It would take a lot to persuade me that the vehicles were safe for flight.


By popular request I am posting a pic of the new BBQ pit slow cooker. The thing is big, and the results were excellent.



Ribs, in sauce from the BBQ restaurant in Silver Dollar City, Branson Missouri...YUM!! It was really good.



Some photos of the house. The new floors are stunning, and we are getting the rest of the work done as we can. Now if we can get the hot water turned on...hmmmm...We are coming into the home streach and the inside of the house may be ready for move in in a few days. I will be calling the movers and seeing if we can get a date. I want to get my stuff out and aired before we actually move in.



I want to thank everyone that commented on my post of August 18 Every Mother's Son. Saw this Wall Street Journal op-ed piece and thought you might enjoy reading it. The spin meisters are still spinning, and running rerun pics of Mrs. Sheehan. I don't know how long this is going to go on. Have you noticed how this has trumped so many of the other cases that were the nightly fare of the news spinners? Oh, Joran, Oh Karl Rove, Where art thou?

August 21, 2005

1 Kings 19- The Gentle Blowing Wind

Evening Wind tossed waves Keaukaha Big Island Hawaii


1 Kings 19


Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the (false) prophets with the sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time."
And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, "Arise, eat."
Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake {baked on} hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you."
So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD {came} to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of a gentle wind blowing.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Then he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
"It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.
"Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.
He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"
So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave {it} to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.





New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Please visit their website at www.lockman.org.

August 20, 2005

Looking for Shade

Fern Canopy Giant Tree Ferns shade us as we walked Kalopa state park Big Island


I am constantly looking for shade. This was a habit engrained into me at an early age by my mother. Fair skinned with green eyes, my mother would burn after five minutes of standing in the sun, so we would seek shade, walk on the side if the street that was shaded, park in the shade...

It is habit and it is custom... It drives Woody crazy

"Look, a parking place in the shade."
"Hoku, its a mile away from where we need to be."
"No matter, walk quickly."
"Hoku, you're nuts."

I may be, but it has served me in good sted. I stay out of the blessed sun most of the time in the summer and only get burned rarely.

I lived in California for 38 years, then 4 in the blistering tropical sun of Hawaii...but nothing prepared me for the burning Southern Sun here in Arkansas.

Perhaps its the elevation, or the incessant heat. But I spend more than a few moments in it and I feel fried clear through...As night falls, and we go out the heat radiates off of the parking lot and it feels like the sun. I feel like I am in my new slow cooking BBQ roaster, my skin cream is like sauce Ive mopped on!!

Speaking of my new table top BBQ..I ordered this appliance off TV. A good thing we will be TV less again, as I could get hooked on TV shopping. This was the only thing I have bought and now I turn the thing off! This is a type of slow cooker and not a grill. Im cooking ribs in it, and will let you know how things turn out

Our floors are going into the house. They are gorgeous, and so worth the wait...I may be able to call the movers to get our stuff moved in next week. I cant hardly believe it. I will post pics next week when all is finished.

August 19, 2005

Eventual Sovereignty ?

Beautiful Hilo Bay, Big Island of Hawaii


I know that I have posted before about the "Akaka Bill" that would establish a quasi independent state for people that can prove they are Hawaiian. By what means, and how this would all work with regards to the US Constitution, its all very vague... and meant to be so. I have always believed that the true outcome is full and compleate sovereignty for the Hawaiian Nation. All others would be kicked out. Sort of like what is happening in Zimbabwe... People have laughed... Well El Rushbo aint laughing... read this transcript from Rush's radio show yesterday...



RUSH: There's been a story that we've been following on this program since its early days, and it's this bill in Hawaii sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka, and it would basically create a racially exclusive government by and for native Hawaiians who satisfy a blood test. In other words, it would Balkanize the United States and set up a separate government in Hawaii run exclusively by and for native Hawaiians, and at first this had some support in the Senate. It had some support around the country because people didn't quite understand what it was, but there are two original supporters that have changed their mind on this. They have a piece today in the Wall Street Journal, Slade Gorton and Hank Brown.

They write: "The Akaka bill classifies citizens by race, defying the express provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment. It also rests on a betrayal of express commitments made by its sponsors a decade ago and asserts as true many false statements about the history of Hawaii and it now should be defeated," and the Senate's now poised to pass this thing. "The new race-based sovereign that would be summoned into being by the so-called Akaka bill would operate outside the US Constitution and the nation's most cherished civil rights statutes. The champions of the proposed legislation boasts that they knew native Hawaiian entity could secede from the Union like the Confederacy but without the necessity of shelling Fort Sumter. The Akaka Bill rests substantially on the 1993 apology resolution passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton when we were members of the Senate representing the states of Washington and Colorado," and both of them voted against it. Remember this is Slade Gorton and Hank Brown, the authors of this piece. "The resolution is cited by the Akaka bill in three places to establish the proposition that the United States perpetrated legal or moral wrongs against native Hawaiians that justify the race-based government that the legislation would erect. These citations are a betrayal of the word given to us and to the Senate in the debate over the apology resolution."

They thought that this was just a ceremonial thing when it was first proposed, that just, "Okay we're going to acknowledge that there's some native Hawaiians and that the country was there," blah, blah, blah. No. It allows native Hawaiians to set up their own Hawaii basically and secede and basically say (raspberry) to America, and it's being sponsor by US Senator Daniel Akaka. "We specifically inquired of its proponents whether the apology would be employed to seek special status under which persons of native Hawaiian descent would be given rights or privileges or reparations or land or money communally that are unavailable to other citizens of Hawaii. We were promised on the floor of the Senate by Daniel Inouye, the senior Senator from Hawaii and a personage of impeccable integrity that 'as to the matter of the status of native Hawaiians this resolution has nothing to do with that. I can assure my colleague of that.' The Akaka bill repudiates that promise of Senator Inouye. It invokes the apology resolution to justify granting persons of native Hawaiian descent political and economic rights and land denied to other citizens of Hawaii." So Gorton and Brown say that we were unambiguously told that that would not be done, and they have changed their minds on this. They were original supporters and they've changed their mind. Akaka himself did an interview on National Public Radio, and in this interview he admitted that his bill could lead to independence for new native Hawaiian state in Hawaii. He admits it now. The relevant part of the excerpt is this:

The question says: "The sovereignty provided by your bill could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence?" Senator Akaka: "That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the end I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren." read the rest of the story here, with thanks to the Hawaii Reporter

Hawaii was a sovereign nation, with a Queen and a constitution, an economy and a future. Its was stolen by business intrests that used the power of the US Marines and a corrupt state department to steal a kingdom from a 19 year old girl. Its one of the low points in our history.

You cannot turn back the hands of time. And we as a people cannot allow or set up an aparthied type system in one state of the union... We did away with all of that, but we are courting a new version of this sin in this bill... The thought of this is a scary disgrace.

August 18, 2005

Every Mother's Son

The Union Line, Pea Ridge National Military Park and Battlefield, Pea Ridge Arkansas...

10,000 sons of
10,000 mothers
died in battle here.
Brother bayoneted Brother,
for a cause that wasn't clear

10,000 days
and more have passed
still families remember well
that winters day
on grey Pea Ridge
when 10,000 brothers fell

in 1862, mothers grieved and "didn't understand" either...
Freedom, everybody's freedom, isnt free...

He was 24, a volunteer Army Specialist, that was killed during an act of heroism in Sadr City Iraq on April 4th 2004... His name was Casey Austin Sheehan

He was every mother's son who has ever died in battle, in a war that is seemingly pointless, at least to you... You are that mother that is holding a folded flag as they shovel dirt over the precious boy that was your life.

You don't care that he chose this road, that he felt honored to wear the uniform of the US Army, that he volunteered for a dangerous mission and died protecting others as they were attacked in an ambush.

You don't care that he died like a man, with honor and dignity. You don't care that he was awarded medals for bravery, justly deserved.

You don't care that your current actions do the very thing that he would never do, demoralize his brothers and sisters in arms.

You just think of your missing firstborn, and of the man you hated anyway prior to the death of your son. Your words betray this on your website.

You have every right to protest, your son fought and died to preserve this right as long as you don't break the law. However, I can see your son looking down from heaven as a part of the "cloud of witnesses" mentioned in Hebrews 12, and saying

"Mom, Mom, you are wrong, I would do it all again and change nothing... Its my life and I chose to go and serve my country. It isn't the Presidents fault or the Israelis... It's to give the gift of freedom for now and forever to another land... Think of it Mom... I am a patriot, just like the men that came from France and Prussia and Poland to help us in America when we needed help way back when... We didn't do it alone and neither can Iraq. See the women voting, the little kids going to school. We built that school, the US Army did... We are doing a lot of good here!"

"Mom, Mom, please just be proud of me... I love you..."

I really believe this. After doing a bit of research on Army Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan, I see a really special young man who did this country proud in the way he lived and died. Sadly I feel that his mother is tarnishing the beautiful memory of her son by getting involved with the worst of liberal whackydom, allowing them to exploit her undealtwith grief as a tool to undermine the war effort. Shame on you people for doing this. Shame on the family for allowing this to go on, she has forgotten herself, her dignity as a Gold Star Mother, and her family that needs their Mom back in Vacaville, not camping out on the Texas Plain.

Mrs Sheehan has made some very erroneous comments, from saying that this is a war for oil to that her son died because of Israel's situation with the Arab occupiers of the "West Bank". Here is a great post by my friend Smooth Stone regarding the situation. Take the time to read this, its important.

If you question the feelings of Iraqi's about our troops being there... if you are taken in by the media's faulty reporting of the situation, read this post from the blog Iraq the Model, It broke my heart... for I know that every word is true.

We are at a critical time in Iraq. Let us not waver in this work that has been set before us. Let us finish the course, then bring our troops home...As for Mrs. Sheehan, in the name of your son we honor your grief, get some help, join a grief therapy group, and go home to your other four children. They need you. After all they lost the big Brother that they adored. They are grieving too...

August 17, 2005

The New "Tolerance" Code

Horse carving at the Mall of the Woodlands, Texas

I saw this one one of my favorite Political Blogs, La Shawn Barber's Corner And thought that I would repost it here.

I have been a victim of the "tolerance" crowd. The loony lefty fringe groups in Hilo that said I was wrong to not want druged out Mahu's (cross dressing prostitutes) and homeless dudes sleeping in front of my jewelry store or using the vestibule as a toileting area called me all sorts of names. The wacky people that lived next door to us and wanted to reherse their garage band all day and night, used the "intolerant" lable on us and accused us of causing every bad thing that went on on the block...

Let someone find out you are a Republican, a Born Again Christian, or feel that babies deserve a chance to live and not die as they are being ripped out of the womb...(I refuse to call the women who choose to have a convienece abortions "mothers"...that is being tolerant, dont you think? after all they dont want to be mothers, they would rather be murderers, but that is for another post.)

However "tolerant" I am called upon to be, I have all sorts of intolerance forced upon me. I have to endure things like 19 inch wide airline seats, Boombox cars with their hideous degrading to my gender rap "music" disrupting my sleep at 2 am. My international mail opened by Homeland Security yes, I am currently subject to being screened via the mail... You think its bad at the airport. I wouldnt be surprised if I wasnt on a no fly list now...

Talk about intolerant, its only a pen pal for Pete's Sake...

But I digress, back to the subject at hand... Illegals loitering and toileting on private property...


Tolerance now means embracing public urination

by TOM KNOTT (Metro) Washington Times

.
You just want a cup of coffee and a doughnut from the 7-Eleven in Herndon, and the Hispanic gentlemen hanging out in the parking lot there ask whether you want a gardener, painter or a handyman of varying quality as well.
This is the daily drill that challenges the incredibly enlightened who believe in the worthiness of virtually unfettered immigration, legal or otherwise. They believe in it until one of the new arrivals is hooting at a babe or addressing a bladder issue on the side of the building. They believe in it until one of them separates you from your wallet.
We all can agree that these faux way stations are a problem, unfair to the communities and the small-business owners who did not sign up to be a loitering ground. Back in the day, it would have been so simple to address. Someone would have posted a no loitering sign, the police would have enforced it, and that would have been the end of it.
But it is not so simple today, because we have been ordered to try to understand another people's culture, and respect it as well, and maybe relieving yourself in public is part of the culture, and we need to understand that, we need to respect that and maybe we even need to have a Public Urination Pride Day.
Of course, Fairfax County officials are looking to resolve the issue with your money. They have stumbled on the notion of having formal centers for day laborers, because it has been done in other communities, and it allows everyone to have it both ways. You cannot be accused of being a heartless bigot if you erect a Day Laborer Center and stock it with Spanish-language reading materials, if not a pool table, a flat-screen television and, most important, a bathroom.
If a percentage of the day laborers are illegal aliens, what does it matter? That is a federal issue, not a state one, and our borders come with a big, fat welcome mat.
We are not serious people along our borders. We round up a few illegal aliens and send them back, only to have them cross again and again until they have reached the famous 7-Eleven in Herndon.
For all we know, Osama bin Laden is not hiding in the no man's land along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He is hanging out at the 7-Eleven in Herndon sipping on a Big Gulp, while sending cryptic messages to his lieutenants on his BlackBerry.
No, the feds are not serious, and Fairfax County officials are not serious either.
We do not want to offend anyone, excluding the blue-haired grandmother from Minnesota. The blue-haired grandmother is forever being stopped in airports, and now the subways, and forever being told to remove this or that item until she becomes an R-rated blue-haired grandmother.
We stop her each time. If we go down, it won't be because of the blue-haired grandmother from Minnesota. If we go down, it will be because of the next Richard Reid, who looked as nutty as a $3 bill -- but the BBC-inspired mushheads of Great Britain did not want to offend the wannabe shoe bomber.
The same thinking persists with the day laborers. We do not intend to offend. Besides, the laborers do the jobs that Americans do not want to do, and even if it is our country, we would not be so primitive as to require them to follow our rules.
Instead, we can grant them a center and never, ever ask if they are here legally.
That is just not nice, and we must be nice to all types, even to those who like to chop off our heads as sport.
"We are burdened with managing a very complex and very difficult problem," a Fairfax County official said.
No, it is not complex. It is not difficult.
It is called having a spine, which increasingly is not part of the American political body.



Copyright © 2005 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

We Need to grow some backbone before its too late...

August 16, 2005

Walking into the Unknown Country

Hwy 187 near Beaver AR

Written August 15 at 11:30 pm

A huge storm is breaking over me as I write tonight. The past two days have brought us intermittent rain here in NW Arkansas. We are in a severe drought condition so this means help is on the way for the farmers and ranchers in this area. I saw a slight greening on my dead lawn when I went to have a plumber look at the remaining items left on the do and re-do list. It showered on us as we stood in my backyard, the heat and the shattered sunlight reminded me of my Hawaii on any given sunny afternoon when the rain would fall with out a cloud in the sky.

I'm glad for the rain. Like those poor cows that I would see standing in the treeless pastures, sweltering in the 100 degree sun, I was starting to tire of the merciless heat. I have never in my life lived in a place that had air conditioning like this, 24/7 for heaven knows how long...Partially because I have never lived in a place equipped with such a unit to heat and cool my home. Seems that all homes here even this little apartment, and the rundown trailers have central air...What a blessing it is too.

The day was a day of beginnings and endings for us. Woody's job came to an end today. I have somewhat expected it. He had a lot of return business, people would shop compare and try to do the deals but he just couldn't convince people that they needed this particular car...And didn't have enough sales as a result to make his quota. He is taking it well, a little chagrined and humbled. I find myself bewildered when he is not working even such a sad sack job as the one that he just lost. To me the divine order is in place when he has a place to go and try to earn a living... I would rather not be the bread winner.

I had a first today, one that I have planned for but took the plunge at the spur of the moment. I attended Mass for the first time today. I enjoyed it very much, and look forward to going again. Woody is supportive of my spiritual explorations even to the point that if I was to join this church he would be ok with it. "Afterall" he said, "don't we worship this same Jesus?" Yes I think so, but I know that there are many many people in my circle that will think I have gone off my rocker....Should my Mother hear about it, she will have a stroke and that will be the end... But I need to find that which fills my soul and I really like and admire much about this branch of Christianity.

I went today because I wanted to remember the day I first went. Today is the feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven...a dogma that is controversial to say the least. I was welcomed by people, a lot of people were there Id say 200 or more showed up. I thought that telling.

There was much to think about with the service and much to question. But I feel that after 6 years of casual study, I am ready to do more than reflect on this, I need to actively pursue this, test it and see if this is the path for me...

This is a walk into an unknown country. For a lifetime I have been told all sorts of untruths about the Catholic church that I know now to be false. My study of history has taught me gratitude for this faith that was the lifeboat of our civilization. More recently my exposure to teaching by leading Catholic teachers via EWTN has debunked a lot of the false teaching I have received, and has allowed me to come to my own conclusions.

There is much more exploration to come, I need to spend time thinking and praying about this before I take any drastic steps. My faith is very strong and my assurance that my God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him, propels me onward to the unknown country. Like all of my journeys, this one has been well planned, yet there is much that is unknown...That's when the faith comes, and the trust that my God will supply every need and protection to me in these days. It is my best and only hope.

August 15, 2005

"The Disengagement"... A photo poem

The Disengagement


.
The thought is beyond him
This exile, this expulsion
From the Promised Land
The Place of Sanctuary
.


.
Gush Katif, his parents home,
Neve De Kalim, the white sand beach
Bounds the seas that hold his heart,
in the waves, in the blue white foam!
.


.
His parents came here as refugees
from the pullout of the Sinai, a refuge
For their parents, refugees that came
Fleeing Nazi flames
.


.
Now the place offered in exchange
for homes abandoned "in the name of peace"
Must be destroyed,abandoned
For a peace that never comes
.


.
As he walks the deserted streets
Empty houses cruelly marked with
Black crosses for destruction,
By the order of "The Butcher"
.


.
Solders, with their guns patrol,
Routing looting Arabs,once neighbors
searching the empty homes, robbing
Tombs painted with orange smiley faces
.


.
He wonders of the future, his own
as well as his native land
Where will it end, this peace for land?
At the stones of the Wailing Wall?
.



.Photo Credits

Associated Press, Reuters, NBC, and Yaldor Photography

Editorial Content inspired by this MSN report, Poem "The Disengagement" by Hokulea all rights reserved.





Must the Peace of Jerusalem come at the cost of Israel's Sovereignty?... I say no and pray for an end to the hostilities directed at the Jewish State!

August 14, 2005

Revelation 22- The Healing of the Nations

Healing Springs, for over 1000 years people have journeyed to the area around Eureka Springs to take advantage of the curative nature of the over 100 running hot and cold springs. This spring is now fenced for safety but the drinking fountains allow you to have all the water you like. It tastes really good too and I am somewhat of a conneissour...



The Revelation of Jesus Christ Chapter 22

Then he (the Angel of the Lord) showed me (John) a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him...
they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
"And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God."
And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
"Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy."
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.


Copyright Information

New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Please visit their website at www.lockman.org.

August 13, 2005

A Remarkable Woman

A Long View overlooking the courtyard of St Elizabeths church and the Ozark Mountains from the grounds of the Crescent Hotel Eureka Springs AR.

I discovered a new hero to admire this week. This week the Catholic Church celebrated the 64th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Teresa Benidicta, in the world know as Edith Stein. Born into a Jewish family, raised by a pious widowed mother, she turned agnostic as a college student. A doctor of philosophy, her writings on the roles of women are foundational to the modern Feminist movement... Then came God and the miracle of Conversion...

I have taken a portion of her biography below. A link to the full article is at the end of the quote.


Edith Stein is one of those people whose entire life seems to be a sign. She was born on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, in 1891 in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), the youngest of eleven children in a devout Jewish family.
When she was not yet two years old her father died suddenly, leaving Edith's mother to raise the seven remaining children (four had died in childhood) and to manage the family business. Brought up on the Psalms and Proverbs, Stein considered her mother a living example of the strong woman of Proverbs 31, who rises early to care for her family and trade in the marketplace. By her teenage years, Stein no longer practiced her Jewish faith and considered herself an atheist, but she continued to admire her mother's attitude of total openness toward God.

Like many before and since, Edith Stein came to Christianity through the study of philosophy. One of the first women to be admitted to university studies in Germany, she moved from the University of Breslau to the University of Gottingen in order to study with Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology. Stein's philosophical studies encouraged her openness to the possibility of transcendent realities, and her atheism began to crumble under the influence of her friends who had converted to Christianity.

During the summer of 1921, at the age of twenty-nine, Stein was vacationing with friends but found herself alone for the evening. She picked up, seemingly by chance, the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, founder of the Carmelite Order. She read it in one sitting, decided that the Catholic faith was true, and went out the next day to buy a missal and a copy of the Catholic catechism. She was baptized the following January, but her desire immediately to enter the Carmelites was delayed for a time. Her advisers saw that her conversion and claustration would be a double blow to her mother, and they knew the Church could benefit enormously from her contributions as a speaker and writer.

Stein eventually became a leading voice in the Catholic Woman's Movement in Germany, speaking at conferences and helping to formulate the principles behind the movement. By the time Hitler rose to power in early 1933, Stein was well-known in the German academic community. Hitler's growing popularity and the increasing pressure on the Jewish people, prompted her to request an audience with the pope in the spring of 1933. She hoped that a special encyclical might help counteract the mounting tide of anti-Semitism.

Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic confusion, her request was not granted. By March of that year. Stein's colleagues at the Educational Institute in Munster realized that they could protect her no longer, and so offered her a teaching position in South America. Since this would mean that her mother, now eighty-four, would never see her again, Stein felt that the time had come to fulfill her long-standing desire to enter religious life.

While on a trip during Holy Week of 1933, Edith stopped in Cologne at the Carmelite convent during the service for Holy Thursday. She attended it with a friend, and by her own account, the homily moved her very deeply. She wrote:

I told our Lord that I knew it was His cross that was now being placed upon the Jewish people; that most of them did not understand this, but that those who did would have to take it up willingly in the name of all. I would do that. At the end of the service, I was certain that I had been heard. But what this carrying of the cross was to consist in, that I did not yet know.

On October 15, just after her forty-second birthday, Edith Stein entered the Carmel of Cologne, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.



A Carmel among the Nazis

Stein's family saw her entry into the convent as a betrayal, and as coming at the worst possible time, just when Jewish persecution was intensifying. Christianity was the religion of their oppressors; they couldn't understand what it meant to her. When Stein's mother heard of her decision to enter the convent she was crushed.

"Why did you have to get to know him (Jesus Christ)? He was a good man I'm not saying anything against him. But why did he have to go and make himself God?" It was only after her mother's death in 1936 that Stein's sister Rosa felt free to be baptized as a Catholic as well.

Stein remained in Cologne for five years, participating in the life of the community with great joy while continuing her scholarly work. After the terror of kristallnacht (November 9 1938), the nuns in Cologne feared for Stein's safety and decided to send her secretly to the Carmel in Echt, the Netherlands. Her sister Rosa later joined her there as a Third Order Carmelite, serving as the convent portress. When Holland fell to the Nazis, Edith and Rosa Stein were in danger again, and plans were made to move them to Switzerland. Before these could be finalized, the Dutch bishops issued an encyclical attacking the anti-Semitic atrocities of the Nazi regime. The Gestapo retaliated immediately by rounding up all Roman Catholic Jews to be sent to the death camps. Edith and Rosa Stein were arrested on August 2, 1942. When Rosa seemed disoriented as they were led away from the convent, Edith gently encouraged her, "Come, Rosa. We go for our people." The sisters were deported to Auschwitz and executed just a week later. Edith Stein was fifty years old.

Reports from those who were close to Sister Teresa Benedicta in those final days show her to have been a woman of remarkable interior strength, giving courage to her fellow travelers and helping to feed and bathe the little ones when even their mothers had given up hope and were neglecting them. One woman who survived the war has written a description of Stein during the time their group was awaiting transportation to "the East." "Maybe the best way I can explain it is that she carried so much pain that it hurt to see her smile...In my opinion, she was thinking about the suffering that lay ahead. Not her own suffering, she was far too resigned for that, but the suffering that was in store for the others. Every time I think of her sitting in the barracks, the same picture comes to mind: a Pieta without the Christ." Although she did not seek death, Stein had often expressed her willingness to offer herself along with the sacrifice of Christ for the sake of her people, the Jews, and also for the sake of their persecutors. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 1,1987.



from "Edith Stein — Convert, Nun, Martyr" by LAURA GARCIA. This is a academic view of Edith Stein's life


She was cannonized a saint by John Paul II in 1998 and this not without controversy.


This isa Papal Address by Pope John Paul II that gives some interesting insights into this lady, and how the church views Edith's life.

Its my intention to do a bit more research, I admire anyone who stands in the face opposition and holds on to what they firmly believe. This is true courage and personal honor, supported by the power of God. I pray that this spirit continues in our midst today, it is sorely needed..

August 12, 2005

Friday Cat Blogging...Pets in the News

Look at the Love Bugs, Mak and Nani are always snuggling and loving us and each other. I think they are a huge part of how I keep going along in life... Woody and I often say that we stay together "for the sake of the children..." I dont think thats far wrong...

I came across this article and had to smile for the love of these folks... They divorced eight years ago and are still living up to the joint custody arrangement. I think thats cool.

When Pets Are the Center of a Divorce Custody Battle
By Jeanne Marie Laskas

Custody battles over children go with the territory of divorcing couples, but when it comes to pets, this couple had to make their own laws.

Misha, a 13-year-old collie mix, is slowing down considerably. In fact, she's having so much trouble hearing that she responds primarily to hand signals. Jo Shoesmith, 46, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and her ex-husband, Marty Stephens, 49, who lives in Clarksburg, Maryland, know it's time to rethink the terms of the joint custody arrangement. After all, is it really fair for Misha to be shuttled between two homes 40 miles apart?

Joint custody -- of a dog? But of course. For people who regard pets as family, it makes perfect sense to treat them as such if the family unit falls apart. And yet states regard animals as possessions akin to couches and TVs. A divorcing couple is supposed to divide stuff up, but Jo and Marty, like a growing number of people working out pet custody, couldn't think that way.

Both pet lovers when they met at an animal-protection conference. Jo and Marty married in 1990. Their family eventually grew to include three dogs (Misha, Shay, and Nike) and three cats (Violet, Momma Kitty, and Cotton). As the marriage started to unravel, one thing Jo and Marty realized was how much their dogs hated it when they argued. Even the slightest outburst would visibly upset their three mutts, most especially poor little Nike, who would whine and pace as if begging his "parents" to please make peace.

When the couple decided to split, in 1997, there was no question that they would find a way to share custody of their pets. "Neither of us could imagine saying goodbye to our animals forever," says Marty, who works as an administrator for the Humane Society of the United States. "We had to put aside the issues we divorced over to think about what was good for the animals," says Jo, a residency counselor at a retirement community. "Being such devoted animal people, it wasn't hard for us to focus 100 percent on them."

Friends and family thought the notion of a pet custody arrangement a bit extreme -- even their lawyers scratched their heads when they thought about how, exactly, to word such a thing. In this way, Jo and Marty were pioneers, and they knew it. "Certainly, for us the animals were more than just an appliance," says Marty. "A small part of the reason we had them written into the divorce arrangement was to demonstrate to the lawyers and the court that even though the legal system may think of these animals as property, they're practically people to us," he says.

Nowadays, animal law courses are offered at more than 40 law schools, many of which include pet custody on the syllabus. Lengthy and sometimes bitter custody battles are taking place across the country to determine who gets the pets -- with violators even doing jail time. In May 2001, Lynn Goldstein, of Louisville, Kentucky, spent 30 days in the slammer for refusing court orders to turn over cats Beanie and Kacey to her ex-husband, Tom Nichols, and then lying under oath that they had run away.

For Jo and Marty, it took some doing to get the logistics right. The cats never could abide the car ride between homes, so they've remained, by mutual agreement, at Jo's house. Jo and Marty tried meeting halfway between their homes every week to hand off the dogs, giving the three canines a week in each place. The frequency proved disruptive to all, so eventually Nike, Misha, and Shay fell into a more comfortable rhythm of two weeks with Jo, where pampering was the main event, followed by two weeks with Marty, the outdoorsman.

Clashing parenting styles was one hurdle both had to work on. Marty tried to train them to stop jumping on people, while Jo rather liked it. But when it came to the safety of the animals, the couple found compromise easy. When Marty was about to install a four-foot fence around his yard, Jo urged him to make it taller to protect the dogs. He did.

Then came the sad chain of events of 2003. First was Violet, who succumbed to old age. Then it was Shay, whose pulmonary condition finally got the best of her. Five months later, Nike did not survive emergency abdominal cancer surgery. The grief over these losses was intense, but Jo and Marty, neither of whom has since remarried, comforted each other during the hardest times in any pet owner's life. They may not have had a marriage left, but they had this.

And now Misha. She's getting old and has become the leader of the three other dogs Jo has acquired. Maybe she needs Jo's unique brand of mothering more than ever. Marty has no other pets at his house, where Misha sometimes seems lonely.

So they've decided. Misha will stay full-time with Jo. Marty will come over and visit Misha every month, playing in the backyard and sitting under the tall hardwoods to take in the afternoon shade. Jo is not surprised that Marty would agree to this. "For both of us, this is all about respecting that the other one really cares about the animals," she says.

Six years after their divorce, the couple is still estranged in every way except for the animals. Jo and Marty's commitment to their pets has not wavered. They continue to share all expenses associated with Misha and the two surviving cats, and they consult each other on medical decisions.

"It hasn't always been easy," Jo says. "But we've had to be our best selves, because we've both had to put our animals before ourselves."

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal magazine, April 2005.


© Copyright 2005 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

August 11, 2005

To Be Continued

Beautiful Summer Day at the little golden gate bridge over the Beaver Arm of Table Rock Lake, Beaver AR

I have been trying to post this evening but Nani has been really clingy and wanting in my lap. Sometimes she will lay on my chest, and allow me to type, but not tonight, she wants all of my attention, and bites my hands, gently to remind me who is in charge... I put her down and have played with her for a while and shes giving me space to get a bit o blogging done...

Work continues and we do see light at the end of the tunnel. We had a police standby at the house so that the old contractor could have all of the items that belonged to him and he presented Woody a bill for the balance plus ten percent or the maximum that he could charge us. At the same time this exchange was going on our inspector was looking over the work...They wanted to know what the inspector thought...He said nothing and reported to us by phone...Shoddy, incompleate, and he felt that they had a lot of nerve to bill us..."That dude is just a big bully"

We have a surprise for the bully...Benton county is going to charge him for breaking and entering our house... how do you like that?

Things are going onward... I sat and waited to let the painter guys in and we had a strong breeze in the trees and it was nice on the lanai. I wish that I had my lounger out of storage, and I would have slept there...

For I am sick...and if it keeps up I promise I will find a dentist. All of the stress, dirt and dust, plus a strage infection in my mouth, that makes it hard for me to eat. Like Woody said, once we get settled things will be better.

I went to the interview in Gravette for the post office, and the job was so silly that the Post master was embarassed to offer it but as I am new to the register, he had to make the offier. It was filling in on a route that would mean work 10 to 15 days a YEAR....The post has been vacant for 5 years... Its still vacant...UGH!

I am spending time with the neighbor ladies, and starting to be accepted by them and that is good, Perhaps I will fit in here... It would be an answer to my prayers...

To Be Continued...

August 10, 2005

Leaving Paradise

Paintbox Skies Keaukaha Big Island Hawaii



It was on this day in 1842 that Herman Melville left the Marquesas Islands and hopped a whale ship back home, an experience that became the subject of his first book. He had signed onto a whaling ship in 1841, he was in need a job. It was a great adventure at first. He got to see sperm whales, sailed along the coast of South America, and saw the Galapagos Islands. He was looking forward to the Pacific Islands. He had heard it was like a paradise. The weather was perfect, and the women were beautiful and scantily clad. But by the time the ship reached there, the captain had grown sick and he was treating his men worse and worse. And so Herman Melville jumped ship and went off on his own. He snuck over the side of the ship in a downpour, swam to shore, and headed into the jungle, knowing only a few of the native words and phrases.

He came upon a village of friendly people and lived with them for four months. He came to believe they were far more civilized than any Europeans or Americans. Men and women wore the same clothing. Both went bare-chested, a skirt of cloth, wore jewelry, loved to dance, and were free with their sexuality.

And he noticed that though they were forced to live off the land and build their own homes, there were no poor people. Nobody went hungry. He wrote, "There seemed to be no cares, griefs, troubles, or vexations... There were no foreclosures of mortgages, no bills payable...or to sum it all up in one word—no money."

He found his life luxurious, but he was worried if he stayed too long he'd never leave. So on this day in 1842, he found an Australian ship in need of crew, and he hopped aboard. It took him more than a year to get back to the U.S., and when he got home, he told his sister a sanitized version of what had happened to him in the Marquesas. She urged him to write it down, and that became his first book, Narrative of a Four Months' Residence Among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesas Islands, which was a huge success, but it plagued Melville for the rest of his life—his readers always expected him to write more tales of exotic adventures in the Pacific.

Todays entry from the Writer's Almanac


I feel Mr. Melvile's pain totally. With the trouble with the house and stuff... I see Dog the Bounty Hunter in the old neighborhood,down in Puna, grabbing bond jumpers, and crying over his Mom's grave in Alae....I cry too...

Every new person we meet that finds out where we are from has got to have the answer to the 64 dollar question..."WHY?"

I ask myself that alot.

Our new painter guy is a local boy tough guy, with a big heart... 24, and wants to go to Hawaii " to see the girls" I told him to take a friend and go and BE CAREFUL, and leave the wahine and the pakalolo (girls and marijuana)alone, and watch out for the mahu's ( very pretty women who were or are pretending NOT to be guys...). He's doing a great job and cleaned up all the mess on the walls, and he will be painting and DONE by Friday. Father and son painter guys are flat out ticked about how things have gone for us and are really doing their best to get things fixed up.

Floor man comes in the morning and cant wait to rock and roll on the floor covering, now if I can just get the hot water on, hey I can move in...

Inspector man icomingng to tell us how much damage has been done and hopefully we can get the gas turned on when the gas man commeth

Amazing what you can do if you just do it...

I guess Melville figured it out, doing nothing gets you no where....