Honor and Gratitude

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month...



“On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Proclamation



Honoring all who served

Honoring all who were wounded 

Honoring all who gave their lives



You stood in our stead
You stood for our country, for our constitution

You stood for our freedom, for our liberty



You have our gratitude, our respect, our memory

We pledge our service, our advocacy, our work for peace…

Dad ~ 1942

Love Wins!

Headline:
Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States
Just one of many articles, this one from NPR

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. Here is the closing paragraph:

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed.
It is so ordered.”


As I wrote six years ago:
“Perhaps the most transformative aspect of living in a state where same sex marriage was legalized May 17, 2004 is that the sky did not fall. None of the dire predictions and specious arguments made by the opponents came to pass - in particular the idea that allowing same sex couples to marry would undermine “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman. It didn’t happen. And that wonderful, ho hum normalcy has been one of the most powerful arguments in favor of marriage equality.”

I am proud of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and so grateful that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of justice and equality and love.

As President Barack Obama said this morning:
“Today, we can say in no uncertain terms that we have made our union a little more perfect.”


Layout, photo of granite and paper by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto ‘08 & Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac. Font: Helvetica.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963

May he always be an inspiration; may he always spur us to action.

With Honor & Humble Gratitude

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month...



“On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Proclamation



Honoring all who served

Honoring all who were wounded 

Honoring all who gave their lives



You stood in our stead
You stood for our country, for our constitution

You stood for our freedom, for our liberty



You have our gratitude, our respect, our memory

We pledge our service, our advocacy, our work for peace…

Dad ~ 1942

Fly Me To The Moon - But Not With Mitt

In sixth grade, my science teacher - Mrs. C. - taught us the basics of how airplanes work. I remember this because every single time I get on an airplane I think about it. This is especially true if I am seated near the wing. That’s when I look out the window and make note of the ailerons. Yup. Sixth grade. Airplanes. Covering the basics.

Which is why this report in the Los Angeles Times by Seema Mehta left me gobsmacked. Scroll down to paragraphs six and seven.

“When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem.”
~ Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President of the United States of America

It’s official. Mitt Romney is an idiot.

Two more points:
1. Ms. Mehta buried the lede.
2. Would a reporter please ask Mitt Romney a followup question about submarines? Please?

Honor

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month...



“On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Proclamation



Honoring all who served

Honoring all who were wounded 

Honoring all who gave their lives



You stood in our stead
You stood for our country, for our constitution

You stood for our freedom, for our liberty



You have our gratitude, our respect, our memory

We pledge our service, our advocacy, our work for peace...

Gratitude

Our plate has been full lately - a little too full. But life doesn’t let us pick and choose when we will be needed. Nor does it let us choose how or by whom. When Chuck and I feel frustrated or overwhelmed we seek out the positive. Sometimes it is an electric pink sky at sunset; sometimes a kind gesture by a stranger; sometimes an old friend who makes us laugh and the years fall away. Focusing on a feeling of gratitude is transformative and lasting; sustaining us even as we reach to pick up the phone to deal with what’s coming next.

Photograph by LMR/Pink Granite. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Font: Hans Hand & Helvetica. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.
You’re welcome to “drag and drop” this image onto your computer for your personal use.

Crazies, Breadcrumbs, A Delete Button & A Hat Tip

I saw a tweet or two on Twitter from Margo and Roger Ebert which intrigued me. They were about Congresswoman Michele Bachmann signing a pledge called "The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence upon MARRIAGE and FAMILY". But the tweets referred to slavery. Curious, I followed a link which led me to an article by Jason Linkins on the Huffington Post entitled: “Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa Social Conservative Kingmaker, Unveils A New Pledge For 2012ers”. I read it and was duly appalled by the entire outrageous “Vow” and in particular by the language quoted in Mr. Linkins article: Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President.

I wanted to send out a tweet about all this, but first I wanted to check out the “Vow” for myself. I went to the website of “The Family Leader” who wrote the “Vow” and clicked on the link which took me to the PDF. As I read it I couldn’t find the slavery reference. I did note that the URL had the date “7.9.11” in the address and yet the Huffington Post article was published two days earlier. So I copied all four pages into a Pages document and searched it for the key phrases. Nothing. Then I downloaded it as a PDF and did the same search in Reader. Again, nothing. So I logged onto Huffington Post and left a comment: “Has "The Family Leader" edited the pledge? I cannot find the 1860 slavery reference in the current pdf of the vow or the notes” I also put in the link to the PDF of the “Vow”.

Then I went back to Twitter and tweeted my query to Margo and to Ebert. Finally I tweeted it to Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post. In less than an hour Mr. Linkins tweeted back to me: “Thanks for the heads up!”. By 9:00 p.m. Mr. Linkins had posted a new article on the Huffington Post: “The Family Leader Drops Controversial Section Concerning Slavery From 'Marriage Vow' Pledge”. And there at the very bottom of the article he wrote: Hat Tip @pinkgranite The @pinkgranite was a link which opened to the relevant tweets I had sent out earlier.

Fortunately, the original version of the “Vow” - the one signed by Michele Bachmann - has not been lost to the ether. And the extant revised “Vow” still provides useful insight into the thinking of the right-wing. The 2012 presidential election is just 16 months away. Things won’t get prettier nor will they get easier as the calendar pages flip by. As I wrote to George Geder, who posted about the slavery version on his blog this afternoon: “We'll all have to stay vigilant!”

This post was edited and updated throughout the evening.

What’s In A Name?

It looks like Morning Glory, but according to a knowledgeable gardening friend, it’s actually Bindweed. I don’t know. They’re both part of the genus Convolvulus. But one is prized and the other is a weed. It’s not bothering anything. It’s just hanging out in the wilder brush behind the Day Lilies; looking pretty and doing its pretty plant thing. I like it. So say hello to the lovely Convolvulus - a rose by any other name...

Kindness Matters

“This is my simple religion.
There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.”
- The 14th Dalai Lama (1935 - )

My Mom is not perfect. Nor am I. But the stories she tells me of elderly women she knows who are parsimonious with praise, gentleness, generosity of spirit and kindness leave me slackjawed.

Holding back a thoughtful, cheerful compliment or an encouraging, supportive word, must be much harder than letting that little bit of grace out into the world.

Yes We Can!

The U.S. House of Representatives passed Health Insurance reform!
H.R. 3590, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now goes to President Obama.
H.R. 4872, Reconciliation, now goes to the U.S. Senate for their final vote.

Here is a list of “The Top Ten Immediate Benefits You'll Get When Health Care Reform Passes”.

“...the work goes on,
the cause endures,
the hope still lives
& the dream shall never die.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy first at the 1980 Democratic National Convention and again at the 2008 Democratic Convention


“The work begins anew.
The hope rises again.
And the dream lives on.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy at the 2008 Democratic Convention

Thank you Teddy for all you did on our behalf.
I can’t help but believe that we would have gotten an even stronger piece of legislation, had you still been here working for us, on the cause of your life.


: : Update: Here is the link to the video and the text of President Obama’s address to the nation this evening on health care reform.

: : Update II: Here is a link to an additional summary of “10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform”.

Happy February 14th

Oh how I dreaded Saint Valentine’s Day as a little kid! All those cute little die-cut cards, slipped into thin white envelopes and delivered to one’s classmates. All the inevitable scorekeeping as it became clear that Donna D. once again had received a “Be Mine” Valentine from every single student in the known universe. Or so it seemed to the little girl with the cats’ eyes glasses with far fewer cards. ;o)

So on this Valentine’s Day, I will send one wish out to all of you:



Photograph and Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Font: Hypatia Sans Pro from Adobe. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 & Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Mac.
You’re welcome to “drag and drop” this image onto your computer for your personal use.

Look Ma - No Hands!

My Mom doesn’t have a computer, nor does she want one. When I started this blog three plus years ago, it was a little difficult for her to wrap her mind around the concept. Heck, it was a little hard for me to explain in the beginning! She finally settled on the notion that it’s like a diary and my readers and fellow bloggers are like pen pals. Not bad! And she has picked up enough computer lingo and information to advise her friend on how to begin researching a medical condition: “Just go to that Google place and type it in!” Two thumbs up Mom.

Today we went to Rhode Island to visit with Mom, have lunch together and run some errands. (Mom stopped driving back in August.) I decided to bring along a copy of last week’s Worcester Magazine. I wanted her to see where an excerpt from Pink Granite had been published in lovely, tangible, non-digital newsprint and ink in their Blog Log column. I showed her. She read it. And she seemed decidedly underwhelmed. Ummm... Mom? Something I wrote is in black and white in a genuine, honest to goodness newspaper! This is the moment when you’re supposed to clip it out, stick it on the refrigerator and leave it until the edges curl and it yellows - aren’t you?

To be fair, Mom was ridiculously proud when my poem was published. And she often leaves my greeting cards up well past their expiration dates as if they were on loan from the Louvre. Actually, she liked an abstract mother and child print I made so much, she framed it. So it’s not like I’m lacking in appreciation from the woman. I guess I thought she would naturally feel the same dizzying rush of excitement I felt when Chuck brought our copy of WoMag home. It’s good fun to write and post here on Pink Granite. It’s great when SiteMeter shows visitors popping in from all over the world. And it’s absolutely fabulous when readers become regular readers and commenters. Nothing can beat that community and friendship. But holding WoMag and seeing Pink Granite in Blog Log, I have to admit, I did a little happy dance.

So, in the spirit of fellow Rhode Islander George M. Cohan, may I say to Worcester Magazine and Pink Granite’s readers and yeasty commenters:
"My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you and I thank you."

And thank you Mom - without you (and Dad) I wouldn’t be here doing my little happy dance...

The Compass

There’s a little brouhaha going on in the blogosphere. Someone who used to be a Christian is now an Atheist. O.K. I’m cool with that. I’d actually be cool with just about any point A to point B transition that a person wanted to make. To each his or her own. Unfortunately, the gal making the transition is slamming (hard) where she used to be. Perhaps that’s what she needs to do to fully break free. I get it, but I don’t like it. It feels a little immature, rather like a teenager lashing out against authority as they separate and individuate.

However, the whole thing got me thinking about kindness, about intention and about the Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated; Love others as you love yourself. As Hillel is credited with saying: Everything else is commentary... The wonderful thing about what we know as the Golden Rule is that it emerged in some form in many ancient cultures. It’s a common rule of humanity. Do we all live up to it? Sadly, no. Have some cultures and societies disregarded it? Sadly, yes. Yet if you asked people, on camera, under oath “Is the Golden Rule a good tenet to live by?” I believe most everyone would say yes. They might want to qualify it, embellish it or tack on other rules and regulations. But I think we could easily find common ground there. The Golden Rule is a sort of wonderful passport or Rosetta Stone or compass; a peaceable, moral way of understanding each other and behaving in the world.

Or, as I like to say: “The Golden Rule has never jumped up and bit me on the ass.” And yes, you can quote me on that!

Patience

“Patience and fortitude
conquer all things.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
(May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882)


We shall see Mr. Emerson.
We shall see...

The Work Goes On...

Unfortunately, Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley.


“...the work goes on,
the cause endures,
the hope still lives
& the dream shall never die.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy first at the 1980 Democratic National Convention and again at the 2008 Democratic Convention


“The work begins anew.
The hope rises again.
And the dream lives on.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy at the 2008 Democratic Convention

Yiddish Proverb

In freydn iz a yor a tog, in leyden iz a tog a yor.
In happiness a year is like a day,
in suffering a day is like a year.


Translation and transliteration by Marvin Zuckerman and Marion Herbst from “Learning Yiddish In Easy Stages”

Did You Hear Santa’s Sleigh Bells?

I just did!
And some reindeer hooves on the roof too!
Listen....

MERRY CHRISTMAS
TO ALL,
AND TO ALL
A GOOD NIGHT!

Remembrance

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month...

“On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Proclamation

Honoring all who served
Honoring all who were wounded
Honoring all who gave their lives

You stood in our stead
You stood for our country, for our constitution
You stood for our freedom, for our liberty

You have our gratitude, our respect, our memory
We pledge our service, our advocacy, our work for peace...

Sounds About Right

The following was printed on the anniversary card we received from my Mom today:

A happy marriage
is what happens
when two people
decide that they
not only love each other
they really like each other.


Her note was awfully sweet too!