The Loss of a Loving and Much Beloved Pet

Our animal family members bring so very much to the table. They are there when virtually everyone else has gone on down the road or are simply to busy...  My furry buddy even displayed my symptoms when I experienced a Lupus flare; now that's dedication! My husband once told me that he could tell if I had had a bad day by the way Nico was moving when he (hubby) returned home from the office.

My road dog, Nico, who was my shadow for fourteen and one-half years, has been gone since April 27, 2012 (He had cancer).  I miss him so very dearly.

When I first lost Nico, a friend shared "Rainbow Bridge" with me, and I share it with you.   Perhaps it will help you as you grieve your own loss...

     Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.  There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
    "All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
    "They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
    "You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.  The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.  Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...

Is Social Media Making Us Less Social?

Read an article stating that we trust each other less. Is it any wonder? How can you trust someone with whom you have no interaction except through your web connection, which is artificial socializing?

Yes, I use Facebook and I also tweet with people from across the globe, but I know that until I can make a deeper connection, I can't even truthfully say that they are acquaintances.  I know nothing about them except what they tell me, and vice versa.  Yet, I am not an essentially distrusting person.

The article also discussed the economic gap leading to distrust. Now that might be true for some, but I wouldn't put myself in the category of distrusting another simply because she/he is higher on the economic ladder than I am. How would that help me? Will my being distrustful of a wealthier individual assist me in becoming a bit more flush? I kinda don't think so.  

Our society has become a more global one in that we can get up and go nearly anyplace that we want to, but we hang back and become mired in our own solitude at an ever increasing rate because it's easier. Dealing with other people is not always pleasant, and we are becoming a very selfish species. It probably began during the "I'm okay, you're okay" era.  Remember that time? For those who weren't born yet, the collective psyche was encouraged to be more self-accepting and more accepting of others, regardless...

So, here we are now being told that we don't trust each other. Well, you and I can decide for ourselves whether we are mistrustful beings or whether we give the other person the benefit of the doubt until we encounter a reason to distrust.

Shake a hand if you can.  

And please, share your thoughts with me. I know it's social media, but we can still dialogue; and who knows, we might actually meet someday.  Six degrees of separation is an actual reality.

Who Are You... and Where Are You Going?

When I facilitated a Lupus Support Group in Sierra Vista, Arizona, one of my most fervent goals was to ensure that our group members really got it that Lupus affects each person differently, and that because one person with Lupus could scale a mountain on a particular day did not mean that every person with Lupus was so fortunate.  I am still trying to learn that lesson for myself, all these many years later.  ( To learn more about Lupus, click here: www.lupus.org)

Whatever it is that is meant for you, pursue that to the best of your ability. Sure, try different things, but just remember that EVERY thing is not meant for you. If you give something your all after you believe that you have been led to that thing and it's just not working, have the courage (or wisdom) to chuck it in and try something else. And remember that courage does not mean an absence of fear.  Sometimes, you just have to do things afraid.

So, who are you? Are you going to "do you," as Russell Simmons so famously said? In order to discover yourself, you're probably going to try different personas. You might choose to sit and await inspiration. You might get a tickle from something you hear on the radio or the telly. It might be a word or a phrase; it might be visual. And things start percolating. Sometimes, it percolates on its own; sometimes you give it a little help; and it boils down to "Who am I; who do I want to be?" So you give it a shot.

You might decide to go whole-hog and just dive in, or you might choose to ease in slowly by just sticking a toe in the water. How does the water feel? Does it feel good; even just a little bit, or does it feel really bad? If it feels good even just a little bit, then maybe you just put your foot in up to the arch. If it still feels good, put your foot in to the heel, to the ankle; and it's still feeling good. In fact you're getting some grooving vibes going on in your nerve endings.

So you might want to follow that. You might want to say, "Hmm-mm, I have a bit of a muse here. Let me follow this and see where it takes me.  So you do that, and things are just percolating along and you're still being easy; then you decide to up the ante and go full tilt, and it's feeling good and working well. Ah, suki-suki now.   Then...BAM! Brick wall. Well, you can let that stop you...as a matter of fact, it might be a good idea to pause for just a moment to assess the situation.You want to see if this wall is actually a brick wall or if it is just an obstacle that's been thrown up to test your determination; to see if you really, really want this; if you truly believe that you have what it takes to get this, to accomplish the goal; if it's something that is resonating from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You are saying that this is really for me; I really, really do want this.  If that is the case, then that brick wall is just a test of your mettle to see what you will do. Will you double-down and climb this wall, tunnel under it, go around it; or just back up and take a running leap right through it? How you react in that situation is what will tell you if what you are working to attain is really for you.

Go well.





 

 

Fall

"A Season"

An Autumn day

Crisp, clean air

Sun hiding behind the mountain peaks

As your mind barely grasps

The idea of shortened days

Birds sing so quietly now

Mourning the passing of hot, dry breezes

    c/Sarah L. McCormick

"Autumn Harvest"

Apples

They can be the food of the gods

Some so tangy, you go cross-eyed

Others so sweet and juicy, you wonder

  what you ever did to be so lucky

To bake an apple pie

Is to bring an especial joy to your special ones

Everyone oohs and aahs

And eats until they are

"about to pop"

Apples

Take a bite of Autumn

c/Sarah L McCormick

"Falling Leaves"


Time to bid adieu to the brilliant green
That has shimmered in white hot sunlight
And swayed in the gentling wind

It is a time of dying
The leaves burst forth
In such brilliant of hues

Such breathtaking splendor
Almost makes the heart cry

Oh, what a simply glorious way to die

c/Sarah L McCormick

Legal Drug Addiction

Before I became concerned that I was becoming a little  too happy with my pain pills and quit going to the Pain Clinic  to which I had been referred  because of unremitting and chronic pain, I always referred to my appointments as  a date with my drug dealer.

I used that description because my prescriptions were always ready and waiting for me when I arrived...before we even had a discussion on how I was managing my pain!  And we are just now deciding to have a discussion on the painkiller problem in this country?! Talk about shutting the barn door after the livestock has taken off...

Somehow, we decided that being an addict wasn't really all that bad if the drugs came in a bottle with our names on them and signed off by someone with an M.D. behind their name.  Uh...wrong answer.  Then look at our kids. They see Mom and Dad sucking down opiates like vitamins so of course that becomes the go-to answer for them when they have any type of challenge or they just become bored with their current lives and want to enter an altered states.  Now, I won't lie and say that I sometimes prefer an altered state because after all, who really wants to walk around as a 127 pound ball of pain; so I do understand.

I eventually went back on the opiates because the pain just insists on being a part of my life, but I have chosen to stick with my regular clinic because the dosage is regulated by the Army, and there is a maximum number of milligrams per pill.  When I need more than what is prescribed, I just have to suck it up like a good Airborne soldier and tell myself to just work on getting through one more minute.

I fully realize that what I've done sounds easy. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it wasn't that difficult because I decided that I didn't want to identify myself as a drug addict and that I could make the choice while I still had enough strength to do something about it.  Some people are further gone than I was, but where there is still life, there is always hope; and I firmly believe that there is always someone out there who is willing to help you to get to where you want to/need to go.

Lastly, please don't judge us for wanting to live a pain-free life, even when we end up in much deeper water than we ever would have imagined. Have some empathy and learn what you can, then do what you can to help, one person at a time.

Looking at Mama

My Sassy Mama

To look at her, you would just see a woman who believes in looking sharp, no matter her age (she is nearly 89 years old). I show you this image to introduce you to the face of Alzheimer's/Dementia.

POTUS /Trayvon

Our President has shared a very salient opinion with the American public concerning a subject that many like to pretend does not exist:  Inequality between the races in the USA.

Unfortunately, many people have thought that President Obama should be President of Black people, rather than President of all the people; thus he has avoided overt references to the pernicious and persistent racism that is still very much a part of the American fabric.  In speaking his mind about the recent unsurprising verdict in the Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial, the POTUS has very simply stated what he and we have always known, that being identified as a Black male in America can sometimes be a very dangerous position in which to find oneself.

I am always hesitant to immediately jump to the "race card," but sometimes ya' gotta call it what it is. While I cannot be one hundred per cent certain that Zimmerman killed Martin because of race, I do believe that Zimmerman would have been much more likely to adhere to the instructions to remain in his vehicle if Trayvon Martin had been of the Caucasian persuasion, so it is very likely that race did play a major role in the killing of that young man.

In speaking his mind, the POTUS simply spoke the truth and hopefully opened some eyes and ears to the reality of inequality among the races rather than the fantasy of total equality.

Summer Nights

Standing outside on a hot summer night

The sounds of...are they conversation; chatter; mating/dating mating calls; happy hour

I don't understand insect

But it all sounds wonderful to me

Their voices mingling and co-mingling.

I'm not yet fluent in their languages

But it all sounds more than wonderful to me

Keeping Your Style

Hmmm. I subscribe to a number of magazines, Instyle being one of my favorites, but I must pan the August issue, which is something I haven't done in quite a while.

This particular issue is just TOTALLY lacking. Olivia Wilde is gorgeous, as she always is, but even having her on the cover and an inside feature on her couldn't save this issue. Instyle editors, you fell asleep on the job. Hope you got lots of rest and are ready to bring it for the September issue.

Now, I know that I don't need a magazine to tell me how to get my Style on, but Instyle  Mag is a fun publication and I do enjoy it, even though I have come to realize that I only recognize one-fifth of the "famous" people they put in the pages. Yeahh, I know that I am probably not in their target audience, but folks need to realize that true style and elegance is ageless. So, show me some Cicely Tyson; some Judi Dench; some Denzel Washington; some Sidney Poitier. Believe it or not, those titans are still relevant to a great many of us. Heck, I might even want to know how R2D2 is styling these days! (Shoutout to uber Star Trek fan,  Nancy Curtis!!)

Alright, I do have a great tip for you regarding mascara: "They're Real" mascara, by Benefit is a smashingly great product. You don't need to spend fifteen minutes trying to get you eyes to pop. If you only have two seconds to hit your eyelashes up, this is the product that you want to use. Yes, I know that the so-called  make-up artists to the stars swear by Maybelline's Great Lash, but let me tell you that Great Lash ain't got nothing on They're Real. It costs a little more, but hey, you get what you pay for, right?

That's all for now, Folks. Create yourself some fabulous moments to replay down the line.

Peace and Love.

The Truth of Beauty

Someone once said that "beauty is as beauty does"

I've learned that a face which is pleasant to behold suffers no detraction with the passage of time -- 

  for beauty knows no age

The slender, boyish build that becomes a bit softer and rounder with age is defined as womanly and

  voluptuous

Youth does have its strong points

Never doubt it

...and maturity has finally come into its own

                c/Sarah L McCormick

Ode to Nico

Such ecstasy at just a smidgen of attention

How heady to see pure worship and love in another's eyes

How long have you been so perfect

To acknowledge that his sun rises and sets on you

And it is that way with him day after day

To know that whatever you do is forgiven and forgotten

in the blink of an eye

And to think that all of this

Comes from a little bit of fluff on four legs

Who weighs in at under five pounds

True love is indeed boundless and just a little bit insane

    c/Sarah L McCormick

Wine

...just a drop or two

I inhaled the sweet aroma

And thought of you

  c/Sarah L McCormick

Togetherness

Jesus held my hand

Side by side we watched

The calming waters of the sea

Our toes playing in the sand

He whispered to me

"I am always by your side

"I am always within...you"

I looked at him

And I saw me

We smiled and as I looked around me

There was a throng, a multitude

People with all different faces

From near and distant places

I knew... They are also me

    c/Sarah L McCormick

Made in the USA?

Wow, what a concept..."Made in America."

Walmart has figured out that it's a good thing when Americans can purchase products that are produced here on our own soil. Supporting sellers whose products are made here at home will help our economy to grow because, guess what? In order for something to be produced, someone has to be employed in order to get the job done. Now, just ain't that peachy?!

It is very difficult to find products that are made in the USA, and it's difficult to acquire the habit of checking origin of manufacture, but I'm doing my very best at it in order to help Americans get back to work. Sometimes, what is cheapest is more expensive in the long run; and now is one of those times when we need to look at the long game.

Last year, I stopped shopping from my favorite catalogs (AARGH!) because 99% of their clothing were "imported." I wrote each of them a letter -- snail mail -- explaining exactly why I would no longer be spending my money with them, and asked to be removed from their mailing lists.  I know that they heard me because I received no further catalogs, but not ONE SOLITARY WORD in defense of their choice to not provide their customers with the option to buy American-made products.

Hear me loud and clear, please. I bear no ill will toward China or other countries, republics, etc.; but I strongly believe in a strong American economy, which requires j-o-b-s.

We don't need to look to the Government to create jobs. Corporations paying less than subsistence wages to those in other countries who are hungry for any amount, are the ones who need to step up to the plate and behave responsibly to their fellow human beings.  Those CEOs can choose to buy one less plane or yacht, and pay a living wage to an American who wants to work and produce a great product.  Then, invest in the global economy in a real way by working to elevate the living and working conditions across the globe. Heart payment often translates to bank account growth. Remember:  To whom much is given, much is required.

I eagerly look forward to the day when I am not surprised to find an item that states, "Made in USA."