Zeros And Ones

Band-Aid Poster Child?

I woke up this morning to this photo!

Johnson&Johnson oughtta pay the man!

Besides, Michael Jackson could use a good sponsor!

A Thriller of a bandage!
Ya can’t stick on just one!

Barack A’nem

The Heartland Presidential Forum was promoted as an opportunity for citizens, common people, to share their very personal stories with leading presidential candidates. After each story, the candidates were given an opportunity to answer a series of related questions. Topics ranged from factory farms and their effect on the environment to single-payer, not for profit universal health care.

Surprisingly or not, none of the Republicans invited agreed to attend. Personally, I would have loved to see them in a non-debate situation addressing some of the close-to-the-heart concerns of grassroots organizations. Well, maybe next time.

This time; however, Democrats showed up to field questions and found that immigration issues were heavy on the minds of those selected to share their American experience. The political stance of the three Non-Profits sponsoring the event can best be demonstrated by the suspiciously missing phrase “illegal immigrants”. The term was supplanted by the more politically friendly “undocumented workers” moniker. With all thought of legality shoved under the rug, the questioning panel’s primary objective seemed to be determining which candidate was for an “easier pathway” to citizenship. Edwards certainly was. He enthusiastically seemed to support everything… I mean everything! You know that made me raise an eyebrow, right?

One young woman explained that she’d been attempting to get citizenship, but 10 years and $15,000 later she still hadn’t accomplished her goal. As a listener, I had to wonder why? She appeared to be a prime candidate - educated, hard-working and firmly entrenched in the only society she’d ever really known. What was standing in her way? Unfortunately, details weren’t given, but perhaps the candidates see so much of this that they were able to, without hesitation or follow-up questions, express strong support for clearing the path for her and others like her.

Chris Dodd tried to get practical and offer a policy solution. He drew a connection between trade agreements and the influx of immigrants. He proposed re-writing agreements like NAFTA claiming they created an environment where family farmers in Mexico were driven from their home by the inability to compete in markets adversely affected by the flood of cheap grain.

Dodd wasn’t the only one to face the immigration issue. Having been held up by poor planning weather and via audio only, Hillary Clinton made the mistake of matter-of-factly stating that, “We have to protect our borders.” Before she could respond further, the booing started. I gotta tell you that I felt a degree of sympathy for her. We can’t have a reasonable immigration discussion without acknowledging that the country must strengthen its borders. Undocumented workers or not, trade agreements or not, poverty and lack of opportunities or not, the US… the people that are here… deserve a certain amount of protection. Part of that protection comes from proper control over entry. It seems to me that even immigrants should understand that strong borders are a necessity.

The subject of the war received little or no attention. I have no idea why. I expected the candidates to be flooded with inquires about how they plan to get troops out of Iraq and at the same time maintain some degree of stability in the region, but then again, immigration was the issue of the day. Perhaps, immigrants aren’t overly concerned about American citizens separated from their families fighting in a war that is going to be difficult to extricate ourselves from.

I know, that was a bit mean spirited, but seriously, how’d 4-5000 “real” people with presidential candidates standing right in front of them, miss this opportunity.

I guess the pressing health care crisis took precedence. That and the need for a living wage.

A woman explained that she’d been working the same job for 14 years and only earned a little over $9/hours. The audience gasped. I wondered exactly what she did for a living. As far as I was concerned, the job itself was important. It was at least as important as the number of years she’d been employed. Face it, not every employee and certainly not every job can garner the same wage… at least not in a market economy! Just like the question I had for the woman that had been trying to obtain citizenship for 10 years, my silent question about the woman’s job title went unasked and unanswered. I don’t know if she was taking orders at a fast food restaurant, working telemarketing or doing childcare. What I do know is that her situation opened up a discussion on the importance of every citizen earning not a minimum wage, but a living wage.

As to be expected, the candidates supported the idea of a living wage. They didn’t define it or quantify exactly what that living wage should be, but they agreed that workers were entitled to at least that. What else could they do? Say no! I think not.

As a note, listening to the exchange in the Hy-Vee Hall, I concluded the difference between a living wage and what we’ve always referred to as the minimum wage is purely one of semantics. Surely, the living wage would be the minimum wage. How could we justify a system that promised a living wage, but allowed for some minimum less than that? Essentially living wage proponents are asking that employers pay their employees enough to… well, live, I guess. Truthfully, I think it is just another turn of a phrase designed to make sure we all understand that whatever changes to the minimum wage the country adopts should be significant enough to guarantee people working full time are able to obtain food, housing, education, health care, utilities and other basics. Word games, really! Now, just what this does to small business wasn’t dealt with. What it does to prices wasn’t addressed either.

I’m all for fair wages, but it seems to me that as soon as we require companies pay more they will not dip into the CEO’s sinfully hefty bonus. Nope, they’ll reduce their workforce and raise their prices. That won’t help anybody. It seems we can do more to protect working people if we get control of costs. At some point, we’re going to have to have a discussion about how best to achieve reasonable price control and eventually we must re-visit government regulation on certain necessities like fuel and housing. I’ve got a free-market streak, but I know greed is a huge player in the system and we may not be able to leave basic necessities up to the market.

Which brings me to the next buzz-word topic… Predatory Lending. Though not all candidates were asked what they, if elected, would do to deal with the looming threat of home foreclosures, I think we can safely say that most of them would have, along with the audience, cheered the idea of government stepping in and alleviating the burden of high interest ARMs.

One of the women on the panel made mention of predatory lenders destroying entire neighborhoods by fraudulently stripping borrowers of equity or luring the unsophisticated into high-interest ARMs. Sounds bad, right? Unfair? But tell me, how many or these loans were actually the result of fraud? I ain’t mad, I’m just asking. Seriously, has anyone separated the real victims from the people that knowingly entered into contracts with an ARM believing that they could take advantage of escalating prices and refinance before their interest rate changed? How many buyers gambled that the market wouldn’t collapse and lost? Does the family in the $500,000 house they can’t afford, couldn’t really afford from jump, get to claim the lenders were at fault? I don’t know and none of the candidates told me, so like the rest of America, I guess I’m just going to have to wait and see. This whole housing market fiasco is a tough one that impacts everyone.

Now, for Barack. Yep, he’s pretty much what you’d think, charming. His views were consistent with the other Democrats and his presentation offered no real surprises. He did have the enviable final position and got to close out the questioning. Obama received a warm welcome, talked a bit about his connection to Chicago’s grassroots organizations, gave fairly standard I-feel-ya responses and shook hands with members of the enamored crowd as he exited. I’d say, all in all, it was his day!

Heartland Presidential Forum

I’m spending the weekend in Des Moines, IA attending the Heartland Presidential Forum. All the candidates, both Democrat and Republican, were invited to attend the event; however, only the Dems plan on showing up. When I get home, I’ll try to jot down a few of my thoughts.

I Need A Change

Okay, yes, I’ve been neglecting my blog. I’m not sure why. I’ve got plenty to say and the time with which to say it, but I just haven’t been putting pen to pad… rather, fingers to keyboard.

Time to rectify that.

After a couple of years of blogging, I’ve found the best way to catch up is to simply sit down and bullet out key stuff. Everything, on the surface, appears to be unrelated, but once it is all laid out I’ll generally see a pattern which brings about that ah-hah moment of self-discovery.

So… here goes!

I had a birthday last month. My cousin gave me a lovely Sunday brunch to celebrate the occasion. The family gathered around. There was food, presents and a cake. Pretty typical, you say! No. Not really. I haven’t allowed anyone to formally acknowledge my birthday in years… maybe five. And even before that the celebrations were rare.

Strange?

I know.

It is just that I’ve had a couple of birthday disappointments that caused me to get out the annual game. About five years ago I intentionally started planning personal or if I was lucky, business trips to coincide with the “dreaded day”.

This year, I wasn’t “on it” and I got caught within family-party-striking distance and couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse not to do what emotionally sane people do - blow out a dayum birthday candle.

Well, not to seem anti-social or worse, ungrateful I agreed to attend the brunch and stand still for a little singing and carrying on. The party was lovely and I found myself smiling as I cut the cake. It really hit me that it has been a long time since I’ve allowed myself to be the center of affection.

Notice I’ve used the word “allowed” twice.

I fully realize that some of this “anti-birthday-anti-do-for-me” thing I’ve got going is about maintaining walls between me and the people who just might love me. It is about protecting myself from needing to be acknowledged or cared for. I’ve learned it is much safer not to seek out that kind of attention. The underlying idea is that you can’t get disappointed if you aren’t expecting anything and the only way I could keep myself from expecting was to make myself unavailable… ergo, i.e., and all that… plan to be out of town.

Anyway, that was my birthday. Brunch, a bit of singing, a cake with candles and a shy smile.

I’ve had the economy on my mind of late. This afternoon, I ran through the grocery store near work to pick up something for lunch. Here lately I’ve been on a fresh food kick and a little fruit and cheese sounded good.

Not even bothering with a cart, I grabbed a small bag of red grapes, two Gala apples, a small tub of Aloette, an 8 oz box of wheat crackers and a 12-can case of Fresca. Grand total - $18.XX.

Hello!

What amounted to four servings of fruit, a cheese product, crackers, and a case of pop now costs almost $20.00. I guess the cashiers at the supermarket must have to work over three hours just to carry home one skimpy bag of groceries and some soft drinks.

Tell me this isn’t an economic crisis.

It is frightening… which brings me to my next bullet (sort of).

I need a change, but I’m scared.

I’m scared because I don’t know what kind of change I need.

I’d like to do something different in the earn-my-living category. That I do know. But just what that is I’m unsure of.

I need a bit more excitement, I think.

I’d like to make some big money fast.

I’d like to create something marketable.

Okay, here’s to getting over my fear and being open to change.

You Complete Me!

Every so often I run across this phrase - “You complete me!” It really makes me cringe. It leads me to think the person speaking isn’t really whole. Who wants half-a-person?

That’s what’s scary about folks out looking for someone to fill the empty spaces in their life. Right off the bat they are telling you that they aren’t quite together and they expect you… want you… need you… to fix it.

I’m not saying we can expect to find perfectly secure people who have no inner nooks and crannies that need to be healed or filled or otherwise attended to, but I’d rather hear someone say, “We work well together” vs. “You Complete Me!”

See… what I find unhealthy is this idea that a person is not whole without another. Even in a spiritual sense, I don’t think that is the way we should see it. Sure, we can find our sense of completion with another… they can open that up in us… but they can’t really complete us. Some things we really must tackle on our own.

I honestly believe that many of our problems stem from trying to find people and/or things to fill us up when what really fills us is emptying. Giving. Loving. Dying to self.

We’ve got it all backwards, IMHO. And this idea of other people completing us… the way it is commonly used… is just another sign of how backward we are.

We are… each and every one of us… complete. We are connected to a greater whole that sustains us, but we are what we are… entwined, entangled individuals.

If we use the Christian idea of death and consider what happens when we take that last breath, we return to our maker as what we’ve always been… an atom in him that is connected to every other atom in him.

I think that’s why I love living my life as an individual who understands she’s connected to others. I see myself as “A Bit Of life / A Touch Of Him” that God’s entrusted to this thing called “me”. I feel responsible for that gift. It is enough. I don’t need someone else to complete that. The work was done when He spoke my name. I love others, but like He said, “I AM!”

“I AM” - It is a marvelous thought, isn’t it?

Here’s to being complete!

Take That Page Down

I recently read a thread where someone suggested that married people shouldn’t have web pages.

I choked.

Why?

Why would anyone think that because you are married you should abandon the web?

What’s next? 

No web pages. No jobs. No shopping excursions. No business trips. No nights out with friends. No bible study. No college courses. No jogging in the park. No trips to the gym. No clubs. No restaurants. No doctors appointments. No parent-teachers conferences. No interaction with people that might lead to getting to know someone interesting. LOL! I don’t think so.

Anyone who’d suggest that marriage and web pages are somehow at odds must hold the erroneous notion that web pages are for one thing and one thing only… hookin’ up!

It is ridiculous to think a web page is for flirting and meeting potential people to cheat with. I put a lot of time into my page. It is a creative outlet. Personally, I think believeing that a page is all about romance is a very narrow view of what a having a web presence is actually for. Thrust me, a lot of us use our pages to showcase our writing, our music, and our poetry! They house ideas.

I’d turn my nose up at anyone who even suggested that as a married woman I don’t have the right to use the internet for anything other than business. I’ve got too much to say to not take advantage of the powerful media that is available to me. I enjoy creating and maintaining a web presence. I learn a lot in the process. Of course, there was an era when folks thought people like me shouldn’t read books either! I guess this idea that married folks shouldn’t keep blogs and personal pages is a modern “keep ‘em home and pregnant” mentality.

If you doubt what I’m saying, get off the Hit-Me-Up pages and explore all the blogs and content driven sites people create and then come back and tell me you don’t think married people belong online! There are pages/sites full of poetry, music, stories and opeds. Only a small segment of the internet is about hooking-up!

I guess because I am married and have been for a long time, I take issue with the idea that having a web page leads to all this horrible temptation. That hasn’t been my experience. Unless I open myself up to that, I’m not doing anything wrong. I guess I’m just not that vulnerable to online seduction. If the truth be told, I find it hysterically funny and just this side of SMH pathetic! I avoid it at all costs. No pic, no age, no nonsense! If I wanted to have an affair, I’d walk out my door, get in my jeep, drive to the airport and hookup with one of the men I’ve met in the course of earning a living, getting an education or doing community work. Honestly, a stranger in a chat room just ain’t my style.

Look at this:

Date: Oct 29
To: lightandshadow

How are you doing this beautiful sunny and mild day? I’m at work passing time trying to get to know some people, and you caught my attention. That smile is driving me crazy, so I’m wondering can your personality do the same thing. I’m not interested in getting you in the back seat of my car or the bedroom just trying to see if your personality matches that beautiful face. I don’t bite so feel free to contact me, unless it¿¿¿s by request. I can go on painting a picture of what I will and can do to you in the bedroom. That would make me no different from the rest. So take the time to get to know me, so we can see what direction it can go… Just maybe I will not have to tell you what I would like to do with you in do time I will be showing you what a man of my stats can do to you…

Now seriously… You’ve seen the things I write about. Do you honestly think a woman like me is interested in THIS!?!

Please. This is comedy as far as I’m concerned. This is the kind of thing I find in my inbox. Have I met decent PEOPLE online? Yes, in countless forums I’ve run into interesting men and women. If I see that they have something more than posting in mind, I have no problem letting them know that I’m not after an online hookup. I’m not going to play web cam games with you. I’m not going to talk dirty on the phone. I’m not going to lay around fantasizing about what “could” be if only. I’m not meeting you for coffee, going out to diner or bringing you into my “real” life. It’s just not me. People who can accept that end up being good online friends. People that can’t move on and that’s fine with me. Am I tempted? No. I’ve got more temptation right out here where I can touch and feel and interact with attractive men who have a proven track record. OnLineJoe can’t hold a candle to a flesh and blood man. That’s my opinion. I post for fun, to share ideas and to interact in a very specific way.

All this online temptation the married-people-shouldn’t-be-here people point to just doesn’t affect me.

There are a zillion things that can destroy a marriage. For me, those things break down to lack of trust and lack of personal space.

I need, even within the confines of marriage, to be a individual. I don’t really do group think well. I used to be better at it, but the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve learned that if I am to be effective, I must be free to explore the world… think… write… talk to people. I can’t  just live in a box. My husband getting upset because I keep an anonymous online blog, or a web page for my photos, or post in forums would just drive me nuts.

You know, my parents are convinced that everyone online is tryna take my money! Seriously, they think I’m just one step away from being a Nigerian scam victim. That’s their perception, but that’s not my reality. Not at all. I die laughing every time they call me to purchase an airline ticket on travelocity, look for an online bargain when they want a new TV or mapquest directions. I can’t help but think… uh huh, you’re going to send me out into that dangerous Internet world cause you want to save a few bucks on a plasma!

I suppose these folks that insist married people who create pages are one step from divorce court are as confused as my parents. 

The truth is that first and foremost, “I” have to be true to myself. “I” can’t be a good mom or wife if “I” don’t understand myself, take care of myself, and attempt to meet my own needs. My blog helps me do that.

I see marriage as a partnership that allows for two individuals to work toward common goals. My sense of self doesn’t have to be sacrificed. I think many marriages fail because people over control each other. It isn’t fair. Give to me, take from me, work with me because you love who “I” am and I’ll do the same for you!

With that said, if my husband were to suggest I give up my web page, he may as well ask me to stop writing. Since you’ve visited my page or more importantly, my blog, then you might understand why I wouldn’t give it up. If he were to ask me to do it, that would show me that he didn’t honor my need to express myself or be creative.  Only a very WRONG, CONTROLLING, INSECURE person would try to do that. My blog is a personal project that is anonymous and very much mine! I’m entitled to a creative outlet.

Ask me to give it up and the short answer will be…

HELL NO!

Just like everything in life… IT IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT! I personally can’t let anyone tie my hands. I’ll give up my web presence about as easily as I’d give up my ability to drive a car, punch the buttons on a cellphone or read any dayum book I decided to pull off the shelf. To me, it is all about being able to communicate.

Scorpio’s Season

It’s my time.

Today marks the beginning of what I call Scorpio’s Season, October 23rd, and an interesting breakdown of Scorpion characteristics appeared in an online article that caught my eye. I had to smile at the accuracy of what the author referred to as Scorpio Tidbits.

The article says we scorps like… Truth, facts, flirtation, and long-time friends!

We dislike… The superficial, flattery, shallow people, and being taken advantage of!

So me.

People always talk about the exulity of folks born under this sign, but I like to stress other passions.

I liked the part of the article that said:

Beneath a controlled, cool exterior beats the heart of the deeply intense Scorpion. Passionate, penetrating, and determined, this sign will probe until they reach the truth. The Scorpion may not speak volumes or show their emotions readily, yet rest assured there’s an enormous amount of activity happening beneath the surface…

It can take some time before really close bonds are formed, but once done, the Scorpion will remain dedicated and loyal. Witty and intellectual, they prefer companions who are humorous and easygoing. Full of surprises, this sign will give you the shirt off their backs if that’s what you need; yet, once they are crossed, there’s no turning back. They feel deeply, and once hurt, it can be impossible to turn things around. Commitment to family is strong and consistent with the Scorpion. They are exceptionally helpful in managing affairs, and they are excellent advocates when one is needed.

Yup, that’s me, LightAndShadow, truth-lover extraordinaire, dedicated and loyal!

Here’s to the approach of another year!

Desensitized

The prevalence of the use of the N-word is a reflection of the amount of desensitizing we as a people have experienced.

I didn’t hear the word as part of normal conversation in my growing up years. My parents didn’t use it. My friends didn’t use it. We simply didn’t address each other as N’s. We were friends, family, cousins, sisters, brothers, black people one and all, but not Ns.

Years ago, I remember work friends excitedly telling me about this great new HBO series called “Sopranos”. I tried watching, but all the cursing just jumped out at me. I wasn’t used to a lot of foul language and I found it rather disturbing - disturbing enough to keep me from focusing on the storyline. I kept watching, though. People with similar tastes whose opinions I valued insisted that the story was good, so I just kept hanging in there cringing less and less at the violence and profanity. By the end of the last season, I must admit that I didn’t even notice it anymore.

I was properly desensitized.

That’s how it is with the N-word. We’ve desensitized ourselves to it to the point where we don’t even notice how offensive it really is.

I was in a grocery store not long ago and I witnessed something I won’t soon forget. I watched two little boys negotiating, in a brotherly way, the selection of breakfast cereal. Not an unusual sight in a grocery store, right? We’ve all seen them (heck, we’ve been them) - little kids gathered with seriousness in aisle 5 staring at boxes of sugared carbohydrates trying to deciding if it would be better to start the day with chocolate infused bite sized balls of corn or powder sugar coated wheat flakes.

The thing that drew my attention and had me studying a box of Raisin Bran like a map to a hidden treasure was stamped on its back was the way the brothers were addressing each other. Each boy used the N-word like it was his sibling’s name.

“N, we gone get this one.”
“No, N, you gotta pick last time. It my turn.”
“I’ma tell mama, N, she said I getta pick.”

On and on the squabble went. N, this. No, N, that. The boys weren’t angry with each other. They, like brothers and sisters all over the country, were just working the whole “which cereal to buy” problem out. The difference was they thought it was perfectly acceptable to do so while calling each other N.

What of Mom?

Good question.

Mom eventually pushed her cart up and said, “Y’all little N’s need ta hurry up!”

That’s why Little Boy 1 and Little Boy 2 have forgotten their names. Mom, as a matter of course, let her kids call each other Ns because she’s been using the term and it is more than likely the way people around her address each other.

Tell me this isn’t sad.

Go ahead. Say it.

Offer that often made argument that says we are reclaiming a hurtful word and taking the sting out of it by calling each other N as some sort of endearment.

Go ahead, because I’m ready for you.

This faulty thinking leads to the idea that I can lovingly call my child a (insert nasty word wrapped in a mother’s affection). I can, with a huge grin, call my father a (insert disrespectful word wrapped in a child’s admiration). I can, with great respect, call my pastor a (insert God’s name in vain wrapped in Christian reverence). I can, in a spirit of camaraderie, call my best friend a (insert insult wrapped in a smile). I can do all this in the name of love, but why? What do I gain? What does society gain by taking what’s been insulting and low and elevating it to the common place?

Do we want to do this with everything nasty we encounter? Do we want to desensitize ourselves to that degree? Why not begin to adopt higher things? We keep grabbing at scraps when there is another way?

I say if we are going to reclaim something for our own, let’s reclaim our culture, our community our dignity. Let’s not take the master’s table scraps and make a meal of it. I’m tired of eating entrails… I’m good enough for meat!

“Wait”, you say, “The master. Is the fact that the word was used in an offensive way in the past enough reason to say that it is inappropriate to use it now? Can a derogatory word be saved? Can’t we use is in friendly discourse and call it good?”

No.

The fact that the word was derogatory is precisely why it should remain derogatory.

Honestly, I can’t come better than that. That is at the heart of it. The word was used to dehumanize us and like garbage rather than throw it out we’ve decided to bring it into our homes and wallow in it.

It is true that words are just words… sounds strung together we attach significance to; however, I’d prefer some words retain their meaning. We need to know what happened and not get it twisted. I want that word to continue represent the racist attitudes that gave it its negative connotations. I’d much rather have that word retain its original meaning so we don’t forget our history in this country.

Point blank, I don’t want that word to become acceptable.

I don’t want the little blonde teenage boy next door to feel comfortable looking over the fence and saying, “Hey, how are you Ns doing today?” Sure, he may not “mean” anything derogatory, but dang… I’d prefer he’d address me as neighbor, or Mrs. So-and-so.

Besides, be honest, people aren’t always using the word like they’d use the word “friend”. Let a fight break out. Let someone get angry. That word’s true colors will show themselves! It is a hate word we’ve internalized to desensitize ourselves and as such just like the cursing on the Sopranos it remains rooted in what it was and will always be… negativity.

Now, I know you are going to wonder in the grand scheme of things how important all this N-word talk is. Considering how many pressing problems we have is fighting a word really necessary.

Well, I’m going to vote yes. No doubt there are other problems in our communities that need addressing, but ridding ourselves of the N-word is all about ridding ourselves of a certain mentality. Deciding not to continue eating table scraps and going after some meat won’t prevent us from tackling other issues. In fact, it may just strengthen us enough to take on other battles.

We’ve been so inundated with negative images of ourselves that we’ve started to buy into it and have actually tried to become what we see.

Media is just that powerful. Sadly, I’m afraid we don’t recognize how it is shaping us. It isn’t about blaming media as much as it is about understanding its influence on our society. Millions of dollars and good minds go into selling us everything including a vision of who we are.

Do the images depicted in rap videos have an impact? Of course, they do. Without question. We fought many a battle about not having our history in school books. We wanted our kids to see pictures of themselves in their texts. Why? Because it was important that they were represented. We understood that part of their sense of self was at stake.

In the same way, what they saw in other venues was equally important. Turning on the TV and only seeing caricatures of themselves was not good for our kid’s development. They needed more than to be portrayed as little broken-English pickaninies! They needed to see black men and women being more than maids and shoe shine boys.

Why did our parents want more for us?

Now, here we are a new generation who’s lost the ability to see that the way we are depicted affects who we become. We’ve fallen so far off the mark that we willing put out things much more negative than a society that held us in contempt did.

…and we buy it. Happily and greedily!

You are what you eat!

Do these pervasive images really represent us?

The longer they stay out there, the more of them we buy into, the more profitable they become, the more they’ll mold us.

Same with the N-word. The more we cleave to it and embrace it as some long lost friend, the more we’ll become it and let what is really at its root have dominion over us!

Here’s to letting it go!

Puggles and Pumpkins

Pumpkin was one of the names I thought about giving Kaya! Now that I see this picture featured on the cover of SmartPak Canine Catalog I almost wish I’d followed through.

I gave the gourdy, squash fruit a brief try, but I felt rather foolish leaning out the back door calling, “Puuuuumpkin, Puuuuumpkin!” I’m afraid it didn’t just roll off my toungue unless I used the bastardized “Punkin”. I played with the more juvenile pronunciation and couldn’t get comfortable with that either. Besides, my then nameless puppy wasn’t responding to it anyway!

Ink Flowing From My Pen

The Pen may be mine
As it rests in my palm
But the ink that flows through it
Isn’t mine at all
Like fuel that brings life
It’s a gift from his hand
Inspired by God
Merely interpreted by man
The words I scribe
Any truth they reveal
Any depth they carry
All parts that are real
Belong not to me
But to the source of all that is
The poems aren’t mine
They are His