Through The Eyes of Love

Growing Up Weird

2012-02-03T06:05:00.001-08:00

Mardi by J.Planet

Growing Up Weird

God bless Bowie.

He taught me

Joy in weirdness.

Before then,

I thought

I was one of God’s

Lesser beings.

How could I NOT

Fit into my littlesuburban

Los Angeles community?

Okay, so I was raped

From the time I was 4

Until the time I was13,

And I was raisedCatholic,

Which meant that Icould never

Use the Virgin Mary

As my role model.

All I had was theMagdalene.

God bless theGnostics

For saving so much

Of her significanceto Christ

In their literature.

Still, when I was 15,

I was an insane

Hormonal teenager

Afraid of everyone,

Especially myself.

I also thank God

I saw the 60s

Through the idealism

Of childhood,

Even one poisoned

As it was

By violence andabuse.

Between Gospel andHippies,

I was shown a light

That brought me whatinsight

I have today.

David Bowie taught me

The art ofperformance.

From there on,

I was ready foranything.

In loving memory

2011-11-16T19:39:00.001-08:00

Feb. 18, 1923 - Nov. 14, 2011

ELKHART — Paula M. Stevens, 88, of Elkhart, passed away in her home of 60 years, surrounded by her loved ones, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, after a massive stroke.

She was born in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 18, 1923, to Pauline (Millard), who passed days later, and Elkhart native Paul Marchesseau, brother of Josephine Hooley, nurse to Dr. Tolson after whom Tolson Center is named.

Raised in Kenosha, Wis., Paula moved to Elkhart after her graduation in 1941 where she worked for the next two years as a switchboard operator for General Telephone. In 1943, she transferred her efforts to war work testing altimeters for the now defunct Buescher Band Instrument Company until she enlisted in the newly established Naval WAVES in 1945. After boot camp at Hunter College in the Bronx, N.Y., she was stationed at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas for the duration of her service. When asked about what she most prized about her time serving our country, she wrote, “I met so many kinds of people it gave me an understanding of people and of myself.”

After her discharge, she returned to Buescher, where she met the late Howard Stevens, whom she married on Jan. 16, 1948.

After the birth of her first child, Marcia, in 1952, she left the business world to her husband who moved from Buescher when it closed to Vincent Bach, where he served a decade as president of the local UAW.

Both were founding and active members of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Elkhart.

After Howard’s death in 1990, Paula studied ballroom dance with Sally Lee and became an active member of USA Dance.

She is survived by her two children, Marcia Stevens of Wichita, Kan., and Thomas Stevens of Middlebury; her stepdaughters, Sheri Conley of Florida and Vicki Barrett of Elkhart; and her grandchildren, Sarah Stevens of Chicago and James and Zachary Stevens of Middlebury.

Elkhart Cremations Services has been entrusted with arrangements.

http://etruth.com/article/20111116/OBITUARIES/711169908/-1/obituaries?NumInList=4#.TsO0zxE1Lyk.facebook

Healing the Victim

2011-09-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

The term cycle of violence refers to repeated acts of violence as a cyclical pattern, associated with high emotions and doctrines ofretribution or revenge. The pattern, or cycle, repeats and can happen many times during a relationship. Each phase may last a different length of time and over time the level of violence may increase. It often refers to violent behavior learned as a child and then repeated as an adult, therefore continuing on in a perceived cycle. In the context of abusive personal relationships, such a cycle is also called a cycle of abuse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_of_violence

Namaste,

Now, a decade after the planes flew into the building which then held the World Trade Organization, it's time to break the cycle of violence which began that day. Criminals who saw themselves as victims murdered people from around the world housed together in one building with two towers. In response, we abused our power on people who had no recourse.

Today, as then, we face the choices which beget the future we shall endure. Shall we remain victims, fearful, protective, vengeful, or shall we stand tall and bless the world with compassion which shows our gratitude to the Divine Creator, whichever name we use for this Being.

We are the soul of the world. No group is exempt from that responsibility. Divide and conquer is the path to evil. Those who use it remain locked in the terror of a moment long since past. Today, I celebrate life. I thank the Creator for those who gave comfort on that day ten years ago. I bow my head in sorrow for the pain we've caused. The time of healing is long past due. If we want forgiveness, we must forgive. What's done is done.

A new day dawns! What it brings depends on us.

Love to you

Blessed be

Joan Halifax: Compassion and the true meaning of empathy | Video on TED.com

2011-09-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Joan Halifax: Compassion and the true meaning of empathy Video on TED.com

In the beginning...

2011-08-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

This blog allows me to express what is through my perspective. Summer lasts only a few weeks more. Signs of the Autumn yet to come whisper in the morning chill. I've begun cleaning out the house in preparation for winter. Harvest of my herbs will begin in a few weeks. It's time to begin daily expression once more. I pray you enjoy.