Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
---Malachy McCourt
26 February 2009
05 February 2009
Fame....?
I know I'm famous.
Only by association, of course. Only the incidental fame that comes when one (or more) of the wildly self-centered exults....
"Lookie what **I** did! Lookie how I got **that** victim!"
I, of course, am playing the part of the victim.
I'm sure it's all over CatNet. Check the message board for "Cabin Fever Entertainments"; there may even be an out of focus webcam shot of me.
"See our housekeeper." (Yes, we're polite, we don't call our human a slave in public.) "See how she notices how adeptly we've batted the entire roll of garbage bags into the washing machine."
"Not once. Not twice. **Three times** she discovers the full roll of kitchen sized garbage bags in the washer and puts it back away. Isn't she smart?"
"Oops. Now see her taking the clean clothes out of the washer to put them in the dryer. FOUR TIMES, MOMMY!!" ("Mommy" is what we named our slave.) "We put the roll there FOUR TIMES!! Watch Mommy pull each water-containing individual bag out of the load! It's right there on MeowTube!"
Wittily yours,
Tondra'n'Sarah'n'Morgan'n'Astra......stars of the IndyCat League!
Only by association, of course. Only the incidental fame that comes when one (or more) of the wildly self-centered exults....
"Lookie what **I** did! Lookie how I got **that** victim!"
I, of course, am playing the part of the victim.
I'm sure it's all over CatNet. Check the message board for "Cabin Fever Entertainments"; there may even be an out of focus webcam shot of me.
"See our housekeeper." (Yes, we're polite, we don't call our human a slave in public.) "See how she notices how adeptly we've batted the entire roll of garbage bags into the washing machine."
"Not once. Not twice. **Three times** she discovers the full roll of kitchen sized garbage bags in the washer and puts it back away. Isn't she smart?"
"Oops. Now see her taking the clean clothes out of the washer to put them in the dryer. FOUR TIMES, MOMMY!!" ("Mommy" is what we named our slave.) "We put the roll there FOUR TIMES!! Watch Mommy pull each water-containing individual bag out of the load! It's right there on MeowTube!"
Wittily yours,
Tondra'n'Sarah'n'Morgan'n'Astra......stars of the IndyCat League!
27 January 2009
What kind of tracks are THOSE?
Boy, those are weird looking tracks, aren't they? Got any theories what sort of critter makes those kinds of tracks? Looks like some kind of wild something....but what?
Those are Astratracks. This is what you get when a seven month old kitten joyously runs about trying to pounce the snowflakes as they fall......
20 January 2009
Another Quotation that Struck Me.....
Simple things are always the most difficult. In actual life it requires the greatest discipline to be simple, and the acceptance of oneself is the essence of the moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook upon life. That I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ -- all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do unto the least of my brethren, that I do unto Christ. But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all the beggars, the most impudent of all the offenders, the very enemy himself -- that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness, that I myself am the enemy who must be loved -- what then?
--Carl Jung
(referred to by Brennan Manning in The Ragamuffin Gospel)
--Carl Jung
(referred to by Brennan Manning in The Ragamuffin Gospel)
17 January 2009
Day Nine: January 20
For our new President, Barack:
Lord, be with him always. The weight on his shoulders is more than a man can take; he needs you to carry much of that burden.
Give him all the gifts of your Holy Spirit:
Knowledge: for the job that he has been given requires that he knows much and learns far more. He must also know what he does not know, that he may find advisors to help him.
Understanding: for to know is not enough; he must understand the meaning of what he knows. He must comprehend what his advisors tell him.
Judgment: for he must take all that he knows and all that he is given and discern what is true, what is good, what is valuable. And he must be able to judge who is the best advisor in any situation.
Wisdom: for everything above is meaningless without wisdom to pull it together; wisdom to find what out of an overwhelming flood of information is truly important.
Courage: not only physical courage, for the job is dangerous no matter how many try to protect him, but intellectual courage, to be able to reject the "nice-sounding" solution that does not stand up to logic, and even harder, moral courage, that rejects the easy or convenient and holds out for the right, though all around him fight against it.
Piety: let him return the thanks and obedience to you which is your due, and let him remember that you are always watching what he does, for good or ill.
Fear (Awe) of the Lord: let him realize that this is his Sanity Clause: for he will spend the next years surrounded by those who will flatter him that he is the most powerful man on earth, that he holds the power of a god, that he *is* a god. Let him remember always that you are to him as he is to a single ant. Sustain his understanding of his place in the universe and his sense of balance. Protect him from the terrible temptations of ego that go with this job.
Love him, Lord Jesus. He needs to feel your love.
Comfort him, Blessed Mother. He needs your consolation.
Strengthen him, Breath of God. For the strength that he needs far exceeds the strength of the natural man.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
Lord, be with him always. The weight on his shoulders is more than a man can take; he needs you to carry much of that burden.
Give him all the gifts of your Holy Spirit:
Knowledge: for the job that he has been given requires that he knows much and learns far more. He must also know what he does not know, that he may find advisors to help him.
Understanding: for to know is not enough; he must understand the meaning of what he knows. He must comprehend what his advisors tell him.
Judgment: for he must take all that he knows and all that he is given and discern what is true, what is good, what is valuable. And he must be able to judge who is the best advisor in any situation.
Wisdom: for everything above is meaningless without wisdom to pull it together; wisdom to find what out of an overwhelming flood of information is truly important.
Courage: not only physical courage, for the job is dangerous no matter how many try to protect him, but intellectual courage, to be able to reject the "nice-sounding" solution that does not stand up to logic, and even harder, moral courage, that rejects the easy or convenient and holds out for the right, though all around him fight against it.
Piety: let him return the thanks and obedience to you which is your due, and let him remember that you are always watching what he does, for good or ill.
Fear (Awe) of the Lord: let him realize that this is his Sanity Clause: for he will spend the next years surrounded by those who will flatter him that he is the most powerful man on earth, that he holds the power of a god, that he *is* a god. Let him remember always that you are to him as he is to a single ant. Sustain his understanding of his place in the universe and his sense of balance. Protect him from the terrible temptations of ego that go with this job.
Love him, Lord Jesus. He needs to feel your love.
Comfort him, Blessed Mother. He needs your consolation.
Strengthen him, Breath of God. For the strength that he needs far exceeds the strength of the natural man.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
Day Eight: January 19
For the family of our new president:
All the assorted relatives by blood and by marriage. May they find it a blessing rather than a curse in their lives. May they find a ministry in being supportive of the First Family, and may they find you a source of all strength in resisting those who would nudge them into exploiting their connections. May they draw closer to each other in your love.
For Michelle, Malia and Sasha: give them the strength to deal with the restrictions on their lives, the regimentation, the mass of people who so often stand between them and the husband and father they love. Let them draw closer together and cherish the time that they are all together as a family. Let them find you in the dark moments and the bright moments, and know that their Heavenly Father holds them all in his hands.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
All the assorted relatives by blood and by marriage. May they find it a blessing rather than a curse in their lives. May they find a ministry in being supportive of the First Family, and may they find you a source of all strength in resisting those who would nudge them into exploiting their connections. May they draw closer to each other in your love.
For Michelle, Malia and Sasha: give them the strength to deal with the restrictions on their lives, the regimentation, the mass of people who so often stand between them and the husband and father they love. Let them draw closer together and cherish the time that they are all together as a family. Let them find you in the dark moments and the bright moments, and know that their Heavenly Father holds them all in his hands.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
Day Seven: January 18
For those who serve their country in the military: May they feel your presence, Lord, and receive strength from you to do what they have to do. May they also feel the loving arms of your Mother, Mary, and remember always that force is something that should be applied only in time of true need and no more than necessary. Let them be gentle when they can, and see you in the people they help.
For those who make the decisions about the military: Let them remember that our young men and young women are a precious resource, not to be squandered without need; let them remember also that the use of military force is meant to be a last resort, never a "just because we can." Let them see us as others see us occasionally, and remind them that what they hold is not just power, but vast responsibility. Let your hand be on their shoulders and your voice in their ears when they make such decisions.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
For those who make the decisions about the military: Let them remember that our young men and young women are a precious resource, not to be squandered without need; let them remember also that the use of military force is meant to be a last resort, never a "just because we can." Let them see us as others see us occasionally, and remind them that what they hold is not just power, but vast responsibility. Let your hand be on their shoulders and your voice in their ears when they make such decisions.
Lord, Hear our Prayer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
