I live in North Carolina. My political views are liberal or progressive, and I am very much pro-woman. I believe in equality for all people. You will see these values reflected in my writing.

The selected postings of my memoir (see beginning of blog) are based on actual events in my life. In some cases, names and places have been altered to protect the identities of the parties involved. As with most memoirs, time has been compressed and certain events are listed out of sequence.

(Note: This is a sticky post. More recent posts are below.)

Someone sent me this prayer and I thought it was worthy of passing along. Maybe it will resonate with someone who needs it.

Dear God,

The lady reading this is beautiful, classy & strong and I love her. Help her live her life to the fullest.
Please promote her and cause her to excel above expectations. Help her to shine in dark places and love where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most and let her know that when she walks with you; she will always be safe.

Amen!

For the UK, that is...

This nation has decided to give bullying the attention that it deserves. For that reason, the UK has announced that Nov 19-23 as their national anti-bullying week.

Some will say that evil doesn't exist and others will say that it is everywhere. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. According to Dr. M. Scott Peck, evil cannot exist without deception and lies.

The dangerous people in society are the ones who wear masks of perfection and think they are above reproach. Should you give them even the least amount of criticism, these people will come after you as if their very life depended on it. (How well, I know). They also tend to be very greedy by nature and scapegoating others is a common behavior pattern to keep negative attention off themselves. There is little hope of reform in these types, so it is best to avoid them as much as possible.

"All of those for whom authentic transformation has deeply unseated their souls must, I believe, wrestle with the profound moral obligation to shout from the heart — perhaps quietly and gently, with tears of reluctance; perhaps with fierce fire and angry wisdom; perhaps with slow and careful analysis; perhaps by unshakable public example—but authenticity always and absolutely carries a demand and duty: you must speak out, to the best of your ability, and shake the spiritual tree, and shine your headlights into the eyes of the complacent. You must let that radical realization rumble through your veins and rattle those around you."

Special thanks to Youtuber, No2Hate, for putting this celebration video together.

THE SHIFT is an inspiring and important film documenting the extraordinary emergence that's happening right now around the world as humanity is waking up to our power to create a better future.

I’ve given additional thought to the possibility that Uriel is my Guardian Angel. In a previous column, I stated that...”injustice straightens my spin and enables me to find my voice.” You might even say that injustice ignites a flame inside me. Maybe that flame is coming from Uriel, the angel of justice.

I’d also like to tell you about this elderly man in the neighborhood. A couple of years ago, his beloved wife of many years passed away. Ever since this occurred, the man claims that he sees angels around him, day and night. I have met people who roll their eyes at this man’s story and say that he’s “gone crazy” in his grief. But I look at him, a meek elderly man with a smile in his eyes, a lightness in his step, and profound peace in his heart. And I listen to him, hearing the sense of wonder in his voice as he speaks of the angels who watch over him and keep him safe. Then I wonder... who the real crazy ones are.

Sometimes when you sit down to write from a place called your stream of consciousness, you may be surprised to see what comes out. I spent thirty minutes drafting this poem, and as my daughter stated, it is powerful and intense.

This poem was inspired by yet another person whom I caught in a malicious lie, and I will never look at this person the same again. I will also never understand why some people choose to live deceitful lives, harming others with fabrications from their twisted minds. I'd like to believe they do it out of ignorance, unaware of the sticky web of their own making that they will find themselves trapped in one day. But some, I believe, know the damage that lies can cause others, and they willfully do it, anyway. So this poem is for them and the people who stand behind the liars, despite their conscience urging them to seek and defend the truth.

The Web of Deceit

Oh, pity you who ignored my cries and pleas of innocence.
Did you not know that I was a child of your God?
Did you not know that I meant as much to Him as you do?

Oh, pity you who flaunted your lies
Trying to destroy truth and goodness for the sake of your pride.
Did you not know that God cares little for deceitfulness and arrogance?

Oh, pity you who bowed before the Holy Dollar
Selling your soul for something that can never be filled.
Did you not know that greed is an addiction that only wants more, more , more?

Oh, pity you who looked the other way
Despite the urging of your conscience telling you to speak up and do something.
Did you not know this was a test of your character sent from the most Divine part of yourself?

Oh, pity you who ran like cowards in the night
Scattering like church mice when the light came on and the trumpet blasted.
Where was your faith in the Almighty when you decided to crouch in the bushes and lay low?

Something keeps pointing me back to Dorothy and her trip through Oz. I see a lot of Dorothy in my own personality. I, too, seem to be dreaming and searching for that magical spot where bluebirds fly over the rainbow. Those with deeper insights understand that Dorothy’s adventures along the yellow brick road were spiritual in nature, and that she wasn’t alone in her search for meaning and purpose. The characters that she met along the way were also looking for something to complete themselves.

Sometimes I look back at my memoir, and I see the similarities between the real characters of my book and the make-believe ones from Oz.

~My former manager: He would have been okay, if only he’d had a heart.
~My former supervisor: He would have been okay, if only he’d had a brain.
~As already stated, the director was the shadowy and nervous leader behind the curtain.
~When I think of my two female coworkers, I see one as being the wicked witch and the other one as her evil sidekick or flying monkey.
~The cowardly lion would have to be my ex-husband, someone who tries his best to be an intimidator, but lacks real courage.