* THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR AT CHRISTMAS*

Caller ID because telemarketers can't take the holidays off.

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I'm thankful for toast - how something so simple makes your kitchen smell so good, and with the right preserves tastes so good!
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November 4, 2007: One more hour of much needed sleep at the end of daylight savings time.

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Lower priced GPS units, for finding your way to grandma's house.

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Gas station attendants who give accurate directions at no charge.

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Beautiful fragrance, such as Dior's Diorissimo pure parfum and Serge Luten's Un Lys (breath of an angel)

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The sublime combination of grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup.

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Winter citrus (Oh, my darling Clementine oranges!)

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Irish coffee spiked with Bailey's Irish Creme Liquer!

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Thanksgiving dinner leftovers: featuring turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie.

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I'm thankful for home-cooked meals made by someone else.

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Family members who feel like friends.

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Friends who feel like family.

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Family members with four legs and fur, who meow or bark.

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Unexpected, handwritten notes and letters.

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Smart TV on DVD to get you through the holiday reruns (Little Britain and Weeds)

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Clever YouTube's finest programming!

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The new and improved lower priced Tivo, HD, which can beam TV shows and movies from the internet straight to your TV (TIVO.com $299)

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Clinique's "Black Honey" and "Black Raisin" almost lipstick.

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Old-fashioned bubble lights - instant holiday spirit.

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Board games such as Monopoly with my grandsons!

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The most over-the-top houselighting displays near you (tackylighttour.com)

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The ultimate what not-to-do primer in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

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Claxton, Georgia, the fruitcake capitol of the world, I love it.

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The beautiful music played and produced by one of my favorite artists, Yanni. It is so beautiful it makes one weep and takes you out of the bluest funk!

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The unconditional love and warmth of my fur babies! I have never doubted their love nor their loyalty. It is wonderful to wake up late one night or early in the morning and find them, each in their own spot, purring and snuggling next to Momma..

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The love and trust of my grandchildren, and especially my great-grandchild Alyssa Nicole. Her innocence has not yet been tainted by life and I so enjoy spending time with her!

*IS IT BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE?*

If you think it is better to receive than to give, do the following:

One out of 5 American children live in poverty, lacking adequate clothing, give 2 cents for each pair of socks, tights or pantyhose each child has.

Are you thankful for the blessing of electricity? Give 2 cents for each light bulb in your house.

Most of the world's population lives beyond the reach of medical care. Give 10 cents for each box of bandaids in your house. Add another dime if they're not skin colored.

Are you thankful that you have a roof and doors to keep out the wind and the rain? Give a dime for every exterior door that you house has.

Are you thankful for your clothes? Give a nickel for every closet in your house.

Are you glad that you have indoor plumbing? Give a nickel for each roll of toilet paper in your house, counting all stored away rolls.

To people in refugee camps, even a sliver of soap is precious. Give a nickel for each bar of soap in your house. Give a dime for each container of pump soap.

Think of something nice you can do for a poor family in your community and do it today. Make them some homemade bread. If you can't put a dollar aside and be exceedingly grateful for all of your blessings.

Do you walk to your town to get a bucket of water for washing, drinking, bathing and cooking? Or, are you blessed with faucets that bring precious water to you? Give a dime for each faucet.

How did you get clean today? Give a dime if you took a bath and another if you took a shower.

Most of the world is starving while American's biggest concern is being overweight. Put in a penny for each pound you think that you are overweight.

What a blessing it is to be able to see and have eye doctors. Give a nickel for each pair of glasses your family members wear and don't forget sunglasses.

Many people in the world are blind and do not have eye doctors. Give a nickel for each person in your house that wears contact lenses.

Jesus loved the little children. Give thanks and a dime for every child in your family that is healthy, well fed and loved.

How would you like to live on the streets? Give thanks for your home and a nickel for every pillow in your house, even the decorative ones.

The comfort of a clean bed is an undreamed of luxury for millions of the world's poor people. Give a nickel for each clean bed in your home.

Did a cozy blanket cover you last night? Give a penny for each blanket in your home.

Aren't you glad you have people that love and think about you? Think of all the people that are buying you gifts this Christmas and for each one under the tree give a dime.

In this country, we are truly blessed!

* IT IS THANKSGIVING, AND I AM THANKFUL FOR *

For my grandkids who are not doing dishes, but are watching TV,

Because that means that they are at home and not on the streets.

For the ridiculous taxes that I have to pay,

Because it means I am employed and able to work.

For the mess to clean after a holiday party,

Because it means I have been surrounded by friends and family.

For the clothes that no longer fit or are a little too snug,

Because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work,

Because it means I am out in the sunshine!

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and things that need fixing,

Because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining that I have about the government,

Because it means that I have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot that I find at the far end of the parking lot,

Because it means that I am capable of walking and that I am blessed to have transportation.

For my large heating bill in the winter months,

Because it means that I have heat.

For the pile of laundry and ironing,

For it means that I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day,

Because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours,

Because it means that I am alive and have a reason to get up,

and finally,

Far too much e-mail,

Because it means I have friends and family who are thinking of me!

I am so truly blessed and I am thankful to God!

Happy Thanksgiving to my faithful bloggers!

*I AM THE CHILD*

I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me, I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much I am aware of. I see that as well. I am aware of much...whether you are happy or sad or fearful, patient or inpatient, full of love and desire, or if you are just doing your duty by me. I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater, for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do.

You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times. I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated. I do not give you answers to your everyday questions, responses over my well being, sharing my needs, or comments about the world about me. I do not give you rewards as defined by the world's standards.. great strides in development that you can credit yourself; I do not give you understanding as you know it.

What I give you is so much more valuable...I give you instead opportunities. Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine, the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your abilities, the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible. I drive you further than you would ever go to your own, working harder, seeking answers to your many questions with no answers. I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who cannot walk. The world seems to pass me by. You see the longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play like other children. There is much you take for granted. I want the toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh I've dropped my fork again. I am dependent on you in these ways. My gift to you is to make you more aware of your great fortune, your healthy back and legs, your ability to do for yourself. Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I always notice them. I feel not so much envy as desire, desire to stand upright, to put one foot in front of the other, to be independent. I give you awareness. I am the child who cannot walk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired. I don't learn easily, if you judge me by the world's measuring stick, what I do know is infinite joy in simple things. I am not burdened as you are with the strifes and conflicts of a more complicated life. My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child, to teach you how much your arms around me mean, to give you love. I give you the gift of simplicity. I am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child. I am your teacher. If you allow me, I will teach you what is really important in life. I will give you and teach you unconditional love. I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you. I teach you about how precious this life is and about not taking things for granted. I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams. I teach you giving. Most of all I teach you hope and faith. I am the disabled child.

*The last paragraph says it all.....this is what my adolescent patients have taught me and I am so thankful that I was a willing learner.

*TOWARD A NEW FORGIVENESS ATTITUDE*

I once read that forgiveness could be taught, and that one of the biggest steps in the process meant becoming resistant to taking offense. I also read that this step was the most difficult part of becoming a forgiving person, but that it was possibly the most powerful. Easier said than done, I told myself. Then I thought about it recently and thought about ways one could think about not being offended, and decided I would try it. These are the steps I am going to follow to achieve that end:

*Since I am not perfect, how can I expect anyone else to be, and do I?

*Life is short and I want to waste as little of my life as possible in the discomfort caused by anger or hurt. I want to react well when things don't go the way I want. This decision allows me to forgive myself, forgive others, and even forgive life itself when necessary.

*Life comes with both positive and unpleasant experiences. Can I reasonably expect to have only good experiences come my way? I hope for the good and know I can forgive the bad.

*Dealing with life is a challenge. I want to be a survivor and not a victim. Each hurtful situation challenges my determination to live as fully and lovingly as possible. I accept the challenge that it sends my way.

*I know it hurts when people do not forgive me. I don't want to hurt others in this way, so I will perceive the problem in a way that I can either deal with successfully, or let it go.

*Life is filled with beauty and incredible marvels. I am missing these experiences if I am stuck in the remembrance of old hurts or wounds. I forgive myself for getting sidetracked.

*People do the best they can. When they err, the best way to help them is by offering some understanding. The first step in this process is to forgive whatever constituted the specific offense.

*I understand that everyone, including me, operates primarily out of self-interest. I respect that sometimes I, in my self-interest, will be hurt by someone elses' expression of their self-interest. When I begin to understand that this is an ordinary part of life, what is there to be upset about? When I grasp that self-interest is my guiding priniciple, how can I not offer the forgiveness to everyone, including myself, for behaving that way?

This is my mantra and I hope it works, the hardest person to forgive has always been myself

*Please Hear What I'm Not Saying*.........

Frequent readers of my blog know that sometimes I like to come home from work and post my thoughts with regard to my patients. It is therapeutic for me, it makes me feel that I am on the right path as a nurse; it makes me realize that what I receive from my adolescent patients is more than a paycheck could ever give me. It gives me hope that this world may change and that this child may succeed in the world and that makes it all worthwhile.

Tonight, a patient by the name of Rachel, who had a very troublesome upbringing, who lived with foster parents from the time she was born until she turned 14 was told that she would be discharged to placement the following morning. Her foster parents (who were somewhat older) decided that she was going into puberty and that they did not want to bear her behavior changes, her challenges trying to enter adulthhod, everything involved with becoming a teenager. Their two 'natural' children were grown and they did not want to go through the adolescent years with Rachel.

Anyway, Rachel knew that she would be leaving in the morning and that we most likely would not see each other again. She wrote me a note telling me how much she appreciated the care given by the staff where I work. She began to cry and handed me a piece of paper with a poem that she had written:

"Please Hear What I'm Not Saying"

Don't be fooled by me.

Don't be fooled by the face I wear,

For I wear a mask, I wear a thousand masks,

Masks that I'm afraid to take off, and none of them are me.

Pretending is an art that's second nature with me, but don't be fooled.

I give you the impression that I'm secure and that all is sunny and

Unruffled with me, within as well as without, that confidence is my name

And Coolness is my game, that the water is calm and I'm in command, and that I need no one.

But don't believe me. Please...........

My surface may seem smooth, but my surface is my mask,

Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.

Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, fear and aloneness.

But I hide this. I don't want anyone to know it.

I panic at the thought of my weakness and fear being exposed.

That's why I frantically try to create a mask to hide behind, a

Nonchalant, sophisticated facade to help me pretent, to shield me

From the glance that knows.

But such a glance is precisely my salvation. My only salvation and it's the only

thing that can liberate me from myself, from my own self-built prison walls, from the

Barriers that I so painstakingly erect.

It's the only thing that will assure me of what I cannot assure myself,

That I am really worth something. But I don't tell you this. I'm afraid that your glance

Will not be followed by acceptance and love. I'm afraid you will think less of me, that you will

Laugh and wound me. I'm afraid that deep down I'm not much and you will see this and reject me.

So I play my game, my pretending game, with a facade of assurance throughout,

So when I'm going through my routine do not be fooled by what I'm saying.

Please listen carefully and try to hear what I'm not saying,

What I'd like to be able to say, but cannot.

Who am I, you may wonder. I am someone you know very well, for I am every man

You meet and every woman you meet.

**I love you Rachel and I will deeply miss you. I will never forget your sweet face. I hope that life finally gives you all that you should have, for you truly deserve it.

*IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR*

The moon in the bureau mirror looks out a million miles

(and perhaps with pride, at herself, but she never, never smiles)

far and away beyond sleep, or perhaps she's a daytime sleeper.

By the Universe deserted, she'd tell it to go to hell,

And she'd find a body of water, or a mirror on which to dwell.

So wrap up care in a cobweb and drop it down the well.

Into that world inverted where left is always right,

Where shadows are really the body,

Where we stay awake all night,

Where the heavens are shallow as the sea is now deep, and you love me....

* WHAT A FRIEND IS *

Each of us has a hidden place

Somewhere deep within ourselves;

A place where we go to get away,

To think things through,

To be alone, to be ourselves.

This unique place, where we confront our deepest feelings,

Becomes a storehouse of all our hopes,

All of our needs, all of our dreams,

And even our unspoken fears.

It encompasses the essence of who we are

And what we want to be.

But now and then, whether by chance or by design,

Someone discovers a way into that place we thought was ours alone

And we allow that person to see, to feel and to share

All the reason, all of the uncertainty

And all of the emotion we've stored up there.

That person adds new perspective to our hidden realm,

Then quitly settles down in their own corner of our special place,

Where a bit of themselves will stay forever,

And we call that person a friend................

*COMES THE DAWN*

After a while, you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning

And company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts

And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head held high and eyes opened,

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

You learn to build your roads on today

Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,

And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much,

So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul

Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers,

And you learn that you really can endure,

That you really are strong, and you really do have worth

And you learn and learn.........

With every goodbye comes the dawn.

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LESLIE SUSAN*

In just a few days, it will be the birthday of my first child, Leslie Susan, who would be 44 years old on March 21st, had she lived. She left this Earth on July 5, 2002 much too soon for the ones who she left behind. She was a sweet, beautiful girl and I will never stop loving and missing her. As I do always, I will release balloons to the sky from her brother, sister and myself to let her know that she will never be forgotten. I would also like to post this poem:

The Cord We are connected

My child and I,

by An invisible cord

Not seen by the eye

It’s not like the cord

That connects us “till Birth”

This cord can’t be seen

By any on Earth

This cord does its’ work

Right from the start

It binds us together

Attached to my heart

I know that it’s there

Though no one can see

The invisible cord

From my child to me

The strength of this cord

Is hard to describe

It can’t be destroyed

It can’t be denied

It’s stronger than any cord

Man could create

It withstands the test

Can hold any weight

And though you are gone

Though you’re not here with me

The cord is still there

But no one can see

It pulls at my heart

I am bruised… I am sore

But this cord is my lifeline

As never before

I am thankful that

God Connects us this way

A mother and child

Death can’t take it away!


I will always love you sweet baby girl, but I know that you are safe in the hands of the Lord. We will be together in Heaven forever and I will again hold you in my arms. You are missed, sweet baby girl.....................

Your Mother

*The Shortest Fairy Tale Ever Told*

Once upon a time a girl asked a guy, "will you marry me?"

The guy said "no" and the girl lived happily ever after. She went shopping every day, drank martinis at sunset, she always had a clean house, she never had to cook unless she wanted to, she stayed skinny and she was never farted on.

The End.......

*Our Forms of Communication*

One reaction to the growing presence of cyberspace is to see it as a threat to the traditional human value of social, face to face exchange. Yet, this is... nothing to be alarmed about, for it is the eagerness to communicate and the desire to be heard by another that activate those fingers. The fact is that when we use computers we are having an exchange with other humans, through the machine, not 'with the machine'.

Sometimes I think that the telephone call is as earthbound as daily dialogue, while a letter is an exchange of gifts. On the telephone, you talk; in a letter you tell. There is a pace to letter writing and reading that doesn't come from the telephone company but from your own rhythm.

We live mostly in a hi-tech, reach-out-and-touch-someone modern world. Communication is an industry. It makes demands of us. We are expected to respond as quickly as computers. A voice asks a question across the ocean and we are supposed to formulate an answer to this high-speed rate of exchange.

But we can not, blessedly, 'interface' by mail. There is a leasure and emotional luxury in letter writing. There are no obvious silences to anxiously fill. There are no interruptions to brook. There are no nuances and tones of voice to distract.

Today, we are supposed to travel light, to live in the moment. The past is, we are told, excess baggage. There is no question that the phone is the tool of these times. As fine and as epheremal as a good meal.

But you cannot hold a call in your hands. You cannot put it in a bundle. You cannot show it to your family. Indeed, there is nothing to show for it. It doesn't leave a trace. Tell me how you can wrap a lifetime of phone calls in a rubber band for a summer's night when you want to remember?

*I Was.......................

I was born to catch dragons in their dens,
and to pick flowers...

And to tell tales and laugh away the morning
to drift and dream like a lazy stream

And to walk barefoot across sunshine days and beautiful sand beaches..........

*The Lighthouse Keeper*

All of my life, I have been attracted to and loved lighthouses. In my greatest fantasy, I would visit all of the lighthouses in the USA just to see them. I can't explain my fascination with them, only that I love them and they make me feel secure and safe.

What makes someone sacrifice to keep ships safe from rocks and ice to warn of dangers in the night.
What makes a Keeper of the Light?

What causes one to spend his life patrolling waters that are rife with perils to which we are blind.
What creates a man of this kind?

While I sleep safely in my bed, what drives him to keep watch instead guarding all - both rich and poor from hazards near the darkened shore?

Is he fearless, it would seem, facing facts while we all dream? And, is he ever feels a doubt. his courage casts the shadows out.

With no regard to his well-being, his light shines, enables seeing and ensuring safety from hidden fears with unflagging strength through the years.

What makes him do the unselfish deeds? What keeps him strong, what are his needs to always do what is right?
What makes a Keeper of the Light?
He shines the beacons through the dark, in solitude proclaims, "take warning" for beneath these seas danger still remains.

He guides the vessels past shifting shoals, by shallow jagged reefs with quenchless flame throughout the night to a harbor snug and deep.
He rings the bell, sounds the horn, keeps vigil through the night.
Who is the humble seasoned salt?
The Keeper of the Light?

*Goals, Not Resolutions For 2007*

I have never been one to make resolutions, lose weight, quit bad habits, etc; all those things that are so easily demolished before January is even over. I do, however, make goals after my in-depth life review and soul search.

I wish I could say that I will join a gym, exercise faithfully, but I am not going to. I will be more aware of health issues and work on those. I am going to my doctor's visits more often and taking my medication and following their advice. I worked for years and years with my goal of someday becoming a full-fledged 'couch potato' and I am finally there. I do have a flight of stairs to my condo that are climbed daily and I also consider the use of the remote control as a form of exercise. I don't follow any specific diet and cave on certain things I consider 'comfort foods' but I am not yet morbidly obese, so that's a plus.

I am now working with the adolescents at least 3 nights per week because I want to, because they give me love, they give me pleasure and I love what I do. I like to think that this is why I became a nurse and my job is rewarding and fulfilling, like no other area of nursing has been. It's nice to work at something you love because you want to, not because you have to.

I am still greatly attuned with my country and the political world. I am anxious for the next election in 2008 and will campaign religiously and passionately. It is so important, especially with the state of world events we are currently in, to elect the right people. People that will take accountability for their actions, their decisions and turn this country around. Our freedom as a country is in great jeopardy and we are losing what it took many lives to attain. People are afraid to express opinions, to dissent, fearing they will be called unpatriotic. They are afraid to question, fearing retribution and this has to stop. It is urgent because my grandchildren will inherit the decisions that this country is making now.

My inability to be a patient person, that I was going to work on at the beginning of 2006, has went by the wayside, but I will try again this year. Sometimes, I justify impatience as a good thing because impatient people get things done. But recently, my impatience has caused internal anger issues and that has to stop, it's not good for your heart really. I hope to, at least, be more tolerant of idiots this year and to recite in my head "forgive them, they know not what they do" and let it go. Kind of like a mantra, if you will.

I will continue to look at my behavior as I have always been one who wears her heart on her sleeve. I will try to appear calm, cool and collected, even when I'm not. I will take stock of what needs to be done or undone. To me, this type of inventory taking is a daily process, wherein I look at myself, and try to make changes in my behavior rather than in the other persons. Ultimately, I have the choice of whether to have a good day or a bad one, the decision is mine.

I will work on thinking before I speak, because sometime's the 'mind filter' doesn't work and things are said before thought out. I will try to express myself wisely, being motivated by a kind heart and genuine offer to be good to others. I am this way, really, I just don't think before I speak, but I mean no harm.

I will take time to think before writing words, acknowledging the power of words, and using them wisely, with integrity. Words can hurt, they can become rocks and arrows if you let them.

I will remember the commandment to 'love thy neighbor as thyself', trying not to feel superior to others, to know the meaning of humility and what it means to show kindness and compassion.

To remind myself daily how blessed I truly am, because I am.

*The Year 2006 In Review*

Due to my work, I was unable to post on my blog my feelings about the year of 2006, but, better late than never.

I have mixed emotions about 2006, and in general, think that I do better in odd-numbered years when I evaluate unhappiness and loss. My relationship with David ended, and I am a much better person for it, but I hate being deceived. Why is honesty and integrity so hard for some people? But, I am older and wiser now and find being alone is what I really am happy with. I am content, able to fill my time with hobbies, work, family and have no spare time, really. I am disappointed with friendship overall, but I have decided that I am a better friend than my friends are to me, that's just the way it is.

Thank heavens there were not more of the natural disasters that occurred in 2005. The hurricane season this year was essentially mild and with minimal damage. The sad thing is that the area affected by Katrina is still almost as bad as it was after the hurricane. Billions of dollars have been misappropriated or unaccounted for. Thousands of people were uninsured and are now homeless and jobless. It was interesting to me that recently millions of dollars was spent on the recovery of 4 climbers who attempted to climb Mt. Hood in inclimate weather knowing the risks involved. Misplaced priorities, if you ask me.

The Iraq death toll is now over 3000, this makes my heart weep. Our president has been told by the Iraq Study Group that this war is not worth the cost in lives and dollars. He responds with 'troop increases' and 'sacrifice' and has delayed, dawdled and deferred for over a month since the release of this report. Personally, I feel that Iraq will make Vietnam look like a walk in the park when all is said and done. Billions of dollars more are now needed for his 'surge and accelerate' campaign with 20,000 more troops needed
as a 'short-term measure'. This addition will just be more target practice for the insurgents, in my opinion. Mr. Bush, your judgment about Iraq - and now about 'sacrifice' is at variance with your citizen's, to the point of delusion.

I was happy that Donald Rumsfelt was finally asked to resign but then honored by the Bush Administration for his dedication to his country. There is still no decision on the CIA leak and no one brought to justice over that incident, although Scooter Libby has been endicted.

Several passings in 2006 were noted. The Godfather of soul, James Brown, died on Christmas Day and he will be missed. One of a kind. I loved his funeral though; it was a celebration with all of his friends and family singing, dancing, eulogizing, he would have loved it and it was so fitting. My friends who know that I am a diehard Democrat will be surprised when I say I was so sad at the passing of Gerald R. Ford. Gerald Ford was a politician like no other. His greatest aspiration was to be Speaker of the House, and he wound up President. He came into office with a plateful of problems and a wounded nation due to Vietnam and Watergate, but he turned this around with integrity and honesty. He made the White House a place where secrets didn't live as they had in the Nixon administration and today in the Bush administration. He pardoned Richard Nixon even though it was unpopular and destroyed any chance at re-election so that this country could heal. Only now are people realizing what a well-thought decision that was. He was a man of great vision and fairness. He once said that he was a Ford, not a Lincoln. Mr. President, you sell yourself short because you were better than a Lincoln, you were a Lexus and history will be kind to you.

OJ Simpson tried to publish a book this year titled "If I Did It" but due to bad press and outrage by the public, it was canceled. I cannot believe this man, but he is so self-absorbed and narcissistic that he can't go without public adoration for any length of time, and he has. I feel deeply sorry for his children, what they must have to live with. I grieve for the parents of both Nicole and Ron and what this has done by reopening old wounds. Mr. Simpson will answer for his crimes, just not in this life.

Saddam Hussein was executed shortly after he was proven guilty by his own people. Some people danced in the streets and celebrated. Saddam is only the tip of the iceberg and was an old man with dementia. Yes, he was evil, but there are many who will follow. Is our country safer now? There are already protests about how his death was handled. Somehow, Osama Bin Laden hasn't been mentioned for quite some time. Are we still looking for him, or has our 'mission' been 'accomplished' as our president would say. The Middle East has become a much more dangerous area than anyone ever thought it would be. I am very fearful of my children's and grandchildren's future with regard to the Middle East.

I am still working on 'staying in the moment' being able to relish, cherish and live each day as it comes in the best way possible. I am to soon become a great-grandmother and I am so looking forward to that. I will look back on 2006 as a bittersweet year, but one of redemption and freedom, a realization of what my priorities are and what makes me a better person, again without regret, say goodbye and let it go.

I am confident that it is God's will that 2007 will bring about union rather than division in this country, and hopefully peace in other parts of the world.