Category Archives: other musings
For my mother
The Reading Mother
by Strickland Gillilan
I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
“Blackbirds” stowed in the hold beneath.
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.
I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings–
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be–
I had a Mother who read to me.
The Year of the Cat
“And how do you know that you’re mad? “To begin with,” said the Cat, “a dog’s not mad. You grant that?” I suppose so, said Alice. “Well then,” the Cat went on, “you see a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags it’s tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Madness. Writers. Cats. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In many instances, they are intertwined in an enigmatic association of sorts.
I am fascinated by my cats – all eight of them.
I also have a beautiful dog, who happens to be equally bemused by all these feline creatures.
He has no choice really, since he is outnumbered.
As I juggle between multiple book projects and a few intermittent life challenges that test my crisis management skills, these cats are my constant. My muses. Their serenity and poise help me to keep things in perspective. They bring me joy. And I do not take joy for granted. Not for one moment.
“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.”
― Jean Cocteau
It is not uncommon for writers to have an affinity for cats. Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, Jean Cocteau, Jean Paul Sartre, Stephen King… just to mention a few.
This marvelous photo of writer/philosopher/political activist Jean Paul Sartre and his existential cat epitomizes this writer’s obsession.
I’ll leave you with a song that I used to listen to ad nauseam…. back in the mid 1970’s. I just listened to it the other day and, man, did it bring back a flood of memories!
The Year of the Cat
(released in 1976 by singer-songwriter Al Stewart)
This is the long, live version performed in 1979
Top image: photo credit by Heather Joan Marinos (Copyright © 2014 by Heather Joan Marinos. All rights reserved).
Bottom image: photo via buzzfeed.com.
The Ides of March and lessons learned
(Photo Credit: Dwight Carter)
And so I will, Maya.
For me, the month of March came in like a lion and crisis management skills were put to the test…
… until the 26th, when a ceasefire occurred. Someone or something (you may call it God, The Universe, Fate, spirits of loved ones long since gone, or simply the natural order of things) pressed the “Pause” button. A feral cat that I’d been nurturing at home, gave birth to a litter of four healthy kittens. A kitten (only 11 months old) herself having kittens.
There’s a lesson that I want to share, so stay with me… this is not one of my Catmania stories (I’ll save those for another time!).
I made an assumption about this kitten (“Ophie” – short for Ophelia… think Hamlet). Because she is still very kitten-like (behaviorally), I was certain that her youth and inexperience would cause her to mishandle the birthing process and that she would either abandon, mishandle or harm her litter.
I was so wrong.
With luminous eyes and soft whimpers, she gave birth to each kitten and knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Her natural mother’s instinct kicked into full gear and this kitten became a diligent, loving mother. To see her, you’d never guess that this was her first litter. I was filled with awe. Still am.
It made me think long and hard (this is where the lesson comes in) and I realized that some of the recent crises in my life have skewed my perspective… and not in a good way. Too often, these days, I assume that the worst will happen, rather than the best (or at least, the “better”). I’ve always been a worry wart, but I’ve taken it to new levels and perhaps this attracts more negative energy, thus creating more problems, more crises, and more drama.
Clearly, someone or something thought that I needed an “Aha” moment.
Point taken.
And so, I share this lesson with all of you.
As a very wise friend of mine often reminds me… “Everything is going to be okay.”
Maybe it’s time to believe it.
I am grateful that March is going out like a lamb.
Ophie (Ophelia) and her babies (Photo Credit: Heather Joan Marinos)
For My Love
“It was the time when they loved each other best, without hurry or excess, when both were most conscious of and grateful for their incredible victories over adversity. Life would still present them with other mortal trails, of course, but that no longer mattered: they were on the other shore.”
― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera
It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game
Here’s a little morale booster to kick start the upcoming week …
“You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed, it means that they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner.”
― Walter Payton
In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In the words of the late, honorable Martin Luther King, Jr. :
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
When hunger hits close to home… what would you do?
“America is the richest country in the world. And yet tonight, thousands of your neighbors will go to bed hungry.
It may be your child’s schoolmate who is undernourished and has difficulty learning on an empty stomach.
Or it could be a co-worker, a working mother whose low-wage job doesn’t make ends meet.
Perhaps it’s an elderly neighbor who has to make a decision whether to delay filling a prescription or buying groceries.
The faces of hunger are as broad as the faces of America.”
~ David Nasby, General Mills
How many of us (and our families) could survive on $30 per week?
If we knew a family member, friend or neighbor who was starving, would we give him (or her, or their family) food?
Would we even notice the signs, or would we wait for them to have to swallow their pride and ask?
Some soul-searching questions, indeed.
Sometimes, the only way to fully understand the gravity and indignity of hunger is to walk in a hungry person’s shoes. A very interesting experiment that would be, wouldn’t it?
heatherfromthegrove’s Seven New Year’s Revelations Wrap-up… and on to new beginnings
As I say each year, on this day, the 8th of January:
“For those of you who have been following, reading and enjoying each of my seven New Year revelations …. Thank You.
I would like to point out that they are not New Year Resolutions. I don’t make New Year Resolutions anymore. They are my own personal revelations. Epiphanies. Discoveries. In the past decade, I’ve faced some daunting challenges and heart-wrenching events. I’d like to think that I’ve handled them with dignity, compassion, grace, and humor. Always humor. It helps take the edge off.
So, the lessons that these “life tests” have taught me are my “revelations.” As I move forward with my life, I will use them as my guide. Wisdom has to be earned. For me, it’s an ongoing journey, as I’m sure it is for all of you, as well.”
Here’s a synopsis (the numbers have a hyperlink back to each revelation post):
New Year’s Revelation No. 1: Today is Tomorrow
New Year’s Revelation No. 2: Humility is attractive, and Arrogance… not so much
New Year’s Revelation No. 3: Stand by what you say and what you do
New Year’s Revelation No. 4: Be comfortable in your own skin
New Year’s Revelation No. 5: Freedom from Fear
New Year’s Revelation No. 6: Respect Human Dignity… through Kindness
New Year’s Revelation No. 7: Love Thy Neighbor, it’s that simple
And on it goes.
I’m looking forward to whatever 2014 has in store for me.
I wish you all a blessed, healthy and happy 2014 and may your own personal journey bring you deep fulfillment and wisdom… and loads of wonderful opportunity and adventures!
Cheers,
heatherfromthegrove
New Year’s Revelation No. 7 of 7: Love Thy Neighbor, it’s that simple
“When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.“
Given the year I’ve had, I could not end my seven New Year’s Revelations without speaking (once again) about the blessing of having good neighbors and, more specifically, the importance of being a good neighbor.
“It is your business when the wall next door catches fire.”
― Horace
How many of us know our neighbors?
For those who live in a large, urban environment, the transient nature of its residents make it almost impossible to really get to know who lives next door. Yet, who among you would not rush out to help if you smelled fire in an adjacent apartment or townhome?
“The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.“
In suburbia, people tend to have mixed feelings about their neighbors. Some, they love… but others, they deplore. Fences are built, not to be crossed. And some neighborhoods are more community-minded than others. They fill the gap that government entities leave wide open ― the need for community programs whose sole purpose is to help its neighbors flourish and grow.
Fences and hedges aside, whether you’re fond of your neighbor or not, surely you would run to his aid if he collapsed on his driveway?
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But…the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
In the rural and mountain communities, neighbors are essentially a Godsend. Anything can happen (and often does). A neighbor may injure himself on his tractor or digger and, if not for the help of his neighbor, may be left there to perish in the elements. In these communities, there is a moral code that neighbors live by.
I’ve experienced this, firsthand. It has completely changed the way I feel about neighborliness. You see, I grew up in suburbia and then moved to the big city, as a young adult. Now, I live in an area that’s a cross between urban and suburban, but also have a place across the country… up in the mountains. And it’s the compassion and loyalty that my mountain neighbors have shown in the past eleven months that has filled me with a sense of incredulity, deep respect and profound gratefulness. They have shaped the way I now think about neighbors and neighborliness, and the way I act… towards my neighbors, and as a neighbor.
For this, and for so much more, I thank them.
“To love our neighbor as ourselves is such a truth for regulating human society, that by that alone one might determine all the cases in social morality.“
Photo via thepicklepatch.com.
heatherfromthegrove 