Archive for the 'Family Friends Pets Kids' Category
…nor all those who wander are lost.
Things are not always what they seem.
We are adamant and ephemeral in our feelings. There are core feelings, deep, abiding tides, then there are the shifting currents of emotion.
We make decisions based on both, but too often, on the latter.It is so hard to recognise what is solid, real feeling, and what is the mood of now.
The difference between depression and being depressed, really.
The currents were rising above my head tonight. I got thrown a lifeline by a simple message that made me laugh with joy, and yet had nothing to do with me except as a shared tale.
Through all that has happened in the last few years, I have struggled with currents. They are just currents though, and I can swim, for I have so many lifeboats in my ocean.
The quote is from Lord Of The Rings - and very apt for my rescuer tonight. A lover of Ents.
…a chance to grow a soul.
I have a vested interest in this story about the cost of sick and premature babies.
My youngest child, my small lad, that sweet little zoomy guy, turns five on the 27th. He was a very sick little man when born, a difficult, life saving caesarian, frightening for us both, had to struggle with life and death stuff.
For my sweet lad died at birth. I was pretty ill, so did not realise till after, when they said he was ill but would pull through, just how close I came to not having my tough boy. But tough he is, and with the amazing, magic staff at Flinders NICU, he made it. Two weeks of antibiotics, and one on one care, and he never looked back.
Here is an article discussing the cost of some of the frailer babies we saw in NICU. My close to 6 pound lad looked like a monster baby among them.
Which of them wasn’t worth trying to save?
And again, always, daily thank you to NICU staff, for saving my son, and my sanity. It was two weeks of fear, and huge dramas and I could not have made it without them, or my magic friends.
I enrolled him for school this week. The kindy has said but I already knew, he is very bright, articulate, warm, loving, funny, and clever.
Sick lad has come a long way, baby:)
…on gossamer wings.
I have just landed on Mars.
Next, I will be going to the moon.
My wonderous man is going too.
The kids, they are coming along for the ride.
Wish you could too?
Join us.
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…to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
So much change in my life this month.So much more upcoming. May I meet it with grace and dignity, and may I have serenity in doing what must be done.
The moving finger has written and moved on, change again and again to be embraced:)
And may there be enough tea:)
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…for his birthday.
A fortnight early I know, but you will forgive me when you look:)
This montage of planetary images was taken by spacecraft managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Included are images of Mercury, Venus, Earth (and moon), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.The spacecraft are listed, together with which planet image they took. How wonderful!!!!
…of sweet silent thought
Happy April 1st. Odd day for me. Still, as ever, Shakespeare said it for me.
…or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.
So, here I am, on Valentine’s Day, having a romantic dinner, and we are both using our laptops at a local restaurant that has wireless access.
Finishing up the cappucinos and tiramisu (he knows my weak spots so well), I decided to blog him a present.
Here you go sweetheart:)
…there is a Santa Claus.
Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897.
“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”
VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
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…and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.
Merry whatever you celebrate people. I personally keep this time of year as a time to let the kidlets have a blast[1]. So have a good one, and stay safe.
Track Santa via Google 
And for my wonderful Richard : Geeks at Xmas. Santa came early this year in bringing you to me!
[1] Family is for everyday, not one day a year.
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…cannot be removed by argument.
I belonged to a group encouraging women in a particular area of technology. (No, I am NOT going to name them, as it is very recent past, and the post is a general message now to groups of all genders, not a gripe at a particular group of people.)
Thiis group, for whatever reason, decided that it felt the need, collectively, to exclude men, as a general principle, from meetings and other events. I felt very strongly this was a dangerous path to walk down, and wrote them an email, explaining why - and then I left the group. No, I don’t think I will be missed.
I decided to post the email I sent to explain how I feel about this situation. Discrimination, no mater what positive spin we put on it, is discrimination. If, to redress appalling levels of gender imbalance in the IT industry, (and many others), we feel we need to lessen or discriminate against one group to promote another, we are just moving the problem around. The issue is to END discrimination, not rebadge it.
Basing any decision on gender, colour, nationality, religion, or sexuality is discrimination. You can say it is positive, but thats just a label hung on it to pretty up the reality. Lessening anyone is not okay.
I am all for women’s groups, to promote, support, and encourage. But when we move the cost around, so we, as women, aren’t paying anymore, we make men pay, then we are just doing the same thing we cry out against. I would rather work as people, to end discrimination, full stop.
I must state, however, that not admitting idiots, morons, and anyone who is sexist, racist, homophobic, or xenophobic, or otherwise intolerant, is always fine with me:) Why? CAUSE YOU BORE ME! Yep, I will discriminate based on anyone being a total twat. Get over it:)
So, for your edification, viewing pleasure, and an attempt to see if anyone still bothers with hate mail, the email:
I have thought a lot before responding to this. But, as a woman who has
children of both genders, I felt it important. I target noone in
particular, but am wanting the group to examine something that I find so
very disturbing. I will be leaving the group post this, as I believe I
do not belong for reasons expounded below, but wanted to state why as
clearly as possible. Please understand, it is done without rancour, or a
wish to accuse or insult. I ask only that you examine what I have said
with an open mind. You are all free to reject it, but vitriol is
unseemly for intelligent beings.
You know, I am all for a group encouraging and supporting women. I just
never get a group that is bigoted in any way. And yes, I used the word
very deliberately. I am pro woman, not anti men.
When I look at my children, I do not wish them to encounter a world
where their gender means they are discriminated against. This hope does
not apply only to my daughters, excluding my son.
I am heavily in favour of women’s groups and organisations that promote,
support, educate, and facilitate women. I can do that regardless of my
gender. If I was a man who wanted to be supportive, why would turning me
away be of value?
And don’t dally around the edges by saying that men are sometimes
acceptable at events as long as they are friends or boyfriends, and they
will be occasionally tolerated. Turn this around, people. Would this be
acceptable if a male group behaved this way towards women?
Allowing men to participate does not mean women have to be lessened. Are
we so afraid that we are weak, and would not be able to stop men taking
over? That we could not be loud and have our voices heard? People can be
asked to leave, of either gender, if their aims are not shared (yes, I
have said I am, so, fret not - what an example I set:) ).
Pro women does not have to mean anti men. To me, this is walking over a
fine line. I accept for many, probably nearly all, it isn’t. Just think
about it, please. There is a rather sweet young man who is, (along with
his sisters), being raised to respect the worth of people, not genders,
sexuality, or race. I think they all deserve equally as much respect and
value.
Thank you for listening. I have enjoyed my time. I wish you all every
success.
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