Why so cavalier about time?

2020 is ending.  

There are many who say good riddance and wish for 2020 to be quickly over.  

I wonder though if we should have such a cavalier attitude about ending our time?

“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”

~Haruki Murakami 

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This is what Alzheimer's is like at 41

 

‘I am mine’: This is what Alzheimer’s is like at 41 https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/i-am-mine-this-is-what-alzheimers-is-like-at-41/

A deep breath and a re-think....

Everything seems very shrill, unnecessarily urgent, adding a false level of importance and an unsustainable level of velocity.  

A deep breath and a re-think about what is really important is what I recommend for everyone.

If that does not work....maybe the entire world just needs an ear pull to snap out of it?

Asparagus Fried Rice

 Asparagus Fried Rice

Prep: 20 Minutes

Cook: 20 Minutes     Serves: 4

Ingredients

6 stks Asparagus (julienned)

1 Onion (cut lengthwise )

1 Carrot (julienned)

1 cup   Cabbage (shredded)

1 Mixed bell peppers (cut lengthwise)

1 Green chili (finely chopped)

2 clove Garlic (finely minced)

1 inch Ginger (finely minced)

1 tsp Soy sauce (dark or 2 tsp light soy sauce)

1 tsp Salt (or to taste)

1 tsp Black pepper powder

¼ cup Spring/green onions (finely chopped)

4 tsp Oil

4 cup Cooked basmati rice.

1 pinch Sugar

Preparation

Two cups of raw rice yields roughly 5 to 5 1/2 cups of cooked rice. You can either cook them in your rice cooker or stove top with half the salt and cool it completely before making this dish. A day old refrigerated rice always suits well for any fried rice. 

Wash the asparagus and trim the thick stalks at the bottom. 

Cut them into thin strips, mince the green chili, ginger and garlic, shred the cabbage, chop the green onion, slice the onions and peppers into thin strips as shown.

Heat a wok keeping the temperature on medium high and keep it running on the same setting throughout the process. 

Heat up the oil, add all the veggies excluding spring/green onions. 

Add sugar, dash of pepper and salt. 

Stir-fry for few minutes or until the veggies look slightly wilted but firm. (less than 2 minutes to cook the veggies) 

Add the cooked rice, remaining salt and pepper and soy sauce. 

Stir-fry until its well incorporated. 

Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with choice of sauce.

Aloo Gobi

 Aloo Gobi 

Prep: 30 Minutes

Cook: 40 Minutes     Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons olive or other neutral oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 large yellow or red onion, diced

1 teaspoon plus pinch of fine sea salt, divided

2 heaping tablespoons grated or minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 medium to large potato, peeled and diced

1 jalapeño, finely sliced (optional)

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 cup undrained canned diced tomatoes, preferably organic

¼ cup hot water, plus more as needed

1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a Dutch oven or 4-quart sauté pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the cumin and turmeric. Cook until the seeds sizzle and turn reddish-brown, about 40 seconds.

Add the onion and pinch of salt. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, until the onions brown slightly, stirring occasionally.

Add the ginger and garlic. Cook another minute or less, stirring occasionally.

Add the potato and jalapeño, if using, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the potato softens slightly.

Add the cauliflower, garam masala, coriander, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well until all the florets are yellow from the turmeric. Cook about 2 minutes and then add the tomatoes and water.

Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. Cook a little less if you want a tiny bit of crunch, and cook a little longer if you want the vegetables to be a little softer. Add up to ½ cup additional water if the vegetable mixture is too thick.

Remove from the heat, add the cilantro, and put the lid back on. Let the aloo gobi sit for 3 to 5 minutes before serving to help the flavours all come together. 

Serve with roti, naan, or basmati rice.

People who lie...

 “The people who lie the most are nearly always the clumsiest at it, and they're easier to fool with lies than most people, too. You'd think they'd be on the look-out for lies, but they seem to be the very ones that will believe almost anything at all.”

~Dashiell Hammett

Ajo blanco (almond soup) with melon

 Ajo blanco (almond soup) with melon

Prep: 30 Minutes Level: Easy
Cook: 3 hours     Serves: 4

Ingredients
60g crustless, day-old white bread, in rough pieces
750ml water
275g blanched whole almonds
1 garlic clove, chopped
12 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp sherry vinegar, or to taste
Salt
¼ melon, (kharbouza, cantaloupe or honeydew) deseeded and cubed

Preparation
Soak the bread in the water for around 15 minutes until the pieces are soggy, then put the softened bread and the water in a food processor with the almonds, garlic and olive oil and blitz until smooth.
Season to taste with sherry vinegar and salt. 

Transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate until the soup is well chilled; this will take 2-3 hours.

Chill the melon cubes at the same time.

Give the soup a stir and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Ladle into soup bowls and divide the melon cubes between them. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Butternut Squash & Kale Quesadillas

Butternut Squash & Kale Quesadillas

Prep: 15 Minutes Level: Easy

Cook: 20 Minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients

1/2 whole Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeded, And Diced.

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Black Pepper To Taste

1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)

1 bunch Kale, Leaves Torn, Stalks Discarded

8 whole Small (fajita Sized) Flour Tortillas

Extra Butter For Frying

2-1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated (more If Needed)

Sour Cream, For Serving

Cilantro, For Serving

Pico De Gallo, Salsa, Avocado Slices (optional) For Serving

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add squash and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until squash is deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart.) Remove to a plate and set aside. 

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat and add in the kale. Toss it around with tongs and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the cooked squash and gently toss together. Set aside. 

In a separate skillet, melt additional butter and lightly brown both sides of the 8 tortillas. Build the quesadillas one by one by adding a layer of cheese topped with a layer of the squash/kale mixture, topped with a second tortilla. You'll have four quesadillas when you're done.

Brown each quesadilla on both sides, adding more butter to the pan to make sure tortillas are nice and golden and yummy.

When the cheese is melted, remove each quesadilla from the skillet and cut it into four wedges. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, pico de gallo, salsa, avocado...or any sides you'd like! 

(Note: The butternut squash/kale mixture is also great tossed with a little pasta and olive oil, and topped with Parmesan shavings)

Atypical forms of dementia are being diagnosed more often in people in their 50s and 60s

 Atypical forms of dementia are being diagnosed more often in people in their 50s and 60s

"These conditions show up in people in their 50s and 60s, sometimes even earlier and sometimes a bit later. No one knows whether these conditions are becoming more common or doctors are better at diagnosing them. 

What is clear is that some of the same underlying pathology seen in people with typical Alzheimer’s — amyloid plaque and tau tangles in the brain — is also present in people who have Alzheimer’s with a young age of onset or atypical dementias that affect vision or language or behavior. Some of these atypical dementias are caused by a toxic buildup of other abnormal proteins. These proteins become abnormally shaped or clustered together in ways that distort how the brain processes information. This is true for Alzheimer’s, too.

No treatments are available to slow or stop the progression of these diseases. The few drugs that treat symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s are often prescribed for people with these rarer forms of dementia. The drugs may help with some of the symptoms."

Full story at the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/atypical-dementias-hit-in-midlife/2020/12/04/eecc15e6-1929-11eb-aeec-b93bcc29a01b_story.html

Psychiatric admissions for people with dementia is not helpful

Dementia patients take up Ontario psychiatric beds ill-suited to their care, experts say

"In Ontario, Dementia patients currently occupy one-third of psychiatric beds in hospitals, according to data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information, in part because traditional hospital beds and long-term care homes are also packed.

Experts warn such a setup risks the health of dementia patients, who may find themselves confined to units ill-suited to their needs and receiving treatment that can do more harm than good."

Full story at Global News: Dementia patients take up Ontario psychiatric beds ill-suited to their care, experts say

The value of a 'white lie'

 "A white lie is always pardonable. But he who tells the truth without compulsion merits no leniency." ~ Karl Kraus

A white lie revealed?  
[Watercolour revealing white wax on paper]

...but I don't listen

 “My momma talkin' to me tryin' to tell me how to live 

But I don't listen to her 'cause my head is like a sieve....”

~Earache My Eye,  Cheech and Chong with Alice Bowie

Listen: https://youtu.be/tkFx3RyIZhY

the price paid for wisdom

 “He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.”

~Aeschylus, "Seven Against Thebes"

10,000 goodbyes

 

Death is sudden. An abrupt loss and then, the end.  

But with this disease,  I say goodbye with every loss of “her”.    

I am saying 10,000 goodbyes as she recedes bit by bit from who she was.

Frankly, an abrupt end would be a breeze to  endure.

Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Praetorian Barracks

 Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Praetorian Barracks

Via Marsala, 42, 00185 Roma, Italy  (across from Termini Station)

Website: basilicadelsacrocuore.it

Sacro Cuore di Gesú al Castro Pretorio (English: Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Praetorian Barracks) is a Roman Catholic parish and titular church in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1887 by Francesco Vespignani. Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the church is served by the Salesians. It has an adjoining boarding-school of arts and industries. It was elevated to minor basilica in 1921.

History

The church was erected by Leo XIII by design of Francesco Vespignani in 1887. Its bell-tower is surmounted by a golden statue of Christ the Redeemer. The church possesses the modern parish and educational services, created specially for the new city neighbourhood Castro Pretorio.

On the right is the hospital of the Salesians, where the saint Don Bosco operated during trips to Rome between 1881 and 1884. The travertine facade, has a neo-Renaissance style. The lower part has an entrance portal with two smaller portals on its sides. The upper part has three windows between two couples of columns and ends with a triangular gable. The bell tower bears the statue of the Saviour made in golden copper (1931). 

The interior has three naves divided by granite columns. It is rich in marbles, stuccoes and paintings. The decorations, the frescoes, the wooden ceiling, of the dome and the smaller domes on the lateral naves are by Virginio Monti.

This Basilica was wanted and prioritized by two Popes: Pio IX and Leone XIII. With the help of the dioceses in the world, it was built by San Giovanni Bosco (St. John Bosco) on a project of the Count Francesco Vespignani, architect of the Holy Buildings from 1881-1887.

It was patterned in the Bramante Style, Latin Cross Shaped, constructed with classical timeless elegance. The majestic Church was built on the Esquillino Hill in Rome within the Aurelian walls. Its bell tower is the highest point in Rome. This was the first parish Church built after the capture of Rome and it became a parish in February 2, 1879.

Origins: The Praetorian Castro and Bath

(from basilicadelsacrocuore.it translasted to english by google)

In the area where today stands the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in ancient times there were two monuments of the imperial era: the Praetorian Castro and the Baths of Diocletian.

The first - Castra Praetoria - was the great barracks of the imperial guards , built in AD 21-23: Helium by the prefect Sejanus, the powerful minister of the Emperor Tiberius.

The Castro extended, almost square in shape, up to today's Via Palestro. It was dismantled by Constantine the Great, after his victory over Maxentius (Battle of the Milvian Bridge, 312 AD), to punish the praetorian guard, who had sided with Maxentius. 

The Baths of Diocletian was  a complex of the Baths, built between 298 and 306 AD by Emperor Diocletian.

At the end of the sixteenth century, the place where stands the church belonged to the Jesuits and was part of the Praetorian Castro at their villa, which they call "Macao" in memory of the region of China was evangelized by St. Francis Xavier.

The Pontifical Government of Pope Pius IX built a railway station, opened in 1863 as the Central Railway Station Roman, and for its proximity to the ancient Baths Diocletian's become known as the current Termini Station .

Don Bosco

(again from the website and translated into english by Google)

On the back of the Basilica maintains a room dedicated to Don Bosco. Is familiarly called "the bedrooms of Don Bosco" .

This is a large room which has hosted the Saint in his journey to Rome (the 20 th and last), on the occasion of the consecration of the Basilica .

The Holy man stayed there from April 30 to May 18, 1887 .

The space was divided into two rooms separated by a wall, now demolished to allow for expansion as a function of a chapel for personal prayer or groups.

The first room was used by Don Bosco as a study for the reception of those who wanted to meet him. The adjoining room was furnished as a bedroom, with the addition of an altar cabinet for the private celebration of the Holy Mass. Here Don Bosco made two miraculous interventions, which helped to confirm the reputation of "holy". When the Church recognized the sanctity of Don Bosco, these areas became the destination of pilgrimages. The constant influx of pilgrims convinced The Salesians to break down the wall that divided the two rooms in order to provide a single environment that can be used for meetings and prayer groups.

Relics

The space displays many objects used by the Saint while he was in Rome including a preserved a precious relic, made of a cotton ball soaked with the blood of Don Bosco at his time of dying.

Art

On the right side, you can find Confalonieri's marble statue of Pope Pio IX, friend of Don Bosco, who was responsible for the acquisition of the land on Esquillino Hill on where the Temple was to be built. Over this statue is an admirable portrait of Pope Leone XIII, who wanted Don Bosco to build this Church.

The Saint Maria Domenica Mazzarello altar who founded with Don Bosco, the Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice (Mary the Helper's Daughters). Her portrait is from Crida, 1966. Originally the altar was dedicated to Saint Luigi.

After that is of Saint Francesco di Sales, the patron of the Salesian Family and of the journalist. Over the altar you can see a picture from Piombi; as homage from Don Bosco to Cardinal Parocchi, Vicar of Leone XIII after the consecration of the Church in 14th May 1887.

At the end of the right side the altar of Saint Giuseppe, coming from the "100 priests" Church nearby Sisto Bridge. In 1884, it was the high altar in the Chorus, already used for the celebrations while they were building the rest of the Church; here Don Bosco celebrated Mass very often.

The High Altar came from the town of Siena. It was taken down from the Church of Saint Francesco to be restored and it was sold, together with other marble pieces to Don Bosco.

At the center of the Altar is a rendition from Francesco de Rohden (1817-1903), this master painter was the last of the so-called Nazarenes painters. The wall behind the Altar was built in 1969 by Ficini the architect and Mariani the painter to separate the Church from the chorus.

To the sides of the Altar, are five lamps burning as they represent the five continents. The Siena and Trento marbles floor and the Altar front were executed by architect Ficini. The dome was painted by Virginio Monti (1852-1942), representing the glorification of the Holy Heart.

The Twelve Prophets by Cesare Caroselli (1847-1927). He also made the Apostles and the Evangelists frescoes that are placed on the pendentives of the transept and on the nearby walls.

The front or facade is finished in neoclassical style with Travertino marble from Tivoli, crafted by artists Benzoni, Pantorese and Baroni. The stained glass windows are a work of the Mosaic Company of Venice. The Leone XIII shield is by Geipi.

The statues of the saints which crows the front of the Church should have been four: Saint Francesco di Sales by Baroni, Saint Agostino by Pantorese, Saint Teresa and Saints Margherita Alacoque, these last two ones have never been done. The two angels under the Cross are by Angelo Benzoni.

Sources and Scope

List of all the churches as of August 2020; http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Catholic_churches

Storia della Basilica del Sacro Cuore http://www.basilicadelsacrocuore.it/santuario/storia

External sources:

*Thayer's Churches of Rome, including the books by Christian Huelsen, Mariano Armellini, and Filippo Titi

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/churches/home.html

*Clarke's Churches of Rome

http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/churches.htm

Lown's Churches of Rome

https://sites.google.com/site/thechurchesofrome/

Samuelsson's Hidden Churches of Rome

http://romafelix.com/

Map of titular churches

http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/waters/titular.html

A Map of the Churches of Rome

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=208576267977920593772.00048db11a404e1ee26d6&ll=41.905886,12.485147&spn=0.016768,0.042272&t=h&z=15&iwloc=00048db312148f3a89c11

Oratory defined: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11271a.htm

Books:

The Pilgrim's Guide to Rome's Principle Churches by Rev. Father Joseph N. Tylenda

The Churches of Rome by Roloff Beny and Peter Gunn

See some great plates and images of 17th and 18th century here: http://www2.siba.fi/~kkoskim/imbas/roma/startpage.php?lang=en&action=1

See also this site for the Long/Lat of each church: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-maria-in-cosmedin

Blue Guys: a family history

 

“You can hide memories, but you can’t erase the history that produced them.” ~Haruki Murakami

temporary beliefs

 “We do tend to believe things while we're hearing or reading them. Afterwards, it's another matter, when the book is closed and the voice stops speaking.” 

~ Javier Marías

finger painting...

 "Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen."  ~ Pablo Picasso

created with; Tayasui Sketches (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tayasui-sketches/id641900855 )

online fundraising campaign?

 “It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.”

~ O. Henry

her

 

“I preferred to suffer myself than to know that her agony continued.  Her well-being was more important to me than my own. I have learned, during the course of a long life, that that is the meaning of love.”

~ Ken Follett, A Column of Fire

I do need that time...

 “And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute - like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will be swallowed up in darkness.”

~Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Our job is to love others...

 “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbours worthy.” 

~Thomas Merton

...and the band played on....

Fun fact:  Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) by The Temptations was one of the first 45 records I ever bought with my own money.   The other being Sugar, Sugar by The Archies which I am not proud of my 8 year old self for. 

 [crank it up!]

Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)

 Santa Maria in Cosmedin

This church, which also houses the Bocca della Verita – a great photo op in Rome – contains the reliquary of Saint Valentine, which includes the saint's skull. 

History

The Church was probably first built in the 6th century as part of a diaconia, an institution helping the poor, sits on the high alter of Hercules which has been documented through excavations under the church. The excavations reveal;

• About 495 BC, the Ara Massima (temple with altar) of Hercules was on this site.
• In the third century BC, a temple was erected to Ceres, who was the goddess of agriculture.
• About 69-81 BC, a columned hall for inspectors from the nearby grain-fruit-vegetable market (Forum Boarium) was built)
• Around 200 AD, a tiny underground chapel (now the crypt) was built for Christians, who risked death worshiping at that time. 

It was rebuilt by Pope Adrian I in 782. Exiles from the iconoclast persecutions in the East in the 8th century were sheltered here. It owes its present state to 9th and 12th century rebuilding. Its slender campanile is well known, giving it an unusual but pleasing appearance. The church is also known as 'Santa Maria in Schola Graeca', (Our Lady for the Greek Community). It was used by Greek merchants in Rome, and Greek monks used to serve here.

The name Kosmidion ( in Greek, ornate )was used in the 8th century, probably a reference to the rich decoration.

In 1223, the building was restored again - the floor was made by the Cosmati family. 

A sacristy and an oratory dedicated to St Nicholas were added in the 9th century, but they were removed in 1085 by Robert Guiscard. The church was given a Baroque appearance in the 18th century, but was restored to the original style at the end of the 19th century. A Giuseppe Vasi (1710 - 1782) engraving exists showing the Baroque frontage.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin was also where three popes were elected; 

• Pope Gelasius II, 
• Celestine III and, 
• Antipope Benedict XIII (was previously the Cardinal Deacon of this church).

Pope Stephen II established this deaconry. Among the former titular deacons of the church is Cardinal Reginald Pole (died 1558), Archbishop of Canterbury during the English Reformation. It has been vacant since 1967.

Relics

The reliquary of Saint Valentine, which includes the saint's skull. 

Art

The pavement, choir enclosure, pulpit, paschal candlestick, the baldachino over the altar and the altar screen were the work of the Cosmati in the 12th and 13th centuries. The baldachino, in Gothic style with Cosmatesque decoration, is signed 'Deodatus me fecit’, 'Deodatus, (son of Cosmas) made me'. It is dated to 1294. Some of these were destroyed in the 18th century rebuilding, but were reconstructed in the 19th century. The choir enclosure and canopy are original. The paintings are recent, but in a style that makes them look ancient.

In front of the high altar is a rare example of 8th century opus sectile.

The high altar holds the skull of St Valentine. On his feast day, February 14th, it is brought out and crowned with roses. 

Above the episcopal throne is an icon of Our Lady said to have been brought from Constantinople by Greek monks fleeing iconoclasm.

An 8th century mosaic of the ‘Adoration of the Magi'is displayed in the sacristy. It was originally in Chapel of the Virgin in old St Peter's, built under Pope John VII 706-707.

Several ancient buildings were demolished to build the church, and remains of these buildings are the cause of the visible irregularity of the nave.

On either side of the door are black granite stones. They are standardised Roman weights. In pre-Christian times, such weights were kept in the temples were they could be used to check the weights used by merchants. When Rome became a Christian city, they were moved to the churches.

Sources and Scope

List of all the churches as of August 2020; http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Catholic_churches

External sources:

*Thayer's Churches of Rome, including the books by Christian Huelsen, Mariano Armellini, and Filippo Titi

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/churches/home.html

*Clarke's Churches of Rome

http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/churches.htm

Lown's Churches of Rome

https://sites.google.com/site/thechurchesofrome/

Samuelsson's Hidden Churches of Rome

http://romafelix.com/

Map of titular churches

http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/waters/titular.html

A Map of the Churches of Rome

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=208576267977920593772.00048db11a404e1ee26d6&ll=41.905886,12.485147&spn=0.016768,0.042272&t=h&z=15&iwloc=00048db312148f3a89c11

Oratory defined: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11271a.htm

Books:

The Pilgrim's Guide to Rome's Principle Churches by Rev. Father Joseph N. Tylenda

The Churches of Rome by Roloff Beny and Peter Gunn

See some great plates and images of 17th and 18th century here: http://www2.siba.fi/~kkoskim/imbas/roma/startpage.php?lang=en&action=1

See also this site for the Long/Lat of each church: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-maria-in-cosmedin

democracy perfected

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

~ H.L. Mencken

Grace and Peace

"May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the center of our being. It will not fail us."

~Thomas Merton

When I sleep, I can forget

I do not know where I am going

I do know where I have been

I no longer know who I am

but,

I know who I have become

and,

I know that when I sleep,

I can forget.

~djs