Dear Diary,
If I ever lose my faith by Sting.
I hope you will enjoy this Sting song as much as I do.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Mahatma Ghandi
Lost faith seems to be in abundance at the moment; lost faith in all politicians, whatever their colour (or have they all merged into the one colour these days?), lost faith in big businesses, banks, the media, justice for all, conventional medicine, service providers, standards, I could go on. Corruption prevails. So much so that doom and gloom seem to be the order of the day. Mistrust and cynicism are our daily companions while Big Brother watches over us. Fear and ignorance grow hand in hand (the two go together). But if we live in this fearful, depressed state we are also being dumbed-down and made easier to control and there fascism can easily take over us and rule. That is the battle we should be fighting. We never learn from our history, that is the trouble with the human race.
So blessings may well have to be personal when outwardly all seems bleak, but we have been here before.
Cliches? Yes of course there are probably always far too many cliches in this blog. I make no apologies.
Blessings? Harder to find some days.
The Chat Room I visit. We share opinions, ideas, problems, jokes. The company is mostly female but not always. It’s a lovely place to be. I will share a joke I heard last night.
Q. Why are Irish jokes so simple?
A. So that the English can understand them.
I think I will post more jokes, we all need as many laughs as possible these days.
A Day Without Rain. We are promised one today if dear Uncle Derek Brockway is right and much as I love him I have to admit that he has been wrong a bit recently. And also, much as I love rain, you can have too much of a good thing (Oh yes you can, even Guinness).
A clutch of novels by my bed. I am savouring them, deciding which to start first. What is the right word for a group of novels? Any suggestions? Don’t say library.
Good health. I thank God every day for this one.
Spring which is beckoning.
My snowdrops are just flowering and the daffodils are slowly rising. Last autumn I planted a cyclamen beneath the pine trees by the river and yesterday I discovered it was flowering, that was a welcome sight.
My daughter’s 30th birthday, that was a wonderful thing to celebrate, being the anniversary of one of the two happiest days of my life. The other being when my son was born, that will come in the summer. I had one winter baby and one summer one. I wonder if characters are influenced by the season they arrive in the world
A Good Night’s Sleep in clean sheets.
Completion of Projects and looking forward to New Ones.
My sister-in-law once said that we should always have something to look forward to, to keep us going. How right she was. What are you looking forward to? Every day try and focus on that and all the blessings in your life.
When I was laid up for three months in the Midlands Spinal Unit with a broken neck I had a lot of time to think. Lying on your back unable to move leaves a lot of time for thinking. I used to watch visitors pass by my bed and see their legs walking. I remember thinking how amazing it was, their ability to walk and their taking it so for granted.
I’ve had several opportunities in my life to appreciate being alive but in that respect I am lucky for it’s when you have been close to death, more than once, you appreciate every moment in life. Life is so short, none of us are here for very long and love is really all that matters. So I never worry about the Small Stuff and let’s face it most of what we get het up about is small. I still get angry, rebellious, frustrated, pessimistic even but I never worry.
Before I go some more words by John O’Donohue, God rest him.
Our longing for the eternal kindles our imagination to bless. Regardless of how we configure the eternal, the human heart continues to dream of a state of wholeness, that place where everything comes together, where loss will be made good, where blindness will transform into vision, where damage will be made whole, where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise, where the travails of life's journey will enjoy a homecoming. To invoke a blessing is to call some of that wholeness upon a person now.
Death was nothing to John O'Donohue --- a silent friend who walks beside us all our days. And on the other side? "I believe that our friends among the dead really mind us and look out for us," he wrote. "Often there might be a big boulder of misery over your path about to fall on you, but your friends among the dead hold it back until you have passed by."
Let it Be.
Bye for now.
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Caitx
I love this song
Why Worry Now? The old Dire Straits song sung here by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. I hope you like it too.
Good evening to you, Cait.
ReplyDeleteI will play the music later; I do like both the tunes and all the musicians.
But even more, I like what you have written, about visiting your returning garden plants, like friends who have been away for a while.
And all that you wrote about being in hospital, and how extreme experiences can tell us how to value other less extreme portions of our life.
Yes, we can all find so many blessings all around us. All it takes is a slight adjustment to our perceptions.
You are a treasure, Cait.
xo
Totally agree with your sister in law, I feel I lurch from treat to treat and the anticipation is a very important part of it. And the novels, hmm, a delight of books? a thrill of novels. Can't think, but there's nothing like a pile of new books (even if they often don't live up to the hype or the blurb).
ReplyDeleteOh yes - lovely to have a pile of books waiting to be read. I'm sorry you've had such a bad time in the past and glad that you are well and content now.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to tell someone not to worry and go away only to worry yourself. We all worry far too much and life is definitely too short. Your posts are always a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteCrystal xx
It is hard sometimes, isn't it, keeping positive and strong in the face of cynicism and mediocrity? Great blog as always. I felt a leap of recognition at your story of watching people walking by your hospital. I remember when I was tethered to the bed in intensive care being amazed to watch a doctor walk across the room and thinking i could do that once and never realised how marvellous it was.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy your taste in songs.
ReplyDeleteMidlands Spinal Unit? Is this the RJAH Oswestry? My goodness Cait if it was you were nearly on my doorstep! Winter babies Summer babies ....being a summer baby I detest the snow and cold ...my middle son is a winter baby and is snow mad!!!
ReplyDeleteThis song always brings joy to my heart.
ReplyDelete.
Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't Worry — Be Happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it Double
Don't Worry — Be Happy
Ain't got no place to lay your head,somebody came and took your bed
Don't Worry, Be Happy
The landlord say your rent is late,
he may have to litigate
Don't Worry — Be Happy
Ain't got not cash, ain't got no style, ain't got no gal to make you smile
Don't Worry — Be Happy
Cause when you worry your face will frown and that will bring everybody down D
on't Worry — Be Happy
.
TFX
"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday"
ReplyDeleteis what my Gran used to say.
Very true I think.
Blossom
Lovely thoughtful blog, Cait. A lot to think about there.
ReplyDelete"I just called to say I love you' was playing as I read your words - and it gave me so much pleasure to hear it again (after too many years to mention). Thank you for that.
Dear Cait,
ReplyDeleteYour Diary's are always such a pleasure to read, you write so beautifully.
We are truly blessed with your delicious posts, full of wonderful music, wonderful poems, such gorgeous pictures.
I am sorry to hear that life for you in the past has not been an easy one, but pleased to know that life's journey now is healthier for you.
On the subject of books, cannot imagine life without them either, a group of books, maybe Novella's.!
Love the songs by Sting.
Love Camilla.xx
Go h-ána dheas ar fád; is maith liom gach piosa specialta 'san blog seo - tusa a chur do chraoi isteach iad. Go raibh mile maith cailin áilin.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful - I love each special piece you put in your blog, you put your heart into them. Thank you lovely lady!
Good to catch up Cait, and as always you are right on the button. Aaah, clean cotton sheets - nothing like it.x
ReplyDelete