THREADS OF TIME ...

FABRIC OF THE SOUL:

The Christmas Spirit seems

a thing of the past

 does it not?

There are no simple solutions to the problems facing city fathers I know.  

Still, cruelty seems a poor solution here where temperatures will go below zero in the days to come. 

Cruelty seems to be written into the code of Man's DNA.  

That is why compassion is so rare.  

It must overcome the inertia of Man's natural inclination.

“There is only one way in which one can endure man's inhumanity to man and that is to try, in one's own life, to exemplify man's humanity to man.”

- Alan Paton 

(South African author and anti-apartheid activist)

To end on a lighter note 

(for those who enjoyed ROGUE ONE):

ORSON SCOTT CARD

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765385872/

When you read that name, you most likely think of ENDER'S GAME 

and the subsequent novels in the series.

You know me:  

I write alternate historical fantasy with a slight poetic flair ...

So it is no surprise that I am quite delighted to have discovered the ALVIN MAKER series 

through the stellar audiobook productions of them.

It is  an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: 

the seventh son of a seventh son. 

Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, 

Alvin is gifted with the Power. 

He must learn to use his gift wisely. 

But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.


“A tribute to the art of storytelling. . . highly recommended.”  
―Library Journal

“Card has uncovered a rich vein of folklore and magic here, to which his assured handling of old time religion 

and manifest love of children is admirably suited: an appealing and intriguing effort.”  
―Kirkus Reviews

“A beguiling book. . . robust but reflective blend of folktale, history, parable and personal testimony, pioneer narrative. 

The series promises to be a story of deep delight.” 
―Publishers Weekly

Do yourself a favor and try this series.  You won't be disappointed.

GOD CAN'T BREATHE

Ten days before a Katrina-bruised Christmas, 

and here I was out on the streets once more.  Alice had told me she never wanted to see me again.

Don't ask why.  

I'm Victor Standish. 

I always find a way to snatch defeat out of the mouth of victory.  It is my curse to be always alone.

It was night and cold for once in New Orleans.  A little black and white puppy, starved down to a walking set of ribs, shivered in the alley to my right.

I took the stale croissant from my lips.  I bent down and held it out to the poor little guy.  

"C'mon, Lucky. Good groceries."

I jerked as a black man appeared as if out of nowhere.  "You call him Lucky?"

"Yeah," I smiled.  "He's got a new friend ... me."

I petted Lucky's tiny head. "And he'll never be hungry or alone again."

The man looked ripped as if he pumped iron, and he laughed at me. 

"Not iron ... wood.  Plane a tree into planks, and it builds muscle."

He sighed as he saw Lucky hesitantly nuzzle my hand. 

 “No one's life should be rooted in fear. We are born for wonder, for joy, for hope, for love, to marvel at the mystery of existence, 

to be stunned by the beauty of the world, to seek truth and meaning, to acquire wisdom, and by our treatment of others to brighten the corner where we are.”

He squeezed my shoulder.  "Name's Joshua.  Yours?"

"Victor.  Victor Standish."

"Heard of you."

"I'm nobody.  Just a street punk living out another nothing day."

Joshua shook his head.   

“No day is without profound meaning, no matter how nothing it might seem, no matter whether you are a street kid or a movie star."

He nodded to Lucky.  

"Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses for others. 

Each smallest act of kindness reverberates across great distances and spans of time, 

affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, 

because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed, 

until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away."

As Lucky ducked back into the alley, Joshua looked at a roving band of police heading our way, malice in their eyes and guns on their hips. 

(A really sucky combination.)

" Likewise, each small meanness, each thoughtless expression of hatred, each envious and bitter act,  

can inspire others, and is therefore the seed that ultimately produces evil fruit, 

poisoning people whom you have never met and never will."

Joshua pushed me behind him and into the alley with Lucky.  

"All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined—those dead, those living, those generations yet to come—

that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands."

 As the cops spotted Joshua and started to laugh like wolves, he said softly, 

"Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world 

that great days and thrilling possibilities are combined in this precious gift called the present.” 

He slipped to his knees, putting his hands atop his head.  It wouldn't do him any good.  

What few cops were left in New Orleans were pretty much stressed-out, walking time bombs.  

I faded into the shadows.  Not that I was deserting Joshua.  My name wasn't Peter.  

You never leave a friend behind.  Friends are the only true wealth you can expect in this life and the only treasure you can hope to find in the next.

Lucky growled as the bully boys whacked Joshua with their night sticks to get him back on his feet.

"Hey!" yelled one.  "He's attacking!"

Another grabbed Joshua by the throat, fingers closing in on his wind-pipe.  

"Can't ... breathe," Joshua gasped out.

"Hey, Ass-Wipes!" I snarled with five ball bearings between the fingers of each hand.  "God can't breathe!"

"What?" snarled the closest to me.

I said low, "In as much as you did it unto the least of these, you have done it unto Me."

"Knee cap him, Jim!" spat the officer to his right.

I slung two ball bearings each into their open mouths.  

Suddenly, they were the ones on the ground not being able to breathe. 

Joshua got up.  "How did you know?"

With His words giving proof to my guess, I felt a great weight lift off my chest.  

While all these rough years I felt as if no one saw, no one cared.


Someone always had.  

"Well, you replied to my thought about you being pumped.  And I read a lot.  Jesus is just Greek for Joshua.  And it is your time of the year."

Joshua shook his head at me.  

"Every day is my time of the year.  Now, come help me with these officers."

"Aw, man!  I am not gonna do mouth-to-mouth on them.  I mean I might kiss a ghoul, and all, but even I have standards!"

"Victor!"

"Uh, can we at least wait until they're deprived of oxygen long enough to be brain-damaged?"

"Victor!!"

"Oh, yeah, that would be kinda redundant, wouldn't it?"

But it wasn't a total loss. Lucky peed on them.

THE SOFT GOODBYE

Do you humans feel it?  The Sense of an Ending.

The iron snow of despair swirls all about and within you.  

You do not sense it, of course.

It is like dining in a dim restaurant.  

The longer you are there, the lighter it becomes ... to you.

The interior has not become brighter.  

Your eyes have just become accustomed to the darkness.

Just as the eyes of your spirits have become accustomed to the darkness of the ever colder world in which you exist.

I would say "souls" instead of spirits, 

but you have become much too sophisticated and hollow 

to believe in anything which you cannot fondle or deposit in your banks.

Each of you is falling from this world as aimless and blind as a shooting star.  

You speed through the darkness of your perceptions ...

burning yourselves up, drawn by the gravity of your deeds to the harsh destiny born of your choices.

Living this way is much like leaping off a cliff, hoping to build your wings on the way down. 

 It did not work out very well for Icarus ... nor will it for you.

Who am I, you ask, to speak thus.  

I am sometimes called Guanyin.

The Chinese name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, 

meaning "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World". 

What I hear of late is the Soft Goodbye of that Concept for which I am considered the Goddess ...

Mercy

This Season is the Time when I call out to you with the most hope of being heard ...

But the sounds of cash registers and bitter recriminations 

have all but drowned out my Voice in your ears.

Selfishness is catching; it rubs off on people.

Yet so does Love: 

Infect those about you with Mercy, Compassion, and Love before it too late.

The Winter of the Soul is all about you ... 

brighten what you can of it with warm acts of kindness and caring ...

Let the Soft Goodbye of the Soul have at least the glow of one caring soul to light its way at the End.

If you wish to read more of me, you can find me in THE THREE SPIRIT KNIGHT

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AD94EQE

CHRISTMAS IS DYING

Reindeer and Christmas trees are two of the most recognizable symbols of the Yuletide season, 



but future generations may never get to see either of them.

 New research has revealed that both are at risk of being wiped out, as a result of climate change.


 Arctic reindeer are becoming smaller and lighter due to the impact of climate change on their food supplies.

But is the Christmas Spirit itself being starved?  Are we becoming a country of Scrooges?

We cross out Christ in the windows of our stores with Xmas; 

We decree it illegal to show Nativity Scenes in front of the Courthouse, 

whose sculpture of the Ten Commandments over its doors have also been taken down; 

TV's bombard us with commercials of people only being made happy with the acquisition of more and more things.

 And we wonder why we feel cold and alone as we wander this culture of frozen hearts and grasping hands.

Do you long for that childlike innocence you had so very long ago?

Or does your sense of your childhood seem as far removed and cold as the withered, dead leaves of your past?

 But the wonder and awe still live in your thirsty heart and bruised mind.

Search the corridors of your heart and find a memory of a time as a child when you felt loved and safe.

Reach out for a smell that lives in that moment: 

Perhaps it is the scent of vanilla your mother is pouring into the preparation of your favorite Christmas treat.

Perhaps it the tingle of the cold morning grass beneath your bare feet as you play with your puppy as it runs beside you.

Love can have a feel like the tickling of your mother's hair about your cheeks as she hugs the pain of your scuffed knee away ...

Love is the sense of being made to feel grown up, though a child, as when your mother included you in adult things.

The Christmas Spirit lives within you still.

But like a fire that dies to cold embers if it is not constantly fed, 

the Christmas Spirit must be refreshed with such memories ... and more ...

It must be fed with acts of kindness to strangers, and even more importantly, 

to those close about us who we have stopped seeing as feeling, hurting souls

as we dwell on past hurts and slights.

Love is a perfume that lingers upon the fingers of those who give it to others.

Happy Christmas, Everyone, from me and Midnight

BLUE CHRISTMAS?

Having a Blue Christmas?

I am probably the last person who remembers Shotgun Red - a puppet who appeared on the late lamented NASHVILLE NOW.

On his Christmas Special, Shotgun was driving in the snowy night, trying to reach his family before Christmas.

He kept switching radio channels but no matter what station he found, the tune BLUE CHIRSTMAS blared out: 

Elvis, Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson ...

When he turned to the last station he could get and got the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing it, Shotgun raised his head and howled like a wolf.

Is that Blue Christmas wolf howling inside you right now?

There are ways to starve it and feed the Serene Wolf within:

1.) CHOOSE YOUR COMMITMENTS WISELY -

You may be expected to show up at a family gathering, or to attend a certain set of social events, but if you are not going to feel comfortable in certain environments,

 then simply decline an invitation.

Choosing when to step out and mingle and when to have a quiet night in,

 no matter what day your calendar says, is a great practice in self-care and a great way to avoid a blue Christmas this year.

2.) PUT A H.A.L.T. TO YOUR CHRISTMAS BLUES -

We are much more likely to make poor decisions when we feel Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, so taking time to check in with your current mental and emotional states is important.

Did you choose wisely and commit to a party that you are now feeling too tired to attend?

You have the right to not go.

When tired, for example, the chances of you making decisions that are not aligned with your values, goals, and way of life are higher.

What can you do instead?

Take a nap and see how you feel. Rent a movie and cook some dinner either alone or with a trusted friend.

Listen to new Christmas carols that are not tied to any bittersweet memories.  

Browse YouTube for comedians that add sparkle to your private times.

3.) STRIVE FOR BALANCE -

Instead of indulging at every event, and every time a treat is offered, stay balanced with your daily intake.

If you indulged at a get together last night, try having a breakfast of fruit and a whole grain (maybe oatmeal or wheat toast with peanut butter) and a hearty salad for lunch.

 Starting the day off with good food choices leads to better food choices throughout the day.

The see-saw of Christmas blues can be swung your way by laughter -- seek out sources that make you smile and laugh.  And try to add the perfume of laughter to someone else's day -- some of it will linger on you.

4.) REACH OUT -

Not just for help -- but to give it as well.  

That elderly neighbor you haven't seen in awhile?  Drop in with a plate of cookies or a holiday turkey or food for her pet.

Have friends slipped away from your daily contacts?  Emails are short and simple. Twitter and FB them, letting them know you miss them.

5.) A MOVING TARGET IS HARDER FOR THE BLUES TO HIT -

By simply taking a walk everyday, you are getting the blood flowing and keeping your body in active mode. 

Increased activity releases endorphins which will elevate your mood.

Just as antibody production is connected to both exercise and happiness, so too is endorphin production.

Endorphins act as both a painkiller and as the pay-off for your body's reward system.

You may also get an endorphin blast from talking to a stranger, eating a satisfying meal or being exposed to ultraviolet light.

A jog, an hour of yoga,

(just me trying to get into those ridiculous positions is good for a good belly laugh -- from those watching me)

 a trip to the gym, a bike ride, or anything else that makes you feel good is even more important this time of year.

What can also keep you from a blue Christmas is movement in the form of volunteering. 

It is hard to be down when you are helping others. 

Check with your local food kitchen or charitable donation centers for when and where you can provide service to those in need.

MY NEW TV IS SMARTER THAN ME!

Are you there, too?

My new Smart TV is smarter than me!


SOAP OPERA EFFECT

Does MARCO POLO seemed to have been filmed as a Soap Opera on your new TV?

Your new TV has decided it is smarter than you.

It has to do with the refresh rate of your picture.  Soap Operas are shot on cheaper video tape which increases the frames per second.

Now, your not-so-smart TV has decided to up the ante so to speak on all the things you view.


SOLUTION:

Go deep sea diving down your TV's menu's. 

It will usually take you 2 menu's to find something called

AUTO-MOTION PLUS in your PICTURE OPTIONS.

Turn it off.  It usually does the trick.



DRAG, LAG EFFECT

Disabling "Smart Security" feature completely resolves this issue,

and gets rid of the sluggishness and freezing experienced within the TV's OS.

I also disabled auto-update as I saw this was recommended by other owners as a potential fix.

To disable Smart Security:

Menu button on Remote> System > Smart Security > Off



JAPANESE TORTURE, SET UP MANUAL STYLE

You know those uncountable number of teeny, tiny angels dancing on the head of a pin?

Well, even they couldn't read the even tinier print (in grey not black ink) of my TV set up manual!

Go to YouTube. 

Type in the make and model of your set and put SET-UP, CONNECT, or UNBOX tutorial.

Most, if not all, of your questions will be answered.


I hope this has helped in some small way, Roland