It was a wonderfully happy anniversary yesterday. The birthday of one of our nephews.
It was also a horrible anniversary, as far more people know: that of the infamous terrorist attack on US soil in September of 2001. You understand my intense desire to have the former event wholly eclipse the latter. I don’t demand that all the world celebrate our nephew’s birthday (though our niece and any one of our nine nephews would all be well worth the attention), but I would absolutely recommend that the whole planet get a lot less warlike and a lot more humane overall.
If grey is the new black, we should be mature enough by now to play well together.
Americans, first and foremost. We may be barely over 200 years old as a country, but we’re old enough to know better than to tear around the planet saber-rattling and messing around in every other country’s business whether they like it or not. Aren’t there enough things to keep us occupied in more peaceful pursuits? Many such valuable actions could probably be funded on the strength of one month’s national military expenses, things that might not only make the country better educated, healthier, more scientifically advanced but also better able, even, to improve conditions for other people, other nations.
Call me naive.
But first, here’s a nice little bouquet, from me to you. It’s a small thing, I know, but I’d like to start somewhere. You’re welcome. Pass it on, please.
Art-Colored Glasses 
Lovely sentiment, Sweetie. I’m of the “Remember the bad, but CELEBRATE the good” frame of mind…All most of us can do is work on Peace in our own sphere, and hope that others will do the same in theirs. š
You are such an obvious practitioner of peacemaking and knowing how to keep Bad and Good in their proper places that I look to you often for inspiration in just such things! xoxo
The bouquet is gorgeous. Thank you!
I am so glad you liked it. One of my *very* few completely hand-drawn *on* the computer illustrations so far. š Slow learner.
I sure hear you, Kathryn.. when I made a similar comment on a different topic.. someone sarcastically (a newspaper website) sarcastically said, “Let’s all join hands and sing kumbaya.” Yup.. I’ll sing kumbaya any day.. Love your flowers!! Gorgeous!!
Honeychile, I am singing right along with you at the top of my [very faulty] voice. The new church interim gig Richard’s doing had us both at their rehearsal last night for our first Wednesday together (about 100 singers?) and at the end of the session, they enacted their tradition of everyone in the room (even non-singers like me) joining hands in a giant circle and singing Lutkin’s ‘The Lord bless you’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4C9zVg5X_A) and it was amazing to see how instantly I felt at home among this crowd of strangers. If that isn’t powerful, I don’t know what is. Hokey or simplistic? Who on earth would care if they all felt like I felt at that moment.
It is bad enough that war or war-like actions are even on the table. Must they be the first or second response to already savage actions?
Not on our watch, eh.
Beautiful flowers, Kathryn!
Thank you kindly. š