Dear Friends,

 Thank you for all the times you've read my writing and made kind, insightful or challenging comments. I've learned a lot from you and continue to hold you dear in my heart.

 This week I start a new job as an Asst. GED Teacher for the local community college.… Read full post »

My friend Eric Hendrix wrote a fun song for those of us who battle lassitude¹.

The moon howls over
the mountains, night tiptoeing
towards the dawn of morning.

Rising high, crying
a lonely sound shrilling bright,
the wolf of your mind stalks you.

How do you tag anxiety

when it bites you in the ass,

constantly following you,

howling up YOUR tree,

shaking you to the bones.

 Forget the clattering knees,

think organs,

clattering organs twisting inside,

a formula for bad night music.

Anxiety is a bitch,

no hound dog howls like… Read full post »

Somewhere inside my mind the clock ticks

ticks off the minutes, hours, rejection letters

a time bomb or a jack in the box surprise;

you know something's going to happen.

Just don't know what.

The interview went well, but

so did the other interviews… Read full post »

Somewhere in the darkest night

the moon shines over midnight mountain,

and the dark is not so frightening,

only different.

  Read full post »

^{Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (SARK)}

Some days, life won't let you stay down...thank goodness. Thank goodness, thank God, (Allah, the Creator) that we have friends, family and good neighbors. Hey, and… Read full post »

From the US Department of Labor:

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of… Read full post »

I encourage you to take action today to take time to sign an online petition to ask Verizon Wireless to get out of bed with Massey Energy. Stephen McGuire has many powerful posts on the damage that Massey has not only done to the environment of the Appalachian mountains but also… Read full post »

 ^{Shadow Coreopsis by JRobin Whitley}

There is a need to write

something;

say something to touch

your heart,

kiss your soul.

Words are limited

shadows of the real. Read full post »

You shine too.

Read full post »

^{Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson speaks at a news conference Monday Aug. 17, 2009 during the Evangelical Lutheran in America (ELCA) convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center. More than 1,000 members of the ELCA voted this week on whether to lift a ban on gay and lesbian clergy to remain}… Read full post »

Another children's story with a dear message of love.

 

Wanted to share a sweet video from my friend Pastor Katrina Foster. We went to seminary together and she was fortunate enough to be at the Assembly where the historical vote took place.

Pastor Foster is the pastor at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bron… Read full post »

Twelve years of exile and pain, that's what life has been for me. In 1997 I chose to be honest with my Bishop and came out to him. They promptly got rid of me even though many stood up for me. Here in the mountains great healing has occurred… Read full post »

...but I wanted to share something beautiful with you for the weekend. Here are some blue skies over the Appalachian range in Western NC.

 And a song to cheer your heart:

  Read full post »

 ^{Disclaimer: This article is really not written because of any of the Open Salon readers who I find to be quite open-minded and daring. It is only because of your open-mindedness that I dare post it before I'm even fully awake. You all are such a blessing and your}… Read full post »

  March 16, 1986 file (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)
 

 
The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.        Job 33:4

In an article by Parveen Chopra describing Zen Buddhism she states:

  ... Zen is a syst… Read full post »

A million soft raindrops
caress a million leaves.
God whispers the earth.

Read full post »

 ^{A dove is often seen as a symbol of Spirit. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill sets free a dove during his visit to Simferopol, Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, Friday, July 31, 2009.  (AP Photo)}

The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me… Read full post »

Get outside the Cherokee woman told me. I knew she was right, that the sounds of the forest, the smell of the woods was just the medicine. I took the dog who loves to walk and explore, and of course my camera. We didn't get far because at the… Read full post »

^{Actor Daniel Radcliffe in New York, on Thursday, July 9, 2009.}

^{(AP Photo/Peter Kramer)}

There are many people who have claimed that the Harry Potter books and movies made from J.K. Rowling's series Harry Potter are anti-Christian and promoote evil. Now that Daniel Radcliffe, the acto… Read full post »