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Oldies, and goodies. What a wonderful world. Imagine. Imagine again w/Bill Clinton. I love this one. Richie Havens. Fragile. Lady In Red. My goodness. More to come!

Three Things Today

First up, our favorite soon-to-be-daughter Amber graduated from Dental Hygiene school yesterday. We've been with her for several years now watching her work tirelessly to get accepted into the school. Retaking English 102 is enough of an indicator of how she would not be denied! For two years she's been gettin after it, and has finally reached the other side/shore. The good news is, she still loves my son Eli and perhaps will marry him away from me someday soon! I thought I was going to have to pay some girl. That's her, Eli and I at the celebration gathering yesterday afternoon. Secondly, recent movie: Winged Migration. Absolutely nature. These guys spent about 4 years all over the planet making this movie. The photography of our planet is awesome, forgive my adjective-weakness. They talk about holding up in some place for 2 months to get a shot, and then, it ends up being less than 1 minute in the final cut. There's hardly any narrative, mostly beautiful music that was written for the film. I first saw it on PBS last week, and had to order my own copy. Recommended for anyone who loves birds, our planet. Third. Some Rumi. If you've not read any Rumi yet, I think it's high-time you did! I'm getting through the second read of Essential Rumi. Every spoken word is a covering for the inner self. There is a way between voice and presence where information flows. In disciplined silence it opens. With wandering talk it closes.

Where we do it!

We got into this place because of the patio about 7 years or so ago. There's always something not quite in its place back here, in process. I mostly try and keep the big-chunks cleaned up. It's our place. It's where we do the things we do. Make love, argue, fuss and fight, have friends over, family. Sit. watch, dine, hope and despair. All of it happens back here. You can see Angel to the left of the green lawn chair in the middle of this shot. She's not why I took it, but she don't know that, she's a ham, whatever that means. I love living here with my girl, taking our life in day by day. Showing up for what comes our way with as much tender attention as we can. If that patio could talk!

OK, a little politics.

I just sent my first contribution to a candidate this cycle. Bill Richardson. He has a couple of things going for him that appeal to me. Number one, he's not number one. I've always sent what little money I contribute to the guys on the side-so-to-speak (McCain last time, NOT this time, Ross Perot, Governor Moonbeam, you know what I'm talking about! OK, maybe not Ross!). On Bill's homepage he talks about 1) Bring the Troops Home, and 2) stopping the genocide in Darfur. Not a bad introduction to a couple of things I care about. I'm NOT a republican or a democrat. I'm not even finished paying attention to these guys/gals that are running. It's just that Bill has caught my attention, and I really like his style and wanted to contribute to his efforts to talk about issues like this. Truth is, I am saddened by my realization that we currently have the worse president ever right now in so many heart-breaking ways, I am looking forward to .NEXT!

Mom

My Mom, I’m getting ready to send a card to my Mom for mother’s day. Getting in the mood to find a way to somehow describe how big my love is for her. Rumi would say something to the effect that words for this kinda love can’t fit in my mouth or not a single pen or all the pens in the world would be up to the task or even if you could find some words, they would seem counterfeit, a flimsy attempt. Children do better with a picture. In my own case I am blessed beyond reason. My mom taught me everything I know about real love, day-in-day-out kind of love, how to love your family and put them above all else kind of love. Often my Mother’s day gift is gratitude to her and a fresh commitment to keep that love-light on in my own branch of this beautiful tree she started. Words, oh my, keep up!

Don't kill that bug!

I have been reading some Issa for the last few days. A book that I retrieved from Morrie's things. A couple of thoughts. I think the author Lewis Mackenzie does a really nice, kind introduction to the man. I'm not a critic of anything really, so I wouldn't know how well the author Lewis or Issa the poet did in those circles, but I do appreciate people talking nice about things (you knew that). And there are several of his poems that treat insects and animals, birds, all of it with the utmost recognition of our common time and life. He brings them into the scene with the life-respect that all living things deserve I feel. That kind of stuff really gets me juiced up. This morning, I was doing my own homegrowne style of this. That bird up there sees everything Doesn't care what's coming. OK, I'm out there now.

The Last Of It.

As some of you know, my hospice patient (I'll call him Morrie) died last month. My son Eli and I spent quite a bit of time helping his Mom (83 year old sweetheart) clear out his apartment. We moved some stuff to storage, about 5 times what you see in this picture. Between then and now, other friends and family went through it, and took what they would. Today, Eli and I met Mom at the storage and brought the final bit of it over to my place. I thought I would go through it one more time, in respect to a man who had a big love for movies, music, literature, poetry and more. There's probably 200+ records here (classics, like InaGodaDavida, Cat Stevens, classic classics and more). Probably as many books. Poetry, Movie Trivia, Reference (dictionaries, thesaurus'sss, books of quotes) literature, etc. I sat with it all of that, and Morrie for a bit. This stuff here is heading to Goodwill I reckon. Where my stuff will go too someday. It's just stuff, but it was his stuff. I handle with care.