Whoa: Dana Reeve, Creation, Politics, Rant, Photos, Impending Road Trip & Blessings!

Yesterday, 3/6/06 was a fabulous day-I felt great, energized, healthy and rested. I got a lot done, homework, poetry (wrote a few new poems) and even manged to clean out my car which was honestly gross. Inside and out, top to bottom-clean, clean, clean-spotless even. I love having clean things, I am my mother's daughter, and despite her years of nagging and bickering with me, I DO clean (more than most really) and the mood to do so does strike me-I'm so proud and I feel so accomplished!

Let me just say that today is a great day also, a sad day in some ways, but good also. Tomorrow is International Women's Day one of my FAVORITE holidays, and March is International Women's History month-let me say that I would be absolutely, positively NOWHERE without the amazing, strong and beautiful women in my life! So, in case I don't get a chance to stop in tomorrow, HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY LADIES-we are women, hear us ROAR!!!!

Speaking of amazing, strong and beautiful women, I am very sad to report that Dana Reeve (widow of Christopher Reeve) has died of lung cancer at the age of 44....

Whoa, this is incredibly sad and heartbreaking.I believe in God, I am a person of faith, I truly believe everything happens for a reason-and though I personally will NEVER understand why such a graceful, courageous, brave, strong and devoted woman was taken so soon-my guess is perhaps God wanted her on His side-up there, with Him, and also with her late-husband, Chris. Too be honest, this makes me question my faith a little, I know in hindsight that people go (die) when they're done here-but I don't think Dana Reeve was even close to being done-she was still forging the path that she and Chris started for all the victims of paraylsis and other diseases. I will never understand why truly outstanding people like Dana, Chris and so many others who die way too young-are taken so soon, while evil, corrupt and inept people with little or no heart-continue to live on-most in comfort, heatlh and peace-I just don't get it. I feel so bad for Will, only 15 years old, now having lost both of his beloved parents in less than two years-actually, less than 18 months-so, so, so sad.Christopher Reeve was a dear inspiration to myself, and so many others; and while I struggle with my own set of health problems and medical setbacks, on my own bad days, on the days when I'm sick and tired and in pain-I always think of Chris-and remember his courage and strength-and how he survived such a horrific accident and came to rise above it. When Chris died, it affected me deeply-and now, the death of Dana Reeve affects me deeply also. This is a sad, but blantant, reminder that life is never fair, the good always die young, and to live each moment and each day to the fullest-because you just never know. Health is something I never take for granted, the ability to walk, talk, sit, stand, see, hear, brush my teeth, be independent, etc....once again, I'm reminded to still not ever take it for granted. It's rare that "celebrity" deaths affect me like this-but my mother and I have cried this morning and it is deeply saddening and heart breaking....I hope that wherever Dana is, she is with Chris-and they are both extremely healthy and happy-and together once again....May Dana Reeve rest in peace, may her son find solace in the strength his parents embodied, and may the entire Reeve and Misoni family be aware of the incredible impact their children had on this world! God Bless Dana Reeve, Will Reeve and the entire family...they all are most definately in my prayers.

I got to thinking about God-and while I am very much a Christian-I do believe there is something to the so-called "New Age" religion. Their theory is that we create whatever happens to us-that we alone, as human beings, create everything for ourselves: our joys, our sarrows, our lives, our "deaths." God is up there, He does exist, and I believe Jesus Christ did die for my sins-but to be honest, "self-creation" isn't sounding so far off base now a days. Truthfully, if each of us didn't personally create our lives-than how in the hell can anyone explain the state of the world-life, death and all it encompases. Honestly, if we don't create our own things, than God must be a venegeful, horrible, hateful God. A lot of people would say that the devil does these things-well, than why do some people get cancer and not others? Why does the media tell us something is great for us and life saving one day, and then come back next week and tell us it'll kill us-seriously, self-creation is the ONLY answer I can think of-that and karma. Mostly karma-the law of cause and effect-what you put out there, you get back. If we all lived by that law-110%, this world would be an entirely different place. Karma is why I try and live my life on the straight and narrow-try and do right by myself and others; treat poeple with kindness and love and forgiveness. It must be karma. You may not agree, and that's quite alright, but right now, it's the comforting thing and the only way I can explain this crazy world to myself.

So, South Dakota banned all abortions-except in the case to save a woman's life. Here again, you know, the goverment trying to reverse Roe V. Wade. Now, I know that it says in the Bible that abortion is a sin, and I absolutely, 110% believe it is. I believe in God CREATING the begining of life, He puts us here when we're supposed to be here, and obviously takes us out when we're no longer supposed to be here. I think abortion and suicide mess with God-and that's never good. But, here's what pisses me off: if my Government is going to tell me what I can and can't do with my uterus, than what are they going to tell me next? Medicaid and Medicare cover Viagra for men, but neither cover Birth Control for women-something's very wrong with that. I know that as an American woman I have more rights and freedoms than most women the world over ever obtain-but today's ruling proves that even American women still have a long time to go. Did you know that ERA was started over eight years ago, and still has not been passed. Women fought and died so I, as an American woman, could vote (which is alone the exact reason I do vote), so now our Government is going to come and tell women that they can or cannot have babies-what next? I hate this ruling because it is a ruling of mostly men-I do not tell men on Capitol Hill what to do with their penises and sperm-so why should they be allowed to tell me what I do with my ovaries and uterus-and as I said before, if they're gonna tell me what to do with those-what the hell are they going to control next. Let me reiterate, I do NOT agree with abortion, I'm not saying I'd have one-I would not-but I do think that God, Himself, grants us FREE WILL-and aside from karma, I believe Free Will is the greatest law of life-so when the Government steps on my OWN personal free will, and that of other women-it is just plain wrong-I thought there was seperation of church and state-perhaps I was wrong.

Oh, and get this, I also thought that tape recording without consent was illegal, maybe not. A teacher was put on paid leave for comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler. Now, that's a comparison I'll just stay out of-however, this student tape recorded this teachers' lesson, without the teacher's knowing or consent-and then took it home to his parents, who NEVER called the school or the teacher to privately discuss the matter-no, instead they took it to the media and now the teacher might possibly be fired. Like I said earlier, everything happens for a reason-this teacher's lesson out of this will be-keep your mouth shut-and insepct the backpacks before you give lessons. But, seriously, where is it that we can go today without being tape, recorded, photographed or otherwise-it's getting downright scary-like George Orwell's 1984 kind of scary. Honestly, folks, this is scary crap-and I don't like it. Of course the teacher said that the quotes were taken out of context and I believe that-everything is taken out of context when put under fire, but still-I have a feeling this teacher was set up and this family is just looking for some money and fame-sad but true. The other thing about this is that teachers are supposed to offer different viewpoints (not their own-which the teacher said this view he was expressing was not his own)-to encourage critical thought, to make the students aware that different opinions and beliefs exist. If we're only going to teach ONE viewpoint, ONE story and ONE side in school-than how can it possibly be called "education." If our school systems only teach ONE viewpoint, ONE story, ONE side; than all they're really teaching is ignorance-education should always equal empowerment-ignorance most always equals bliss-but in this case, it is far from blissful. I agree that teachers should leave their own personal viewpoints outside the classroom, but teachers around the country today have got to be shaking in their seats-there's already a deficit of teachers in America, this incident will only encourage people NOT to go into teaching, and I can see why.

In the words of Marvin Gaye, "What's Goin' On?"

On a more positive note, I finally found and converted all of my photos to my computer and they are great! When I was looking over them, with all of my family and friends and my trip from last summer-I just started crying-tears of joy welled up and it occured to me that even with the shitty state of the world-my world could not be better or more blessed.

I am still free, healthy, and peaceful-and that's all I need. I cannot worry, fix or change the world-I can only do those within myself, and today, as well as yesterday-have been outstandingly wonderful days!

I am SO excited about my upcoming road trip to my Grandma Joni's 70th Birthday party next week-then onto San Francisco and the Bay Area to see some friends (all former nurses-yay) and then on up into Reno to see my hometown family and friends-I'm SO psyched I can barely stand it!

In conclusion, with all the crap and unfairness in the world, I am still so amazingly blessed I cannot even put into words-

I hope that you find and count your own blessings too, not just today, but everyday!

Many Blessings All Around to each of you!

In Light & Love,
-Sarah Liz :)