Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Things really do not make you happy.  They really don’t.  The only thing that does is love.  The people who are in your life whom you love.  I just came back from NYC where I met my sister and her husband briefly.  We went to an outstanding art museum (and NY is full of them).  First we had lunch or should I say brunch in an outstanding bagel shop.  I had something that is almost impossible to get in Pa–a good salt bagel.  I had come a long distance on Amtrak for this rendezvous to spend some time with my family or at least part of my family.  Then we walked around and viewed art in a nearby museum.  I was amazed how quickly I became tired.  After an hour and an half we sat and ate at the restaurant in the museum.  It was more to rest than to eat.  I was glad to see my sister and her husband.  They were in from California.  My family this year threw me a birthday party.  I can’t remember the last one thrown by my family.  It was my sister’s idea.  I did see the rest of my family that day at least my other sister and her husband.  I no longer remember whether my nephew was there and his wife.  I think they were.  It was a perfect day.  I will not forget it for awhile.  I did see my nephew (and his wife) on this trip to NY.  The train ride was fun.

Tags: a perfect day, Amtrak, art museums in NYC, bagel shop, California, family, family birthday party, love is the only thing that matters, my nephew, my sister, my trip into NYC to see family, NY, PA, salt bagel, things don't make you happy, train ride, visiting family
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I reviewed the things that were depressing me.  And listed them.  There were some major reasons and some minor ones that by themselves were not enough to cause me to be depressed but were just another reason to be.  It was an accumulation of factors.  I am trying to eliminate what is in my control to change and see if my depression will lift.  It is worth trying.

Tags: chipping at depression, depression, depression an accumulation of factors, in my control to change, mental health
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Everything is by grace.  I was taking a shower today and had to remind myself the house I lived in before had no shower and for fifteen years I could not take a shower.  I remember being thrilled every time we were in a motel:  they had showers.  I thought about all that briefly.  Everything is by grace–even a shower.

Tags: Everything is by grace even a shower, everything-is-by-grace, God, grace, taking a shower
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It is always better in the light.  I need to get out, rub shoulders with others–even if it is only briefly.  Sleep is coming from the darkness.  It is an abyss.  You have no control of your dreams.  It is almost like death.  My surroundings are too familiar.  Outside it is light (and sometimes hope).  Depression is too easy.  It is always better in the light.

Tags: better in the light, death and sleep, depression and the light, don't stay in familiar surroundings, dreams are an abyss, light and hope, need to get outside, no control of your dreams
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Give us today our daily bread.  The prayer we give every day is God satisfies our daily needs.  This is illustrated by one of Jesus’ parables.  A farmer had a great crop and he built a gigantic store house.  And Jesus came to him and called him a fool.  Jesus informed him his time has come.  You don’t have to stock up.  He will take care of us every day.  And it is a day at a time. That should be our prayer:  He fulfills all our physical needs a day at a time.  Each day you face.

Tags: "give us our daily bread", a day at a time, God, God satisfies, Jesus, no need to stock up, our daily prayer, parable, prayer
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I like wearing out my clothing.  I have a favorite tee shirt that has holes in it.  I want to wear it until I can’t any longer.  I remember my friend giving me a hard time for my tee shirt had some holes in it.  I really don’t care but he did.  I had to remember he worked his whole life for one company as an engineer.  He simply threw out clothing that had holes in it.  He never lacked for money.  I am torn between being concerned about what other people will think and simply being comfortable.

Tags: being comfortable, engineer, favorite tee shirt, money, my friend, throw out clothing, wearing out your clothing, wearing tee shirts with hole in them, what other people will think
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It was a reprieve for Pax.  Last week one day he just lay there almost motionless.  My dog would not eat or drink anything.  He just lay there.  I thought it was the beginning of the end.  He is a big dog, thirteen years old.  Really big dogs don’t live as long as smaller dogs.  I thought his time was up.  His malaise lasted only one day.  All of a sudden he perked up, drank water and ate again.  It was not his time.  I will try to not take his life for granted any longer.  I don’t know how much time he has but I will make an effort to treasure his remaining days.

Tags: big dog, dogs, Don't take his life for granted, it was not his time, Pax, Pax's malaise, pets, treasure remaining days
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I am a homebody.  The grass is not, necessarily, greener somewhere else.  One of my sisters loves to travel.  I don’t have the same wanderlust.  It is true I don’t have the financial means she has.  Nevertheless, I like being home.  I still make discoveries every day in my backyard and in my house.  I am surrounded by my books and music.  I like having them at my fingertips.  I do have seven cats and four dogs that make it more difficult to just leave and go somewhere but I love my animals, particularly my dogs, and always miss them when we go away once or twice a year.  Sometimes I visit my oldest friend in New Orleans.  And I go by myself.  It is just easier that way.  When I return from a trip, home is just that much sweeter.  As Richard Thompson says in a song, ‘Every heart needs a home.’  Even when I am home I only go out briefly.

Tags: 'Every heart needs a home', books, cats, dogs, four dogs, grass is not necessarily greener, homebody, music, my backyard, my sister, New Orleans, oldest friend, pets, Richard Thompson, seven cats, travel, wanderlust
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Peace always revolves around grace.  Each party commits mistakes.  Conflict always exists.  There can not be peace without grace.  And grace does not come about without forgiveness.

If you talk about conflict between nations, there are always atrocities committed by both parties.  Conflict is on-going.  The only thing that breaks the vicious cycle is forgiveness.  We don’t earn that.  Only grace enables a nation to forgive the other.  Then the cycle is broken.  It is done one person at a time.

Let us get more specific.  Let us talk briefly about Iraq.  Thousands of civilians in that country lost their lives in the fray and civil unrest.  No one talks about them.  Many civilians died.  Many people are mourning their close relatives who died there.  Yes, many Americans died there or were injured, too.  And their survivors are mourning them, also.

There is only one thing that will stop the carnage–forgiveness brought on by grace.  And as I said before you can’t earn it.  Each party has to forgive the other.  Vengeance does not solve anything.  That only happens by grace.

Tags: conflict, forgiveness, God, grace, peace, peace and grace and forgiveness, war and conflict in Iraq
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He was the best boss I ever had.  I remember two things he stressed:  he would not tolerate gossip in his department and he insisted every person do his job properly.  He would get on your case if you engaged in gossip.  If you had a beef with him, you had to directly discuss that with him.  No one was allowed to engage in gossip.  He knew how destructive gossip could be in a department.  If you were not doing your job, he would correct you and insisted you hold your weight.  Slackers were not allowed.  He knew if one person did not do his job that would spread to the whole department.  Morale would be affected.  I never forgot the story he told me when he ran a big trucking terminal.  The workers who would slack off he would position right next to him right and left.  They knew they could not get away without doing their job properly.  He was a good boss and morale in his department was always high.  I learned how to be a good boss from him.

Tags: best boss I ever had, do your job, good boss, morale, not tolerate gossip, slackers
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If America is so free, why do we have the biggest population of prisoners in the world?  That is a good question.  A disproportionate number of prisoners are black and poor.  I guess if you have a good lawyer, you usually do not end up in jail.  Many of the prisoners are in for non-violent crimes–mostly drugs.

Another travesty is there are more mentally ill in our prisons than in hospitals.  And many are not getting proper care.  Also, corporate profits are at a sixty year high.  And their taxes are at a sixty year low.

I just read if you factor inflation in, the minimum wage would be over twenty dollars.  It is not, so where are the profits coming from?  I thought I read that in the US one in five collect food stamps.  All that is not right.  Are we really our brother’s keeper?  Our leaders have a vested interest in keeping our population poor.  Our politicians may be elected by the people but most of them do not answer to the general population.  It is big money that they answer to.

In the words of Fidel Castro’s brother (during a Sean Penn interview), the politicians in America are the ‘ruling class.’  And now the government wants to run the medical profession.  As more and more details come in, instead of the price of medical insurance going down it might double or triple for some people in 2014.  It is enough to really get discouraged with our country.  Our land of the free.

Tags: a good lawyer, America, Are we our brother's keeper?, big money, corporate profit, corporate taxes, Fidel Castro, food stamps, freedom in the US, government and health insurance, health insurance, inflation and the minimum wage, jail, Land of the Free, medical insurance, medical profession, mentally ill in prisons, minimum wage, non-violent crimes, our country, our leaders, politicians, politicians are the 'ruling class', prisoners are disproportionately black and poor, Sean Penn, US, USA, We imprison the greatest per cent of our population in the world
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The two worse words in the English language are “I can’t”.

Nothing more than those two words can destroy a relationship.

Nothing more than those two words can destroy one’s potential.

And there is nothing worse than not trying.

“I can’t.”  I can’t tell you how many times I flung those words at my wife.  She flung them back at me.  My two children, 4 and 5, are learning the same.  I am now trying to undo the damage.  For six years my wife has refused to listen to those two words.  When I uttered them in her presence she would scream at me, “No!  No!  Anything is possible.  Please don’t teach our two children to say those words and believe just because something is difficult that is enough reason not to try.”  For six years she has been hammering at me.  For years those around me had exclaimed, “There is absolutely nothing you can’t do.”  I would just shrug my shoulders and continue my negative ways.  I will turn 45 soon.  For the first time in my life I believe I am capable.  My wife has finally won.  “I can’t” has been eliminated from my vocabulary and replaced with the attitude, “I can.”  Every successful man has a woman behind him.  I know that perfectly.  And I have fought my wife every step of the way.  But now I believe.

Tags: "I can't", "I can", anything is possible, believing you are capable, I believe, marriage, negative attitude, relationships, teach your children
Posted in balance, children, knowledge&learning, life, love, marriage, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »