So long, Farewell.....

 It's 12:36AM on 1/21/2025. I just deactivated my Facebook account. I did this for many reasons, and if you are new to following my blog, welcome! The huge push to do this was driven by the absolute madness that will be going on for the next 4 years. I knew if I kept my account, I would scroll through all the mess, and become more and more stressed, and despondent about my life, the lives of my children, and the life of this country. I turned 61 last October, and I can truly say that in all of my years I have never seen anything like this in America. Watching any news, scrolling social media and seeing what's taking place, and what is coming out of people's mouths makes me feel I'm in the Twilight Zone. It is surreal! The hypocrisy is astounding. At some point you wonder if this is all some grand prank, and someone is going to reveal, but it isn't, and I can't stay on a platform that has said that they will no longer fact check posts. It's hard enough watching the craziness and true cult like behavior online or on TV. You can almost convince yourself that it's all for ratings. It isn't real, like the really bad singers on American Idol who have already made it through screenings because the sad fact is people relish in other's failures, and watching some tone deaf person be dismissed from a singing audition makes for good TV. But tonight I was proven wrong. It's not all for show or ratings because a comment appeared on my Facebook post that announced my intent to deactivate, and it wasn't from a troll trying to get a rise out of me or goad me into engaging in an argument online, it was someone that was a friend, and not just a Facebook friend. This was someone that I had been very close to at one time. In all fairness, I know this person is SUPER religious and always has been, and I knew that they were a Trump supporter. The funny thing was that my post did not mention Trump once, but they posted this:

Terri, it is obvious that you are doing what you feel is best for you under the current circumstances. However, there is another side and reaction to today's Inauguration. For me, I feel ADAMANT that today God was honored and glorified! God fulfilled his will and purpose in an overwhelming, unbelievable and miraculous way! No doubt in my mind that God intervened for our country. Donald Trump won over and above what was needed to win. A landslide which left no doubt as to him winning this presidency. The American people voted and this is the result of those votes. This is my voice, my strong  belief that in spite of all the negativity, lies and immorality that became twisted truth were rectified today! Battles of who is right is felt strongly and with a vengeance on both sides. We all have our own beliefs and Godly convictions. This is mine! I have not voiced my feelings in the past to this degree but today is the day. We all handle things differently. I can say for me that I never felt the need to get off Facebook when Biden and Kamala won. I felt just as you do at this moment. However, I chose to handle my disgust, anger and strong emotions by crying out to God to bring a change and bring our country back to God! I respect your decision Terri and wish you the very best!

As I read this comment I became so angry! How can anyone, let alone a professed Christian, think that Donald Trump is the deliverer? I so wanted to comment back, and I actually started to, but I realized that if they were that delusional, nothing I said would mean anything. Anyone who knows me knows that when I am in an argument, I use sarcasm as a defense and not the funny kind, biting sarcasm. It's not a great trait, I know. I get it from my Dad, and, ironically, I hated it when he did it, but I own it. I so wanted to comment on their almost creepy worship of DJT or just comment, "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." Exodus 20:3. I typed it and deleted it. I did, however react with the crying laughing emoji, and the response "Ok" I then unfriended them and blocked them from contacting me. Some people may think that was harsh, but truthfully, I don't want to be friends with a crazy person, and if they had said those same things to me in person, I would have been looking for the nearest exit and wishing I had a weapon to defend myself. Here's the thing. I am not shocked by anything he does, but it does shock me how much other seemingly sane people let him get away with.

For those who have joined me here for the first time, I promise not all my posts will be like this. That's why I got off of Facebook to not get mired down, right? But it is going to be a space where I can release my thoughts. This blog has been extremely cathartic for me through a lot in my life, and it will continue to be so, but I want to leave all of us with this as I think it is the best advice we all can follow as we navigate these very uncertain times. I'm sure you will recognize it.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

And another plea my daughter prays: Help us to see the Light and be the Light.

Stay strong. Stay safe. Take care of yourself. Namaste.

Don't Feed the Animals!

Last night my youngest daughter said something to me that I didn't really take as seriously as I should have. I am sure everyone knows by now what happened in my home state of Virginia on Saturday. I even wrote a post about it just a couple of days ago. I have to say I have become a little obsessed with reading all the articles, and interviews, and tweets about the event and the "president's" (lower case intended) response to the entire situation. Along with reading that news, I am also reading comment after comment from people about each article, etc. etc., the good and the bad. She looked at me and said, "I don't want you on your phone all of the time reading all this negative stuff." I put it away until I was by myself much later last night, and I began to look through Facebook again. Opening up each MUST READ. I came upon an HBO documentary about last Saturday's events, an inside look at what led up to, and all during the monstrosity from the perspective of the "Alt-Wrong" It was truly terrifying! Every word out of these people's mouths was hurtful and hateful and disgusting. They are so angry, and with the empowerment and approval of the "president" they are ready to "Take back their country" by FORCE. There are 2 words missing from that sentence, "if necessary." The reason they are missing is because they are planning on using force. They want to. They can't wait for the next time to see how they can top last Saturday. Killing one girl wasn't enough. In their leader's own words, they showed restraint Saturday. To me that means one death was not enough, they want more. They are blood thirsty animals, and they scare the shit out of me! I was more frightened by Saturday's events than I was after 9/11. I had a hard time going to sleep last night. My little girl was right. How can I function when every free moment I am reading about hate and evil and violence? Will Smith said, "Racism isn't getting worse. It's getting filmed." That's it! It has always been there, but now we literally have the ability to see everything that is going on everywhere every minute of the day, and we have become addicted to it, at least I have. The monkey on my back is Facebook. Facebook started out for me as a way to see friends and their kids and to connect about shows and to make up funny things to be my "status, " and scrolling through, I saw much of the same, but, like everything else, it has evolved, and I don't really like what it has become, but I can't let go. Not just about this issue, but I have seen friends attacked verbally, and, no, I am not exaggerating, for posting a video or quote that they believe in or find poignant, or thought-provoking, and people tear into them as if they had challenged them to a duel. I will guarantee those same people would not have the guts to blast with both barrels if they were having a conversation face-to-face, but hiding behind the phone or computer screen they are empowered. Well, I'm sick of it! ALL of it! Now, please don't take this as me putting my head in the sand and pretending none of this is happening. I'm not! I have other ways of finding things out, keeping abreast of current events. I do not need it in my face every waking moment. Can we go back to the days of "Film at 11?" I know it's out there, and I want to make it go away, but I will be honest, I don't want to put myself in harm's way, nor do I want my children to put themselves in harm's way. If that makes me a coward, well, paint me yellow. I am all about standing up for what is right and what I believe in, but these people aren't Westboro Baptist Church. They are armed and dangerous, and they want to fight! They also want attention as does their inspiration, DJT. You can't fight these people with love, not as an organized group at least. You fight all of this by not engaging, not paying attention. If no one is there to film their ridiculous behavior and their words of hate and disrespect, it takes the wind out of their sails. "If a tree falls in the forest..."
When all of this happened Saturday, and there was rumor that it would happen here as well, someone commented to let them show up to a literal Ghost Town, no businesses open, no one on the street, nothing, including NO MEDIA! To whom would they spew their hate then? It would be as if they had never been there. I like that idea, a lot! I just wish that we could all agree to do exactly that. I am, at least going to start by trying not to dwell on the negative. If you starve the animal, it cannot live! Don't feed the BEAST!

WOW! That's Cold!

The world I live in now is not even close to the world I grew up in. When I was growing up you were considered technologically advanced if you had a solar powered calculator and a digital watch. Now, in literally the blink of an eye, you can be talking with someone on the other side of the world, and not only talking with them, you can see them, face-to-face via a computer or even a phone. We can know anything that's happening in the world in minutes simply by sitting down at our desks and looking at a website. Through sites like Facebook and Twitter, we know people's thoughts and feelings, even celebrities. We have adopted a whole new vocabulary with this technology run world: hashtag, Youtube, tweet, Skype, facetime, social media and going viral to name a few. It is the last two in the list that I want to talk about today. Ever since Facebook appeared on the scene 10 years ago, it has grown to something that has become a normal part of our everyday lives. It is the premier social media site. If you are on Facebook, and if you aren't, I would venture to say you are one of very few, you have reconnected with old friends, connected with new, and had the opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings with potentially 1000's of people in minutes. Talk about "six degrees of separation." With the start up of Youtube it became possible to share virtually anything with "the world" on video. I remember once being in absolute awe that at 2AM in the wee hours of a Saturday morning that I could go to my computer, log on to Youtube and pull up a video on how to finish a knitting project. Right there in the middle of the night, a complete stranger was teaching me how to finish my scarf. Youtube has been used for everything from make-up tutorials, to self-promotion in the entertainment industry to posting music videos. It's brought instant fame to the average Jill or Joe, and helped music groups like Pentatonix reach their millions of fans at the unbelievable cost of NOTHING! That's right. It's FREE to post on Youtube. It is free advertising. Now what enables the video I post today to be seen by millions tomorrow? It has to do with something called "going viral," meaning someone shares it, who shares it with someone else, who shares it with someone else, and so on and so on. You get the idea, it catches like a virus, and before you know it, the video has been seen by millions. Combine something going viral with Facebook's social connections, and you have an unbeatable combination!
In recent days this unbeatable combination has taken the form of something called "The Ice Bucket Challenge" People started making videos of themselves getting drenched by a bucket of ice water, but before being doused they are challenging friends to also take the challenge, and if not to donate to an ALS foundation. Some are asking people to do both, and then they get ice water dumped on them or they dump it on themselves. Sound silly? Maybe it is, but it has gone viral, and everybody is doing it from the advanced ALS patient who started it to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Jack Black and Adam Levine to sports stars and medical teams to just plain folks like me. And at last report, donations have topped 10 million dollars. You read that right, 10 MILLION!!!! Some people have commented on Facebook on some of the videos posted asking what pouring ice water over your head has to do with raising money for ALS - the debilitating disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord? In fact, some of them are pretty negative. The act of the ice water dousing does nothing, no more than the act of running cures breast cancer or wearing a red ribbon on your lapel cures Aids. What it does do is raise awareness. As these infectious videos of people challenging friends to take the challenge spread, the world is learning about the disease and are obviously inspired to donate. $10 million is a pretty good measure of success! So to the naysayers, I say this. 1) Why do you care? 2) If you think it's silly, stop watching it! 3) It's not hurting anyone! In fact it's helping...A LOT!!! One of my mother's best friends was always the life of the party until ALS took her life away. That was over 40 years ago. Maybe in another 40 years or hopefully less the 10 million + dollars that's raised because of a silly little challenge will make this viral craze obsolete. We can only hope! If you'd like to see me get doused paste the following address in your browser, and donate if you're able!  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152610398580199&set=vb.618970198&type=2&theater