End of Summer

and it feels like there are so many things in turmoil. Every time I turn on the radio, Television, open a newspaper or log onto a computer to view the current news of the day. It seems our world is in so much confusion, violence and hurt and no resolution to it's dilemma. The war in Gaza, fighting in Syria, unrest in Africa, rape, mutilation and genocide to women and children. When will it end? Who will help to end this catastrophic worriment. Being a citizen and residing in the safety of the United States of America, i am not without my own concern. I can't help but think of what other people are going through in the localities above and how I would have to prepare for the type of survival skills that they have forcefully acquired due to their situation. I can't imagine myself living day to day about escaping the viciousness of my impending captors, interrupted sleep patterns let alone getting any rest or sleep and where i would be able to get food or water. Where would I hide myself let alone my family, if there any survivors left of my family. Trying to escape to survive the dropped bombs, dodging the whizzing of bullets and sidestepping land minds and hidden gas canisters. Seeing first hand the ferocity and the barbarous acts of violence behind the cover of my hiding place. I am defenseless and unable to help lest I expose myself and be put in the act of endangering myself in their ruthless and sadistic execution of destructiveness of another human being. I can't imagine what is going through their minds or looking into their soulless eyes in their wanton rampage of terrorism. The coldness and harsh reality of becoming less than human when taking someones life is incomprehensible to me. Because I am here in the "somewhat" safety of the United States, I am not without our own violence in the states. But not as enigmatic as to what is going on in the world. I can't imagine but I do, I think and I weep. I worry about my now adult children and what will happen in 50 years. That war can very well happen to the United States if we are not careful and mindful. We are lucky to have what we have and live where we live. But we are not without danger and threat. If these reality shows also focused on what is truly what is going on in the world, homelessness, poverty and wars, our jaded home life would not be as privileged and cushioned by the authenticity of the real world. We need more preparedness programs and classes on how to cope and handle situations. Our children today have no clue as what to expect or handle a predicament. We help to smooth their quandaries by assisting them because we are good parents and want to help them. I hope for them to never know the other side of war and all that it encompasses and it's horribleness. I can only hope good things for our world and our children. And to know that there is good still within our hearts. We shall overcome.

Memories of my memories

It's true, I have been daydreaming and reminiscing about my children, who are all now, young adults with lives of their own and journeying into their own chapters of life. We just graduated a daughter Bryn from Mills College in Oakland last weekend and our son, Manny, from Air Force Boot Camp at Lackland AFB in San Antonio last month. We had another daughter, Camden, that graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore last year. My oldest daughter, Nani, I have not heard from for almost a year and lives in Pacifica with her boyfriend and another daughter, Pua, who constantly drifts in and out of our lives with a semi abusive boyfriend and lives by her wit and know how but always calls or texts me "Goodnight, mom...it's me Pua" tagged at the end of her message. My memories that have been occasional but only recently have begun to be unremitting. They consist mostly of my children as young toddlers up to 10 years of age. Clearly vivid as if yesterday, I can see them playing, hearing their laughs and giggles, brushing their hair, giving them baths, taking them to the store, watching them in pre-school, hearing their stories of gramma and grampa and all of these memories involve some type of motion, sense of smell, and essence of what was, a bouquet of delicious recollections of my children's past of years ago. I don't know why these reflections are so strong and intense. Maybe it's because this is what they call the "empty next" syndrome. But for what ever reason, my children are constantly on my mind. I'm hoping and wishing that their lives evolve into something good and productive as mine has been to me. I hope the good lord watches over them and gives them peace when they're troubled and I'm very glad that they call when they need direction or to hear our voices and I am glad to hear theirs. God is Good, Amen.