Working Mothers

I feel sorry for my daughter sometimes. She is such a wonderful mother to her two young children. She loves them with all her being and it shows all the time. She never gets impatient with them even though she may be working on her last nerve. She is true and real and constantly chooses to put others first. She is a stellar human being and I admire her tremendously.

It has not always been easy for Hannah, she is an only child of divorced parents. She grew up in a narrow environment that was loving but very judgemental of those that did not believe in the same limiting doctrine and her world view has expanded only as she has faced relationships outside of her restricted upbringing. It's the world that is the problem though, and the reason that I feel sad that we have created a society that fills it's children with false expectations about what life should be about. It is not about the accumulation of wealth to the cost of others, it's about opening our lives and our gifts to one another to the mutual benefit of all! We have lost the sense of community and sharing that defined the early Christian church and many other religious traditions too. I am sorry that she has to go to work to support her family's modest lifestyle when she is still nursing baby Hudson. I feel bad that she has this burden while seeking to raise a family. It's not that I feel she shouldn't work, just that she shouldn't have too. I am truly disheartened at our society and it's wanton consumerism. This takes a direct toll on the rest of the human family of which we are a part, it is unveiled selfishness and greed.

So how do we buck the system? Do we wait for it to crash and then lead the way in rebuilding on a purer foundation, or do we begin to show the way by changing our personal priorities and considering our choices more thoughtfully? Must we disengage ourselves from the culture we live in and create new communities of love? That may solve our personal concerns but would it change our world? Is it just a dream that we can share the wealth that is in this nation with each other and with our global relations? Senator Barack Obama is being criticized for suggesting that additional tax on the wealthy is patriotic! Well I think he's right - it is! If that's the accepted way of distributing wealth then it should be done, and heavily. Charitable giving is an opportunity to avoid heavy taxes, so give until it hurts you Wall Street executives or the IRS will give for you. 'Golden Parachutes' be damned, while the vast majority of citizens have no parachute at all! Things will not change in our country until people abandon the ethic that measures ones contribution to society in terms of fiscal productivity. Capitalism is biased to favor the few to the detriment of the many.

My daughter shouldn't have to work - she and millions like her, many with far less resources behind them. The USA is far behind the societies of Europe that make much more of an effort to help one another, even if the help is meted out by government. Isn't the principal here that our country is governed by the people, for the people? I would suggest that we look at which people our system really benefits and which people are still in need of help! Universal health care, support for all families, benefits for child care, realistic social security payments - these things and more should be the right of everyone in America. No one should have to live a lower standard than another, or stress themselves to the max just to survive. That is not the vision of Christ, or our founding fathers. Somewhere we have gone mightily astray!

May you find love and peace in your life and value only the things that last!

Geoff

The Wonder Years

This has been quite a year for me! When the Queen of England's Windsor Palace caught fire a few years back, crowning a year full of trauma and tragedy, she proclaimed it to be an "Annus Horribilis" - roughly translated from the Latin as "One hell of a ride!" I get where she was coming from, but am grateful that through it all I have learned much that will make the future more likely to be termed "Anni Mirabiles" - The Wonder Years!

I am full of wonder! Today I returned to my old job at the travel company 'Legendary Journeys' that I left, as life as I knew it began to disintegrate, last summer. I was received with enthusiasm and gratitude - and the feelings were mutual. Since that day that I handed in my resignation at lunch and did not return to my desk I have ended a 13 year relationship, seen my home foreclosed on, gone through Chapter 7 bankruptcy, experienced a radical prostatectomy due to advanced cancer, suffered a hernia repair, had my car repossessed and lost my close friend and mentor in a move to Texas! Through it all my parents and my extended family have stood by me, supported and encouraged me and never made me feel anything other than a winner!

What have I won, you might ask? The truth is very simple. I have won way more than I have lost because I have learned what really counts. That material things do not matter, that good health is a gift and the only thing that has value in this life is sharing love with others! I am at peace with myself, my parents are happy and healthy, my daughter and her family have moved back to Sarasota, I have an unbreakable bond with my little granddaughter Haley Grace, I have found real purpose in service through my church, I have started to write, my cousin Shawn is growing out of the troubles that have dogged his life for so long, I live in a cute 1920's cottage that is truly a 'house of refuge', I am going home to England for my cousins wedding next month, and now to crown it all I am back working in a place that really values me and my potential contribution to the organization. So how should I look back at this year - I'll stick with wonder any day! After all it's only today that counts and today is good! Let the year's worry about themselves!

With Love and Peace! Geoff

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Today is my mum's 77th birthday! It seems beyond the realm of possibility that this could be true. Was it not just a little while ago that I brought her a china tea set (that she still has) with my first paycheck from a summer job? Today all I could manage was some English 'treats' and my time. For as long as I can remember I have tried to run away from spending time. Since I was just a young teen I have felt that the things that were the core of me were things that I could not happily share. I was always leaving so that I could go and 'be myself'. I think I developed this state of mind because the religion that I was raised in told me that I was not right, not only was I a sinner like everyone else, but I was sin incarnate. My very being had to change in order to be right with the God that we worshipped. This was the cross that I had to bear. Not the struggle to rid myself of the dark blot of sin that consumed my life, but the struggle to believe that I was loved in spite of my affliction. Being gay in the 1960's was anything but 'gay'. Men that found love with other men were pitied and criminalized. They were given no hope of a happy life, no opportunity for authenticity and no chance to live in the freedom that other citizens enjoyed. Into this culture came a young man who desperately wanted to live, who yearned for acceptance and validation, who more than anything wanted to feel that he was living fully to the incredible potential that was seen in him by the one who loved him most - his mum.

Today I felt that. As I sat with my mum and talked and laughed about the journey of life I felt at peace. I have long been conscious of her acceptance of my sexuality, but until recently I have still felt that I was seen as one who needed to repent and come back to God. For many years I have struggled with my Christian faith because so much of Christendom still condemns me to hell and my mum and dad have been party to that way of thinking. It has taken a tremendous effort on the part of God to convince me that is not true. "Great is your faithfulness, Oh God. Morning by morning new mercies I see!" So now, as I sit with my mum I feel not only whole, but complete. I am able to share my perspective and am comfortable with the knowledge that my journey and my faith is as real and valid as hers . . . and I continue life, growing into that potential for good that has always been a part of who I am.

I may not be changing the world right now, in fact I am about to return to full time work with my old travel company. Someone there says that my coming back is an answer to her prayers. This confirms to me that I am on the right path, that my destiny is on track and that the part that I have to play is right for me - at this time and in this place. To know that is to know peace. I often felt that unless my life was influencing many then it's mission was not accomplished. I now know that as my life touches one person at a time the ripple effect can have unfathomable repercussions and it also helps to keep me humble! To have a mum that stands beside me and encourages me along the way is a blessing that cannot be measured! Her faith in me inspires me to higher ground and her faith in God has given me the foundation on which I have built my life. "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow! Great is your faithfulness, Oh God - to me!"

Happy Birthday Mum!

With Love and Peace, Geoff

Chasing Your Dreams

I just read an awesome book called The Alchemist by author Paulo Coelho. It is one of those fables. full of allegory, that are both ageless and timeless. The story, set in medieval Spain, tells of a young shepherd boy who heeds his dreams and is guided on an exotic journey by becoming conscious of omens and signs. His destination is ultimately reached where it is revealed that the treasure, for which he had been seeking, was . . . but I can't say more! The book is tremendously inspiring and reminds me that whatever our path has been it is not too late to follow our hearts and seek fulfillment of our deepest dreams.

That is the journey that I am on. I have a deep sense that life, as I know it, will not remain as comfortable and easy as it may seem today, and that I am being awakened to heed the warnings and to respond to the signs that are being shown to me. I must remain alert and awake and most of all conscious of the present moment, preparing myself for what I might be called to do.

Throughout history spiritual leaders have taught the ways of meditation and prayer in order to allow ordinary people a chance to connect directly and personally with God. That modern day religious folk are more inclined to let the pastor tell them what to think and how to act, is a clear sign that spiritual revival is in order. For our faith and hope to be authentic it has to resonate deeply within our hearts. Like with the dreams of the shepherd boy, people around the globe are being awakened to a new sense of connection to Spirit. True connection is like cable service, but for most of us it is more like rabbit ears! The signal comes and goes, and in order for us to tune in and prove the source we must seek it out again and again. It is not enough to merely espouse a religion, one's faith can only can help, when our world as we know it crumbles, when it is hardwired and grounded in the love that can not only comfort, but lead and guide on the mystical journey toward the treasure!

Our 'Spirit Cafe' group has recently been considering the fruit that is born in a life that is rooted and grounded in the Spirit of Love. The resulting experiences provide hard evidence of the reality of an authentic connection that goes far beyond the surface of things normally known.

Love’s tender fruit grows, making whole
A life that’s grounded, deep in Thee.
Love, Joy, Peace, Gentleness of soul,
Brings Kindness, Goodness, Self Control,
While Faith flowers Patiently!

These are the depths that I must pursue, for today is the day, and now is the time, when longings are to become reality!

Love and Peace - Geoff

America - The Land of the 'Waiting To Be Free'

This is my son-in-law. Drew is an intrepid guy and I love him! I am so happy that he chose to be a part of my family - his marriage to my daughter is a source of great joy to me as I watch them both grow in sharing a life's journey together.

I hate that moniker though, preferring to think of him as an adopted son - for once you become part of my family you're an in-love, not an in-law. I don't really see what the law has to do with it at all. We marry because we want to declare to the world that our chosen partner is the one whom we intend to spend our living days with. Hopefully that declaration goes for the physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual parts of us, although the notion that the full satisfaction of all those entities can be found in a single human being is dangerous and unrealistic. Why the government has to have a stake in that relationship is beyond me.

That it wants to legislate who can and who cannot form these partnerships leaves me dumbfounded!

This nation, the supposed beacon of liberty to the world, is attempting to delineate the confines of a 'legal' marriage. For what purpose, one might ask? What right does the government have to limit my marriage choices? Surely a good libertarian or republican would baulk at any intrusion of the secular government into his personal affairs. Yet today a presumed majority of Americans still support the withholding of human rights by legislators wanting to define the word marriage in a authoritarian fashion.

Marriage is a Christian sacrament, not a legal institution. For decades the Roman Church refused to marry outside it's communion. Let them continue to set their own standards. That's the essence of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state! If a wedding was proclaimed by the participants alone, the government's only role would be to recognize the partnership and confer the universal benefits and responsibilities occasioned by the arrangement. The end.

The word marriage, as with any other word, is defined by usage not by law. Let's face it, if the government authored the dictionary then the words 'for the people, by the people' would quickly have the originally intended interpretation replaced! If gay people choose to declare a permanent alliance in communities of faith and fellowship that support such arrangements then the government's role must be simply to accept that right with respect and let them name it as they wish.

To all people, of all political parties I say: Let the people declare who they want to share their lives with and let the people claim the inalienable rights that are guaranteed by the constitution - and thankfully still documented by Webster! Whoever you are, if you believe in liberty and justice for all, vote NO on Florida's Amendment 2 this fall. Do not abdicate to a secular body the power to dictate the boundaries of a spiritual union. Unfortunately voting 'no' will not permit the State's recognition of committed gay relationships but it will prevent new obstacles to their future acceptance. At this time such rights are already 'verboten' in this bastion of faux-freedom that we live in.

Many more years of discrimination are likely until Florida and these United States finally reenact the tenets of our forefathers who declared that our inalienable rights included equality and the pursuit of happiness! My friends Bruce and John, who just celebrated 50 years of unacceptable fidelity, are holding out hope for future generations - they will likely live and die as illegals even after a lifetime of public service to America - the land of the 'Waiting To Be' Free.

With love and peace - Geoff

Do You See What I See?

It would not be untypical of me to go overboard with ideas and actions! It is a trait that has served me well for most of my life as it infuses all I do with contagious enthusiasm and has, on many occasions, helped those who find it hard to muster such energy for themselves! On the other hand . . . and this is the core of what I mean to share today . . . on the other hand, there are two sides to every argument! Perhaps even more than two sides!

Just recently I witnessed a car hit a bicyclist at a red light. I was the one who called 911 and I was the only driver who apparently, from three lanes of traffic lined up waiting for the light to change, actually saw what happened. In my enthusiasm for the truth I told the policeman that the light had turned green when the offending car began to move into it's right turn. This claim seemed to put the driver in the right and the bicyclist in the wrong. After giving my statement and contact information I drove off. Immediately I began to question myself to the point that by the time I got home I was unable to clearly state the same position. To be honest, I was not really sure if the light was red or green at that moment and hope that I do not have to support my original claim!

This serves to illustrate the truism stated above. I have been extremely excited about the possibility of a new kind of leadership for our country and have posted what appears, in retrospect, to be clear endorsements of my favorite. Although my perspective has remained value based (with love and forgiveness at the heart) I have begun to see that I may be more narrow in my judgements than I believe myself to be and hence run the danger of being the kind of hypocrite that I rail against inside!

I read a well reasoned article the other day that laid out very concisely why direct negotiations between leaders of enemy powers have not always brought the intended results. Not that I don't still believe direct negotiation to be the ideal, in any circumstance of life, it's just that I have been opened to the possibility that, at least historically, it's rate of success is suspect. Hence I am now able to understand why others may oppose such an approach as primary.

I have always been a renegade, maverick and a rebel. Strange really, because I have spent the bulk of my life's energies defining my identity. The problem is, it is always changing! These days that's disdainfully called flip-flopping. I don't see what is so wrong with that. The issues behind my 'identity defining' relate to the peculiar gift of being able to see every ones point of view. It's not because I am so magnanimous, it is for me almost unavoidable. Give me a good explanation and I'll see it your way. If someone else comes along with a passionate argument for the opposite I can see that too. Consequently some feel that I am high on the empathy scale and low on convictions! One of my favorite snippets of the bible is Paul's claim that 'all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient'. And I get that! I am definitely not black or white, I'm not even grey. I am more like a chess board - every other square!! I think I get the rebel from my mum and the chess board from my dad! Of course, they might think I get it all from my own messy brain!

My daughter delights in the personal idiosyncrasies that we share. Not that these were taught - they just are. Like the fact that we both figuratively masticate our paper napkins, rendering them into ripped, stained and wrinkled strings with our constant finger wiping before our table mates have hardly picked theirs up! You can't teach that! It's part of our DNA. So it is with my mum. She was raised as a Peculiar Person. Peculiar is one of those words that has meanings on 'both sides of the coin'. It can be both usual, and unusual - depending on the context. For example it would be peculiar (unusual, unexpected) to see kangaroos outside of a zoo in England. On the flip side kangaroos are peculiar to Australia (usual, expected). That's what I am too - I'm a peculiar person, and it's in my genes! It was the name of the church that my mum was raised in and that name intimates a specialness and perhaps the individuality of its members.

For me I am peculiar because I am one of a kind. And so are you! We are peculiar because we are both individual and special. Every last one of us on the face of the earth! That we are different is something that the world must come to terms with in order to move forward into becoming a global family. Acceptance is not adoption, that we are all treated equally is the only demand. We must continue to give people the opportunity to see life from a different perspective and the way forward is to remain authentic and connected and grounded spiritually so that we can live out our own truth with liberty and allow others the same opportunity!

My poem on the side bar illustrates this notion quite well. Do you see what I see? Unlikely. Can you see what I see? Possibly. Will you (choose to) see what I see? That remains to be seen!

Seeing things from other points of view is paramount to the creation of a global community. It is not necessary for us to give up our own leanings and convictions about how we should live our own lives for the sake of unity, it is only necessary for us to accept the fact that differences exist and not only exist but are both right. This is a hard one for most of us! That capitalism and communism are at once both right and wrong depends entirely on your perspective.

My mum earned her rebel stripes at church meetings! We were a part of a conservative, nonconformist protestant church and, as is often typical with microcosms of the greater society, there were those who usually led and those that usually followed. Sheep and shepherds. When controversial issues arose, especially issues that ran counter to my mums more liberal world view, she would be the brave one to get up and challenge the erstwhile authority with a question. She rarely argued a point, rather choosing to couch her opposition in the form of one of those questions that forces people to think again. Very smart of her that was, for she was not branded as either a rebel or a renegade because she maintained respect but still forced the issue! Today we would call that 'brilliant'. Why she never rose to be Prime Minister I will never know. It was probably because she needed to focus her attentions on the little rebel that was growing up in her household - one that once would have been less likely to be so kind to those whose actions and beliefs were narrow and outdated (to put it nicely)!

My dad, on the other hand, was a deacon of the church and was held by all in high regard as a man of kindness, gentleness and above all fairness. Out of respect for dear old dad my mum must have bit her tongue a thousand times! Dad was the observer of the meetings who, near the conclusion of contentious or varied discussion, was able to summarize what had been said around the table in an empathetic way and then put it all together into a statement or resolution that the majority was usually able to buy into. The ultimate peace maker and consensus taker. So, hey, I didn't stand a chance! The funny thing is my brother has turned out the same way. He is a keen observer of life and a fair critic of inequities. Although his personal views are very real to him he has developed a unmitigated tolerance for those that believe otherwise, as long as they do so with impunity! Watch out hypocrites - for then the wrath will come, sarcasm and all!

It is with a more humble attitude that I approach today. Not that I do not wish for change, not that I will not still hope for ignorance to cease. But I will remember that there are reasons why folk don't always see things my way and I will go forward, undaunted, to continue to spread my peculiar message of hope that comes from the acceptance of diversity!

Forgiveness is the 'new' WMD

I want to fast forward to November 4th! I know that I shouldn't be wishing my life away so glibly, but it's just that the challenges we face in the next 2 months seem too hard to bear. The circus that is the American General Election process is getting into high gear and unfortunately the losers are going to be folks like you and me! Nowhere on earth is so much empty rhetoric bandied about in such a short space of time. Much of it is plain bunk, designed to poison ones opinion of the perceived opposition rather than enlightening a point of view.

We all see the world differently. If you don't believe me ask your family, neighbors, church friends and co-workers. No two people think alike, and if they do then one of them probably isn't thinking! The challenge today is to discern who is best suited to inspire a troubled nation to take charge of it's future and live up to it's former reputation in the global community, one of respect and admiration. We cannot remain a nation that is self absorbed and fundamentally selfish. We must reclaim our heritage that offers liberty and justice for all and is based on the much espoused, but rarely practiced, Christian principles of love, compassion, justice and inclusiveness. For all the talk about family values who among us really values the global family?

It is unreasonable to continue in the delusion that the USA can sustain it's world leadership position if it's international posture remains confrontational and arrogant. It is irresponsible to endlessly pour tens of billions of dollars of taxpayers money each month into the prosecution of a war that was not ours to fight, while millions of people are starving around the globe - including at home in America. Reasonable men and women are outraged that Americans have been led on a wild goose chase for oil while government policies have inched closer to fascism than at any time in our nations history. Hitler assumed his dictatorial role by hoodwinking the people into believing that certain groups were intent on destroying the fabric of German life. It does not take much intelligence to see that Americans have been cajoled into thinking that the whole of Islam is bent on the destruction of the West and the fear 'mongered up' by such talk allows for the rise of politicians for whom the concept of global family is anathema.

There is no doubt that the future will bring much trouble for America. We have created a multitude of enemies by our self interested meddling into the affairs of the world. We do need a change. We need to let go, once and for all, of our incessant need to be always right. It has been said that everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten! Perhaps the lessons of the sandbox that say "share everything, don't hit anyone and forgive anyone who hits you first", should be practiced by leaders of governments too! Forgiveness in the face of assault is the only way to lasting peace. Violence is never an option.

What would have happened, for example, if Bush had extended the arms of forgiveness toward those who attacked New York in 2001? Where might we be today if we admitted that we have wronged the world, that we are too greedy and self centered, that we do not really care about other nations internal struggles unless they affect our economic interests? Why is it that so many Christians have bought into the lie that the 'Right' is right when the deepest of Christian values - love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace, justice have been ignored for divisive issues of pharisaic legalism? Passionate opinions about abortion and gay marriage have blinded otherwise reasonable Americans from the real purpose of government which is to orchestrate the kind of support on a global level that we all expect to give and receive from our own families and group of friends. We must lead by example. An example that is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and moderated by self-control.

So bring it on Barack Obama - mobilize your people and inspire this nation once again to live the fulfillment of our forefathers dreams and to sacrifice for one another so that all people will eventually live in peace, lacking nothing. Unleash a new Weapon of Mass Destruction upon a waiting world by conquering fear with the power of unconditional love for all humankind! Even though it will cost us now - it will guarantee a secure future for our children!

With Hope for Love and Peace! Geoff

21st Century Trust

Today was an exciting day! Ever since I saw my aunt off at London's Heathrow airport - bound for Africa - in the 1960's, I have been seduced by the romance of travel! I took my first flight in 1972 when I was 18 years old. It was a big deal! I was the first one in my immediate family to fly. People took a boat, train or bus - but they didn't just hop on plane!

I think that is why I can identify with the philosophy that life is a journey, and that it is as important as the destination itself! My former partner used to complain that the travelling days were lost days on a vacation. I felt the opposite; consequently, although we left the house together and came back together, my vacations were always longer by a few days! The last minute packing and the hurried nights sleep before. The mad rush to the airport and the interminable queues. Security and baggage, waiting, watching people scurrying here and there. Timetables and scrolling destination boards. And then the meals! Ahh . . . . !! Of course I am usually a little hyper and often need to remind myself to pay attention to the moment, before it passes, but travel days are exciting - especially flying ones!

Today's excitment was in meeting my folks at the Tampa airport. British Airways was the carrier and as I watched the huge Airbus literally float out of the sky and skim onto the runway I was in awe. That an aluminium tube could transport my mum and dad over 3500 miles across the foreboding Atlantic Ocean is something that we just seem to take for granted these days! I watched planes dip out of the sky and line up like surfers waiting for a wave before gracefully gliding down to earth, one after the other. Then I thought of how many airplanes were doing just that, effortlessly, around the globe, that minute, that hour, that day. And I said thank you! Thank you to the laws of nature, the determination of generations of scientists and engineers and the tenacity of human beings who have created the opportunity for anyone who can raise a couple of hundred dollars to share in this modern day adventure!

It is humbling too, for we take so much for granted. Air travel, as with any mass transit system, is an impossibility of we do not work together as a society. It is a privilege, not a right. An individual might by himself be able to build a cart for a horse to pull, but it would be impossible to construst, for ones own use, a conveyance that can take you from your home in Florida and drop you in London within a half a day! For sure, there are issues with customer service in the airline industry these days but hold on before you start a boycott! How else can you get to Europe and back for less than 12 tanks of gas? At the current average MPG you couldn't even make it one way to England - and it would take you more than a week! Affordable international air travel has made the world accessible to anyone who chooses to take the journey and will continue to unite our global family in the decades ahead. The awareness that travel is a privilege is not lost on me. I have been fortunate enough to visit 44 of the 200+ countries on our globe. many of them by air. This has provided me an opportunity to experience how small the world really is and how interconnected we all are. For this awareness I am grateful. It helps me to think globally while I am acting locally!

I am looking forward to my travel day on October 11th when my cousin Marion will fly me to London for her wedding. I said it would take a miracle for me to be able to go this year! The miracle is two-fold! Not only am I being gifted a ticket, but I will put my trust in some big shiny hollow metallic bullet that has been scheduled to pick me up and deposit me five time zones away before dinner! Wow! I relish that moment and am giddy with anticipation! My vacation will begin as I get up that morning and will not end until I flop into my own bed 12 days later. It's all about the journey and I can't wait to see what I shall see!!

Love and Peace - Geoff