I have a Christmas Story to share with you.

My kids have these 2 brat dogs that listen to me, not them. When the oldest one, who is a Ridgeback (she’s now 3) was little, she learned from me what my son’s name was. She knows him by name. She also learned my daughters name. My son thought it was funny, so he taught her to acknowledge me as GRANDma. When she would get in trouble by the kids I would say to her “Is GRANDma’s GRANDpuppy getting in trouble?” She would come over and get up in my lap to tattle on them. She was a lot smaller then. Now she’s a very large dog. She’s golden and if her tale was docked and she had white spots on her backside she could pass for a baby deer. The other brat dog is a Chow Chow that is black and tan. He’s half the size of the Ridgeback. He’s 1 and also knows me as GRANDma, yet feels it necessary to sleep with me. He’s kind of a scaredy cat for the most part and always looks at me to see if it’s okay.

These two dogs start jawing, that dogs do in play, in the house. Everyday I have to send them outside at least 4 or 5 times to play. Of course, they have a doggy door. That would be my kitchen door that goes out into the backyard. I actually had to replace the kitchen door last year, that was a wood door that my Ridgeback and Chow split in half as they both tried to go out the doggy door it at the same time. I now have a metal door that looks like wood.

I sent them outside tonight for the umteenth time to play. It’s the Moon. They kept knocking into the Christmas Tree and crushing anything in their path. After they went outside, a few minutes later I got up to go into the kitchen and both of those dogs came through that doggy door 80 miles an hour and my Ridgeback ran into me knocking me down in the kitchen floor. It kind of gave a new meaning to the song “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer.” I can actually say I have experienced it first hand. I hate when that happens.

All to many times we take the good things that come to us for granted and curse those we blame for the bad things that happen to us. We worry over the obstacles that are presented to us and panic when we can’t influence a change for ourselves. Friends, family and lovers try to help in their mind set opinion of what we should do and it’s comforting to us they care enough to share their thoughts, but sometimes we just know that we need to come to terms with our changing life and overcome our situations on our own. We encounter people and situations we love and people and situations we just find useless or annoying. Take heart you are growing up spiritually when you handle that change in a calm rational manner and you will find new doors opening for you. It may not be overnight and for most people, patience is not their virtue, but you, like everything else on this planet are special for withstanding the test of time.

Give thanks if you are spending the American Thanksgiving with family and appreciate them and love them for what they are, good or bad. Give thanks if you have loving friends that asked you to eat with them when you had no where to go. Give thanks to the people you have encountered that made you feel awful, but taught you a valuable lesson you don’t want to admit to. Give thanks you have more than the homeless who are spending their Thanksgiving on the street and in food banks that have nothing more than the clothes on their back. If you are actually reading this, give thanks that you have access to a computer because there are a whole lot of people who don’t have this luxury.

This Thanksgiving I am so thankful I have a dysfunctional family that argues and banters constantly, but is always there when you need them. I am thankful I have two obnoxious selfish teenagers with an attitude that will never overpower mine even though they try really hard. I am thankful for my home, even if it’s broken, my neighbors I grew up with and some I didn’t, because we watch out for each other. I am thankful, for having to cook the entire Thanksgiving Dinner for my family, because we had the money to buy food, that my dogs and cats have not stolen for themselves, although they are waiting for an opportunity. I am really thankful for having my friends and family in my life to kick my butt, make me think, and go to the path beyond;)

Accept yourself for who you are and accept others for who they are.  You may disagree with them and they may annoy you, but you probably affect them in the same way. 

Be thankful if you have food on your table, others won’t, be thankful you have a place to live, others don’t, be thankful if you are working, others are not, be thankful if your health is good or you can afford medicine if it’s not, because others are not well and can’t afford medicine.  

And if you can help others just do it.

Have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Love and Light to All

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers intheir arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherryKool-Aid saying, “It’s okay honey, Mommy’s here.”Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies whocan’t be comforted.This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hairand milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloweencostumes. And all the mothers who DON’T.This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see. And themothers who took those babies and gave them homes.This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on theirrefrigerator doors, and for all the mothers who froze their buns on metalbleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmthof their cars, so that when their kids asked, “Did you see me, Mom?” theycould say, “Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” and meanit.This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store andswat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice creambefore dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realizehow child abuse happens.This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explainedall about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, butjust couldn’t find the words.This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. Forall the mothers who read “Goodnight, Moon” twice a night for a year. Andthen read it again. “Just one more time.”This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelacesbefore they started school. A nod for all the mothers who opted for Velcroinstead.This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cookand their daughters to sink a jump shot.This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voicecalls “Mom?” in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are athome — or even away at college.This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach achesassuring them they’d be just FINE once they got there, only to get callsfrom the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up.Right away.This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can’t find thewords to reach them.This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman’s child orchildren, and gave their time, attention, and love… sometimes totallyunappreciated!For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their14-year-olds dye their hair green.For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and themothers of those who did the shooting.For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of theirTVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, andnow pray they come home safely from a war.What makes a good Mother anyway?Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cookdinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in herheart?Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear downthe street, walking to school alone for the very first time?The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. toput your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, thatcomes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door andknow they are safe again in your home?Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hearnews of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for youngmothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation…And maturemothers learning to let go.For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.Single mothers and married mothers.Mothers with money, mothers without.This is for you all.For all of us.Hang in there.In the end we can only do the best we can.Tell them every day that we love them.And pray.”Home is what catches you when you fall – and we all fall.”HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!(FYI, I did not write this, but please share it with all the mother’s you know, as that is what the writer intended.)

I am wishing all of you the happiest of times in the New Year.

Make wise choices daily, even if you have to change your mind. Live a life that suits your needs, even if you lose others. Let go of the baggage you carry, even if you end up alone. Love everyone with all your heart, even if it hurts. Forgive, Let Go and move forward as the Heavens Love you and are with you in your wise decisions to grow Spiritually.

Love, Light and Happiness to All.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

This isn’t something Dr. Phil would condone, but then again Dr. Phil isn’t an only parent and the “mother” of teenagers. Most of the time my teens act like heathens, (not that they were raised that way), but…., they really only annoy me when they start fighting with each other and I’m working, or on the phone or they have left 1000’s of dishes for me to do, after they have continually eaten all day. Unless fists start to fly between the 2 of them, I just don’t want to be in the middle of their arguments, (which have no meaning to begin with.) Sometimes I have to threaten them with being knock into another dimension. Usually it’s my daughter that gets in trouble because she never lets up until I charge into the room with a 5 gallon wooden paint paddle and threaten her with a foster home. Not that I would ever hit either one of them with the paddle, (maybe I should) nor send her to a foster home, (and she knows it), but it does make a point. I have, however, hit it on the wall before, which has gotten their attention. They both know when they have pushed me too far when I am reprimanding them in a language that is not English and always one of them interrupts me to ask me what a word I said 3 minutes prior means. I’m sure that is a ploy to throw me off track.

Both of my teens have been working very hard the last 3 months to make money for the Holiday, as they claim. The Holiday in my house is celebrated with the arrival of the Winter Solstice, on December 22nd when Nature becomes dormant to rest, and Santa Claus become active to give with his heart out of love and kindness. Yes Travis, we put up a tree, but it represents the life that continues to live in the harshest elements. Although, my kids don’t get that part yet, living in the desert. Harsh weather to them is dust storms, dry lightening and thunder, sometimes turning into thunderstorms, with flooding rain, in the summer months.

My son told his sister that “Mom” would buy presents from him to give to her. (Hmmmm) To bad he didn’t tell me that, because his heart would part of his anal retentive brain right now. I’m not sure about your teens, but my Taurus the Bull daughter was irate over her selfish, self centered brother’s attitude when she ask him for money to get me a present for the Holiday and he refused claiming his money was for college.

My kids aren’t suffering, because they aren’t the ones listening to themselves fight with each other. Being the outrageous and off the wall mother that I am, in defense of living alone with teenagers, revenge is mine in the end, over any self righteous and self centered attitude from any child I have. It just doesn’t cut it with me, in my house. I spent the better part of the day utilizing TAPE. For every 1 gift I got my selfish son, I got my daughter 2. For every gift I wrapped for my son, I used a half a roll of tape, just to agitate him when he tried to open those gifts. My kids open their gifts on Christmas Eve from family, but Santa Claus always leaves a major gift on Christmas morning. The only ones receiving a gift that morning with any meaning will be my daughter and me. My son wanted a new pair of shoes from some special sports company. He wears a size 14 shoe and I was NOT going to spend that kind of money on shoes, especially, the way he has acted lately. (Selfish hormones) So, I bought my daughter and me shoes that will be opened by us Christmas morning that Santa left and my son gets a bag of m&m’s, just because he agitated me with his attitude. BTW, my son thinks there really isn’t a Santa Claus, he just hasn’t gotten a clue how Santa can affect his life. I think he might have gotten some clue tonight after my 16 year old cat fell (my cat has arthritis in his back from getting rolled by a car when he was 2 that broke his lower back.) My cat fell off the computer table and got his claws caught in my computer chair. My dogs ran to his rescue, which terrified him more. I yelled for help from both of my kids to get the dogs, but the child cleaning her room, listening to music and the furthest away came, but my son claimed he heard nothing, 20 feet away from me and no noise going on in his room. Can you say anal retentive, without a sense of helping, even his own mother in need, but expecting everything from her. NOT in my house. He probably won’t speak to me for the next week, but I did let him have it in no uncertain terms. Sorry, but he pissed me off.

Through the midst of all of this nonsense with my teens, I have had 2 proposal of marriage. Bet you guys don’t want to marry me now knowing what I deal with on a daily basis. Will I ever admit there is no modern day Santa Claus to my children, NO! Without Faith in something greater than you really understand, you have and get nothing at all;) Your Higher Power works for you in ways you can comprehend, if you take the time to pay attention to what you are doing and what is going on in your life.

Before any one of you leaves feedback about true Christian teachings and what an awful mother I am, keep in mind, my Grandmother, who was raised in the Celtic Spiritualism, became a Christian Ordained Minister when I was 17 years old. I’ve lived in both worlds and have chosen the first, regardless of your Christian beliefs. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for all and teenagers will always be the same until they become adults and have to face life for themselves.

Today is the first day of the Celtic New Year. For all of you die hard Celts and Neo-Pagans, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today is Samhain, pronounced Sow-in, in the Irish and Scots Gaelic Celtic languages, but if you use the Celtic accent in modern Irish Gaelic, it sounds like Samhain to those who speak English. To pronounce this word, in my world of saying it in Breton, it is Kala-Goanv and to the best explanation I can give, (and anyone can correct me if I am wrong to what I learned as a child) but it requires you to spit through your throat into your nose in any Celtic language it is spoken. (A task not common to Americans)

May it be the best Spiritual Year of your life and always listen to what Nature is telling you, regardless of how you say it in modern day language.

Halloween has always been celebrated in my family as a Celtic Holiday. Even when I lived in Great Britain everyone got the day off work as it is a Holiday. It wasn’t until I had children and they started attending elementary school that I realized that Halloween was a big problem with several different religions who wanted the subject ban from the public schools. My son came home from First Grade crying because other children were calling him a Devil Worshiper. I’m not sure about your kids, but my 6 year old son had no clue what a Devil Worshiper was, all he knew is the kids were being mean to him because he celebrated Halloween in a Family Tradition. I was appalled. I called the teacher the next day. She had wanted to have a Halloween party, but too many parents complained to the School Board that it was a day of Devil Worship and it had to be canceled. Now I was mad.

I ended up writing a letter to the School Board explaining the true meaning of Halloween. My son’s teacher wanted to sign the letter with a comment of her approval that Halloween should be allowed in the public schools as a History lesson. By the time I got the letter back, every teacher including the Vice Principal and Principal had signed it. The School Board approved it and I was asked to come in and tell the story of Halloween to the First Graders and their parents under the guise of a Family Heritage Day. All parents who attended were asked to share their family heritage with their children. (I did not include the religious aspect of Halloween to the parents and kept it on a first grade level for the kids, but I am including it in this blog)

This is the story of Halloween as taught to me by my Great Grandfather and Celtic Lord. Keep in mind I am translating to the best English words for descriptive purposes, as my Great Grandfather spoke a mix of the Celtic Languages when he talked about the “Old Land”, of Great Britain and Ireland.

‘The story of why we honor and respect Halloween and other Celtic holidays goes back 1000’s of years through our Family bloodline. Times change and people change their view of life and how it should be lived. Those believing they are great rise to great heights, but they will always fall and eventually have to pay the price for their wrong actions on others. Our People (the Celt’s), saw the Earth and Universe as part of a musical rhythm in space and time. We spent hundreds of years marking the planets in the sky and building “towers” to view them better, marking seasonal changes of the Earth, and developing defenses to protect our people from those tribes that wanted control of our land and our life. We were and will always remain docile people, at least until we are provoked by someone else’s hate, greed or jealousy. On this day, when you honor Halloween you are honoring Samhain. It is the Gaelic word for the month of November and on the first day, it is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. As now, we celebrate New Years on the Eve of New Years Day that comes the first of January, but there is more to the celebration of October 31st than most people understand today. The Christians of the Roman Catholics observe it as All Saints Day to honor their Saints. Other religions have called it All Hallows Eve to honor the “Sacred Eve” in the Bible, (as hallow means sacred), but to Our People the Eve of anything means the Goddess of All things reproduced and soon to be brought forth for our existence on this planet, as only a female can reproduce. It is only in this “Age” of all things ending that men have taken control and women are considered weak. It will change when the “New Age” arrives.

In the past, All Hallows Eve, was changed to Halloween, but still people don’t understand why. It’s true meaning comes from the Celts, as Hallow means sacred, but een means eye. It was the Gift of Sight (sacred sight) given to all people, but many ignore it, don’t understand it, are afraid of it or allow themselves to choose the Wrong Path in their decisions because they refuse the Sight out of fear.

Halloween is celebrated on the last day of October because it is also the last day of Harvesting Food to store during the winter months in the Old Land. People piled their food into barns. Their town may have spread across miles of land, but there was always a Center to their town. At the end of the day of Harvest, the people gathered to the Center and all brought food and drink to have a celebration. During their celebration of the end of Harvest, thieves would raid the barns full of food while no one was home. Our Family (meaning the Celtic people in general) decided to scare the thieves by carving pumpkins with scary faces and making ghosts and goblins out of things they had, then leaving them around their homes and barns. Most of the other people (non Celt’s) were afraid of being attacked by scary things they didn’t understand and Our Family knew what would scare them. It worked for awhile, but the thieves realized they weren’t real and continued to raid the Harvest. So, during their celebration of Harvest the Celt’s continued to make scary faces and hang ghostly creatures around their land, but dressed their children up in scary costumes to scare away the thieves by making ghastly noises in the dark. The children were missing the Harvest celebration with all the food, sweet fruits and honey Our Family Harvested. Many children ran between homes, some miles apart, to help protect neighbors who didn’t have children, so the neighbors would give those children food and sweet fruit, like apples, cherries, plums and sloes, that had been dipped into honey, and left them a barrel of cider to drink from, to repay them for protecting their food for the winter.

When the Quakers came to this country to live so did many thieves, but harvesting continued, so the Quakers could eat, with the help of the Indians that already lived here. The same principal of All Hallows Eve was used in this country that was used in the Old Land, to help protect the food through the winter and kept the thieves away. All Hallows Eve became Hallows Eve and eventually Halloween. Times changed and the celebration of Community Harvest ended, but the Spirit of Harvest will never end in the minds of the true Celtic children who look forward to running from home to home for sweets. Without the children we wouldn’t be here at all.’

After I presented my story of Heritage, not one parent had a problem with Halloween as they looked at it as a Heritage they really never understood or were given the wrong information about growing up.

The following year, however, when my daughter entered the first grade, the very same problem arose around Halloween, but this time with a new Principal, who was convinced it was a day of Devil Worship and wanted it ban from the school. I had no choice, I complained to the Governor of the State and submitted my Great Grandfather’s story. Educators, including Principals and the School Boards in public schools were not allowed to impose a ban on Halloween, as it fell under the Freedom of Religion, since the Christian and Jewish Holidays were acknowledged by teachers and children in public schools, so could any other religious Holiday on the calendar be acknowledged. Negative language and the term “Devil Worshipping” had to be omitted from all School officials and not allowed by children in the classroom.

Although, my children are beyond elementary school learning, it doesn’t mean that adults are beyond learning things that they are ignorant too. Not everything may be as it seems, as Halloween, in no way worships the devil. Don’t be afraid to seek out alternative information and judge for yourself whether it is possible or even probable in this time. After all, Pluto WAS a planet. For those of you that don’t understand why it’s not anymore, it does not rotate on it’s own axis like the rest of the planets, but does rotate around the Sun’s gravitational pull. Smile, your life is about to get more complicated and confusing in the “New Age”.

It has been been a while since my last post and for those who have sent e-mails inquiring as to what’s up, my mother is very ill and my kids are in summer sports and I am the chauffeur.

However, today is the Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is known and celebrated, mainly in Europe and by today’s New Age pagans. There is always a major celebration at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plains in England. If you have never been to a celebration at Stonehenge during a Solstice it would amaze you from a spiritual point of view. Although, the spiritulists that attend the ceremonies, to give thanks to the Universe and the Earth are out numbered these days by the party-goers, which has caused clashes in the Circles of Stone.

The first beginnings of Stonehenge can be classified as being built somewhere around 3000 B.C. and ending around 1600 B.C. There is evidence that sometime in late 300 A.D. to the early 400’s A.D., that Stones which had fallen, had been re-raised to their original postion. Stonehenge is most commonly referred to by experts as being an ancient astronomical calander. There are other’s, however, who believe the Stones were raised to worship the Sun.

Regardless, of the reasons the Stones were raised, Stonehenge is truly a visible source of our ancient culture on this planet and everyone should respect the Earth and the Universe as part of our travels through time.

I asked my mom if I could write this on her blog, so I got permission. I am the daughter of the celticprincess.

Well, we all know it is Mothers Day on the 14, and I’m getting my mom something very special. I wish I could tell you now but my mom might read this and find out so I will let her tell you after Mothers Day, Kapesh! Okay, since it is Mothers Day, we all need to thank our moms, even if your mom might have slappped you in the forehead right before you get out of the car to go in to grocery store and leaves a red spot, it doesn’t matter. You all should thank your moms and tell them you love them even if you don’t get her a fancy present, or if you make a card, it is the thought that counts. That is what my mom always tells me. I think all moms are great. I know my mom is, even though we have those goofy times where we mouth off to each other as a joke. (if I really mouthed off to my mom and was being serious) well lets just say I would not have any teeth left. I will never forget all those times we went to convenient store together. I did spend lot of time with her and her lovely credit card, lol. It does not matter how much time you spend with your mom, what matters is that you only have one real person in your life you consider your mom. You all need to cherish them even if they call you a slave child. Well I have had some really wacky times with my mom and I am sure you all have had some goofy times with your moms! I just have one more thing to say! I LOVE MY MOM!

I am writing this now because my mom almost died this last week. The doctor was giving her medicine that she was deathly allergic to and when she complained of symptoms he just told her it was working and not to worry about it. I was so scared. My dad died last year and my brother and I didn’t know what to do for her and didn’t know what would happen to us if she wasn’t here anymore. She has taught us everything and takes care of us and even when she gets mad at us we know she really loves us.

My mom said our dog saved her life. She was so sick when my brother and I were at school, but our dog got in her face and started whining and pushing her with her nose to get up and licking her and she wouldn’t leave her alone until she got up and well my mom finally called another doctor and they took her in and told her she had been poisoned my the medicine she was getting because she was allergic to it.

My mom is getting better everyday and she and our dog spend a lot of time together. When she is well enough I know she will be back writing everything about everything and being funny and goofy again.

So, please, no matter what, on Mother’s Day, tell the woman you consider your mom just how much you love them and how thankful you are that they are still here for you to talk to. I am saying it this way because my mom had her grandmother for a mom and my friend has her aunt as her mom and my other friend has her step mom for a mom.

We Love You Mom and Happy Mother’s Day.

I really had to think hard about whether I wanted to write this post about May Day, since it has so many different aspects to it and formulating them altogether to make everyone aware and happy seemed a little overwhelming at first. I heard but a wee little voice in me head that said, “start at the beginning and you will find your path to the end.” (And you think it would be fun to be clairaudient, HA!)

It’s not all that fun to sit at your computer and type something out to have it deleted before it can be posted. Agitated I am, but I don’t give up that easily. For all that write about History, it is my upbringing and my major and I love sharing it to those that are interested.

The first beginnings of May Day started during the time of the Pagans. It was used to celebrate Beltane or Bealtaine, (in Irish) and Bealltainn (in Scottish Gaelic). It was a festival originally celebrated by Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Other Celtic lands, such as Wales, Brittany and Cornwall held similar celebrations.

Bealtaine means bright fire. It was orginally known as a belo fire (or bale fire) and to this day we use bellow’s to push air onto a fire to make it bigger. (Words change over time, but still hold a context to a specific meaning.) In the original places of the first celebrations they still build bonfires (another modern term) to this day. Traditionally, Bealtaine was celebrated around the Suns’ movement between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice. By technical scientific standards today, the Celtic people were off by 4 days, as that transition takes place around the 5th of May, but then again the Celtic calendar was not totally our calendar of today. Today, there 7 months with 31 days and 1 month with 28 days, all the rest have 30 days. Techincally speaking the Celtic people lived off the cycle of the moon and were off by a 24 hour period in a years time, which is amazing considering our techincal skill today of that of 4000 years ago. If the truth be known, the Celtic calendar is actually more accurate than our modern day calendar, which was influenced by the Pagans.

In neo-pagan terms this day is used for a sabbat, which is one of 8 Solar holidays. Regardless of how May Day is used around the world or how it came about, it is a day of celebration, including the use of the maypole.

What does all of this mean today? Labor Day in a lot of countries. May 1st marks the commemorations of International Workers Day. It started in Canada and ended up demanding an 8 hour work day in the U.S., to start on May 1, 1886. It spawned the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886. (a belo or bale is hay) Other countries, like Russia, after the Cold War, celebrated this day with big parades. In 1929 Nazi Germany shot 11,000 rounds of fire killing 32 demonstrators and bystanders and seriously injuring 80 others in a day they remember as Blood Day. It was the Nazi’s who made May Day a public holiday in Germany, over the fact that there would be no Labor Rights in that country, to this day.

There is now a Euro May Day. It started in Milan, Italy in 2004 and by 2005 their slogan was “Precarious”, to Unite and Strike for a free radical Europe.

Labor Day in the U.S. is in September for a reason. This Country is not about being radical or full of control, regardless of what some of you, as well as the communists and the Middle East might think. Get a Clue of where we are and how we got here and why we are here today. If you are fighting, in the U.S. to eliminate the word God from our Pledge of Alligance to this country, then get out. Go to the radical Europe and see how you fare. I have lived there and you are not going to like it when your entire body is searched before you walk into a department store to buy an outfit to go out in that night.

Before you bitch me out for my opinion, my cousin, from Great Britian, working in this Country, was killed in the World Trade Center attacks. Her casket contained a partial finger and a foot. Don’t you think you deserve a better death than that?

If you have pride and love for yourself and others, take May Day and do something special with the people you love in your life. Smile at a stranger, hug a child, touch the hand of an elderly person. Send an e-mail, make a phone call or write a letter to the people you are enstranged from. Your personal LOVE and compassion can do so much for those who live without LOVE in their life.

This writing somewhat coincides with my April Fools Day blog.The Easter Bunny actually started in pre-Christian fertility lore. The word Easter came from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who was associated with Spring and fertility. The hare and the rabbit were the most fertile animals and served as new life during the Spring months. When the Georgian calendar was reformed based off of the Celtic (or pagan rites) of the solstice and equinox, Christmas and News Years were moved to coincide with the Winter solstice and Easter was moved to coincide with the Spring equinox. The Bunny was part of those rites coming from pagan Germany and Britian.The Bunny becoming a Christian symbol came out of Germany during the 1500’s in celebration of “Oschter Haws” (the rabbit) and was brought to America by German settlers in the 1700’s. The settlers built nests for the rabbit out of their bonnets and caps and put them in the garden, barn or private room in their homes . In return the rabbit left colored eggs in payment. The Easter bunny has since become more commercialized and now leaves a slew of pre-packaged Easter baskets full of candy and toys.The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany, out of sugar and pastry, during the 1800’s.As a side note, the Easter lilly came from the island of Bermuda, which signifies the death and rebirth of Jesus.Have a Happy Easter, regardless of how you celebrate it, and give thanks that you are part of this diverse planet where there is so much to learn;)

I am sure there are many people who don’t know why we even celebrate April Fools Day. It is hard to actually pinpoint a time as to when Aprils Fools Day became a celebration, but is believed to have started around 1582 in France. Prior to 1582, the first day of the New Year was based off the Middle Ages Calendar used in the Middle East. The New Year was celebrated for 8 days beginning on March 25 and the celebrations came to their ultimate point on April 1st, when they actually viewed that as the first day of the New Year, ending the day after. However, the ancient Celtic Calendar celebrates the New Year on November 1st. When Charles IX had the calendar reformed to the Gregorian Calendar, New Years was moved to January 1st.It took a long time to inform the people of this new calendar. Those living in small villages continued with the old way of celebrating News Years as did those that would not accept the new calendar. These people eventually became know as Fools by the general population and some mean and some silly pranks were played on them every April 1st.So, Happy Aprils Fools Day!!BTW, I was taught this as a child and got into a verbal disagreement with my 4th grade teacher over the calendar, which prompted my father to go down to the school in my defense. (The school hated when my father showed up as I had 2 brothers there before me) My teacher ended up researching this and conceded to the entire 4th grade class I was right.

I taught in a technical school that services the public and came in contact with over 100 people a day. The most dramatic and emotional day in a years time has always been Valentines Day. It is to be a day, in the minds of most, of True Love, and the giving of treasures, that are to make pure emotional happiness with you and the object of your desire, where everything in your life just seems to be perfect. If your Valentines Day falls into this catagory, CONGRATUALTIONS! You are a minority.

It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, rich or poor or somewhere in between, Love comes with emotional feelings from inside our soul that every human seeks. The longing for a companion, that just simply, makes you smile, makes you happy and calm, that you can think of a million things to talk about and do together. You can even stand with your True Love and watch your house burn down and not really care much, as you still have each other and know in your heart you will build a whole new life together. I have seen it and heard it over and over. I live in the Desert Southwest and listened and watched last summer 4 of my students and their True Loves and 3 clients, watch their possessions and homes go up in flames. Nothing was more precious than saving their lives together and they all said one thing. “As long as we are together, we can rebuild anything we have physically lost in our lives.

Yet, on last years Valentines Day the majority of people that came and went were depressed, lonely or mad because they had not found someone they could share love with on a long term basis. To many issues here, to many differences there, controlling, non-controlling, unfaithful, family controlling, distance issue and the list went on. I was so tired of listening to all of this I bought each of my kids a box of candy and took them out to eat Lobster for dinner. I gave them plenty of Hugs and I Love You’s and received the same in in return.You don’t have to be in a companionship relationship to show Love, you do have to be in a realm and mind frame to give Love to everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s your family, friends or a stranger. If you want to receive Love you must first learn how to Give LOVE and when you can accomplish that one feat, watch the circle of your true friends and Loved ones grow.Only Love Is Real.