Saturday, January 1, 2022

Editor's Corner

 

By Mary E. Adair

January 2022

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in.
A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.“
William E. Vaughan, Journalist and Author.


A New Year! New plans, dreams, additions to the Family Tree, new friends, and likely, a few new bills. I try not to dwell on the latter because I'm one of those Greet the New Year persons. I get excited about new recipes, foods, ideas, inventions, new telescopes being launched into Space so we can learn new info about our galaxy and perhaps others, as well. What do you get excited about?


This is our largest issue in awhile. We always feature the annual forecast by Michael John Fierro, world renown Numerologist, who kindly supplied us with several columns a few years ago explaining for us what Numerology is and how it can be applied. Those columns can be viewed by clicking his byline with the article, "2022 -- A Universal 6 Year."


"Raymond Street II" is by Harmony Kieding from New England who now resides in Tonsberg, the largest city in Norway. Composed in free verse and lengthy, and detailing experiences and realities, we chose to highlight it in article form. This is her first occasion to appear in our eZine and we welcome her and her writings.


"The Ultimate Library-Akashic Records" an informational piece that describes in part, what the title means. This was received several years ago, but recent questions made it feasible to publish now.


"A Tribute to my Friend Randy Jackson," is by your editor's sister Melinda (nee Carroll) Cohenour, a classmate of his who remained a close friend. He is already missed, and the impact of his loss will affect many.


We welcome another new-to-our-pages poet, Judy Harris who delightfully regales us with her night before the big holiday accomplishing such a tasty repast along with her husband's help that they may add it to their "Christmas Traditions." Walt Perryman steps up with these poems: "About New Year's Eve," "The Trail of Life," "Words," and "Think You're Doing Good?"


John I. Blair, one of our most prolific poets who has been under the weather, sent three poems for January, "Raccoons on Parade,' "Responsibility," and "What's Afoot, Sherlock?" Bruce Clifford also shares three, "Living in the Age," "Here We Go Again," and "Hide Away Eyes," Three also from Bud Lemire (chosen to show this issue from the several he submitted which will be published at a later date) "A Happy New Year," "There's Still Hope," and "Too Hard To Ignore."


Judith Kroll's column "On Trek" discusses how unwarranted guilt can creep into our thoughts, and what she is thinking this time of year. "Cooking with Rod" by Roderick Cohenour who loves this time of year, realizes that when holidays run close together, leftovers can be a problem. His solution, features a recipe by his wife, honoring the tradition of having certain foods at the New Year to invite prosperity.


Melinda Cohenour who does "Armchair Genealogy" continues her project of helping to clarify comprehension of the history of DNA and its applicaton in numerous fields, with Chapter Two of this series. Marilyn Carnell whose column is "Sifoddling Along" admits to having some concerns as the worldwide Virus continues to affect everyone's lives. However, she has several suggestions to make the New Year productive for all of us.


Dayvid Bruce Clarkson, in "Reflections of the Day" admits it is a tough time of year to have experienced the loss of loved ones, and gives a beautiful tribute to his mother. Mattie Lennon in his "Irish Eyes" tells us what he's been reading and advises us to do the same. It's all about travel and the Irish Garda's certain special men who set fine examples for law enforcement anywhere.


In his column "Introspective," China based Thomas O'Neill mentions the many changes in the world of theology since his youth, but avers his personal faith as well. "Woo Woo" the column by Pauline Evanosky explains how calling on a guide can help one stick to their resolutions for the New Year.


Mike Craner and wife Susie, shared some heart-warming photos of their experiences in a nearby school, as Santa and his Missus, along with their youngest daughter as assistant. They are the backbone of this eZine which was co-founded by him and your editor. Mike keeps this informational and entertaining publication viable. Much love and appreciation to them every day. Thanks, Mike, for everything,!



Happy New Year!


Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.
This issue appears in the ezine at www.pencilstubs.com and also in the blog www.pencilstubs.net with the capability of adding comments at the latter.


Tribute to my Friend, Randy Jackson

By Melinda Cohenour

May 18, 1946 - December 21, 2021

The grapevine was abuzz with news of a cute new guy in town. That had happened a couple of times before, of course. Usually, the new guy turned out to be a big disappointment. One New Guy heard about the buzz and decided to take advantage of it. He started asking out one girl after another. Each date was a one-time thing - worse yet followed quickly by this jerk's sarcastic comments. Pretty quickly that New Guy became Old News (and persona non grata!)


But this New Guy was very different. His name was Randy Jackson. His dad was a coach. And Randy was a really neat fellow. Good looking? Yes, but modest. Funny, kind, great sense of humor, and general all-around Good Guy. He was popular with the boys and girls. He played sports. He had a cool car. He had no pretentiousness about him. Randy and I became friends, too. Never dated but ran in the same social circle and often were at the same party or whooping it up at the Dingo (a cool drive-in owned by my boyfriend's dad), or even "tooling around" with other kids in his car.


A couple of years after Randy came to town, I became enamored with the Air Force serviceman who would become my husband and father of my kids. My time was completely wrapped up in his schedule. I left my innocent school days behind. That marriage was just before America became committed to the Vietnam fiasco called War. Soon after the birth of our first child, a boy, Johnny was deployed to Vietnam.


The war, long separation, awkward time of growing apart ... after seven years my marriage was over. By then I was living in Dallas and had become legal secretary, a paralegal in training to Bill Brice. Our most complex client was James K. Devlin, who claimed Brice as his mentor.


I mention this as my involvement with Jim Devlin would take me on a bit of a parallel path with my old friend Randy Jackson.


Devlin was a New Yorker, a Harvard graduate whose first job was as CEO of a company. He made snide remarks about Dallas as a town of good ole boys with zero appreciation of fine art and music. I countered by explaining he needed to explore the art and music native to Texas, including the new sounds emanating from Austin. I introduced Jim to Steve Fromholz and B. W. Stevenson, the Rubaiyat and Poor David's Pub, and many more cosmic cowboy artists. Soon Devlin, as was his nature, turned his interest in this "new" music into business. He would manage these artists, in return for publishing rights, and promote their careers. Devlin needed me to translate for him: suit-talk to Texas boot-scooter lingo. I had been drafted. So, for a crazy period of time, I took on the challenge. In addition to work for Brice at the law firm, I would fly to Austin, involve myself with Moonhill Management, oversee discussions with my musician pals ... now "proposed talent" and work with Devlin as he built a studio and turned it into Planet Dallas.


Meanwhile, my old friend from Monahans, Randy Jackson, had not only completed his bachelor's degree at Sul Ross but also gained his Master's in Education, engaged in his Doctoral Study at North Texas State in 1971-72, and become the Director of Admissions at Sul Ross from 1971-1974.


Randy made his big move in 1974, heading to Nashville and becoming the Tour Director for the Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn tour for the next two years. Taking on a similar role for the Alabama/Janie Fricke tour over the following two year period, brought him close to Janie who would become his first wife. Although they later divorced, they stayed friends. Randy was just that kind of guy.


For seven years, from 1980-1987, Randy managed Charley Pride, becoming the CEO of Pride Management Company. Charley remained a close friend and mentor of Randy's, and was a constant supporter until his death.


While Randy was working in Nashville and dedicating himself to Charley Pride, he was also moving in many of the same circles as I. We met many of the same folks such as Willie Nelson and his ex-wife Connie, among others. Randy was a big fan of my friend and lover Steve Fromholz. We would often reminisce about these folks and exchange funny stories.


One story that struck Randy's funny bone was when I told him about my friend Meredith Spencer Anderson who had recently accepted a position in one of Devlin's companies and moved to North Dallas. Spence told of coming home one day to find Charley Pride mowing his lawn. Puzzled (not to mention SHOCKED), Spence greeted him. Charley related the story of a lovely woman stopping her car by his home the day before. She yahooed, then complimented him on the great job he was doing, then quickly jotted her name and address on a card which she pressed into his hand saying, "I need a good gardener at my new home "


Charley, being Charley, toted his yard-working tools to Spencer's home and went to work!


Seems Randy had heard the story many years before ... From Charley himself.


So many great memories of Randy Jackson. However, Randy and I had become much closer over the past six or seven years. Many was the morning I would see a Chat pop up from Randy. I am an inveterate night owl. Randy, an early (sometimes EARLY) riser. We shared our liberal political beliefs.and would spend time discussing the latest wrinkle on the political scene. Sometimes Randy just wanted to reminisce about an old school chum or exchange news of one of our shared celebrity friends. Randy consoled me when news of the accidental death of Steve Fromholz was published.


Randy Jackson had a heart the size of Texas. He was named Mr. Sul Ross recently. (A tribute to Randy was published by Sul Ross as well, extolling the many gracious ways in which Randy and his beloved wife Sherry had bestowed their time, money, and efforts toward bettering the school itself and the students.) Randy, more than once, took personal time to mentor a student whose needs outweighed his means. I know of one young man who, I understand, actually lived for a time with Randy and Sherry. Randy wrote to me, "It was worth it...I got my first Father's Day card from him."


Randy also shared my heartache surrounding the loss of our good friend and schoolmate Rocky Armstead. Randy was eloquent in his praise of America's Vietnam vets. My husband Rod served and Randy wrote to me, " Please tell your husband I appreciate his service.. I know words are not enough .. but thoughts of that era are with me constantly...We all must protect our world ... we must do better...

Rod sent a message back, saying his service had been given gratefully for people like Randy...a good man and honorable.

Randy replied: "Few realize how much many of us suffered all these miles away... Not to compare the suffering by any means but it was suffering nonetheless...I would go see my mother...each night at the end of the news they would reveal the "death count" and tell where the major battles were...mother would quietly go to the kitchen where on the refrigerator she had a map with locations of my brother's last location...the pain of uncertainty is cruel and unending... I have been to the wall twice... both times it brought me to my knees... crippled me, left me unable to speak or move... The sheer magnitude of those names... All the mothers and fathers... Sisters and brothers that will never fully recover...it is the most humbling of experiences... Few realize... But... In the class of '65...we all went to Nam."


One early morning I got this message from Randy:


I’m sitting on my porch reading a book a poetry that my mother gave me 30 years ago… I’m sending this to you because I don’t know anyone else who might understand… I got to Kipling.. "IF".. wow.. took me to my knees..

“ if you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken… Twisted by natives to make a trap for fools…
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken… And stoop and build them again with worn out tools…

“ if you could force your heart and nerve and sinew..To serve your fight long after they’re gone…
And hold on when there’s nothing left in you… Except the wheel that screams… Hold on”

I truly hope that Mr. Kipling is aware that (one old) man is sitting on the porch in the middle of a beautiful ranch in Texas 130 years later… And he is humbled by what he wrote.


Randy had a way with words, and a quixotic outlook on life. He was gifted with the ability to express himself in a way that plucked one's heartstrings. Four of his songs were published while he was in Nashville. He continued to commit his thoughts and dreams to paper, writing poetry and jotting phrases and inspiration in a journal he kept.

In his words, "I have written poetry since fifth grade but the event that really stirred my soul was when Monahans classmate Richard Russell presented his interpretation of "Julias Ceasar"... Richard's passion opened an entire world of literature for me. I will always be grateful to him for that morning in Mr. Windsor's English Class.

"I have a friend who is an artist.. she paints beautiful pictures from words... i paint words from pictures... Most of the things I write were from personal experience... I have carried a journal for years.. I write down things that touch or inspire me... I once was walking and sat down under a beautiful oak tree... It came to me what all that tree had seen... so I wrote it down...In fact I am certain I heard the tree say...
"I thought I heard you say my friend
For I am not a human,
I'm just an old oak tree..
and so goes the story told me by the old oak.. for a few more lines...


Randy graciously offered two of his poems for publication in pencilstubs: The Old Oak Tree and To My Daughter


Needless to say, my heart was broken when I received word Randy Jackson, my sweet, kind, funny, talented, loyal, creative, wise and wonderful friend of sixty years, had passed beyond the veil.


Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.

Armchair Genealogy


By Melinda Cohenour

DNA: Complex. Tantalizing.
And Nothing Short of Miraculous -
Chapter Two

Last month we embarked upon our in-depth study of DNA, beginning with its history drawing directly from a source online (https://www.dna-worldwide.com/resource/160/history-dna-timeline.) This month we will complete our tracing of the history starting where we left off.



HISTORY OF DNA

1999 - First human chromosome is decoded

History was made when an international team of researchers accomplished the mapping of Chromosome 22 which contained 33.5 MILLION letters (chemical components).
This was a milestone but far from the culmination of the ongoing quest to decode human DNA. As stated in our source online:
"At the time, the sequence was the longest continuous stretch of DNA ever deciphered and assembled. However, it was only the first deciphered chapter of the human genetic instruction book - the rest was still to come."

2000 – Genetic code of the fruit fly is decoded

It may seem strange to include the decoding of a fruit fly's DNA among milestones that interest a genealogist; however it was found that the fruit fly's genetic structure is quite similar to that of mammals. Although researchers at the time had achieved the decoding of the most complex organism yet, we can contrast that with the Human Genome Project in this way: every fruit fly cell contains 13,601 genes compared to the 70,000 genes in every human cell!

2002 – Mouse is the first mammal to have its genome decoded

"In 2002, scientists took their next big step and decoded the genome of the first mammal – the mouse. The achievement allowed them to compare, for the first time, the human genome with that of another mammal. Amazingly, it emerged that 90% of the mouse's genome could be aligned with the corresponding regions on the human genome. Both the mouse and human genome also contained around 30,000 protein-coding genes. These discoveries highlighted for the first time just how closely mammalian species were genetically related."

2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed

What an incredible milestone! The observations of Charles Darwin less than 200 years earlier led him to suspect characteristics such as height, eye color, perhaps the very definition of a creature as a horse or pig or human, might be inherited by some unseen organic process. From that first proposed theory, damned at the time as opposing Biblical theories, to the extraordinary news that the international collaboration of geneticists, biologists, and scientists specializing in DNA had completed the sequencing of 99% of the human genome! Following the 2002 announcement the team had accomplished sequencing 90%, work proceeded to fill in the gaps.

"This final form contains 2.85 billion nucleotides, with a predicted error rate of just 1 event in every 100,000 bases sequenced. Surprises included the relatively small number of protein-encoding genes (between 20,000 and 25,000) and that there were similar genes with the same functions present in different species."

One of life's greatest mysteries had been revealed ... with magnificent advances yet to come, perhaps?

2013 – DNA Worldwide and Eurofins Forensic discover identical twins have differences in their genetic makeup

Prior to this discovery, it had been assumed monozygotic twins (created by the splitting of one cell) would be truly identical - even to their DNA identity.

" However, the team at DNA Worldwide decided to test this theory by combining Forensic DNA profiling and Genomic Sequencing. The scientists applied ultra-deep, next-generation sequencing and combined this with bioinformatics, sequencing the DNA from sperm samples of two twins and a blood sample of the child of one twin. The Bioinformatic analysis identified five differences (mutations), called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) present in the twin who was a father and his child, but not in the twin uncle.

"These SNP differences were confirmed by Sanger sequencing and gave experimental evidence for the hypothesis that rare mutations in the genes will occur early, after or before the human blastocyst has split into two and that these mutations will be carried throughout the lifespan."

These findings have a significant impact in cases where legal forensics need to identify the identical twin perpetrating a crime or to resolve paternity issues.

2014 – Further Breakthroughs

"Throughout 2014 the world's scientists have continued to develop their understanding of DNA. Researchers announced in May that they had successfully created an organism with an expanded artificial genetic code. This success could eventually lead to the creation of organisms that can produce medicines or industrial products organically.

"There have also been breakthroughs in the medical field; the largest ever study into the genetic basis of mental illness has found more than 100 genes that play a role in the development of schizophrenia. These findings have the potential to kick-start the production of new drugs to treat this not uncommon psychiatric illness.

Geneticists have also made progress in the breakthrough field of epigenetics (the study of changes in organisms caused by altered gene expression). By studying pairs of identical twins, researchers in Sweden have found that changes in the expression of genes involved in inflammation, fat, and glucose metabolism could be behind the development of Type 2 Diabetes."

Future – Epigenetics, personalized medicine and greater individual responsibility

The creators of this website have done a marvelous service to those of us not only interested in the study of DNA but who utilize every advancement in our own search for truth:

Who Am I? Who Contributed To My Creation? Where Is The Child I Put Up For Adoption? Who Were The Couple Who Engaged In An Npe (Non-Parental Event) That Resulted In My First Husband Being Abandoned At Birth In The Miami-Dade Orphanage?

These are the issues we, as genealogists or family researchers, are tasked with resolving. The lack of documentation purposely caused by the desire to perhaps provide an adopted child and new family privacy or to protect the reputations of those whose illicit affairs resulted in abandoned children has presented brick walls throughout time. Now we have an incredible tool at our disposal: DNA, Shared Matches, messaging applications, social media ... allowing us to engage long-lost cousins or triangulate DNA Matches with a Common Ancestor in our family trees (always confirm other's research by documenting their profiles).

To wrap up this section, I must provide the creators of this marvelous website their own voice:

"So, what does the future hold for our understanding of genetics? In recent decades, epigenetics has been a ground-breaking area of developing research. Essentially, the term epigenetics means 'on genetics' and refers to the biological markers which influence what 'comes out' of the DNA sequence.

Research has found that there are a huge number of these molecular mechanisms affecting the activity of our genes. Incredibly, it has emerged that our life experiences and choices can change the activity of these mechanisms, resulting in changes in gene expression. Even more fascinating is that these changes in gene expression can be inherited, meaning that the life experiences of your ancestors can fundamentally influence your biological make-up.

These discoveries are likely to have a dramatic impact on the future of the healthcare system. We're beginning to understand that the choices we make can have a long-term impact on our health and can cause genetic level change, which could even impact future generations. Individual responsibility for our lifestyle choices is, therefore, more important than ever before.Another likely future development is the increased use of personalised medicines. Many genetic diseases are caused by mutated genes, but these can differ from one person to the next. By identifying these combinations, medicines can be tailored to the individual, providing the best possible treatment."


Well, good readers, that wraps our review of the History of DNA. This coming month we shall offer a Glossary of terms. This compilation is as much for your author's benefit as for yours. As our title suggests, DNA is a marvelous but COMPLEX subject.

See you next month! In the meantime, continue your research through Armchair Genealogy ... The wonders of the Internet.


Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.

 

 

Cooking with Rod

 

By Rod Cohenour

Happy New Year!  Today is the day we follow traditions that dictate we Eat to Beckon Blessings in the New Year. All those tricks we set forth in this column back in January of 2018. And in February of 2017 we shared the many ways one can prepare the ultimate side for New Year celebrations - cornbread.

This year, my sweet wife has devised a really delicious dish that incorporates a few of the essential New Year food elements and cleverly utilizes Christmas leftovers in a fabulous way. Here is her recipe. 

Bon appetit~

M's New Year's Blackeyed Pea Soup.

Ingredients:

    * 1 bag 8 oz. Blackeyed Peas (or choose to use 3 cans prepared Blackeyed Peas, including liquid; see such directions below.) This for Luck.
    * 1 large onion, diced
    * 4 large carrots, dimed (for the Coins to come in the New Year of course)
    * 5 medium to large (not bakers though) potatoes, diced. (You might choose Sweet Potatoes instead.)
    * 4 stalks celery, remove strings and cut in half moons.
    * 1 to 2 tsps ground black pepper
    * 1 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
    * 1 tsp cumin
    * 1 can 28 oz. stewed tomatoes with peppers and onions. Make it Rotel spicy if you wish or the mild with Bell pepper.
    * 2 to 3 cups leftover turkey or ham, diced in about 1.5 inch pieces
    * 32 oz. Chicken broth
    * 1 small 6 - 8 oz. bag fresh spinach, rinse and remove tough stems. Why?- (for the Long Green Bills desired in the New Year)


Instructions:

    1. Pick through dried peas for bits of rock or dirt clods. Rinse thoroughly several times.
    2. Cover dried peas with water.
    3. Add a small amount of diced onion, a few half moons of celery (about 1 stalk), and season with a very small amount of the spices listed.
    4. Bring to a rapid boil then lower heat to allow peas to simmer until tender but not mushy.
    5. When peas are ready, remove to a large stew pot, liquid and all.
    6. Add potatoes, carrots, the rest of the onions and celery and half the broth. Simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender.
    7. Add meats, canned tomatoes, and the rest of the broth. Simmer until meats are heated thoroughly. The kitchen should be yielding some heady fragrance by now.
8. Just before you're ready to ladle this delicious soup into bowls, add the spinach leaves. Stir to slightly wilt and

SERVE! Add hot bread, maybe you opted to try one of our cornbread suggestions, fresh sweet creamery butter, a crisp salad, a tray of fresh crisp veggies like Bell peppers, radishes, green onions, and celery sticks, and some hot tea, cocoa, or even a spiced hot cider.


Note: In the event you choose to use canned Blackeyed Peas, ignore the first five steps. Start by adding the vegetables to a large stewpot in step 6. After step 7, add the canned Blackeyed peas to let them heat up. Stir well. Simmer very carefully as the canned peas should not be allowed to settle to the bottom and scorch. When ready, add the spinach, stir well and serve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.

Sifoddling Along

 

By Marilyn Carnell

New Beginnings - January 2022

A New Year brings to mind a fresh start, a new beginning of our lives. This year the outlook is a little bleak. No one is sure what lies ahead. Covid variations are making us sick and afraid. Our government seems hell-bent on destroying itself. Yet, I think we should be optimistic. History has shown us that pandemics eventually wane, and mankind moves on to a new reality. We are going through one of the longest “down times” in dealing with the COVID pandemic. Our nation has survived other such times – the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the 1918 flu pandemic, economic upheaval, and more.


     Born in 1940, I have had many new beginnings in my life. Some predictable, some not. Some paths taken, some not. Like many, my life has been a roller coaster. Sometimes up, sometimes down. I can only take comfort in the old saying: “This too shall pass.”


     So how do we cope with the current obstacle – a pandemic that has a will of its own?


    We fight back. We get vaccinated, boosted, wear masks, stay isolated and socially distant. Every tool is available to us to survive. If you have high-risk factors (I have more than one.) be extra vigilant about protecting yourself and your loved ones. If you don’t, use those tools to protect others. It is your responsibility to not harm others.


    This is a time for reflection and making a new start with the new year. Make every attempt to leave behind behaviors and beliefs that are no longer useful and find new ways to reach out and help others. It is surprising how giving of yourself in service to others can improve your outlook and personal wellbeing.


    In the list of others include our suffering blue planet. It is difficult to believe that mankind could disrupt a well-functioning ecosystem in such a short time, but we did. Now is the time to resolve to find ways to stop this needless destruction and find new ways to reverse the damage.


This is a time to learn a new skill, pass on an existing one to younger people and find ways to enjoy every day. We won’t be 100% successful; no more than we were at keeping resolution lists that lasted only a few days, I am reminding you that it is possible to make a fresh start and I urge you to do so.

Together we can achieve mighty things.

Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.

Irish Eyes

 

By Mattie Lennon

One Man’s Battle to Improve The Policeman’s Lot

And A Few Tall Tales

Happy New Year.

What did I read over Christmas? I’ll tell you


Tim Doyle is a former Garda. In 2001, he published his memoir, Get up Them Steps. It detailed his experiences while serving as a member of An Garda Síochána. It was his second book on the subject, the first being Peaks and Valleys: the Ups and Downs of a Young Garda, which was published in 1997. He gives give an honest, and at times humorous, narrative of police work in Dublin. Tim is not from that literary culture centre known as North Kerry. He is however from the south of the Kingdom and John B. Keane saw his potential and told him, “You should come and live in Listowel.” John B. was on the ball. It was obvious from Tim’s first book that he would qualify for citizenship among the literati of north Kerry or anywhere else.


His latest book, the fruit of ten years of meticulous research, tells the story of that giant of Irish policing, Jack Marrinan, from Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. He was a key modernizer of policing in Ireland. He was elected to the national executive of the Representative Body for Guards (RBG), the precursor to the Garda Representative Association



Jack Marrinan in 1953


Those of us who read the Garda Review over the years or perused the national newspapers from the sixties on are aware of the work that Jack put in on behalf of his colleagues. His son John had it put in a nutshell for him. He says, “When I was in college I met another student whose father knew or worked with mine. He told me his father said Dad was “a tough bastard of a negotiator”, meaning it is the most complimentary sense.” Paddy Terry, a senior civil servant negotiating with Jack Marrinan on behalf of the Department of Justice said, “In my opinion, Jack was the best negotiator any organisation ever had.” One of his colleagues summed him up with the utmost brevity when he said that Jack was, “. . . educated and more especially intelligent.”


Tim Doyle tells the comprehensive story of Jack Marrinan with some wonderful prose. For instance when referring to Sean Lemass’s statement that, “A rising tide lifts all boats,” Tim writes, ” . . . some boats remained beached on the arid shores of the economic austerity which had been a feature of Irish life since independence.”


Changing of the Guard shows Marrinan as the transformational figure that he was. Under his leadership, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) evolved into a skillful and powerful negotiating body. When younger Gardaí were excluded from a pay award in 1961, the RBG instructed its members to "go slow" in implementing traffic regulations in Dublin. A meeting of protesting Gardaí at the Macushla ballroom in Dublin resulted in disciplinary notices charging them with discreditable conduct. Eleven men, including Marrinan, were dismissed by the commissioner. With Jack as their leader needless to say they were reinstated.


Nearly all of the advantages that Gardaí enjoy today are built on the foundations established by the man who got permission from the Archbishop of Dublin to attend Trinity College, was referred in the Clare Champion as “A talented Garda” and almost applied for the position of assistant inspector in the Rhodesian Police.


If any young Garda thinks that the author is exaggerating Jack's ability, I must remind them that when the Berlin Wall was no more and the Germans were starting their own police association they sought advice from the Lisdoonvarna man. And for the full story of his life, told in great detail, in the 297 pages of this wonderful book we have to thank Tim Doyle.



Tim Doyle


Changing of the Guard is published by Currach Books. www.currachbooks.com Tim Doyle is donating the royalties from his book to charity, following his own experience of receiving a kidney transplant. He says, "I had been writing away as a hobby, but the seriousness of all that happened to me took over and I thought I'm going to do a book of the Garda life and give the money to the Irish Kidney Association, it's the small little things that happen in our lives that can make the difference."

This book will make a difference in your life; 

don’t miss it.

* * * * *


Speaking of police, it has been said that a man should only tell lies to his wife or the police. Be that as it may, Tall Tales is a different story (or stories.) We are a great country for tall tales but we don’t have a monopoly. This is well proven by the nineteen stories in Tall Tales from Afar, By Michael M Roe. The stories set in twelve different countries are funny, amusing, revealing, and educational.


The author already made a name for himself with Tall Tales for Travellers, a book of short stories based mainly on his own travel experiences. In it, his fantastic powers of observation enabled him to look at human foibles, misunderstandings, and cultural differences.

The stories are set
in eleven different countries.


The reader will learn how not to negotiate in Bahrain and learn about the bargain that Mervyn Oram got in a carpet in Kabul. The author’s experience while House-sitting in a Manor House in Somerset makes interesting reading, as does A Persian Pilgrim. The Chinese Murder has a fantastic twist in the tail and I won’t attempt to explain The Penance to you; you’ll have to read it yourself. The author, who is is married to the Panamanian writer Lupita Quiros Athanasiadis, says the book will, “ . . . make an unusual gift for someone who likes to read.” And I couldn’t agree more.


The stories are designed to appeal to those with a cosmopolitan outlook and especially to travelers who have experienced the weariness and boredom of long-distance flights.


The book is light reading which is ideal to dip into, allowing the reader to pause for a snooze or avoid the necessity of having to engage in conversation with the passenger beside them..


Michael Roe was born in the U.K. and educated in England, France, and Ireland where he studied for his degree at Trinity College Dublin. He is a well-traveled person who has lived and worked in sixteen countries. He has always been a keen observer of different customs and how they interact. This fact is very obvious from the nineteen stories in the 95 pages of Tall Tales from Afar. Details from the author at: mmroe@hotmail.com
 

See you in February.


Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.

Woo Woo

 

By Pauline Evanosky

 

Turning Over a New Leaf

I awakened this morning knowing I would write the article for the WooWoo column for January. I had tried a few times and none of the attempts had been good, so I either discarded them or saved to use them for something in the future. But this morning? I knew in my heart what it would be. Resolutions!


Perfect. It is the new year and what a great time for a few new resolutions.


The problem with resolutions throughout my life has been I am excited to be doing these new things for the first week. Sometimes less than that. Then, I forget about them, and it isn’t until March or later on in the year that I recall dimly that this was the year I was going to walk, write or wriggle more.


Now, here is where the WooWoo part comes in. When you ask your spirit guide to remind you to do whatever it is that you tasked yourself with, they will remind you. It is wonderful (depending on what you chose) and they cheerfully will remind you. It is not tiresome (depending on what you chose). It takes the burden of remembering (depending on what you chose) from your shoulders and you can say at the end of the year that you had, indeed, done something you really wanted to do.


Now, as with all things wished for that we have heard for years: be careful what you wish for.


Changing habits for anybody is hard. I read somewhere that it takes 3 weeks to make a difference. I just looked it up on the internet and they said 18 to 254 days with 66 days being a somewhat magic number that might ensure a habit becomes automatic. That said, for me, it has always sort of hovered around 3 weeks. Maybe, based on what I just read a longer period of time is needed. I know I can backslide something terrible at times. So, maybe, for me, 6 months ought to do it. One of my guides just said, “Be careful”. I had to laugh.


So, here is what happened when I asked my guide to help me lose weight. I can’t remember how long a period of time this took, but I did lose 50 pounds. This was after I had quit drinking and then 6 months later quit smoking. These were both things I needed to do. I had already done both once before and I knew how horribly addictive smoking was seeing as how it took all of 2 minutes for me to be hooked again after a 3-year abstinence. So, I chose to stop drinking alcohol as the first change thinking that might be the more achievable goal and six months later I quit smoking. Quitting both of those bad habits put me under such stress that I gained 50 pounds. I really needed to lose that weight again.


I say lose weight again because I am a yo-yo dieter. At that time in my life, I had already lost tons, it seemed, of weight. All of those losses were substantial numbers. Once years before I had lost 75 pounds. I know what it takes, and it has never been easy for me.


So, I asked my guide, Seth, to help me.


In the process of learning how to channel it has been my experience that in the early days the contact with spirit, depending on how naive you are, can be pretty dramatic. It was during this first year of learning how to channel that I asked for help. I swore I would never do it again.


Seth was like a Marine drill sergeant. It was horrible. I felt like a plebe. “Don’t do that. Put that back. Chew slowly. Think about what you are eating. Would it be better to have a salad? Why are you buying cookies?” It’s like having your sister at your elbow 24/7 to nag you into line. It was horrible.


It worked. I lost the 50 pounds I had put on. If I was to guess it took 6 months? I’m not sure. But it worked.


It has been a good 28 years since that happened. My relationship with Folk in Spirit and my guide is different. I am toying with the idea of asking him for help again. Actually, I could ask more than one of them for help.


Why I am telling you this is that you can ask for assistance from Spirit as well. I mean, we pray, don’t we? We tend to ask for all sorts of things from God. Why not ask for some help in changing or establishing a new habit for the new year? Or, even if you don’t know your spirit guide you could ask them for help. It won’t be an experience like I had with an invisible drill sergeant at my elbow. I would imagine it would be more subtle.


It makes sense to me. Happy New Year and I hope I can lose 100 pounds this time but I will certainly be happy with 50 again.


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Introspective

 

By Thomas F. O'Neill

A few days ago, I was browsing Facebook, and I came across a video of a Christian fundamentalist ‘yelling’ about how we the people are living in the end times as foretold in the Bible. He shouted about the biblical signs, such as the depravity of today’s world.


While holding Bible in hand, he explained, quite loudly, I might add, about how people are turning their attention away from God. “There is no doubt that the world is quite different than the world our grandparents and great grandparents grew up in” he shouted. He then went on to say, “there is a much higher crime rate today due to drug issues and materialism, and drugs are being abused to escape from modern-day issues.” He then admonished science, secularism, and of course, social media.


Science and secularism are not the root causes of our society's problems. Social media is not entirely the problem either because it provides instant global communication. This is something that would have been considered science fiction a half-century ago. However, it would seem that before the world of Facebook, there was more psychological stability, especially in the world our ancestors grew up in. One reason for their stability is that our ancestors lived in the same neighborhoods their entire lives. They were raised predominantly ‘Christian,’ they most likely went to the same churches their parents and grandparents went to. Their house of worship was a significant part of their life for their entire lifetime.


The average person a hundred years ago rarely traveled beyond a twenty-mile radius. Their world perceptions remained the same due to their religion, neighborhood, town, or village.


Today most people will change jobs five times before they reach retirement age, and they will most likely move to different towns, cities, or states, on average - five times before retiring.


Many people today are not consciously aware that their perceptions of the world are constantly changing due to technological advancements. There have been more technological achievements in the last fifty years than in any other time in human history. How we see ourselves concerning others is also being influenced by science. We are also becoming less personable through our digital technology due to this fast passed computer age.


Babies born today will see science and technology double every two years. When today’s newborns become senior citizens, they may have a life expectancy of over 100 years. Some of us are asking, though, what the quality of life will be like in the next century?


Our language is also evolving due to the rate of science and technology. Future generations will not just have a greater vocabulary, but they will have a much greater understanding of the world around them, more so than we ever will in my baby-boom generation.


The super information highway called the internet is also having a profound impact on the younger generation’s relationship with the world in which they live. Their perceptions of themselves concerning others will continuously change as they mature and grow at the rapid rate of technological advancements. This is something our grandparents and great-grandparents have not experienced in their lifetime.


I do not necessarily see this as something negative. To be honest, I cannot imagine what the world will be like 50 years from now, and I suppose that is where the gift of the imagination comes into play. The accelerated changes are not just taking place in the United States; they occur globally, especially in Asian countries.


I disagree with the televangelist who believes we live in the end times, and I do not place that much literal emphasis on the Bible. I agree that today’s world is quite different from yesteryear’s world. Most people today are searching for ways to deal with their day-to-day stressors, and the majority are also placing less significance on religious institutions.


I was raised Roman Catholic by two devoutly Roman Catholic parents, but I’m no longer a practicing Catholic like millions of others. It is worse in Europe –the churches there are empty. In Rome, Italy, the American University has one seminarian in their undergraduate seminary. In the 1930s, there were four or five priests assigned to each church; now, churches are being consolidated due to a lack of priestly vocations. I do not, however, view this as a negative social crisis either.


The dynamic social shift away from institutional authority is also reflected in the number of self-help books published each year. People are still searching for spirituality to cope with the fast-moving world. They are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. In the past, most people accepted religion as holding all the answers needed for this world and the afterlife. But in today’s world, most people feel the religious institutions have lost most of their credibility.


In the not-so-distant past, those who went against the status quo were either burned at the stake or excommunicated for being heretics. For many, there was that great fear of being free thinkers; this was a great inhibiting factor when it came to scientific advancements. It was not until the secularization of the free world that science and technology took great leaps for the betterment of humankind both in knowledge and achievements. But there must be a balance between knowledge and its proper application; that is where human wisdom comes into play. As our society continues to grow in knowledge – our understanding must be balanced wisely and properly applied. Not just for the individual’s benefit but for the betterment of society. Science and Spirituality are now beginning to complement one another. These two separate disciplines are both searching for the essence of things. Spirituality is accomplishing this by drawing us inward for greater self-knowledge. It helps us understand the essence of who we are in relation to the world around us.


Science is now beginning to recognize the subtle, intelligent designs of life without quite defining what life is. I suppose that is where spirituality comes into play. For some - life is the eternal presence of God - Life, love, and God are all synonymously leading us to the essence of things. Spirituality brings us ever so closer to who we truly are in relation to the natural world.


It is easy for the majority of people to get caught up in social media’s fleeting images and feel as if they are being lost in the process. On the other hand, Spirituality can help us focus on the essential matters of life. Our society may seem less religiously motivated, but there is still a deep hunger for spirituality in our fast-moving world.


However, some would like to see society go back to simpler times when the church and Bible were the vessels of divine truth. Our world then was the center of the Universe. For the Churchgoers, it was a religious fact that we were at the center of God’s creation. That was only common sense among the religious, but modern-day reality does not conform to those beliefs.


It was not that long ago in human history that Scientists discovered that the planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun. The religious establishment quickly declared them heretics because their scientific findings contradicted the Bible. The Church at that time refused to acknowledge the world was round because such a notion contradicted the scriptures. The Bible states the world has four corners. A round world also defies common sense because we will fall off if the world is round. Most people at that time also believed if you sail too far out to sea, you will eventually reach one of the world’s four corners. What would happen then was up to speculation; some believed the ship would fall off the edge of the earth.


When it was becoming common knowledge that the world was round, the church continued to declare it as heretical, and if you were Catholic teaching the round earth theory, you would have been excommunicated.


In the 1600s, the Catholic hierarchy declared Newtonian Physics as being heretical because of Newton’s views on gravity. The Pope at the time declared that any Catholic teaching - Newton’s laws - would be excommunicated. The Pope made it clear, “God holds men in existence, not gravity.”


In the late 1700s, during the forming of the new American government, the Catholic Church declared, “democracy is an immoral form of government.” The Pope at that time viewed Democracy and the separation of Church and State as being morally evil.


Later in history, the Church declared evolution to be heretical, and they still hold the view that man was created ‘fully man,’ and the belief in human evolution is a fallacy.


The former Pope declared Embryonic Stem Cell research as being morally reprehensible. This seems to reflect the same historical pattern within the Church. Their views on embryonic stem cell research are just another example of their irrational stance against advancements in science. This level of technology can be used for the betterment of humankind. Throughout history, the church's presumptions regarding science have been proven to be erroneous because they seem to stand in the way of progress.


As for those who believe in the infallibility of the Bible - the scriptures must not be viewed as a science book, historical documentation, or a literal, moral guide; the scriptures are simply theological literature that I happen to enjoy reading. We must also consider the cultural and historical influences surrounding the scriptures, such as when the scriptures were written. The scriptures, for me, are masterpieces of great literature and they had a profound influence throughout history. This is mostly due to the religious significance humanity has placed on scriptures and their religious institutions.


It is only now that we are gaining a much more holistic understanding of the biblical text, and that is mostly due to a deeper understanding of the power mythologies have had on human cultures and the human psyche in general. Modern Theologians are taking a much more anthropological approach to the scriptures, and they are studying them in relation to the historical and the mythological influences on the scripture writers. The Bible was not written in a vacuum; there were many cultural factors on the scripture’s development. Our growing understanding of the ancient writings has given us a much greater appreciation of the power we as human beings have given the scriptures throughout history.


Our understanding of the significant impact the Bible has had on world history, both positively and negatively, continues to evolve and mature with each passing day. I have also come to understand intuitively that we can not limit our understanding of God to a single book. We are spiritually maturing and evolving revelations of God’s love. We are not just human beings on a spiritual journey; we are also spiritual beings on a human journey.


I like to remind people that when the mind draws a blank to the world’s riddles, it turns to the soul for answers, for the soul knows what the mind seeks. When we reveal the love that is within us, we become the living and breathing presence of God’s love for others to emulate and embrace.


There are indeed many great problems in the world, but the solutions lie in the people who inhabit the world. What we give to humanity we give to ourselves and what we change in ourselves we change in humanity. If we want to witness more loving people in the world. We must change for the better by loving others more fully--this is truly the essence of God’s revelation.

    Always with love from Suzhou, China
    Thomas F O’Neill
    Email: introspective7@hotmail.com
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On Trek


By Judith Kroll

 

Have We Felt Guilty From Loss of a Loved One?

Losing someone we love is a hard pill to digest because there are so many unknowns related to death. Everyone has different ideas, and individually we react differently.


Guilt, and regret, start to show their ugly head in our feelings. Will they, the departed, forgive us for all we have done, or, or didn’t do?


A person who passes on turns immediately from flesh and bone to spirit. Visible to invisible. They return home. Home is where we come from. They remember what is happening, and they are immersed in a pool of love. They all return to what they were before they came to earth. Their spirit body and their spirit thinking are now in effect.


Unconditional love is pure love. No conditions attached. As a spirit, they see things with pure love, and that includes how they see those of us that are left here on earth. All the pettiness, guilt trips, anything they had is gone. Earth is where we agreed to come to learn lessons, teach lessons, and find our true selves. We were not forced, but..we made the choice with our pure unconditional love thought process. We are limited here on earth, but no limits on love and goodness on the spirit side of things. In reality, there is no limit on how much love and goodness we are capable of as humans.


Once we understand that unconditional love abounds with those that pass over and that they want us to be HAPPY, not feeling guilty in any way. Think love, and KNOW that our loved ones are around us.
Judith 12/26/2021


2022
Always know in your heart that you love yourself. I have hated myself for many many years, and finding me was a treasure. I am not perfect, I am a work in progress. I will need the hard hat 'til I am gone, but working on self can be fun too.


I quit judging others. I work on finding the good in all. Oh, I backslide, no doubt about it, but I catch myself, and I see the good. I smile, and send that person love.


See the good, feel the good, taste the good, touch the good, smell the good in All things. And you will find the treasures of living.


Happy New Year
Judith 12/31/2021


 

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Reflections of The Day


By Dayvid Clarkson

Bette Ainsworth

 

Tonight I release again. It has been six years since you passed. Happy to meet, sorry to part, Happy to meet again.


In the ago time, I would have spent the last week designing an original card and agonizing over just the right words to scribe upon it. Words that would warm your heart, convey my love and offer my gratitude.
But you are gone now.


You raised six kids by yourself and they all turned out just fine. You beat cancer four times and paddled your ass off in a Dragon Boat. You volunteered your time for those going through chemo and the ‘Old Folks’ at the Senior Center.
But you are gone now.


You taught me, unconditional love. For every challenge I went through you were beside me and never judged. You taught me about serving others and I witnessed the many kindnesses you bestowed on others, never expecting anything in return.
But you are gone now.


We talked across the porch and you had a way of encouraging me to keep moving forward. When my art was rejected or writings declined you would always remind me that you have to receive a lot of no’s until you receive a yes. You always were over the top in your praise for my work.
But you are gone now.


You loved your Sunday Morning Preachers yet never forced your views on anyone. You had a very basic understanding of the Divine. We are all in God’s Hands and if it gets too much or you get overloaded just put it in ‘God’s Box’ and he will look after it.
But you are gone now.


The number of times I have gone to the back porch to ‘Hoy’ you and tell you about something I saw or heard that might interest you. The many times I have headed out in the car thinking, “Mom would have enjoyed this”. The numerous times ‘We’ cooked dinner.
But you are gone now.


There are so many things that I miss. The little things. Watching you act like a little child dressing up in costumes from your Tickle Trunk. Riding on the back of my Harley. Saying goodnight and I love you at the end of each day. I do miss you.
But you are gone now.


To my Elders; take care of this wonderful woman, make room for her about the fire, and listen well for she has much wisdom. Guide her further along her journey and know that she will always be a treasure to those left behind. Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grand Father Sun, and Grand Mother Moon I entrust my Mother to your care, I will hold you to your promises. Let the four directions protect and guard over her that she may travel with ease. Sleep well, dream deep dear Mother of mine.
Humble bow David Bruce Clarkson 

  


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2022 -- A Universal 6 Year

 

By Michael John Fierro

Service. Family. Community. Responsibility.

Numerology is an ancient esoteric science that dates back to the time of Pythagoras in ancient Greece, more than 2500 years ago, and in all probability, much further back in time than that. It is a divination and guidance tool that uses the numbers 1-9 and the alphabet to determine things. Universal Years represent the calendar year and are determined by adding the 4 digits of the year (2+0+2+2=6).


I believe that the word, 'Koyaanisqatsi' as referenced in the 1982 documentary 'Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance', is an apt description of our world as we leave 2021 and its 5 Universal energy in our rearview mirror, and prepare to enter into 2022.


2022, a Universal 6 Year should be a year that includes an improvement of conditions in the economy, healthcare and medicine, and in relationships between countries and their citizens. The SIX influence should create an increased harmony in opposing points of view and if the awareness on the part of the powers that be is in tune, there should be a lessening of the extreme divisions and partisan attitudes that infect governments and nations. This is definitely a year for adjustments, reassessments and working together in a responsible fashion. Responsibilities must be met and we must find a way to return to being a country and a world in which the welfare and well-being of each and every citizen is respected and honored. This would go a long way towards correcting our failure to create balance during 2021 (a 5 Universal Year). Other elements that are particular to the SIX energy and, paramount to possible improvements are in the realm of education, communities, organizations, and responsibilities and service to others. The indications also lean towards the possibility of more co-operation in governments and legislatures. On the world stage, more effort will be directed towards solving problems internationally. Worldwide this will be a year of increasing social movements coupled with a rise in social conscience. If conditions do not improve in a fair and equitable fashion, we may see the rise of radicalism in the public discourse. (It may be prudent to keep an eye on many countries throughout the world as continuing shifts in their societies may result in a greater demand for the people to have a greater voice in matters that directly affect them and, as a result, more conflict with their governments. The United States is not immune from this. In fact, in this author's opinion, we may very well be one of the first countries to have massive internal conflicts.)


The SIX year also indicates a stronger emphasis and focus on marriage, home, family and community and this may well be the year when the issue of true equality for women and minorities is once and for all settled (if not settled, as least set on a positive and forward- looking track), as society becomes more aware that equal rights for all means just that...equal rights! The longer these battles continue, the more fractured we will become and the more disenfranchised people will become. We, the people should also be pushing for movement towards correcting many of the existing injustices judicially and through the law, with the intent of improving conditions on all levels of society. Another area worthy of inspection and progress would be a greater focus on the elderly. Could this be the year that an improved Medicare is approved? Recognizing and honoring the importance of family in all our lives must also be given great consideration. This applies to not only your family of origin and immediate family but also to the “families” that consist of neighborhoods, communities, states, and nations and perhaps, most importantly, the “family of man” of which we are all members.


As consciousness rises, the energies will be more directed to the elements of love, understanding, the consideration of others, and the realization that we all hold responsibilities for everyone. 2022 has great potential for people to step up and take responsibility for the seeds which were planted in the ONE Universal Year (2017). A Universal Mind awareness will lend itself to ideals being raised and people gaining greater understanding of our inter-connectedness. Many of the changes begun in the FIVE Universal Year (2021) will take root as the responsibilities we all hold for our collective well- being are realized which will lead to a greater sense of well-being. My wish is that the changes that do take root are those of a positive and affirming nature. 2022 is the year during which the housing market may finally begin to improve in a positive, growth- oriented fashion.


As with all years, the SIX vibration of 2022 also holds negative attributes and great caution is urged here as we could easily see the worst scenarios come to be. Sadly, and first and foremost, war could also be on the horizon. In history, World War I was begun in 1914 (a Universal 6 Year) and in 1941 (a Universal 6 Year) the United States entered World War II. 1950 saw the Korean War begin. In 1968, another SIX Universal Year, saw the assassination of two leading figures in politics and social movements in the United States and the resulting social unrest was unlike anything ever seen in this country. A check of history shows that every 6 Universal Year going back to 1905, and beyond, has had more than its share of conflicts, local, regional, and globally. And, it was especially true during the 20th Century. That's not to say that war only begin in a 6 Universal Year, I am just pointing out that in the past century alone, conflicts that have involved the United States, have been concentrated in a 6 Year.


Referencing what I wrote in an earlier paragraph about possibilities .”...indications also lean towards the possibility of more co-operation in governments and legislatures. On the world stage, more effort will be directed towards solving problems internationally”, there is a codicil that must be given consideration. The negative side of the 6 energy is a tendency towards obstinance, stubbornness, and a propensity to dig one's heels in on any given subject. That type of positioning by either side in a disagreement leads only to a prolonging of the discussion with the very real possibility that nothing will be agreed upon and nothing will be settled. That does not bode well for anything in the realm of politics anywhere in the world but, most definitely, in the United States. These are the very circumstances for which we need to view our country's own history. Keep in mind that during 1860 (a 6 Universal Year), nullification took places in the states. The following year, 1861 (a Universal 7 Year), the Civil War began as a result. During 2021 (a 5 Universal Year), the Supreme Court allowed a state to effectively nullify a Federal law. And, there is an ongoing and aggressive push to nullify voting rights for millions of Americans of color and ethnicity. We should all collectively do our parts to prevent the further erosion of the foundations of this country. The result of not taking action may be worse than anything we might imagine. To quote Mark Twain, “History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”


What could 2022 bring? With 2022 containing 3-2s, we could encounter an amplified environment demanding that both sides are understood and considered and not, at the expense of either side. We must all work to collectively emanate the vibrations of peace, co-operation and understanding with regards to human rights, equality and dignity. 2022 may also see a rise in cynicism coupled with an amplified increase in the conservative movement and dialogue. Once again, it is imperative that the entire collective is taken into consideration in the context of legislation and policies. Social upheavals may be the result of policies that are not all-inclusive with situations such as those that appeared in 1968 beginning to emerge (again!). We were perhaps presented with a glimpse into what is in store when we witnessed the social unrest during 2021 after the murder of George Floyd. Without positive action to overcome great inequities in society, poverty may become a greater issue. Other potential issues that may arise will be an increase in health problems, epidemics, hunger and homelessness. While not entirely a negative, conditions may exist that lead to the exposure of more widespread political dishonesty and chicanery. Doubt, mistrust, and hypocrisy will create a rise in political and geopolitical frictions which may lead to civil wars, social uprisings, or political coups. Steps that were not taken in 2021 to correct the situation(s) in existence, may very well lead to increasing problems in many areas of our country and economy. With the influence of the Six being paramount, much of those problems will revolve around how, as a country and a society, we take responsibility for not only ourselves but others, also. A lack of responsibility on the part of political leaders could lead to a inability to fulfill social and financial commitments further exacerbating the schisms between governments and their citizens. The SIX energy may also lead to stubborn opposition to change and improvements as different factions become more intractable in their positions.


In closing, much of what transpires in 2022 will be determined by the changes that manifested in 2021 and by the willingness of all parties to work towards a more harmonious, responsible, and loving world. You, the reader can do you part through the exercising and exhibition of such traits.


One more thing: When I wrote my forecast for 2016 (a Universal 9 Year) I said that issues that needed to be handled, dismissed, and/or ended must be taken care of throughout the course of the year. It is part of the essence of the 9 that covers endings, as 9 is the last number in the series of 1-9. One certainty in Numerology is that a 9 Year is a time to rid oneself of things, people, situations, and more that no longer serve your highest good. Obviously, the same would apply to nations. Sadly, in 2016 we did not do that, in fact we actually took a few steps backwards. And, in the ways of the 9, that which should have been discarded or ended and was not, will be brought forward into the next nine-year cycle and those very conditions will only exacerbate. If not handled and solved as the cycle progresses, those same things will continue to become bigger problems. Here we are as we enter 2022 and from my perspective, things don't seem to be improving. Yes, certainly there are aspects of life that are improving but, overall, I see a deterioration in the human condition and in the ways we treat one another. We must collectively and individually find our way to making changes and working together to make this a better country and, a better world. With the 6 being the overarching Universal vibration this year, let's all do what we can to live up to the responsibilities that are associated with the number. As always, the power lies with the people. Let's make certain that power does not continue to be eroded.


Blessing of Love & Light.

Happy New Year!

Michael John Fierro has been working with Numerology since 1984. He has worked with thousands of clients and lectured extensively around the country and on hundreds of radio broadcasts. He is the author of You Know Your Name...Look Up Your Numbers (an introduction to Numerology). He is well-known for the accuracy and depth of his readings in the many thousands of clients with which he has worked. While originally from the Jersey Shore, he will be embarking on an extended, cross-country journey across America. If you wish for him to come to your town for a lecture, book-signing, class, or Numerology party, or, if you wish to book him as a guest on your radio show, contact him at
www.michaeljohnfierro.com

© 2021, Michael John Fierro. Reproduction or reprints only with the express consent of the author.


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The Ultimate Library: Akashic Records

 

By Mary E. Adair

"I believe that accessing one's Akashic Records can help them determine the steps they should be taking now to reach their goals. It can also assist them in determining what their goals should be if they're at a standstill in their life."


I recently had the amazing opportunity to have an Akashic Records reading. This reading was truly life-changing. Because I firmly believe that we are spiritual beings on a physical journey, we can use all the help available to ensure that our journey follows a path that leads to the growth and enlightenment we chose to experience well before we ever arrived here on planet Earth.


You may be asking yourself, "What in the world are akashic records?" I know that before my reading, although I'd heard of them, I really must admit that I really had given them very little thought. In fact, I was totally unaware that you could actually get a reading where someone could tap into your life record. Thanks to a lady named Mary Adair (also known as PSA in the Shrine of Hope chat rooms), I experienced just that...access to my life record...not just this current physical life, but my eternal life record.


Akashic Records - a Brief History


In my desire to learn more about these life records, I did an extensive search of both books and the internet. This is definitely a brief summary of what I discovered.


Akashic records are not a new age idea. Their existence has been recognized by various religions throughout history. Although the different religious groups may refer to these records by different names, they all represent the same set of records. In the Old Testament, Exodus 32:32, you will find the first biblical record about this wonderful set of records. Moses pleads with God to spare the Israelites for their offense in building and worshipping the golden calf. He actually takes full responsibility for their actions and offers his own name to be stricken from the book which God has written, to pay for their actions. David later recognizes in Psalms that God has written everything down about him, good, bad, and in between. Folklore from many different groups makes reference to the Book of Life. The Phoenicians, the Egyptians, and the Babylonians are but a few of these groups. The Islamic religion refers to this book as The Book of Decree. This book holds the records of all events past, present, and yet to occur. Rosicrucian writings call this set of life records the Memory of Nature. In Sanskrit, akasha means sky or ether, and theosophy describes this as a non-physical plane on which all the knowledge of human experience exists. Edgar Cayce referred to the Akashic Records during several of his readings. These are just a few examples of where you can find references to the existence of a universal storehouse or library of all the knowledge of humankind. Today, with the increased understanding of quantum physics, there is the growing belief that all life is energy and that this energy, which cannot be destroyed, at its most fundamental level is consciousness. Therefore, all energy is part of a collective consciousness. It is within this energy that our life here as a soul in a physical body is imprinted. Everything we do as a soul while here, every emotion we feel, every interaction that occurs with others and all the thoughts and feelings included in that experience, as well as all the things we have yet to do, think, say, or feel is held within this universal energy database. It is this field of energy, therefore, that is the Akashic Library containing the life of all the souls, all the incarnations of our soul, and all future souls and incarnations.


Accessing Your Akashic Records


Deciding to access your Akashic Records is a choice to discover insight into your soul. Just as we choose to pray or to read various religious and spiritual books in an attempt to grow spiritually, it is possible, as I discovered, to gain spiritual growth via accessing one's Akashic Records. Imagine knowing the spiritual reasons behind your life choices, or discovering insight into your spiritual purpose for being here. An Akashic Records reading can give you these insights.


Before a reading of your Akashic Records, it is important to prepare yourself for the reading. I highly recommend meditating on what you truly wish to learn about yourself prior to a reading. This raises your energy to a higher level and in so doing you can gain guidance about the best questions for you to ask in order to learn what you need to know to continue your soul's journey most effectively. I know that I chose to do this and found it really beneficial.


Whether you choose to meditate or not, you will want to develop a list of questions regarding those things in your life that you wish to have your reader answer. It is only through your permission that a reader can access your records. To do so without your permission would be a violation of your free will. With this permission, the reader will then recite an ancient sacred prayer. This prayer allows the reader to connect via your name and the energy connected to it, to your life records. One of the many wonderful experiences surrounding these readings is that we have a chance to release things we have created that are blocking our connection to our creator. It helps heal us so that we can advance in our journey to fulfill our life purpose. It can help to remove any illusions of separation from our creator and in so doing, it reminds us that we truly are one with all, including our creator.


I cannot begin to tell you how emotionally freeing it was to have this reading. I was able to get answers to some questions about my life that had mystified me for ages. For example, I had the unusual experience of meeting my first husband at the age of 18 only to discover that we not only shared the exact same birth date but that we were also born within hours of each other in the same hospital. We shared many experiences in life before, during, and after our marriage ended, that were almost identical. In a strange way, we knew each other the way twins might. I always wondered why we chose a path that brought us together in marriage, yet also led us to a separation, although we have continued to be good friends to this day. My reading allowed me to discover the reasons for these events and choices. In understanding these reasons, I also gained greater insight into my spiritual path. I had many other questions, and Mary was able to access my life records to give me the answers I sought. At the conclusion of my reading, I know I felt at an inner level the truth or "rightness" of the reading. It is an experience unlike any other, and one I consider to be truly healing.


Akashic Reader, Mary E. Adair


I would like to add a few more words about the lady who gave me my reading. I have come to know her via the various chat rooms at Shrine of Hope. She is clearly a woman of integrity and is genuinely dedicated to helping others. She has a wonderful gift where she receives messages from the spirits of missing children. They often come to her with information about what has happened to them and where they can be found. This is not something that happens on command, however, it is not unusual for her to hear on the news of a missing child and then receive information from them. In addition, she is a fantastic interpreter of dreams. She has a regularly scheduled evening in the chat room, Dreamtime, at Shrine of Hope, where she helps those who come with dreams that they have had and wish to have interpreted. One of the special things she does after these interpretations is to have others who are present during the interpretation share their thoughts about the dream. In this way, the person gets both Mary's interpretation as well as additional insights from others. She does this freely as a way of helping others. I believe she is one of those special people with a heart of gold and an amazing set of gifts that allow her to be a genuine help to others.


The above article researched and compiled by Roberta Cote in 2010, was gifted to me by her for publication.



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Raymond Street II

  

By Harmony Kieding 

 

In 1999 I wrote a long poem called Raymond Street (as in Raymond St. Pasadena, California)... based on my experience of being homeless...
Here it is, copy pasted in all its gory, er, glory...




Raymond Street II


(-Harmony Kieding- 1999-)

The dogs are howling
Early in the morning,
on the streets of Pasadena.
I can hear them
As I go by on foot,
homeless,
past the doors of the Humane Society.
I can hear them howl.
They are imprisoned on the Inside;
I am imprisoned on the Outside.
Their nomad state has been declared a crime.
So has mine.
Rounded up
without their consent-
sterilized
and castrated, and
doomed to die
their existence is illegal
they are
doing their time on death row
unless claimed by another species.
The "human" species.


About this "human" species.
This morning most of them have put on the
Masks of Pretending to Be Human.
You either know those masks.
Or you will come to know them.
Or you are wearing one yourself.
The Pretend Mask of Concerned Friend,
Relative, or Citizen.
The Mask of the Religious Person.
And the Mask of the Spiritual New age Person.


Much time will be spent on maintaining those masks.
Ah, yes, cultivating the appearance of those masks.
Many Pretend Friend Hours will be spent
joking over coffee,
watching a movie together, and running around.
The Pretend Family Member will say this and that.
The "Concerned Citizen" Mask will approach
on one pretext or another.


But the One thing you must know about Masks:
If Ever True Need arises,
the Mask Will Come OFF,
Baring the Thing Within.
And I tell you, this Thing is not human.
only then,
When true need arises
will the Pretend Friend or the Pretend
Family Member say
on a raining, close to freezing night...
"There is no room for you.
No, not even on the living room floor.
No, sorry, I really can't have you.
It would be too much for Roger."
And then, you see...
they close the door and it is
clear that they do not care if you live
or die. All along, it has been a war;
And there you stand, weaponless, at the door.
They Shut the Door.
On the other side of it,
In their eyes
you have suddenly stopped being human.
You have turned into a label.
Yes, that label.
A Homeless Person.


They close the Door
And it is terribly freeing.
Why have coffee with them ever again-
When they do not care if you live or die.
When true need arises
only then,
will the Pretend-to-be-Spiritual Mask say
"There is no room for you inside my warm house,
Not even in my extra car that I save for
weekend trips to the mountains.
but I will meditate for you,
and I will donate
once a year
to some Homeless Charity".


It is actually very simple to see the point at which
Spirit meets Matter.
It is as clear
as taking ten blankets
to a homeless family
out in the cold..on the streets.
It is as simple as sharing
a meal with them.
Not given because one feels superior...
because one is not superior.
not given out of "charity"
because that charity is to Self-
but because there is no other choice
for one who would be
Human.


The Transit of Neptune through Capricorn
has seen the dissolving of compassion.
Somehow, unobserved, the poor turned first into losers,
And then, somehow, into Criminals.
The meek were disinherited by their very Birth.
Shall the chique inherit the Earth?
So here am I, out in the cold,
With only the icy ghosts of
affluent times to
ostracize me now.
"Miss Persona Non Grata", they mock with a chilling smile.


Each block I walk
Down Raymond Street
I recall trips to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum,
Or the little cafeteria in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts,
where,
after taking in the Egyptian Section
you could get a small
olive-and-pimento sandwich
with a cup of Earl Grey before you take the mta
Home, in that long ago life
where there WAS a home
. In that life,
there were art classes and admiring the lace
on the cuffs
in Copley's portraits.
There was lemonade on summer lawns
and sailing on the sea
And evenings at the Boston Symphony Orchestra,
and Welsh Rarebit served at the Harvard Musical Society.
An original Rembrandt
relegated to someone's bathroom underneath the stairs
and come across by accident at some soiree.
These were the force fields of beauty.

I place these memories where they belong
next to those of a Graveyard,
glimpsed fleetingly one day through the window of a car.
A Graveyard of small, humble headstones...
All except for one, immense gravestone
shouting "Look at me!!
Am I not deader than all these other dead?
Aren't you impressed with how very dead I am?
And am I not more affluently dead than all the rest?"


Back from the abstract-
Back to the concrete of Raymond Street
In a department store window,
a mannequin who cannot benefit from them
flaunts a warm winter coat and gloves,
taunting me through the glass,
and sneering at my bare hands.
And How very well that glass
In the window
co-ordinates with
the glass between us and Society.
And the shattering glass
of the crystal cathedrals...
imploding from lack of compassion
descending from lack of Love
Illusions of social classes
that shatter like the glass.


To You who are so afraid of losing your power..
I say You never had it to begin with.
You hold on to an illusion of Power.
To You who have never discovered your Power
I say you have had it all along.
It comes from the Source of All Things
And it is endless.


Further Down Raymond Street,
Not too far from where the Parade of Roses
builds their floats...
we pause at the outdoor workshop
That makes children's playhouses
For the rich.
And future children will play in them
and Pretend to Be pirates and princesses
Peter Pan and kings...
Each playhouse has a roof
and partial shelter from the elements.
But even on a freezing night,
we are not allowed to use them.
Though it's true- they could fit a human being or two..
And give shelter from the wind.
The playhouses are all behind a
heavily-barred gate.
And your carefully cultured children you will exclude
and pretend never to have known
if ever they come to a time of need.


Gandhi, you once said that you thought Western Civilization
Would be a good idea.
And I tell you..
All of Civilization Itself is not such a good idea.
All our countries have taken off their Masks
The Mad Cows no longer are jumping over the moon-
They are singing us a lullaby
And the very Earth itself is Dying.

And in each of our countries,
all of our country men and women do not
want us in their neighborhood.
You want us here
or there
or
Elsewhere.
Invisible. Or dead.


Then you wonder why it is so hard for us to
fit back into a society
that makes it so clear we are unwanted
In the first place.
Strange,
how the homeless shelter
in Pasadena
on Raymond Street
is located so close to the
Humane Society. For Animals.
"Human kind cannot bear very much Reality."
T.S.Eliot


I am almost at the end of Raymond Street, and so I
Sing myself a little song. It goes like this:
"Here Am I.
Between the Earth and the Sky,
Being Human.
I live my Life as it goes By,
And I am Human.
And the Color of My Skin
Does not show the Soul Within.
The Only Race I've ever been
is the Human."
We shall speak with tongues of Fire until you Hear.
We shall touch you and We shall draw near
And all these dogs doing time on death row-
who are these dogs on death row now

©12/11/2021 Harmony Kielding


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The Trail of Life

 

By Walt Perryman 

 

The trail of life has many choices of trails to take,
When you and your loved ones, well-being are at stake,


At the forks in the trail of life which way should we go?
If we ask God and listen with our heart, we will know.


There are many forks and crossroads in life’s trail,
They are called choices, some work and some fail.


Sometimes our choices will change our life’s direction,
Some we can correct but others will have no correction.


So, next time you have a choice of trails you can take.
Listen to your heart for the choice God tells you to make.

©July 2021 Walt Perryman


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Raccoons on Parade

  

By John I. Blair 

 

Last night I glanced
Out dusty doors
At my shabby patio


And in the floodlit murk
I saw a pointed nose,
Ringed eyes, a bushy tail,


And then another and another,
And a fourth, a mother,
Shepherding her kits for snack time

.
A tabby cat (my regular)
Sat on a bench, reviewing the parade
As its units trotted to the steps


Where food and water waited
(Placed there for the cat
But clearly on display for all),


Just barely taking note of me
Despite my size and visibility.
One day I may regret


Raccoon familiarity
With often fragile human things,
But all I could consider


Was how cute beyond belief
They all were; and I truly think
The cat agreed.


©2021 John I. Blair 12/28/2021


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Hide Away Eyes

By Bruce Clifford

Hide away eyes
Walking in pairs
The end of a year
Marooned in the spirit
Hide away eyes


Freedoms are lost
Moments of cost
Revered and battle worn
Hide away eyes


There’s another variant
Another source of contempt
See all the covid kids running
They will never forget
Seasons of regret


Leaning towards flight
Cosmic shadows of night
Shell shocked and bewildered
Hide away eyes


Marooned in the spirit
Hide away eyes

© 12/22/2021 Bruce Clifford


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There's Still Hope

 

By Bud Lemire

What is that swirling around me
It's something that I can not see
Oh tell me what can it be
Another virus to cause misery


It's out there, the Omicron and Delta are on the loose
Please be careful, or you'll be an unlucky goose
I wear a mask, wash my hands, and try my best
If I'm not feeling quite right, I go in for a test


Be careful, and I wish you well
A Variant can put you through hell
The worst pain ever, and you could die
So wear the mask, vaccinate, don't make me cry


Who's the fool, you're not afraid?
You get this, and you will fade!
Sure, you think it's a rumor, now that's not smart
If you were much wiser, you'd do your part


The CDC and Doctors, could tell you true
Still, I wonder, what would you do
There's still hope, get the vaccine
Don't be a black thumb, be the green


©Dec 22, 2021 Bud Lemire

                         Author Note:

As you know, a black thumb kills things,
whereas a green thumb makes things grow.
You can keep on being the fool, or you can
get the vaccine and help save lives. Would
the CDC or Doctors lead you astray? I
know they have always been after the health
and safety of you! I know they have for me.
I trust in them. When you trust the right people,
you are being wise. There is still hope. Make
the right choice and get the vaccines. Now!
Before someone you love passes.


 

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