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Hansel Thanksgiving Misgiving

Hansel after Gretel Married (Thanksgiving)

Next to a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy’s name was Hansel and the girl’s name was Gretel. He had but little to eat, and once, when a great famine came to the land, he could no longer provide even their daily bread.

I will forever remember how cold and hungry we were, and how Gretel and I followed the crumbs to that old ladies house. Only to find she was hungry as well, there is where I learned of Cannibalism,we were quick thinking kids back then, but now I have trust issues, I do not even trust Gretel as much as I used too.

Each woman that has come into my life now that I am an adult has to go through a vigorous vetting. Does she bake? Does she have a cauldron, or large soup pot? Does she eat meat? What types of meat, I have to know what goes into my food.

I know there are nationalities that eat dogs, horses, frogs, is there one that eat children? Also I have to be sure if Darwin is right is my new girlfriend from a linage that has praying mantis in it?

There are other issues that have surfaced since that event, for instance I hate walking in the woods, you will never catch me in the woods again.

So this Thanksgiving know what you are eating and especially who you are dining with, the hostess may be into things your not. Just saying

Happy thanksgiving

Mornings Moon

As the moon holds it’s place

Dawn will soon take a stand

Yet the nights rest

will refresh the soul of man

let each breath we take

bloom rich thanksgiving

filling our hearts with peace

Grace

Grace lives in the world of chaos, reaching out to those in need. Yet in her days, she finds many neglect to take advantage of what she has to offer. This will not detour her efforts, continually she will set out each day with a new attempt to give herself to others.

She wonders at times if it is futile, the passivity makes it near impossible to touch them with her offerings. Yet there are those who are grateful for her bequest.

As families ready for the coming Holiday of giving Thanks, Grace hopes to be part of the table of this feast. As Grace gives thus others receive she only asks that they will pass on her gift through the alms of love to those who need it most.

Let Grace be within your heart of thanksgiving that all may partake of its fullness and peace.

As a Whisper

As a Whisper Poem

As a whisper you adhere to limbs

the child in me wants angels

written in the snow

you are the first of the season

changing my landscape

letting me know

to be a child

Tip my head back

stick out my tongue

you will kiss it

with your cool moisture

I would not have noticed you

unless I looked for you

as love is in the air

your coolness is a breath

of freshness

No howling today with winds a flurry

Just a whisper your touch

Brings brightness to the desolate limbs

as love brings hope to the heart.

 

Our Walk together Poem

Open road poem

I walk the roads less traveled

finding my way in the sun

seasons change as we walk together

having a paw companion is fun

how is man’s best friend when wandering

this road with me?

A tail wag and sniff the air

here we are, where we go, we do not care

we have each other on this road

let us always wander together

there is nothing greater

Adirondack Chair Chapter 8 Finale

The grieving started all over again in this community, now trying to make sense of more senselessness. This time it took an ugly turn with accusations of who knew what who was complicit in the inappropriate relationship with a minor and his teacher. I will not get involved in this, my role is to be there for those who need a shoulder to cry on, my job is to stay neutral and listen. I can see all sides of this, the rage a parent feels being they entrusted their son to a professional who stepped over the boundaries of their authority and position. I can see the reasoning of a young man falling in love with his teacher, the transference added to the hormones, and lust. Yet there is an issue here of the teacher being emotionally immature, or the need to dominate a relationship, whatever it was that drew these two together, is complicated. I will make recommendations that teacher’s need an extensive background and psych check, even with that some fall through the cracks.

There were not as many in attendance at the funeral of Joslyn Spencer also no vigil too many are grieving even more the loss of John and anger toward Joslyn only exasperated the process of letting the healing start. This will take a bit longer with the added revelation especially for Laura, she feels extremely betrayed by both of these people whom she cared deeply for.

School will start soon, I am hoping the transition of a new semester and new horizons to be explored will aid in the healing process, moving forward. Laura had told me it helps knowing I will be at the school every day being available if she needed to talk. Laura and I have made a good connection; she has also made a connection with one of the other boys on the football team that John was on. I am hoping this will be a good thing and not merely rebound. Time will tell and I am here as Laura well knows to talk.

Todd and I are moving faster than I had planned yet the events of the last month have facilitated an immense amount of emotion; more than most go through when they first meet. We have experienced so much together during this month, and so subtly and genuinely we have fallen in love and have been working on the communication of needs and wants during the flurry of activity.

Todd has hired my neighbor Marla to work part time evenings 3 days a week to give us more time together. Tonight Todd and I are going out to dinner; a walk is out of the question the weather has made a turn into fall all of a sudden, wind rain, even snow rain mix already.

We went back to my flat, there is a balcony just out the back of the flat; to get to it you walk through my bedroom and step out the window; they use windows as exits because in the past your taxes are determined by how many doors that lead outside also this is considered an exit route in case of fire. Todd and I took advantage of the balcony that night when the drizzle finally let up, there was a quiet clearing of the clouds, just enough to see the moon. I have two lounge chairs on the balcony we pushed them together, wrapped ourselves in a blanket and snuggled. It did not take long for the snuggle to go further, making love in the moon light on a crisp autumn night was something I can now scratch off my bucket list. Once we re-dressed, and tucked back under the blanket Todd turned to me and said “Donna I am in love with you, I know we have not known each other long, but I feel strongly we belong together; will you marry me?”

Of course my answer was “Yes.”

The wedding was private and was simple, I am a strange girl I never wanted the large wedding with cake, white dress, bridesmaids, etc.

We had the wedding on the beach where we met, Todd’s friend and my landlord helped out at the store along with Marla and Clowie. Todd and I went to Niagara Falls for a short honeymoon, I had to be at work on Monday morning, and we will have the rest of our lives to celebrate each other. Todd’s and mine has been a whirlwind of a love affair. Romance sometimes are in the trenches of life, all the more to cement the bond between a man and a woman.

Who are you?

Who are you?

Some say nobody

Yet as a gift to us

You are special

You are somebody

Your mommy couldn’t believe

The gift she received

She checked five times

Saying in her heart, you are mine

Daddy called grandma

Grandma said a prayer

Blessing you- you are here

To grow and to show

How beautiful you are

Special in our eyes

Your family holds you in their hearts

God gave you to us

As an answered prayer

Soon we will meet

Surrounding you with love

Spoiling you with hugs

Never forget you are special

Sculpture or welded poem

Sculpture or Welded (Poem)

Being one of firsts sculpted his stature

First president born in United States

Focused on farming not power

Laid foundations for role of President

Yet this does not tell us of the man

Who welded in our patriotic hearts!

Still reminiscing of the gifts he left behind

Selling his property not his citizens

He would only sell to industry

Who willingly would hire freed slaves;

Yet to this day we still beckon this same song

Where have we gone wrong?

Could it be as a Man our first President?

Determined right from wrong

This was welded firmly in his heart

Heart of flesh not of steal or might

No fabrication does this entail

Only that of truth will avail

To this country not a mere sculpture

But tenants of heart built on

A true foundation of faith

Where power and truth arise,

His missives were lengthy to ensure

His heart was shown with clarity,

Has this been the pattern of many:

Who follow in this office?

Our lives would show the clarity

Not welded promises which corrode.

Let us bring back the majesty

Of this persons sculpture

Not of man but of his soul

So we all may be free.

Adirondack Chair Chapter 7

There was a vigil every day for a week with a multitude of people, slowly but surely the crowd started to dwindle, daily life started to take precedent, I made sure I took some time at the vigil each day; also I was always available in my flat. By the second week there were 10, by the end of the second week there was only one; Laura.  Here is where it will get real tough for Laura; she will feel betrayed by the other mourners, believing in part they disserted John and even her. She will now be left with the silence of her own grief.

Friday of the second week I went down and sat next to Laura as she lit a candle, she and I were silent for the longest time, she turned to me laid her head in my lap and just cried her poor heart out. I believe this is the first time I seen Laura cry, she has been the strong one, doing all the planning for the vigil trying to help with coordinating the original grief counseling get together in the audio visual room. Now she was left with her grief and all the busy work is done. Including the funeral, Johns parents said they needed time alone to grieve, Laura’s parents are at their wits end trying to figure out how to reach out to their daughter, whatever they do seems wrong or not enough.

All that just left me to stand alongside this teenage girl trying to make sense out of a senseless situation. There are no easy answers when it comes to suicide; it goes beyond the simple notion that someone was depressed. So much more to it and I have this gnawing suspicion there was a lot more too it when it comes to why John took his life; to many things do not add up, everyone who was interviewed either by me or the police psych they all said the same thing, John was excited about going to college, he was involved in school activities and he was in love. All these things pointed to a well adjusted well rounded young man not a young man depressed and desperate.

I convinced Laura to go home and talk with her parents, I explained if what she said did not make sense; it did not matter just talk to them, I believe she is starting to understand that her parents loved John as well and are grieving his loss, just differently than her.

Todd came by shortly after Laura left, I was grateful he brought take out, being so involved with Laura I totally forgot about eating something.

Todd is a gem, I told him so and when I did he leaned in and gave me a kiss, then said “Donna, I am very much in love with you.”

Tears weld up in my eyes and I said “I love you too Todd.”

He suggested we take a walk, go back to the Adirondack chair where we met, and sit listening to the water and hoping the sky will clear and enjoy some quiet time. This man knows exactly what I need. We sat till approximately midnight, it was an unusually warm night for being the first week of September, taking our shoes off at the water’s edge we walked hand in hand holding our shoes and walking through the waves. Making it to a cluster of scrub, and shrubs we dropped our shoes and our clothes and went into the water. What is it about skinny dipping and making love, I think part of the thrill is the excitement you may be discovered. Darn we weren’t discovered; dressing and rinsing our feet off we put our shoes on Todd walked me home kissed me good night with the promise of tomorrow.

Once Todd left I checked my messages there was a message from Joslyn Spencer, crying and saying “It was more than emotional, he broke up with me I did not break it off, he was mad we made a suicide pack and I was not going to keep my end of the bargain, the pack was made because we had a love that was not right, knowing there would be disapproval and I would lose my job, so instead of living without each other, we made the pack.”

After the last word was spoken I heard the shot. My heart fell to the ground I swear I could hear its dissent, I called Todd, and he came back and stayed the night, holding me till morning. He understood after hearing the message.