In Honor Of…….

Born February 7, 1975  in Albany New York

Died July 21, 2011 in Paktika, Afghanistan.

Master Sgt. Benjamin A. Stevenson of Canyon Lake, Texas died at age 36 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. Stevenson was currently serving his 10th deployment overseas since the start of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Highly decorated, Master Sgt. Stevenson received the following:  Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Nation Defense Service Medal, among several others.  He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, his parents, a brother and a sister.

Living In The Moment

Another week has past.  The events that came to each of us these last days were unique in their own way.  Although some of them may reoccur in the future, they will not be as they were this last week.

I often think about the chances that come to us each day.  The ones that we allow to go to the side and not act upon the opportunity that may be offered to us.  I know that in most cases it is impossible to act upon all such times that may come our way.  Yet I wonder at times if the ones that I do allow to go untouched were ones that possibly could have brought me an extra special blessing.  Some may say that such a wonder is a form of regret and I guess that in some way it is.  Yet each day as we venture out on our daily life we choose the events that we partake in or avoid.  It is in the question as to why we join in a cause or why also we may quietly walk by hoping that no one notices.

 

Sometimes our reasons are good ones.  At other times we justify the reason so that we can avoid and not feel too bad for doing so.  As I crawl out of the hole I feel I have resided in for the last few months, I wonder about all the opportunities I may have allowed to go by the wayside.  I wonder about the revelations and the blessings that I may have missed because I did so.  I am careful not to be too hard on myself as I also know that in doing what I did, I may have also avoided things that could have brought me the very opposite.

 

As the year winds down and the autumn calls off in the distance, I am only now coming out of my hibernation.  It may prove to be a very interesting time.  I have missed the interaction with the blogworld and am happy to be back.  Yet I know that there are other things that call me as well.  Although I felt that I reclused myself these last few months, in my own way I made my own choices.  It was a choice of subtle seclusion and retrospect.  Sometimes the times that comes to one can not be avoided and although we may wish to take a different path we are somewhat herded down the one we would not have necessarily chosen.  These times can be blessings as well.  It all depends on our attitude and how open we keep our heart and eyes as we travel down it.

 

Although at times I have questioned the why of a choice I may have made, in most cases I see the reasoning eventually.  Maybe not immediately or even shortly after, it comes to me in time.  What did I learn from my latest journey?  So far the lessons that have come are those of realization; that as quickly as something comes it can also go.  It are the moments of now that matter the most.  It is not the pain or joy one gains from looking at the past that is most important.  It is not the anticipation of what could possibly be that one feels as they gaze into the future.  The past will forever keep us in its grasp if we live only in it.  The future will bring us nothing if we gaze only at the possibilities and attempt nothing to reach the goal.  But the present… It is a means to have it all.  In the present we can deal with the happenings of the past and resolve the pain that may have been there and hold precious all the joys.  We can plan and act upon the path to reach the dreams we may have for the future and eventually in time reach the destination we desire.  It is in the present that we hold all of time and the power to manipulate it in the palm of our hand.

 Blessings,

Mother Moon

Friends for Breakfast

Although our weather has been overly warm this summer, if one rises early enough in the morning they may experience a brief time of lovely weather.  Before the sun rises high enough to start its hot walk across the sky, and if there is a slight breeze; the early morning can be quite nice. 

I learned this morning though that I am not the only one who also finds this to be a nice time to come out and enjoy the day before it becomes too unbearable.  Winston and I had just stepped off the porch when a movement caught my attention from the corner of my sight.  As I turned towards my little oak at the bottom of the yard, I noticed something jump from its branches.  Now the squirrels enjoy this tree quite a bit as there is a big feeder of sunflower seed that is nestled in the middle of it, hidden from most .  It is a treasure that is only there for those who know it is there.  Yet this did not appear to be a squirrel.  It was much darker in color, almost black.   Also if it was to be a squirrel I had somehow acquired monster squirrels as its size was a bit large.

I continued to watch not yet venturing to close as Winston was with me and the last thing I wanted was for him to catch sight of what I was witnessing and possibly take chase.   Just then a second animal jumped to the ground.  This time I caught a better view and again it was definitely not a squirrel. 

I could not believe that two animals of such size would be sitting up in my little oak and be so hidden from my sight.  They both crouched down at the base of the tree so that I still could not make out their true identity.  I ushered Winston into the house so that I could take a closer look.   As I ventured down a bit closer to the tree, a third animal jumped down from the oak’s branches.  Now a total of three animals hunkered down around the bottom of the small oak hidden only by a few sparse weeds .  Although the plants that surrounded the oak were few I still could not make out their faces.  Then one of them darted from their hiding place toward the woods nearby.  As it ran towards the higher grass and brush it drug behind it  a ringed tail.  Soon after the second followed and then the third.  Three young coons were enjoying an early morning breakfast of sunflower seeds nestled snugly up in the branches of my little oak.  

I still am a bit surprised that three of them could fit themselves up in the small tree.  Yet my little oak has been refuge for many a squirrel and bird.  His branches reach out accepting all who come to visit and sit a spell. I am sure that he would also welcome three coon siblings if they came his way.   I wondered after seeing my new visitors if I should attempt to trap and relocate them to a more fitting location then my back yard.  I have already done so with two others this summer. They had found my suet cakes and seed earlier at a feeding station closer to my house and were making themselves a bit too welcomed. After consuming a gross number of suet cakes and practically demolishing one of my feeders in an attempt to gain entrance, I had no other choice but to find them new homes.   I think as long as these three stay down by the oak  they will be fine.  It was obvious by their size that they were but young ones and the fact that they were three in number made me think they must be siblings who were likely born earlier this spring.  How could I possibly break up siblings. 

  I did spread cracked corn around the oak yesterday for the birds as well as the rabbits that sometime frequent.  A bit silly of me to think that nothing else might come and also partake of it. 

Blessings

Mother Moon

A Thought To Ponder

An interesting method

for dealing with negative and unwanted thoughts.

Don't let them possess you.

Don't assume you have to act them out.

On the other hand;

Don't struggle mightily to suppress them, either.

Instead, try this:

Bow to the offending idea.

Acknowledge and admire its power.

Express your gratitude and respect to it

For galvanizing so much of your psychic energy

Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield

.