Time

"Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective."

                                      ~ Doe Zantamata

"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters."

Winter Sky ... Silver Lining

For the past eight years, the United States has had the privilege of being led by a president who not only stands for liberty and justice for all, but, as best as he could, put that into practice.  Among his many accomplishments, Barack Obama helped restore a broken economy, made great strides to protect and positively affect the environment, and, whenever possible, promoted peaceful solutions in global affairs. President Obama's strength and calm and pragmatic and caring qualities gave younger generations a consistently positive role model to look up to, and his concern for the everyday citizen's welfare helped scores of people lead better lives. He carried himself with dignity and acted with diplomacy, and, in so many ways, he left the world a better place than it had been when he took office.

For the past few months, since learning the result of our country's recent presidential election, I've struggled with the intellectual and emotional impacts. Donald Trump's electoral college win for leadership of our nation was shocking. Our in-coming president displays overwhelming character flaws, and he continually demonstrates a lack of good judgment. Given the angry vitriol Trump continually spewed during his campaign and even after getting elected, and his apparent ignorance on major issues that affect our country, our earth, and us all, it's extremely worrisome to imagine the negative impacts his presidency could have not only on the United States, but on the world.

 

Even though I consider myself to be an optimistic thinker, it's been very difficult for me to find a silver lining in the current situation ... but, there's always a silver lining, if one keeps looking. Hope remains in keeping in mind that we are a world of individual citizens. Citizens who truly care and who join together for the betterment of all can and will make a difference for the good of all. Our mindset and role as citizen versus consumer is vital if we are to conserve the balance necessary for healthy co-existence on our planet.  A Native American leader from the Dakota Nation said, "The earth is the source, not a resource."... a poignant point to ponder and reflect upon as we all move forward in the coming days. 

 

Our new president's leadership has not yet been put to the test.  Although my concerns remain, I wish Donald Trump well as he embarks on his journey as 45th president of the United States of America.

A Chill in the Air

Winter is coming on strong.  It's been bone-biting cold and snow is blanketing the ground in white.  Our resident family of deer joined up with others, forming a larger herd for safety and for warmth.  They bed down close together at night, keeping each other warm.  The deer coats are very thick now.  These thick fur coats make some of them look wooly.  Today, we saw a group of nine outside our windows.  The deer seem to know they are safe around our house, and they like to eat our shrubbery!  Fortunately, even though they nibble a lot of our bushes down to the nub, come spring, the bushes bounce back and will be no worse for the wear despite the deer snacking on them all winter long.