SoCS: If You’re Going to Call Yourself Pro-Life ….

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with pro.” Find a word that starts with “pro” and use it any way you like in your post. Enjoy!

The first thing that popped into my head was pro-life. Then, Oh, no. You better be careful with that, especially if you’re going to be writing stream of consciousness style.

Maybe I should just get this out of the way and then change the subject. This is something I have strong feelings about:

If you’re going to call yourself, “pro-life,” then please be pro-life. Try not to harm things that are ALIVE.

If you’re going to call yourself, “pro-life,” at least try to be a vegetarian or vegan. Don’t use pesticides much, especially outside. Don’t buy poinsettias during Christmas time and then just throw them in the trash when Christmas is over if they still have LIFE.

If you’re going to call yourself, “pro-life,” then don’t support the death penalty. Don’t support war.

If you’re going to call yourself, “pro-life,” then help babies and children stay alive even after they are born.

If you’re going to call yourself, “pro-life,” then work to support all life on this precious gift of planet Earth. Protect forests and oceans from so called, “development,” which destroys the lives and habitats of so many plants and animals. Support renovation of existing buildings and build green.

The list goes on. Pro-life, means in favor of and in support of LIFE.

Well, I haven’t changed the subject yet. I’m not sure if I’m even going to publish this as it is so controversial. But it’s something that really irks me. If someone calls themselves pro-life, and they truly are pro-life and not just pro-human birth, then we could probably be friends, even if we don’t agree 100% on everything. I could respect them for being honest. For Life’s sake.

Maybe I’ll just have a gallery of life pictures:

Me and Daughter Ayla 1993

Ayla and Mira 2022

Esther and baby Mira

Butterfly on Lantana

Chimp mom and baby – Source Unknown

Life hiding in the grass

Family of Geese Crossing the road

~~~

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit out host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

Nature Loves Cycles

Photo by JoAnna of the Forest

Nature loves cycles

They come by design

Built in to our blood

Sleep cycles and life cycles

Day to night to seasons.

Life, death, rebirth.

The circle of life

Comes again and again.

On that we can depend.

It might not look like what we want.

Our messes have consequences.

Bugs could inherit the earth.

But life will continue in some form.

Will we nurture the diversity of life?

Will we help nature and ourselves be well?

Our choices and time will tell.

With each new day and each new night,

We have a chance to love life.

And on a lighter note: Carly Simon Sings “Coming Around Again” with the “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

Thanks to our host, Linda Hill, for the opportunity to offer today’s prompt.

For more on Just Jot it January, visit Linda’s post HERE.

One-Liner Wednesday: Earth Day 2020

 

“We are called to assist the earth, to heal her wounds,

and in the process, heal our own.”

                                                            Wangari Maathai

Happy Earth Day Every Day!

This year’s Earth Day theme is “Climate Action.” You can learn more about the importance of climate action and find links to virtual Earth Day 2020 from Rosaliene at Three Worlds One Vision

 

One Liner Wednesday is brought to us by Linda G. Hill. For details, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/04/22/one-liner-wednesday-april-22nd-2020-some-truths-dont-age-at-all/

Gentle Curiosity and Genuine Joy

A parachute set up by students for all to sign

The following is a meditation written and read by a student leader at our local climate strike last Friday. I’m grateful that she let me take a photo of her notes. I offer the last line for One-Liner Wednesday

I ask that we all take a moment to be present in this space. Close your eyes if that’s comfortable. Notice the ground you’re standing on, the feel of your feet on the earth beneath you. Your breath as it travels through your body. The smells in the air…..

Thank you, Mother, for this day.

With each breath, I honor my life and all those that I encounter.

With each inhale, I accept the Mother’s wisdom,

her compassion, her strength, and her kindness.

With each exhale, I release my own ignorance, selfishness, expectations, and apathy.

I commit myself to gentle curiosity and genuine joy.

Noelle Powers

 

“I commit myself to gentle curiosity and genuine joy.”  _Noelle Powers

 

 

One-liner Wednesday is brought to us by Linda Hill. For more information, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/09/25/one-liner-wednesday-phew/

Home Planet

Today’s prompt for the stream is :astronomical.” That makes me think of astronomy which leads me to Star Trek.  Some of you know I’m a big fan of The Trek and that Spock was my first crush in the late 60s and especially when my dad was in Vietnam. One might be surprised for my love of Star Trek since I love this good ol’ planet earth and get motion sickness at the drop of a hat, so I couldn’t go boldly off planet without some really good meds for fixing that. Also, my main genre of writing so far is nonfiction/romance/relationships, but who knows, maybe I’ll write some science fiction some day. I do have some ideas….. But The Trek made a big impression when I needed stability and escape in my life.

I’ve gotten into reading Star Trek novels lately for escape, and they work like a charm. Plus, now that we have BBC, I can watch reruns of Voyager and Next Generation which are my favorites. I like that women have important roles in those series. But I also like reading old ST novels that show James T. Kirk having self doubts and fears because he had such an over confident, maybe even pompous, swaggery thing going on back in the 60s show. It just goes to show that we all have our issues.

Going back to my love for the earth and exploratory science fiction, I really do believe that our efforts should be mostly spent taking care of our home planet, Mother Earth, because right now, there is no planet B. Even if there was a planet B, I still love Earth, and she who has given us so much, deserves our protection and respect. As Spock says,

…Or any kind of wealth. I guess imaginary wealth means you can’t eat money. Maybe all the man-made structures and financial accounts however “astronomical” they might seem, are really not much at all compared to the beautiful and life-giving life forms of creation here on Earth. Speaking of which, here are some photos I’ve taken in western North Carolina:

My granddaughter is curious.

I guess I’ll go boldly in my fantasies and keep my feet planted firmly on this precious home planet where there is much to explore and love. Thank you to all who go boldly in defense of planet earth. I will join you when I can.

If God is like a wise parent, wouldn’t God expect us to take care of our home planet first before we’re ready to find a new one?  We still have a lot of growing up to do as a species.

What do you think? How much money/effort should we put into exploring space compared to protecting Earth?

…

For more streams of consciousness, visit Linda G. Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/08/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-3-19/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

Feeling the Earth

Today’s SoCS prompt is: rib

Our ribs protect our heart and lungs. Have you noticed that the branches that take air to our body through our lungs, look like tree branches? The earth’s atmosphere protects all life on our planet – the planet we share with all other life on earth. Who protects the earth?

Back home in my own backyard, I am gifted with little clover flowers flourishing along with the “weeds.” Nothing is a weed if it has a flower.

And here is my amaryllis saying, Hello!

The earth is breathing hard today as I write this on Friday afternoon. High winds blow in the treetops. Where are my wind chimes? Still packed in a box somewhere. The leaves make music that sounds like waves in the ocean. This is a wondrous planet! As Earth Day approaches, celebrate the planet that gives us life. Celebrate every day you take a breath.

Please take a look at this post from Sue Dreamwalker. The song “Mother Earth” is powerful.

https://suedreamwalker.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/wake-up-to-nature-and-to-ourselves/

Can you feel her heartbeat beneath your feet?

Oh, and Happy Easter! I believe Jesus wants us to take care of these marvelous gifts from the Creator, including the gift of our own lives and each other.

For more on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday,  visit Linda G. Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/04/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-20-19/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

One-Liner Wednesday: The Tree That Didn’t Give Up

Don’t give up.

Don’t give up.

Rest when you need to

Close to the earth

Seeking a new path

To sustain you.

You will survive.

You will grow.

You will enlighten.

                                                          JM

…

 

One-Liner Wednesday is brought to us by Linda G. Hill. Visit her at:

https://lindaghill.com/2018/12/05/one-liner-wednesday-writerslife/

 

Here are the rules we sometimes follow:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

(I found the tree meme on Facebook and had to share it. If you created it, please let me know. I would love to give you credit.)

 

 

 

Good News Tuesday: The Recovered Ring, 2 Companies Helping the Planet & a Decrease in HIV Positive Babies

Police Find Engagement Ring in the Sewer

Daniella said yes! But the engagement ring slipped off her finger and fell down into the NYC sewer grate.  Daniella and John returned home to England, but officers of the NYPD found the ring! Then they found John and Daniella.

 

 

Two Big Companies Are Stepping Up to Help Planet Earth

The furniture company, Ikea wants to help stop air pollution in India. Currently, farmers  are burning rice straw increasing air pollution. Nikea plans to make this straw into products, starting with decorations and paper boxes, that may be sold in India. You can read more in this article and watch the following video. Thank you, Ikea!

 

 

 

The clothing company, Patagonia, is donating 10 million dollars from it’s tax cut to environmental groups. This comes after the fourth US National Climate Assessment, a  federal report,  tells us that climate change is serious and we need to make big changes. Way to go, Patagonia!

 

Big Decrease in the HIV Positive Babies

This came from my Goodnewletter with the Goodnewspaper. I don’t know if this is world-wide and didn’t find a recent story, but wanted to pass on a little more hope. Here’s one article about a drop in the number of babies born with HIV. 

You can find the Good Newspaper at  https://www.goodgoodgood.co/

Got good news? Please share!

 

 

Progress in Renewable Energy: Way to Go Apple and Portugal!

With Earth Day just behind us by two days, I’m feeling even stronger appreciation for our home planet. That’s why I’m sharing these two stories to recognize a company and a country making real progress.

In this article learn how Apple has gone to 100% renewable energy. Their new headquarters, Apple Park, is now open and has one of the largest solar roofs in the world.  Here’s what it looks like:

 

Below, you can read about how Portugal made enough renewable energy in the month of March to power the whole country!

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/05/599886059/in-march-portugal-made-more-than-enough-renewable-energy-to-power-the-whole-coun

We Have the Technology

Today’s good news celebrates Earth Day (this weekend) and innovations for a healthier planet. Last Saturday, I participated in a local creek clean up and helped sort recyclables from landfill trash. Plastic bottles and polystyreme, aka, styrofoam, made up a significant portion of what volunteers collected from the water and creek banks.

I find it heartening that some cities have banned polystyreme, because it does not biodegrade and is rarely recycled. It’s also good news that we have alternatives! In addition to the obvious option of using biodegradable paper and reusable containers, we have the technology to replace plastic and styrofoam with biodegradable and edible products.

The first example I’d like to share is the development of edible wrappers made from seaweed.

 

The news about edible six pack rings is not new, but it’s something I hope we will remember and expand on.

 

And of course, we have the have the edible water bubbles developed by Skipping Rocks Lab.

 

 On a personal note, I’m getting better at remembering to take my canvas bags to the grocery store – not every time, but I’m making progress!

Good news is out there.

  Feel free to share yours!