Anything is Possible!

With Love, Hope, and Perseverance


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SoCS: Mats, Mutts, and Mosaics

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mat/met/mitt/mot/mutt.” Choose one or use them all, any way you’d like in your post. Have fun!

I’m not planning a bit, even a minimal as the rules allow if I recall. Not to say I plan a lot or at all on other weeks, but sometimes I mull over the prompt before I start writing the stream. Today, I’m just writing.

No idea what to do with mot. Mottled? Is mot a word? should I look it up? Na. Not right now. I’ll go to the mat. I got a really thick yoga mat for my feet and knees, but it’s harder to balance on, so I went back to the regular yoga mat that lives in my car waiting to go to yoga class. The thick mat might come in handy if I ever go camping again or want to lie out on the deck.

We’ve used an old yoga mat for Marley to practice staying in “PLACE.” We should practice that more and not just use it when we practice being calm and lying down when Mama Cat is on the other side of the gate. The command comes in handy, and Marley’s pretty good at it in situations where there is control and Mama Cat stays behind the gate. We would not try it otherwise. Maybe one day….

Marley’s still a bit fixated

David has been getting Marley to lie down when they see a cat on walks – just until he is calmer, though Marley is on high alert when there’s a cat around outside. He’s become less reactive to squirrels, but when the squirrels get close to taunt my mutt, he gets excited.

Mutts are great dogs. I’ve read that they are often healthier with a diverse mix of genes. I don’t know if I like the word mutt as it’s got a sort of negative connotation. Mixed breed might be better. Heinze 57 is okay, I guess, but could there really be a dog with 57 different breeds all mixed together like a melting pot? Who knows? I know there are plenty of mutts and mixed breeds who need homes.

There’s a quote by Jimmy Carter about how we’re not a melting pot, but something better. I’ll go fetch it.

We become not a melting pot

but a beautiful mosaic.

Different people, different beliefs,

different yearnings,

different hopes, different dreams.

Jimmy Carter

A woman at my church, Alice, is a kitchen designer. For fun she makes mosaics from tiles, broken glass, found objects, and melted marbles. She’s donated several to our church. Here are some of her creations:

Mother Nature also makes mosaics:

Maybe one day I’ll make a mosaic out of my big bottle cap collection.

~~~

For more streams of consciousness and the rules,

visit out host, Linda Hill

By clicking HERE.


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Good News Tuesday for July 13, 2021: Free School Lunch & Breakfast, Phasing Out Plastic, Extraordinary Black Women, Hopes for Equality in Chile, and The Carters Celebrate 75 Years of Marriage

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

California Public Schools Offer Free Breakfast and Lunch to All Students

“In the newly adopted state budget, all public school students in California will receive free breakfast and lunch, no questions asked.” From NBC Los Angeles

New Zealand Phasing Out Single Use Plastics by 2025

Between 2022 and 2025, New Zealand will be phasing in bans on single use plastics. Here’s more from The Guardian.

Three Accomplished Black Women: The Spelling Bee Winner, “The Solar Woman,” and The Black Mermaid of South Africa

A lot of Black women have been in the good news lately. Here are three who’ve made extraordinary accomplishments:

Zaila Avant-garde, age 14, is the first African American to win the Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. She has also set three world records in basketball. Read more about Zaila in this article from Good News Network.

Kristal Hansley is the first Black woman to launch a community solar program for low and moderate income households in Maryland. Read more about this remarkable woman and her company, WeSolar, in this article from Vogue Magazine.

Zandile Ndhlovu organizes ocean exploration programs for Black children across the country of South Africa– many of whom have never seen the ocean. Here’s her story from CNN with a beautiful video.

Hope for Equality in Chile

Last Sunday in Chile, 155 elected delegates assembled to begin work on “the world’s first constitution to be drafted by an equal number of women and men.” 77 Women and 78 men met with many women wearing purple and green scarves bearing the slogan: “Nunca más sin nosotras,” meaning “Never again without us.” The Constitutional assembly also hopes to give more power to indigenous groups and focus on climate change issues. This article from NBC gives details including historical perspectives and significance.

Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Celebrated 75 Years of Marriage

Happy Anniversary to Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter who celebrated 75 Years of Marriage last week. At 96, Jimmy Carter is the longest living person to have served as US President. The Carters have the longest marriage of any US President.

Got good news?

Please feel free to share your good news or GNT link in the comments!


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Good News Tuesday: Forgiveness and Perseverance

Sunflower w address

Just two stories today, but the first one is pretty powerful. It starts with bad news and offers hope for something better.

Brandt Jean Asks to Hug His Brother’s Killer, and the Judge Lets Him

After a long shift, Dallas police officer Amber Guyger walked into the wrong apartment and killed Botham Jean who was in his own apartment eating ice cream.  It was a horrible mistake that could have been easily prevented. I’ve been thinking a lot about this case. What would I have done as a juror? As the police officer? But I think what Botham Jean’s brother did was more important. After Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Botham’s 18 year old brother,  Brandt Jean, made a statement of forgiveness. Then he asked if he could hug his brother’s killer. Judge Tammy Kemp broke with protocol by allowing the hug and later by giving Amber her Bible. 20 years ago, I would have been objecting strongly to that act, now I admire Judge Kemp’s compassion.

This first video moved me to tears and the hope that maybe greater good can come from this tragedy.

In the second video, Brandt talks about what made him ask for the hug. There is an important distinction made between forgiveness and justice.

Jimmy Carter is Amazing

At the age of 95, Jimmy Carter is the oldest living former US president. He lives in a modest house and shops at Dollar General. After a recent fall, he was back to volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. What a role model!

Got good news? Please share in the comments!