08 December 2006

Ode To Cocoa Pebbles

You know, when I was college taking all my literature courses, we had to read John Keats...because he was, like, the staple amongst Romantic poets.

And he may have been great and all that, but really...an Ode on a Grecian Urn? How long did he stand worshipping the urn before he composed those fifty lines? I mean, I like pottery too, but not enough to write a flowery, prosy poem about it. Aaaah, what do I know about it?

Looking back, that above immature behavior was my youthful ignorance and underappreciation for the fine arts. And so, I intend to rectify that now. I do hope John will forgive for my poor imitation. It will certainly not be as beautifully lengthy as Mr. Keats'.

My subject will be one of my favorite breakfast cereals: Cocoa Pebbles

ODE TO COCOA PEBBLES

O sweet chocolate-sweetened rice cereal treat!
Thou art music to my tongue at break of day,
I would worship you every morning, had you feet.
Your delicate shape and airy form may
Remind of me of heaven and the wings of a dove.
Twelve vitamins and minerals added to every toothsome bite
It's you who makes my milk the chocolatey nectar of the skies -
And I would endure pain and suffr'ng sent from above
to experience your glory and revel in your carbohydrated sight.
Forget calories and sugar intake! I see naught but perfection
in your chocolate-coated eyes!


For Simpler Folk:

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
The only question today:
One bowl or two?

Hail Cocoa Pebbles!

04 December 2006

December: Cold Moon, Moon of Completion

Tonight is the last Full Moon of the year.

Tonight I reflect upon if I have fulfilled my goals of the previous months. It does not really matter what the answer is, but that I renew my commitment to forward progress. I set new goals, and strive to remember them every day.

Tonight I welcome the lengthening nights, because it reminds me of the darkness within myself. It reminds of that place where I close my eyes and contemplate the mysteries.

Tonight I acknowledge the advent of the return of the Sun God. With his rebirth on Yule, the world will grow and be sustained in his waxing light.

Our family's goals were as follows tonight (we write them down on slips of paper, place them in the cauldron, and burn them at next full moon):

1. Kirby: I want to try to not fight with Spencer.
2. Spencer: I want to find better friends to play with at school.
3. Brent: I want to not bring the stresses of work home.
4. Me: I want to be a more devoted wife to Brent.

Bright Blessings!

01 November 2006

I Go All Spiritual and Philosophical

Thanks to Enya's "May It Be." It was playing on my iTunes while I was grading papers, and so in the middle of reading a compare/contrast essay about basketball and wrestling, I begin thinking about this song.

When I hear this song, I am always transported to the Lord of the Rings movies. And for me, that is just a lovely place to be.

So I was curious, and looked up the lyrics for this song. Here's what I got...

May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home

Mornie utúlië (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

May it be the shadows call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun

Mornie utúlië (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

A promise lives within you now

These lyrics almost make me cry and I don't know why. (Poet at work)
I love the line "Believe and you will find your way." But, believe in what? Believe in yourself? Believe in the Divine? For me - both. Myself, because that is one thing I truly have control over and the Divine, because everything they do/are in this world has a reason. If I allow myself to be tuned into what the universe tells me - I will find my way. This comes home for me after contemplating the changes that have come about in my relationship with my husband. I don't think it's some random chance that led me here to Blogstream, to the people I have met here, to my decision to follow the advice of those same people...currently bringing me to the level of peace and contentment I am beginning to feel. I am believing and I am finding my way.

Another line I love is the very last one. "A promise lives within you now." What does that mean? Of course, there is no absolute answer. It's different for everyone. As long as we are alive, we are something. We are capable of something. To me, that is very comforting. What is my promise? To write the next Great American Novel? To have another child? To teach forever? Who knows? But, I love knowing it's there. It's there if I believe.

It just reminds me that none of us are alone. Even if we are "alone", we aren't. Not really.

It makes me want to stick around this planet and find out what the universe tells me next. How will it send me its next message? Through another Enya song? Hmmmm...

21 October 2006

The Final Finality

So, I got a phone call this morning that a student had committed suicide last night.

Last year was a rough year for our school, we had four deaths...two suicides, one car accident, and one terminal illness. Death in itself is a tricky thing, but add it to the drama of high school, and you have a very volatile environment.

This morning, as I tried to make sense of it all, I separated out two issues related to this incident.

First: that final decision to take your own life. I don't think I will ever understand it. I acknowledge that there is A LOT I don't know about the human mind and I certainly am not belittling people who are so distraught that they choose the final exit. However, I just cannot understand it. For myself, as a Pagan, suicide is the ultimate violation of the Wiccan Rede - "Do what you will, but harm none." Suicide hurts everyone, from those close to the person to those who could have been affected in the future by that person had they lived. Frankly, there is too much I want to learn about myself and this world to be taking myself out of it prematurely. On the other hand, if my life was so horrible that death seemed like mercy, maybe I would think differently.

It's a choice I think I would never make, but I can never say never...so I simply won't pass judgment on those who make that choice.

Second: Dammit. I completely forgot what my second point was. I got so wrapped up in my first point, and then Kirby got a phone call from one of her little friends, asking if she could go to McDonald's for lunch...so I was distracted by that.

Maybe that's it. My second point. Live life. You never know when you'll be gone. You never know when someone you know will be gone as well.

Oooh.

Just as I was about to hit Submit, my second thought struck me. Death. A natural part of life. No matter how we leave this world, we will all do so. While I send thoughts and prayers to those affected by the student's death, I also feel that at some point, we must move on and live our lives. It may sound callous, but I believe the God and Goddess did not intend for us to lose ourselves in mourning for the dead. They created so many things for us to enjoy in ths world, it would be a disservice and dishonor to not respect that. Life is for the living. I think that is what the Divine Beings want us to know.