Rita the Hippo

Simplicity

2006-04-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

When we cultivate our minds and selves, we will wish for and seek simplicity. When our minds or souls have not been properly fed or watered (or even sought cultivation), we will seek ornamentation.

After 365 days of unhappiness, I quit my job today. Strangely, the cat hasn't purred for a year and this is the first time the gentle breeze has blown in 12 months. I'm glad the cardinals have flown in for the springtime. Perhaps that's what has made my cat so happy. Maybe she just didn't see them last year. Guess if that darned breeze had been here it would have sent the birds our way. Glad I was here to see it happen. Would have been a shame to have missed this glorious afternoon.

What will tomorrow bring?

Free Yourself

2006-03-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

So they took away the stone from the tomb. And Jesus looked upward and said,
"Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that
you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the
crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent
me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands
and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in
a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go free." Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

This lenten season, in the 40 days leading up to Easter, regardless of your religion, take a moment to reflect upon what it is that YOU would like to be "unbound" from?

During these 40 days, give pennance, pray, fast, seek forgiveness, or forgive someone. Do whatever is meaningful to you so you may be unbound from whatever it is that keeps you from feeling the freedom of spirit that you deserve.

Be well.

My 33rd Birthday

2006-02-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2006 will be the first birthday I won't hear my Big, Bad Dad's deep baritone voice sing "Happy Birthday" to me. I miss my best friend. I miss my Daddy. I feel like a little girl. The pain is so pure and so natural. Not hateful and not at all full of anger. Just a longing, empty, sadness that nothing but his hug and his voice could fill. I am thankful for the 32 wonderful years I had with my father. I am thankful for all of the life lessons he has taught me. I am thankful for our relationship-it is a friendship which will never die as long as I am alive.

"You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that." Charlotte, Charlotte's Web

Say When

2006-01-24T22:56:00.000-08:00

Growing up in an Italian family, Ma would ask for each person's dinner plate where she would dole out mountainous spoonsful of food. Upon picking up her oversized spoon, even before the shoveling would ensue, she would say, "Say when."

Regardless of when anyone said "when" (or waived a checkered flag or sounded an air horn, etc., etc.), Ma would inevitably heap one last mound of food onto the plate.

So, regardless of how much food you wanted, or didn't, you were better off to "say when" even before she began, to ensure you only received a manageable portion.

Dear God,
"WHEN!"
Love,
Me

noagenda.org

2006-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

What a great webite. If you haven't found this yet, check it out. Matt Margolis is such a talented writer, fellow Catholic, and cat lover.

"When it comes to Jack Abramoff, Democrats have tried to paint it as a Republican scandal, but as the investigation continues, more and more Democrats are being revealed to have their own connections to the embattled lobbyist, including Byron Dorgan, Harry Reid, Max Baucus, even Nancy Pelosi..."

http://www.noagenda.org/

My Presidential Address

2005-12-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Moving Day 1996: Sitting in my convertible in my parents driveway in Maryland, I put the top down to accommodate all of my possessions and dreams. I'd just been accepted to graduate school at the University of Kentucky and would be leaving months earlier than expected as mother had kicked me out of the house following one of her "episodes."

I was scared, but wouldn't dare let that fear show because of a greater fear. I didn't know how to get to Kentucky or where I would stay, but I had to go due to scholarship money for a program of study I chose for reasons I can't recall.

My Dad and I kissed goodbye and I headed south...but first, I made a pitstop in my favorite city-Washington D.C. At this time, motorists could still drive on Pennsylvania Avenue. I remember thinking how I would love to work there one day.

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. ~Anatole France

I arrived in Kentucky and saw a free apartment guide in someone's office...just below a photo of Ronald Reagan. It was a good sign. I could throw away the atlas. I was on the right track.

A beautiful woman in the office (who was also in the picture with President Reagan and several congressional photos) helped me. I said "What do you do?" She said, "I'm a lobbyist." The idea of becoming a lobbyist has tickled and nagged at my soul every day since I met this nameless woman and learned what she did (does) for a living. FYI-I moved to a street named Lincoln Avenue.

White House 2000:I joined the Americorps National Service while living in Kentucky, and had the opportunity to visit the White House in 2000 for an award ceremony following the completion of my service. As I walked up the steps, I just wanted to say "Hello, old friend! I told you I'd come back!"

Kentucky, Spring 2001: I decided to take a chance, follow my heart, and take a government course at UK "for fun." It was in this class that I met my husband-by following my heart, I met the man of my dreams.

Ten Years After Moving Day 1996: I am married to a supportive, politically savvy, smart, handsome man, I have been accepted to graduate school to study in the College of Government, Law and International Affairs and will complete my degree in 3 short semesters, and I am right on track to realize my dreams. Oh, and we live in Kentucky on a street named Jefferson. Of course we do!

I called my husband today to let him know that the obscure little movie theatre in our quaint artsy little Kentucky river town will be showing the black and white classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." One of my favorite movies of all time. How in the world did the universe know to send this movie to me at this time in my life when I needed it most? At this time when my heart is once again filled with hope? Just like Mr. Smith. Perhaps I, too, will go to Washington again. Perhaps? No. It is only a matter of time until we meet again my love.

When I was a child, my father would take me to the Nation's Capitol. We would always go at Christmas to see the 50 different trees decorated to reflect each of the states. And the burning yule log and the reindeer. Oh, it was magical. I have tears in my eyes thinking about it. This is America to me. Dad would tell me about his childhood when the White House lawn was an open public park for everyone to play in, and as a child, he and his family would spread a blanket and have lunch and fly kites.

Well, although much has changed, so much remains the same. Dignity, respect and reverence for the process of our judicial system, which is second to none in the world. Something I aspire to be a part of and something that I have worked very hard toward for many years.

I am so happy to see this dream come to fruition and I will not let anything stand in my way. I only wish my Dad were here to share in this moment with me. But somehow, Dad, I feel that you are. It's like I said at your funeral mass, "death may have ended your life, but it will never end our relationship." I love you Big, Bad, Dad. Be with me. I'm going in to another great unknown.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genuis, power and magic in it. ~Johann von Goethe

Teachers

2005-12-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strangely, I am ungrateful to these teachers. ~Kahlil Gibran

Pignoli Cookie Recipe

2005-12-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite traditional Italian Christmas Cookie. And, this is the best recipe (it has been in my family for many years). I'd like to share it with you. Buon Natale!

8 ounces pignoli (pine nuts)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1 8-ounce can almond paste
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Lightly butter baking sheet. Place pignoli in a shallow dish.

Combine granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl and lightly toss with a fork.

Break up the almond paste with your fingers and place in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Add egg whites and beat on low speed until smooth. (You can also use a hand mixer, but you’ll need a strong arm if you do it by hand.) Add almond extract and flour mixture and beat until flour is blended in, about 30 seconds. Do not over beat.

Using a teaspoon, scoop up a rounded spoon of dough and dip it, upside down, into the pignoli. Slip the dough off the spoon, pignoli side up, using another spoon or your finger tip. Place the dough on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Stick remaining pignoli onto unbaked cookies. Using your fingers, shape the dough so that all the cookies are round.

Bake cookies for about 25 minutes. Use the shorter baking time if you like soft cookies; the longer baking time if you like them chewy. Cool 1 minute and remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

USS Arizona

2005-12-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

On December 7, 1941 the United States of America became directly involved in the greatest of human conflicts, World War II. Even before bombs fell on Pearl Harbor that Sunday morning, it was clear to many Americans that they would soon be at war with Japan. What was unexpected was the seemingly apocalyptic nature of the raid. Emblazoned on the minds of millions of Americans, the single most powerful image associated with the Pearl Harbor attack, was the smoking metal and twisted mast of USS Arizona.

The remains of USS Arizona are in its final resting place in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. The National Park Service was responsible for managing a major national shrine that was largely hidden from view. During and after the war, Navy salvage teams had cut away most of the ship’s superstructure. Eventually a memorial was built over the sunken ship’s hull, which is a grave for nearly 1,000 U.S. servicemen.

Still, there are still many U.S. servicemen still lost from the tragedy. Although their bodies have not been located, their names can be found here.

Men Lost Aboard USS Arizona
Name Rate/Rank Service Home
AARON, Hubert Charles Titus F2c USN Arkansas
ABERCROMBIE, Samuel Adolphus S1c USN Texas
ADAMS, Robert Franklin S1c USN Alabama
ADKISON, James Dillion S1c USN Texas
AGUIRRE, Reyner Aceves S2c USN
AGUON, Gregorio San N. MATT1c USN Guam
AHERN, Richard James F1c USN California
ALBEROVSKY, Francis Severin BMKR1c USN California
ALBRIGHT, Galen Winston S1c USN Indiana
ALEXANDER, Elvis Author S2c USN Arkansas
ALLEN, Robert Lee SF3c USN Texas
ALLEN, William Clayborn EM1c USN California
ALLEN, William Lewis SK2c USNR Texas
ALLEY, Jay Edgar GM1c USN
ALLISON, Andrew K. F1c USN Missouri
ALLISON, J. T. F1c USN
ALTEN, Ernest Mathew S2c USN California
AMON, Frederick Purdy S1c USN
AMUNDSON, Leo DeVere PVT USMC
ANDERSON, Charles Titus CM2c USN California
ANDERSON, Delbert Jake BM2c USN Minnesota
ANDERSON, Donald William SM3c USN
ANDERSON, Harry S1c USN California
ANDERSON, Howard Taisey F1c USN Maryland
ANDERSON, Irwin Corinthis MATT1c USN
ANDERSON, James Pickins Jr. S1c USN
ANDERSON, Lawrence Donald ENS USNR
ANDERSON, Robert Adair GM3c USN Missouri
ANDREWS, Brainerd Wells CCMP USN Vermont
ANGLE, Earnest Hersea F2c USN WVA
ANTHONY, Glenn Samuel S1c USN California
APLIN, James Raymond CWTP USN California
APPLE, Robert William F1c USN Illinois
APREA, Frank Anthony COX USN
ARLEDGE, Eston SM2c USN Louisiana
ARNAUD, Achilles F3c USN Louisiana
ARNEBERG, William Robert F2c USN
ARNOLD, Claude Duran Jr. F3c USN Louisiana
ARNOLD, Thell SC1c USN Arkansas
ARRANT, John Anderson MM1c USN Florida
ARVIDSON, Carl Harry CMMP USN Washington
ASHMORE, Wilburn James S2c USN Louisiana
ATCHISON, John Calvin PVT USMC Missouri
ATKINS, Gerald Arthur HA1c USN Nebraska
AUSTIN, Laverne Alfred S1c USN New York
AUTRY, Eligah T. Jr. COX USN Arkansas
AVES, Willard Charles F2c USN
AYDELL, Miller Xavier WT2c USN Louisiana
AYERS, Dee Cumpie S2c USN
BADILLA, Manuel Domonic F1c USN
BAILEY, George Richmond PFC USMC California
BAIRD, Billy Bryon S1c USN Indiana
BAJORIMS, Joseph S1c USN Illinois
BAKER, Robert Dewey CMM USN
BALL, William V. S1c USN
BANDY, Wayne Lynn MUS2c USN Missouri
BANGERT, John Henry FC1c USN
BARAGA, Joseph SGT USMC Michigan
BARDON, Charles Thomas S2c USN Oklahoma
BARKER, Loren Joe COX USN Iowa
BARNER, Walter Ray S2c USN Texas
BARNES, Charles Edward Y3c USN Missouri
BARNES, Delmar Hayes LTJG USNR California
BARNETT, William Thermon S2c USN Arkansas
BARTLETT, David William CPL USMC California
BARTLETT, Paul Clement MM1c USN Texas
BATES, Edward Munroe Jr. ENS USNR New York
BATES, Tobert Alvin PHM3c USN Texas
BATOR, Edward F1c USN New York
BAUER, Harold Walter RM3c USN Kansas
BEATON, Freddie PVT USMC California
BEAUMONT, James Ammon S2c USN Texas
BECK, George Richard S1c USN California
BECKER, Marvin Otto GM3c USN Kansas
BECKER, Wesley Paulson S1c USN Kansas
BEDFORD, Purdy Renaker F1c USN Kentucky
BEERMAN, Henry Carl CM3c USN Washington
BEGGS, Harold Eugene F1c USN Missouri
BELL, Hershel Homer FC2c USN Illinois
BELL, Richard Leroy S2c USN California
BELLAMY, James Curtis OS3c USN California
BELT, Everett Ray Jr. PFC USMC Missouri
BENFORD, Sam Austin BKR2c USN Minnesota
BENNETT, William Edmond Jr. Y3c USN Illinois
BENSON, James Thomas S1c USN Alabama
BERGIN, Roger Joseph F2c USN Canada
BERKANSKI, Albert Charles COX USN Pennsylvania
BERNARD, Frank Peter F2c USN
BERRY, Gordon Eugene F2c USN Colorado
BERRY, James Winford F2c USN California
BERSCH, Arthur Anthony S1c USN Iowa
BERTIE, George Allan Jr. S2c USN Arizona
BIBBY, Charles Henry F2c USN Alabama
BICKEL, Kenneth Robert F1c USN Nebraska
BICKNELL, Dale Deen S1c USN Washington
BIRCHER, Frederick Robert RM3c USN Pennsylvania
BIRDSELL, Rayon Delois F2c USN Missouri
BIRGE, George Albert S1c USN New York
BISHOP, Grover Barron MM1c USN Texas
BISHOP, Millard Charles F3c USN Alabama
BISHOP, Wesley Horner Jr. RM3c USNR New York
BLACK, James Theron PVT USMC Alabama
BLAIS, Albert Edward RM3c USNR New York
BLAKE, James Monroe F2c USN Missouri
BLANCHARD, Albert Richard COX USN Minnesota
BLANKENSHIP, Theron A. S1c USN Alabama
BLANTON, Atticus Lee SF3c USN Florida
BLIEFFERT, Richmond Frederick S1c USN Washington
BLOCK, Ivan Lee PHM2c USN New Mexico
BLOUNT, Wayman Boney S1c USN Texas
BOGGESS, Roy Eugene SF2c USN California
BOHLENDER, Sam GM2c USN Colorado
BOLLING, Gerald Revese S1c USN Arkansas
BOLLING, Walter Karr F3c USN Kentucky
BOND, Burnis Leroy CPL USMC Missouri
BONEBRAKE, Buford Earl F2c USN Kansas
BONFIGLIO, William John EM1c USN New York
BOOTH, Robert Sinclair Jr. ENS USNR
BOOZE, Asbury Legare BM1c USN Georgia
BORGER, Richard CMMA USN California
BOROVICH, Joseph John S1c USN California
BORUSKY, Edwin Charles CPL USMC N.Dakota
BOSLEY, Kenneth Leroy EM3c USN Missouri
BOVIALL, Walter Robert AMM2c USN Wisconsin
BOWMAN, Howard Alton S2c USN Iowa
BOYD, Charles Andrew CM3c USN Alabama
BOYDSTUN, Don Jasper S2c USN Texas
BOYDSTUN, R. L. S2c USN Texas
BRABBZSON, Oran Merrill MUS2c USN New York
BRADLEY, Bruce Dean S2c USN Illinois
BRAKKE, Kenneth Gay F3c USN Washington
BRICKLEY, Eugene PVT USMC Indiana
BRIDGES, James Leon S1c USN Tennessee
BRIDGES, Paul Hyatt S1c USN Arkansas
BRIDIE, Robert Maurice F1c USN
BRIGNOLE, Erminio Joseph S2c USN California
BRITTAN, Charles Edward S2c USN California
BROADHEAD, Johnnie Cecil F2c USN Alabama
BROCK, Walter Pershing S1c USN Kentucky
BROMLEY, George Edward SM3c USN Washington
BROMLEY, Jimmie S1c USN
BROOKS, Robert Neal ENS USNR Washington
BROOME, Loy Raymond SM3c USN Oklahoma
BROONER, Allen Ottis S1c USN Indiana
BROPHY, Myron Alonzo F2c USN Vermont
BROWN, Charles Martin S2c USN California
BROWN, Elwyn Leroy EM3c USN Kansas
BROWN, Frank George QM3c USN Oregon
BROWN, Richard Corbett S1c USN California
BROWN, William Howard S2c USN Oregon
BROWNE, Harry Lamont CMMA USN California
BROWNING, Tilmon David S1c USN WVA
BRUNE, James William RM3c USNR Missouri
BRYAN, Leland Howard S1c USN Texas
BRYANT, Lloyd Glenn BM2c USN California
BUCKLEY, Jack C. FC3c USN Kentucky
BUDD, Robert Emile F2c USN Michigan
BUHR, Clarence Edward S1c USN New Mexico
BURDEN, Ralph Leon RM3c USN Ohio
BURDETTE, Ralph Warren MUS2c USN New Jersey
BURKE, Frank Edmond Jr. SK2c USN Tennessee
BURNETT, Charlie Leroy S2c USN
BURNS, John Edward F1c USN Pennsylvania
BUSICK, Dewey Olney F3c USN Ohio
BUTCHER, David Adrian F2c USN Washington
BUTLER, John Dabney F1c USN Texas
BYRD, Charles Dewitt S1c USN Tennessee
CABAY, Louis Clarence S1c USN Illinois
CADE, Richard Esh S2c USN Washington
CALDWELL, Charles Jr. F3c USN Missouri
CALLAGHAN, James Thomas BM2c USN Colorado
CAMDEN, Raymond Edward S2c USN Oklahoma
CAMM, William Fielden Y2c USN Arkansas
CAMPA, Ralph S1c USN California
CAMPBELL, Burdette Charles S1c USN California
CAPLINGER, Donald William SC3c USN Ohio
CAREY, Francis Lloyd SK3c USN New York
CARLISLE, Robert Wayne S1c USNR Texas
CARLSON, Harry Ludwig SK3c USN Connecticut
CARMACK, Harold Milton F2c USN Colorado
CARPENTER, Robert Nelson MATT1c USN Virginia
CARROLL, Robert Lewis S1c USN
CARTER, Burton Lowell S2c USN California
CARTER, Paxton Turner WO(PYCLK) USN California
CASEY, James Warren S1c USN
CASILAN, Epifanio Miranda OS3c USN New York
CASKEY, Clarence Merton S1c USN Washington
CASTLEBERRY, Claude W. Jr. S1c USN Texas
CATSOS, George F1c USN California
CHACE, Raymond Vincent CSKP USN California
CHADWICK, Charles Bruce MM2c USN Mississippi
CHADWICK, Harold MATT1c USN California
CHANDLER, Donald Ross PVT USMC Alabama
CHAPMAN, Naaman N. S1c USN Nebraska
CHARLTON, Charles Nicholas WT1c USNR California
CHERNUCHA, Harry Gregory MUS2c USN New York
CHESTER, Edward S1c USN Kansas
CHRISTENSEN, Elmer Emil MM2c USN Wyoming
CHRISTENSEN, Lloyd Raymond F1c USN Nebraska
CHRISTIANSEN, Edward Lee BKR3c USN Wyoming
CIHLAR, Lawrence John PHM3c USN Minnesota
CLARK, George Francis GM3c USN Illinois
CLARK, John Crawford Todd F3c USN California
CLARK, Malcolm BKR3c USN Louisiana
CLARK, Robert William Jr. FC3c USN Pennsylvania
CLARKE, Robert Eugene S1c USN Kansas
CLASH, Donald F2c USN Michigan
CLAYTON, Robert Roland COX USN Missouri
CLEMMENS, Claude Albert S1c USN Oklahoma
CLIFT, Ray Emerson COX USN Missouri
CLOUES, Edward Blanchard ENS USN New Hampshire
CLOUGH, Edward Hay GM1c USN Nebraska
COBB, Ballard Burgher S1c USN Texas
COBURN, Walter Overton S1c USN Oklahoma
COCKRUM, Kenneth Earl MM1c USN Indiana
COFFIN, Robert SF3c USN Washington
COFFMAN, Marshall Herman GMec USN Indiana
COLE, Charles Warren SGT USMC Washington
COLE, David Lester ENS USNR California
COLEGROVE, Willett S. Jr. S2c USN Washington
COLLIER, John F2c USN Oregon
COLLIER, Linald Long Jr. BKR3c USN Texas
COLLINS, Austin SF3c USN
COLLINS, Billy Murl S1c USN California
CONLIN, Bernard Eugene S2c USN Illinois
CONLIN, James Leo F2c USN Illinois
CONNELLY, Richard Earl CQMA USN California
CONRAD, Homer Milton Jr. S1c USN Ohio
CONRAD, Robert Frank S2c USN California
CONRAD, Walter Ralph QM2c USN
COOPER, Clarence Eugene F2c USN
COOPER, Kenneth Erven F2c USN
CORCORAN, Gerard John S1c USN New York
COREY, Ernest Eugene PHM3c USN Washington
CORNELIUS, P. W. SC3c USN
CORNING, Russell Dale RM3c USN
COULTER, Arthur Lee S1c USN Oklahoma
COWAN, William COX USN Missouri
COWDEN, Joel Beman S2c USN Oregon
COX, Gerald Blinton MUS2c USN Illinois
COX, William Milford S1c USN Kentucky
CRAFT, Harley Wade CM3c USN Oregon
CRAWLEY, Wallace Dewight COX USN Indiana
CREMEENS, Louis Edward S1c USN Arizona
CRISCUOLO, Michael Y2c USN California
CRISWELL, Wilfred John S1c USN Indiana
CROWE, Cecil Thomas GM2c USN Kentucky
CROWLEY, Thomas Ewing LCDR (DC) USN California
CURRY, William Joseph WT2c USN Oregon
CURTIS, Lloyd B. S1c USN Missouri
CURTIS, Lyle Carl RM2c USN Wisconsin
CYBULSKI, Harold Bernard S1c USN
CYCHOSZ, Francis Anton S1c USN Michigan
CZARNECKI, Stanley F1c USN Michigan
CZEKAJSKI, Theophil SM3c USNR Michigan

DAHLHEIMER, Richard Norbert S1c USN Minnesota
DANIEL, Lloyd Naxton Y1c USN Montana
DANIK, Andrew Joseph S2c USN Ohio
DARCH, Phillip Zane S1c USN Massachusetts
DAUGHERTY, Paul Eugene Em3c USN Ohio
DAVIS, John Quitman S1c USN Louisiana
DAVIS, Milton Henry S1c USN Kansas
DAVIS, Murle Melvin RM2c USN Ohio
DAVIS, Myrle Clarence F3c USNR Iowa
DAVIS, Thomas Ray SF1c USN California
DAVIS, Virgil Denton PVT USMC Missouri
DAVIS, Walter Mindred F2c USN Missouri
DAWSON, James Berkley PVT USMC Kentucky
DAY, William John S2c USN Washington
DE ARMOUN, Donald Edwin GM3c USN California
DE CASTRO, Vicente OS3c USN
DEAN, Lyle Bernard COX USN
DELONG, Frederick Eugene CPL USMC Ohio
DERITIS, Russell Edwin S1c USN
DEWITT, John James COX USN
DIAL, John Buchanan S1c USN
DICK, Ralph R. GM1c USN Alabama
DINE, John George F2c USN California
DINEEN, Robert Joseph S1c USN Pennsylvania
DOBEY, Milton Paul Jr. S1c USN Texas
DOHERTY, George Walter S2c USN California
DOHERTY, John Albert MM2c USN California
DONOHUE, Ned Burton F1c USN
DORITY, John Monroe S1c USN California
DOUGHERTY, Ralph Mc Clearn FC1c USN Massachusetts
DOYLE, Wand B. COX USN Kentucky
DREESBACH, Herbert Allen PFC USMC Illinois
DRIVER, Bill Lester RM3c USN California
DUCREST, Louis Felix S1c USN Louisiana
DUKE, Robert Edward CCSTDA USN California
DULLUM, Jerald Fraser EM3c USN Montana
DUNAWAY, Kenneth Leroy EM3c USN Oklahoma
DUNHAM, Elmer Marvin S1c USN
DUNNAM, Robert Wesley PVT USMCR Texas
DUPREE, Arthur Joseph F2c USN Missouri
DURHAM, William Teasdale S1c USN North Carolina
DURIO, Russell PFC USMC Louisiana
DUVEENE, John 1SGT USMC California
DVORAK, Alvin Albert BM2c USN Minnesota

EATON, Emory Lowell F3c USN Oklahoma
EBEL, Walter Charles CTCP USN California
EBERHART, Vincent Henry COX USN Minnesota
ECHOLS, Charles Louis Jr. EM3c USN Tennessee
ECHTERNKAMP, Henry Clarence S1c USN Michigan
EDMUNDS, Bruce Roosevelt Y2c USN New Hampshire
EERNISSE, William Frederick PTR1c USN California
EGNEW, Robert Ross S1c USN Illinois
EHLERT, Casper SM3c USN Wisconsin
EHRMANTRAUT, Frank Jr. S1c USN Indiana
ELLIS, Francis Arnold Jr. EM3c USN Canada
ELLIS, Richard Everrett S2c USN Nebraska
ELLIS, Wilbur Danner RM2c USN California
ELWELL, Royal S1c USN Texas
EMBREY, Bill Eugene F3c USN California
EMERY, Jack Marvin ENS USN California
EMERY, John Marvin GM3c USN North Dakota
EMERY, Wesley Vernon SK2c USN Indiana
ENGER, Stanley Gordon GM3c USN Minnesota
ERICKSON, Robert S1c USN
ERSKINE, Robert Charles PFC USMC Illinois
ERWIN, Stanley Joe MM1c USN Texas
ERWIN, Walton Aluard S1c USN Texas
ESTEP, Carl James S1c USN Texas
ESTES, Carl Edwen S1c USN Texas
ESTES, Forrest Jesse F1c USN California
ETCHASON, Leslie Edgar S1c USN Illinois
EULBERG, Richard Henry FC2c USN Iowa
EVANS, David Delton PVT USMC Louisiana
EVANS, Evan Frederick ENS USNR California
EVANS, Mickey Edward S1c USN Missouri
EVANS, Paul Anthony S1c USN Illinois
EVANS, William Orville S2c USN Idaho
EWELL, Alfred Adam WT1c USN
EYED, George SK3c USN Indiana

FALLIS, Alvin E. PHM2c USN California
FANSLER, Edgar Arthur S1c USN Oklahoma
FARMER, John Wilson COX USN Tennessee
FEGURGUR, Nicolas San Nicolas MATT2c USN Guam
FESS, John Junior F1c USN California
FIELDS, Bernard RM3c USNR
FIELDS, Reliford MATT2c USN Florida
FIFE, Ralph Elmer S1c USN California
FILKINS, George Arthur COX USN Minnesota
FINCHER, Allen Brady ACK USMC Texas
FINCHER, Dexter Wilson SGT USMC Oregon
FINLEY, Woodrow Wilson PFC USMC Tennessee
FIRTH, Henry Amis F3c USN
FISCHER, Leslie Henry S1c USN Washington
FISHER, Delbert Ray S1c USN Wyoming
FISHER, James Anderson MATT1c USN Virginia
FISHER, Robert Ray S2c USN California
FISK, Charles Porter III Y1c USN California
FITCH, Simon MATT1c USN Texas
FIRZGERALD, Kent Blake PVT USMC Utah
FITZSIMMONS, Eugene James F3c USN Illinois
FLANNERY, James Lowell SK3c USN Ohio
FLEETWOOD, Donald Eugene PFC USMC Iowa
FLOEGE, Frank Norman MUS2c USN Illinois
FLORY, Max Edward S2c USN Indiana
FONES, George Everett FC3c USN Washington
FORD, Jack C. S1c USN California
FORD, William Walker EM3c USN Kentucky
FOREMAN, Elmer Lee F2c USN Indiana
FORTENBERRY, Alvie Charles COX USN Mississippi
FOWLER, George Parten S2c USN Texas
FOX, Daniel Russell LTCOL USMC California
FRANK, Leroy George S1c USN Arkansas
FREDERICK, Charles Donald EM2c USN Louisiana
FREE, Thomas Augusta MM1c USN Texas
FREE, William Thomas S2c USN Texas
FRENCH, John Edmund LCDR USN Washington, D.C.
FRIZZELL, Robert Niven S2c USN Alabama
FULTON, Robert Wilson AMSMTH1c USN Missouri
FUNK, Frank Francis BM2c USN Missouri
FUNK, Lawrence Henry S1c USN Wisconsin

GAGER, Roy Arthur S2c USN Kansas
GARGARO, Ernest Russell S2c USN
GARLINGTON, Raymond Wesley S1c USN California
GARRETT, Orville Wilmer SF2c USN Missouri
GARTIN, Gerald Ernest S1c USN California
GAUDETTE, William Frank S1c USN Washington
GAULTNEY, Ralph Martin Em3c USN Illinois
GAZECKI, Philip Robert ENS USNR Wisconsin
GEBHARDT, Kenneth Edward S1c USN North Dakota
GEER, Kenneth Floyd S2c USN California
GEISE, Marvin Frederick S1c USN Wisconsin
GEMIENHARDT, Samuel Henry Jr. MM2c USN Ohio
GHOLSTON, Roscoe Y2c USN Texas
GIBSON, Billy Edwin S1c USN West Virginia
GIESEN, Karl Anthony Y2c USN Iowa
GILL, Richard Eugene S1c USN Nevada
GIOVENAZZO, Michael James WT2c USN Illinois
GIVENS, Harold Reuben Y3c USN
GOBBIN, Angelo SC1c USN California
GOFF, Wiley Coy S2c USN Oklahoma
GOMEZ, Edward Jr. S1c USN Colorado
GOOD, Leland S2c USN Illinois
GOODWIN, William Arthur S2c USN Colorado
GORDON, Peter Charles Jr. F1c USN Colorado
GOSSELIN, Edward Webb ENS USNR Illinois
GOSSELIN, Joseph Adjutor RM1c USN Massachusetts
GOULD, Harry Lee S1c USN Illinois
GOVE, Rupert Clair S1c USN California
GRANGER, Raymond Edward F3c USN Iowa
GRANT, Lawrence Everett Y3c USN Missouri
GRAY, Albert James S1c USN Washington
GRAY, Lawrence Moore F1c USN Missouri
GRAY, William James Jr. S1c USN California
GREEN, Glen Hubert S1c USN Mississippi
GREENFIELD, Carroll Gale S1c USN Oregon
GRIFFIN, Lawrence J. PFC USMC Louisiana
GRIFFIN, Reese Olin EM3c USN Texas
GRIFFITHS, Robert Alfred EM3c USN California
GRISSINGER, Robert Beryle S2c USN Illinois
GROSNICKLE, Warren Wilbert EM2c USN Iowa
GROSS, Milton Henry CSKA USN California
GRUNDSTROM, Richard Gunner S2c USN Iowa
GURLEY, Jesse Herbert SK3c USN Illinois

HAAS, Curtis Junior MUS2c USN Missouri
HADEN, Samuel William COX USN Kansas
HAFFNER, Floyd Bates F1c USN Illinois
HAINES, Robert Wesley S2c USN California
HALL, John Rudolph CBMP USN Arkansas
HALLORAN, William Ignatius ENS USNR Ohio
HAMEL, Don Edgar FLDMUS USMCR Illinois
HAMILTON, Clarence James MM1c USN Washington
HAMILTON, Edwin Carrell S1c USN
HAMILTON, William Holman GM3c USN Oklahoma
HAMMERUD, George Winston S1c USN North Dakota
HAMPTON, "J" "D" F1c USN Kansas
HAMPTON, Ted "W" Jr. S1c USN Oklahoma
HAMPTON, Walter Lewis BM2c USN Pennsylvania
HANNA, David Darling EM3c USN Texas
HANSEN, Carlyle B. MM2c USN
HANSEN, Harvey Ralph S1c USN Wisconsin
HANZEL, Edward Joseph WT1c USN Michigan
HARDIN, Charles Eugene S1c USN Missouri
HARGRAVES, Kenneth William S2c USN Washington
HARMON, William D. PFC USMC Oregon
HARRINGTON, Keith Homer S1c USN Missouri
HARRIS, George Ellsworth MM1c USN Illinois
HARRIS, Hiram Dennis S1c USN Georgia
HARRIS, James William F1c USN Michigan
HARRIS, Noble Burnice COX USN Missouri
HARRIS, Peter John COX USN Nebraska
HARTLEY, Alvin GM3c USN Oklahoma
HARTSOE, Max June GM3c USN Missouri
HARTSON, Lonnie Moss SM3c USN Texas
HASL, James Thomas F1c USN Nebraska
HAVERFIELD, James Wallace ENS USNR Ohio
HAVINS, Harvey Linfille S1c USN
HAWKINS, Russell Dean SM3c USN Illinois
HAYES, John Doran BM1c USN California
HAYES, Kenneth Merle F1c USN California
HAYNES, Curtis James QM2c USN Idaho
HAYS, William Henry SK3c USN Kansas
HAZDOVAC, Jack Claudius S1c USN California
HEAD, Frank Bernard CYA USN California
HEATER, Verrell Roy S1c USN Oregon
HEATH, Alfred Grant S1c USN Wisconsin
HEBEL, Robert Lee SM3c USNR Illinois
HECKENDORN, Warren Guy S1c USN
HEDGER, Jess Laxton S1c USN California
HEDRICK, Paul Henry BM1c USN California
HEELY, Leo Shinn S2c USN Colorado
HEIDT, Edward Joseph F1c USN California
HEIDT, Wesley John MM2c USN California
HELM, Merritt Cameron S1c USN Minnesota
HENDERSON, William Walter S2c USN
HENDRICKSEN, Frank F2c USN Michigan
HERRICK, Paul Edward PVT USMC Wisconsin
HERRING, James Jumior SM3c USN Iowa
HERRIOTT, Robert Asher Jr. S1c USN Texas
HESS, Darrel Miller FC1c USN Utah
HESSDORFER, Anthony Joseph MM2c USN Washington
HIBBARD, Robert Arnold BKR2c USN
HICKMAN, Arthur Lee SM3c USN
HICKS, Elmer Orville GM3c USN Washington
HICKS, Ralph Dueard PTR2c USNR Missouri
HILL, Bartley Talor AOM3c USN California
HILTON, Wilson Woodrow GM1c USN
HINDMAN, Frank Weaver S1c USN Alabama
HODGES, Garris Vada F2c USN Texas
HOELSCHER, Lester John HA1c USN Nebraska
HOLLAND, Claude Herbert Jr. S2c USN Alabama
HOLLENBACH, Paul Zepp S1c USN New York
HOLLIS, Ralph LTJG USNR California
HOLLOWELL, George Sanford COX USN Arizona
HOLMES, Lowell D. F3c USN Alabama
HOLZWORTH, Walter MGYSGT USMC New Jersey
HOMER, Henry Vernon S1c USN Michigan
HOPE, Harold W. PVT USMC Illinois
HOPKINS, Homer David S1c USN Michigan
HORN, Melvin Freeland F3c USN Ohio
HORRELL, Harvey Howard SM1c USN
HORROCKS, James William CGMP USN Arizona
HOSLER, John Emmet S1c USN Ohio
HOUSE, Clem Raymond CWTP USN California
HOUSEL, John James SK1c USN Missouri
HOWARD, Elmo S1c USN Kentucky
HOWARD, Rolan George GM3c USN Minnesota
HOWE, Darrell Robert S2c USN Oregon
HOWELL, Leroy COX USN Indiana
HUBBARD, Haywood Jr. MATT2c USN Virginia
HUDNALL, Robert Chilton PFC USMC Texas
HUFF, Robert Glenn PVT USMC Texas
HUFFMAN, Clyde Franklin F1c USN Ohio
HUGHES, Bernard Thomas MUS2c USN Pennsylvania
HUGHES, Lewis Burton Jr. S1c USN Alabama
HUGHES, Marvin Austin PVT USMCR Texas
HUGHEY, James Clynton S1c USN
HUIE, Doyne Conley HA1c USN Missouri
HULTMAN, Donald Standly PFC USMC Minnesota
HUNTER, Robert Fredrick S1c USN Ohio
HUNTINGTON, Henry Louis S2c USN California
HURD, Willard Hardy MATT2c USN Tennessee
HURLEY, Wendell Ray MUS2c USN Indiana
HUVAL, Ivan Joseph S1c USN Louisiana
HUX, Leslie Creade PFC USMC Louisiana
HUYS, Arthur Albert S1c USN Indiana
HYDE, William Hughes COX USN Missouri

IAK, Joseph Claude Y3c USN
IBBOTSON, Howard Burt F1c USN California
INGALLS, Richard Fitch SC3c USN New York
INGALLS, Theodore "A" SC3c USN New York
INGRAHAM, David Archie FC3c USN
ISHAM, Orville Adalbert CGMA USN Hawaii
ISOM, Luther James S1c USN Alabama
IVERSEN, Earl Henry S2c USN California
IVERSEN, Norman Kenneth S2c USN California
IVEY, Charles Andrew Jr. S2c USN California

JACKSON, David Paul Jr. S1c USN Texas
JACKSON, Robert Woods Y3c USN Iowa
JAMES, John Burditt S1c USN Texas
JANTE, Edwin Earl Y3c USN
JANZ, Clifford Thurston LT USN California
JASTRZEMSKI, Edwin Charles S1c USN Michigan
JEANS, Victor Lawrence WT2c USN Oregon
JEFFRIES, Keith COX USN Pennsylvania
JENKINS, Robert Henry Dawson S2c USN Texas
JENSEN, Keith Marlow EM3c USN Utah
JERRISON, Donald D. CPL USMC California
JOHANN, Paul Frederick GM3c USN Iowa
JOHNSON, David Andrew Jr. OC2c USN Virginia
JOHNSON, Edmund Russell MM1c USN California
JOHNSON, John Russell RM3c USN Massachusetts
JOHNSON, Samuel Earle CDR(MC) USN Alabama
JOHNSON, Sterling Conrad COX USN Washington
JOLLEY, Berry Stanley S2c USNR Idaho
JONES, Daniel Pugh S2c USN Alabama
JONES, Edmon Ethmer S1c USN Colorado
JONES, Floyd Baxter MATT2c USN
JONES, Harry Cecil S1c USN Kansas
JONES, Henry Jr. MATT1c USN California
JONES, Homer Lloyd S1c USN Colorado
JONES, Hugh Junior S2c USN California
JONES, Leland S1c USN Tennessee
JONES, Quincy Eugene PFC USMC Texas
JONES, Thomas Raymond ENS USNR Louisiana
JONES, Warren Allen Y3c USN Nebraska
JONES, Willard Worth S1c USN Tennessee
JONES, Woodrow Wilson S2c USN Alabama
JOYCE, Calvin Wilbur F2c USN Ohio
JUDD, Albert John COX USN Michigan

KAGARICE, Harold Lee CSKA USN California
KAISER, Robert Oscar F1c USN Missouri
KALINOWSKI, Henry PVT USMCR Texas
KATT, Eugene Louis S2c USN California
KEEN, Billy Mack PVT USMC Texas
KELLER, Paul Daniel MLDR2c USN Michigan
KELLEY, James Dennis SF3c USN Oklahoma
KELLOGG, Wilbur Leroy F1c USN Iowa
KELLY, Robert Lee CEMA USN California
KENISTON, Donald Lee S2c USN Ohio
KENISTON, Kenneth Howard F3c USN Ohio
KENNARD, Kenneth Frank GM3c USN Idaho
KENNINGTON, Charles Cecil S1c USN Tennessee
KENNINGTON, Milton Homer S1c USN Tennessee
KENT, Texas Thomas Jr. S2c USN Arkansas
KIDD, Isaac Campbell RADM USN
KIEHN, Ronald William MM2c USN California
KIESELBACH, Charles Ermin CM1c USN California
KING, Gordon Blane S1c USN Tennessee
KING, Leander Cleaveland S1c USN Texas
KING, Lewis Meyer F1c USN
KING, Robert Nicholas Jr. ENS USNR New York
KINNEY, Frederick William MUS1c USN Washington
KINNEY, Gilbert Livingston QM2c USN California
KIRCHHOFF, Wilbur Albert S1c USN Missouri
KIRKPATRICK, Thomas Larcy CAPT(CHC) USN Missouri
KLANN, Edward SC1c USN Michigan
KLINE, Robert Edwin GM2c USN New York
KLOPP, Francis Lawrence GM3c USN Ohio
KNIGHT, Robert Wagner EM3c USN Ohio
KNUBEL, William Jr. S1c USN Missouri
KOCH, Walter Ernest S1c USN Minnesota
KOENEKAMP, Clarence D. F1c USN Washington
KOEPPE, Herman Oliver SC3c USN Illinois
KOLAJAJCK, Brosig S1c USN Texas
KONNICK, Albert Joseph CM3c USN Pennsylvania
KOSEC, John Anthony BM2c USN California
KOVAR, Robert S1c USN Illinois
KRAHN, James Albert PFC USMC North Dakota
KRAMB, James Henry S1c USN New York
KRAMB, John david MSMTH1c USN New York
KRAMER, Robert Rudolph GM2c USN Indiana
KRAUSE, Fred Joseph S1c USN Minnesota
KRISSMAN, Max Sam S2c USN California
KRUGER, Richard Warren QM2c USN California
KRUPPA, Adolph Louis S1c USN Texas
KUKUK, Howard Helgi S1c USN New York
KULA, Stanley SC3c USN Nebraska
KUSIE, Donald Joseph RM3c USN New York

LA FRANCEA, William Richard S1c USN Michigan
LA MAR, Ralph "B" FC3c USN California
LA SALLE, Willard Dale S1c USN Washington
LADERACH, Robert Paul FC2c USN West Virginia
LAKE, John Ervin Jr. WO(PYCLK) USN California
LAKIN, Donald Lapier S1c USN California
LAKIN, Joseph Jordan S1c USN California
LAMB, George Samuel CSFA USN California
LANDMAN, Henry AM2c USN Michigan
LANDRY, James Joseph Jr. BKR2c USN Massachusetts
LANE, Edward Wallace COX USN
LANE, Mancel Curtis S1c USN Oklahoma
LANGE, Richard Charles S1c USN California
LANGENWALTER, Orville J. SK2c USN Iowa
LANOUETTE, Henry John COX USN Connecticut
LARSON, Leonard Carl F3c USN Washington
LATTIN, Bleecker RM3c USN
LEE, Carroll Volney Jr. S1c USN Texas
LEE, Henry Lloyd S1c USN South Carolina
LEEDY, David Alonzo FC2c USN Iowa
LEGGETT, John Goldie BM2c USN Washington
LEGROS, Joseph McNeil S1c USN Louisiana
LEIGH, Malcolm Hedrick GM3c USN North Carolina
LEIGHT, James Webster S2c USN California
LEOPOLD, Robert Lawrence ENS USNR Kentucky
LESMEISTER, Steve Louie EM3c USN North Dakota
LEVAR, Frank CWTP USNR Washington
LEWIS, Wayne Alman CM3c USN South Carolina
LEWISON, Neil Stanley FC3c USN Wisconsin
LIGHTFOOT, Worth Ross GM3c USN
LINBO, Gordon Ellsworth GM1c USN Washington
LINCOLN, John William F1c USN Iowa
LINDSAY, James E. PFC USMC California
LINDSAY, James Mitchell SF2c USN Colorado
LINTON, George Edward F2c USN
LIPKE, Clarence William F2c USN Michigan
LIPPLE, John Anthony SF1c USN Iowa
LISENBY, Daniel Edward S1c USN
LIVERS, Raymond Edward S1c USN New Mexico
LIVERS, Wayne Nicholas F1c USN New Mexico
LOCK, Douglas A. S1c USN New York
LOHMAN, Earl Wynne S1c USN
LOMAX, Frank Stuart ENS USN Nebraska
LOMIBAO, Marciano OS1c USN Philippines
LONG, Benjamin Franklin CYP USN California
LOUNSBURY, Thomas William S2c USN Illinois
LOUSTANAU, Charles Bernard S1c USN Iowa
LOVELAND, Frank Crook S2c USN Idaho
LOVSHIN, William Joseph PFC USMC Minnesota
LUCEY, Neil Jermiah S1c USN New Jersey
LUNA, James Edward S2c USN Oklahoma
LUZIER, Ernest Burton MM2c USN
LYNCH, Emmett Isaac MUS2c USN Washington
LYNCH, James Robert Jr. GM3c USN Texas
LYNCH, William Joseph Jr. S1c USN Texas

McCARRENS, James Francis CPL USMC Illinois
McCARY, William Moore S2c USN Alabama
McCLAFFERTY, John Charles BM2c USN Ohio
McCLUNG, Harvey Manford ENS USNR Pennsylvania
McFADDIN, Lawrence James Y2c USN California
McGLASSON, Joe Otis GM3c USN Illinois
McGRADY, Samme Willie Genes MATT1c USN Alabama
McGUIRE, Francis Raymond SK2c USN Michigan
McHUGHES, John Breckenridge CWTA USN Washington
McINTOSH, Harry George S1c USN Virginia
McKINNIE, Russell MATT2c USN
McKOSKY, Michael Martin S1c USN Oklahoma
McPHERSON, John Blair S1c USN Tennessee
MADDOX, Raymond Dudley CEMP USN California
MADRID, Arthur John S2c USN California
MAFNAS, Francisco Reyes MATT2c USN Guam
MAGEE, Gerald James SK3c USN New York
MALECKI, Frank Edward CYP USN California
MALINOWSKI, John Stanley SM3c USNR Michigan
MALSON, Harry Lynn SK3c USN Indiana
MANION, Edward Paul S2c USN Illinois
MANLOVE, Arthur Cleon WO(ELEC) USN California
MANN, William Edward GM3c USN Washington
MANNING, Leroy S2c USN Kentucky
MANSKE, Robert Francis Y2c USN Iowa
MARINICH, Steve Matt COX USN Utah
MARIS, Elwood Henry S1c USN
MARLING, Joseph Henry S2c USN Montana
MARLOW, Urban Herschel COX USN Missouri
MARSH, Benjamin Raymond Jr. ENS USNR Michigan
MARSH, William Arthur S1c USN
MARSHALL, Thomas Donald S2c USN California
MARTIN, Hugh Lee Y3c USN Utah
MARTIN, James Albert BM1c USN Texas
MARTIN, James Orrwell S2c USN California
MARTIN, Luster Lee F3c USN Arkansas
MASON, Byron Dalley S2c USN Idaho
MASTEL, Clyde Harold S2c USN California
MASTERS, Dayton Monroe GM3c USN Texas
MASTERSON, Cleburne E. Carl PHM1c USN California
MATHEIN, Harold Richard BMKR2c USN Illinois
MATHISON, Charles Harris S1c USN Wisconsin
MATNEY, Vernon Merferd F1c USN Wisconsin
MATTOX, James Durant AM3c USN Florida
MAY, Louis Eugene SC2c USN Kansas
MAYBEE, George Frederick RM2c USNR California
MAYFIELD, Lester Ellsworth F1c USN Colorado
MAYO, Rex Haywood EM2c USN Florida
MEANS, Louis MATT1c USN Texas
MEARES, John Morgan S2c USN South Carolina
MENEFEE, James Austin S1c USN Mississippi
MENO, Vicente Gogue MATT2c USN
MENZENSKI, Stanley Paul COX USN
MERRILL, Howard Deal ENS USN Utah
MILES, Oscar Wright S1c USN Arkansas
MILLER, Chester John F2c USN Michigan
MILLER, Doyle Allen COX USN Arkansas
MILLER, Forrest Newton CEMP USN California
MILLER, George Stanley S1c USN Ohio
MILLER, Jessie Zimmer S1c USN Ohio
MILLER, John David S1c USN
MILLER, William Oscar SM3c USN Illinois
MILLIGAN, Weldon Hawvey S1c USN Texas
MIMS, Robert Lang S1c USN Georgia
MINEAR, Richard J. Jr. PFC USMC
MLINAR, Joseph COX USN Pennsylvania
MOLPUS, Richard Preston CMSMTHP USN California
MONROE, Donald MATT2c USN Missouri
MONTGOMERY, Robert E. S2c USN California
MOODY, Robert Edward S1c USN Mississippi
MOORE, Douglas Carlton S1c USN South Carolina
MOORE, Fred Kenneth S1c USN Texas
MOORE, James Carlton SF3c USN South Carolina
MOORHOUSE, William Starks MUS2c USN Kansas
MOORMAN, Russell Lee S2c USN California
MORGAN, Wayne S1c USN California
MORGAREIDGE, James Orries F2c USN Wyoming
MORLEY, Eugene Elvis F2c USN Illinois
MORRIS, Owen Newton S1c USN Alabama
MORRISON, Earl Leroy S1c USN Montana
MORSE, Edward Charles S2c USN Michigan
MORSE, Francis Jerome BM1c USN California
MORSE, George Robert S2c USN Montana
MORSE, Norman Roi WT2c USN Virginia
MOSS, Tommy Lee MATT2c USN Kentucky
MOSTEK, Francis Clayton PFC USMC Idaho
MOULTON, Gordon Eddy F1c USN California
MUNCY, Claude MM2c USN California
MURDOCK, Charles Luther WT1c USN Alabama
MURDOCK, Melvin Elijah WT2c USN Alabama
MURPHY, James Joseph S1c USN Arizona
MURPHY, James Palmer F3c USN Ohio
MURPHY, Jessie Huell S1c USN Louisiana
MURPHY, Thomas J. Jr. SK1c USN Virginia
MYERS, James Gernie SK1c USN Missouri

NAASZ, Erwin H. SF2c USN Kansas
NADEL, Alexander Joseph MUS2c USN New York
NATIONS, James Garland FC2c USN South Carolina
NAYLOR, "J" "D" SM2c USN Louisiana
NEAL, Tom Dick S1c USN Texas
NECESSARY, Charles Raymond S1c USN Missouri
NEIPP, Paul S2c USN California
MELSEN, George SC2c USN Washington
NELSON, Harl Coplin S1c USN Arkansas
NELSON, Henry Clarence BM1c USN Minnesota
NELSON, Lawrence Adolphus CTCP USN California
NELSON, Richard Eugene F3c USN North Dakota
NICHOLS, Alfred Rose S1c USN Alabama
NICHOLS, Bethel Allan S1c USN Washington
NICHOLS, Clifford Leroy TC1c USN
NICHOLS, Louis Duffie S2c USN Alabama
NICHOLSON, Glen Eldon EM3c USN North Dakota
NICHOLSON, hancel Grant S1c USN
NIDES, Thomas James EM1c USN California
NIELSEN, Floyd Theadore CM3c USN Utah
NOLATUBBY, Henry Ellis PFC USMC California
NOONAN, Robert Harold S1c USN Michigan
NOWOSACKI, Theodore Lucian ENS USNR New York
NUSSER, Raymond Alfred GM3c USN
NYE, Frank Erskine S1c USN California

O'BRIEN, Joseph Bernard PFC USMC Illinois
O'BRYAN, George David FC3c USN Massachusetts
O'BRYAN, Joseph Benjamin FC3c USN Massachusetts
O'NEALL, Rex Eugene S1c USN Colorado
O'NEILL, William Thomas Jr. ENS USNR Connecticut
OCHOSKI, Henry Francis GM2c USN Washington
OFF, Virgil Simon S1c USN Colorado
OGLE, Victor Willard S2c USN Oklahoma
OGLESBY, Lonnie Harris S2c USN Mississippi
OLIVER, Raymond Brown S1c USN California
OLSEN, Edward Kern ENS USNR Kansas
OLSON, Glen Martin S2c USN Washington
ORR, Dwight Jerome S1c USN California
ORZECH, Stanislaus Joseph S2c USN Connecticut
OSBORNE, Mervin Eugene F1c USN Kentucky
OSTRANDER, Leland Grimstead PHM3c USN Minnesota
OTT, Peter Dean S1c USN Ohio
OWEN, Fredrick Halden S2c USN Texas
OWENS, Richard Allen SK2c USN Colorado
OWSLEY, Thomas Lea SC2c USN Idaho

PACE, Amos Paul BM1c USN California
PARKES, Harry Edward BM1c USN California
PAROLI, Peter John BKR3c USN California
PATTERSON, Clarence Rankin PFC USMC
PATTERSON, Harold Lemuel S1c USN Texas
PATTERSON, Richard Jr. SF3c USN Connecticut
PAULMAND, Hilery OS2c USN Philippines
PAVINI, Bruno S1c USN California
PAWLOWSKI, Raymond Paul S1c USN New York
PEARCE, Alonzo Jr. S1c USN
PEARSON, Norman Cecil S2c USN California
PEARSON, Robert Stanley F3c USN Montana
PEAVEY, William Howard QM2c USN Iowa
PECKHAM, Howard William F2c USN Missouri
PEDROTTI, Francis James PVT USMC Missouri
PEERY, Max Valdyne S2c USN California
PELESCHAK, Michael S1c USN Alabama
PELTIER, John Arthur EM3c USN Ohio
PENTON, Howard Lee S1c USN Alabama
PERKINS, George Ernest F1c USN Rhode Island
PETERSON, Albert H. Jr. FC3c USN New Jersey
PETERSON, Elroy Vernon FC2c USN California
PETERSON, Hardy Wilbur FC3c USN Washington
PETERSON, Roscoe Earl S2c USN California
PETTIT, Charles Ross CRMP USN California
PETYAK, John Joseph S1c USN Tennessee
PHELPS, George Edward S1c USN New York
PHILBIN, James Richard S1c USN Colorado
PIASECKI, Alexander Louis CPL USMC
PIKE, Harvey Lee EM3c USN Georgia
PIKE, Lewis Jackson S1c USN Georgia
PINKHAM, Albert Wesley S2c USN North Carolina
PITCHER, Walter Giles GM1c USN California
POOL, Elmer Leo S1c USN Indiana
POOLE, Ralph Ernest S1c USN Ohio
POST, Darrell Albert CMMA USN California
POVESKO, George S1c USN Connecticut
POWELL, Jack Speed PFC USMC California
POWELL, Thomas George S1c USN Illinois
POWER, Abner Franklin PVT USMC
PRESSON, Wayne Harold S1c USN Ohio
PRICE, Arland Earl RM2c USN Oregon
PRITCHETT, Robert Leo Jr. S1c USN Louisiana
PUCKETT, Edwin Lester SK3c USN Kentucky
PUGH, John Jr. SF3c USN California
PUTNAM, Avis Boyd SC3c USN Alabama
PUZIO, Edward S1c USN Pennsylvania

QUARTO, Mike Joseph S1c USN Connecticut
QUINATA, Jose Sanchez MATT2c USN Guam

RADFORD, Neal Jason MUS2c USN Nebraska
RASMUSSEN, Arthur Severin CM1c USN California
RASMUSSON, George Vernon F3c USN Minnesota
RATKOVICH, William WT1c USN California
RAWHOUSER, Glen Donald F3c USN Oregon
RAWSON, Clyde Jackson BM1c USN Maryland
RAY, Harry Joseph BM2c USN California
REAVES, Casbie S1c USN Arkansas
RECTOR, Clay Cooper SK3c USN Kentucky
REECE, John Jeffris S2c USN Oklahoma
REED, James Buchanan Jr. SK1c USN California
REED, Ray Ellison S2c USN Oklahoma
REGISTER, Paul James LCDR USN North Dakota
REINHOLD, Rudolph Herbert PVT USMC Utah
RESTIVO, Jack Martin Y2c USN Maryland
REYNOLDS, Earl Arthur S2c USN Colorado
REYNOLDS, Jack Franklyn S1c USN
RHODES, Birb Richard F2c USN Tennessee
RHODES, Mark Alexander S1c USN North Carolina
RICE, William Albert S2c USN Washington
RICH, Claude Edward S1c USN Florida
RICHAR, Raymond Lyle S1c USN
RICHARDSON, Warren John COX USN Pennsylvania
RICHISON, Fred Louis GM3c USN California
RICHTER, Albert Wallace COX USN
RICO, Guadalupe Augustine S1c USN California
RIDDEL, Eugene Edward S1c USN Michigan
RIGANTI, Fred SF3c USN California
RIGGINS, Gerald Herald S1c USN California
RIVERA, Francisco Unpingoo MATT2c USN Guam
ROBERTS, Dwight Fisk F1c USN Kansas
ROBERTS, Kenneth Franklin BM2c USN
ROBERTS, McClellan Taylor CPHMP USN California
ROBERTS, Walter Scott Jr. RM1c USN Missouri
ROBERTS, Wilburn Carle BKR3c USN Louisiana
ROBERTS, William Francis S2c USN
ROBERTSON, Edgar Jr. MATT3c USN Virginia
ROBERTSON, James Milton MM1c USN Tennessee
ROBINSON, Harold Thomas S2c USN California
ROBINSON, James William S2c USN California
ROBINSON, John James EM1c USN Oregon
ROBINSON, Robert Warren PHM3c USN West Virginia
ROBY, Raymond Arthur S1c USN California
RODGERS, John Dayton S1c USN Pennsylvania
ROEHM, Harry Turner MM2c USN Illinois
ROGERS, Thomas Sprugeon CWTP USN Alabama
ROMANO, Simon OC1c USN Virginia
ROMBALSKI, Donald Roger S2c USN Washington
ROMERO, Vladimir M. S1c USN Virginia
ROOT, Melvin Lenord S1c USN Ohio
ROSE, Chester Clay BM1c USN Kentucky
ROSENBERY, Orval Robert SF2c USN Illinois
ROSS, Deane Lundy S2c USN New York
ROSS, William Fraser GM3c USN New York
ROWE, Eugene Joseph S1c USN New Jersey
ROWELL, Frank Malcom S2c USN Texas
ROYALS, William Nicholas F1c USN Virginia
ROYER, Howard Dale GM3c USN Ohio
ROZAR, John Frank WT2c USN California
ROZMUS, Joseph Stanley S1c USN New Hampshire
RUDDOCK, Cecil Roy S1c USN
RUGGERIO, William FC3c USN
RUNCKEL, Robert Gleason BUG1c USN
RUNIAK, Nicholas S1c USN New Jersey
RUSH, Richard Perry S1c USN Texas
RUSHER, Orville Lester MM1c USN Missouri
RUSKEY, Joseph John CBMP USN California
RUTKOWSKI, John Peter S1c USN New York
RUTTAN, Dale Andrew EM3c USN Florida

SAMPSON, Sherley Rolland RM3c USN Minnesota
SANDALL, Merrill Deith SF3c USN Illinois
SANDERS, Eugene Thomas ENS USN New York
SANDERSON, James Harvey MUS2c USN California
SANFORD, Thomas Steger F3c USN
SANTOS, Filomeno OC2c USN California
SATHER, William Ford PMKR1c USN California
SAVAGE, Walter Samuel Jr. ENS USNR Louisiana
SAVIN, Tom RM2c USN Nebraska
SAVINSKI, Michael S1c USN Pennsylvania
SCHDOWSKI, Joseph S1c USN
SCHEUERLEIN, George Albert GM3c USN Pennsylvania
SCHILLER, Ernest S2c USN Texas
SCHLUND, Elmer Pershing MM1c USN Nebraska
SCHMIDT Vernon Joseph S1c USN Minnesota
SCHNEIDER, William Jacob PFC USMC
SCHRANK, Harold Arthur BKR1c USN Texas
SCHROEDER, Henry BM1c USN New Jersey
SCHUMAN, Herman Lincoln SK1c USN California
SCHURR, John EM2c USN Kansas
SCILLEY, Harold Hugh SF2c USN Montana
SCOTT, A. J. S2c USN
SCOTT, Crawford Edward PFC USMC
SCOTT, George Harrison PFC USMC
SCRUGGS, Jack Leo MUS2c USN California
SEAMAN, Russell Otto F1c USN Iowa
SEELEY, William Eugene S1c USN Connecticut
SEVIER, Charles Clifton S1c USN California
SHANNON, William Alfred S1c USN Idaho
SHARBAUGH, Harry Robert GM3c USN Pennsylvania
SHARON, Lewis Purdie MM2c USN California
SHAW, Clyde Donald S1c USN Ohio
SHAW, Robert K. MUS2c USN Texas
SHEFFER, George Robert S1c USN Indiana
SHERRILL, Warren Joseph Y2c USN Texas
SHERVEN, Richard Stanton EM3c USN North Dakota
SHIFFMAN, Harold Ely RM3c USN Michigan
SHILEY, Paul Eugene S1c USN Pennsylvania
SHIMER, Melvin Irvin S1c USN
SHIVE, Gordon Eshom PFC USMC California
SHIVE, Malcolm Holman RM3c USNR California
SHIVELY, Benjamin Franklin F1c USN Michigan
SHORES, Irland Jr. S1c USN Alabama
SHUGART, Marvin John S1c USN Colorado
SIBLEY, Delmar Dale S1c USN New York
SIDDERS, Russell Lewis S1c USN Ohio
SIDELL, John Henry GM2c USN Illinois
SILVEY, Jesse MM2c USN Texas
SIMENSEN, Carleton Elliott 2LT USMC
SIMON, Walter Hamilton S1c USN New Jersey
SIMPSON, Albert Eugene S1c USN
SKEEN, Harvey Leroy S2c USN Arizona
SKILES, Charley Jackson Jr. S2c USN Virginia
SKILES, Eugene S2c USN
SLETTO, Earl Clifton MM1c USN Minnesota
SMALLEY, Jack G. S1c USN Ohio
SMART, George David COX USN Montana
SMESTAD, Halge Hojem RM2c USN Minnesota
SMITH, Albert Joseph LTJG USN Virginia
SMITH, Earl Jr. S1c USN Missouri
SMITH, Earl Walter FC3c USN Florida
SMITH, Edward GM3c USN Illinois
SMITH, Harry S2c USNR California
SMITH, John A. SF3c USN Ohio
SMITH, John Edward S1c USN California
SMITH, Luther Kent S1c USN Tennessee
SMITH, Mack Lawrence S1c USN Arkansas
SMITH, Marvin Ray S1c USN Texas
SMITH, Orville Stanley ENS USN Oklahoma
SMITH, Walter Tharnel MATT2c USN Mississippi
SNIFF, Jack Bertrand CPL USMC
SOENS, Harold Mathias SC1c USN California
SOOTER, James Fredrick RM3c USN
SORENSEN, Holger Earl S1c USN New Mexico
SOUTH, Charles Braxton S1c USN Alabama
SPENCE, Merle Joe S1c USN Tennessee
SPOTZ, Maurice Edwin F1c USN Illinois
SPREEMAN, Robert Lawrence GM3c USN Michigan
SPRINGER, Charles Harold S2c USN California
STALLINGS, Kermit Braxton F1c USN North Carolina
STARKOVICH, Charles EM3c USN Washington
STARKOVICH, Joseph Jr. F2c USN Washington
STAUDT, Alfred Parker F3c USN Washington
STEFFAN, Joseph Philip BM2c USN Illinois
STEIGLEDER, Lester Leroy COX USN Ohio
STEINHOFF, Lloyd Delroy S1c USN California
STEPHENS, Woodrow Wilson EM1c USN Washington
STEPHENSON, Hugh Donald S1c USN New York
STEVENS, Jack Hazelip S1c USN Texas
STEVENS, Theodore R. AMM2c USN California
STEVENSON, Frank Jake PFC USMC New York
STEWART, Thomas Lester SC3c USN Arkansas
STILLINGS, Gerald Fay F2c USN
STOCKMAN, Harold William FC3c USN Idaho
STOCKTON, Louis Alton S2c USN California
STODDARD, William Edison S1c USN Louisiana
STOPYRA, Julian John RM3c USN Massachusetts
STORM, Laun Lee Y1c USN California
STOVALL, Richard Patt PFC USMC
STRANGE, Charles Orval F2c USN
STRATTON, John Raymond S1c USN Indiana
SUGGS, William Alfred S1c USN Florida
SULSER, Frederick Franklin GM3c USN Ohio
SUMMERS, Glen Allen Y1c USN Washington
SUMMERS, Harold Edgar SM2c USN Ohio
SUMNER, Oren S2c USN New Mexico
SUTTON, Clyde Westly CCSTDP USN California
SUTTON, George Woodrow SK1c USN Kentucky
SWIONTEK, Stanley Stephen FLDCK USN Illinois
SWISHER, Charles Elijah S1c USN California
SYMONETTE, Henry OC1c USN California
SZABO, Theodore Stephen PVT USMCR

TAMBOLLEO, Victor Charles SF3c USN Maryland
TANNER, Russell Allen GM3c USN Washington
TAPIE, EDward Casamiro MM2c USN California
TAPP, Lambert Ray GM3c USN Kentucky
TARG, John CWTP USN California
TAYLOR, Aaron Gust MATT1c USN California
TAYLOR, Charles Benton EM3c USN Illinois
TAYLOR, Harry Theodore GM2c USN Indiana
TAYLOR, Robert Denzil COX USN Iowa
TEELING, Charles Madison CPRTP USNR California
TEER, Allen Ray EM1c USN California
TENNELL, Raymond Clifford S1c USN Texas
TERRELL, John Raymond F2c USN Arkansas
THEILLER, Rudolph S1c USN California
THOMAS, Houston O'Neal COX USN Texas
THOMAS, Randall James S1c USN West Virginia
THOMAS, Stanley Horace F3c USN
THOMAS, Vincent Duron COX USN California
THOMPSON, Charles Leroy S1c USN Illinois
THOMPSON, Irven Edgar S1c USN Ohio
THOMPSON, Robert Gary SC1c USN California
THORMAN, John Christopher EM2c USN Iowa
THORNTON, George Hayward GM3c USN Mississippi
TINER, Robert Reaves F2c USN Texas
TISDALE, William Esley CWTP USN California
TRIPLETT, Thomas Edgar S1c USN California
TROVATO, Tom S1c USN California
TUCKER, Raymond Edward COX USN Indiana
TUNTLAND, Earl Eugene S1c USN North Dakota
TURNIPSEED, John Morgan F3c USN Arkansas
TUSSEY, Lloyd Harold EM3c USN North Carolina
TYSON, Robert FC3c USN Louisiana

UHRENHOLDT, Andrew Curtis ENS USNR Wisconsin

VALENTE, Richard Dominic GM3c USN California
VAN ATTA, Garland Wade MM1c USN California
VAN HORN, James Randolf S2c USN Arizona
VAN VALKENBURGH, Franklin CAPT(CO) USN Minnesota
VARCHOL, Brinley GM2c USN Pennsylvania
VAUGHAN, William Frank PHM2c USN
VEEDER, Gordon Elliott S2c USN Idaho
VELIA, Galen Steve SM3c USN Kansas
VIEIRA, Alvaro Everett S2c USN Rhode Island
VOJTA, Walter Arnold S1c USN Minnesota
VOSTI, Anthony August GM3c USN California

WAGNER, Mearl James SC2c USN California
WAINWRIGHT, Silas Alonzo PHM1c USN New York
WAIT, Wayland Lemoyne S1c USN
WALKER, Bill S1c USN Texas
WALLACE, Houston Oliver WT1c USN Arkansas
WALLACE, James Frank S1c USN Wisconsin
WALLACE, Ralph Leroy F3c USN Oregon
WALLENSTIEN, Richard Henry S1c USN
WALTERS, Clarence Arthur S2c USN California
WALTERS, William Spurgeon Jr. FC3c USN New Mexico
WALTHER, Edward Alfred FC3c USN
WALTON, Alva Dowding Y3c USN Utah
WARD, Albert Lewis S1c USN Oklahoma
WARD, William E. COX USN Illinois
WATKINS, Lenvil Leo F2c USN Kentucky
WATSON, William Lafayette F3c USN Florida
WATTS, Sherman Maurice HA1c USN Arkansas
WATTS, Victor Ed GM3c USN Texas
WEAVER, Richard Walter S1c USN Nevada
WEBB, Carl Edward PFC USMC
WEBSTER, Harold Dwayne S2c USN Colorado
WEEDEN, Carl Alfred ENS USN California
WEIDELL, William Peter S2c USN Minnesota
WEIER, Bernard Arthur PVT USMC Illinois
WELLER, Ludwig Fredrick CSKP USN California
WELLS, Floyd Arthur RM2c USN
WELLS, Harvey Anthony SF2c USN California
WELLS, Raymond Virgil Jr. S1c USN Missouri
WELLS, William Bennett S1c USN Missouri
WEST, Broadus Franklin S1c USN South Carolina
WEST, Webster Paul S1c USN Arkansas
WESTCOTT, William Percy Jr. S1c USN Indiana
WESTERFIELD, Ivan Ayers S1c USN California
WESTIN, Donald Vern F3c USN Oregon
WESTLUND, Fred Edwin BM2c USN California
WHISLER, Gilbert Henry PFC USMC
WHITAKER, John William Jr. S1c USN Louisiana
WHITCOMB, Cecil Eugene EM3c USN Michigan
WHITE, Charles William MUS2c USN
WHITE, James Clifton F1c USN Texas
WHITE, Vernon Russell S1c USN South Carolina
WHITE, Volmer Dowin S1c USN Mississippi
WHITEHEAD, Ulmont Irving Jr. ENS USN Connecticut
WHITLOCK, Paul Morgan S2c USN Texas
WHITSON, Ernest Hubert Jr. MUS2c USN California
WHITT, William Byron GM3c USN Kentucky
WHITTEMORE, Andrew Tiny MATT2c USN Tennessee
WICK, Everett Morris FC3c USN Oregon
WICKLUND, John Joseph S1c USN Minnesota
WILCOX, Arnold Alfred QM2c USN Iowa
WILL, Joseph William S2c USN Colorado
WILLETTE, Laddie James S2c USN Michigan
WILLIAMS, Adrian Delton S1c USN Louisiana
WILLIAMS, Clyde Richard MUS2c USN Oklahoma
WILLIAMS, George Washington S1c USN Virginia
WILLIAMS, Jack Herman RM3c USNR South Carolina
WILLIAMS, Laurence "A" ENS(AV) USNR Ohio
WILLIAMSON, Randolph Jr. MATT2c USN
WILLIAMSON, William Dean RM2c USNR California
WILLIS, Robert Kenneth Jr. S1c USN Louisiana
WILSON, Bernard Martin RM3c USNR New York
WILSON, Comer A. CBMP USN Alabama
WILSON, Hurschel Woodrow F2c USN Ohio
WILSON, John James S1c USN California
WILSON, Neil Mataweny CWO(MACH) USN California
WILSON, Ray Milo RM3c USNR Iowa
WIMBERLY, Paul Edwin GM3c USN Tennessee
WINDISH, Robert James PVT USMC Missouri
WINDLE, Robert England PFC USMC Illinois
WINTER, Edward WO(MACH) USNR Washington
WITTENBERG, Russell Duane PVT USMC
WOJTKIEWICZ, Frank Peter CMMP USN California
WOLF, George Alexanderson Jr. ENS USNR Pennsylvania
WOOD, Harold Baker BM2c USN Colorado
WOOD, Horace Van S1c USN Texas
WOOD, Roy Eugene F1c USN Arizona
WOODS, Vernon Wesley S1c USN Texas
WOODS, William Anthony S2c USN New York
WOODWARD, Ardenne Allen MM2c USN California
WOODY, Harlan Fred S2c USN
WOOLF, Norman Bragg CWTP USN Alabama
WRIGHT, Edward Henry S2c USN Illinois
WYCKOFF, Robert Leroy F1c USN New Jersey

YATES, Elmer Elias SC3c USN Nebraska
YEATS, Charles Jr. COX USN Illinois
YOMINE, Frank Peter F2c USN Illinois
YOUNG, Eric Reed ENS USN Colorado
YOUNG, Glendale Rex S1c USN
YOUNG, Jay Wesley S1c USN Utah
YOUNG, Vivan Louis WT1c USN Virginia

ZEILER, John Virgel S1c USN Colorado
ZIEMBRICKE, Steve A. S1c USN New York
ZIMMERMAN, Fred Cox USN North Dakota
ZIMMERMAN,Lloyd McDonald S2c USN Missouri
ZWARUN, Jr. Michael S1c(S2c) USN New Jersey

source:
http://www.nps.gov/usar/

Ave Maria~Dolce Maria

2005-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen."

Mary, still today, endures skepticism from many (many churches don't even acknowledge her importance). She was a single mother who raised a exceptional child in a non-traditional home with a committed foster father named Joseph.

They were a "non-traditional" family who shared a lot of love and endured a tremendous amount of pressure and hardship. This sounds like most families today. As a mother, I'm sure Mary felt very confused, like many women (and mothers) today. The family dynamic is so varied. Single mothers, working mothers, stay at home mothers...the list goes on.

I'm sure Joseph was confused, too. Even today, many men wonder, "How can I provide for my family?" I'm sure Joseph would have preferred to shelter Mary in a warm, safe inn to give birth to her child, rather than in the cold barn with the farm animals. Imagine how this made Joseph feel as a man and protector.

We're all trying to be "normal" or "perfect." Religion is not about being "perfect." So, at the time, I respectfully feel that it is safe to say that Jesus' family was dysfunctional. I mean, who had foster fathers? Who had virgin mothers? Each family is unique and we should embrace that. If you've gotten away from the church, or your faith, I would encourage you to take some time this holiday season to really explore ways to get back. No one is perfect.

When you look at the nativity scene this Christmas, I hope you will see it a little bit differently than ever before. This dysfunctional family made it work. They made it work because they loved one another and they had faith in God.

And so, Hail Mary, Sweet Mary, for the sacrifices you so lovingly made and for giving up your only Son so our sins may be forgiven. Ave Maria, Dolce Maria!

Home

2005-11-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

"He is the happiest,
be he king or peasant,
who finds peace in his home."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wherever you are, I wish you a peaceful home this holiday season.

Love,
Kitty Kitty Peacock

Ethel Mayo Freeman

2005-11-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

Her name was Ethel Mayo Freeman. She was 91 years old. She was a mother. Her son's name is Herbert J. Freeman, Jr. She was finally laid to rest seven weeks after you saw her on the news...you remember..."the dead person slouched over in the wheelchair, her face covered by a shirt."

I'd originally attached that picture of Ethel Mayo Freeman with this blog entry, but deleted it prior to publishing the post, strictly out of respect for her. I figure she's suffered enough and her dignity is all she has left. If you don't recall this horrible image, I'm sure you can find it on the internet-you won't find it on my blog.

What you will find is her name. Her name was Ethel Mayo Freeman. She was 91 years old. She was a mother. Her son's name is Herbert J. Freeman, Jr. Rest in Peace. I'm sorry for your suffering.

Gentle Strength

2005-11-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness.

Nothing is so gentle as real strength."

-Francis De Sales

As a child, I recall when the family dog had puppies in the hallway closet. I couldn't eat eggplant for years afterward, but that's another story completely.

This experience taught me a very important lesson about patience. About being gentle and kind. And, perhaps about having faith in nature and God.

Puppies are born with their eyes closed. It takes weeks for them to open. But, eventually, they will open. In their own time. In God's time.

One of my brothers had a "great" idea, and decided to force one of the puppies eyes open. Well, the poor puppy was blind for its entire life. Its eyes were not ready to be opened, yet they were forced to do so. And, the consequence was a tragic one...for the puppy, of course.

If some area of someone's soul is underdeveloped in someway, it is so important to be gentle. Be patient, be kind. They're eyes will open in time. In God's time. Like a flower bud to the warm sun.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this entry. We're all in different places. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and ideas of what's important. Human kind. Be both.

Love,

Kitty Kitty Peacock

Work it, Girl

2005-10-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

"Creativity comes from trust.
Trust your instincts.
And never hope more than you work."

-Rita Mae Brown

Belmont Baby

2005-10-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

There is a saying in the world of Thoroughbred racing - "No one ever killed himself with a good two-year-old in the barn."

Congrats to St. Liam (and Jerry Bailey on his 5th Belmont Win).

I love Samuel Clemens

2005-10-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

ANIMAL RIGHTS
I believe I am not interested to know whether Vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't. To know that the results are profitable to the race would not remove my hostility to it. The pains which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity towards it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further. It is so distinctly a matter of feeling with me, and is so strong and so deeply-rooted in my make and constitution, that I am sure I could not even see a vivisector vivisected with anything more than a sort of qualified satisfaction. I do not say I should not go and look on; I only mean that I should almost surely fail to get out of it the degree of contentment which it ought, of course, to be expected to furnish.
- Letter to London Anti-Vivisection Society, May 26, 1899

My Port Authority

2005-10-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

A ship in the harbor is safe, but ships are not built for this.
So, where do I go from here? I am in the harbor, I have a compass and a great first mate. Now what?

I have been in seclusion for months following an onslaught of personal and professional attacks from a few evil people. Instead of standing up for myself, I have retreated.

Never hate your enemies, it clouds your judgment. - Michael Corleone, The Godfather

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. - Bertrand Russell

I've even gone so far as to lobby for a move to a new town.

"When can we hope to leave?" "You can hope anytime, Mr. Taylor." - Planet of the Apes

I have decided to pull back, lick my wounds, play the "victim" role. No more. Enough. I am ready to end this behavior and live my life. And, I've decided to accept the truth about myself...regardless of how beautiful it is!

Plays Well With Others (but also runs with scissors)

2005-10-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I attended my cousin-in-law Lee Ann's high school soccer game last night. It was a perfect, crisp Autumn evening. I was flanked by my husbands mother and aunt. We shared a hand-quilted blanket as we cheered for our favorite goalie! I learned so much about life as I sat there watching these young women play with such fierce, yet silent, determination.

Having been very active in sports in high school and college, I was particularly taken by this sport for some reason. I believe because I was always drawn to non-team sports: golf, equine competitions, cheerleading. It is amazing to me to have a "family" of people at your back, defending you, watching out for you. This is an alien concept to me. My "family" consisted of a group of five people who happened to live together under the same roof. Every man for himself-a Darwinian lifestyle of survival of the fittest, if you will. This new concept of "team" escapes me, but I like it (a lot) and I'm learning. So, as a newlywed, I am particularly thankful for these opportunities of family and community and I am astute and wide-eyed to these new experiences and concepts.

I'd like to share what I learned with you. I am confident that you will be able to identify with and apply some part of this experience to your own life, either personally or professionally, and perhaps see a part of your world in a different way. Interestingly, I learned that it is easier to teach good defense than good offense. Hmmm. Good to know. Anyway, here are some "positions" in soccer (and life):

The Dangerous Attacker (we've all known at LEAST one of these):
Any attacker who is in scoring position is a "Dangerous Attacker" & should be marked goalside & ballside by a defender (or husband). This is especially true of attackers who are near the goal on corner kicks or free kicks. An attacker who is in front of your goal & inside the Penalty Box is more dangerous than one who is toward the side line or outside the Penalty Box & should be marked closely. The player with the ball is not necessarily the "Most Dangerous." For example, if the ballhandler is outside of scoring range, it is best to guard him loosely & watch for a mistake, because if the defender gets too close the ballhandler may be able to get past him & become dangerous.

Defending Deep:
Defending Deep is the opposite of "Defending To Win" and refers to leaving your Fullbacks deep on your half of the field. The primary reason for this would be if the other team's forwards have more speed than your Fullbacks. Another reason might be if you don't have subs (and WHAT WOMAN DOES?) and leave your FB's deep to reduce their running and conserve their energy. (As women, we need to learn to prioritize and conserve our energy for the things that are most important in order to keep our families going and maintain our balance and sense of self).

Defending to Win:
Refers to aggressively pushing up the Fullbacks & even the goalkeeper to support the attack & to "press" if the ball is turned over to the other team with the objective of recovering the ball on the other team's half of the field. This is quite different from a cautious defense that doesn't aggressively push up or get the FB's involved in the attack. The opposite of "Defending Deep". (Hey, sometimes a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do).

Attack Staller:
An attacker who unnecessarily slows down or stalls the attack by making a bad, lazy or selfish decision. Examples include not moving off the ball, holding the ball too long instead of passing it, taking away the opportunity for a fast break by dribbling the ball too long or by passing backwards or sideways instead of forward, and the thoughtless player who too often calls for the ball to be passed backward to him or her when opportunities exist to pass the ball forward. (Be careful of these people. They WILL hold you back from your destiny, if you let them. This person is not "cautious," they are just STALLERS and they will miss the boat every time. They WANT to be leaders, but do not know HOW to lead. DO NOT follow them. You WILL end up back where you started, or worse, every time, guaranteed).

The Dummy Run (aka "Decoy Run")
A run intended to distract defenders or to draw them away from the area you plan to attack in order to "create space" for a teammate.
God Bless You, Ross Perot, wherever you are, you little cutie.

Sweeper (NO Broom involved, thank you)
(A.K.A. Mother, Woman, Wife) This is my personal favorite position. If I were to play soccer, this would be the position I would play. It is probably the hardest one, but it is the one that appeals to each of my sensibilities.

A fast & tough player who usually plays just behind the fullbacks, although she is allowed to roam. Her job is to cover the space between the fullbacks & the goalkeeper & to stop "breakaways" & "sweep up" the ball or kick long "through balls" out of bounds so the defense has time to recover. Using a sweeper increases your "depth" & field coverage and therefore allows your fullbacks to push up to support your attack.

A good sweeper must be fast & willing to make contact to steal the ball. A Sweeper can be like a coach on the field and can help direct adjustments, since she is usually the deepest field player and in a good position to view the game. A great Sweeper who has speed and great coverage skills can allow your Fullbacks to push up to support your attack, even if they aren't fast, because she will slow down the attack and give your Fullbacks time to recover.

And, if you were wondering, Lee Ann's team won...in overtime, 3-2!

The Best Day

2005-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

I had the best day. I woke up in a nest of goose down on the 11th floor of The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, next to my sweet husband. Then, we drove to Lexington, Kentucky to enjoy a day of bloody mary's, best friends and world class thoroughbred horses. It just doesn't get any better than that. It just doesn't. For me, anyway.

Something hit me. As I stood in the crisp Autumn air, watching the million dollar babies eye one another up (the four and two legged ones), it hit me. Thoroughbreds need to run. You can't hitch a plow to a racehorse. You just can't. And if you try, I pity the plow. I've demolished a few in my time, that's for sure.

We all need to hit our strides and maximize our performance. We all have the right to be who and how we are so long as it is not at the expense of other people's dignity and self-respect.

I've not been in the irons for months now. And I say, enough. Enough. ENOUGH! The less popular horses have fewer people betting on them-thus, the odds are against them, but the payoff is much sweeter when these underdogs win...won't you join me? Riders up!

Go Baby, Go!

Goodbye Cruel Summer

2005-10-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Summer has passed, among other things, and the bitch has taken my innocence with her. I don't like summer, never have. It's hot. Bugs like summer. I'm not a bug.

My darling autumn has elegantly swept into the region, as lovers are coaxed out of their homes for evening strolls around their neighborhoods, and my curtains gently blow with the cool autumn breeze. I am grateful for these small blessings.

I've been so depressed, I just need to dream. Just let go and dream...with reckless abandon. My Godmother is from Rome. She still has a home there. Perhaps I could spend some time there. A month. What would a typical day be like? Wake up at dawn go to the market for hot coffee, fresh flowers, sweet bread, and fruit. Walk around. Sit. People watch. Pray the rosary in Italian. Try to find linens embroidered with my initials? Could I stand myself? Is this possible? Could this EVER happen to little ol' ME?

Self Portrait Tuesday

2005-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I was abducted as a child. Please take a moment to visit this website. There are two young girls missing from the Paducah, KY area. Thank you.

http://www.missingkids.com

March of the Sheehan Penguins

2005-09-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Woo! This is FUN!"

The "Peace Mom" enjoying her latest publicity stunt

As a Maryland native, and the daughter of a police officer, I know the crime ridden District of Columbia. This area consistently ranks as "Murder Capitol" of the country, and it's no place for the weak. Rape, murder, drugs, child abductions, armed robbery...if you can dream it, they can shoot it (with a gun or a needle). The police officers of this area are highly over worked and sorely underpaid individuals. These men have important jobs to do. Go home, Cindy.

The Windows of Our Worlds

2005-09-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Walking down the street, I passed a friend who was painting the window panes of his home. I'd stopped for some friendly conversation. It went something like this:

Me: "I need to scrape and paint our window panes, too. But I think that's a project for next spring. My first priority is to to clean the windows!"

Him: "My windows are filthy. In fact, they've never been washed. I just don't look through them."

This conversation called to mind a time when I'd driven almost an entire snowy, Maryland winter without having my car windshield washed. After having the windshield cleaned, I couldn't believe I'd driven like that for so long.

Phantom Pain

2005-09-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Having a missing a limb may mean you experience pain that's just as real as if you still had the limb. Phantom limb pain, stump pain and phantom limb sensation describe the feelings of people who are missing a limb or part of a limb:

Phantom limb pain:
This pain feels as if it's occurring in the amputated limb. My heart hurts, Dad. I miss you so much. It feels empty and hollow. Are you in there? Dad? Dad? Daaaaaaad?

Stump (residual limb) pain:
This is discomfort at the surgery site. The panic attacks are so great. My heart feels like it's going to explode in my chest. Am I having a stroke? What in the hell is happening?

Phantom limb sensation:
This is the feeling that the missing body part is still there. It may involve uncomfortable sensations such as burning, tingling and itching.

A limb has been removed from my body. As a baby, this limb cradled me close to a milkless breast with the sole intention to love and be loved. Your death may have ended your life, but it will never end our relationship.
And so I say:

"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
That's Why I'll Always Stay Around
You Are The Apple Of My Eye
Forever You'll Stay In My Heart"

(A song my Dad sang to me as a girl, and the song we danced to at my wedding)

In Loving Memory of Viktor Frankl.

2005-09-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

In Loving Memory of Viktor Frankl
"He who has a why for life can put with any how."
Frederick Nietzsche

Even in the degradation and abject misery of a concentration camp, Frankl was able to exercise the most important freedom of all - the freedom to determine one's own attitude and spiritual well-being. No sadistic Nazi SS guard was able to take that away from him or control the inner-life of Frankl's soul. One of the ways he found the strength to fight to stay alive and not lose hope was to think of his wife. Frankl clearly saw that it was those who had nothing to live for who died quickest in the concentration camp.

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here."Dante Alighieri's inscription on the entrance to Hell

The entrance to the feared death camp of Auschwitz, author-psychoanalyst Viktor Frankl's home as prisoner of conscience of the Third Reich.
posted by Kitty Kitty Peacock @ 2:57 PM 0 comments

Courage

2005-09-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

"The test of courage comes
when we are in the minority"
-Ralph Sockman

Full Circle

2005-09-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

The name of the baseball park is Valley Little League. This little league is where I experienced my first kiss and my first gummy bear (if memory serves, the gummy bear was better). The place where my father dedicated his time and talents as League President for over 5 years. The ballpark is a paradigm for life. It all started with a diamond.

Saturdays in summer were my favorite days. No school, blue skies, sno-cones and bonding time with Dad. I loved to sit next to my Big, Bad Dad on the old blue and white painted bleachers as we'd cheer his son on to many flawless pitching victories. My brother Joe was the star pitcher and pitched many consecutive no-hitters in his baseball career, just like Dad had when he was a young boy...way before he met Mom.

When I was home in August to be at Dad's bedside in his final days of life, my brother Joe called me and asked, "Do you want to get out of the hospital this afternoon and come to my son's All-Star game at Valley? He's pitching." "Sure," I said.

Upon arrival, the first thing I did was purchase a package of gummy bears at the old concession stand. I walked over to the blue and white bleachers and I sat next to Joe and his wife, as we cheered his son on to a flawless pitching victory.

Lead by my Father's grandson, the winning team took their victory lap around the bases. As his strong legs pumped toward home, life had come full circle. Then, he went into the dugout to celebrate with friends and teammates, slung his bat over his shoulder and reached for his father's hand. His father said "Good game, son. Now let's go home."

Dad, I wanted you to stay in the game forever, even though that is an impossibility. As your strong heart pumped toward Home, your life had come full circle. You went into the dugout to celebrate with long lost teammates, slung your bat over your shoulder and reached for The Father's hand. The Father said "Good game, son. Now let's go Home."

Coming Out

2005-08-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

"Have you seen a hippo?"
"No Senor!"

I'm now online! No more hiding.

Do You Haiku?

2005-08-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Haiku is so simply complex and fun. Using the standard 5-7-5 syllable pattern and simple language, while juxtaposing common experiences (usually with a reference to the season), a haiku allows us look at familiar situations in new ways. Do you Haiku? Go for it! Leave them in my "comments" section-can't wait to read them.

A Haiku for my hero and biggest cheerleader:

Sputtering heartbeat
Warm earth between my bare toes
Goodbye Big, Bad Dad

Hot Coffee with cream
The birds awaken and sing
Breakfast is coming

Chiffon: Silk or Lemon? Both, please!

2005-08-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Looking through my purses, getting ready for the season to change, I found grocery receipts from when I lived in Lexington.

At the time, I didn't find it at all strange to be grocery shopping with a silk chiffon purse, at 1:20 a.m. on a Tuesday,for lemons, eggs, a magazine, wet cat food, and a greeting card. I remember that night...I was craving a lemon chiffon dessert (a very inexpensive treat-something I could afford and still have enough money to buy a purse I'd been eyeing). After all, if I have enough of the luxuries in life, I can skimp on the necessities.

I recall being up most of the night waiting for it to set...which happened early in the morning. So, I sat on the balcony of my one bedroom apartment, watched the sunrise, enjoyed lemon chiffon pie and a hot cup of coffee, then went inside where my cat and I slept until noon.

Looking at the purses, I recall where I was when I fell in love with each of these perfect beaded lovers. I can recall exactly how much each one cost (fortunately or unfortunately). Aha! Here's the purse I used the night I fell in love with a different perfect lover...my husband. He's not beaded, but he sparkles in his own way.

Although my grocery lists are not as "interesting" anymore, they still tell their own story. A story of well-balanced meals for two, and ingredients purchased at a reasonable time of day, by a well-rested, usually sober woman. I suppose I'll have to break out this purse in Paducah...and take it for a stroll around the produce department for old times sake.

So to my friend Anessa, if you happen to see "A Sparkle in the Aisle," it's just me...looking to turn Paducah lemons into lemon chiffon. Won't you join me?

Steeling thoughts

2005-08-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Growing up in western Maryland, very near the industrial state of Pennsylvania, I am fairly familiar with the steel industry.

Steel is produced using technology based upon the Bessemer Process of blowing air through molten pig iron to oxidize the material and separate impurities. The best steel comes through the hottest fire.

God blow your healing air through the pig iron in my life. Breathe new life into my soul. Grant me the clarity of mind to separate the impurities in my life and to do Your will for all mankind. I pray that these painful flames will make me stronger...make me a better person.

Got Goethe?

2005-08-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors is screaming to me to pick up his information and read...read...read. Heal...heal...heal.

Goethe from Faust I:
"What you don't feel, you will not grasp by art,
Unless it wells out of your soul
And with sheer pleasure takes control,
Compelling every listener's heart.
But sit - and sit, and patch and knead,
Cook a ragout, reheat your hashes,
Blow at the sparks and try to breed
A fire out of piles of ashes!
Children and apes may think it great,
If that should titillate your gum,
But from heart to heart you will never create.
If from your heart it does not come." (from Faust I)

During the French Revolution Goethe reported in letters - sometimes written in the middle of cannon fire - to his family, his inconveniences, complaining that he was forced to leave his home and dear garden after the French army attacked Prussia.

Can I identify with this or what???!!! One difference being that when the French are done with me, they'll be sipping their lattes under a German flag.

In Weimar Goethe did not have much time to publish fiction. He was a council member and member of the war commission, director of roads and services, and managed the financial affairs of the court. Also Goethe's scientific researches were wide. He discovered the human intermaxilarry bone (1784), and formulated a vertebral theory of the skull. Urpflanze, the archetypal forms after which all other plants are patterned, was also his idea.

Looks like I need to get busy!

Legally Pissed

2005-08-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

A dear friend brought me a "can" of pasta sauce (making the sign of the cross right now), noodles and a great bottle of Chianti as an expression of sympathy on the loss of my father. Good thing she did...in Kentucky, you can't purchase alcohol on Sunday and, of course, tomorrow is Sunday. I've always thought this was a stupid law.

Of course, there are still places in Kentucky where you can't buy alcohol on any day of the week, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. This state's liquor laws are so freaking complex that it's easier to drive to Illinois or Missouri for a six-pack than it is to stay in Kentucky and figure out which day it's not against the law to order a dirty martini if you're left-handed.

I flew to Maryland for Dad's funeral. I don't drink on airplanes for one simple reason...not because a Miller Lite costs 5 bucks, but because they always take my drinks during take-offs and landings...isn't that when I need a drink the most? Yet another stupid law.

So, here we are...the clock just struck midnight and the town is dry...but won't pass legislation to go smoke-free any day of the week...stupid. I mean, not that I'm that against tobacco...it's just not my cup of spit.

I'm not ready to launch my paducahsucks.com website just yet...just releasing some of this anger because I realize that I can never have a beer with my Dad on any day of any week, in any state, ever again...

Not why, but Amen

2005-07-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

Instead of saying "why," we should say "Amen." Amen to our circumstances, Amen to today, and Amen to all of the yesterdays. Amen to tomorrow and all it has to offer. Peace and justice are within our reach. And, we may not have the answers when we want them...but patience prevails, as answers will be unveiled.

I was volunteering at a local no-kill animal shelter this weekend. During the course of my volunteerism, I medicated and cleaned the cages of over 60 cats. A highly curable, yet highly transmittable, disease is running through the shelter. Without antibiotics and proper environmental cleaning, the cats will not survive.

"Why?!"

This calls to mind my friend Mwabi, an African refugee who recently found solace in America, along with her 5 sisters. Mwabi's mother and father are still in Africa and operate an orphanage for African children who have lost their parents to AIDS. So many people who suffer from this horrible disease could be helped, if only the proper medical treatment, available to us today, would be administered.

"Why?!"

I have always had a unique connection with animals. The cats, sick with every conceivable virus, called to me, "Help us, please! You know what we need. Don't leave without helping. Please!" Well, after looking into their eyes and seeing their desperate souls, how could I, in good conscience, walk away? Like Mwabi's parents to the children of South Africa, I could not see this atrocity with my eyes and heart, and walk away as if I hadn't.

"Why?!"

Following several hours of intense, laborious, and highly unglamorous work at the non-air conditioned shelter, in mid-July in Kentucky, I came home to a soapy shower in preparation for a private, political social hour with a United States Congressman.

"Why?!"

At the mixer, I was being pulled in every conceivable direction for consultation, "Help us. You know what we need. Help us!" It occurred to me; these "powerful" people have so much in common with those sick, helpless cats. Moreover, there must federal or state funding available for the non-profit animal shelter, and I can't rest until I find, and obtain, it...and I will.

The cost of my help to the political party will be their help to the cats at the shelter.

"Amen."

On a Wing and a Prayer

2005-07-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."

--Winston Churchill

Mo-Le and Pa-Le

2005-07-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

For my friend who is losing her father to lung and brain cancer. Hospice is working to keep him comfortable in his final hours of life. I pray she will find the peace she so desperately needs.

Mo-Le was nervously sitting on the edge of the cloud saying, "I can't do it...I just can't do it." Noticing her discomfort, Pa-Le rolled over and asked, "What's wrong?" Mo-Le looking quite embarrassed, "I'm afraid of heights!" Pa-Le, confused but trying to comfort her said, "Mo-Le, you're a raindrop, and raindrops aren't afraid of heights." "Well it's really not the height or the fall that makes this raindrop sweat, it's the 'splat' when you hit the ground." "Mo-Le, if it was just 'Geronimo,' a long fall, and a 'splat,' none of us would leave the cloud. I'm not looking forward to the 'splat' either, but as I've gotten larger and heavier, I've realized it's what happens after the 'splat' that really matters for a raindrop. Our lives don't end then, they'll change and get better."

"Mo-Le, I've known you since you condensed, and in time, I know you'll understand. Enjoy the cloud a while longer. I love you. I'll see you under the rainbow." Then, Pa-Le quietly and gently rolled off the cloud.

Geranium in my cranium

2005-07-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art"--DaVinci

I had one of the most amazing experiences today. This experience was one of doubt, faith, stillness, action, love, life and death (and all in ONE afternoon)! I am so overwhelmed by this experience hours later, that I am working my way through crushing chest pains. So, Michael, my love, if you read this and I'm having a heart attack and not a panic attack, take care of the kitties for me. ;)

For two days, I have had a nagging "voice" in the back of my head telling me to go to the girl at the landscaping shop (the nursery) who helps me with my plants. This is a very, very strange request as I have only met this girl maybe 5 times in my life. She is a single, young, girl with brown spotted teeth, and an southern accent that's thicker than cold molasses. Yet to me, she is so beautiful and talented (as she knows seemingly everything under the sun about everything that grows under the sun)! And, she loves her grandma and grandpa and fills their flowerbed with their favorite annuals each year...and that scores big points with me. On the few occassions I'd met her, I just loved to listen to her tell me about her grandparents. Her grandmother loves geraniums the best.

I'd not been to the landscaping shop since fall and hadn't seen her again until this spring. It must have been a cold winter. She is due with her first child in August, the month of my due date. So, for whatever reason, this "voice," was telling me to visit her...and to take her a gift for the baby. I had a beautiful white hand embroidered cap that I'd been keeping for my baby. I wanted to give it to her. So, I thought "this chick is going to think I'm crazy! I don't even know if she knows my name!" The voice said "Just do it, and do it today." And so, I did. Why, I don't know, but I listened and I went to her.

I pulled into the parking lot of the nursery, got out of my car and was immediately lured to the back of the property by the most gorgeous pink blossoms next to the vibrant green foliage of the geraniums. I thought, "I'll just run back there before I go inside to seek her out to give her the gift." Behind the high tiers of geraniums I saw a flame, then smoke. It was the pregnant girl. She immediately stomped out the cigarette and I pretended I hadn't seen a thing. I greeted her with a smile, a hug and a gift. She was so happy to know that someone had thought of her. She went on to tell me that the baby is a girl and she saw her sucking her thumb in the last sonogram. She admitted to me that she was trying to quit smoking since she saw the baby on the monitor and that she'd been doing so well for the past week. Today, however, she was ready to "cheat" and she hid behind the geraniums in the back of the property so no one would see her. She thanked me for coming when I did, because her addiction to nicotene was stronger than her will at that moment. I learned why it's so important to listen to our inner voice...even if it doesn't make sense to us at the time. Listen.

I left the nursery and turned on my left hand turn signal toward home, only to find myself turning right out of the parking lot not knowing why. So I listened and waited for this "mistake" to make sense. I realized that I was driving in the direction of the cemetery where our baby is buried. Once in the cemetery, my car idled slowly past the headstones. Reading the names on the headstones, I was moved by the ornate, beautiful carvings of names, chisled in marble. Some of the names were simple, some I'd not heard in years, some included their credentials (Dr. so and so, MD), and all were equally beautiful...except for one. One headstone caught my breath. It had no name, it had no ornate carvings, no date of birth nor death, just one word, in all caps, MOTHER.
I gently pressed on my brake and don't recall breathing for a moment. I got a chill and a tear ran down my cheek. "Mother." Modest credentials, in the opinion of some, on a modest stone.

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." --Carl Sandburg

I am a mother. Regardless of the fact that my baby is in the ground instead of my arms, I am a mother. Finally, as I'd reached the back of the cemetery, I could see the little crosses in the "Garden of the Angels," a little sanctuary for babies who have passed on. I parked the car, walked over to the graveside, pulled some weeds, cried, talked to my child, and enjoyed a very special moment...one which can't be expressed with words. I said out loud "thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a mother. I love you for that. I hope you know how much you are missed." Just then, I heard something...a gentle breeze blew and the windchimes softly responded to it. I realize that we are all instrunments of God. Just as the gentle breeze encouraged the chimes to respond to the wind, at just the right moment, so should I respond to His gentle nudges and my "quiet beliefs." Listen.

So, tonight at home, in a quiet, peaceful place, I gave thanks for the blessings I have been given. And, just then, the little voice said,

"Thanks for listening. It's time to get some rest."

H2 Oh!

2005-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed watching the horses play hide and seek with the sun; jockeying for position with one another as they sought a cool, shady spot beneath the old Great Oak. The cruel sun has been unforgiving lately, and even as it sets in the western sky, it leaves temperatures in excess of 100 degrees in its wake. I suppose the residual heat is left for us as a supportive reminder of what we've endured, and that it is over, and that we've survived. Or, perhaps the heat is an arrogant reminder to us that the sun may be out of sight, but refuses to be out of mind; and, not to get too comfortable because it will be back tomorrow...and tomorrow will be even worse, as we are now over one week without a drop of precious water.

If I could create water, I would...but there is one great problem with this. Water (H20) is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen...but there is also another "thing" which makes up water...and no one knows what it is. It can neither be created nor destroyed...like energy. So, I will run the dehumidifier in my basement, use the water it extracts from the air, and pour it onto the thirsty roots of my plants...not plants that will produce food to sustain my body, but plants which produce beautifully delicate, colorful blooms, which sustain my soul.

"Water is a good servant, but a cruel master"--John Bullein

"When the well is dry, we know the worth of water" --Ben Franklin

We have been using the air conditioner for days now. The windows have been sealed tightly and the house smells so stale. "I know," I thought. "I'll light my favorite candle! Now, if only I could find the lighter." Not just any lighter, but a specific lighter. This lighter has a long barrel and a trigger...sort of like a shotgun. The long barrel of this lighter can reach down into the tall glass jar which used to be full of wax, but following hours of burning, is nearly gone...burning not to produce light by which to read, but rather to produce the soothing fragrance of honeysuckle, strictly to delight my senses.

"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think."-- Chinese Proverb

So, as I'd continued rustling through the kitchen's junk drawer in search of this specific fire maker, I felt myself becoming annoyed. I thought "where in the hell is it?" Then, I began a crusade around the house, looking in every conceivable place, to no avail, only to come back to the kitchen, the place where my search began.

"All water has perfect memory, and is forever trying

to get back to where it was."--Toni Morrison

I sat down at the table to think of where the lighter could be. In this quiet moment, I asked myself, "what do you want?" "I just want to light the candle." I replied. Quietly, I poured a cup of coffee, sat still for a moment, and then decided to look in the junk drawer one last time. It was then that "it" happened. I realized that as I'd been digging with reckless abandon for the specific lighter I had in my mind, I'd overlooked a perfectly good book of matches.

"Muddy water, let stand becomes clear."
~ Lao Tzu (c.604-531 B.C.)

"Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart,

and try to love the questions themselves"--Rainer Maria Rilke

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him" --Psalm 37:7

"Be still and know that I am God"--Psalm 46

The Tao of Pencil

2005-06-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

"I am a writer, not a blogger," was my first thought as I looked down my nose at the "techie." "MY notebook does not have a cord," I said. His response..."Cool, mine's wireless, too!"

"Good Grief" --Charlie Brown

I suppose the "wireless notebook" was invented by the same person who came up with the "cordless stapler." Ugh.

However, I am open to new ideas, and will give this "blog" thing a chance. But,while I'm giving it a chance, I just need to ask..."Whatever happened to the pencil and it's constant companion the pencil sharpener?" In my opinion, the abandonment of the pencil explains the state of society today.

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." --Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

I recall savoring the smell of pencil shavings when I was lucky enough to be chosen by the teacher to empty them from the pencil sharpener and into the trash at the end of each school day. I say "lucky," but the stars had nothing to do with it. My hand was the highest hand in the air...my bottom would lift off of the wooden seat like it was powered by NASA.

Anyway, once I was "selected" for the job, I began my descent to the back of the room. My mind began to play the galloping beat of "I Walk the Line," my eyes fixated upon the pencil sharpener. I was eager to get to the task at hand (and to sharpen my pencils so they would be at the ready when the bell rang the next morning).

Upon laying my hand on the the pencil sharpener, I would carefully remove the imitation wood grain cover (which perfectly matched the side of my Dad's fabulous banana yellow station wagon), I felt like a mechanic who'd popped the hood off a vintage car. A REAL car, one that could be diagnosed with an ear, and fixed with a wrench. Well, once the wood grain cover was successfully (and carefully) pulled away from the base of the pencil sharpener, it was filled with the wood shavings from the pencils. Once solid hard wood, now as soft and flaky as oats. When did the pencils become "non-pencils?"

"Everything must either be or not be,

whether in the present or in the future"

--Aristotle

The mechanics of the sharpener exposed, I recall the two primitive, yet efficacious, smooth, notched, metal log-shaped rollers, which nestled together perfectly, simultaneously working together to achieve a common goal, while moving in completely opposite directions.

"One feeling which prevailed greatly with me, and could never find an expression odd enought for itself, was a sense of the past and present together in one--a phenomenon which brought something spectral into the present...it must not be forgotten that the closest of unions are those of the opposites." --J.W. von Goethe

Do you recall the the dusty smell of the pencil shavings, something akin to the "shop class" you would soon take, which would be taught by a tall, skinny, greasy-haired, eight-fingered, flannel shirted, prescription safety glass wearing, birdhouse maker? No? Anyway...

I recall when I would sharpen my pencils. As I'd crank the handle of the pencil sharpener, the sound of the grinding, the tension of each turn getting less and less, I'd remove the pencil when the tension was gone, only to stick the pencil back in the sharpener, despite its razor sharp point, for one last twirl of the handle...just to make sure it was as good as it could be. I took pride in the perfect points of my pencils.

I recall when some heathens would intentionally break their pencil points just to be able to get out of their seats to go to the pencil sharpener. Another possibility for the state of society today...Pencils: the alternative to Ritalin.

Another random thought on the pencil/sharpener relationship...the pencil sharpener did not descriminate. One size did not fit all. You could adjust the hole size by pushing on the metal tab and simultaneously turning the faceplate to accomodate your pencil, regardless of its size. The pencil sharpener taught tolerance and acceptance. Except for that time when Dad bought the square shaped pencils for me...the "roll-proof" kind. Or, as I learned, the "sharpen proof" kind. But, although the round holes couldn't accommodate these square pencils, I learned an even greater lessen about life, which, I applied to a failed relationship with a man that I'd so desperately tried to make work as a twenty-something.

"If at first you don't succeed,

skydiving is not for you."

Well, thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you enjoyed this entry. Let me know your thoughts...perhaps I may make regular entries.