Words from the Heart

Photo:  Public Domain After a lifetime of writing musical poetry, Bob Dylan has been recognized for his contribution to the Literature of the World by the Nobel Prize committee.  I am so happy!   There are some critics that argue that Dylan does not deserve this most honored award.  These naysayers mainly complain that what he wrote isn't any better than other songwriters.  What they don't get is that the other songwriters' works were not the anthems for generations of freedom fighters, peacemakers and social activists from around the world.   BBC demonstrated just how poetic Dylan's songs are by posting a r ecording of several of their famous actors reading the words of the songs we have come to know so well.  The poetry is more than obvious.  The fact that the words Dylan wrote inspired people to seek peace, seek change, seek connection is the foundation for why the Nobel committee honored him. For me, Dylan's words , his son...

  Our Home - The Enchanted Cottage Edict from our homeowner's insurance company:  "The inspection revealed the current condition of the property (our home) and the insurance company decided to non-renew your coverage." These are the words that jumped out at me from an inspection of my home - the Enchanted Cottage - that my homeowners insurance company did recently as part of a "new protocol."  Like so many other evaluations being made in the world today, this one is not based on facts or logic. The person who took the pictures of our home did not prepare the report.  That was done by some unseen person, somewhere in the insurance world, who did not take into consideration that Roger and I have been struggling to keep up with things after his two major operations and  my being unemployed for two years.   In addition, the report doesn't mention that we are/have been working on the house, little by little. There is no mention of the f...

Image via Wikipedia There are a handful of people in the world that if given the opportunity, I would jump at the chance to meet.  They are all people, who for me exemplify the type of person I strive to be.  Out of this handful, over the past year, I was blessed with meeting two of them. The first person was Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  He spoke at the college at which I was teaching.  His joy for humanity is evident in everything he says and does.  This joy is infectious. The second person is a woman whom I have admired since the 70's.  She is an activist and peacemaker.  Her approach to both has always struck me as down to Earth and practical.  It was no surprise then when my mentor asked me if I knew Starhawk that I responded with great enthusiasm.  Of course, I know her!  I had used her as a reference in several of my papers written for my Master's.  I had read her words and watched videos of her work.  I was equally ent...

A view of Mount Sugarloaf as we walk to end hunger It was the most perfect autumn weekend. The sun lighting up the maples in glorious sunrise/sunset splendor. The sky was that crystal blue that only appears in New England on crisp autumnal days. It was the weekend of the socially conscious, the activist, the tree-huggers, the dog-lovers and me! 350 Bell Ring at South Deerfield Congregational Church We started the weekend with our 350 Bell Ring for Climate Awareness. The evidence that the climate has gone to the dogs was apparent when a four-legged friend stopped by to ring the bell! Four-legged friend comes by to ring the bell At the finish of Crop Walk...tired but happy On Sunday, another gorgeous day, we held the Franklin County Crop Walk to End Hunger. I did the 2+ mile loop, others took the 5+ mile loop up and down the rolling hills of South Deerfield. The walk raised over $20,000. Resting in the arms of a friend, Miss Maple If you are interested and want to help end world hu...