Words from the Heart

The older I get, the more I realize that wisdom needs to be shared.  This used to happen when we came together in long houses, around campfires, and at the kitchen table.  Today, wisdom comes in bits and pieces that often lack the personal connection of a parent, grandparent or familial elder.  I find this unfortunate, but, I have also learned from my Elders that we MUST share wisdom with the world NOW.   So, my gift to the world on my last day being 62 is 62 bits of wisdom.  My greatest joy will be to know that you find something here that resonates with you. 62.  No matter how old you are, you are never too old to dream and to have goals.  61.  Gardens are great places of healing.  Visit often. 60.  Water is the life blood of Mother Earth; we MUST protect both. 59.  Children are wiser today; listen to them.  They have a lot to teach us. 58.  Music should be a part of every day! 57.  If you w...

I just finished reading about the bush fires in Australia . Some of them have been started by people, who, after they were put out, went back to start them over again. The death toll is now ( at 7:38 p.m. on 1-9-09) over 200. Hospitals, state of the art hospitals, have run out of morphine. I cannot begin to imagine the horror of that. For those who have never experienced what it is like to be around a burn victim, let me share a quick memory... When I was around nine years old my brother, Timothy, (not yet seven years old) fell off a roof, ruptured his stomach and spleen, and broke his arm and leg. The doctors were not sure he would live. One of the nurses, feeling that a visit from his "big" sister might help him, convinced my Mom to sneak me into the hospital. (Back then, children under 18 were not allowed into the hospital as visitors.) I went and saw my brother. His tiny body hooked up to a labyrinth of tubes and held down by a full-body cast. I remember how tiny h...

What to say about a man like John Henry Neas, Jr., Daddy, Dad, Papa, Uncle John, Johnny, Brother, friend…hero! Every human has heroes. These are the beings we look up to, we emulate, we forget are human. Daddy was one such hero. He struggled with poverty, disease, alcoholism (sober for the last 40 something years!), and a host of other obstacles throughout his life. Growing up was hard, but hindsight being 20/20, I have come to realized that he gave us so much! The gift of absolute love….Dad had a heart bigger than himself. If one of us needed him, he did everything in his power to be there for us. Patty has told me many times over the years, “Daddy was always there for me.” And, I have to agree, as I am sure many of the rest of you will, Dad was there… and not just for us…for everyone. Dad in his own way taught us that no matter how little you might have, there was always enough to share with others. He would literally give the shirt off his back if some else needed ...