The Wolf Moon...

 

Hi.

So Legend/History says that the full moon in the recent sky is called the Wolf Moon. The story reads it's called that because way back in the day, like waaaaayyyyy back, the baying at this particular full moon, the one after the winter solstice, was more intense, prolonged, louder, and even more bone-chilling than usual. It is said that these beautifully terrifying creatures did so, not because of some mystic Indigenous legend, not because of some romantic or noble folklore, not for any reason other than simple hunger.

They were on the brink of starvation. They were in agony. They were in pain. In the throes of winter, the deep cold, and profound darkness, their lives were much more difficult, bringing them to the edge of what they were able to survive.

I feel you.

We, as a collective, are hungry. Sadly, almost criminally, some of us, literally. For way too many, putting food on the table on a regular basis through this nightmare is next to, if not completely, impossible. 

We are hungry. Starving for spending time face to face. Starving for a hug from our loved ones. Starving to spend time together with friends, unimpeded. Starving for family gatherings. Starving for the luxuries we sooooooo took for granted, like...well... pretty much everything.

We are starving for kindness. We are starving for joy. We are starving for belly laughs.

We remain in the deep cold and profound darkness. Our pain is real. We are at the edge of what we are able to survive. We all feel it.

The good news is that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, and it still doesn't seem to be a train. Vaccines are making their way into the arms of people all over the world. It isn't a speedy process. There are a lot of us. But, it's happening. 

The more people that get vaccinated, the harder it is for this nightmare bug to travel. 

Yes, we still need to do all of the things... masks, distancing, don't travel, etc. We know the drill, or at least we should, by now. 

Imagine what life will be like six months from now, a year from now. Our world may not look exactly as we left it a year ago, but, that might not be all bad.

Maybe we will keep in mind our new understanding of what is actually essential.

Maybe we will make a shift in our priorities, taking into account what we missed most through all of this.

Maybe we will pay closer attention, live more intentionally, permanently disengaging our autopilot. 

Too many won't have the opportunity to embrace life after the virus. Too many won't get the chance to meet the new additions to the family. Too many won't be here to receive those long-awaited hugs. Too many won't be here to create new memories. Too many are gone without proper goodbyes. 

So, let's do ourselves a favour. When we can, when we are able, let's make a conscious decision to NOT just go back to the way things were, even if it is an option. 

Let's do life better than we did before. Let's do it for those who won't get the chance. 

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May we all keep doing everything we can to keep each other out of harm's way.

May we stay this difficult course, we are edging toward the finish, soon, a brighter day.

May we live life on purpose, with purpose, for purpose, carrying close to our hearts the now empty shoes of those we've loved and lost. 

May we do our best to live up to our loved ones' best wishes, best hopes, best dreams for us, no matter the hills to climb, rivers to cross.

May we once again laugh freely, deeply, without a hint of the heaviness we've survived.

May we, going forward, not only get through but dance our way back... thrive.

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Sane, Coherent, Boring Even... I'm Here For It!

                                 (Photos pulled from social media, not sure who to credit)
 

Hi!

So a new President and Vice President were sworn in.

No talk of American carnage, no talk of evil caravans, acknowledgment of the gravity of the virus, and those who have been lost to it.

The complete lack of crazy was absolutely refreshing, and I can't help but look forward to much more of the same.

The new press secretary in the briefing room, engaging, answering questions without being ridiculously defensive. Just answering them. If she doesn't know, she says so. If she had the information, she shared it. 

No drama. Awesome.

The press allowed to do their job. Ask questions, get clarification, ask follow-up questions. Weird.

I'm looking forward to the boring almost as much as I'm looking forward to watching justice play out. Justice, Karma's BFF.

The only guarantee, moving forward, is that there will be debates about policies, there will be debates about how and if those policies should be executed. But, that, my friends, is democracy. 

It's just nice to know, as a close neighbour and friend, that the person at the Resolute desk has the capacity for empathy, a kind heart, and is willing to listen to others' perspectives. It's easier to breathe knowing that the person with the nuclear codes is not subject to temper tantrums and faulty impulse control. 

It will be interesting to see how the next four years play out. It will be so nice to witness slow news days. Days where the crazy things that happen don't always have the Whitehouse as a point of origin. 

Goodbye cofefe. Goodbye enemies list. Goodbye hate-speech. Goodbye to fuelling conspiracy theories. Goodbye to the incessant, dangerous lying. Goodbye to vicious, intentional, cruelty. Goodbye Cheeto-in-Chief. Goodbye to your spawn. You won't be missed. 

Now, with a full breath, one filled with hope, promise, and, for the first time in a long time, optimism for our neighbours to the south, we step into 2021. For real this time.

We need a do-over, for the beginning of this year has been, in a word, horrible. 

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Yvonne,

May you once again feel the sun on your face, may you run free.

May you smell every flower along the way, climb every tree.

May peace find you, meet you, greet you, embrace you, keep you.

May you rest, knowing our lives were all brighter because of you.

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I Have No Words....

I have no words...

A phrase uttered by everyone when a shocking, sudden tragedy happens.

No, Covid isn't what took her from us, but it will keep us from being together to celebrate her life.

This is my eldest sister, she would have turned 60 in March. She was given her wings last night.

24 hours was all it took. Admitted to the hospital Saturday night, gone by Sunday night. We don't have full answers, and may never get them. Maybe we will have to be okay with that, we just don't know. 

She was a kind and generous soul, funny, fabulous and flawed. She was sassy and stubborn, brave, beautiful, and a bad influence, in the best possible ways.

She was our family's human database, keeping track of all the birthdays, anniversaries, and mailing addresses. In a family the size of ours, that was no small feat. 

She inherited our Dad's love of nature, in awe of the deer and birds that will continue to grace the grounds of the acreage she shared with her husband and had a somewhat unhealthy obsession with ladybugs.  

I can't even tell how much I'm going to miss our almost daily phone calls, critiquing movies, books, music, and exhaustively solving all the world's problems, over coffee. 

As I struggle to allow this in, as the reality of it seeps through the fog of shock, my heart breaks for all of us who are robbed of the chance to say a proper goodbye because of this pandemic. Countless mourners left without that outlet, that gathering of loved ones, that time to tell stories and share memories.

I can't wait until this virus is in the rearview mirror. Enough. 

I know these ramblings are pretty self-indulgent. I know my grief is no more potent, and no more important than the grief of others. But, this is where I am today, and to write anything else would feel disingenuous, dishonest, and phony. 

Grief is love with nowhere to go. The best way we can honour those who go before us is to live our lives, doing our best to fulfill their best wishes for us. 

For now, we will simply get through, breathe, and be there for each other in every way we can.

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May we all feel the hug you know she'd give us if she could.

May we carry each other through this, through tears, through humour, as you know she would.

May we all think of her every time a ladybug presents itself in our midst.

May we keep her in our hearts, this keeper of birthdays, lover of lists.

May she rest easy, her work here, now is done.

May she rest easy, there are no words, we are going to miss her, this special one.

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Dear America... WTF!?!?!?!?!?

 First off, I snagged these photos off of social media, so I don't know who to credit. 

Okay... here goes. 

Dear America... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?

Five people are dead. They wouldn't have to be. They could, instead, be at work, at home, hugging their kids, doing laundry, watching a movie, or a myriad of other mundane, everyday things. But they aren't. They are gone.

Why?

It's not complicated.

For the past four years, people have been fed lie after lie. They've been sucked into the imaginary, delusional world of their dear leader, the Narcissist-in-Chief, believing his every grievance, buying completely into his perpetual victimhood. 

Since the election, and running up to it, they were primed to believe that the only possible way he could lose the Presidency would be through a rigged voting process. It was pounded into their heads by him directly, through Fox News, Newsmax, social media, echoed and reinforced by his strongest ass kissers, the worst being Lindsey Graham. Ted Crus, and Josh Hawley.

They seeded doubt, nurtured that seed, watered it, fed it, and fertilized the crap out of it with the biggest, most potent amounts of bullshit.

They pushed the lies continually, helping to create, embracing, and perpetuating every conspiracy theory that came down the pike. 

Then they want to use the fact that these people believed their bullshit to bring forth the argument that citizens are "concerned" about voter fraud.

For whatever reason, and I can't at all pretend to begin to understand the lack of ability for reasonable thought in the 'followers' of this crap, these people believe it. All. Of. It. 

Am I surprised that these tinfoil hat-wearing, gullible, MAGA, idiots took it to the next level after being stoked by their dear leader, his son, his melting idiot lawyer, and others? No.

Am I surprised to watch Juiced-up Junior, his psychotic girlfriend, his sister, Insurrection Barbie, his brother, Elmo, and others party, dance, and cheer just before the incitement speeches? No.

Am I surprised that the Giant Orange Baby is going out kicking and screaming, not caring one iota about who gets hurt, who dies, or who has their lives ruined? No.

Am I surprised that the Asshat-in-Chief tried to hinder National Guard response to the traitorous, attempted coup? No. 

Am I surprised that this mob of delusional idiots thought they should be able to participate in domestic terrorism without repercussion? No. 

Security was abysmal. Capitol police were opening gates, ushering people in, and taking selfies with the terrorists, for Christ's sake. None of that was an accident. He didn't want the efforts hindered. 

Nobody should be shocked or surprised at this. It was inevitable. All reasonable people saw it coming.

There was no perpetuation of some grand conspiracy of voter fraud. Period. The few cases that were found were perpetrated by Trump voters. 

That's the truth. After counting ALL of the legal votes, Joe had more. A LOT more. That's it. Joe won because... math.

Rumors aren't proof of anything. We all know that. Proof requires just that. Proof. Actual Evidence. Every single rumor they put forth evaporated as soon as proof was required. They couldn't bring proof to the courts for one simple reason, there wasn't any. That's the reality. They tried more than sixty times, each time given ample opportunity to present evidence, to provide proof of their allegations. Each and every time, they couldn't, because there was none. 

That should have been the end of it. But no.

The giant orange baby continued the charade. Why? To suck more money out of his cult following, of course. $250,000,000 reasons worth. Yes, the bold writing in the money-sucking emails said the money was for the court efforts, the fine print, though, gives a much larger discretion as to how the funds are spent. All you have to do is ask the forensic accountants that combed the books of the Trump Foundation to find out how that goes. 

The Trumps aren't allowed to run charities anymore because of all the criming, just so you know. Also, they lost their case involving all kinds of fraud attached to their fake University, as well. So there's that.

They seeded doubt, nurtured that seed, watered it, fed it, and fertilized the crap out of it with the biggest, most potent amounts of bullshit.

This act of Domestic terrorism is simply the harvest, the bounty put forth from those seeds. 

Lindsey, Ted, Josh, and all the others who kiss the ring...

You don't get to be surprised. You don't get to be shocked. You did everything you could to make this happen.

The clutching of your pearls is laughable. This is the fruit of your labours. 

Simple people browbeaten with lies. It worked. Congratulations.

The giant Orange baby, his melting minion, and all of his spawn will be gone soon. What waits for them after the protections of the office disappear is going to be interesting, entertaining, even. 

The rest of the world is watching this play out, friends and foes alike. Foes are watching how you handle this, undoubtedly scouting for their next crop of useful idiots. Friends are waiting patiently for the fever to break, looking forward to when you are yourself again. 

For those who need to hear it...

QAnon is bullshit. Straight up.

Trump is a silver-spoon fed narcissistic moron who is incapable of caring about anyone but himself. Prove me wrong. Quit sending donations and watch his attitude shift.  Once you no longer serve his purpose... I mean you could ask Pence. 

More people voted for Joe. Period. 

If the Democrats really perpetuated all this voter fraud, they wouldn't have lost any seats in the house, and a runoff race in Georgia wouldn't have been necessary. They also would have flipped Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. Why would they have settled for a tie in the Senate? Yeah, logic is at least as much of a bitch as Karma.

The fact that when I tuned into CNN to watch what should have been a short but sweet ceremony certifying the Electoral votes and was instead forced to witness lunatics storm the Capitol, is still sinking in.

The fact that there were some, and still are, apparently, spewing the bullshit that lead to this insurrection, adding ANTIFA fantasies to the fairytale is still sinking in.

The fact that the grand Cheeto may become the first President in history to be impeached TWICE is still sinking in.

The fact that a second impeachment is only necessary because Vice President Mother, Captain Turtle, and the rest of the sycophants don't have the balls to make use of a perfectly good 25 Amendment, is still sinking in.

The fact that 4000 Americans died yesterday...yesterday from this horrific virus, and the Asshat in the Oval couldn't be bothered, is still sinking in. 

Jan 20th/2021 is going to be an awesome day. I can't wait. 

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May the days to come bring healing, health, and peace.                                                                               May the fever break, allowing logic to seep in, and all the lies cease.

May those who manipulate the vulnerable for nefarious, self-serving purpose have Karma knock on their door.                                                                                                                                                       May they be made to feel the terror of screaming insanity, the horror endured as you do your best to shelter, huddled on the floor.

May we awaken from this nightmare to find our world in one piece.                                                          May we all, finally be able to take a collective deep breath, a simple, much-needed sigh of relief. 

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Until next time, take care and stay safe.