Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent. ~ Rumi

Something to think about...

"Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side." ~ Zig Ziglar (1926-)

The White Rose

I know that life is a doorway to eternity, and yet my heart so often gets lost in petty anxieties. It forgets the great way home that lies before it. Unprepared, given over to childish trivialities, it could be taken by surprise when the great hour comes and find that, for the sake of piffling pleasures, the one great joy has been missed. I am aware of this, but my heart is not. It seems unteachable; it continues its dreaming…always wavering between joy and depression. ~ Sophie Scholl

Have the courage to believe only in what is good. By that I do not mean you should believe in illusions. I mean you should do only what is true and good and take it for granted that others will do the same." ~ Sophie Scholl

Six decades ago, at the end of February 1943, three students from the White Rose, a resistance group in Munich, were arrested, sentenced to death and summarily beheaded. Their names were Hans Scholl, 24; his sister Sophie, 21; and Christoph Probst, 23. The executions were announced in a city paper, which opined that the condemned were "typical outsiders" whose criticism of the Volk made them despicable criminals. "They deserve a speedy and dishonorable death," it concluded.

In April, two more students and a professor, all three of them involved in the White Rose, were sentenced to death as well, and following the discovery of other participants, there were several more arrests, convictions, and executions.

Largely forgotten today, the White Rose deserves rediscovery. It was only a tiny group, and it flared haphazardly before being ruthlessly extinguished. But it still stands out as a rare and radiant page in the fading annals of the 20th century. Here was courage to swim against the stream of public opinion, even when doing so was equated with treason; here was the conviction that death is not too great a price for following the whisperings of the conscience.

Reprinted from www.bruderhof.com

For related books and other resources on The White Rose visit http://www.jlrweb.com/whiterose/

"If we listen with our hearts we can hear the earth silently singing: It's the promise of the past, it's the yield of new life - it's the songs of the earth. They were always there - awakened by our heartbeats and nourished by our tears - the eternal songs that can lift our spirits to reach for something higher within us".- Rolf Lovland and Fionnuala Sherry

There are two ways to look at life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is. ~ Albert Einstein

Road Rage

Road Rage is More Common Than You Think...

This morning as I was driving to work, I witnessed an intense situation of road rage. It didn’t involve me but it involved a female driver behind me. I don’t know what she did to this guy to set him off. Perhaps she had simply blown her horn at him but whatever she did it enraged him to the point that he became very dangerous. While stopped at a red light, I watched in my rearview mirror this guy open his car door, partially get out of his car and begin screaming obscenities at her. I watched as he got back into his car when the light turned green and go about 10 miles an hour down the street, the whole time flipping her off. When we came to a second red light, I moved into the left turn lane and so did the young woman. As the light turned green the road rage guy, who was going straight, stopped his car next to her car, screamed some more obscenities at her along with hand gestures before going on his way. Looking at her face in my rearview mirror I could see how scared she had become. This guy was not only a danger to himself but to others around him.

According to RoadRagers.com people easily grow tired of the "idiots" they see on roads every day. Many develop road rage by giving in to their own frustration. The only problem with giving in to road rage is that it can often get you into a lot of trouble. Others can be just as enraged as you are, and their reaction to you may be down right dangerous.

You should always avoid road rage. Back off and calm down. This is hard for some people. Still, it would be nice to let them know how you feel, without endangering yourself or the general public.

How to avoid Aggressive Driving behavior....

1. Plan ahead and allow enough time for delays.
2. Give your driving your full attention.
3. Don’t take your frustration out on other drivers.
4. Driving is not a contest. It is not about winning.
5. Realize that you cannot control the drivers around you... you can control only the way you react to them.

Useful Tips

1. Don't retaliate. Never take the other driver personally, he/she is only reacting on a road rage instinct.
2. Don't make eye contact with an angry driver.
3. Before you react to anything that is done to you please ask yourself, "Is getting back at that jerk worth my life?"
4. Be polite and courteous, even when others are not.
5. Always ask yourself: "Could the other driver have possibly made a mistake?"
6. If you are harassed by another driver and being followed, do not go home. Go to the nearest police detachment.
7. Slow down and relax!
8. Never underestimate other drivers' capacity for mayhem.
9. Reduce your driving stress by allowing enough time to get where you are going. Know the roads that are under construction and listen to weather reports that may cause traffic delays. Practice patience and keep your cool.

Remember that you cannot control the drivers around you, but you can control the way they affect your well-being. Be calm and drive safely.

Pawfectly Fabulous!

If you don’t own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life. ~ Roger Caras

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. ~Gilda Radner

Who among us hasn't envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely? ~ Karen Brademeyer

If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, I would surely vote for the purr. ~Barbara L. Diamond

The Doris Day Animal Foundation wants you to be "Pawfectly Fabulous" by taking part in its eleventh annual Spay Day USA on February 22, 2005. Whether you pay to have an animal spayed or neutered, wear your heart on your sleeve (or rather chest) by sporting a Spay Day USA T-shirt, or adorn envelopes with our "Spaytacular" spay/neuter stickers, be sure to show the world how much you care about animals.

Together, we can accomplish the crowning achievement of ensuring that every companion animal enjoys a long, happy, and healthy reign in a loving home. Visit our Web site for all the tools you’ll need to participate in Spay Day USA 2005.

And don’t forget that special canine or feline in your life when thinking of ways to recognize the ones you love this month. Those of us who have opened our hearts and homes to a dog or cat know how much the relationship with a cherished animal companion can enrich our lives. Whether they treat us like adoring subjects or expect to be treated like kings and queens, look at us with adoration or indifference, make us feel noble or humble (or both!), nothing makes a home feel more like a castle than sharing it with a dog or cat. In return, the least we can do is ensure these animals receive the royal treatment they so richly deserve.

Ain't that the truth!

All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~ Lucy, Peanuts

The soullessness of men...

Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow-creatures is amusing in itself. ~James Anthony Froude, Oceana, 1886

We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form. ~William Ralph Inge, Outspoken Essays, 1922

From beasts we scorn as soulless,
In forest, field and den,
The cry goes up to witness
The soullessness of men.
~M. Frida Hartley

The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot. ~Mark Twain, What Is Man, 1906

Last Thursday, America's #1 rated TV drama, CSI, featured a storyline about one of the ugliest forms of animal cruelty, canned hunting. Canned hunting is the killing of a fenced-in animal who has no chance of escape, for the sole purpose of obtaining a trophy. That's right: animals, often tame, exotic mammals, are put into an enclosure for rich individuals to "hunt."

In the CSI episode, which aired Thursday, February 10, on CBS, characters investigate the killing of a Kodiak bear found in the Nevada woods. Evidence leads them to discover that the bear was killed during an illegal canned hunt.

What Are Canned Hunts?
Canned hunting operations, also referred to as "shooting preserves" or "game ranches," are private trophy hunting facilities that offer their customers the opportunity to kill exotic and native animals who are trapped within enclosures.

Who Are the Victims?
The animals killed in canned hunts may come from private breeders, animal dealers, or even zoos. These animals are frequently hand raised and bottle fed, so they have lost their natural fear of people. In many facilities, the animals expect to be fed at regular times by familiar people—and the shooters will be there waiting for them.
Semi-tame animals make easy targets, so canned hunt operators can offer their customers a guarantee of, "no kill-no pay." The animals are guaranteed something as well—that there will be no escape.

This is critical public exposure for an animal protection issue that deserves serious attention -- and you can help to make an even bigger impact.

1. Take action to stop canned hunts now. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) recently introduced the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, which aims to halt the interstate traffic of exotic animals for the purpose of killing or injuring them for entertainment or trophy collecting. Contact your U.S. senators today and ask them to co-sponsor this legislation

2. Educate yourself or someone you know about canned hunts. For more information on canned hunts visit http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/stop_canned_hunts/index.html

3. Spread the word. The more people who know about this issue and take action, the closer we will come to STOPPING canned hunting.

Re-charge and reconnect on this Valentine’s Day

Do you remember when you were first in love?

Remember the small things you did to show your love to your boyfriend? Things like a phone call in the middle of the day just to talk or say "I love you," a love note left in his car, a foot massage, simple gifts, and cooking romantic dinners. Remember those days?

As time passes you get weighted down with simply living life and forget all those things that made the difference in the beginning.

Re-charge and reconnect with your relationships by consciously going back and doing the things that you did when your love began to grow. Who knows what may happen, you may fall in love all over again!

From Meditations for Women

Valentine's Day

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions
May wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
As the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you
So shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth
So is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses
Your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and
Shake them in their clinging to the earth.

~ Kahlil Gibran

Give Your Baby A Chance

We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world. We have been created in order to love and to be loved. ~ Mother Teresa

Newborn Boy Tossed Out Car Window in Florida

FORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Feb. 11) - Broward County's sheriff said Friday he hopes that the people who threw a newborn boy out of a moving car are feeling remorse and will come forward.

Investigators are trying to identify the couple who threw the boy, believed to be less than an hour old, alongside a busy South Florida street Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Ken Jenne said. The car then sped away.

The baby is recourperating in a hospital. The 8-pound, 2-ounce boy, whose umbilical cord was still attached, survived with minor injuries and was hospitalized in stable condition Friday.

''I would hope nature would take its course and they would feel the guilt of having abandoned this child, putting it at risk, and will come forward,'' Jenne told NBC's ''Today'' show.

A woman stopped and found the baby inside a small plastic bag. She scooped him up and took him to a nearby sheriff's office, and he was transferred to Broward General Medical Center.

The good Samaritan, who originally thought the couple had thrown a puppy out the window, was ''very distraught, very upset,'' Jenne said. The woman's name was not released.

Investigators are searching for a white, older-model large sedan that witnesses observed leaving the scene. The baby's rescuer told investigators she observed a man and woman arguing inside the vehicle. But she saw only the back of their heads, Jenne said, and could not provide a good description.

* * * * * *

Newborn died of exposure

Baby girl who was found dead in a garbage bag that was dumped on a country road near Roscoe. An autopsy performed Sunday on a newborn discovered in a garbage bag in rural Rockton determined that the baby was alive before it was found. There was no sign of trauma or other injury to the child. The person responsible for leaving the baby outside could face serious criminal charges once their identity becomes known. Winnebago County officials have named the child Crystal.

If you are pregnant, or know someone who is pregnant, and desperate, HELP IS AVAILABLE.

Each year in Illinois and other states, there are disturbing reports of newborn babies found in dumpsters and other unsafe places.

If you don’t want to keep your baby, please give him or her a chance to grow up.

Illinois now has a new law. Under the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act, infants younger than three days old can be left at safe havens. No question will be asked. You don’t have to give your name. The police will not be called. Your baby will get medical care, be adopted by a loving family and given a chance at life. In Illinois, these safe places for newborns are: Staffed fire stations, staffed police stations, hospitals and emergency care facilities.

For confidential information or help, please call 1-866-694-BABY or visit Save Abandoned Babies Foundation website.

Please, give your baby a chance!

Low Spirits

Many things cause low spirits, and they have a way of sticking around if you let them.

If you’ve been feeling depressed, discouraged or bummed out for a while you may just be making a comfortable bed for your unhappy feelings and who wants to leave a comfortable bed? Not me!

Low spirits are kept alive and well when you rehear depressing thoughts in your mind over and over again. Guess what? It’s time for you to make an intelligent decision, and that decision is for change. Start thinking terms of possibilities and opportunities instead of thinking about things that bring you down. It’s hard at and you may have to force yourself, but with a little practice your spirits will improve and the blue funk will subside.

From Meditations for Women

"Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused." ~ Unknown

Pocket Guide for Understanding Your Cat

Staring at the food dish = Feed me
Staring at cupboard = Feed me
Licking empty bowl = Feed me
Looking at you, taking two steps, looking at you again = Follow me to the kitchen and feed me.
Looking at your lap = Okay, you seem to like it when I sit on you - then will you feed me?
Sitting on your head = Wake up and feed me.
Burp = Thank you.

National Wear Red Day

Tomorrow, February 4, is National Wear Red Day, an observance aimed to raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of American women. On this day, you can show your support for women's health by wearing a piece of red clothing, a red ribbon, or another red item.

One in three American women will die of heart disease. Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hormone replacement therapy, and physical inactivity.

In addition to supporting heart health education, you can encourage the women in your life to lower their risk of heart disease by eating better, exercising more, and scheduling regular visits to the doctor.

The Million Dollar Question for God

A poor man walking in the forest feels close enough to God to ask, "God, what is a million years to you?"

God replies, "My son, a million years to you is like a second to me."

The man asks, "God, what is a million dollars to you?"

God replies, "My son, a million dollars to you is less than a penny to me. It means almost nothing to me."

The man asks, "So God, can I have a million dollars?"

And God replies, "In a second."

~ ~ ~ ~

I pity people who can’t find laughter or at least some bit of amusement in the little doings of the day. I believe I could find something ridiculous even in the saddest moment, if necessary. It has nothing to do with being superficial. It’s a matter of joy in life. ~ Sophie Scholl

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

On this Groundhog Day, February 2nd, the year 2005 on Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, King of the Groundhogs, Father of all Marmota, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators has been summoned by Groundhog President William Cooper. Phil gleefully exited his burrow at 7:31 a.m. to be greeted by his longtime friend and handler, Bill Deeley, who held him high so he could greet the large throng of Faithful Followers. He wished them all a "Happy Groundhog Day." Bill placed him atop the old oak stump where he surveyed his surroundings. He then turned to President William and in Groundhogese directed him to the scroll which reads:

Natural disasters have been a terrible thing; tsunamis,
downpours, floods, landslides, heavy snowstorms, avalanches,
frigid temperatures, sleet and freezing rain.
They all cause much destruction, suffering and pain.
When it seems like too much with which to cope;
The coming of spring brings us new hope.

Changing seasons is a wonderful thing.
Now it's Groundhog Day and we think of spring.
Will Spring come early or will it come late?
It's time for me to prognosticate.

As I study the sun
It's all about fun.
But I'm sorry to say
I see my shadow today.
When my shadow I see,
Six more weeks of winter there will be!

Spay Day USA

Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) will celebrate the 11th annual Spay Day USA on Tuesday, February 22, and is encouraging everyone to participate by having their pets spayed or neutered. DDAF is the non-profit organizer of Spay Day USA, the national campaign to reduce pet overpopulation which has been responsible for altering over one million cats, dogs, and other animals since its inception in 1995.

You can find events near you by logging onto www.pets911.com or calling 1-888-PETS-911 (information available in Spanish and English). Past Spay Day events have included projects ranging from poster contests for kids, to fundraisers such as silent auctions and bake sales, to marathon high-volume spay/neuter sessions at local veterinarian clinics.

Animals who have spayed or neutered usually enjoy better health and make mroe desirable companions than those who have not been altered. In addition to benefitting animal guardians and their pets, spay/neuter benefits communities by not adding to the number of homeless animals burdening local humane shelters and U.S. taxpayers, who pay more than $1 billion annually to deal with the problem of pet over- populations.

"Spay Day USA is a wonderful example of how individuals and communities across the nation can work together to make a difference in the lives of animals and people, "says Holly Hazard, DDAF’s executive director. "When we take care of our pets, we are helping our communities."