BROTHER TIM, WE MISS YOU.

This entry is a long time coming.A fellow-blogger named Brother Tim passed away some time ago.
And although I never got to meet Brother Tim in-person, I feel I know who he was, and what was important to him.
Brother Tim's blog was called "Blog of Revelation". (There's a link to his blog, in my list of "Poets, Bloggers, and Others" to the right of this entry.)
The "Revelation" part was a bit scary to me. I was not at all sure what that would mean, particularly since his sub-heading read "...From a TRUE Christian Viewpoint."
What I discovered (to my immense, un-ending delight!) was that Brother Tim was part of the movement of Christians who are stridently liberal and progressive, and committed--imagine this: to the concerns of Jesus the Christ, who asked us to not merely "Love [our] neighbor." but to "Love [our] enemies." The committments of Jesus included not only Peace, but Social Justice--quite liberal concerns.
Brother Tim's actions of peace were consistent.
He blogged about concerns over mideast tensions and two unnecessary wars(Afghanistan and Iraq)and posted entries about his beloved "Wally Da Weasel" with equal grace,and enthusiasm. For Brother Tim--from what I can tell--he was about committing to acts of peace which included railing against injustice by government, and also about committing to rescuing various animals, and giving them a loving "forever home".
Brother Tim showed by example, what it is to be inclusive, non-judgemental,and all-loving.
For me, someone who not long ago called herself a "Cheerful A-theist/Non-Theist",his unapologetic spirituality was deeply affecting.
I could keep writing my own thoughts,but I'd rather you read his.
Brother Tim, RIP.

Peace,kids.

Dead Mule Southern School of Literature!

Dead Mule: The title of a wonderfully produced literary journal I've been reading for a few years now. Helen Losse, the Poetry Editor has pulled together another spectacularly diverse collection of literature(fiction, poetry, essays) for April. And, since April is National Poetry Month, she's chosen an extensive array of poets, including South Carolina Poet Laureate-- Marjory Wentworth, also, David Need, Harry Calhoun, and a slew of other well-known names. And "yours truly" was included in this edition, too...What a great feeling for me, to be included among such talent!
Click on over to Dead Mule, via the link, below!
http://www.deadmule.com/
Speaking of poetry, it's not too late to hit the Poetic Asides(Blog courtesy Robert Lee Brewer, and Writers' Digest) contest, Poem-A-Day, for April.
Click on the link, below, for guidelines. And good luck!
http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/
Peace, kids!

SENDING LOVE OUT TO "SELMA IN THE CITY", WHO BLOGS FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. THIS STORY MADE ME THINK OF YOU!
__________________________________________________
______________________
Hundreds of new marine species discovered: Australian scientists
Wed Oct 8
Hundreds of new marine species and previously uncharted undersea mountains and canyons have been discovered in the depths of the Southern Ocean, Australian scientists said Wednesday.
A total of 274 species of fish, ancient corals, molluscs, crustaceans and sponges new to science were found in icy waters up to 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) deep among extinct volcanoes, they said.
The scientists mapped undersea mountains up to 500 metres high and canyons larger than the Grand Canyon for the first time, the government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said.
The finds were made in marine reserves 100 nautical miles south of the Australian island of Tasmania during two CSIRO voyages in November 2006 and April 2007 using new sonar and video technology as well as seafloor sampling.
Announcing the discoveries in the Tasmanian capital Hobart, CSIRO scientist Kate Wilson said more was known about the surface of Mars than the depths of the world's oceans.
"In Australian waters, for example, more than 40 percent of the creatures brought to the surface by our scientists on a voyage of discovery have never been seen before," she said.
A total of 123 underwater mountains were found, said CSIRO specialist Nic Bax, noting they were home to thousands of deep-sea animals.
"They're really what we call the rainforests of the deep, they provide an area where we get a very wide range of species collected and that's really unique in the deep sea environment," he said.
In the cold depths of the Southern Ocean "things grow quite slowly so when you're looking at a coral which is maybe two metres high, it may also be 300 years old or more," said Bax.
"So you end up seeing some very old things down there. You can see corals which probably existed 2,000 years ago down there."
Scientists said that only a tiny proportion of Australia's oceans had been explored in such a way and they could only speculate on the biodiversity hidden under the water.
"We have no idea how many species there are, and most of the species we get we only catch once," Bax said.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett described the results as "an amazing day for Australian science".
"It's extraordinary to think that we've put someone on the moon and we're very familiar with lots of parts of the planet, we've got Google Earth and yet here we are, we've got parts of the planet that have never been sighted or explored before," he told national radio.
The minister said the research would help the effort to conserve Australia's ocean biodiversity.
"It'll greatly inform scientists as they deepen their understanding about likely climate change impacts, water currents, and impacts of water temperature on the diversity of species," Garrett said.
___________________________________________________
_________
"Selma in the City" is one of my "Top 5 Favorite Blogs" to visit. Selma consistently has an open heart, which she shows by sharing bits from her personal and family life--even the painful, difficult bits--which in turn helps others see their own situations with more clarity. She writes in an evocative, lyrical style--in both the creative non-fiction that is blogging, and in numerous short stories she posts quite often at "Selma in the City".
I thought of her when reading about Australian scientists discovering these new species, because, like they do when they cast their nets into the dark waters off Australia, I make fresh discoveries every time I read her.
Check the link to the right of this column labeled "Selma in the City", and enjoy!
Peace, kids.

A MEME FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS A BLOG, WHO READS MY BLOG.

Okay, here's the deal:

I came up with a few questions that I want answers to. Here they are:

1) If you HAD to be someone other than you, WHO (anyone who has lived, or is living) would you choose to be, and why?

It's a toss-up here.I think Sr. Maureen Michael, my teacher in 7th grade and Math instructor in 8th grade, because she was amazingly smart, supportive, and kind. And very, very beautiful. Her eyebrows were the color of sand, and she had pale blue eyes, and delicate features, and was slender, with long legs and a very ample bosom. I also think it would've been cool to be St. Theresa of Liseux--a tender-hearted child, who was the model of purity and piety.

2) If you could improve one skill/talent, what would you want to improve?

I want to become a better writer, of course. And I'd like better math-skills, too.

3) If you had to give up one of the following, forever, which would it be:

*sweets(cakes, cookies, pies, candy)

*salty food

*spicy food

*soft drinks

*fried foods

I don't do sodas much, so this one is easy. I could not live without the other four!

4) What is the most important quality you expect to have in your friends?

Reliability. All my best pals are highly creative, generous, and political. Most are pretty spiritual, too. But reliability has to be there, or I can't be your friend!

5) What are you most proud of, in terms of accomplishments, in your life(so far)?

My ability to maintain my friendships, and strengthen my family relationships. It gives me great, great joy to connect with others.I love acting, and writing, but I could not do either of those, were it not for "communion" with those I love...

6) What is the one place that sometime in your lifetime, you MUST visit?

Greece. Australia and New Zealand. And Egypt. Oh, and The Seychelle Islands(off the coast of Africa).

I'm giving you a click in the a*&...so go on, and respond in your own blog, to my meme!