SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION.
From Oprah's website, here's the answer given by a famed author and Holocaust survivor when asked:What Does Spirituality Mean to You?
Elie Wiesel, President of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and author of Night (Hill and Wang)
"Is it at all possible to live without a spiritual quest? Of course it is—theoretically. Under the two totalitarian dictatorships that plagued the 20th century, Fascism and Communism, politics replaced spirituality. But lest we forget: Both collapsed. Can one be spiritual without religious faith? One can. All one needs is to be open to someone else's concerns, fears, and hopes, and to make him or her feel less alone, less abandoned. God alone is alone. Human beings are not, must not be. It is my caring for the otherness of the other that determines my humanity. And my spirituality."

How's that for something to ponder on a quiet Saturday afternoon? This Memorial Weekend, kids, amidst parades and barbeques, please remember that our duty, obligation, moral imperative, is to:
* remember those who've suffered,
*lessen or prevent any future suffering, and
*promote peace.
It's not at all contradictory to promote the concept of Peace when so many people who died serving in the military are being remembered. It is, in fact, only when we achieve a Peaceful, Peace-filled world, that we may ensure we lose no one else to war.
For ways on how to begin your own Peace process, check out:
http://www.paxchristi.org/

Begin The Peace Process, At Home.
What do you do when all your efforts towards Peace, consistently fail?
I'm not talking about the efforts towards Peace in this country, and for the world, I'm talking about the efforts we as individuals make, in our own families, towards Peace, towards harmony. It often feels as if no matter what I do, it's hopeless. And I'm a big believer in hope.
I wish I could be more specific in this forum, but suffice it to say I am, at this point in my life, incredibly hurt and confused over how to address a painful, ongoing situation.
Anyone who's met me would describe me as high-energy. Probably kind, funny, creative, fun. I also like time alone(to write!), though I much prefer time with family and friends to solitude...But high-energy is not high-strung. There is an individual--an important one--in my life, who is consistently high-strung, and rage-filled. And this, kids, is devastating. It will rip apart any closeness or intimacy or even kindness you may feel for the person who is raging. And it will affect you physically, as it has me.
I suppose there are "appropriate" and 'inappropriate" items of interest to highlight in one's blog, but in this case, I'm uncertain where to draw the line--what's "okay" to blog about, what is not, so I have decided I'll continue to post in the only way I know how--heartbreakingly honestly....
Any of you who know me well, can probably guess who/what I am referring to, as you've seen evidence of this, er, um, "situation" for yourselves, at various events, get-togethers, etc...
The truly upsetting part of this puzzle is how an individual can go from generous and soft-spoken to hard, mean, and screaming, in a matter of seconds, with NO provocation whatsoever. Sigh.
For now, I'll pray. There's faith, and for now, there's hope. For now.