1. Stop going around the mountain when I should be climbing.
2. Return peoples Cellphone calls, emails, and text messages.
3. Give more, take less and celebrate my little story as one part of the great story of humanity.
4. Forgive myself for not living up to my high ideals and start everyday new.
5. Cut down on white sugar.
note: These are the first New Year’s Resolutions I’ve ever made… we’ll see how this goes.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
…from Jon and Tania, Moseley and Suki, Redbot and The Baby Jesus Sacred Hearts Club Band…
The Baby Jesus Sacred Hearts Club Band
14.5″ x 9.5″
mixed media on cardboard
Jon and Tania | December 2009
(click on image above – or here – to see the card larger…)
Coming Christmas Morning – The key to the collage images
Are you wondering who all those people are with us on our Christmas Card? Click Here to see the Key to our 2009 Christmas Card Collage… (will be posted at 6:00am Christmas morning – 12.25.2009…)
Every day I walk my two dogs, Moseley and Suki around the neighborhood – several times.
A while ago I came across a Star Chart from yesteryear (really old, that is) with drawings of the constellations, including Canis Major and Canis Minor, which looked a lot like my Moseley and Suki.
I scanned the drawings and then enhanced them a bit (added a little ink) and placed them on a modern star map to give you an idea of where we are in the Heavens when we walk around.
From top left to bottom right…
Gemini – that’s my constellation… born on June 18th.
Canis Minor - Suki the wonder pup! She’s part Rat Terrier and part Cairn Terrier… we got her second so that makes her number two.
Canis Major – Moseley the super dog! He’s part Jack Russell Terrier and something else. He’s like a super-sized Jack Russell – I call him my Lamb Hound. He likes to sit back on his hind legs and wave his front paws like in the picture above.
Not shown on this chart, but in the same bit of Heaven is Leo, which is Tania’s constellation – she’s born August 1st… funny that we all should live in the same house here, and in the Heavens.
Today is the first day of Winter, which officially began at 17:47 UTC – or 11:47 am our local time in Long Beach - just thought I’d make a note of that…
For today I’ll just re-post the three songs about the weather, both inside and out, which I posted on Facebook this afternoon…
Depression comes in like a storm with my thoughts washing down a gutter of whirlpools – The first day is always the worst…
Here’s a Verve song I listen to on days like this…
LINK HERE | The Verve | The Drugs Don’t Work – link to YouTube page…
Medicating with Music: Another Verve song from the Urban Hymns album… “One Day” – link is to the song – no video
Favorite line – “Just tie yourself to the mast my friend and the storm will end…”
And here’s one for the rainy day…
Hoping for better weather tomorrow…
Above: Tania on the cover of The District – December 9, 2009
The new issue of The District came out yesterday with an article that has been much anticipated around our home…
Rachel Powers, a writer for The District, has been putting this article together since the summer, and our friend and professional photographer, Russ Roca, took the photos several months ago.
We had no idea when the story would come out, or that they would choose this photo (above) for the cover shot…
I think it’s a great photo. That’s my beautiful wife, doing what she does everyday – giving her time, energy and love into making other peoples lives better.
I’m very proud of her!
The story is about the amazing place Tania works at called “The Village” which serves the homeless, “mentally ill” population with real care and true compassion.
Long Beach is finally learning about this world-famous and very successful resource in their own downtown.
People who work in the mental health field come from all over the world (right now there is a group from Japan visiting for a week) to do an “Immersion” and find out how the philosophy of The Village works.
The article does a great job of explaining the simple, but radically different approach The Village uses to help remind people that they are somebody of value, to reawaken their forgotten dreams and to both start and continue on that road back to health and stability.
Tania started working there in September of 2005 – how she got there is a story for another time – and since then she has grown in amazing ways.
I feel honored to be a part of her story and to be able to offer her my unconditional support for the work she does.
Best Practices – The District Weekly, December 9, 2009
The Village Website – Information Page