Love, labor, laughter

Blogging from A to Z, my theme is happy things. Love, labor, laughter, I love my labor, my work (except when it is driving me nuts, of course). I love my family, including my cat, my friends, taking photographs, writing and blogging, the list goes on and on. I have a very silly streak and love to laugh.

I love being in my local Rotary. I get to work on real world problems, local and international, meet exchange students, and work with a diverse group of people in my town.

The photograph is of Patrick, in Hawaii, with my “stealthie” shadow, up at 9600 feet.

And we found a Rotary meeting in Waemea and showed up and were welcomed. We had a delicious lunch. This photograph is of the club banners brought to their club from all over the world! I didn’t think to bring a banner from our club, but will take one on the next trip.

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I’m still a day late, but hooray for the letter L.

L

 

forgiveness 2

I am failing to forgive
I am succeeding in forgiving

The people that I have let go
I have forgiven
I do not plan to see them again
They have hurt me grievously
They have had time and time, years
to contact me and to listen
They choose not to
I let them go
I am tired of being hurt
They have no remorse nor kindness

It is the people that I hold on to
Some hope that they are loving
Some hope that they will listen
Some hope that they won’t believe the stories
They still hurt me grievously
They do not answer and make no move
Listening loving healing

I have to let them all go

And then I can forgive
Beloved, I want to forgive

And there is no reconciliation
When no one will listen

 

For the Daily Prompt: finally.

inherit

For the Daily Prompt: inheritance.

Such soft colors. I am trying to capture the ferry wake color in the sunrise.

The news this morning and I am thinking of girls who are not believed and predators who are after them. And boys too. I am thinking of medical school, this essay.

I am thinking of the comment from a fellow male medical student, about the statistics of one girl in five sexually abused:Β  β€œI never believed it. I didn’t think women could be okay after that.”

There is still the idea in our culture of a woman “ruined”. Women are still not believed. Boys are assaulted, too. One in twenty. Here: http://victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics.

And in the end, I wonder, what are the adults thinking? It’s the woman’s fault for being pretty? It’s the girl’s fault for being vulnerable? The devil made me do it? I was tempted by evil? It isn’t my fault. I have money and power and therefore I can do whatever I want. Women and children aren’t people, I can buy and sell and use them.

I am so relieved to hear the news from Alabama this morning.