Category Archives: Nonfiction

by

Review – Kofi Akpabli’s TICKLING THE GHANAIAN – Encounters with Contemporary Culture

Celestine, I am re-blogging your review on my WordPress site. You are so interesting to read!

readinpleasure's avatarReading Pleasure

I just love this book.  Kofi Akpabli’s Tickling the Ghanaian, Encounters with Contemporary Culture is a collection of well researched, realistic everyday  situations of the Ghanaian experience.  The book has crystallised my desperate attempt to remain Ghanaian, at all costs. The book also gives a deep insight into what makes us stand out as a nation among nations, that unique cultural label that tags the Ghanaian wherever he goes.

In How Cloth Tickles the Ghanaian, the importance of the  cloth for the Ghanaian has been elaborated in a way that anyone can identify with.  In his narrative, Kofi Akpabli tells the reader of much historical facts associated with the Ghanaian cloth. He also outlines  what the cloth means to various ethnic groups in Ghana. I never knew, until reading this book, the importance of the cloth for the Ewe male and the romantic attachment to the cloth perceived by…

View original post 786 more words

by

Mothers of Fukushima Trailer (ATOMS FOR PEACE KILL JUST LIKE ATOMS FOR WAR ALWAYS DID ALWAYS WILL!)

My God….we are killing each other…we are killing humanity…this mother’s tears are my tears…and they should be the tears of all of us…

by

Giving Thanks

this is a beautiful post of a mother to her son…so beautiful…many will be blessed with these words…

Wildflower Women's avatarWildflower Women

It is Father’s Day once again, and in homage to my own father whom I had the good fortune to recently visit with my 21-year-old son in tow, I want to take this time to write something about this ‘holiday’ which may in fact be more Hallmark than anything.  Nevertheless, it is a  recognized holiday and one that is difficult for many children who do not have a father to honor.  I wrote something last year, and my heart is again being called to honor my son who does not have a father.

Son, you are so brave and strong and I admire you for those qualities.  While you can be tough on those around you, you are always seeking balance and easily see the middle way.  Your ability to apologize for your missteps is beyond a gift and my hope is that you recognize how truly exceptional you are…

View original post 357 more words

by

My True Confession as a Murderer

English: Hydrophilidae water beetle, Nagerhole...

English: Hydrophilidae water beetle, Nagerhole, India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am hoping that most of the insects I collected were are on their way out, and that I honored them in some way by preserving them for scientific purposes.  I could NEVER do this again! But I must confess and ask forgiveness from the Universe.  Their bodies are locked away in two glass display boxes…when it is found, you will know the sad circumstances of how the collections  came to be.

I was in third grade, when Sister Le Claire, my sister and brother’s 1st and 2nd grade teacher, was gone for the summer to take a science class. When she returned in the Fall, she showed me her arduous collective work of catching, mounting and displaying insects with their scientific Latin name that she had to assemble as part of her summer science course culminating project.  I was so impressed with this collection! So impressed, in fact, that she gave it to me! In fact, I still have it buried deep in an old trunk.

This amateurish experience led me on with the dream of becoming a world class entomologist.

Feverishly, I collected insect after insect and mounted the butterflies and insects into a carefully prepared box. I wonder WHY no adult stopped me from this dreadful practice! I have two class enclosures of butterflies and a box of insects still in my possession. I do not know what to do with them— and I feel like I am hiding damaging evidence! How much more damaging can it be–their bodies in my closet!

However, my killing came to an end one summer day…and I will now tell you why…

The very last insect that I attempted to display in a specimen box, was  Mr. Water Beetle, an inch and a half long, and an inch wide! I had placed it in the “killing jar” for three days. Waiting patiently for it to breathe its last. Three days passed and finally, I thought it was ready for display.  As this young child, being only in 4th grade—guess we were not too bright in those days!—I had no idea that I was depriving it of oxygen and that I was actually “killing” it. I thought I was just “putting it to sleep.”  Obviously, the implications of that phrase were also far beyond me! Then, after removing it from the killing jar, as it was so aptly described in the science book, I carefully wrote its Latin description and using specially designed scientific pins,  neatly attached it to the insect board. Oh my goodness, just to think I did that, sickens me!  In any case, a day later I looked at the enclosed case, and this dear Mr. Water Beetle was walking along inside the cardboard display with the pin in his back!

I reacted in horror!

I had this most sickening feeling that I had hurt a creature of the Earth! I immediately tore the cover off the insect box, removed the pin, and took Mr. Water Beetle out to the field near the water pond and set him free!

That day was the demise of my career as an entomologist, I can thankfully say,  and today, my confession to the Universe and my plea for forgiveness.

Related articles
by

A Story of Nadia and her Earthworm Friends

944948_10151660717851514_338718374_n

 

 

1-2013-04-29 11.58.35

 

 

Blessed with a visit of my  four year old granddaughter, Nadia, we set out to have a day of play! What fun!

We began the morning with a little breakfast and then quickly went to the corner table so that she could paint her beautiful creations! My, the wonder of her paintings so capture my heart!  Being a four year old, the attention does not stay long on one activity. Dripping watercolor from her fingers, she delightfully requested, “Nanny, can we go outside?”  Within seconds we were out the door to experience the sunshine of our Wisconsin weather. We had been at 40 degrees the day before, and now we were at 70! The unpredictable change was so very welcomed! Within that short frame of time, the daffodils planted last Fall were blooming! These caught the eye of  Nadia, who immediately spoke, “Oh, Nanny, can I have some flowers for Mama?”  Of course we cut a few,  carried them into the house, found a vase, and  placed them on the kitchen table, until later that day when Mama would return to retrieve her little darling.

From the flower arrangement, we moved again to the outside world and Nadia received her requested swing on the playset.  After three or four of these delights in the air, she firmly spoke to me, “Nanny, this is enough swinging. Let us water the trees we planted yesterday!”  Nadia organizes the events quite well…and I give her the freedom to tell me what her heart desires –the fault of every grandmother.  So away we went to water the fir trees that she and Ayden helped plant the day before. A neighbor had brought them over to me as a gift, and we could not delay in planting them.  Late, the previous afternoon, Ayden, who is six, placed his little hands firmly on the shovel and dug away. He was so energetic and one could see the proud sense of accomplishment on his face as he dug into Mother Earth to give her a tree. Today, we needed to follow up and give them their necessary daily drink as all young saplings need. Nadia ran to turn the hose on and returned with anxiousness to give the trees their drink. When that was accomplished we began to rake the mounds of earth that we had not yet smoothed from the day before. As we were raking, we came upon an earthworm!

Nadia exclaimed, “Oh, Starflower! You came back to me!”

Not wanting to dampen her playful spirit of recalling her Earthworm friend from last summer at her home fifteen underground miles away, I said, “Yes, it seems she has crawled a long distance to be with you!”

Nadia was speechless but for the love on her face for this sweetly, squirming earthworm in her hand! She spoke ever so softly to this little creature, “Oh, Starflower, you are so soft and you do not even bite me!”

To which I replied, “Yes, he is so cute!”

And, in turn, to which Nadia responded: “Nanny, she is a girl!”

“Opps! I didn’t know!” I exclaimed.

Immediately Nadia requested, “Nanny, where are her brothers and sisters, and Mama and Nanny, and Grandpa and Daddy?”

“Well, I guess we will need to look for them,” I replied, as I carefully raked the ground, scanning for more of the family, with Nadia peering closely at the brown earth.

“There is one! It is Starmoon!” she excitedly exclaimed. I was amazed at her ability to come up with these original names of her friends so quickly and to be able to distinguish them one from the other — truly a childhood expertise!

We proceeded to discover eight members of the family:  “Starflower, the girl and the  first friend; Starmoon, Starflower’s brother; Starshine, Mama Earthworm; Starlight, Nanny; Star Sun, Grandpa; Star Rainbow, the father. ”  Who would have thought earthworms could have such scintillating names!

I found a plastic bucket in the storage shed, and we added a little earth and water, and then the Earthworm Family. Nadia was so happy with her new pets! What a delightful day! Nadia is such a gentle soul with so much love in her heart–even for the Earthworm!

Related articles
by

How to LINK your WordPress blog to your Gravatar

Dear Bloggers, my Friends~

I have been visiting my Gravatar Profiles as of late in an effort to do more reading of the blogs of others. I have noticed that I am *not* able to find the WordPress link for many of you. I end up calling in the CIA and the FBI to locate you! I do not mind the extra effort that I put in to reach you, however, I learned from my own experience, and after having it pointed out to me by fellow blogger,       that we have to MANUALLY LINK our WordPress address to the Gravatar image.  You do this by following the steps below:   (A note of encouragement to the technologically challenged, like myself, it is not difficult, because even I could do it! LOL)

PLEASE be sure to Manually LINK your WORDPRESS address to your Gravatar Image!

How to Add Links to Your Gravatar Profile

If you would like, you can add links to your personal pages that are not available as Verified Services. Your Gravatar profile will display a snapshot of the linked page, along with a title you select. To add a link:

Log in to your Gravatar account.

Click on My Account, then click Edit My Profile.

Click on My Links to the left.

To add your link, type in the URL (page address) and a title for the link.

Click Add.

We’ll list your links right above where you added the information. To remove a link you’ve previously added, click the “X” located next to the link in the list.

Links you have added will appear below your biography information on your Gravatar Profile.

by

each WOMAN, each young GIRL is a GIFT…treat yourself with respect and treat her with respect!

Girl at sunset

Girl at sunset (Photo credit: nxb)

The young girl and woman in our world needs to be elevated to personhood! How many thousands of light years have passed, and still women and girls are treated with disdain and lack of respect?  Women and young girls are looked upon as only sex objects or slaves in every country and society of this world. Too many women and young girls do not think they are worth something without a man beside them.

Women and girls everywhere must believe in their own innate goodness!  We are worthy because we are!  Each woman and girl is worthy because she was born!  Being born makes you worthy!

Our connection to ourselves and to each other is broken. We must revitalize that connection to each other. We must look at our very nature which is to give life…and I am not just speaking about procreation…I am talking about our nature to be life-givers…love-givers…nurturers! We have to give that love to ourselves. We need to respect our own needs and desires.  Naturally, we eat when we are hungry, we sleep when we are tired, but when we need love, do we tell ourselves: “I love you, Self!” ?

I read just the other day of a  15 year old girl who was gang-raped. The law enforcement did next to nothing to help her in her situation. The young boys who sexually abused her were not brought to task for their deed but instead, ridiculed the girl even more after the horrific event! The ability of the sexual abusers to disseminate the poor plight of this young girl through the social media that is available today , drove this girl to her death.  Ultimately, she committed suicide. Unfortunately, I believe this same horrible crime occurs everyday somewhere in this world.  The woman or girl is blamed for being female and the “boys were just being boys.”  Rape is murder — it is murder of the human spirit of the girl or woman!

I feel we are all at fault for not promoting the self-worth of the female person. Women everywhere need to help other women. Help each other and each day make it your priority to uplift one woman or one girl. Make one positive statement to that person — we need each other!

First, as a person, we need to know that we have worth. We are alive!  We have to first love ourselves…we are able to do this by recognizing that we are gift.  We need to be for ourselves what we think others can do for us.  BE the WORTH that you look for in others!

Raised in a Catholic home, and often told that God loved me, I was also constantly reminded that I should and ought to be selfless, and to love others and to help others.  Somehow, to help myself, did not occur to me.  Somehow, I received the message that if I did things for myself, then I was NOT being a good Christian.  I was being selfish and not thinking of what I could do to help someone else. Today, I still struggle with loving myself as I should. I still struggle with self-worth, and I have two college degrees, held teaching jobs for over 36 years, helped to raise my three daughters, and still struggle with self-esteem! The external things are there that would say I was relatively successful in life, but my interior compass, needs constant reassurance and strengthening. I have to take the time each day to meditate and go to that inner core and find my worth.  I have to do this for me! I take the time for me! Quiet and mediation because I am worth the time!

Women and girls need to believe they are worth being loved in truth!

Do not accept being hit or abused as a form of love.  That is not love.  Would you hit yourself? Would you scream and berate yourself? “NO! Of course not, you say to me.”  Well, then do NOT accept that behavior from your husband or boyfriend.  YOU have WORTH!

Seek out that partner who loves your gentle soul.  Seek out that partner who does not need to control you, your every move, your friendships…that person is NOT healthy and is a control freak and manipulative. True love is trusting and allows freedom to love many.  I am NOT negating committed relationships.  I just think that when one person tells another whom they can speak to –this erodes your own responsibility to care for yourself and make your own decisions.  When your boyfriend or husband tries to distance you from your family, it is a control issue.  It is not because he cares about you. That person wants you under his power. Once a boyfriend or husband breaks that boundary of hitting you, it will happen again, again, again, again and again…until your spirit is so broken…that you will either die or wither…and then…will you be fortunate to find that last glimmer of hope to lift yourself from the ashes? or ….?

Do NOT think you do not have worth, because you do not have a man on your arm. I know that there are good men and good teenage boys…however, IF you need someone else to complete you, then you have NOT done your homework for yourself. Then you do not love and respect yourself !   No one can complete you but you!

Believe in you!

You are WORTHY….you should not be hit or abused in any way!

We have to see that we have all that we need within…go to your core…and listen to your inner heart.  Darling, talk to yourself and tell you that you love you each morning when you awake!

Tell yourself, “Darling, you are on a fascinating journey and you are doing a great job each day!”

And when you find yourself in a situation that is not good, do as this saying suggests, author unknown, “Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you or makes you happy.”

Please remember, that the universe thought you were a good idea… and DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOU…ever!

Relationships are good and important in our lives, helping one another is good and important in our lives…but we have to first love ourselves, only then, can we truly love another.  As Goethe said, “Believe in yourself, and you will know how to live.”

As the saying goes, “Understand that you own nothing. Everything that surrounds you is temporary. Only the love in your heart will last forever.”  And, YOU are LOVE!

“I wish that I could show you that when  you are alone or in darkness, the astonishing LIGHT of your own being!”   Hafiz