As the 4th of July approaches, I’m sitting here
thinking how lucky I am.
I can sit at my keyboard and say whatever’s on my mind.
I can spend the 4th with my family without fear of some
tyrant or dictator.
Why can I do this?
Because there are young men and women around the globe
making sure we’ll be able to celebrate another 4th of
July this year and years to come.
They receive little in pay and recognition. Sometimes
they’re forced to endure situations that would be
considered cruel and unusual punishment under any other
circumstances.
They’re spending this holiday away from their families
so you and I don’t have to.
We honor them now, but what happens 5 or 10 years down
the line. Will we still remember their courage and
sacrifice.
Will we honor our debt to them when this crisis is over
and they come home and have to resume a “normal life.”
I truly hope so.
The terrorists are just the latest enemy who’ve
foolishly assumed we’re weak and pampered.
I think Charlie Daniels says in best in his song ” In
America.”
“We may fight among ourselves, but outsiders better
leave us alone.”
Take time to Remember the Heroes who have us walking
proud.
God Bless,
John Colanzi
John publishes the “Street Smart Marketing” newsletter.
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Introduction:
This tutorial assumes that you know how to safely operate your power tools. Always refer to the manufacturer instructions if you are unsure how to use your tools.
Any wood worker needs to take a board from the lumber yard or their local sawyer and make this board a uniform thickness, length and width. This board needs to have all four edges square to each other. This is referred to a milling a board four square and is a pre-requisite to any wood working project.
This is best accomplished by using a jointer, thickness planer, miter and circular saws and a table saw. In this example we will mill a board 30″ x 4-1/2″ x 5/8″ with all for edges square to each other.
Step 1: Rough cut your stock
Rough cut your stock to 30-3/4″ x 4-3/4″ and maintain the same overall thickness. Start by selecting a piece of stock larger then your finished size (obviously) and use a framing square to square off one end of the board. Be sure the end isn’t checked (cracked) and if it is square the board off just beyond where the cracks end.
Make the cut using a circular saw being careful to make a fairly square cut. Now measure 30-3/4″ and square off the board using your framing square make the second cut the same way you made the first. Be careful to cut on the waste side of the line.
Step 2: Rip to rough width
The table saw is the best tool for this cut. Set the rip fence so it is 4-3/4″ from the blade and set the height of the blade so the gullet of the teeth is the same height as the stock. Following the directions included with your table saw start the blade and make the cut, being sure to use a push stick.
Step 3: Truing one face
Now that your piece of stock is the rough size needed it is time to true up one face. This is best accomplished with the jointer.
As always with the jointer it is advisable now to take more than 1/16″ per pass. Taking more wood per pass will overwork the machine and give results that are less than optimal.
Analyze the board to determine the direction of the grain and whether there is cupping. It is best to place the cupped face down since it will site better on the jointer table. Run the board through for a couple of passes until you have a uniform face free of voids and dips.
Step 4: Truing the second face
The thickness planer is by far the best tool to accomplish this. On the jointer it is simple to get the second face true but it is quite difficult to get it parallel to the first.
The thickness planer guides the board and makes the second face exactly parallel to the first. Once the second face is true and parallel to the first continue to plane the board until it reaches the finished thickness, in this case 5/8″. Remember to feed the stock with the grain to ensure a smooth clean cut. Step 5: Square one edge
Back to the jointer for this step. Set the jointer fence so it is exactly 90 degrees to the table and be sure the cutting depth is set to 1/16″. Determine the direction of the grain and place on face against the jointer fence and make a pass through the cutter applying steady pressure against the fence.
Once you are satisfied that the edge and face are square to each other mark the edge for reference.
Step 6: Square the other edge
Now that you have one edge prepared it is back to the table saw to rip the board to width. Set the fence 4-9/16″ (1/16″ larger then needed). With the marked edge against the table saw fence rip the board. Now return to the jointer and make one final pass, milling the new sawn edge. Be sure that the jointer is set to 1/16″.
Step 7: Squaring the ends
I prefer to use a table saw to square the end and cut the board to length although a table saw with a miter gauge will work as well. Check that your miter saw is cutting a true 90 degrees and when you are sure it is trim one end of the board, taking as little off as possible. Now measure the finished width of 30″ and make the cut taking care to cut on the waste side of the line.
Conclusion:
You should now have a board that is 30″ x 4-1/2 ” x 5/8″ with all four sides square to one another.
There are a number of methods that will work for milling a board square; however I have always had good luck using this method.
About the Author:
Dave Markel is the author of “The All Wood Working Journal”
He has helped Hundreds of individuals become better wood workers.
Visit his site at http://www.all-wood-working-plans.com
The common causes of baldness are numerous and most of the time are enriched by misconceptions. Nevertheless the majority of the main five reasons of hair loss are fully verified. Age can be without doubt a central reason that sets off hair loss since it affects most of th e glands and declines the immune structure. Disease and precisely fungal contagion or cancer of the head-skin tissues, unquestionably harm hair, even though this is not irrevocable. DNA is a reason of hair loss in a small quantity of persons as tight braiding, and or bad diet. Hair products if not tested or if extremely full of chemical elements, might critically harm the sculp.
Mags are stuffed with folklore of the probable reason of baldness and its association with sex performance, DNA, intelligence, stress, diet and hats. A few of these folklore have a good amount of specific truth. Mainly are solely component of the baldness legends that alter from countries.Hairlessness is genetic from your mother’s ancestors. Surveys suggest that the gene for the body receptor, which is considerable in triggering hair loss, is positioned on the female X genetic material and therefore is heritable from the mum’s side. In truth is a 50 % opportunity that a individual has the similar X chromosome like their mother’s grandpa - which means 50 per cent of possibilities that these is passed to the masculine children.
But, investigation has also revealed that anybody with a balding father has as well a larger possibility of experiencing hairlessness. Intellectual activity or psychosomatic matters can prompt hair loss. This might be linked to the belief that in the very old civilizations if a anyone was bald it was likely that he had an adequate quantity of food in his normal diet. Emotional pressure has been revealed to cause hairlessness in individuals. Pressure due to lack of sleep diminish testosterone levels, although is not distinguished to have influenced directly hair loss. Click here for expert advice about hair loss treatments .
Balding blokes are exceptionally sexually vigorous than others and that numerous sex instigates hair loss.Narrow sunhats prompt bald-headedness; While this possibly will be a fairy tale, caps do generate split ends.
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Holidays are a blessing to some and others dread their arrival. Why do we have Holidays? Surely celebrating a big event like the Fourth of July or Christmas is definitely time to bring out the decorations and prepare meals fit for a king or queen. But does everyone feel the same - are there always smiles and anticipation?
Holidays were created as a respite from our day to day workabout world. Even our founding fathers realized that pioneers and settlers needed that “time out”. All through the generations, holidays have served as a means of bringing family, friends, neighbors, and assorted critters together to share a meal, watch a parade, listen to a band, and have fun. But not all holidays are met with the same amount of enthusiasm. Many people do not relish the idea of gathering with friends or family and would prefer to just keep on working or doing whatever it is they do. This is fine for them, but for others this would eliminate a very vital part of our lives.
People celebrate for a lot of different reasons. Patriotism, religious belief, civil remembrances, and ethnic backgrounds are just a few aspects in our lives that denote a special date as a holiday. But there are personal or family holidays as well. We have birthdays, anniversaries and we take the time to denote a particular day as “special”.
All holidays do not have to be big, expensive and include a hundred or more people.
They can be on a scale from a grand event that includes entire cities, towns, or even countries, but they can be between two people, a family, or just a few select relatives or friends.
We can celebrate and mark a holiday for whatever we choose. Of course, it is always fun to plan and anticipate the major ones (Christmas, Easter, New Year’s, etc.) There are food holidays that will brighten our menu plans and give us a chance to try out different foods and styles of eating. (Chinese New Year, Snail Week, Taco Day, etc.) We have remembrance days (Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.). Its always nice to pay respect to those who have given more than their share to preserve the lifestyle we maintain and the freedom we enjoy.
If you dread holidays, maybe you are just looking at them through “past” glasses. If there were unpleasant moments when family or friends gathered, a specific holiday that triggers a personal loss, or tragic event, then feel free to reflect on whatever the memory is, but also give yourself the right to pay your respects and then move on to the day. What happened with the “cousins” on the last family reunion may never happen again or it may surface each time they get together. Don’t let these unfortunate incidents mar any future celebrations. If need be, if the loss or memory is perhaps too painful, celebrate in your own way or in a simplified way. Of course, remembering our family, or friends is a definite tribute to them, but a far greater one would be to go on and move ahead. Tuck away their accomplishments, your attachment, or feelings into your heart, and know that they are safe and forever. Then enjoy whatever celebration is at hand, and participate. At first, you may want to take it slowly, test the water, and find your own niche in whatever is going on. As time passes, be braver and attempt a step further and a little more involvement. Before you know it, life will again become a time of enjoyment and holidays will not be a dreaded affair.
Holidays are not only a break from our work world, but an insurance policy for the future. We have the past to look upon and learn from, and the present gives us the time to slow down, reflect or remember, plan, and move on into the future.
Many people shy away from holidays because they are expensive and they usually end up paying for gifts two to three years down the line. Don’t fall into this trap of outdoing and outbuying. Nothing is more appreciated than something you have made or created. Store bought gifts and decorations are fine in their own right, but the joy of making your own with family or friends is chalked down to creativity, imagination and care. Bake your own celebration goodies, or prepare a meal that everyone contributes to and you have the makings of a great time. Let kids make their own musical instruments or party favors and the day will be grander yet. As for gifts, give from the heart, not the pocketbook. Have a coffee lover, then buy a great coffee mug and fill it with “goodies”. Simple, personal, and definitely from the heart. Have a quilter, artist, writer, secretary, doctor, bus driver, teacher, or any other interest or occupation on your list? Devise a fanciful way to celebrate who they are. If you knit or are creative, then by all means - be! Use your skills and talent to make gifts that are hand-made. If you lack in the “craft or skill” category, then imagination is free and abundant. Think of a gift that takes into account who this person is and what fine point in them that you find special. A simple gift box or basket with items related to their hobby or interest is always a heartfelt gift. A picture or book that they may have admired, or create a collage of their favorite items, laminate, and they have a coffee table tray or dresser tray to spark a smile or laugh for a long time.
Decorations should also be personal and do not have to be perfect. Let children help, as well as everyone in the household or office. Not only will you get great decorations, but a wonderful time of laughter, conversation, and downright fun.
Holidays are definitely a time of celebration. Make your own up for your private personal events, and make note of the major ones. Write them on your calendar, plan, and make way for great moments, memories and heartwarming times. Don’t let the past press into the future. It has its place but so does today. The future will be better for everyone if you lend a hand, make a gift, string some homemade garland, and enjoy yourself. Your smile, your laugh, and your effort will go a long way - don’t be selfish and let the world do without. Without you, there will always be something missing. Let’s have complete, wonderful holidays to look forward to.
ENJOY!
©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June
About the Author
Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, motivational booklets, and the novel: Searching for Austin James
Websites:
http://www.arleenssite.com
http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving
http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving
Cancer of the mesothelium is a infrequent cancer of the tissues that line the person’s internal organs. Almost 2,000 brand new instances are diagnosed every year in the whole United States. Of these, aroundthree fourths of instances affect the sac around the lungs, named the pleura. This type of cancer is called pleural mesothelioma. In about 10 to 20 percent of instances, mesothelioma may affect the tissue that encompasses visceral organs, referred to as the peritoneal membrane, creating what is then acknowledged as peritoneal mesothelioma.
Being introduced to asbestos is positively the primary cause for this rare cancer. Following asbestos exposure, the delay to progression of the mesothelioma disease may be 2 to 4 decades. Because of work exposure, malignant mesothelioma is nearly 3 times more routine in males, than in women. Due to the mass of cases moves upward with your age, there are almost 10 times more instances in the males over age 64 than in the men in their midlife.
Getting Cancer of the mesothelium is a grave cancer, which, at the current time, has a decidedly low percentage of long-term endurance. Nonetheless, if it is pinpointed soon, treatments are then in existence that might significantly extend the patient’s life. Advanced approaches continue to be and are being developed through clinical trials.
I arrived at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1974, in my 19th year, into the heart of the 82nd Airborne Division at the John F. Kennedy Center. The old timers called Fort Bragg “Little Hell.” The 82nd Airborne was the first to engage the enemy on land to protect America’s freedom. Even in peacetime, there was always a natural tension of readiness and alertness among the troops and around the base itself.
Every other day or so a C-40 transport plane would arrive with a load of America’s kids, gaunt, aged, gray-haired beyond their years. Some shielded themselves with a barrier of hostility. They wouldn’t let you get close, didn’t want to know anyone, didn’t want anyone else to die in their arms. Some were hostile, some clearly mentally destroyed, forlorn and withdrawn, being led around like zombies. The first ones off the plane were in wheel chairs or on crutches, missing limbs, faced burned beyond recognition. All would be greeted by mobs of defiant protestors.
“Baby killers!” the mobs would chant, taunting and spitting at the returning soldiers. The protestors wore flags sewn to the seats of their jeans to demonstrate their disrespect for the American government and our country’s policies. The irony was their freedom to protest against the very kids who were risking their lives to defend democracy and the right to protest.
In the midst of the mob were grieving parents, claiming their sons in body bags. Many of the young returning survivors were hooked on heroin or cocaine, not at all coping with the devastating Vietnam experience they had endured. The rejection of their sacrifice by the American people only compounded the residual trauma of the killing fields. I saw the irony. Most of the returning vets were from lower and middle-class backgrounds. Most of the protestors were the privileged and the educated who didn’t have to go to war.
The talk on the base was all about John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever. Another John by the name of Elton was making a splash with Kiki Dee in the duet Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. Sadly, for me, this was clearly be a place of broken hearts and broken dreams. From my point of view, the returning vets were damaged for life. I didn’t see how they would ever get on their feet. More than the loss of a leg, an arm or a fellow soldier, how would they ever heal their broken spirits?
In “Little Hell,” I was the first white soldier to be phased into an all-black unit. This phasing-in process was part of the military’s on-going plan to fully integrate the army. Official desegregation was passed into law in 1948, but that was the end of it. The reality was the races had difficulty working together, so ethnic groups congregated. All white and all black units still existed, and desegregation was still only on paper. When I was in basic training in Missouri, three white soldiers viciously assaulted a black soldier who they refused to allow in their unit. The drill sergeant supported it, and looked the other way. At this point in time, everybody looked the other way. But at the moment of my enlistment, through the encouragement of President Jimmy Carter, the Army official policy intended to make desegregation a reality. I was one of the first soldiers to be involved in the process.
Understandably, many among the African-American troops did not welcome my arrival. In particular, one of my roommates, Marty, had the habit of making “whitey” his punching bag. He continuously incited others to vent their racial anger as “black power” and do the same. I remember that into this tense situation, my other roommate, a good friend and fair-minded individual by the name of James Bailey, spoke words of wisdom.
“This is the army, and everyone has only one color…green. Give him a chance, Marty.” James was wiry and tough, with a don’t-mess-with-me quality honed in the streets. Marty was a good fighter, but he was softer from privilege in his life, a little more GQ, and he listened to James.
The music that defined my life at this moment came from Pvt. Billingsley, a heroin addict, who always seemed to be playing the Average White Band album, and particularly the single, Play that Funky Music, White Boy. It was either this or Herman Melville and the Bluenotes singing, “Oh, mercy, mercy me, things ain’t what they used to be.”
Billingsley used a three-word response in every situation to sum up the negativity of the environment. “This is bullll-shit, man, this is bullll-shit!” If I entered the barracks, if it was raining, if it was time for dinner, it was always the same response. Soon everyone would be repeating this mantra, and most would nod their heads and agree, “Uh-huh,” with vacant, drugged eyes. This was one of the more obvious signs of the depressed and oppressive atmosphere in “Little Hell.” The sergeants in my unit had just come from long tours of duty in Vietnam. They knew the military from experience. Shortly after my arrival, Second Lieutenant Mayer was put in charge of our unit. He was a thin, white Mormon from Brigham Young University who had only book experience from the ROTC, and had never tasted combat. Since he had to prove his authority over the combat soldiers, he made certain we took orders from him, by making our lives miserable. Tensions were high between the white lieutenant!
and the black sergeants. I was caught in the middle.
Fortunately, this was a time in my life when I was gathering much personal strength through the spiritual path of Zen Buddhism, a path of meditation that awakens the seeker to the timeless present moment. Zen Buddhism teaches the practitioner to value life, because it is transitory; we never know when death may come to call us. So we work diligently in the here and now, where we are, to achieve the enlightened state. The enlightened state is experienced when the practitioner brings all of his or her aliveness and concentration fully to the present moment. This is a way of finding the strength of God within right here, right now.
The requirements of sitting zen, known as zazen, are rather demanding. Zazen is the practice that Buddha used to attain spiritual enlightenment. In zazen, the meditator sits Japanese-style on the heels. However, in this rather difficult practice, the weight of the body is held approximately one-half inch off the heels by the strength of the legs. The chin is perfectly parallel to the floor, and every effort is made to hold a perfectly erect position. You sit absolutely still and keep the attention focused on the present moment, the breath, and nothing else. It is a powerful technique used by many martial artists, as it sharpens the mind and body very quickly. Our days were rather full so I would have to be up by four AM in order to get an hour of zazen under my belt. I wore a T-shirt and combat fatigue pants. It was quite cold, but in zazen you learn to ignore the needs of the body. What is a little cold compared to the goal of liberation and spiritual enlightenment?
Buddha was only a man, and he told himself after he sat under the Bodhi tree that he would not leave that spot for any reason until he achieved enlightenment. If Buddha could do it, there is hope for the rest of us. Buddha said, “I am a human being who is evolving spiritually. What I can accomplish, you can accomplish.”
One morning, Marty got up to use the restroom. Imagine his surprise to see me sitting so erect and motionless! He freaked out, and kept staring at me. And staring, And staring. I didn’t move a muscle. Marty was petrified. He was spooked, as if he was witnessing something demonic. He awakened Bailey to have a look. Bailey explained, “He’s meditating, man. It’s cool, it’s what you do in karate.”
Thank you, James Bailey. From that moment on, I was known as the meditating martial artist. I was continually giving classes to my fellow soldiers, showing them how to punch, block, and kick. It is amazing that in the West you can get away with being into God and spiritual subjects if you are a good fighter. The contortions one goes through for the Lord!
Bailey started to meditate with me every morning. Then another soldier from Hawaii, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do named Rick, joined us as well. Soon we had five meditating military monks in our zendo. (A zendo is the hall where the group practice of Zen takes place.) Before long, there were too many of us to use the barracks room. We relocated to a recreation hall and practiced around the pool tables. We needed a roshi, a Zen priest, and I was elected to serve in that capacity. I used the pool stick for the kyo-kyaku stick to keep the fires of meditation burning. The kyo-kyaku stick is also known as the stick of compassion. The monk uses it if your posture weakens or you start to fall asleep. He strikes you on either the right or left shoulder. After you are struck, you bow to the roshi in gratitude for keeping you on the path to enlightenment. The loud “crack” of the kyo-kyaku stick has been known to bring many a monk into spiritual enlightenment. Because the crack happens in!
the moment, it forces you to awaken into the moment. Buddha means “the awakened one.” To remind others of the transitory moment of life is an act of great compassion. It encourages the experience of the preciousness of life. Further, Zen teaches that we all have the power to turn hell into heaven. “Little Hell” needed a dose of Zen Buddhism.
Bailey invited our first female practitioner to join the group. This was Margaret, a single African-American mother of two young children. In attitude and physical shape, she reminded me of Whoopee Goldberg, except for her short military haircut. Nobody messed with Margaret. Her will power was too strong. Since the military was strict about weight, she had remarkably trimmed her body for 90 days on nothing but tuna and water. Margaret was a loner, who had clearly had a hard life. She’d known plenty of alcoholism and abuse from family members and her ex-husband, and although she was only twenty-four, she looked about fifty. In addition to her substantial military duties, she had the full responsibility of raising her two kids, four year-old Joe and five year-old Little Maggie. Yet she also was taking college classes. I first met her at night school, in Black History class. She needed the credit for the Nursing Degree she was working toward. I admired Margaret. “Little Hell” wa!
s hard enough for a man. Women weren’t respected. They could technically join the military, but they weren’t welcome.
All who attended the morning sesshins, as they were called, were dedicated and disciplined individuals without exception. I was a committed roshi, very serious about meditation and very strict about latecomers. I wanted everyone to achieve enlightenment so that we could live in a happier, and more peaceful world. No one wanted to be the recipient of Sergeant Schnell’s displeasure. That was the effect of the military, karate and Zen on me!
One day we knew something was wrong when Margaret didn’t show up. I discovered later that afternoon that she’d been diagnosed with leukemia. Her case was advanced, and she was in great pain and suffering. The doctors gave here only a short time to live. Margaret continued to attend sesshin for as long as she could. She said that the meditation helped her manage the pain and get through her day. Every morning she’d show up. She didn’t care about the diagnosis or what the doctors said. Her indomitable will kept her focused on her Zen meditation discipline. For all of us in sesshin, Margaret became the Buddha. Her strength during this crisis made our practices and difficulties seem lightweight by comparison. Margaret always asked for an extra dose of the compassion stick from me.
Her disease progressed until one morning Margaret didn’t appear. The temperature in the zendo that morning was particularly cold. Later that day, I learned from James Bailey that Margaret was in the hospital. I found her there, practicing her zazen in spite of heavy pain medication. She asked me if there was a way I could bring the sesshin to her hospital room. With her encouragement, nine of us gathered at the hospital early every morning to keep the sesshin going. The rest of the group continued without us at the recreation hall. Everyone wanted to participate with Margaret, but we couldn’t bring that many people into her room.
Our first obstacle was Nurse Leona, a Christian Fundamentalist. With a temper that matched the color of her red hair, Leona let us know that she didn’t want any disturbance on her floor. We explained that what we were doing was spiritual, that it was Margaret’s religion, and that we would be extremely quiet. She wanted no part of what she perceived to be Satan’s work and went to great lengths to have us expelled.
Leona complained to the hospital chaplain that a non-Christian element was invading the peace of the hospital. She called Second Lieutenant Mayer, and enrolled him to keep us distracted from our practice. He put me on all night guard duty with no relief, and he sent Bailey and I into the field for a week of survival training with no food. Margaret persevered while awaiting our return, and as a group we held our ground with clear, quiet, Zen authority. It was the first time I realized how few rights a hospital patient has. You can be dying and a fundamentalist nurse can deny you’re your religious preference and freedom. In order to see Margaret and help her with her Zen practice, I was required to fill out several forms declaring my religion to be Zen Buddhism, although I was, in truth, a Christian practicing Zen Buddhism. I had to do the same for Margaret and the rest of the group. I was also told that this admission would affect my ability to keep my Top Secret clearance. It!
was clearly a threat, designed to discourage me, but Margaret’s one-pointed determination that the group must continue as a whole was my inspiration. She was a clear model that especially in sickness that you need to keep your spiritual discipline.
An old, black Master Sergeant, a Green Beret, who joined our group every day went straight to the Head Chaplain of Fort Bragg. This Master Sergeant was one of the first people in my life who completely impressed me. He was all soldier, tall, erect, muscular, all spit and polish, an African-American king. No one crossed him, but not because he was mean. On the contrary, he was kind and fair, and he was known to be colorblind. He treated everyone equally. He was so decorated for heroism and carried himself with such regal dignity, his word on the base was essentially law. He worked around the clock to get the returning soldiers from Vietnam off drugs. The Master Sergeant had seen action in the Korean War and served multiple tours in Vietnam, where he saved countless lives and seen numerous buddies killed in action. Yet he maintained a powerful, positive spirit and strength I only wanted to emulate. In fact, he had been first exposed to Zen while touring in Vietnam. One of is ob!
vious big frustrations was dealing with the “textbook” officers like Second Lieutenant Mayer, who had no experience in combat but ranked over him because of a college degree.
The Chaplain was a textbook soldier like Lieutenant Mayer with a higher rank than the Master Sergeant, but I suppose the Master Sergeant made it clear that if Mr. Chaplain wanted to continue to receive the cleanest and finest transportation everyday he would have to play ball. I suspect he also made it clear that he was aware of some of the married Mr. Chaplain’s shenanigans with one of the young female soldiers. Apparently, he’d transferred her from his motor pool to be his personal secretary, and things were going on in his office behind closed doors. At that time, sexual harassment had not yet become an open issue in the military, but the Master Sergeant had a case to make, and the Chaplain knew it. No one messed with this Master Sergeant, not even the generals!
Much to Margaret’s relief, and the chagrin of Nurse Leona, we were granted clearance to report to the hospital at 8 AM to honor our spiritual practice of zazen. We were excused from all other duties from 8:00 to 10:00 AM.
Still there was quite a scene. Imagine a typical military doctor striding into the room with, “Hello, and how we doing today,” only to find nine soldiers sitting on the floor in perfect, silent zazen around the bed, in which sat his patient, totally still and erect. When doing a sesshin, we would not even veer from our practice to acknowledge the doctor or anyone who entered the space. The sesshin was our time to focus on our inner divinity. Often Margaret’s two young children, Joe and Little Maggie, would participate by sitting on the Master Sergeant’s lap. The kids behaved, because their mother had taught them the rules. After a few days, the doctor got into the spirit of it. He realized he was walking into a zendo temple. He came in quietly and performed his examination serenely. It was a total shift in the typical hospital protocol.
As Margaret grew weaker, she took advantage of the tilting mattress to keep her upright. Then she would just lie back with the bed tilted at the proper angle. In Japan when a person is dying, a screen is put in front of them that shows the Buddha traveling to heaven. The screen is used as a reminder about where we are to focus during this journey of life. Every minute of every day I wished for that screen for Margaret. I told her about the screen and its symbolism, but we both knew that it wasn’t likely we’d find a Buddha screen in the Bible Belt of North Carolina. She remarked that for her I was her screen, her reminder to look to heaven and follow the Buddha. For me, Margaret’s poise and her grace as she faced her death certainly made her the Buddha.
The doctors were amazed at how calm and accepting Margaret was about everything. They said she was taking about one-third the pain medication that similar patients would take. On some days, she took no pain medication at all. They didn’t understand how it was possible. Since Margaret had no family, the Master Sergeant was busy making arrangements with the social organizations to take care of Joe and Little Maggie.
We arrived on time one spring morning to find Margaret’s bed empty. Nurse Leona told us somewhat cruelly that we were no longer allowed in the hospital. We learned from the doctor that Margaret had died peacefully around 4:00 AM. He said she rang the bell for assistance and when they got there she had already died. Her bed was tilted up and she was sitting comfortably with a peaceful look on her face - a Zen Buddhist all the way! More than likely she made a conscious transition to the heavenly realms while sitting and doing her habitual practice.
Margaret had a military funeral, disguised as a weapons training procedure. Military funerals for ordinary soldiers are not customary, but all the arrangements had been quietly made by the Master Sergeant. The Chaplain was absent, so the Master Sergeant read from the Old Testament, the 23rd Psalm. I was given the privilege of folding the American flag that adorned Margaret’s simple casket and presenting it to her children. I walked toward them in the slow, dignified, carefully measured steps of the walking form of Zen meditation known as kinhin. A lump formed in my throat that I couldn’t control.
“Your mother was so strong, Joey,” I whispered as I knelt close to him. His big sad eyes looked directly into mine. “Keep this flag to always remind you of how strong you are and how strong your mother was.”
He asked, “Is my Mommy coming back?”
With tears streaming down my face, I said, “She’s with God now.”
As Joe took the flag in his little hands, he stood straighter and tears rolled down his young face as well. I rested my palm upon Little Maggie’s head. She reached up for me to hold her, which I did. Her little arms squeezed around me in the tightest grip I’d ever known. She buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed.
The shots from the rifles rang out in the clarity of that brisk spring morning, unexpectedly, like the crack of the kyo-kyaku stick. For me, and I’m sure for most of the zendo group, they symbolized Buddha’s teaching to awaken in this very moment to the preciousness of life.
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If yours is one of those lucky families whose numbers have increased by two instead of just one: a double baby stroller will be perfect for you. These come in either side-by-side or tandem seating and a double baby stroller can be found in any of the colors of the rainbow.
Babysitters find that pushing a double baby stroller allows them to easily manage two children rather than one, yet still be able to provide the personal attention to each that the little ones require. Most models have multiple pockets for carrying extra diapers, baby bottles, wipes and jackets and are made from a variety of long lasting materials.
The addition of two rain covers to a double baby stroller will keep your babies warm and dry and allow a walk outdoors in the fresh air in most weather conditions.
About the author:
Marilyn Willoughby is a successful author and publisher of http://www.great-baby-products.com An online resource for buying great baby products and a provider of important baby safety tips.
www.great-baby-products.com
Cleanse Your Body of Toxins - Use Purity 12 Line of Colon Cleansing Products
The Purity 12 is very simple it can fit into any lifestyle and the results will dazzle you. It removes the damaging toxic waste build up which has been amassing in your colon. Be this as it may, you do not have to live like that for you can naturally detox your body to rid yourself of the toxic waste build up in your colon. Colon cleaning can and will massively enhance your health, making you feeling better as early as today. This is truly is an amazing colon cleanser.
A poisonous colon can create an huge quantity of build up in your colon. These poisons can be exposed thru pollutants in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and, including but not restricted to, the foods we eat.When your colon is full of poisonous waste build up, your body produces excess gas. These poisons can be discovered in the pollution of the air we breathe, in our water supply, and, including but not restricted to, in the various sorts of food we consume. A poisonous colon piled high with build up stops the waste from passing not as simply, but also as frequently as it should, therefore leading to constipation and radical pain. By using Purity 12, toxins can be removed from the body easily.
The act of colon cleansing has been going on since the beginning of time, or at least since the beginning of recorded history. In fact, this act of colon cleansing has been documented as being practiced as early as 1500 B.C. in Egypt. Colon cleansing has been going on since the beginning of our time, or at least since the beginning of recorded history. Actually, colon cleansing has only been becoming more and more popular. The benefits of colon cleansing are tremendous, and hard to simply ignore.One such method of colon cleansing would be Purity 12, a colon cleansing system.It is merely because colon cleansing is so important to your health, for the benefits of colon cleansing are simply too hard to ignore.
Sports trainers is thought to be the most significant piece of equipment you’ll acquire so it is important that you select the appropriate shoes.
Many people don’t realise that there are several differences in the way sports shoes pad your feet. It’s not great for your feet if you play football or tennis in the same trainers that you wear whilst running.
“It has been reported, that 65% of the England’s recreational men and women athletes wear the wrong footwear for their preferred sport,” he says. “Trainers are the most necessary piece of sportswear equipment you will ever splash out on and altering what you wear on your feet can put off injuries.” Find superb deals on cheap sports equipment online today.
Football can put lots of pressure on the feet, particularly when playing on hard pitches like that of AstroTurf. The football shoes can also put strain on your feet, & it’s not bizarre for a footballer to suffer from corns, calluses or damaged, thickened and ingrown toenails. A tremendous, well-fitted pair of boots is very important and there should not be any signs of pressure on the foot after a football game or training session.
Racquet sports: It’s necessary when taking part racquet sports, like that of tennis or badminton, to pick shoes expressly designed for the purpose. These sports activity involve a significant amount of right-to-left movement & sports shoes won’t provide the suitable steadiness. Racquet sport footwear are heavier and more rigid than jogging trainers, as their toes are produced for stop-&-go action. Comfort is instructed to be your central concern & It’s essential to substitute your sports footwear often.
Hill walking is an admirable way to start off a mild fitness regime, whereas the more adventurous go for climbing. It’s good for your cardiovascular health but is lower impact and so comes with reduced risk of injury.
Milestone birthdays come in many flavors. I won’t list them all but the 16th and the 30th are two of the best known. When someone hits upon a milestone it is customary to make a big deal of it. You have no doubt heard of folks receiving black roses for their 30th or some other birthday that is supposed to mark being old.
The Bicentennial birthday of the United States is probably the best known and probably the most celebrated birthday ever observed at least in the U.S. and it gives us some guidance in honoring our own friends and loved ones when they hit their own milestone birthdays.
Citizens made it a big deal and it was a celebrated for more then a year before the birthday came with a rush of adrenaline. The biggest reason, I believe was the anticipation.
Anyone can order a dozen black roses or take an ad out that says, “Lordy, Lordy, look who’s forty.” I like a joke as well as anyone and my friends have called me a first class practical joker, however if that is what you want to try then do it with some panache.
How do we tie both of these ideas together? Simply put, it is planning. You must decide early what the gift will be and start planning for the unveiling. You will not hit on the perfect idea the day before a birthday. That is not to say you will not find an acceptable way to celebrate the milestone birthday the day before but it will not have that lasting taste that you can savor for years to come.
As a matter of fact if you can figure out the gift a year or more in advance you can foreshadow it the year before, then you can reveal a little more of the plan each month or whatever interval you wish. Now, I have to point out that this is not the way to celebrate a passing acquaintance’s milestone, unless you want to be labeled a stalker.
This type celebration is for a close friend, your spouse or partner. If you do it and do it well they will love you more than you thought possible.
Let me give you some additional insight into what I am talking about so that you know we are both on the same page. Let’s say that the milestone birthday gift is a dream golf trip. The year before the big event you give them a set of clubs. Periodically you give them a reminder that you haven’t forgotten that golf is important to them. A month or two later you give them a golf magazine subscription. Later still you give them monogrammed tees. Even further down the road you give some fancy ball markers.
I think you get the point. You weave a story for a period of time but you must do it in such a way that they do not fully understand until the day has come. They will love you for the thought and the planning. You will enjoy it as much as they do and your relationship will be richer for it.
About The Author
Mike Hamilton invites you to visit his latest website www.itsurbirthday.com for more birthday resources and ideas.
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