2014-06-12 Thursday

June 12^th is special day for me: both of my sons were born on June 12^th four years apart. I remember each of their births as if it was just yesterday. They have both grown to be good men of whom I am very proud. Unfortunately, as most of you know, neither has any use for their dad.

What makes today even more special is that it is also the birthday of my grandfather, Nicholas Lawrence Temple, know to the readers of Nick's Bytes as TNT.

A Facebook post by my friend Pat in Sicily reminded me of why I am again writing this blog. It was a very nasty troll attack that almost drove me completely from Facebook. It began by the troll responding to my Facebook post lesson Pres. Obama during his trip to Afghanistan on Veterans Day by saying he wished that the President would be murdered in Afghanistan. That upset me to no end!

The troll then continued his attack on me personally with flame after flame. In case you are not aware of the definition of flamer in the context of the Internet—which neither the troll or his wife were—the Urban Dictionary gives this definition:

A person who constantly starts fights on forums or message boards, usually with many vulgar statements and outright lies attacking one individual or group.  

This flaming troll distracted me the point that I began defending myself against the flames which is neither my intent in writing on Facebook are my blogs. Even though I blocked the troll and his troll-wife from my Facebook account, he flamed again by accessing my pages via a mutual friend’s Facebook account. That was when I began considering deleting my Facebook membership.

Instead, I began to again write this journal blog. I am rather glad that I did. As a friend commented on this blog, blogging gives one the ability of writing much more depth and detail than either Facebook or Twitter. I just wish that I could follow the advice I gave Pat today via this graphic that I created shortly after the troll attacks. 

However, I can't. Being hated causes me an abnormal amount of spiritual pain.

 Tomorrow may also be a special day for some:

I, for one, do not believe that Friday the 13^th conveys bad luck.Cultural histories  confirm the neutral qualities of the day. On the other hand, I do see a potential for tomorrow being transmitter of good things.

For the past several weeks I have been reading—studying—the book Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit. For anyone interested in the ways of shamans and/or Celtic history, culture, myths, and spirituality,  this is a marvelous book that I highly recommend.

For the ancient Celts, it was not the combination of Friday, Thirteen, and Full Moon that would make the day special. It was that the light of the full moon was said to make fairies more active in lives and affairs of humans, often bringing good fortune.

With the arrival of Christianity, the fairies, who were seen as neither viewed as good or bad by the Celts became all bad. Thus, the beginning of the superstitions about the full moon and Friday the 13^th (Jesus was crucified on Friday; 13 people attended the Last Supper in the Upper Room).

I have one final item to share: the delightful and potent prayer that I received from a friend in this morning's email:

~ Healing Prayer ~

Take my higher self

and every aspect of my being

To the very first incident

that caused these issues to start.

Let go of all of them

Hold the space open for

me to fill with all good.

I ask my spirit to dissipate all negative thoughts

and behaviors quickly without

and within, no residue

or echoes left behind.

I am filled with love

and gratitude

I am surrounded and loved

and protected in every way.

Please help us:

we are in great need this month

Day Forty-two: Altruistic Me

Yep,that altruistic frog is me:I'll help someone even if what it takes to do so will drown me. In the last ten of so years I have given to others tens of thousands of dollars to the point that in the past year I have not had enough money to purchase food for any month, always running out by the second week.

Of course, money isn't the only thing my altruistic lifestyle/philosophy/theology has cost me. Without going into "ancient history" (the past 10 years), last night is an excellent example. 

My neighbor entered my apartment last night just as I was relaxing to watch Chelsea Lately -- i.e., 11:00 p.m. She whined, begging me to again drive her to the VA ER (Veterans Administration Emergency Room) as she has convinced me to do in the wee hours of the morning more than once in the past.  I explained (over and over) that I was ill: weak and painful leg; difficulty walking; labored breathing. 

She heard none of it, so finally my altruistic self kicked in and I drove her to the  VA ER, where is waited (outside on a bench because I didn't want to go inside with her) until after 3:00 a.m. when I informed her I had to go home because the battery of my portable oxygen compressor was running low. Even then she wanted me to stay, suggesting I come into the hospital and have them supply me with bottled oxygen. I didn't and reached my apartment at about 3:45 a.m.

Today I have paid a heavy price for last night and this morning's altruism. I have been exhausted; I have been sick at my stomach; and I have been basically functioning at half-speed, half-mind. There is a side story to this regarding the outcome of my neighbor's VA ER visit that I shall share tomorrow after I learn the rest of it.

With all that my lifestyle/philosophy/theology has cost me, I do not regret helping anyone, even those whose  need was a scam. Four years ago I explained one element that drives my altruism with the story of The Bishop's Candlesticks. Another driver for me is Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.

The third element (driver) is what I learned in seminary about God's economy (economic system).

Quite simple, God's economy is the theology that in the world God has created enough for everyone to live comfortably. The reason that isn't true is that a few have a much larger portion of the world's resources which creates a scarcity of resources for the majority of others. Therefore, following God's economy informs me to share all that I have. If that sharing causing hardship for me, someone else who follows God's economy with share their wealth with me and so on throughout the world. It rather how many theologians explain the "miracle" of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

So, I continue with my altruistic lifestyle/philosophy/theology lifestyle, even though there are more times these days of my resources being inadequate even for the basic needs of the kitty kids and me. I have faith that at some point someone with share their abundance with us.

Day Seven

Yesterday's adventure wore me out. The drive in extreme heat without air conditioning overheated not only me but my portable oxygen compressor. I had no oxygen the last 20 or so miles of the trip. So, I have been recovering today with sleep and occasionally awakening to watch the Olympics. 

Sugar had escaped yesterday morning  when Timmi, my new caregiver, left the front door open. Alex and I went out on the patio in the wee hours of this morning. I called her and Alex left the patio and returned with Sugar following him. However,  she wouldn't enter the apartment. Finally, I cornered her in a corner of the patio and snatched her up by the nap of her neck. She must have had quite an adventure today because Sugar has been sleeping all day, too. 

There is a thunderstorm new (4:30 PM). We need the rain and I'm hoping it cools things off enough so I can make a run to the grocery.

This evening, while awaiting something of interest (not talking heads) in the TV coverage of the Olympic Games, I have been rereading The Gospel of Thomas. I find in these 114 saying of Jesus insight into the spiritual dimension of Christianity that I believe in lacking in the canonical New Testament.  For example,

#29

            If the flesh exists because of the spirit, it is a miracle; but if the spirit exists because of the body, it is a miracle or miracles. I marvel at how such great wealth  established itself amid this poverty,

#62

            I tell my mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

#63

            There was a rich man who had considerable wealth. He said, “I will use my money to sew and reap and plant and fill my warehouses with fruit so that I will lack nothing.” Such we his intentions, but that night he died. Whoever has ears, let him hear.

#67

            He who knows all but fails to know himself lacks everything.

#95

            If you have money, do not lend it at interest but give it to those from whom you will not receive it back.

#113

            His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?”

            He said, “It will not come when  it is expected. They will say, ‘look here,’ or ’Look there.’ Rather the kingdom of the father is spread out on the earth and people do not see it.”

 

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