2007-06-12

Stunning sunshine and washes of tiger lilies greeted me as I retrieved the paper this morning. After Morning Offering, I came upstairs to work on my last article on Dana Redfield. However the morning was largely spent doing laps to the upstairs bathroom. For some reason, this was the most active day in months for these interstitial cystitis symptoms.

Before lunch, I cleared some e-mail. I confirmed with Romi our dinner date. Mick and I are treating him to a nice dining experience to thank him for the many, many hours of work he has volunteered to L/L Research of late.

Don Newsom of BBS Radio (www.bbsradio.com) has offered L/L Research free advertising on his web site. I wrote Gary to ask him to communicate further with Newsom by telephone to nail down exactly how we need to create our ads. He suggested MP3 ads, so we could use channeling excerpts if we wish. Gary returns tomorrow and we will be very happy to see him once again. I imagine he will find a very loaded Inbox at the L/L desk!

After a late lunch, I came upstairs to more of the same distraction, getting precious little done! However I did finish Dana’s article and was happy to send that off to my editor at UPI. It felt like a good ending column, and the seven-part series captures a good deal of the heart of Dana’s work and message: such excellent work and such a sacred, true message! Thanks, Dana, for all. Have fun soaring on those wings you finally are able to wear again! You truly served here in the Valley of the Shadows. And I know you are serving once again in higher realms.

I started on the editing of our next issue of Light/Lines after completing the UPI article, as there was little time left in the work day and I knew I did not have the right head space to get into the writing on 101. I also collected a recipe for Spanish Rice and one for Oven-Baked Chicken before Jim called bath time.

Mick and I had a super-refreshing whirlpool and relaxed for an hour with Democracy Now, where a fascinating brace of interviews with U. S. Marine Sgt. Adam Kokesh and SPC Evan Knappenberger offered inspiration for those who wonder what one man can do.

Kokesh created street theater in Washington DC, miming, with many other Vets of the Iraq “War” a routine patrol. The vets had no weapons. They were attempting to show just how disruptive our presence is in Iraq. Responding to his efforts to serve the greater good, the Marine Corps immediately changed his status so that he can no longer receive benefits or schooling from the Marines in spite of honorable combat service.

Knappenberger, another Marine, sat on a tower in Bellingham, Washington, for eight days to protest and bring attention to the policy of “Stop Loss”, which the armed forces are now using to send vets back into war for repeated tours of duty again and again against their wishes.

These two young men are bringing home as only activists can the truth of our present situation. Kudos to them and to Amy Goodman for covering their stories.

We dressed after the news and drove to Volare, a good Italian restaurant near downtown, which Romi had chosen for his treat. And the food was wonderful! We sat on their patio in the sunset rays and enjoyed a brisk breeze, courtesy of our weather's current “omega block”, as we dined and conversed. It was a lovely evening with very good company!

Mick and I offered the Gaia Meditation on the fly and returned home for a late-night snuggle with the cats, saying good night at 11:30.