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 LIVING HAPPY     
UPLIFTING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING NEWS FOR OUR MIND, BODY,AND SPIRIT   

From Carole Kane


  Vol. I  No. 31                                                        September 11, 2011

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www.livinghappycenter.com 

 

Remembering the Heroes of September 11, 2001 

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in this issue
Our Treasure Chest - The Living Happy Writers
Responsibility equals freedom
Poetry corner: Ode to Siggy
You don't feel badly unless your hands are damaged
Bessie Mae's recipe
The more things change...
Think a little, laugh a little
Your space - for guest writers, ghost writers, and commentators

Dear Friends,

Carole Kane

Carole Kane 

M.A., N.C.C. ret.

Welcome to Living Happy,  a nice way to feel and be our best!  Rather than concentrating on all the "bad" news in today's media, Living Happy is  about good, interesting, and fun things for everyone. 

 

This week, you won't want to miss a single word of these diverse, ineresting  and entertaining stories!

 

Dimitra Savvidou inspires us once again with her discussion about responsibility and freedom.  There's nothing to be afraid of, she tells us.

 

Then, we honor the animal kingdom with contributor Gail Helfand's touching poem to her beloved pet, Siggy. 

 

Next, there's a good explanation about why you don't feel badly.  I tell you, that phrase is like nails on a blackboard to me!

 

Frank Clark makes our mouths water with his usual vivid and wonderful descriptions, in "Bessie Mae's Recipe."  Don't tell anyone the secret ingredient!

 

Rounding this all out, Brad Holway talks about music and how each generation thinks its own music is the best.  Maybe he'll change a few minds with his article!

 

My offering this week is to tell you about our amazing writers' meeting on September 3rd. 

 

I want to again invite anyone who likes to write, please send your work in.  You've got nothing to lose, and you will  be in the company of some really wonderful people who did just that!  

 

Happy Reading!

Love, Carole XXX OOO

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Our Treasure Chest - The Living Happy Writers     By Carole Kane

 

It was the most amazing evening - the conversation ranged through science, religion, philosophy, politics, writing, our goals and ideals, the importance of words and their effect on others, and much more. Everyone had so much to contribute! Everyone listened to each other with interest and respect while opposing opinions were bandied about. We stayed till almost midnight!  No one wanted to leave each other!

 

This was the first face-to-face meeting of five of our 11 writers - Helene Herman, Brad Holway, Victor Langhorne, Arthur Lewin, and myself. They came from Arizona, Virginia Beach, Northern and Central New Jersey. Frank Clark participated by speaker phone from Florida, and Jo Pico did the same from North Jersey. Our writers in Northern Ireland and in France were not able to join us.

Dr. Arthur Lewin, Helene Herman,

Rev. Victor Langhorne, Carole Kane,

 Dr. Brad Holway

 

We talked about the newsletter for a short while; and then - some kind of magic descended over us. It was like being transported to another dimension - energy! amazing debates! Stories!  And around 8 pm   we watched the Russian space station pass overhead.  Jay Respler, a reader in attendance, very involved in astronomy, knew when the spacecraft would be visible (around 8 pm), and we all stood on my back deck and watched in awe as it traveled across the sky.

 

These are the people who bring their stories, thoughts, and poetry to you each week.   They are truly the priceless jewels in Living Happy's Treasure Chest.

 

I am so proud to bring their work to you!

 

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Responsibility equals Freedom                         By Dimitra Savvidou

 

"Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility." - Sigmund Freud

 

Do we live a life designed by fate?

 

I believe that we can choose at each moment - at least throughout our adult years - and it is up to us to take the decisions. There is always "space" between an event and our reaction to it. What do we do during that gap?

 

It is a fact: there are plenty situations in life that we cannot control. Still, we are accountable for our attitude towards them. That's where choices and decisions lie.
By recognizing that we own our acts, that we can decide for our self and that we are responsible, allow us - in moments of crisis and challenge - to look first at ourselves and our doings, rather than point a finger to our parents, friends, society or God. This perception permits us to take a moment and think, rather than react in anger, in hurry or in any non-beneficial way. Thus, we avoid damage. All at once, taking responsibility could be, as well, dangerous. By accepting responsibility some of us enter into a circle of remorse, shame, guilt, and we might not appreciate the real texture of events. As a result, we settle for harmful grounds.

 

In conclusion, let's cheer and meditate on this important fundamental truth. Imagine the freedom released by accepting responsibility for our choices and our acts. Let's feel free not to rush but to take time to explore our options. In this way, we will keep our own power and not give it away to any "fate". We will keep our peace as we acknowledge the possibilities ahead of us and have the freedom to open up to them. We will learn that there is nothing to be frightened of.
 
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Poetry Corner           

Ode to Siggy 

                                              By Gail Helfand

 

I can't believe you've gone away,

Your time grew nigh, you could not stay.

With deep respect and much regret

We bid you peace, most cherished pet.

Through sixteen seasons come and gone

You graced us with your feline charm.

You gave us strength to struggle through

When times were gray and we were blue.

 

Who can forget the holidays?

You were ever faithful bestowing your praise

On our Thanksgiving turkey that was so tender,

You could not wait your thanks to render.

Birthday candles and balloons, .

You listened to our off-key tunes.

When grandchildren appeared on our horizon

You were ever gentle, you were the wise one.

 

O, where have you gone, bewhiskered friend?

Are you catching sunbeams until day's end?

Your bowls remain in their honored place,

Poised for a glimpse of your beautiful cat face.

 

Your photo shines amongst our family treasures.

Having you to love bestowed so many pleasures

Thank you, dear Siggy, for all that you gave.

Your presence in our hearts will never fade.

May you sojourn well in nature's fold.

Keep it safe. We, too, grow old.

 

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You Feel Bad--You Don't Feel Badly, Unless Your Hands Are Damaged!

 by Tina Blue   

 QUICK VERSION OF EXPLANATION:

 

    ~ I feel sad. (not I feel sadly.)

 

    ~ She feels pretty. (not She feels prettily.)

 

    ~ He feels hopeless. (not He feels hopelessly.)

 

    ~ They feel lighthearted. (not They feel lightheartedly.)

 

    ~ This velvet feels soft. (not  This velvet feels softly.)

 

 These examples should provide evidence sufficient to demonstrate why the proper form is "I feel bad," not "I feel badly." 

 

Many people are confused about whether to say "I feel bad" or "I feel badly." Most people, even some English teachers I know, will erroneously choose "badly" because it sounds fancier, and probably also according to the principle that if it seems unnatural, it must be more correct. (Oh, come on--you know you sometimes assume that!)

 

 But the correct form is actually "I feel bad."

 

reprinted from www.grammarly.com     November 2000 by Tina Blue

 

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Bessie Mae Tanner's Stir-Fried Collard Casserole        By Frank Clark

 

Sunny Field, South Carolina

 

Mama, tell me about Grannie Bessie

 

Well, she worked on a plantation farm not far from here.  She was an in house servant.  She was the plantation cook.  She cooked all the meals.  Everybody, including the owner and the field workers, sat down together for all of her meals.  Bessie would get up before the rooster crowed and would start a wood fire to get the stove top hot enough to cook.

 

Come six o'clock a big breakfast of flap jacks, biscuits and gravy and pork sausage was ready to be served.  Twenty folks gathered there every morn to start their day.

Bessie Mae had her own vegetable garden.  She called it her "plantation garden."  It was a garden of fresh squash, tomatoes, beans and greens of all kind.  She even grew her own herbs. Late morning she would tend to her garden and select the vegetables and herbs she would use to prepare dinner not only for 20 people, but an additional 15 or so from all around.

 

Table was set for the seven o'clock dinner.  She served everyone family style.     So, all foods from appetizers to the main course dish were set in place. Every glass of sweet tea was garnished with a leaf of mint fresh from her garden.  She would wait til the last minute to bring out skillets of her hot cracklin collard casserole.  An aromatic delight.

After everyone was seated, she would take her seat at the head of the table.       

 

Bessie Mae would ask the grace.  "Lord, we all work hard for you.  Bless us all.  Ah-men!"

 

Everyone would dig in.  It was a taste from heaven.  Good for the soul.  As she always said.  A hint about the secret ingredients in the stir-fried casserole.  Bacon drippins with a touch of this and that, herbs, salt and pepper and a little sugar.  The most secret ingredient is cinnamon.   The smell of bacon, cinnamon and greens just made you want it even more. The nose knows!

 

Jasper, look at me.  You must never tell anyone about this recipe.  Even family! They will try to pry it out of you.  Don't give in even if they offer you gold for it.  Promise?

 

I promise Mama.

 

One other recipe.  Bessie Mae's sweetest vanilla pudding.  Key ingredient - a lot of vanilla extract.  She made two dishes of it.  Everyone loved it and it is her second best. But her best is the Bessie Mae Tanner Stir-Fried Collard Casserole.  A proud family recipe.

 

Bessie Mae's cooking, as she always said,  "A taste from heaven.  Good for the soul!"

 

Frank Clark      www.frankclarkshortstories.com

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The More Things Change...                       By Dr. Brad Holway
 

Rap, Alternate Rock, Reggaeton, House, Bhangra, Gangsta, Death Metal, Hip-Hop and Urban Folk are only a few of the genres of music young people are lisening to today.  People of my generation, if they are familiar with these genres at all, usually condemn them as cheap, vulgar, trashy, repetitive, loud, non-melodic and formulaic, as well as often making the claim that the music of the young, whatever genre, promotes drug use and anti-social behavior.  They tend to lose themselves in nostalgia for the music that was popular when they were teenagers with a short past and a seemingly limitless future. 

 

Old people, now almost all deceased, have told me that their elders regarded "Jazz Age" music and dances like the Charleston and the Black Bottom as scandalous.  As I look back on my own teenage years, I remember people my parents' age deploring the music of the day and wondering why we had little appreciation for the Big Band sound of the 1940's.  Likewise, members of the intermediate generation resented that we had abandoned the Doo-Wop sound and their beloved "King", Elvis, for socio-political laments sung in the nasal whine of Bob Dylan and the music of a quartet of long-haired kids from the Irish slums of Liverpool; "Acid Rock" was absolute anathema!  The very adjectives used by my generation to condemn the music of today's youth were used by our elders.  History repeats itself.

 

While I can't say that I am a fan of all contemporary music, I have learned to appreciate and accept much of it.  When my son was a Deejay at his college radio station, he had a show with an "Alternate Rock" format; thanks to him, I was exposed to this genre and came to enjoy much of it.  Similarly, a younger friend of mine who is a Rap/Hip-Hop artist and lyricist has been instrumental in my being able to enjoy this style.  I have learned over the years not to rain on anyone's parade.  Every generation of young people is entitled to its rituals of rebellion and to the musical styles and artists who personify it.  I think this is particularly true for today's youth, who face a daunting job market and an increasingly perplexing world.

 

Whether you're a teenager, a centenarian or a member of any generation in-between, sit back and enjoy any kind of music that brings you pleasure!  If you don't like the music your children or grandchildren are listening to, rest assured that it will be their turn to lament in vain before long!

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Think a little - laugh a little 

As she walked to work, a lady saw a parrot on a perch in front of a pet store. The parrot said to her,  "Hey lady, you are really ugly."  Furious, she stormed past the store. On the way home she saw the same parrot and it again said to her,  "Hey lady, you are really ugly."

The angry lady went into the store and told the manager that she would sue the store and kill the bird.  The manager promised that the parrot wouldn't say it again, and he warned the parrot that the lady would kill him if he did. 

The next time  the lady walked past the store,the parrot called to her:

"Hey lady."

She paused and said, "Yes?"

The bird said, "You know."

 

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A half-truth is a whole lie.
 
Jewish Proverb

 
 
  

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Life Lessons

 

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

 

When in doubt, just take the next small step.
 

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
 

Contributed by Marlene Emmett

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Your Space - For Guest Writers, Ghost Writers, and Commentators

 

THANK YOU!  to  Dimitra Savvidou, Gail Helfand, Tina Blue, Frank Clark, and Brad Holway for their wonderful smorgasbord of fascinating material this week.  Living Happy is blessed to have a fantastic group of writers and contributors who bring so much to our readers!  If you'd like to comment about their articles, just click on the Living Happy link below.

 

Would you like to contribute an article?

     (Whatever form it might be, please try to keep it no more than 250-300 words.) 
 

     - Do you have a little "slice of life" to share?  

 

This Could  be YOU!

                         -  A poem you wrote? 

 

   - A favorite quotation or proverb?

 

            - A really good joke?

 

              - A review of your favorite book or movie?

 

         Do you have comments about Living Happy?

 

   What would you like to see more / less of?

 

For Comments and to Contact Living Happy  click this link. 
 

I'd love to hear from you!  And thanks!!! 

 

 

 Carole XXX 

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