“They say it came from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Taínos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles.
Fukú americanus, or more colloquially, fukú – generally a curse or doom of some kind
specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World.
No matter what its name or provenance, it is believed that the arrival of Europeans on Hispaniola unleashed fukú on the world, and we’ve all been in the shit ever since.”
~Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao~
As a proud senior member of the LGBTQ community, as well as a once member of the Catholic Church, this reaction doesn’t surprise me at all.
I commend this little girl and her parents.
They are accepting and embracing of a young girl who would be having a hard time if all reacted like the members of the church she happens to belong to.
Twelve-year-old Savannah stood before her Mormon church community last month and told them she identifies as a lesbian and believes that God intended to make her that way.
Unfortunately, she was cut off part of the way through her speech by a church official who asked her to sit down, effectively silencing the preteen as she attempted to share her story.
Prior to being interrupted, Savannah offered her powerful and heartwarming personal account about her relationship with her sexuality.
“God loves me just this way, because I believe that he loves all his creations … I do believe he made me this way on purpose,” she says in the video.
“No part of me is a mistake.
I do not choose to be this way, and it is not a fad.
I cannot make someone else gay and being around me won’t make anyone else this way. I believe that God wants us to treat each other with kindness, even if people are different.”
Heather went on to say that Savannah had been asking to share her story in front of the church since last January to possibly let other closeted church members know that they had in ally in her.
Savannah is 12 years old and is entering 8th grade in August, 2017. She loves drawing, reading, dancing (she is a Scottish highland dancer), all things Avengers and wants to be an animator for Disney some day.
She also happens to be gay.
This testimony took place in a Mormon congregation on May 7, 2017.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
“ideas about the relationship between science and religion”
My ears ache after listening to line after negative line in the news, reading the political drama on Facebook, and reading my family’s and friends’ opinions.
These words are weighing me down with heavy, uneasy feelings about the future.
We’ve marched, signed petitions, and called our senators, and the news is not changing. People are tired. I am tired. Life doesn’t seem fair.
We need a pep talk – and I’ve found one.
Valerie Kaur‘s powerful and uplifting look at our world today is so refreshing in this chaotic climate.
As an award-winning filmmaker, civil rights lawyer, media commentator, Sikh activist and interfaith leader, Kaur’s work of storytelling inspires social change. This video from New Year’s Eve has the call for 2017. I needed this passionate and beautiful speech. Hers is a realistic voice asking me a valid question:
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, and the basic Sikh belief is represented in the phrase Ik Onkar meaning “One God.”
Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region in India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak Dev. Sikhism broke from Hinduism due, in part, to its rejection of the caste system.
SIKH SYMBOL
It consists of three weapons and a circle: the khanda, two kirpans and the chakkar which is a circle.
It is the military emblem of the Sikhs.
It is also part of the design of the Nishan Sahib. A double edged khanda (sword) is placed at the top of a Nishan Sahib flag as an ornament or finial.
~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~
Google Images
I do not own these images.
No intention of taking credit.
If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.
This is terrifying and totally goes against the Constitution which so many politicians ascribe to.
For example:
‘an array of anti-protesting laws that center on stiffening penalties for demonstrators who block traffic; in North Dakota, conservatives are even pushing a bill that would allow motorists to run over and kill protesters so long as the collision was accidental.’
‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.’
~Wikipedia~
LAWMAKERS IN TEN STATES HAVE PROPOSED LEGISLATION CRIMINALIZING PEACEFUL PROTEST
Spencer Woodman
Millions of demonstrators took to streets across the country to mobilize against the ‘so-called president‘ and his agenda, assembling in a national turnout that organizers call the beginning of a reinvigorated protest movement. But in states home to dozens of demonstrations, Republican lawmakers are moving to criminalize and increase penalties on peaceful protesting.
Minnesota, Washington State, Michigan, Iowa, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, Missouri, North Dakota, Indiana
I encourage the reader to click on link to get additional, full information.
A four-month-old Iranian girl, scheduled to fly into Portland for a heart surgery appointment at OHSU had to postpone the procedure after Drumpf’s immigration order.
The infant, Fatemah, has a heart condition. Her family found out about it at a routine checkup, and her pediatricians say she needs to have surgery soon.
“They said ‘this is a miracle, we don’t know how she had lived with the big problem she had.’ Immediately she has to do the surgery,” her uncle, Samad Taghizadeh , told KATU News.
Taghizadeh lives in Portland with Fatemah’s grandparents; they are American citizens. The family chose to have the open-heart surgery at Oregon Health & Science University – which boasts one of the top pediatric cardiology programs in the U.S. – because facilities in Iran do not have the equipment necessary for such a procedure.
Jesus’ New Commandment
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
~~GRAPHIC SOURCE~~
Facebook Timeline
DISCLAIMER
I do not own this image.
No intention of taking credit.
If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.
The first day in office is a hectic one for new presidents
It doesn’t start until the late morning, and they spend hours at a formal ceremony, with hours of obligations to follow on the party circuit that night.
None of their appointees have been confirmed; few of them have even been nominated. They’ll probably get lost once or twice.
It’s a lot like any first day at a new job, in other words.
The Three Kings (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) represented Europe, Arabia and Africa respectively.
They came from afar, searching for Baby Jesus and brought them presents: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
These valuable items were standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil.
Story behind the song
There is so much mystery surrounding the story of the Three Kings. Who were they? Where did they come from? What relation did they have to each other? We only really know what (or Who) they were after.
Their only guides were ancient scripture and a bright star. They would not give up until they found the Savior of the world, no matter the cost.
Our arrangement of this traditional Christmas song “We Three Kings” is a tribute to them, their tenacity, and their Noble Purpose.
It Is What It Is 