Author: cyrakitty

Christmas email already. . .

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I just received an email entitled “Your First Christmas Card” and I admit it was the first time I had ever seen it – although a friend has said this particular email has been in circulation for quite a long time.  But it contained a poem based upon “A Visit from St. Nicholas” or more commonly known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas” which was originally published in 1823 by an anonymous author (who I imagine is spinning in their grave at this particular adaptation).

Here is the text of that email:

 Twas the Month before Christmas 

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away

The reason for Christmas – no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday’.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd! 

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears

You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

 

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,

not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason’ for the Christ-mas Season!

Pretty harsh words coming from “Christians”, right?

The world over uses this time of year (December/Christmas, etc) for religious festivities.  It does not belong exclusively to the Christians.  From the Winter Solstice to, yes, Kwanzaa (Ramadan isn’t even currently celebrated around Christmas) many countries use this time for celebration.  So why is it wrong to say Happy Holidays and include all cultures, as opposed to saying Merry Christmas and including just one?  And if these people have been sharing holidays for eons of time why is it now “taking away” the day from Christians?  What happened to the element of Christian charity?  Why is it not extended to anyone but other Christians?

As some of you may know, I have been studying Buddhism for many years now.  I may not be a good Buddhist, but it is my chosen path.  Yet, I still celebrate Christmas more out of habit or tradition rather than actual belief.  “This is the time of year, though, when those of us who aren’t Christian, or who don’t celebrate Christmas, most feel our minority status.”¹ December is when Buddhists celebrate Rohatsu or the enlightenment of the Buddha.  But I do not ask why there are so few meditating Buddhas or Bodhi trees among the reindeer and Christmas trees.

“But there is an ugly, bullying aspect to this [Anti-Christmas] dispute, in which the pro-Christmas forces are not only asking, reasonably, that their religion be treated with equal status and respect but in which they are attacking legitimate efforts at inclusivity. It’s this sense of aggrieved victimhood that confuses me: What, exactly, is so threatening about calling the school holiday a winter break rather than Christmas vacation?” [¹ and this were excerpts from Ruth Marcus’ excellent article What ‘War On Christmas’?]

I look at everything I do not understand as gravity.  It sounds odd, but there is valid reasoning.  I am not a physicist so basically I do not grasp the nature of gravity to any real degree.   I may not comprehend it but I sure respect it enough to not try jumping off a bridge.  So the same goes for Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or others.  I may not understand it but I respect it and I respect your right to celebrate it.  I mean, my birthday is frequently shared with Memorial Day.  I don’t like war.  But I am not on top of a skyscraper shouting that my birthday was “stolen” from me.

Our planet has just reached 7 billion people.  I think it is way past the time when we should have been respecting each other.  This lump of dirt and water may not be perfect but it is all we have.  It is up to each one of us to make it a nice place to live.

Thank you, Mac1949!

/ cyrakitty / 1 Comment

I would like to thank Mac1949 for his sweet and loving post about our dearly missed little girl, Cyra, who passed away on October 19th.  Please pop over to his site for more information.  As he covered the subject quite well I will not add anything here except a few more photos.  Since my little girl was around pre-digital, I was going through actual prints (*gasp* I know) to select a great photo to give to the vet office.  And here are a few I came across.  Enjoy!  Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Photo dated September 1995 - notice the orange spot on her head.

Hard to believe she was so small.

Photo dated September 17, 1998

So this would have been on her 3rd birthday.

Not sure when this was taken - but we hit the digital age - so maybe 2008?

You are greatly missed baby girl.

XOXO

Fall is coming – finally!!

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The weather is finally starting to think about cooling down and I, for one, am thankful!  It also means I may be able to start baking before too much longer.  So on this happy occasion I thought I would share with you one of my favorite recipes.  Yum.  This is from The Vegetarian Way by Virginia & Mark Messina.

Yes, this recipe is vegetarian but don’t let that put you off.  It is excellent and wonderfully gooey when straight out of the oven.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1 1/2 cups white flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons vegetable ol

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 cup cold water

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (preferably Fair Trade chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water.  Mix and pour the liquid over the dry ingredients.  Stir well to combine.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 8-by-8-inch pan.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Serves 16.

This is a wonderful cake.  The majority of the chocolate chips will sink as the cake bakes.  This allows for a fudgy layer at the bottom.  I first made this cake for a vegetarian friend, however, I loved it so much it has now become a staple in my own kitchen!

An Amazing 7-Year-Old

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What do you do if you are 7 years old, have epilepsy but lack $13,000?  Well, if you are Evan Moss, you write a book.

This amazing boy suffers from severe and life threatening seizures.  One of the best aids to people with epilepsy is to get a specially trained dog that through changes in behavior can alert the patient anywhere from seconds before to 45 minutes before the onset of a seizure.  But how to afford the $13,000 price tag?

Evan Moss

Evan wrote and illustrated his very own book, My Seizure Dog.  He even sold out his first book signing but the people didn’t mind.  They stayed in line just to meet Evan and his parents, Lisa and Rob.  So now Evan has raised enough money and is expected to receive his new furry friend in June of 2012.  And what has Evan decided to do with the rest of the money his book is earning?  He is donating to 4 Paws for Ability so he can help other children raise money to get these life saving furry companions.

A huge “well done” and “thank you” are due to this boy and I will happily stand up and say it – although I am sure I am not the first.

Forgotten English

/ cyrakitty / 1 Comment

I have run across some words and phrases that are no longer really used in the English language and personally, I think we need to bring them back.

Scurryfunge – “A hasty tidying of the house between the time you see a neighbor and the time she knocks on the door.” Personally, I am quite guilty of this one and never realized there was a term for it.  Although I am not concerned with the neighbors so much as I am the maintenance men!

Married all o’er – “Said of women who after their marriage . . . become . . . miserable-looking.”  LOL we have all seen a few of these beauties, have we not?

Gone to Texas – “An American expression for one who has decamped, leaving debts behind.”  Sometimes abbreviated G.T.T.  In our bad economic time, I think we absolutely need to bring this expression back.  And needless to say I am a hair’s breadth away myself.

And what better way to describe our (American) government post-Kennedy.  Assishness – “Asinine quality; stupidity.”

And a few more that are just plain fun to say: Googer (“the devil”), toozle (to make one’s hair stand on end) and play dikkop (to try to deceive).

I will keep my eye out for any more forgotten english that I feel worthy of a come back.  And feel free to post/comment your own favorite forgotten english words!!