Friday, January 15, 2016

Born January 15, 1929




















From Strength to Love, Chapter Four, "Love in Action":

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; 
for they know not what they do.  
                                         Luke 23:34

Few words in the New Testament more clearly and solemnly
express the magnanimity of Jesus' spirit than that sublime
utterance from the cross,  "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do." This is love at its best.













Often I recall what an elderly Jewish friend of mine said when she was in her 80s, "I don't have to be a Christian to be moved by the life and death of Jesus."  It is occurring to me again, as I re-read Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr., that I don't have to be a Christian to be moved by the love that Christianity clearly brings into the lives of people whose actions are an inspiration to me.






















With gratitude to Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 87th birthday.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Advocate







CYNTHIA “CINDY” K. DIAS (LAS VEGAS, NV)

VETERAN, VETERANS HOMELESSNESS ADVOCATE

Cynthia “Cindy” K. Dias is a Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War in a hospital ship as a registered nurse. She managed care for wounded soldiers, and worked alongside the Chaplin as the designated official to provide notification and care for families of wounded and deceased officers. After her service, she worked as a registered nurse in Florida and Louisiana and eventually moved to Las Vegas, where she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and lost her job before eventually also losing her home. She found a place to live at Veterans Village, a non-profit working with the city of Las Vegas to provide resources for homeless veterans. She now volunteers with Veterans Village, and she works to care and advocate for veterans in the city. In November 2015, Las Vegas announced it had housed every homeless veteran as part of the Administration’s Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. This challenge was launched in 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama as part the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Ocean















Agate Cove Inn in Mendocino, California, has a webcam that I look at frequently.  December 30th was the first day in my many years of looking at this webcam that I have seen a person included in the view, and so I cropped the image for this post on the evening of New Year's Day.  I can feel myself standing at the ocean, as I have done so many times in my life until recent years.

Kind wishes to all for 2016!