Sharing Circle

Share With Us. Everyone Has Something To Offer.

If you’re reading this on your RSS feed, we are very glad to have you along. Even if you never make a post, you are still sharing with our circle, and we appreciate you.  However, I wanted to make a point to let people know that EVERYONE is welcome to post here.  In order to do so you just log in under “Meta,” set up your account, (it takes two seconds!) Check your email and then log in.  You will then see a dashboard and can begin posting–on whatever topic you like and would like to share. Follow on the flip for more information on the Native American tradition that inspired the creation of this site.
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I just happened to stumble upon an article by David Sirota. I’d like to say I was amused by it, but unfortunately it’s more of a feeling of outrage that anyone can say this kind of thing (that Sirota’s writing about) with a straight face.

Here’s the money quote from Sirota.  Follow me on the flip to see what he was referring to:

This is quite literally the argument of a sociopath – and the problem is that sociopathy is so prevalent in discussions about trade and globalization that we barely even notice it anymore. (more…)

About God.
To pray and know He heard, that His presences was a constant and that only
we could turn away….He never would.
That He loved us as we were, but called us higher to become more.

Mother taught us:

To never go to sleep angry.
That things done right took no longer than things done wrong. (more…)

I Remember….
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When the seasons are about to change and Fall and Winter are on their way; when the school bells chime and the buses are out in full force, I can expect that my thoughts will return to my home in the mountains and memories of long ago.

It was a cold, blustery night and the snow was beginning to come down. At 6:00 pm it was already dark. Daddy was not home yet but we had already eaten dinner. It was good to be inside where it was warm. I was about five years old. Things were quiet in our house. My sisters were doing homework and Mom was cleaning the kitchen. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was seldom that someone came to the house after dark. Mom turned on the porch light and there was a man and three little girls at the door. (more…)

We were going on vacation. I was only ten years old but I can remember the days of preparation and packing that Mother did. We were headed to the high mountains in West Virginia. It would be a long and winding five hour trip. We were going to rough it and stay in a “cabin” that one of my Dad’s friends was loaning us. We would bathe in the river (we could use Ivory soap so that it would float so we wouldn’t lose it). There was no heat in this place so oil lanterns and a wood stove would have to do. I couldn’t wait! It sounded like such an adventure to me. Dad said maybe one night we could sleep on pine needles that we would gather and we would name the stars. (more…)

Last fall I felt a strong calling to go to Laurel Ridge and stay at the Gemein House. Logically I did not want to go. Spiritually I knew that I must. I had read the article that Jennifer Sealy had written about staying there. I spoke to her after I had made reservations. She assured me it was the right thing to do and that I would not feel afraid or alone. She was right. I have always traveled a lot by myself and that has never concerned me. But, did I want to stay in a tiny cabin in the woods, cut off from telephones, television and computers as well as people? The gal that took my reservation explained to me that the cabin would be unlocked, the key on the table. She said there would be staff at the office down the road during the day but that I would see no one during my stay. Big difference from staying at the Hyatt! (more…)

Serene threw out an interesting challenge so here’s my list.

1.) Governments would behave in a transparent way. You know, like the current one promised they would (in the US.)

2.) People would actually take advantage of all the information that is out there on the internet regarding what is happening, what has happened, etc., instead of being self-delusional or delusional a la what the TV news and the newspapers tell them. (more…)

I’ve had a “thing” for Jim Morrison of the Doors ever since I hit puberty; never mind that he died when I was around two. I dug the music first, then I read his poetry, then I read “No One Here Gets Out Alive.”  Never mind that some of his profundity might have been drug-fueled (ok, was definitely drug-fueled) and never mind that there’s probably a lot of folk especially the young kids who probably don’t have a clue who he was.

I think that he was ahead of his time, especially with this internet stuff and the 24 hour news cycles….where privacy is non existent and where people think nothing at all of exposing the most intimate details of their entire lives to the whole world. So in no particular order I thought I’d share some quotes with y’all from Morrison that ought to make you think.  I’d add a picture of him but I’d bet they’re all copyrighted and I wouldn’t want to get in trouble! (more…)

Give Me A Break

I was just reading this interview with Bill Moyers and someone I’ve never heard of-Simon Johnson. He’s the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, whatever that is.  He had some interesting things to say,  including that there should be “respectful disagreement” with the Oligarchs that a.) got the world into the current economic mess, b.) profited from it and c.) are still in power. (more…)

There’s that old saying, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” and like so many old sayings, it’s there for a reason. I’ve been watching first with bemusement and then with dismay as one of my old favorite stomping grounds- eBay- has been steadily driving itself into the ground, by “fixing” what wasn’t broken in the first place.

NOW, in my humble opinion, it’s broken. I know that times change, the marketplace changes, and that publicly traded (large) companies are under pressure to (unrealistically!) increase profits quarter after quarter.

Yet all that aside, common sense must occasionally intervene. Big companies would do well to keep an ear to the ground and to pay attention when there are coherent, sustained complaints about the way it’s doing business, and the changes it has been making. Ebay falls in that category and has done for probably about two years now.

For those of you who don’t know, eBay has rolled out changes which now do not allow sellers to leave anything but positive feedback for buyers. That makes the “feedback system” pretty useless. (more…)