Thinking Out Loud on The Roof....

*********************************** I go to the Roof when I need to think....when I need to get grounded...clear my head..and sometimes meditate..when it is quiet....Sometimes seagulls are up there as well...I see the Lights in the other apartments...it reminds me that I am not alone, there are so many others here struggling to get by and to stay strong...there are other families...there are elderly getting bathed for bed..there newly arrived immigrant families with small babies....there are young couples trying to make their way...I can see them in the windows...and hear the sounds and smell food cooking....at all hours there is the smell of Curry or Cardamon and hot coffee and often burnt bagels....We all need a Think Spot....but we also all need reminders that we are not alone in our struggles....and that Life Goes On...That Tomorrow will come, with it's own set of mysteries and gifts......Good Night Friends...take care and have a good week....

Urban Gardens.....

..................................... ‪#‎Sundrenched‬....‪#‎UrbanGardens‬ I love it when you turn a corner and there are flowers taller than expected reaching for the sky oblivious to cars, trucks, exhaust and all the city noise and havoc....I love how they smell after the rains....warm and earthy....and slightly sweet...

Wisdom of Trees....

..................... #‎nyc‬ ‪#‎Brooklyn‬ ‪#‎Trees‬ ‪#‎Benches‬ I don't miss my garden so much anymore...there are so many wonderful green heavenly moments here to embrace and soak in...and benches..there is nothing I treasure more than benches under the trees.....

Keep Looking Up......

***************************************************" The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life. "~~ Ana Jacob........Sometimes we need to keep looking up...knowing that there is just a bit of Hope in the smallest of moments...a Blue Sky....sun....a warm breeze...you can live in the City and still see Seagulls flying above...I believe they carry a bit of Hope where ever they go....I saw these amazing buildings walking to catch the train...there they were all lined up standing so shiny....perserved...with gulls flying above....they looked like old friends together for a very long time....Good Night dear friends...remember to look up tomorrow....take care...

The Wedding.....

.............................................. "The ‪#‎Wedding‬ " .....so I was rushing to the store to get TP...one of those Rush moments....and I came around the corner to be stopped in my tracks by a beautiful moment.....Greek Church....people lined up out front , waiting expectantly on the steps to the Church....Out the doors burst the lovely couple and yellow rose petals cascading into the air like snow....I stood on my corner with other expectant watchers....a elderly woman leaning on her walker....a young jewish girl watching with longing in her eyes ....and a woman in a Sari holding her little boy close tenderly stroking his head as she watched...and next to me a woman from Islands lightly humming. I turned to the Island woman and she and I both were crying a bit..." They have their whole lives in front of them, such a wonderful thing, ya know" I nodded...." It all -a-starts-now" she said.

Wonders of Central Park....

************************************ #‎CentralPark‬ ‪#‎TheBridge‬ at the Pond...full of fish...Bass..yes really...( Carp and KOI too...and minnows)..so I met Jimmie..the man in the photo..fishing...he was explaining to me about the Bass and sure enough he caught one right there...it was HUGE...he threw it back...( because I was upset...worried about him...) I had never known there were all kinds of fish, turtles at Central Park....this city is fully of Wonders.....

More Wonders of Central Park...Ducks and Koi Fish and Turtles....

The Truth about NYC.....

***************************************** About ‪#‎nyc‬....it is not what people say...you always hear that New Yorkers are hard edged and cold...that's really not true.....Some have an edge or are tough , that is true....but many of them have real heart and you see it at Odd UnExpected Moments....And in many ways the people are warmer and more aware and listening than anywhere I have lived....I just had to say that...I have been here a year, a very very hard year...but I feel very grateful and very blessed that I have met some amazing people that have truly given and been there for 6-6 and I.....Thank you.

A Letter to Trayvon's Family...

To Trayvon's Family, I am so so sorry....We have a Problem in America, we have a Justice Problem, We have a Hate Problem, We have a Problem admitting that we have a Problem. Millions of us know that a Racist Hate Filled Wannebe Cop hunted down your son and shot him...Dead....And we know that there are other Zimmermans out there...and we know there are too many guns out there and too much hate...and we know that there are too many white people who lack the courage to admit that this is real and happening in 2013....But as a mom...I am saying it is real...and I am sorry....

Justice For Trayvon Martin....

******************************************** This is what needs to be remembered...‪Trayvon Martin‬ was just a boy, a teenager, who went to the store to get some Iced Tea and some skittles for his stepsister. He had family living at a Complex in Florida, he walked to the Store to get the snacks. He had a Hoodie on, because it was raining. And George Zimmerman pretended to be a NeighborHood Watchman, he drove around calling 911 or the PD when he didn't like the looks of someone in his Neighborhood. He called the Dispatcher about The Kid in the Hoodie that he didn't like the looks of. He made disparaging remarks. The Dispatcher told him to stay in the car, and they , the PD would take care of things. But Zimmerman got out of his car and hunted down Trayvon, ignoring her request. And people who lived there heard Cries for Help, that ended when they heard gunshots. Anyone who has heard the 911 Tapes of that day , hears a young boy begging for Help. I am praying that there will be Justice for Trayvon Martin's Family. No boy anywhere should be hunted down and shot on a rainy afternoon whole going to the store to get Skittles and Iced Tea. We have a problem in this Country, Too Many White Men with Guns pretending they are Cops and better than others, pretending they are The Law. This Case is not just about One Trigger Happy Wannabe Cop....It is about our Gun Culture that is consumed with Hate and Fear and Loathing. Prayers to Trayvon's Family and prayers to all those with sons who worry daily about What and Who is out there with a Gun.

The Wisdom of Bobby Kennedy ( His Famous Capetown Ripples of Hope Speech)

#Food4Thought I share this photo as Nelson Mandela remains critically ill, and as many still hold his legacy, his work, his hardship , his strength so dearly....Apartheid is not merely a memory , a stain..it is a dangerous condition that can creep into any society or culture or country, there are always people who will seek to create divisions as they greedily seek more power and they do not care who they harm in this process. Therefore there must always be people of courage and conviction who speak Truth and Fight Back.....photo via Twitter ( Michael Beschloss ) @BeschlossDC This image shows Robert Kennedy speaking in South Africa 1966 literally under sign of apartheid. LINK to the Speech and AUDIO is here and the AUDIO is in remarkable condition.

Saving Smokey.....

******************************** People say New Yorkers are tough..cold even. They even say that about Brooklyn folks...BUT...it ain't so....So out walking and we meet this amazing couple pushing a tiny baby stroller and in it is a tiny kitten. This is the Story of Anna...a local unsung Hero....she heard this poor kitten crying stuck between two buildings, and somehow she got him out. He is about 3 weeks old, will fit in the palm of your hand. He has a gash on his neck and needs to be bottlefed....Yeah, this tough wonderful angel of a New Yorker is hoping to save tiny Smokey. So bless the big heart of Anna and saying a prayer for Smokey.....( Posted June 14th....Social Media)

Courage Shoes...

#MyCourageShoes Many of us Women have been admiring Wendy Davis's shoes this week...it's NOT about the Shoes..they represent so much more...Raw Courage, GUTS, Determination, Endurance, Justified Anger, Claiming One's Better Warrior, Fighting Back, BadAss Battle Shoes...I have my own Warrior Wendy Shoes....I wear them on the Bus...the Subway....to the Gym....walking to the Dollar Store...They were 2 dollars 3 years ago, and the Magic Started when I painted them...They are my Kickass Shoes...they survived a hellish flood and a hellish move...They Are my Fighting Back Shoes...They are my #CourageShoes...#MyWendyShoes We all need to have some #CourageShoes ....

Gardens in the Concrete Jungle....

****************************** "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come."~~~Anne Lamott ~~~// Waiting to hear SCOTUS decisions..Silently praying that Love Wins....Waiting to hear back on three jobs I applied for ....so much of Hope is tied to Patience...The Patience and Faith of Waiting...But Anne is right ...to have Hope one must be Stubborn....As Stubborn as a garden in the midst of a concrete jungle....

Up On The Roof.....

So I went up to the Roof..waiting for the Moon.....it was quiet....and a gentle breeze....Seagulls flying over....TV's humming from the buildings....some music floating on the breeze...#BeautifulNight #NYC

Petunias at Sunset....

"If you wish to leave the world better than you found it, you must care about others "~~Florence Griffith Joyner

When Caged Birds Sing....

********************************** "Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between."~~ From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Maya Angelou. // #NYC So I was walking around (on the way to another job interview) and I hear Birds chattering and singing. And I turned my head and there lined up along the wall were their cages neatly lined up. And the Auto shop where they live, two of the workers were singing back to them. They were singing Lionel Richie..."Sail On"...( I think the Birds were singing too...) That is what I love about New York...What you least expect...in some way seems very normal...and Expected....Big Guys with Tools singing with their Birds on a hot summer day....

Finding Light.....

****************************** It's All About Finding The Light....So Helen Keller said "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." So I had Interviews yesterday....and four dollars in my pocket..I had Lunch at Grand Central ( coconut mango tapioca,seriously the very best thing I have ever eaten for $2.00) ..and I sat and watched People....and even in Survival Mode..you have to appreciate the little things around you...The Sudden Beautiful Light....couples in Love holding hands...children laughing on the subway.....I know many of us are searching for work and a Happy Ending ...a Better Life...we all have to remember we are not alone...or in the Dark...there is Light and we have each other.....

Flowers on the Fire Escape....

************************ I have not written here in months, partly because I find New Blogger cumbersome, not really user friendly. And then on another note I finally realized I hate coming to my old Blog because I see the FLOOD all over again, and I don't want to see it or think about it. I don't think folks realize that Disasters leave scars and wounds, that need time to heal. My son and I did make it to Brooklyn, we did find a nice landlord ( and Building Manager, and Super and even a really nice maintenance guy). So we got very lucky in NYC. And our rent and utilities and expenses are actually much cheaper than Cleveland ( yeah really). And I go for long talk walks with my neighbor, which also means that Lilly Dog has a walking buddy now. And living in a four story walk up is not so bad, it gets incredible Light. So there are good things here. But 6-6 and I have mostly been in survival mode this year,it has been very rough. And I think it will take a couple of years to get settled here, but 6-6 does not want us to give up his dream to be here, so I am giving it all I have got. The photo was some beautiful flowers spied on a fire escape down an alley...That is how NYC really is...you can turn the corner and something Amazing will take away your breath when you least expect it....Expect It.

Winter Dreams....

******************************* Trying to learn New Blogger Set Up....and still trying to get settled...and grounded...and connected...and stay Hopeful...so stay tuned.....( Columbus Circle on a cold January Night...it smells of popcorn and pretzels..and hot coffee).