THE PRICE OF POSITIVE CHANGE: THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE

A series of essays.....

SANE, BALANCED, GALVANIZED AND READY FOR CHANGE.....
FROM THE MOUTH OF BABES TO OUR HEARTS. WE MUST LISTEN TO REASON!

.....as seen through my eyes!





By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

As a teenager, it was so simple to tune-out the rest of the world. I would tune-in The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Animals and then close my bedroom door.

I didn’t understand at the time that what I was creating was my own form of stillness; a personal solution to maintaining sanity and balance in my life. Stillness for me was the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting experiences.....silencing the world around me by interjecting the comforting sounds of my favorite music into the moment like a long-loved security blanket tucked into the arms of a sleeping child.

Technology may have advanced the devices we use to hear our music on today, but the idea behind the action remains the same; discovering and enjoying a balance in our daily lives. Stillness.

New styles and artists are added to my musical repertoire as time progresses, but the comfort derived from the music will always be a part of my life. Just like the music, the search for ‘stillness’ has magnified throughout the years and I realize that to obtain true stillness and peace of mind, I’ve had to discover how to listen. And, by listening, I’ve come to understand a little more about how small we are as individuals within the larger picture of the world around us. 

There will always be wisdom to be found in listening to the bigger world we exist in. Some of the greatest pleasures in life can be derived from having a deep conversation with a friend and truly listening to what it is they have to say. We crave intimacy and kindness and must never forget to make time for it. People need to be seen and heard and know that they matter. One of the main purposes of being here on earth is to listen to and look-out for one another.

Understanding that it’s not the experience that shapes our life, but how we respond to these experiences that really matters. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, have been actively practicing this ‘life lesson’ since experiencing the mass shooting that eliminated seventeen friends and teachers from their lives last week. 

Their youthful innocence will be forever changed from that moment going forward. 

This tragic experience forced upon them has given rise to a super intelligence and mind-set that is taking over our way of thinking by storm and is transforming archaic values into new, bolder time-appropriate ideas that will help to shape our country for years and years to come! Their response to our tragic lack of gun control, politicians being bought and sold by the National Rifle Association, and the possibility of future mass murders is: “We’re not going to take it anymore!” 

These students may be small as individual entities within the larger picture, however, uniting as one, solid unit, they are being seen and heard and know how important their voices have become in the process of looking out for one another.

This latest shooting here in Florida has clarified the rejection of passivity and catapulted the idea of change for the better deep into the atmosphere and the notion that ‘we sit back and do nothing’ is definitely not part of their public or private persona any longer. This is their way of healing after having to endure the atrocious acts that have taken place within their ‘house of stillness,’ learning, and solace....their own high school environment. 

If you are even close to my age and all of this sounds vaguely familiar to you, may I suggest that their personal war zone is for them what my generation called the Vietnam War and we must continue to learn, as one generation laps over the next generation or two, that the value placed on human life should always remain at its highest. It is eminently sensible to believe that one of the most important reasons for all of us to be here on earth is to take care of one another and we must never ignore the fact that if we do not, our stillness, sanity, and balance may be placed in jeopardy, indefinitely.

When I listen to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School speak out about change with all the fervor of their youthful energy and commitment, I can’t help but feel encouraged that this time it will be different. This time, hopefully, the adults in the room will listen, understand and, finally, take action! Godspeed!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

SEEING THE LIGHT: KEEPING A PROMISE TO MYSELF

A series of essays.....

LIGHT SHOT THROUGH CUT GLASS CRYSTAL
~MORNING LIGHT SHINES THROUGH OUR
WATERFORD VASE IN THE FOYER~

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Just as light reflection shot through perfectly cut glass crystals bring out the best ‘sparkle’ and can be so luxuriously pleasing to the human eye, keeping promises made to yourself from the deepest depths of your being can make you shine like the brightest star in the heavens. 

I am shining on both the inside and outside these days because I have kept a promise to myself for over a year now and I will not waiver from it until the outcome I hope to see has been, undeniably, achieved.

Before I explain the promise I made to myself, please allow me to set the stage by taking a moment to run by only a few things that are happening in our world today:

The worst flu epidemic to happen in years.

The annihilation of the Republican Party by the most incompetent leader of the Free World.

Weather patterns above and beyond what has been considered ‘normal.’

The Women’s March growing by leaps and bounds after chalking-up its 2nd year!

Sadly, gun violence and mass shootings becoming the norm within our social make-up.

Many of us, for the second time, living through the threat and fear of a nuclear holocaust.

Puerto Rican school children cheering for ‘the light’ after four months of living in the darkness without power.

Acknowledging that equal rights for all has yet to be achieved. Will that day be in my lifetime?

The financial and social status of one percent of the population is actively attempting to obliterate the rest of our nation’s population including the elderly, the weak, the poor, as well as annihilate the structure of the middle class. Attempting to take away our Social Security Benefits, health insurance, our right to clean air and water, and ignoring scientific facts and findings regarding global warming.

The cruel and unnecessary plight of the Dreamers and DACA recipients. 

I could go on and on and on with this list. It drags me down to think that in 2018 our country is not progressing as it should, but instead we are retreating into the past; a past that this present administration considers to be Making America Great Again. With the power of a dictatorship such as the likes in Russia today, their dictator, Vladimir Putin, has been directing and controlling this current president like his own personal marionette in order to attempt to break apart what the United States has always stood for: Democracy! Freedom! Individual Rights! And, the right to speak openly and freely without fear or recrimination! All the while the words ringing in our ears straight from the poetic pen of Emma Lazarus: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Do you recall ever having read a novel that described the perpetrator getting away with what might be considered ‘the perfect crime?’ As you read along with the storyline you begin to realize that many factors are involved in the apparent success of this intricate plot to rob, murder, or discriminate against another human being or institution. The talented author expertly weaves the various contributing factors into the plot denoting apparent perfection by pointing out fastidious planning, behind the scenes backing (including Big Money), perfect timing, and hitting the mark when people and situations appear to be at their most vulnerable.

Certainly, timing was everything for this foreign dictator as he plotted and planned out one of the greatest takeovers of Democracy today, concentrating heavily within the United States but encompassing Western Europe, as well. 

He needed the perfect pawn available and found him in Trump. With Trump’s propensity for greed, the manipulation of others, and desire to be looked upon as powerful and brilliant....the task of buttering him up was minimal. Trump was ripe for the taking. The vendetta he holds against the goodness and intelligence shown by Barack Obama is obscenely apparent throughout his ‘Birther Movement,’ as well as the simple fact that Barack’s strengths and popularity have galled Trump for years. Having the opportunity to retaliate against the 44th President was the cheese set out as bait in the Putin rat trap. 

Dividing the main principals of the people of any country through the means of fear and hatred weakens its chances of being strong from within; making it highly vulnerable to any outside influence. The last few years of extreme police brutality and massive gun violence with obvious disrespect for human life, has been breaking down the existence of law and order and weakening the fine line between good cop/bad cop, right and wrong, and enhancing a ‘gestapo-like’ influence of free-for-all Wild West brutality. This, unfortunately, is evidenced in the increasing power and brutality used by ICE (U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement) officers, Border Patrol police, and White Supremacist groups that believe in a political, economic, and cultural system in which whites overwhelmingly control power.... 

And why not? They’ve been given a free, anything goes, pass by their great leader, Trump, who has displayed his indiscriminate tendencies of racial profiling and hatred for many years. 

THESE STATS ARE DATED AS OF YESTERDAY,
JANUARY 24, 2018, AND INCLUDES DEATH, INJURIES,
AND NUMBER OF INCIDENTS REPORTED AND
VERIFIED  ~ THIS NUMBER CHANGES
DRASTICALLY EACH DAY AND
DOES NOT INCLUDE SUICIDES!

Looking at the chart above, you have to realize that we are only in the third week of this brand new year. 

Couple this attitude with the powerful backing of the NRA (National Rifle Association) and you have a steaming shit cocktail that’s guaranteed to disrupt and change all previous rules of law, order, and civility. By circulating its power throughout the various organizations who are paid to protect us, not brutalize us, and giving the 'green light' to the hate mongers, monsters are created and existing miscreants thrive. Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, understood early on that following the ‘money trail’ would shed the most light on understanding the motives behind the Trump administration and its connection to Russia, Big Money, and Power!

What on earth sparked this colossal revelation of mine today in the first place, with this day being just one more in the continuing clown show we call our government?! It feels bazaar sitting here gazing up at the vertiginous sky, mind wandering around in circles like a child lost in the middle of Time Square. Honestly, it was the simple act of remembering why I have not changed my Facebook profile picture in slightly over a year.... And, firmly vowing not to do so as long as we have these selfish, demoralizing people in the White House. When he and all of the similar ilk around him are formally expelled for many or all of the reasons I spoke about above...It will be a pleasure and a blessing to remove this badge of courage and exchange it for one filled with beauty and love (pictures with my grandchildren); vendetta having been recognized and, ultimately, rectified.

Already we see an upsurge in the number of women running for elected office from city mayors to Congresspersons, Senators, and Governors of the states they live in and will be proud to represent in Washington, D.C.  And, as long as that glass ceiling remains, virtually, intact, the sky is the limit for each and every one of them. 

My heart swells with the knowledge that many men regard female strength with such openness and anticipation, as if they have known for years that the simple act of injecting fresh, new ideas into the positions formerly held by (old/white) men would spark a major effort towards change, fill the cracks with a bit of softness, and allocate plenty of determination and new vibrations throughout the land. Bless all of you fine gentlemen! Gratefully, I know quite a few of you.

In my firm belief that Women Can Stop Trump, this symbol will remain right where it is as my profile picture, proudly displaying my innermost feelings while representing my steadfast belief in the power of women all over the world! The day it is removed and changed will be a day of celebration acknowledging the calculated progress into the future of our Democracy!

Author’s Note: It is better to enjoy life than to let it eat you up. So, I will celebrate life by believing that the truth will overcome. In honor of life (and speaking the truth), we are off to see and listen to Vice President Joe Biden next Monday, January 29, at the Dr. Phillips Center For The Performing Arts in downtown Orlando! Embrace the moment! 

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

"ORLANDO UNITED"

 A series of essays.....

BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS CRISSCROSSING OVER ORLANDO, FLORIDA

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Like beacons in the night, the digital highway signs above us along the 417 were guiding us home with their bright flashing messages of "ORLANDO UNITED!" 

"AMBER ALERT," or "HEAVY TRAFFIC NEXT 10 MILES," or "SILVER ALERT" need not apply here. "ORLANDO UNITED" was showing us the way home tonight. And, we were almost there!

The colliding evening sea breezes between the Gulf and the Atlantic decided to take a late hit as the skies opened up above us along I-95 near Palm Coast a short while before. For the last forty-five minutes our world had been wrapped in a cloak of darkness that was sporadically illuminated by bright flashes of intricate lightening bolts tossed at us from a hostile eastern sky! 

Happy about our final leg of driving after a long, long day on the road, and feeling comforting warmth on the back of my head, I decided to text our two daughters of our imminent arrival. "The fiery red sun is in full bloom low in the western sky and we are between Sanford and home! There are at least three rainbows to the east! And, it's still raining! WOW!" What a magnificent welcoming party! What a glorious sight!

It felt as if the highway signs had teamed up with the sun, rainbows, and rain in welcoming us back to a place we've, literally, grown up in for twenty years. And, true to nature, the growing pains have hurt, as well as inspired us along the way.....

Growing pains. All large cities have them. It's a challenge to keep up with the needs and constant fluctuations of the multitudes that incorporate so many various ideas and desires. Death. It surrounds all of us every day, big city or small town, in one way or another. With life there will always be death. Senseless Death? Hate? Gun Violence? Please help me understand these acts because I'm having a major problem here!!!

Rainbows in the eastern sky. The souls of the recent gun violence victims from the massacre at 'Pulse,' an Orlando nightclub located on Orange Avenue, in the very early hours of Sunday morning, were still making their way Home. The brilliant colors comprising each rainbow, representing their vibrancy and pure joy of life, were vehicles assisting in their climb up to the heavens along perfectly formed arches.....God's elegant gateway to Bliss. 

The 'tears of the survivors' that we have been shedding for these innocent souls are splashing down upon us in the form of rain from the Heavens above. God's way of stripping off the dirt and grime of travel; cleansing us of the filthy, tangible atmosphere of Hate and Fear.

The blood orange evening sun, now large and bold having broken through the angry black cloud cover, coupled with the bright digital signs right above our car, warmly light our way as we pass by the exit to Orlando Sanford International Airport, our personal gateway to Michigan, and over the bridge at Lake Jesup, spanning its calm, lazy alligator-filled existence. These landmarks exist between time and space and embed into one's very being given exercise and time. 

Yes! I truly understand and believe that rolling along the 417, we have become witnesses to this miracle of Life and Death. 

As a 'survivor,' I welcome the challenge that exists for those of us who clearly see the backwardness of our society and are capable of standing up to the idea that a gun-toting, miserable and mentally insane loner can cause such damage to everything we hold dear. Let's check a person's mental stability at the front door of every gun shop, gun show, and NRA meeting that exists today!

And, by the way, the National Rifle Association is an organization, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, founded in 1871 that promotes the legal use of guns and gun safety in the United States. It defends a U.S. citizen's constitutional right to own and bear arms. 

You see....I have a problem with accepting an archaic law that refuses to change or upgrade with the times. Let's pull ourselves out of the Wild, Wild West and actually admit that circumstances and people do change over time. More guns will never make it right! And, just for the record, isn't a large part of "gun safety" about protecting the innocent?

Owning another human being as a machine to provide labor for one's personal benefit and enrichment is ARCHAIC! Telling half of the nation's population (women) that they cannot vote....is ARCHAIC! Pulling your gun from its holster in order to shoot another human being because he or she is taking what you believe to be a personal possession of yours (Such as land, space, gold....) is ARCHAIC and very much related to modern day road rage and pure hatred of those around you. 

You do see my point, don't you? What was written up in the year of our Lord, 1871, may not apply in the same way in 2016. Times change. Circumstances change. The world evolves. People within a society should evolve along with these changes. Laws and regulations need to match the changing times. Many refuse to believe this and continue to act like small children soon to be denied their 'toys of choice.' If organizations such as the NRA convince you that your life is threatened and your 'toys' are required to maintain the wellbeing of your existence.....then, what better way to do so than to convince you that there are terrorists, unstable minds, unmitigated hatred constantly surrounding you?

Create the seed and hashtag it #power and you will find you've created monsters legally possessing lethal weapons.

Create the seed and hashtag it #Love and you will find that Love attracts more Love and can be shared throughout the world....  

Orlando nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen, and the killer of the twenty-two year old singer, Christina Grimmie, this past Friday at The Plaza Live in Orlando, should both be filed under 'mentally unstable' and yet....both were sold guns. Both succeeded in annihilating the innocent lives of those they had targeted for whatever reason. 

CHURCH LOCATED IN BOONE, NORTH
CAROLINA, OFFERING PRAYERS OF
HOPE AND LOVE FOR ORLANDO

As a reasonable human being, I cannot justify this unreasonable behavior. I will not attach a certain lifestyle to a "God given right" if it means the death of innocent people. I refuse to glorify young women and girls posing with handguns and attack rifles in a 'Charlie's Angels' like opening scene. I am still shaking my head after seeing my niece and her young daughter engaged in this imagery on Facebook! 

This is not "I am woman; hear me roar..." material. When women take pride in themselves, we see them flocking to the poles on Election Day, working hard to secure equal pay for the same job done by men, and maybe, just maybe, ensuring the fundamental rights of women over their own bodies instead of taking the lead from men who believe they know what's best for all women. The power I seek will be securing all of the above in my lifetime for myself, my daughters, and their daughters. For ALL women in the future! And, I will be voting for our nation's first female president in November in order to assist in making this country a better place where both women and men can coexist in mutual tolerance despite different ideologies or interests.

Talk is cheap....as the old saying goes. The words and actions of a self-proclaimed racist, egomaniac, and all-around nasty man will fire-up the masses, including those who think along the same vein as he does; their latent hatred being encouraged and served-up on a platter reinforced by Fear itself. May they tumble around in their massive machine of bigotry and denial (often under the guise of religious beliefs) until some sense of reality is forged from their actions. Their power is weak and self-serving. Their leader is, as well. The sad part is that this guy is crazy dangerous with his many twisted lies and opinions that are untethered to reality.

My friend, Amanda Patterson, shared a post on Facebook, written by Gareth Van Onselen for The Rand Daily Mail, suggesting diseases affecting South African politics. I am applying it to American politics, as well. "Entitled: The Instability Itch. Description: Instability itch manifests as a compulsion to disrupt or destabilize order by introducing chaos and uncertainty into a situation. Symptoms: Randomness, irresponsibility, and patronage." I believe it fits in our case quite well.

Light and Hope shined into our car windows just a few miles from our house bringing peace and contentment into my heart. I knew that coming back home to Orlando carried its heavy burden of grief for the lives so indiscriminately taken away from our community. And, for those they left behind. Knowing that I had to decide how to live with the pain and attempt to make the changes needed to make things better, I turned to my writing.

My words do matter. And I will continue to write them for all who are willing to read them and hope for a better life; a better, kinder life in a world filled with change and renewal.

If the written word is a means of replacing or repairing something that is worn out, run down, or broken, then there is a general need for more people to open up and relate how they feel to others. Simply put, we cannot afford to allow bigotry, walls, hatred, the ego, and negative power to take over our lives. 

Coming home to "ORLANDO UNITED" was living proof of this....!

That's the spirit we see in Orlando!

Remember that Love is what will always matter the most!

REMEMBERING THE LIVES SO BRUTALLY TAKEN
FROM US BY SENSELESS GUN VIOLENCE
IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA, 6-12-2016

Note: At this time I would like to extend my condolences to the Graves family from Elkhorn, Nebraska, who lost their two-year- old son, Lane, at the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World. Prayers are being sent out to help you carry this burden and let you know how much you are loved..... 

Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved