GOODNIGHT...VIETNAM!!

A series of essays....

VIETNAM WAR VETERAN PAYING HOMAGE TO HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS AND BUDDIES AT THE VIETNAM  WAR MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Courtesy: pixels.com

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Last night I went to bed with the sight and sounds of the North Vietnamese marching into Saigon, South Vietnam, and placing the fear of God in the people who were left there by the Americans back in 1973 when we pulled-out of Vietnam for good. It’s my own fault. Out of ten episodes of Ken Burns’ documentary on the Vietnam War, we had the final episode to watch. You see, we were cleaning up the recorded programming from our AT&T Cable devises in preparation for our move to Michigan next week.

I am such a stickler when it comes to watching every program that has been recorded off of our cable TV. It is my understanding that there had to have been a good reason to do so in the first place and, it is my responsibility to complete the entire process.

For some reason, having recorded all ten episodes months ago, we put off watching the documentary’s final chapter. There were too many personal memories involved and I wasn't prepared for the amount of closure it might bring.  

Vietnam, episode 10, was the last thing we watched before going to bed. Probably should have viewed it first and saved  International House Hunters and various other HGTV programs, several hour-long shows we love, Rachel and Lawrence from the last few nights, The Great British Baking Show, and the lulling voice of Lester Holt talking about the massive fires in California...for later. With hindsight in mind, I would have been much better off.

HO CHI MINH CITY (COMMONLY KNOWN AS SAIGON)
IS A CITY IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM FAMOUS FOR THE
PIVOTAL ROLE IT PLAYED IN THE VIETNAM WAR.
Courtesy: Wikipedia

Flashes of armored vehicles, ex-presidents, and a sleek, open V-shape wall of black granite etched with the names of 57,692 men and women who died in the war manipulated my blurred thoughts. Unfortunately, I am able to place faces along with the names of some of the heroes that will forever honor that wall and have followed along each indentation forming the letters of their names with my trembling fingertip. Having visited it several times since its construction and opening on November 13, 1982, the boys I knew remain in my youthful memory files, they never grow older, and they will always fill my heart with unwavering loyalty and emotion.

So, I cried for the men and women who, along with presidents and various statesmen, could not deter the enemy no matter how hard they tried...even while losing their dreams, their future, and many, their lives. 

I cried for all of us who were left to pick-up the pieces and try to make sense from a senseless world. How many twenty-one gun salutes at the local cemetery did we stand at attention at, rain or shine, and listen to each collective burst  in feeble homage expressed after the spirit and vitality of youth had been stripped away; the crooked smiles and deep blue eyes that were left in our memory, alone?

Oh, we were tough son-of-a-guns back then; those who stayed behind and those who left to fight the battles concocted by mere mortals in order to solve the world’s problems and counteract the blatant greed and malfunctioning ideals of others? If we weren’t fighting on the battlefields themselves, we were marching in the streets with like-minded students and college professors; launched in a fearsome battle trying to prove the predictability of this utter foolishness. 

Most of us knew that this conflict, aimed at maintaining the independence of the South Vietnamese people against the Communist regime of the North and China, was being spearheaded by our Generals and fought by our own brave, young men and women...many our own family, friends, and neighbors. A good friend of ours returned in one piece. At least his body had come home that way. His mind, did not and he suffered gravely from PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Steve relived his particular ‘battle’ every day of his life. The horror in his eyes reflected the demons he was forced to face. I can only hope that he was able to beat those demons back to wherever they righteously belonged and live out his days in a remote semblance of peace.

The blood that ran down into rice patties and along the dirt paths that guided our boys into ambushes and hopeless situations was witnessed each night on the Evening News. Not much was held back. It was almost as if we were there with them feeling the pain of stray bullets, the fear that clenched at their guts twenty-four hours a day, along with hearing the whir of the helicopters landing long enough to retrieve the broken bodies that covered the open fields in an attempt to fly them to safety.

BILLY JOEL SINGING 'GOODNIGHT SAIGON'
~CLICK BELOW TO WATCH VIDEO~

https://youtu.be/Qjzjhl-QztE

If a song can take you back to a certain moment in your past and make you vividly remember what you were doing, thinking...well, we had lots of those songs by many artists and groups, and to hear one of them today still sends chills through my very being. A song by Billy Joel, released in 1982, succinctly captured the reality of dying young alongside of your buddies while under impossible circumstances and seat-of-your-pants military organization. The song is called, Goodnight Saigon.

“And we will all go down together,” as the lyrics go. But, no matter how hard we fought and  tried to suppress it, ultimately, Communism was the cancer that spread south in Vietnam and remains uncured to this day.

I can remember the ones who said, “Hell No” and traveled over the border to Canada to avoid the conflict. They were friends, good students, bright individuals who felt they had no choice but to leave everything behind. They were our friends, and who were we to tell them not to go when it was difficult to justify them staying? Especially when we never forgot the young high school boys with their crooked smiles and deep blue eyes a year or two before!

Sleep, finally, caught-up with me. I couldn’t tell you exactly when. That was last night.

This morning I’ve spent time putting into words the pictures that danced through my head during the night. It wasn’t difficult. They were fresh and frighteningly vivid and before long the words flowed like the blood of the innocent and representing a thousand conflicts throughout the history of the world! 

Recently, I have been speaking with a Vietnamese family, good friends, whose older members lived through this war and all of its repercussions that still cling as tightly as plastic wrap around their memories and fears keeping them fresh and active. The grandchildren, born here in the United States, are the fortunate generation. Loving their Grandmother, Mother, and Father so much, they listen to the stories their elders have to tell. They will be the ones to carry these stories through time like the Irish custodians of the oral tradition of storytelling, the Seanchaidhe, bearers of ancient culture, history, and laws.

DAN WITH 'MAMA,' THE BEAUTIFUL LADY
WHO HAS FRIGHTENING AND AMAZING STORIES TO TELL

After living through last night and all of the ‘tosses and turns’ that presented themselves...I’ve made a major decision this morning. I will carry on my research into the lives of my friends, the Vietnamese who personally lived through the hardships of the Vietnam War and were the innocent victims who survived the conflict to live another day. For them it was a matter of getting to the United States through sponsorship and being placed in an area where that sponsor could help them find homes and employment so they could raise families of their own. Orlando, Florida and the Catholic Church played huge roles in providing hundreds of Vietnamese solace and a safe haven in America.

I love these people. We’ve been so blessed to be living in Orlando these many years and afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with the beautiful Vietnamese people. I have spent time learning their stories, crying and laughing with them, and being lulled by the gentle rhythms of their language and pure kindness.   

OUR FRIEND, NHIEU DAO, WITH HIS
BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL, AVA!

Just as I was a teenage girl discussing this war from high school classrooms and watching it on television at home, my life was being paralleled by another woman who was around my own age, who fell in love with an American soldier, and struggled to bring her two daughters (Amerasian) over to the United States one day. We all call her 'Mama'...out of love and respect for her status and wisdom.  

Two lives running parallel in time, one living within the privileges of a normal life and the other the uncertainty and fear of a life in total upheaval. Two women who meet one another many years later and learn about the struggles and small victories that kept them strong and motivated enough to push ahead into the unknown; into their inevitable futures. 

To be continued...

BEAUTIFUL MISS JANICE~ BRINGING US
HOME FROM THE AIRPORT LAST WEEK:
THE BEST FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR...EVER!!!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

 

OUR COUNTRY IS A SCULPTOR'S ENERGY AND SO MUCH MORE...

A series of essays....

THE CHAPEL OF SAINT-SIXTE THAT
OVERLOOKS THE VILLAGE OF EYGALIERES IN PROVENCE

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

“Our country is a painter’s palette, a sculptor’s energy, and a poet’s lyrical choice of words.....!”

These are words I’d written to a good friend who is an artist that lives in the South of France and calls the beautiful village of Eygalières her home. We’ve been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to visit Nadine Fourre in her historical village and learn from her the magical history behind every stone, nook, and beautiful cranny that makes-up this wonderful place she calls home. 

The village is surrounded by the superb landscapes of the Alpilles, the chain of small mountains which cross from east to west with olive groves, green valleys, and vine fields punctuated here and there by tastefully restored residences. The Alpilles range is about sixteen miles long by about five miles wide, running in an east-west direction between the Rhône and Durance rivers. The landscape of the Alpilles is one of arid limestone peaks separated by dry valleys. The highest point of the Alpilles is at an altitude of just 1,617 feet.

THE ALPILLES RANGE THAT RUNS
JUST SOUTH OF EYGALIERES

Like most of the villages that exist in Europe, large or small, they contain an existence of slightly newer houses and shops that are generally located along her main streets. The epicenter of the town’s historical aspects are contained in what is known as Centreville, or the center of the village. Eygalières is slightly different than other locations because the oldest part of the village is elevated and at the top of the hill, standing guard like a grand and loyal soldier, is the The Chapel of Saint-Sixte with its distinctive bell tower. Nadine offers many of her gallery showings within this beautiful chapel throughout the year. We were fortunate enough to enjoy one of her local exhibitions while visiting with her in Eygalières.

Just a hundred steps or so down from the chapel is a cozy, one-story stone house that is part of the original center of the 'old' village. Directly behind this little gem you will find smooth river stones of all shapes and sizes neatly stacked and divided lengths and shapes of petrified wood that have been gently excavated from the river by Nadine herself! This is where Nadine calls home. I won’t lie...I am a tad jealous of her simple yet generous lifestyle.

AN AMAZING COLLECTION OF RIVER STONES
THAT RESTS BEHIND NADINE'S STONE HOUSE

I have often written about Nadine’s superb talent of balance, texture, and form in her many handsome sculptures and designs. Life is all about being able to balance all of the elements that shape our lives whether they be life styles and daily activities to the natural elements that surround us in nature. Nadine’s appreciation of these natural elements, coupled with the fact that she has settled down to live in one of the most amazing areas in France that, in itself, contains a unique balance of stone, water, and an abundance of sunlight, is incorporated within everything she does.

One day, only a few months ago, Nadine asked how important would it be for her, as an artist, to eventually visit the United States stating that it was something she’d always thought about doing but wasn’t certain it was a commitment she was easily willing to make. 

Having traveled and lived in many areas of the United States myself, I was able to expound on the artistic value of both city and country landscapes. I described the stark blue and starlit skies in the West, the crystal clear lakes of the North, and mountain ranges that stretch for miles while draped in cloaks of smoky purples and grays to the sheer rock faces that stretch up high, piercing the powder-puff clouds and blue skies that softly languish above the Rocky Mountain range.

NADINE SEATED NEAR SEVERAL OF HER SCULPTURES

The first thing I could think of in answer to her inquiry was to say, “Our country is a painter’s palette, a sculptor’s energy, and a poet’s lyrical choice of words..... You must come visit one day, Nadine.” 

And, I meant every word.

Yes, we may be temporarily existing in a world filled with such discord and genuine lack of harmony among many of the people who call this country their home due to a political climate that has awakened the dragon that lives in the ivory tower up in the lofty hills of wealth and privilege. However, I will never fail to give credit to the vast majority of American citizens who choose to believe that we are all better than this; that life is a healthy balance between the evil that exists and the good that will keep evil at bay by being forced to face and confront our attackers and voting them out of political office in the upcoming November elections.

The political vibe that exists within our country today will never erase the fact that it is a painter’s palette, a sculptor’s energy, and a poet’s lyrical choice of words! We witness the colorful imagination and talent that ignites the very soul of her people through the many varied artists, as well as the supporters of their artistic endeavors! Hats off to the hikers who traverse the miles of rocky and wooded trails, the writers who feel one with nature while creating the poems and stories of today and tomorrow, the musicians who create the magical sounds that make the heart sing, the painters who capture the pure essence of our colorful landscapes and cityscapes, and to all of the people who rejoice in the efforts put forth by these talented souls.

Deep down we are a nation filled with love and showered in hope for the future. And, we must not and will not allow these pure, basic ideals of life to dissolve within the black hole of hate and deceit. Yes, we are better than this!!

SEAMLESS BALANCE BETWEEN NATURE
AND MANKIND   ~NADINE FOURRE

We must never allow talented people such as my friend Nadine to give-up on us or question whether or not they should learn for themselves from the comforting beauty that surrounds us as Americans. She must see for herself how this land is rich in its own history including our indigenous peoples who have always treasured the flora and fauna and spiritual benefits this land has to offer all of us if we choose to embrace them...rather than eliminate them.

Please visit us, my dear friend, and see for yourself the beauty that exists and may just serve to feed your soul with more pleasure than you could ever imagine. We need you. The world needs to hear your story. Our doors are open to your comments and suggestions as an artist, a friend, and a believer in beauty and grace...

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

RETIREMENT: A MARATHON RUN?

A series of essays....

DAN'S OFFICE ALL DECKED-OUT FOR THE BIG DAY!

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Retirement officially began on June 1, 2018, for Dan. The choice of withdrawing or leaving from his chosen occupation at the age of sixty-seven was his and his alone. The company he worked for would have gladly employed him for as long as Dan desired to work. They respected him as a person and thoroughly appreciated his common sense  approach to any job at hand coupled by his acquired expertise after a lengthy, successful career in the Construction business.

I WONDER IF THE AUTHOR WAS REFERRING
TO BATTLING THE
I-4 TRAFFIC EVERY MORNING?

Not many can say they were able to control their own destiny. Then again, I have to ask, do we really own control or do circumstances in our lives guide us around each twist and turn and we’re merely passengers locked into this carnival ride that’s managed by the person (computer) down below? I’d like to think it’s a bit of both; a perfect blend of free will and fate!

As I sit here in the semi-darkness of the early morning hours, snug in my library chair, i-Pad screen glowing brightly, it’s difficult for me to think that this particular pleasure is offered to me on borrowed time. Certainly the contents of this room are ours: the piano we’ve moved from home to home, the antique oak, claw-foot table separating our two comfy recliners, and the grand collection of books lined-up on shelves like soldiers awaiting their orders to whisk us away to places near and far...for our sanity and immeasurable delight!

I WILL MISS THIS MORNING VIEW

It’s the shell....the structure itself....that we built as our home twenty years ago that I speak about. By our own admission and free will, we relinquish this house to others to live, play, create memories, and love in from this day forward. Well, after signatures are signed on the dotted line in August, anyway! Our house has been sold! Unfortunately, this room I write in and love so much is a part of this sale and, it will be missed. I can only hope that the new owners fill the waiting empty shelves with their own magnificent adventures!

I digress a bit from my original thoughts about Dan’s retirement plan. Three years ago, almost to the day, we purchased our ‘little yellow cottage’ and this set the wheels of retirement into motion for us. 

We always believed in owning a ‘working retirement’ and have never bought into the ‘rocking chair with knitting in hand’ syndrome. How could we when there’s so much life out there to live! So, as the beginning of June loomed before us, we hit the ground running like a pair of soldiers landing by parachute on the battlefield and moving off as quickly as possible the moment our feet touched the ground. Working with the energy and enthusiasm of youth but with the occasional aches and pains of mature (oldish?) adults, we went to work....

Interview at least three realtor teams and, based upon the information gleaned, choose which team will work the hardest to sell our home. Check. Declutter, repair, and prepare the house for its debut exposure to none other than the ENTIRE WORLD, in person and on the Internet! Check. From the first Open House on, be prepared to live in a pared-down version of your normal lifestyle while reducing your life to its most simple and cleanliest form. Check. Be prepared to put up with a full range of emotions, from incredible lows to anticipatory highs and back down again. Can’t completely or sincerely Check that line item as being accomplished.

In any case, we have been blessed by the realtor gods. Coupled by the fact that we have loved and taken great care to maintain and improve upon our home over the years,
someone else has fallen in love and, from what we hear, would like to call it their home. 

NHIEU AND DAN AT THE HOLLYWOOD SALON

We survived their home inspection last Friday and spent the ‘away time’ wisely by getting hair cuts and a pedicure. We spent some tearful moments saying our good-byes to the friends we’d acquired in Nhieu Dao, our hairdresser who, for the past nine years, has had to learn so much about dealing with blonds in addition to his formal knowledge of exotic, dark-haired Vietnamese clients. And, Donna Tran, with whom I have entrusted my sad, often dry, and mostly tired feet to for over sixteen years when we first met at the Bonjour Salon in Winter Park just before our oldest daughter’s wedding.

MY FRIEND, DONNA, HAS TAUGHT
ME SO MUCH ABOUT VIETNAM, HER HOME.

This week we are packing-up for another drive up to Michigan, a jam-packed trailer in tow. This weekend we anticipate seeing high school friends (Class of ‘68), with less familiar faces now, at our Class Reunion in Three Rivers, Michigan! I won’t write how many years since graduation. You’re welcome to do the math and gulp along with me. I have to wonder what their perception of Dan and me will be. Does it even matter as long as we are all alive, healthy, and living our lives the best that we can?

LIEN AND DAN

LIEN (PRONOUNCED LYNN) HAS SHARED
SO MUCH AND GIVEN EVEN MORE. SO MANY
STORIES TO CHERISH AND WRITE ABOUT!

Then we fly home to Orlando to do the serious packing or ‘gutting of the house’ and labeling the contents in Sharpie black by virtue of its contents and where it should be placed in the little yellow cottage...or, rented storage unit.

Within the past seven weeks since my husband’s official retirement it’s been a virtual whirlwind of activity and emotions. He (we) hasn’t had time for anything close to resembling slowing down the pace of life, let alone being able to come up for a breath of fresh air every now and again. 

Some sage advice offered by this ‘Beautiful Grandma’ to all of the young people who, even with the world at their fingertips via smartphones and the Internet, still proclaim their utter boredom with life. I say to put on your running shoes and prepare to buckle-up for the fast-paced life ahead of you. Do your warm-ups, jockey for the best position while in the neutral zone, and get ready for the most competitive time of your life imaginable....retirement!

Oh, and did I happen to mention that you must be hungry for books and become an avid reader in order to be able to gobble-up as much knowledge as possible in your lifetime?

And, when you decide it’s time to face retirement, don’t be fooled by the allure of limiting your life to long walks on the beach, eating what you want, or sitting in a comfortable rocking chair all day long. Complete the book you began writing years ago, volunteer to help others even more now that you are not limited by employment or time constraints, and get involved in local politics by joining organizations that have everyone’s best interests and personal desires for a better life for all in mind. (Please promise that you will go out and vote this November!)

Cast out the misconception of allowing downtime dictate the rhythm of your life. Maybe you don’t have to continue a marathon pace after that Friday luncheon organized in your honor as Dan has, but knowing that you now have the time to ease into that personal change you’ve been looking forward to is an amazing feeling. Life itself is an intricate and beautiful thing; retirement helps you recognize the many facets of life you may have been missing out on all of these years.

So, put on your running shoes, boys and girls, because we all have a lot more than 26.2 miles left in us after we retire!!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

DISTRACTIONS: LITTLE STORIES THAT SAVE ONE'S SANITY

A series of essays.....

NAVIGATING THE FRENCH ALPS....
A VIEW GUARANTEED TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!
LE TOUR DE FRANCE, 2018

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Writing and photography have helped me get through many potential and actual perils in my lifetime. To see and feel a world that others may not be able to has taken me to great heights of understanding about myself and, unfortunately, introduced me to some extreme lows when considering this ever changing world we live in today. Like the Sword of Damocles, danger resides over us in the form of uncertainty, fear, and loss of hope. To protect our sanity, it is wise to incorporate diversions or distractions that help guide us through the rough times.

From the beginning of time, painters, writers, sculptors, and artists of all varieties and backgrounds have attempted to escape the tension that bleeds from the open wounds of the heart by concentrating on their ability to.....create. The power of observation becomes a popular distraction that affords men and women the opportunity to visualize ‘fresh ideas’ and turn them into powerful examples of timeless beauty consisting of vivid colors, molded clay, cool granite, and a thousand words of wisdom and creative distractions set into poetic motion.

Many of us are feeling the intense grip that today’s political climate has on us. In order to counterbalance the heaviness of this burden, it has become more and more important to believe in the positive ideals represented by the people and values we love and hold dear to us. Making the time to focus on the more obscure, smaller things that surround us, as well, is all about holding on to our identity (sanity) and allowing our imagination to run wild and free. Our power of observation offers us a distraction from the threats of reality we tend to wallow in; an escape mechanism that enables us to resist and persist by rejoicing in the simple art of daydreaming....

I offer you a few 'little stories' I've written in the last several days. Based upon my personal activities, they are designed to capture my daydreams, urge the creative juices to flow freely, and save my sanity!

CAPTURING THE SPIRIT
OF 'LE TOUR'

VIEW DU JOUR

The hand-held camera is gripped tightly by the Frenchman seated behind his leather-clad motorcycle driver who is gingerly navigating the extremely narrow road. The camera is positioned low enough to capture the whirling spokes of each bicycle tire blazing past him; each smooth and muscular, pumping leg of the men powering the bikes from one valley up to the mountain summit and down again into the next valley waiting far below. A virtual train of colorful machines and raw, physical power flashes on the television screen in front of me.

The surrealistic ‘view du jour’ is orchestrated by this particular cameraman with his own sense of artistic flair, daring to capture a unique view of his own French landscape. This rhythmical shot is nothing short of mesmerizing. 

Slowly, he pans up and repositions his camera to shoulder height, mocking physics by challenging the properties of gravity and inertia, simultaneously. What I see now takes my breath away! As if fixated upon every shadow and detail of Mont Sainte-Victoire (located in the South of France) forming in the fertile mind of Paul Cézanne, I witness the finished product captured high-up in the French Alps at precisely this moment in time by a Frenchman and his camera. Merci!

NICE TO SEE THAT EVEN TOILET TISSUE
CAN BE IMPROVED UPON!

TOILET TISSUE

It’s just toilet paper after all! It’s a product we, certainly, take for granted, often purchase in bulk, and stuff in a cabinet or neatly stack on the highest shelf in the pantry; out of sight, out of mind until absolutely required. Often, we miscalculate the timing of its necessity and find ourselves in full-fledged panic mode while dashing about and feeding another puffy roll on the spring-loaded rod, before securely clicking it into place.

It’s precisely because of the timeless war we’ve waged with our spouses throughout the years as to whether each sheet is fed on top of or behind the roll of toilet tissue that I, innocently, made a very interesting discovery one afternoon. 

Peeling off the one dimensional plastic skin of the cuddly, brown bear smiling up at me, I decided it was time to replenish each bathroom with several rolls of toilet tissue. Releasing each roll from its second plastic wrapper and removing the spring rod prior to piercing it into the center of the cardboard roll, I was distracted by something I’d never seen before.

Gone was the straight, austere edge I’d come to know for so many years! The edge of the first sheet that fed over the top of the roll reminded me of the soft, scalloped trim of a Victorian dress sleeve; the delicate edge of a hand-embroidered pillow case. This small, almost unnoticeable change delighted my sense of artistic balance as it softly laid atop the other sheets and, when pulled away from them, was released with much more efficiency than its straight edged counterpart. 

Smiling, I tucked a few rolls of ‘prettiness’ into the empty basket and moved on to the next bathroom realizing that sometimes it takes such a small change to happen in order to make a world of difference.

GETTING READY FOR AN EVENING DUET
 WITH THE 'BIG BOYS'

A FREQUENCY OUR FROGS CAN IDENTIFY WITH

Within the past several months we’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon that we’d never picked-up on before. Sitting out on our lanai at sunset always offers a myriad of visual and audio delights, mostly attributed to nature but, with a few being, strictly, man-made. The amazing part is that our minds and bodies have become attuned to these various activities and we have come to know when to expect them to happen.....almost down to the precise moment!

Even more amazing is when a man-made object directly interacts with nature in such a way that we’ve grown used to the joy it fills us with each time it happens! The distraction it provides helps us to understand more about the interconnected, emotional environment we live in.

Among the unique beauty of our Floridian sunsets that fill the senses with indescribable color, deep shadows, and spectacular highlights, we witness the pouring rain that sifts through the tiny, mesh holes of the screen enclosure creating a soft and surreal backyard world. We can predict the moment when the harmony of the crickets and the high-pitched droning of the cicadas begins. When the colors of the sunset blend into the semi-darkness of dusk, our frogs appear and begin walking the high frame of the pool enclosure like expert tight-rope performers. And, while all of this is happening around us, the large, metal birds aloft in the evening sky come from all over the world to land at OIA (Orlando International Airport) only a few miles away.

Our ambitious frogs spend the day sheltering from the sun by resting in the nook and crannies afforded by the metal bracing. As the planes approach at dusk (one of the busiest times at OIA), the frogs appear and leap along the damp, aluminum rails with gusto! The frequency of the sound waves produced by the plane’s engines overhead are of a distinctive quality of sound that matches the specific vibration of our friendly frogs. Their instinctive reaction to each plane is a short litany of croaks as if to say, “Go away, you really do bother me.”

Even if we become distracted by the television after coming inside for the night, our predictable amphibians lament their guttural songs before we realize that yet another plane will soon be touching down on the tarmac just down the road. I’m still not certain if they are friends or foe of one another but, I do know one thing....they will be missed when we, finally, pack-up and leave them behind in the Orlando twilight.

REFLECTIONS OF TIME AND SPACE
AFTER MY MORNING READ...

I AM TOTALLY INFATUATED
WITH THIS PICTURE!!!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

THE INTEGRITY OF DEMOCRACY: BLESSED OR CURSED?

 A series of essays.....

THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
BY SALVADOR DALI

Courtesy of: Artsy

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

The world has officially turned topsy-turvy in my lifetime and what I once considered to be an ordered life has turned into a state of utter disorder and confusion; it has turned upside down and infused with a bitter anger that leaves a sharp, pungent taste on the palate of our existence.

By virtue of applied math and science, the average American citizen could or should be on the verge of either a mental breakdown, experiencing heart disease, stomach ulcers, or, at the very least, mired (become stuck in swamp mud?) in a state of total confusion!

Others opt to exist within a ‘state of oblivious bliss’ and completely ignore the chaos that describes the state of our nation, which may include the fate of hundreds of children caught-up in the right wing politics of the Family Separation Policy issued by the Trump administration. Innocent children who have been separated from their parents at our border are being placed at risk and used as pawns to create anxiety and fear in the hope of deterring future immigrants from crossing our borders to seek refuge from the unfiltered chaos they leave behind in their own country. 

Through her tears, Digna, an immigrant mother from El Salvador, who had her young son and daughter taken away from her over a month ago, asked, “Why was it so easy for them to take my children away from me and so difficult to have them returned?” My heart aches for her.  

Until a California judge decreed that these vulnerable families needed to be reunited, immediately, these children had slipped through the political cracks with no hope of ever being cared about or heard from again; lost between heartless leadership and a policy that should be totally disconcerting for all of us who care about the health and well-being of one another. 

If ignorance is indeed a form of bliss, then those of us who refuse to react to this hatred or even acknowledge that this hatred exists among us, will suffer a rude awakening in the near future. While this administration chips away at every conceivable program designed to enhance and protect people and the land we hold so dear, it is unfathomable to think that there are those who would not react to this form of governmental terror that exists in Washington D.C. today! 

We’ve already seen a popular response via organized, massive marches and instant protests where the voices of the people can be heard loud and clear, day and night. Organizations have been instantly established, such as INDIVISIBLE, whose mission is to cultivate and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda.

Internal terror attacks are happening around us all of the time. The very people we’ve chosen to represent us in Washington have elected to place their personal needs of Money, Power, and Politics before the needs and desires of the people who elected them. 

When was the last time the word ‘ISIS’ rolled off your tongue? Instead, our fear concentrates around mass shootings initiated by fellow citizens armed with guns, the stronghold of foreign political influences that have wrapped their emboldened fingers around the neck of democracy itself, and the lack of leadership by a narcissistic and heartless president whose agenda seems to be working on weakening or abolishing our democratic government and ideals.

It should concern us that there is what we call this president’s ‘small base of supporters’ who, unflinchingly, uphold every move he makes....even to the point of harming themselves and their families in the process. I am speaking about the loss of affordable health care, shared values, and of monetary growth and security due to the lack of jobs based on the destruction of healthy trade relationships with friendly foreign nations. Not only does his ‘base’ support his constant flow of manipulative lies, they seem to bask in them to the extent that the lies become the truths they are searching for under the influence of this shallow, harmful man.

If you have become familiar with the many terms that have surfaced due to the political unrest and divisiveness of our country within the past several years, you will recognize the phrases ‘Nuclear Options’ and ‘Collusion,’ as well as the two men who own them: Kentucky Senator, Mitch McConnell and Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, respectively. I’m uncertain as to which man should frighten us more; the manipulator from within our government or the powerful foreign manipulator outside of it!

We now live in a world where the sky is green, the grass is blue and just about ‘anything goes!’ Suddenly, the rules and ideals that reflected an order of normalcy have been thrown out the window and are melting away like the clocks in Salvador Dali’s painting, The Persistence of Memory. 

Will we choose to throw the Integrity of our Democracy out with the dirty bath water or, if time remains on our side, decide to experience a profound sense of vigor and change growing within us as a nation that cares enough to believe in a new sense of hope for all people? It’s not too late to move out of ‘Topsy-turvyland’ (Trumpnation). We just have to want to badly enough.

If we do not work together to make positive change happen...time, the American Dream, and the Integrity of our Democracy could be melting away, forever!

            

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

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