Category Archives: Inspiration

The Stage and the Platform

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

February 14, 2026- My kids planned their Valentine’s Day together. Son bought a nice assortment of cut flowers, the only element of surprise, on a day when daughter-in-law took the initiative in scoping out restaurants where they might go. Of course, there was a wait, but the evening worked out nicely. Hana and I had an evening of “stand up, sit down” (one of her favourite developmental games), my reading a chapter of “My Father’s Dragon”, and the snuggling and bottle feeding that are essential in a newborn’s life.

Earlier today, I took part in a brief online discussion about romantic holidays as performance art, as opposed to their being reflective of a deeper, more stable and integrated relationship. My kids passed the acid test. They have made each other’s big days, and their joint big days, focuses of mutual attention and planning, since they became committed to one another. Their platform is solid and supports the stage of important engagements.

I pondered the difference between the above, and the relationships in which one or both parties lurch from one helter-skelter “special day” to another. There are many who “forget” their significant others’ birthdays, or even wedding anniversaries. They are diffident about their partners’ dreams and significant events, or about her/his independent activities altogether. It is not surprising then, when the platform made of particle board collapses under the weight of dreams and expectations made of steel and titanium.

A lot of this is a matter of individual maturity and the developmental level of intuition, of both partners. It is also true that clarity, mingled with commitment, is the best foundation for any relationship. The platform of steel will support the heaviest of stages.

Freyja and Thirteen

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Entertainment, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 13, 2026- Friday is named for Freyja, the Norse goddess of just about everything earthy. She is given the portfolios of love and war, among other matters, thus making her job pretty much impossible. It is said by some that she was a child born of siblings, which would seem to make just about any task impossible for her to perform, though what do I know about supernatural genetics? She had a husband who was always off doing his own thing, leaving her to raise two daughters alone. We thus honour her by naming many people’s favourite day of the week in her honour.

Friday is, for people in business, a day to wrap things up for the week and to set sights on the following Monday. For teachers and office workers, it’s an afternoon and evening of unwinding. For many in tight-knit neighbourhoods, it’s another day to gather at the corner bar. For me, it was a night to catch live music at the Raven or Rafter 11, when I lived in Prescott and for going to a coffee shop for the same, when Penny and I were in Flagstaff or Phoenix.

Nowadays, Friday is another day of being with my granddaughter and all the snuggling, playing a little game of “Stand-Up, Sit Down” (for which she loves being praised for standing up, straightening her legs, with my support and then sitting back down) and helping with her personal care and feeding. There are no special things that distinguish one day from another, save that her father is off work on Saturday and Sunday. This is new for me, and likely is only a temporary state of affairs. (The world will inject itself into our lives again, soon enough.)

Friday the 13th, depending on one’s point of view, is either a day to revel in the joys provided by feminine energy or a day to stay home and hide under the covers. I can’t stand to stay in bed after 6 or 7, and my time with Hana begins at 5, so the second option has about as much appeal as a root canal. I’ve always loved women and girls, so the first choice has been easy to go with. To date, I have not had any bad experiences on Friday the Thirteenth. If anything, it’s been a fairly good day, over the years.

Freyja, wherever she is, must be smiling on our little Hana.

Our Better Nature

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

February 12, 2026- Abraham Lincoln closed his first Inaugural Address with:
“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

He struck a conciliatory tone to the slaveholders of the Southern and Border states, in a last ditch effort to avoid the outbreak of hostilities. Some became emboldened, and it didn’t work. We are warned, in Scripture, not to encourage those who lie, steal or engage in selfish behaviour. Lincoln thought he could convince those he regarded as “friends and neighbours” to retreat from their threats of secession. He would have done best to have heeded Christ:

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” – Matthew 7:6

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.” – Titus 3:10

When I was a teenager, I was warned by elders who have since passed, but who I respect to this day, to not give in to bullies. I stood my ground a few times, enough so that the kids backed off and some eventually became friends. Had I not stood up for myself, it was clear that they would have become emboldened.

It is also clear that, in the days when confrontation, and going after “the low-hanging fruit” are practices being substituted for reasoned policy-making and public discourse, the angels of our better nature require standing ground by sticking to facts, orienting self and avoiding the temptation to fall back on self-propelled fantasy. They require listening, certainly, and they require discernment, in evaluating what one has heard.

In-Laws

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 11, 2026- My mother-in-law would have turned 100 today. I look back on her contributions to our family life with a lot more gratitude than I might have shown as a thirty something and forty something work in progress. She had another term for it: “piece of work”, but she knew I was doing the best I could with what I had.

In-laws work together, coming from different generations, life experiences and perspectives. Hers was a more Victorian, adult-centric view, and she spoke of how her own childhood found her often shoved to the sidelines, by elders more concerned with “important issues”, in which children had no say. That lesson came hard to her, and I got the feeling that she wished she could be more tolerant of little ones. That aside, she raised Penny to be a caring and responsible woman; that gave me a wonderful helpmate, and Aram, a marvelous mother.

Now, it is my turn to be an in-law. I think the world of Yunhee, and get along well with her parents. She is hands down the best wife Aram could want and an exemplary mother to Hana. What I learned from Norm and Bunny is that there is a fine line between showing concern for the well-being of the family and getting in between husband and wife. I have a good situation now, in which Aram and Yunhee will invite my assistance, while I give them space to raise Hana as they see fit, and to consult me if they have issues, for which answers elude them.

I can sense the folks, and my parents, are with Penny, looking on with delight at seeing our son and daughter-in-law raising an exceptional child of their own.

Harlequin

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

February 9, 2026- My Dad used to bring home a gallon of ice cream that was called harlequin-vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, layered in one box. He noted these were the three most popular flavours, so we could each choose without feeling left out. I took a little of each. I forget what my siblings chose, but it was one flavour to the exclusion of others. That didn’t faze me. Each one of us is unique and entitled to our own opinions.

Yesterday’s Super Bowl offered a choice between two excellent teams. Seattle won, probably because of a more aggressive offense. I was busy with family things here, and didn’t watch the game, but would have been happy had New England won-as there is a direct connection, one of my maternal uncles was a key figure in getting both stadiums at Foxborough. That said, I congratulate the Seahawks for a job well done.

The halftime show was a statement celebrating the wholeness of the Americas. I only watched a clip of the end, and thought it a nice touch that most of the independent nations of the hemisphere were mentioned, after Mr. Martinez Ocasio’s statement: “God Bless America”. He probably could have done justice to the song, had he sung it, but Brandi Carlile had already done a fine rendition of “America the Beautiful”. (I watched that clip as well). There was an alternative show, by conservative artists. I didn’t watch any of that, but it is on You Tube, for those whose tastes prefer it. For the record, I like Lee Greenwood and Carrie Underwood, and would have watched any segment either of them might have done. I also like Latin music, and was an early fan of Santana, Joan Baez singing in Spanish, and the Chilean band, Quilapayun.

I guess I am just given to enjoying variety, diversity, or harlequin.

Firmness

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 6,2026- The gentleman introduced himself and grasped my hand firmly in his. He then asked, “How old do you think I am?” He looked to be about 80, so that was my guess. He said that he is 89. His mind is as keen as his handshake is firm. Thus, I have another role model to guide me through the next fourteen years of this life, God willing and the creek doesn’t rise.

I attended my Baha’i sector group’s observance of the Feast of Mulk (Dominion), making my first visit with members of my new Faith Community. We gather in the homes of those who have the space and wherewithal to host our spiritual Feasts (prayers, administrative reporting & consultation, and social fellowship). Holy Days, and the coming Ayyam-i-Ha (Intercalary Days), February 25=March 1, are celebrated in the Plano Baha’i Center, which I last visited three weeks ago.

Firmness in body is best matched by firmness in spirit and faith. Fervent Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and adherents to Indigenous beliefs know this, as well. I am confident that humanity will continue to trend towards wider applications of both cogent, proven health practices and a more broad-based view of the Divine Plan for our planet. Contrived regimens, in either area, are appealing, especially to those who are skeptical of spiritual traditions and/or established health practices. A firm command of reality, however, calls for us to be discerning, yet open-minded, in investigating these matters. Charlatans are all too eager to lead people astray, by playing on fears.

Back at the house, I found that Hana and her mother were staying firm in their routine, and I settled in to help with the little angel’s night routine, while her father is at a monthly Reserve Drill.

Ambition

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Striving

February 5, 2026- Hana makes no bones about it: She wants to stand up, and so with my help, she does, in sets of twenty. She wants to climb up on our shoulders, while being held, and so whoever has the honour will support her doing that. She likes to try and scoot or crawl, twice a day, on a soft nylon pad, and will work very hard at it, before getting frustrated. 7.75 weeks isn’t quite enough time, but she isn’t checking the calendar. Our girl is already setting an agenda for herself.

Hana comes by this honestly. Her paternal grandmother earned three Master’s Degrees, despite being physically disabled. One of her paternal great-great grandfathers was a master of podiatry and invented the Fellman boot, which was distributed to all ship-bound sailors of the U.S. Navy, during World War II. Her maternal grandfather gets up at 4 a.m. and works his farm until nearly dusk. Her parents have agendas for each day, and are not happy unless they accomplish at least 80% of those game plans.

So, we played the stand up game and I counted forty stand ups, while I was holding her and about twenty more, later in the day, while her Daddy was up for it. Mommy got her to start pushing forward with her feet a couple of times, and she realizes that holding her head up is key to successful ambulation. I look forward to helping my granddaughter set her own pace. She is not going to lay around and do nothing.

Fresh Start

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, children, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

February 2, 2026- I sat and told Hana the story of Punxsutawney Phil, replete with the talking animal character. In my version, Phil asked the top-hatted farmers to get him some relief for the stomach ache that had compelled him to poke his head out of his burrow. They did, on condition that he advise them as to how many more weeks of winter lay ahead. He replied, “That’s easy. I see my shadow, which tells me to hunker down for six more weeks.” So, in the imagination of Hana’s papa, the tradition began. Each year, Phil needs relief from his stomach ache, and each year, he strikes the same deal with the farmers. (This year, Phil “said”, there will be six more weeks of winter.)

Here in north Texas, it will be a bit nippy tonight and tomorrow night, but then we will see weather more like early Spring. That’s fine by us, as the family just bought a bucket of Icy Melt, sort of washing the car to generate rain-just in reverse.

I am glad to be back on the Word Press site, via laptop. The whole process of recovery, by the Happiness Team, involved recalling my old moniker, “Righteous Bruin”, which became the target of sarcasm, back in 2013-14, after some unfortunate choices on my part. Matters were corrected, though, and “Sagittarian Seeker” makes more sense. RB still has a role to play, in keeping this site afloat. We are off to another fresh start.

Thank you to all friends who have been sticking with me, during the phone-generated posts. The full peaceful warrior site is back.

Unbreakable?

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

January 30, 2026-

My son and daughter-in-law have each done a good job at treating my head wound. Hana,sensing that something is off, has clung more tightly to me, the past few days, My family and friends have offered heartfelt prayers and well-wishes, which have surely sped the healing process along.

I will be able to make good use of a chiropractor in nearby Frisco, once I sign up for his services next week. He is reportedly using the same methods as Dr. Boehland, who kept me moving nicely for twelve years.

None of us is individually unbreakable. I guess that is the main reason I pulled out of my shell, years ago, and have focused on bringing people together. We can’t afford to let opportunists run the table, so my efforts at a community level will continue here, as they did in Prescott.

What She Thinks

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

January 28, 2026-

The little girl throws her arms straight out, when she wants to be held close. This is something commonly noticed, in toddlers and older infants, but Hana, my granddaughter, is five weeks old.

When she hears a familiar voice coming in from outside, she calls out, in a single syllable, loud enough to let everyone know she is aware, even from her basinet in another room.

When I read to her, the eyes alternate between looking at the book and gazing intently at my eyes.

She values warmth and hates cold, like a lot of people. She is fairly insistent on being covered, even by a cotton towel, while someone is dressing her and knows to push her arms and legs into the onesie.

When we adults are at the dining table, having lunch or dinner, she calls from her nearby basinet . Someone gets her and holds her on a lap, and she wants to face everyone, so that usually means the right leg is the lap.

Her smile already lights up a room and her cries go deep into my heart. This is our Hana, and there are so many great days ahead.