'round here

 

Timely Quote

 "Every day, I pause.

I breathe.

And I pray—not for things, but to let go.

"No agenda. No fix-it list. Just a simple blessing:

"I wish them deepest well-being, happiness, and joy.

"I say it for the people I love.

For the people I’ve let slip away.

For the people who ghosted me ... 

And yes—for the trolls in the comment section who show up like caffeinated hornets, stinging before reading.

"Here’s the kicker:

Some days it feels like nothing.

Other days, it feels like the most radical thing I do.

"Because in a world engineered to reward outrage, choosing tenderness is a quiet rebellion.

It doesn’t mean letting people walk all over you.

It means refusing to carry their poison inside your own soul.

"It’s not about sainthood. It’s about spiritual self-defense that doesn’t turn you into what you’re defending against.

"So yeah, maybe I’m praying for you.

Maybe I’m praying for that guy who called me a heretic with a man bun.

Maybe I’m praying for the me from 10 years ago who thought he had to fix everyone.

"But mostly, I’m praying because it feels good to be soft in a world trying to turn us all into sandpaper.

"Give it a shot."

~ Aleksander Constantinoropolis

R.I.P. Francis...You Did What You Could

 Pope Francis wrote this in the Hospital. ❤️

“The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches...

They have witnessed far more sincere kisses than those in airports...

It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor.

A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar...

In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist...

A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care...

A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor...

It is in these moments, when the hospital touches the wounds of people, that different worlds intersect according to a divine design. And in this communion of destinies, we realize that alone, we are nothing.

The absolute truth of people, most of the time, only reveals itself in moments of pain or in the real threat of an irreversible loss.

A hospital is a place where human beings remove their masks and show themselves as they truly are, in their purest essence.

This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people.

Do not criticize your body too much.

Do not complain excessively.

Do not lose sleep over bills.

Make sure to hug your loved ones.

Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless.

Material goods must be earned by each person—do not dedicate yourself to accumulating an inheritance.

You are waiting for too much: Christmas, Friday, next year, when you have money, when love arrives, when everything is perfect...

Listen, perfection does not exist.

A human being cannot attain it because we are simply not made to be fulfilled here.

Here, we are given an opportunity to learn.

So, make the most of this trial of life—and do it now.

Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.

Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere.

Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely!

And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.”

—Pope Francis

Happy Winter Solstice Y'all!

 

Last night across the road on Lake Rousseau.....

About 10 years ago I lost access to be able to walk across the road and stand and breathe or take pictures of The Withlacoochee River aka Lake Rousseau, because the new land owner didn't want anyone walking on his property .

Thankfully about a month or so ago, I was granted permission to walk over there again.  I so love this land and the river that wraps around Citrus County before going out to the gulf   . We all here on this part of Riverbend Road live in what is known as "The Backwaters".  It has been difficult for me to even walk still, but I hope also to get back in my kayak soon too .