With the scribbled Santa Lists in his hand he looked around the store, taking more internal measure of what was not possible this year.  His heart sank.  

Lights were bright, colors bold, and generally the people moving up and down the aisles seemed cheerful, albeit deliberate, in their considerations.   Yet for him, for the first time, he felt inadequate. 

He began to think this year will be a measure of his failure;  with little money, it would be impossible to fulfill those carefully written wishes.  

Filled with an anxiety known to a growing number of people he felt fear.   Then a whisper he was previously able to fight away began to creep toward him – Boldly striking the bells of pride with a deafening resonance.    If he cannot purchase the *stuff*, he cannot provide for his family, and his value is less.

The Christmas Season brings with it joy, hope and fun.   However, beyond the tinsel, bows and shiny things, Christmas can also bring a heightened sense of despair.

Madison Avenue does a great job of making an increasingly product focused society define and measure value from the perspective of a brand new Lexus with a six foot perfectly adorned bow topper.
If such is attainable, you are successful and hold worth.  If such is unattainable you are less, perhaps far less.
And it doesn’t take the scale of a Lexus to make a feeling of inadequacy any less impactful.  It could be the unattainability of a video console, a pair of sneakers, a gadget all the cool kids own, or even a specific ‘everyone-gotta-have’ T-Shirt.
We all want to give that which a child desires.    Often we measure ourselves by the ability to provide that desire; and absent of our ability – we are failing.
As soon as you begin to focus on your inability, you allow the dark whispers, evil whispers who deceitfully enjoy infecting your heart, to define yourself solely on the basis of Pride, Ego and ultimately short-comings.
This is a dangerous season as much as a joyful one. (more…)

Perhaps with time permitting a little reflection it is prudent to clarify the intents and purposes of the Treehouse community.
This is a conversation.
Your conversation.
A conversation about what’s happening, but more importantly about ‘why’ it’s happening, whatever the happening appears to be.
If you peel back all the visible layers (amid the storylines) placed by the people and organizations participating in the various happenings you will, eventually, find a single set of ideological truths.
All of the “fundamental change-isms” are about filling voids.   More directly, the layers present as those filling voids from the outside in.
Fillers may take on this type of formula:   If we take from them, and give to them-others, then things will be better.   Or if we take from them, and give to ourselves, we will be better.
But it, all of it, all revolves around the perception of not having something, and the perception of needing something.   (more…)

I have long felt that life is like a series of links in a chain. You might be driving down the road and you hear a song on the radio, or see a picture, and you feel a memory,…. something that reminds you of a different time and place than where you are right now.
You reflect.
The memories you consider remind you of a totally different place in your life. Perhaps you lived in a different place. Perhaps you were surrounded by different people. Perhaps a different job or completely different friends. You recognize those memories were constructed like frozen moments in time. They become individual links in the chain in your life. (more…)

From time to time folks ask me for references;  I provide them when possible, but I always qualify the referral should be independently queried for comfort – which brought me recently to an interesting conversation.…
Experience has taught me one of the easiest ways to avoid problems in life is to avoid Democrats as if they carry a horrific contagious infection.
It just makes life easier.
If you are going to an attorney ask their political identity.  If you are going to a doctor ask them who they voted for.   If you are hiring a person to provide any product or service in your life begin the interaction with simple question(s):   Are you a Democrat?
You would be amazed at what you will avoid, and how much better your life will be.
If you are buying a car, ask the salesperson.   If you are going to buy or sell your home ask the agent.    Considering a school, ask the teachers/professors and/or the Principal/Administration.    You son or daughter gets an invitation to a Birthday Party, ask the Mom or Dad who are hosting.   Anytime an opportunity presents itself, just ask. (more…)

A Change In the Line-Up Coming To Fox News

CLICK HERE

From what I can determine they want to get rid of Greta Van Sustern

UPDATE:   Thanks to a few links dropped it appears Greta is not going to be leaving Fox, though she might be changing slots.   THAT’s Good.   From Today –  Speaking with Neil Cavuto this afternoon, Fox News chief Roger Ailes addressed speculation about his network’s primetime lineup changes. (more…)

A recent comment brings something to light….  I am editing out identity not only because I have no desire to point out a specific person, but because in a larger text it apparently relates to growing constituency:

 ….. although I’ve been following the Zimmerman trial and post-trial postings for many weeks.  I understand and agree with [xxxxxxx] comments.  I also had [xxxxxx]-like feelings about many of the religious comments posted here.  Not for my own sake as a libertarian atheist, but for the sake of my liberal white friends who I would like to refer to this site.  I’ve often thought, “I wish these people would tone it down with the Christian talk.  My friends are going to take one brief look at this site and dismiss it as a bunch of right-wing religious nuts.  They won’t stay long enough to get the kernel of truth spoken here about the BGI and its government co-conspirators.”  But I decided it wasn’t my place to ask this community to alter its commentary to suit the prejudices of my liberal white friends.  If my friends are too close-minded to look past the religious talk then that really is their problem. I believe that much of the Christian commentary here is unnecessary and is frequently off point….. 

What would possibly make you think I/we/us would want to attract a following of “liberal white friends” to this site?    The descriptions you then attach to those persons fill identification (check boxes) of exactly who I/we/us  would NEVER WANT to associate with.  Period. (more…)

Some wonder if I have lost my marbles.   Perhaps, but it is the same set of marbles I have been chasing since the formal age of eight.   Without any formal training; well, sort of.
You see, around eight I wrote about whistling.
Whistling, the noise you make when you blow energy from your lungs through pursed tongue.
The energy you release is infinite.
Meaning you create it, you have made it, you have transferred your own capacity to make energy into an active state, projected it, and it is ridiculous to think it just disappears once you can no longer hear it……  it still exists, because you created it, you just can no longer identify it, locate it, or reasonably quantify it.
But the energy itself must still exist.   Somewhere.  There is no anti-energy void around us to take it. (more…)

The capacity to speak French is not unusual for a 3 year old;  Unless you realize the child is not living in France, and does not have French family, then it becomes odd.  Or something.  Leads to big chairs and stares by bigger people toward little people.
The truth of language is as obvious as Cain having married his sister.   Damn, Phoenicians.

If you want to find a belief, it is best not to talk to a priest;  Because somewhere along the voyage of his questioning – he encountered Theology teachers.   The questioning necessarily stopped.   Just ask, you’ll see….   The questioning always stops. (more…)

As you read this, or anything similar, remember this:  
The US-FDA and USDA, along with the US-CDC have comprehensive state of the art bio-genetic research technology which can trace the genetic makeup, the actual DNA strain, of a potato, to the field where it was grown. 
If it were a large field, they can even narrow it to the GPS level mapping coordinates within the field itself….. and this can all be accomplished on mobile research platforms.
I gave instruction within a bio-genetic lab (in another venue) 30 years ago where the origin for this process was created.    Their genetic tracing capability is far beyond the human genome project.  This is real science.  Practical, applicable, provable and certain science.
MEXICO –  The Food and Drug Administration says an outbreak of stomach illnesses in  Iowa and Nebraska is linked to salad mix served at local Olive Garden and Red  Lobster restaurants and supplied by a Mexican farm.
The outbreak of cyclospora infections has sickened more than 400 people in 16  states in all. The agency says it is still working to determine whether the  salad mix is the source of illnesses in the other 14 states. (more…)