Oh my goodness!  I am in heaven.  Arrived at SeaTac Airport yesterday morning, took a cab ride to Tacoma and walked in to the sound of the Rouxter in full glory.  Bouncing and babbling and having a great time.  The gods told him I was coming and he was ready for me.  He has the brightest most georgous eys of any human being on the face of the earth (cept maybe mine ggl) and in my new austere phase of life I have taken only a few pictures in the last couple of days (less than a hundred).  Heck I might even share a couple when I get home.  Alas and alack I forgot my card reader and will have to wait.  There is a wonderful picture of mom, dad, and rouxter snow shoeing on her computer but I promised I would not post a pic of her without permisson so it she will give that when she gets home you will have a wonderfull treat, if not I will deluge you when I get home.

keep the faith

david

I wonder what it would be like to be a child of the world?  Is  What a strange thing to say.  How can I be a child of the world when I’m a child of Pat and Mary Longley?   Think about this for a minute if you will.  If I’m a child of Pat and Mary Longley ,  I’m their possession  and the quality of my life is more or less their responsibility.  My personality will be shaped by their value system.  If I’m a child of the universe it is so much less limiting.  What about you, are you a child of your parents or a child of the universe?  The implications are profound.  If you are a child of your parents, when you die they will put you in a little box and you will have led a life dictated by your early training.  If you are a child of the universe potential is unlimited.  Free to create, free to use all the resources available to you, free to break the shackles of early religion, and free to break the limiting messages of your family.

 

I took my mother’s place as the family critic and I did a wonderful job.  I can see fault with everyone and everything around me.  It makes no difference if that criticism is sought because it is there anyway.  It is not possible to not communicate.  I watched a ball game the other day and a couple of people stood beside me and started criticizing the players and I had the distinct feeling that neither had actually played much ball.  Do you have an opinion on everything?  I certainly do and I would so much like to lose that tendency.  Imagine the heaven you could live in if every negative trait did not jump up and hit you in the face.  Limiting self beliefs, what a concept.  It has been around for centuries and yet we still have a sense of limits for both the world and ourselves.  Is this not the time to consider ways to expand those limits?  Challenge that belief system and see what happens.  Challenge, not criticism, is an interesting concept .  Can a person my age learn to roller blade?  Can a person my age learn a new language?  Or more simply can I learn a new way of looking at the world and my role in it.

I wrote this poem to commemerate my sixtieth birthday.  It proved to be a major milestone and my life changed signifigantly over the next then years.

 

Let the journey begin

 

by David Longley

You awoke one day

and suddenly knew the time had

come to disregard all the bad advice,

and ignore the comfort of sameness

and predictable unsatisfactory results.

 

You knew the time had come to forge

your own path.  To peer into the ominous

darkness of the unknown.  You feel naked

unprotected and so very vulnerable.  You

know if you ask “they” will say “don’t  go”.

 

A voice inside of you says you must go and

face the anger and pain and turmoil that will

follow each new behavior.  You know the

climb up the mountain will be fraught with peril.

 

Your heart is heavy and your soul is bound and

there has never been enough of you to go around.

So you take that step and you walk that lonely valley.

You make your mistakes and correct your flaws and

 

You stand alone

 

Your heart opens and your soul becomes free

and you share the joy of those gone before you.

You reach out gently in a loving invitation for

others to free the only so they can

and thatis there own soul.

 

keep the faith

 

david

 

Darn Xanga I just lost a two hour post because of the new private page thingy.  darn

I will try again later

keep the faith

david

Second try!  I sent my first to cyberland.  Guess no matter how long you dont post you never forget how to lose one.  Had another ice storm but only lost power for a day with this one.  Had more trees down though and our trees look like old warriors for sure.  I get to go see the Rouxster in early march and it has been much too long.  8 days with the little rascal.  Got to baby sit my great grandson Gaige the other night and I just happen to have a pic or two.  See you on the flip flop.

One will have to do for now.  He is a pint sized dynamo for sure.

keep the faith

david

January in Missouri is not becomming my favorite time of the year.  Last Jan was the ice storm and ten days without power.  Last night there were 10 tornados in our area.  Heard a couple in the distance but they didnt come visit.  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

keep the faith

david

Hi

It has been a busy month for sure.  My oldest grandson, Ryan, graduated from the University of Missouri.  We went to Columbia and watched him graduate on Saturday and get his Air Force Commisson on Sunday.  He seemed to be more excited about his commission than his graduation.  He will become an Air Force maintainance officer.  I run hot and cold on military careers but it is his life.  He met a girl that he is serious about and they are looking forward to his three year assignment in Germany with a reservation or two.

Here is a graduation pic.

here is a graduation pic with his grandfather

here he is taking the oath of office

here is his mom pinning on his lieutenants bars

Christmas was as good as it gets for a non christian.  We got to spend time with my son and grandson and greatgrandson, and my sons new friend.  Then we got to spend time with my oldest daughter and her hubs and Ryan and his lady.  So much beauty in the world in that few days.  They were special.

I will send some more pics soon.

keep the faith

david

 

“Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.”

It is a lazy sunday here.  Worked a minor awareness program this weekend and felt so good about being able to do that.  I have really learned that young people respond better to an old hippie than a prosecutor explaining what they have done wrong.  Here is another pic of great grandson catching some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzsss.

 keep the faith

david

fun weekend for me.  Got to spend over a full day with my oldest grandson and that was neat.  He will graduate in Dec and get his air force commission.  He will be in Germany for three years so the time was special.  Here is pic of lover and me and one of my great grand son  Gaige Patrick Longley

keep the faith

david

Hi Xpeeps.  Here are three late summer butterflies.

 

 

I love my camera I think.

Don’t get to see the Rouxster until January.  Talking about withdrawals wow.

three fourths of the family will be here for thanksgiving.  Oldest grandson is graduating from Mizzou in December and will be off to the Air Force as an officer soon after that.  He will be stationed in Germany.  He has a new lover that he likes a lot so his life changed radically cause they didn’t know each other when he signed up for a foreign assignment.  So we need to enjoy him while he is here for sure.  Oldest son has a new lover too that it will be nice to meet.  Lover and I keep ticking along.

I discovered a Chinese herbalist and have changed my life style food wise.  Feeling more like 45 than seventy which I think is good. 

Just finished teaching a minor awareness program last weekend which is my favorite thing to do.

not a lot going on.

keep the faith.

david

Hi I just found my philosophy of  life on a plaque in a catalog.  It depicts my philosophy to the max.   No author to quote.   

LIFE

is not a journey to the grave with the intention  of  arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,  but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out and proclaiming.

“WOW- WHAT A RIDE”

I just love it.  Hope all you guys are doing well.

keep the faith

david