So, it's Christmas time in Cleveland.... we got to drive by the Christmas Story House...and through downtown to see the lights....and we got to see Santa Claus at one of the Christmas projects....and we got to see the Christmas Special at the Church.... and now we will enjoy the amusements of a quiet Christmas counting our priceless blessings.... We actually put up a Christmas Tree and some decorations too. We are very lucky...or so I think so.
I just thought I'd find some energy to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous holiday season. We all know what a challenging year this has been.... for everyone...
As I count my blessings of having a beautiful, healthy child, of having a roof over our heads (at least for a few more weeks), of having utilities on (for a few more days), of having enough love in my heart to remind my child that Santa is everywhere in these Blessings....at least for now...
I shed light on the fact that so many are scraping together the sinew to appreciate the little things...like having a warm bed to sleep in at night and food on the table...
While so many more are fretting about how to find the gas or bus money required to get to their minimum wage jobs-- if they are even blessed enough to have those....and how to get prescription meds for their family members without health insurance... and how to prevent a fire with the electric heaters when the gas is shut off for nonpayment.
The few who are blessed enough to be above all of the chaos of poverty shutter at the "negativity" of the poor, crazy, and uneducated populace who thrive on priceless love, family, and survival to possibly live through the month, let alone to know the pleasures of a vibrant, joyous, and festive holiday dinner.
Yeppers...in retrospect...the year has been a rollercoaster of enthusiasm, hope, aspirations, and tragedy...
My happiness comes in finally having the realities of our corrupt government's behaviors being exploited all over the place...that's a beginning to the justice for the little people who have been starved out by their lying, stealing, and cheating actions.... while they have lived high on the hog, gotten overpaid for their work, and abused the processes of so many agencies meant to do good- the little bitter people finally feel a breath of fresh air and confirmation for the well known history that they have fought through for years.... Cleveland's Underground White Collar Criminals....all I can say is, "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!"
Cynicism runs rampant in the veins of the families who scuttle to gather the lists of documents required to stand in line and wait to ask for foodstamp assistance or cash assistance which is most often denied in today's day and age. Go to school, get a job, put your kid with a babysitter....maybe even a child molester if you aren't exceptionally careful.... Yep, I am amazed by the mother who put all her faith in GOD above and took some PAXIL to reduce her anxieties and put her kids in another's care because of the forced dynamics....only to find out that the care provider was abusing them from day one....oops...she did her best. But, be aware this doesn't just happen to the blighted...it happens in the burbs too....how wonderful.
Yep, I am sick to my stomach with the 200+/- ads per day being posted on Craigslist (locally) with deviant married (straight) men soliciting NSA (No Strings Attached) Sexual acts from other bisexual and gay men in our areas (M4M)...the ones who come in from the burbs to pick up guys down on Detroit and so forth....their unsuspecting wives and fake lives amaze me.... And they wonder why I don't believe in marriage??? HELLO....we live in such a world of deviant, unsuspecting liars and frauds that it's difficult not to get a little disgruntled...but those are the hidden secrets of our world that most say should be kept on the "down low!" hahaha (P.S. wives...get tested regularly b/c you never know!)
In August, my child's father died from DETOXING from Alcoholism...boy did we fight for years about his alocoholism...he was a good man at heart, but his addictions were so destructive. The quiet has taken months to settle in...no more harrassing phone calls at all hours of the day and night...no more disruptions with chaos and distractions about drama that he worked up as an excuse to hear my voice...No more baby daddy not paying child support... No more child custody battles over negligent situations due to his drinking too much... No more runs to the emergency room because he had a seizure from trying to get clean...no more praying that he'd overcome this disease.... but worse than that....
There's no more daddy to read books to my child, to take her to the park, to get excited over every detail of her life, to attend her school pagents, to take her to the museums, to take her to the zoo, to take her to the pond and feed the ducks, to swing her on the swings, to color with her, to cook with her, to brag about her, to fret over her beauty, to want for her more than he wanted for himself, to have lemonade stands in the front yard, to ride bikes with her, to spoil her with a house full of fun and games, to love her more than he loved himself....despite his inadequacies as a financial provider....he was a priceless dad who had a disease that our world looks down on so severely...addiction and alcoholism. But, he's in heaven now and those who are able bodied and able minded don't have to be bothered by his lifestyle anymore... but, the realities of all the care providing that he did for his aging mother have now become the responsibilities of his siblings who had gotten to live their lives all of these years... and that's priceless.
Ah...no one likes the long blogs...what was my point...Merry Christmas....
Perhaps this world of caring folks will keep challenging the world to make changes for the better. I hope that the New Year finds inspiration, charisma, and a levelling out of revelations in the negatives...while opening up new doors filled with opportunities for the folks who are surviving in the shelters, on the streets, and who will die without feeding their addictions. I hope that folks learn to accept the ones that they love for who they ARE, not who they once WERE...have no regrets... I have heard so many regrets from those who tried everthing except, acceptance!
God doesn't promise tomorrows. Remember the really less fortunate who stand around the parking lots without HOPE and who suffer from so much more than a stubbed toe. Realize the true hunger in their eyes and don't judge the smell of alcohol on their tattered clothing so severely... offer them a smile, a ray of light....
May God Bless everyone... forgive my ranting, raving, and reality check...it just hit me hard as I grumbled about the furnace being broke down, the water heater taking a dump a couple nights ago, and the car being deadlined that I am blessed with a wealth of love, riches of friends, and the gift of sharing despite my own dillemas. Yet, as I see the haughty, snub nosed, professionals who act so discourteous, inconsiderate, and demeaning at our community... I wonder what has happened to our society? You cannot take those high dollar bling bling items with you when you die.....so, best wishes in your lives.
Feed our hungry, house our homeless, protect our families, respect our elders, appreciate the little things of survival...and let's conquer these corrupt issues to rebuild our city!
Merry Christmas....just me.