April 2, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

She Walks in Beauty

She Walks in Beauty (By George Gordon, Lord Byron)

She walks in beauty, like the
night
Of cloudless
climes and starry
skies;
And all that’s best
of dark and bright
Meet in her
aspect and her
eyes:
Thus mellow’d to
that tender light
Which heaven
to gaudy day
denies.
One shade the
more, one ray the
less,
Had half
impair‘d the
nameless grace
Which waves in
every raven trees,
Or softly
lightens o’er her
face;
Where thoughts
serenly sweet
express
How pure, how
dear their
dwelling-place.
And on that cheek,
and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm,
yet eloquent,
The smiles that
win, the tints that
glow,
But tell of days
in goodness spent,
A mind at peace
with all below,
A heart whose
love is innocent!

When ill or injured, I find poetry to be a soothing balm. I will be in the new walking boot for two more weeks and then I will begin PT. It could have been much worse. It could have caused more pain but I was blessed. This poem is one of my favorite ones and it was also Jacqueline Kennedy’s favorite poem. I like to read it when life challenges me. So I wanted to share it with all of you. Thank you for all of your kind wishes. I know I will have a speedy recovery. The gift of my heart is these images I am sharing with you tonight. Blessings, Barbara

Garden of solitude Photograph copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

Surrender yourself to peace.Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

March 25, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Passover reminds us that there are still miracles

Reflections

God does still perform miracles. No matter what name you call God/Goddess, miracles happen often. We need to remember to look for them. Even little miracles are just that, miracles.

Whenever humans, Jewish or otherwise are faced with problems that appear insurmountable, we can remember the stories from history. The Jews being held as slaves in Egypt is a very important memory for all Jews. The slaves could not overcome the entire Egyptian country. They were not even able to visualize the concept of possible freedom. They were stuck between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. God had other plans.

God brought plagues and eventually death to the Pharoah and in the end, they had their freedom. All of this happened a long time ago, but there are still miracles each day. The same God who brought freedom and a covenant with the Jews, continues to bring little miracles into our lives every day. Here, in 2013 we can still see miracles. Pre-mature babies survive and thrive into adulthood. Abused children grow into productive, loving adults. Victims of stroke and heart attacks recover and live normal lives. Flowers bloom. Birds sing. And life is a grand adventure we all get to experience.

” There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” —Albert Einstein

” No man can share in the Torah of Moses unless he believes that all our affairs and events, concerning the masses or the individual, are miracles.” —Nachmanides

“The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

” All change is a miracle to contemplate; but is is a miracle which is taking place every second.” —Henry David Thoreau

Photo copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

Photo copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

March 21, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Rape Culture

Normally I would never post this video but our society is condoning rape. I pulled this off of YouTube and it sickened me. As I have said so many times, rape has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with power and control. The young men in this video are the basest of human beings. This is important to me because it speaks to The War Against Women and it happened here in Ohio, the state where I now live.

The boys came from middle class families and had good prospects for their futures. Because of the choice they made, they aren’t even descent enough human beings to pick up garbage. This is not an isolated crime, it happens all the time in all countries around the world. A woman is not a piece of property to be used and discarded. It is clear in the video that no one taught this concept to these boys. Why? Perhaps the parents feel women are to be owned. Perhaps there is violence in their homes.

In this particular rape case are fragments of the thinking behind all of the rape cases here and around the world that it is just sex and not a crime. A woman isn’t raped because she is a whore. She is raped because, even in 2013, women are considered property. The fact that the town tried to protect the boys who committed this horrible crime is enough to make me throw up. There isn’t privilege for the high school jocks, or professional sports figures. They don’t get to rape a woman without paying a heavy price. If a guy rapes a woman, his future needs to be and will be gone.

Women who are raped don’t just get up and go on with life. They feel degraded and dirty. Some shower over and over because they no longer feel clean. This is something I can understand. Women who are raped are victims and don’t need to be revictimized by the media, friends, the judicial system, or their own families. They need support and counseling.

It is vital that their names are not put into the media. This case violated this concept that we worked on in the 70’s and 80’s. Previous sexual experience is also not allowed into court testimony. If a woman has had consensual sex and later is raped, the previous experience does not mean she can be raped without consequence. We keep going in circles about women’s issues. In 2013, we are once again in a war against women.

Now, The National Organization for Women.
stopping abuse and rape.

There is only one reason for rape and it is a crime.

March 13, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Sunrise

There is a certain unique beauty to be found in the sunrise. A new day filled with hope and excitement. Well for some people. I must confess I am a night person. The night owl is one of my companions. I will often sit on my porch on summer nights and just meld with the stars and the sounds of the night. There is a sweetness and calm to the night for me anyway.

I was in Watertown, NY with friends many years ago. My friend Rick was a musician doing a gig up there. It was a fun night filled with music and laughter. People began to finally wonder off and my friend Rick and I decided to go for a ride and ended up at a Revolutionary fort and battleground. We sat and talked and talked and did solve the world’s problems. I remember the exact moment the sun began to rise. We sat there and watched it grow and glow. It became breathtakingly beautiful.

It’s beauty haunted me for a long time. It did not, however, change me into a morning person. But those moments, sitting watching the fabulous sun greet us with its pure beauty touched my heart and mind. It is one of those moments you store away to remember another time. These moments are important for us to have. We all need to record the important and impressive moments on our hearts and souls. They are able to help you through the hard times. They can make you smile when no one else is. They remind you of what is important in your life.

“Let every dawn of the morning be to you as the beginning of life. And let every setting of the sun be to you as its close. Then let every one of these short lives leave its sure record of some kindly thing done for others; some good strength or knowledge gained for yourself.” —John Ruskin

No matter how your biorhythms work, make each day count. May we all extend a helping hand, a kind word or an unselfish act. May we all live each day with the goal of creating our highest good.

A starry, starry night

The new day begins with the sunrise

March 9, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Winter is Losing the Battle

It was 54 degrees today and tomorrow it will be 60 degrees. I am so excited. You can almost feel Ole Man Winter losing his grip on the Earth and on our souls. We are tired of the cold and the gray days. We are tired of the ache in our bones. So we look, we look for every sign that spring in nearing. The geese have returned and I heard birds singing today. I though I would show you some photos of the beginning of Winter losing its grip.

Vermillion lighthouse

Vermillion beach. The lake is beginning to thaw farther out.

Sunset at the beach

Since Vermillion sits on Lake Erie, there are many streets but some people have waterways which freeze in winter.

All Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

March 2, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Orchid Mania

Amazing Color Combinations

Speckled Beauty

Tiny Orchids

Beautiful Painted Colors

Orchid Surprise

Tiger Orchid

Crimson Flash

Tropical Blooms

The colors of a Giraffe

All Photographs copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

March 1, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

I Believe in Random Acts of Kindness

I think this is a beautiful few moments in life. It reminds me of a time when I was in Memphis. I was in a group and we were walking in the Downtown area. There was an older woman sitting outside of a high-rise building. She looked hungry, not just for food but for someone to see her. I stopped and went to her and gave her money. Someone made fun of me. Telling me that she probably owned the high-rise building. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, ” I believe in random acts of kindness.” I didn’t care if they were right or wrong. It didn’t matter because I knew that was what I was supposed to do. I have never stopped random acts of kindness. I just believe we need to follow our hearts and our inner guide. Blessings to all my readers.

Try random acts of kindness. Anything you do for another always comes back to you.

February 22, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

We are connected to the Universe

Quantum Physics is proving that many of the basic spiritual beliefs are true. I suppose that is why I love it so much. This is a video from a different perspective. It was compiled by astronauts who have been to outer space. Their revelations and the effect of what they discovered has changed their outlook. We are children of the Universe and we are connected to Mother Earth. We are all One, interconnected and dependent upon our planet as she is on us. In this video you will see a lot of what the astronauts saw on their virgin flight to space. It changed them. Change is what we need to do for ourselves and our beautiful planet. She is alive, breathing, feeling pain, moving and sustaining us.

I remember the moon landing and going outside and looking up at that beautiful orb and thinking that there was one tiny man walking up there. He was having the most magical experience of his life. I found it humbling and still do. The magic of the Universe is always there, beautiful, amazing, overwhelming and real. We are real. We are star dust. It is my hope that everyone will enjoy this video as much as the astronauts did who made it. Blessings to everyone around our Mother Earth. May we always love and care for her.

February 8, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

A Basket of Poetry

South Beach Florida
Photo by Barbara Mattio

“Love more often is to be found in kitchens at the dinner hour,
tired out and hungry, lingers over tables in houses where
the walls record movements; while the cook is probably angry,
and the ingredients of the meal are budgeted, while some
where a child cries feed me now and her mother not quite
hysterical says over and over, wait just a bit, just a bit,
love should grow up in the fields like a wild iris
but never does.”
—–Susan Griffin

“Anger shines through me.
Anger shines through me.
I am a burning bush
My rage is a cloud of flame.
My rage is a cloud of flame.
in which I walk
seeking justice
like a precipice.” —Marge Piercy

Photo by Barbara Mattio

Learning to love differently is hard,
love with the hands wide open, love
with the doors banging on their hinges,
the cupboard unlocked the wind
roaring and whinpering in the rooms
rustling the sheets and snapping the blinds
that thwack like rubber bands
in an open palm. —-Marge Piercy

June Rose
Photo by Barbara Mattio

“Neighbors, the old woman who knows you
turns over in me
and I wake up
another country. There’s no more
north and south
Asleep, we pass through one another
like blowing snow,
all of us
all. —Native American,Linda Hogan

The Miracle of the one single flower. Photo by Barbara Mattio

“So you’re God
Tell me I’m straw, chaff, mist.

Tell me the sea has springs
deep and cold as dreams
that make me wake exhausted.

Enough thunder
What have you done
with my children?” ——Betsy Sholl

Greenhouse at Niagara Falls, Canada; Photo by Barbara Mattio

“God is fed up
All the oceans she gave us
All the fields
All the acres of steep seedful forests
and we did what
Invented the Great Chain of Being and the chain saw
Invented sin.” —-George Ella Lyon