The Community Of Humane Humanity.

For the past three weeks, I've started this post, erased the words and started again and again...

I was going to tell you what had transpired in regards to the bursitis in my right elbow.

And another tragedy would happen in Britain.  Yes, Britain, "this green and pleasant land".  A land tested and tormented to an insidious breaking point.  I'd start to type again and another tragedy would befall this beleaguered, fragile land.

Each heartbreaking incident has deeply impacted ever fibre of my emotional being.  Floods of tears have cascaded down my cheeks.

So much pain. Some perpetrated by acts of terror. And then there was the horror of the apartment tower.  

It made the physical pain I'd experienced, for just over eight months, pale into insignificance.  Yes, through the passage of time, a further evaluation by my doctor, it has turned out that I will not be needing surgery.  My right elbow is almost back to normal.

My elbow situation is but a sideline issue in regards to the overall ethos of this post.

For through each tragedy I've witnessed, there has been a tangible sense of a real, loving community. A gathering of humanity.  All united in a solidarity that gives them, gives you, gives me hope through the hell.  People from all walks of life, the rich, the poor, the black, the white, the Muslim, the Christian, the Jew, the atheist and the agnostic, embracing, crying together, being there for each other in a peaceful defiance to what could, but never will, tear us apart.

All different.  All equal. We must not let hatred, through ignorance, breed further hatred and ignorance.  Let us celebrate humanity's diversity.  Let us learn from each other, in peace, in love.

Extremism, in all its ugly forms, will never, ever defeat us.

Each Of Us, A Small Yet Significant Difference.

We've been witnessing the worst of humanity that has produced an overwhelming reaction enhancing the best of humanity.

Like so many, I've watched the plight of those refugees fleeing from the unimaginable warring strife of Syria.  I've been moved to tears from the moral impact of that little boy lying dead on a beach in Bodrum, Turkey.

There have also been tears of hopeful joy.  Hopeful joy as I witnessed the scenes in Austria and Germany as they welcomed the refugees with gifts, with hugs, with warm handshakes.

This could be the start of a worldwide reaction to make this fragile, beleaguered planet the better place so many of us would dare to dream.

I'm blessed and I know, in my own small yet significant way, that I can truly make a difference.....

Beyond The Window.

It had been a windswept, rainy night.  The clouds passed.  The rain stopped.  Sprinkled droplets splashed upon yon window.  The street lamp cast an eerie glow.

Lessons have been learnt.  Those who would devalue our humanity, shall never, ever kill the good in the human spirit.  Together, in hope, we cope.  You, my friend, have shared that lesson.  Thank you.

And beyond the window, I saw the universe.

Twas The Day After Christmas.

Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house.  Not a creature was stirring, not even Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star.
Okay, I spent Christmas Day, mostly alone.  The son made a cameo appearance, just long enough to grab some Christmas dinner and proceed to his bedroom, with his collection of 'suspicious' looking friends and Penny the delightful dog.
I have discovered some advantages to spending 'Boxing Day Eve', sorry, Christmas, on my own.  For, I can sit there, let rip the most putrid smelling turkey farts and not go bright red, while protesting, 'Hey 'Uncle Bob', weren't me!  I didn't fart!  That darned dog has been at the turkey.  Smelly dog, that's disgusting!'  And, I don't have to be super nice to that obnoxious git sitting across from me at the table.  The opinionated know-it-all who has done what I've done, only twice as good.  That would be same butt wipe who smirks at everything I state, shakes their head in disgust and talks down to me in a patronising, dismissive manner.  Luckily, I do not encounter this, because if I did, I would be tempted to stick the remainder of the turkey down their big fat gob.
You may have experienced the joys of the yearly Christmas friends and family gathering.  You may watched 'Uncle Bob' and 'Auntie Sue' have their traditional Christmas Day argument.  There 'discussion' becomes so heated and personal that you wonder if it's actually Christmas Day.  Suddenly, you think, this feels more like 'Boxing Day', in a more pugilistic sense.   Then you look over at Grannie.  Good old Grannie, like she always does, proceeds to complain about 'those kids these days'.  'You know what dear? (you hate it when she calls you dear).  'You know what dear?  Those kids these days.  No manners and all they care about is getting gifts and the gifts are never good enough!'  Grannie then reaches over in front of your face, grabs the last slice of white turkey meat and moans about the gift from her son-in-law.  Of course, Granddad has hidden under the table.
So what have I learnt about Christmas?  I've learnt that I have much to be thankful for.  I realized, even more profoundly, that I have friends out there in the kind and caring family of bloggers.  That fills my heart with renewed determination and inspiration for a more positive world for all of us.  I've discovered that 'Jacob Marley' was not a reggae singer.  However, he did do a most notable cover version of the Diana Ross song, 'Chain Reaction'.   I figured out that 'Ebenezer Scrooge' and 'The Grinch' were okay dudes who were just a bit misunderstood.  
Christmas has come and gone.  I am determined to remember that, 'Humanity is for life, not just for Christmas.'

Humanity Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas.

It is a cold and clear early Christmas morn.  I gaze out the window and think of the moon as a gentle beacon of hope.  Hush now, the voice that screams in my head and torments my soul.  Gary, do not cry, for despite your painful isolation, intensified on Christmas Day, you have so much to be thankful for.

And I look out the window.   See the rising Christmas moon, cast glowing shadows, on snowy fields.  Embrace the moment.  Rejoice and understand that life is what you make it.

I sit here.  Not sure what now to write.  The words are not there, just a jumbled mess in my mind.  I turn around and the reassuring look of Penny, radiates the sweet innocence of a beloved dog.  I am deeply touched by her unconditional love.

The Christmas moon now shines brightly through winter tree.  I see this as symbol of better times to come.  I may be alone, I may be isolated, devoid of  human contact, yet my optimism for a better world, remains resolute, on this, a cold and clear, early Christmas morn.
My gratitude for you, on the other side of my computer screen, goes beyond any words that I can summon.
May the lonely, the isolated, the homeless, the rough sleepers, the sad and the desperate, find a few moments of comfort, during this, the festive season.  Humanity is for life, not just for Christmas.