Saga of the Cents, Part II

Well, washing coins makes them worse.
Went to the bank with bags of soon-to-be bucks;
Started feeding the coin counter with great speed;
Soon broke the machine, and ran clear out of luck.

The bank management said don't continue.
The coins were clean, but water caused oxidation.
A man behind me explained with great authority
The rough surfaces caused mechanical constipation.

He suggested that I tumble the coins with sand
I knew I didn't want to buy this equipment
He said casinos clean their coins this way;
Maybe a casino will make this commitment.

I don't think washing is considered
The same thing as laundering money,
But the whole thing of cleaning coins
Just naturally seems to be quite funny.

The Wishing Well

We used to come home and cook; now we count coins. Well, we don't actually count them; we sort and wash them as the first part of the process of putting coins from the SMH wishing well (or fountain, to be exact) to good use.

SMH Foundation has long been receiving the coins retrieved from the lovely fountain at the Medical Office Building attached to SMH hospital. The SMH Foundation exists to help fund state-of-the-art medical care in the local community.While going through supplies that may be needed for the May 18 Rooftop Rendezvous "Beach Party Above the Boulevard" we came upon stashes of coins in several places. When asked about these bags of bucks, Jen Berger said, "We can't turn them in until they're washed." "Looks like a job for my favorite volunteer -- my husband!" I thought.

I should have had heavy duty shocks installed before loading all these coins in my car, but I did make it home without mishap. We stood at the sink for several hours, him sorting and me vinegar washing, rinsing, and drying assorted coinage from assorted countries. As I stood at the sink, I thought about all the people who must have stood at the fountain wishing that their loved one's cancer was cured or that the results of a PET scan or MRI would come back with good news.

Fifty pounds of pennies later, we're about a third of the way through the project, but we don't know if our bounty is clean enough for the coin counters. It's off to the bank with what we washed, so far. I certainly hope that this money can be put back into circulation; it may help somebody's wishes come true.

Faithful Friends

Is there anyone who knows you better than
The people who helped you become yourself?
And once we settle on who we will be,
Should we seek to please others or ourselves?

I've long felt wary of the public figures
Who seem like they are always on stage,
And who must mold and fit their personas
Into the tastes of every audience of every age.

I have come home to be with the people
Who help me be who I was meant to be.
They have high expectations of themselves,
But they make no demands on me.

They are people of high moral fiber
Who live lives that are the message.
Sharing my questions and beliefs with them
Doesn't take great amounts of courage.

They listen to me with ears of love,
Fitting mine into their sets of beliefs,
Rather than accusing me of heresy,
Which still can bring me great grief.

I don't claim to be a good Christian
Because my life just doesn't measure up,
But we are so blessed that in this great universe
We have friends who drink from the same cup.

Not at the cups offered at the altars in church,
But at supper tables with foods we have cooked.
We do this in memory of the oneness of faithful friends,
This most sacred of bonds that is often overlooked.

What We Must Ask Ourselves

Gayle wrote on her blog today: "Biblical poetry seems to be telling us that if we want to see God, the creator of heaven and earth, we should look to 'his image and likeness:'  that is, mankind in union with (of the same breath with) his creator, his fellow - man, and with the earth itself.  That is the harmony of paradise, where God freely walks and talks with man, where man freely walks and talks with his companion(s), and where man freely walks and talks with all of the earth."

The question we must ask ourselves is whether we are to wait for paradise after our deaths, or are we responsible for helping to create the harmony that we look forward to in Eternity while we walk the earth?

A "Dear Divinity" Kind of Question

A dear niece, who is the mother of two young boys, wrote to me: 'I saw this on fb recently and thought it might be just the right topic for your blog about spirituality. A church sign had this quote on it- "God is more welcoming and likely to give blessings to a kind atheist than to a hateful Christian." your thoughts? I think it's "on point." bc of all the hypocrisy and judgement that so many so called Christians practice. It seems to me that God's rule of thumb and clearest messages have to do with "love thy neighbor" and "he who is without sin should cast the first stone." kindness and purity of intention and heart are what it seems Jesus tried to demonstrate most to man. What do you think?"


She went on to ask: "Who is more likely to burn in Hell, the Christian who judged and hated everyone proudly, or the Athiest who was more understanding and accepting and loving though he denied knowing God?"


This led me ask myself, "What is an atheist?" and what is a "Christian?" It seems to me that only an idiot would deny that there is a Divine Power that is so much greater than anything on earth and that imbues everything on earth. Is an atheist one who believes that there is no such Awesome Power? Or is an atheist one who doesn't believe that anyone has the absolute answer to what this Power "looks" like? Over centuries, people have recorded their perceptions of the manifestations of this Power in their experiences. We have accepted some of them as sacred scriptures; others we have rejected.


I choose to believe that any experience that leads people to be their best and treat all of nature with respect is sacred, and that Christianity is a method for following the lead of many manifestations of Divinity embodied in one man. Christendom, however, is a political system that forces acceptance of the codification of one set of scriptures into the laws governing all of creation. My "god" is bigger than this.


What do all of my spi(ri)t sisters think?

Personality, Payments, and Pride

Is it wrong to take payment for what one sees as a sacred mission?
Without food, clothing, and shelter our missions can't come to fruition.
Are we meant to sit alone and pray for falling heavenly manna?
Or are we meant to pursue our callings with our greatest stamina?

I believe that taking care of our own needs is our first responsibility,
But I've missed the ability to share our resources with society,
And I have longed for being able to share the gifts of our largess.
I don't know if this comes from pride; I must honestly confess.

I simply enjoy planting seeds and watching changes grow.
For metamorphosis to happen, there is dormancy, then show.
It seems that I was given an excess of forceful personality,
And people seem to be attracted to and follow me.

Several times, I have been called to be a catalyst for change;
During most of my years of service, my upkeep was arranged.
Now I find myself as, once again, a breadwinner.
Does taking money for my vocation make me a sinner?

My children are good parents who don't need my interference;
Their children are almost grown, and need not my recompense.
The skill I bring to life is the ability to spread passion
In the little mountain hamlets, these virtues aren't in fashion.

This area where even the weather is violent in its expression,
Where if one believes in something, it is accepted as obsession,
Is a good match for someone as passionate as I am?
Is this is a Divinely inspired part of my Eternal plan?

I Could Learn to Live Like This

Fear makes people become deranged;
Passion has power to affect change.
Communities built on shared goals
Enjoy their progress as it unfolds.

Meeting people at dinner parties
And various other social sorties,
Where teams get together at an event,
With passion for a cause they represent.

The conversations are quite upbeat;
The latest gossip, we don't repeat.
Everyone is there to celebrate,
Positive changes their passion creates.

While it is true that I go with a mission,
Not quite as important as nuclear fission,
Working for the community for which we care
Is a passion I think that we can all share.

I can't believe that I'm being paid,
And have an assistant that's been engaged
To help to plan these occasions of bliss;
I could definitely learn to live like this.