Saturday Slight

 

This is Ireland's Music 

Drink water from the spring where horses drink. The horse will never drink bad water.  

Lay your bed where the cat sleeps. 

Eat the fruit that has been touched by a worm. Boldly pick the mushroom on which the insects sit. Plant the tree where the mole digs. 

Build your house where the snake coils to warm itself. Dig your fountain where the birds hide from heat. 

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time with the birds – you will reap all of the days golden grains. 

Eat more green – you will have strong legs and a resistant heart, like the beings of the forest. 

Swim often and you will feel on earth like the fish in water. Look at the sky as often as possible and your thoughts will become light and clear. 

Be quiet a lot, speak little – and silence will come in your heart, and your spirit will be calm and full of peace.

Nature is talking to you, are you listening?

                                — Angus Williams

My new FB friend Crystal, who created our Derby masks, posted the above last night. 

I liked it so much I asked if I could post it on a blog.

On a morning like this when so many minds are on national news, I thought it made a pleasant diversion.

Plus, I love the message and the photo. 

So, thanks, Crystal, for this meaningful start-off.

We enjoyed a quiet, pleasant evening with Willie and Debbie last night. 

They have moved for the third time since their home caught on fire in May. 

With about a month more of restoration, they have returned to the Thompson cabin after a summer at our neighbor's home. 

The generous spirit of Judy and Jennifer, who have offered them temporary housing, has definitely lessened their stress of being relatively homeless.

I know they'll be thrilled when they can go back to what is truly home. 

Anyway, it was a beautiful evening after another lovely fall day.  

I spent much of the day following the news.  As a journalist, any time history is unfolding, I try to find a way to watch in real time. 

Vivid memories came back with all the reminders of the last time a potential crisis occurred because of President's health----the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan.  

It was a rainy Spring Break day, and we were driving down the main drag of Forks, Wash., when we first heard the news. 

So, knowing we couldn't spend much time outside (the kids were very young), we checked into a motel so we could watch the news updates. 

In addition to Pres. Reagan, his assistant James Brady was shot and permanently disabled.  

Last night, while visiting with Willie and Debbie, we remembered another significant event evolving from that shooting, part of which we were fortunate enough to witness on site.

In November, 1993, while Bill and I spent a week in Washington, D.C., another assistant to Pres. Reagan, Nancy Theis who had served as director of Presidential Correspondence, took us on a tour to the U.S. Capitol. 

At the time, we walked into a meeting room where law makers were discussing the Brady Bill, which passed a few days later.  The bill required  a background check for purchasing a handgun. 

As we watched the debate in the meeting room that day, NBC correspondent Pete Williams stood right behind us. 

Later, we also saw several Senators in the hallways, as it was time for them to go to the microphones to make their comments for the national evening news. 

Being so close to history was exhilarating and fascinating for both Bill and me. 

Regardless of what's happening, good or bad, these opportunities remain etched in our minds from that day on. 

And, so I'm sure the image of the helicopter on the lawn at the White House yesterday afternoon took on a new significance and a definite permanence for anyone who watched. 

The intriguing aspect for people like me, who have a passion for following the happenings in the world around us, is that we are now at one of those points in history where we have no idea how the story will resolve itself. 

In this case, it's unfolding so quickly we can hardly keep up with the names and the details. 

All the more reason to pay close attention. 

Guess that's enough for this edition of "Saturday Slight." 

Enjoy your day.

If you're in the Sandpoint area, go visit Hickey Farms.

Also, watch some news and do stay healthy. 

Happy Saturday.