November 21, 1956 / Mom & Dad are 20 & 21 I Am Born

A year to remember..... USA 1956

With many hit singles (including "Heartbreak Hotel"), Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars. The gyrating rocker enjoys fame on the stages of the Milton Berle, Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan shows, as well as in the first of his many movies, Love Me Tender. Legendary Big Band Leader, Tommy Dorsey dies at age 51 and Anna Magnani wins an Oscar for her role in The Rose Tatoo.The Wizard of Oz first airs on TV, a Pulitzer Prize is awarded in Drama to The Diary of Anne Frank, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. 1956 Best Picture: Marty, Harold Hecht, producer (United Artists) Nobel Prize for Literature: Juan Ramón Jiménez (Spain)

What Things Cost in 1956: Car: $2,100 / Gasoline: 30 cents/gal / House: $17,800 / Bread: 18 cents/loaf / Milk: 97 cents/gal / Postage Stamp: 3 cents / Stock Market: 499 / Average Annual Salary: $5,300 / Minimum Wage: $1.00 per hour

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower / Vice President: Richard M. Nixon / Population: 168,903,031 / Life expectancy: 69.7 years / Homicide Rate (per 100,000): 4.6

US GDP (1998 dollars): $438 billionFederal spending: $70.64 billionFederal debt: $272.7billionConsumer Price Index: 27.2Unemployment: 4.4% / Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.03

World Series NY Yankees d. Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3)

NBA Championship Philadelphia Warriors d. Ft. Wayne Pistons (4-1)

Stanley Cup Montreal d. Detroit (4-1)

Wimbledon Women: Shirley Fry d. A. Buxton (6-3 6-1)Men: Lew Hoad d. K. Rosewall (6-2 4-6 7-5 6-4)

Kentucky Derby Champion Needles

NCAA Basketball Championship San Francisco d. Iowa (83-71)

NCAA Football Champions Oklahoma (10-0-0)

WORLD EVENTS

Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of USSR Communist Party, denounces Stalin's excesses (Feb. 24). / Morocco gains independence from France (March 1) and Spain (April 7).
Workers' uprising against Communist rule in Poland is crushed (June 28-30).
Egypt takes control of Suez Canal (July 26). Israel launches attack on Egypt's Sinai peninsula and drives toward Suez Canal (Oct. 29). British and French invade Egypt at Port Said (Nov. 5). Cease-fire forced by US pressure stops British, French, and Israeli advance (Nov. 6).
Soviet troops and tanks crush anti-Communist uprisings in Hungary (November).

Carmen Elvira Lichtl is born / November 21, 1956 / Havana Cuba

CUBA 1956

A general amnesty for political prisoners in May 1955 freed rebel leader Fidel Castro (1926-) and his followers from prison in Cuba; they promptly left for Mexico to reorganize their plans to overthow the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar (1901-73), whose regime was marked by blatant corruption, police oppression, and embezzlement. In 1956, Castro and 81 followers returned to eastern Cuba in a yacht loaded with arms and ammunition; many of these "invaders" were slain or captured by Batista's forces (Castro was erroneously presumed dead), but the rest found refuge in the rugged Sierra Maestra mountain range in Oriente province. For the next two years Castro's rebels carried out a successful guerrilla campaign from their mountain stronghold, from which neither the army nor the police could dislodge them. Castro's ranks grew to several hundred as sympathizers joined the guerrilla bands, which intermittently raided military installations and destroyed property. In 1957, the rebels kidnapped 10 American civilians and 28 sailors, but released them without harm when the US government and press angrily protested. Opposition to Batista's tyranny increased throughout Cuba, and admiration for the bearded revolutionaries who defied him grew apace. After calling for "total war" against Batista's regime, Castro took the offensive and moved out of the mountains in the fall of 1958. The rebels captured Santa Clara, the capital of Las Villas province, on December 31, 1958. Two day s before, Major Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-67), Castro's comrade-in-arms, had gained a coup by capturing an armored train loaded with weapons at Santa Clara. Realizing that all support for his government had eroded, Batista fled with his family to the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959, taking the loot he had accumulated and leaving the Cuban government in the hands of a three-man military junta. Two days later Castro led the first of his motley columns into Havana, Cuba's capital, where they were hailed enthusiastically by the people. The army made no attempt to stop the rebel forces; indeed, most of the military was on their side and welcomed them. A provisional government was quickly formed with Castro as premier; gradually Cuba was transformed into a communist state supported by the Soviet Union.

This is the world I was born into/ in 1956 /to parents who wanted a world of good for their child.

In 1958 by age two - I had a little sister, my father was part of Fidel's rebel army and our lives were set on a colision course with the world my parents had dreamed of and fought for....

This post in honor of the new cat at our house - le chat nouveaux dans notre maison Melchizadek - Mel, for short -MellyCat when we sing or are feeling Phoebe




The Naming of Cats
by TS Eliot

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, or George or Bill Bailey -
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter -
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum -
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover -
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

A Heart at Rest

So, early this morning I worked on a project that I worked on until late last night. When finished, done and delivered – my mind and body screamed for a rest. The Spirit too was calling my heart to come and dine. Instead of going straight back to the office as would be my natural tendency – even though it was only 8:15 a.m. - I went home. I made oatmeal with ripened banana, toasted almonds and brown sugar. Can’t you just taste it? I was a ‘good girl’ and took my high blood pressure medicine. I sat at the dining table and ate - in total silence. It was glorious and delicious in more ways than one.

Afterward, the sun shinning on the front steps of my house brightly beckoned. As I sat in the still of the morning hour, the only audible sounds were of sparrows chirping from where I could see them, flittering high on a pine tree; other birds rustling in the bushes they call home, and calling from all sides of our house to the day or to each other. In that moment I remembered one of the reasons why I liked this house before buying it – I called it ‘the tree house’ and it’s true, besides being surrounded - almost encroached upon my husband would say - by trees, I can hear bird song all around – all the time – it’s like living in my own personal tree house. I like it a lot! Anyway, bird song….also, I began to notice the trees, rose bushes etc. They all had that misty, new growth, impressionist brush look to them.
I remembered the Japanese bridge at Monet’s gardens covered in lavender wisteria, it was so fragrant and magical – felt like walking right into one of his paintings. This was my morning moment – magical, quiet, soothing and restful. I remembered reading the article recently, from MSN, about how nearly extinct are the spaces on earth that are completely free of man made sound. I could hear the hum of the highway in the distant background and I thought – how fortunate I am to live in this space – even if it does have some man made noise infiltrating. In all this quiet and beauty I opened my Bible to read my daily verses.

Currently, I’ve been reading the minor prophets in the Old Testament and just began Mark in the New Testament. This morning it was Nahum and Mark 2. What do you think I discovered? Do you all know the verse in Psalms 119:18 …Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law… I love that verse. It’s a true prayer and answer.
Anyway, after reading and praying some scripture for my dearly beloveds, I summed it all up like this…

Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good. When trouble comes, He is a strong refuge. And He knows everyone who trusts in Him.

Mark 2:27
Then He (being Jesus) said to them (being the Pharisees/symbolic of religious hypocrites) “The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath. And I, the Son of Man, am Master even of the Sabbath.”

So?
We need rest; we often need a refuge for our bodies, minds, souls and spirits. What do we run to in order to find needed rest?

In the midst of the judgment that Nahum was prophesying over the wicked inhabitants of Ninevah, God spoke – He is good – He is a strong refuge – He knows who trusts Him. I find this comforting. God does not want to tolerate my sin, that’s why He sent Christ to die for it – to pay the price I could not pay. However, God does want me to know of His goodness, His sanctuary for me and His intimate knowledge of me and my needs. I liked that. Then I read about Jesus dealing with the Pharisees. He healed the paralytic so readily and amazed the onlookers but was criticized by the hypocrites. Later, His disciples were walking through a grain field plucking the heads of wheat off and I could just imagine them munching those like granola or something, and the hypocrites criticized Jesus again with their rigid man made law of no work on the Sabbath. Christ’s response – the Sabbath (day of rest) was made to serve/benefit you – and by the way I am Master of that day of rest.

The ‘Ah ha’ moment hit me. I could enjoy the breakfast, the birds, the trees even the silence, because God made those for me to fill my need for rest in specific areas. But, true rest – the kind that I walk away feeling physically refreshed, mentally renewed and spiritually satisfied only comes when HE is the Master of my rest. And, HE ordained a rest for me from the beginning of time. Someone asked me today, if I regularly honor the Sabbath. My response, I don’t do it ‘religiously’ but more out of practicality. I like to have my house clean and ready for the weekend by Friday. I don’t like to clean all day on Saturday like we used to when we were young. I like to read, paint, walk, enjoy my family, the garden and the sun or the rain on Saturdays. On Sunday mornings, I like to go to church, experience corporate worship, some community, and hear the Bible taught accurately, with application and passion. I like to go out for lunch on Sunday afternoons. I don’t like to routinely cook on Sundays but always like to cook for special occasions or guests. And by Sunday evening I am busy working and preparing for the next week. These are more my practical and selfish habits than my religious habits. There is no point in being religious – rather our relationship with GOD through Jesus Christ should be the vibrancy that brings our heart, mind, soul and spirit it's truest rest.

I hope you get to rest in and with the Master today – reenergize with His word, through enjoying His creation and listening to the promptings of His Spirit. God is good – HE is a strong refuge and HE knows you - who trust in Him.

If you haven’t yet trusted in Christ – do so now – ask Him to be Master of your rest.
Then write to me and let me know.

In His Amazing Love and Blessed Rest,
Carmen

to learn more about the Jewish perspective of Sabbath http://www.everythingjewish.com/Shabbat/Shabbat_Origins.htm

Day of Rest - poster by Asher B. Durand
http://www.postercheckout.com/PictureFull.asp?PrintID=17615

Fonder or Farther

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, why do people often fight during and after separation? Ask people in a long distance relationships - they fight on phones - it's crazy! Ask most military couples about their trans itions. Most of them will say adjusting to being back together, having to share control and get used to each other all over again is difficult and chaotic.

This is because we humans settle easily into the comfort and convenience of self-indulgences - in other words - when we never have to answer to anyone and can just do whatever the heck we want, when we want, we adopt the false impression that life is simpler, less complicated, therefore better and safe. Actually, this does feel good - for a time at least.

In reality however, most often, absence causes hearts to grow farther apart rather than fonder.

For the Christian - this is absolutely true. Absence from the daily intimacies of relationship with Jesus Christ leads to distance from God and eventually indifference towards God and others.

Intentional absence from His word is like choosing starvation and death, while before you a spectacular banqueting table awaits to satisfy your gnawing hunger.

Ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit is like deciding to allow dehydration and unslakable thirst to dominate, while a flowing stream of refreshment and cleansing is calling you to renewal.

Selfishness, pride and self-will rule humanity – Jesus Christ showed us humility when He, being God, took on human form, died in our place, rose from the dead and saved us from the sting of sin and death. Phil 2:5-8

We must not allow our hearts to grow farther from God – we must intentionally grow fonder of Him by daily following the fundamental ‘rules of relationship’ with Him. You can’t be in a healthy relationship with someone you don’t know or don’t choose to know.

King David was passionate about relationship with God. He repeated a phrase often in Psalm 119 “with my whole heart.” I think David understood the principle of love and division and his choice was always to know God, to serve Him, to follow Him, to plead for help in keeping His commands, etc.

Love is to be chosen and cultivated and not necessarily by separation. Jesus affirmed that a whole heart, one that is knit to His own, is necessary to enter into vibrant relationship with God. He said, “a house divided against itself cannot stand, you cannot serve God and money, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” He commended Mary, the sister of Martha, for choosing to sit at his feet and hear Him instead of busying herself with much activity “the one thing is needed – Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 references Ps 27:4, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.”

Time invested at the feet of Jesus or beholding the beauty of the LORD and inquiring at His temple is time well spent – and Jesus said – in the case of Mary – it will not be taken away from her. This speaks of a lasting benefit springing from a momentary choice. She chose not to do the dishes or heed her sister Martha in that moment – she chose to hear the Master. Hearing Jesus Christ, whether it is through reading His word, through quiet prayer and meditation, through listening to a Bible study is always a needed choice, a better choice and a lasting choice. His word feeds us, His Holy Spirit fills us and our hearts grower fonder, dearer, more in love with Him; as we understand more of who HE is and what HE has done on our behalf.

So, the question; Is my heart whole or divided, am I growing fonder or farther? Only the inner meter of my intimacy with Him can answer correctly. An intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is not necessarily defined by the externals that everyone sees, but rather by the internal condition, the hidden person, of my spiritual heart. My heart chooses everyday - truth or lie, union or division, fonder or farther…

Psalm 119:30-32
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments,
For you shall enlarge my heart. (set my heart free / cause my heart to swell with joy)

Psalm 119:2
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!

Psalm 119:10
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Sweet Dreams

Ever have trouble sleeping? Me too!
Like Sleeping Beauty, sleep often seems like a waste of time to me. I think that if I didn't have to do it, I would get so much more done in life. Other times, I admit, it's nice and there's nothing better than to fall asleep near a warm fire, in my favorite chair in the middle of the afternoon. I guess I like sleep best when I can choose it, not when it is forced upon me like an evil spell. So, even though I and others might view sleep as an inconvenience, it is good for humans to sleep and therefore, we must choose it and allow ourselves to receive its benefits.

In the same way, spiritually speaking, a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ is the best choice (and really the only choice) that is good for us as well - because HE is good! We must choose Him and allow ourselves to bask in His goodness, receiving the benefits of relationship with Him.

In being Christian, we can choose to be 'selective nappers' as it were, and still feel warmth and refreshment in those times when we nap, but clearly the benefits to those on a 'consistent sleep schedule' are superior. Sleep is proven to prolong your life and promote good health. A vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ has physical and spiritual benefits – ultimately - forgiveness, eternal life and intimate knowledge of the Father. But also, Jesus promised us rest from worry, peace in difficulty, companionship in solitude and more. In Luke 24:44-53 Christ clearly stated that the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms spoke of Him. As God – His story and benefits begin in Genesis and end in Revelation. We are talking about the same God – One God - the God of the Holy Bible. This section from the Old Testament Psalms is one of my personal favorites…

Psalm 103 NLT various verses

"Praise the Lord, I tell myself, with my whole heart. I will praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my disease. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s….The Lord is merciful and gracious; He is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love…The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate…the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children’s children…

Psalm 103 NKJ same various verses for your poetic types

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s … The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy … As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him… But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children’s children…”

We should not slack on sleep and we must not slack on our relationship with Jesus Christ. He is God and with Him there are many lasting benefits.
See Also: John 14 / Matthew 11:28-30 / Mark 3:28-29.

I wrote this poem long ago as one suggestion for a solution to lack of sleep.

Sleep
by Carmen E. Richards
For Fellow Insomniacs: The only cure for sleeplessness is to dream of the One who is LOVE

Sleep would be sweet
If I could spend it
Dreaming of You

Time would stand still
And age not slowly kill
My desire for You

Not even "true love's" first kiss
From a slumber like this
Could awaken dozing me

Back into the harsh reality
Of languishing days spent
Without You - In sweet sleep

I'm singing and dancing
Summer, spring romancing
Every season's enchanting

In endless repose
Eyes forever closed
Divinely adrift

Asleep
And dreaming of You

Sweet Dreams!
In His Love,
Carmen

For more on sleep benies and sleep deprivation visit:
http://www.fi.edu/brain/sleep.htm
http://www.englander.com/BenefitsOfSleep.htm

What do you do when you can't sleep?

It's All About the LOVE!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not a huge St. Valentine follower, but I always appreciate this holiday for the opportunity to celebrate true Love. (no Princess Bride Quote today - although it fits!)

1 John 4:10 (King James version is best here)
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Herein - this is it - here it is - look no further - the one and only genuine article
LOVE - This is what true love is - God loved us first - its not selfish, selfconsumed or selfabsorbed or selfserving etc.- its others centered
God showed us what true love is by FIRST loving us in such a way that was neccessary for us and unique to HIS capabilities - God loved us by sending His only Son to be the...
Propitiation - sacrifice - for our sins - There was only one way to offer payment for the sin of mankind - only One person could pay that debt - God Himself - He handled it for you, for me, for all of us. Isn't that a wonderful beginning ....

God loves you and has a good plan for your life here and in eternity.
Love Him back.

Happy Love Day!
Carmen

Jump the Heart

Pulse One: 2.11.06
Jump Your Heart

Who are you, who am I and why are you reading this page? Through this means, what will we ever really know about each other - except for what we are honestly willing to risk and reveal. As I thought about the first posting to this page - the hook - as it were – I was immobilized - caught in the net of fear. Then, last night I realized – this page doesn't have to be genius or even interesting - but it should be real and honest at the very least; unafraid and not too wordy perhaps. Shaa Right - like that could ever happen. Anyway…

Referenced above, as the definitive for this page, is Matthew 6:19-21 (from the Holy Bible /NLT/ in case some of you are wondering) because it talks about treasure, heart and thoughts. Those are the peanut butter and jelly sandwich with ice-cold milk of the human spirit and soul. If I'm loving something and it’s precious to me - then my thoughts are revolving around it 24/7. Some people refer to that as obsessive or Gollum like behavior; whatever. I refer to it as inspired and insightful. Jesus spoke these words because He understood our human nature was to obsess about the stuff we could see, feel, hear, smell, taste and touch – that’s right 6 senses. He also understood that all that stuff - anything that relates to earthly time and space - is deteriorating. It doesn't last. So, He said, "Hey don’t invest your energy in stuff that turns rusty or gets eaten by moths or stolen by thieves, rather invest your energy in stuff that remains, that can’t be taken away and doesn’t rot. Wherever your investment is, there is where your heart and your thoughts will be also." (my paraphrase)

Think about it now. In what are we heavily invested? What is precious to us? What consumes our time in thought, feeling and action?

Last night, my 17-year-old accidentally swerved his tires into a muddy bank; they were quickly captured by the ‘demon’ mud dragging his four-wheel drive deeper and deeper into the ditch, which eventually flipped his truck on its passenger side and slid it along for approximately 15 feet toward a waiting, well established Douglas Fir. Fortunately, “something” stopped the Nissan bullet before hitting its target….and who knows…exploding! I naturally thought about it a lot last night.

I stood at the scene on this deserted back road, freezing, on a beautiful, clear moonlit night, with tow truck lights creating an eerie silhouette around the darkened figure of my baby boy realizing, through that incident and in an instant, he could have been taken from this life and me. A thin line separates all of us from the eternal; a hairline fracture in space and time between the finite and the infinite. I was as thankful that he wasn't taken as I am confident in what is his eternal destiny.

Jesus said – don’t make the finite your focus people – focus on the infinite. Anyone of us can be taken in the next instant.

Earlier this week, I heard about another friend who crossed the great-divide while on the tennis court. His heart had a massive attack. He was only 60. He was a generous man, an excellent doctor of dentistry who loved children and gave his time and resources to the neediest through our mission-www.cotni.org. He crossed over while doing something he loved. That was a nice way to go. At his memorial, people gave to orphaned kids, instead of sending flowers. To me, that’s a great illustration of loving and eternal investment.

Most people will never speculate here. They may never figure out the eternal perspective. They will only be concerned with what is in front of them at the moment. I believe those of us who do contemplate eternity and understand the truth about it - must tell.

Ergo this page begins: For those of you who stop by and don’t fully understand, let me explain. I believe there is only one-way to jumpstart the heart into eternity. That is, to know intimately the One from whom eternity stems. That One is God – eternal, almighty and sovereign – Jesus Christ who Himself is LOVE incarnate. You have to make a decision to know Him first and then you can find out what’s important to Him; and what you should be investing in.

It’s not difficult to know Him. He wrote the book about Himself through men inspired by Himself….so you just have to read about Him in the book – the Holy Bible – my latest favorite is the New Living Translation – check it out! Fine Print Warning:you won’t find the real Him in the book of mormon or the watchtower magazine; and you won’t necessarily find out what is really eternal investment by watching tv-evangelists. Billy Graham is an exception – he doesn’t want your money – he only wants you to give your heart away to Jesus Christ – the only true SON of God – God Himself incarnate– opposite of what the formerly mentioned believe.

Anyway, after you know Him, you can ask the question; In what does He say I must invest? I believe you will find the answer in His own words; Matthew 6:33 "...make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."

Finally... (Random Movie Quote)
“lemme splain – no its too much – lemme sum up; Buttercup is marrying Humperdink in little less than half an hour…” Name that film: ____________ !

...Our natural state is fragile, deplorable and declining. Our eternal state is dependent upon our investment while here on earth. Will we invest in eternity – by becoming intimate with God and making His Kingdom our primary concern or will we continue the senseless stockpiling of stuff, tangible and ‘un’ that is eventually to expire?

I want to jump my heart into eternity – everyday. I want my heart and thoughts to be consumed by eternal treasure that is non-corruptible….and again to be clear, I’m not talking about silver, gold, health, wealth and prosperity. I’m talking about endless time and relationship with the One who said – "Hey, I’m going to prepare a place for you and I’m coming back to take you there so that you can be there with ME where I am." (my paraphrase again) I’m talking about fulfilling my highest purpose for existence - 'to know God and enjoy Him forever'.

Jump in and let me know what you think….

end Pulse One

Love,
Carmen