Thank you, Jojo. This is a beautiful award and very much appreciated.
Thank you, Jill and Grams! This award is lovely.
A while back, Storyteller at Small Reflections, celebrated her first Blogoversary. She presented those who helped her celebrated with this lovely button. Thank you, my friend.
And now I'd like to give a few things to my friends and readers.
The above award is for all of my blogging friends. You know who you are. I cherish each of you. When I started blogging, I never thought that in just over a year's time I would have made so many wonderful friends. The above button is for anyone who comments on this post. I am from Canada and our Thanksgiving was in October, but I know yours is coming up soon. Enjoy!
Another for my friends and thank you, Denise from Shorty Bear's place for passing it on to me. It is adorable.
I hope you enjoy the awards and that they bring a bit of sunshine into your day. Enjoy your weekend and rememeber to do a random act of kindness. ~Blessings, Mary~
Today I join Mimi Lenox at Mimi Writes for the 5th launch of Blog Blast for Peace. Please visit her website and read how Blog Blast for Peace came to be.
I grew up during the 1960s, which was a time of unrest in the world. Many Canadians had volunteered to fight in Vietnam. It seemed that the last three decades were steeped in war. WWII, Korea, Vietnam. All cost thousands of men and women their lives.
Along with Vietnam came so many other atrocities. Assassinations, race riots, the shooting of students at Kent State University... these are all trademarks of the 60s when violence ran rampant throughout the world. The Berlin Wall, where anyone who tried to cross to the west was shot down. The Cold War... All of these things are forever etched in my memory.
My first confrontation with this type of violence was when I was in grade 8. The phone in the principals office rang, which was very unusual during school hours. Mrs. Smith came back to tell us that President Kennedy had been assassinated.
This was the era of Civil Rights. Riots broke out several times during the decade of the 1960s - the worst being the Newark Race Riot. People were dying at the hands of their fellow humans and there didn't seem much that could be done abouti it.
Dr. Martin Luther King was a great man. He fought for equality for Blacks and Dr. King had a dream.
Unfortunately, Dr. King never saw his dream realized. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Robert Kennedy was the brother of President John Kennedy. Robert detested organized crime and he too had a dream. On June 5, 1968, he too was assassinated.
As the 1960s came to a close I prayed that this would be the end of the violence, but the Vietnam Conflict was in full swing. On May 4, 1970, the National Guard shot into a group of student protesters at Kent State University. This became known as the Kent State Massacre. Four students were killed and nine were wounded - one who had permanent paralysis. So the craziness continued.
When we finally thought that things had settled down, a lone gunman shot John Lennon outside of his New York apartment on December 8, 1980. Lennon had sang several songs urging peace on earth. One of his greatest was Imagine.
Still, that wasn't the end. On March 30, 1981, just a little over three months later, an assassin tried to take the life of President Ronald Reagan. He was not successful.
Since then we have seen Desert Storm, 911, which resulted in troops being sent into Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and of course, the war in Iraq.
Yes, I have been a witness to history during my life and it's not a history that I am proud of. It seems every decade there is something new to fight about. My opinion is that this is sparked by greed and fear, for we fear that which we don't understand.
I am proud to say that my grandsons witnessed one of the greatest historical moments in the history of the world. They saw Barack Obama become President of the United States. Who would have thought, back in the 1960s, that an African American would ever become President. How proud Dr. King would have been.
We have taken a step forward. Whether you are in favor of President-Elect Obama or if you are of another political persuasion, it doesn't matter. A great stride was made when he was elected and we all need to stand behind him.
It's time to Give Peace a Chance, as John Lennon wrote so many years ago. To do that, we must have peace in our hearts. We must not clench our fists and profess to love. We must find peace in our hearts for only then can we pass it on to others. ~Blessings, Mary~
This is Mimi Pencil Skirt reporting live from the lovely land of the Peace Globes.I'm about to do something radical. Unexpected (hardly). CRAZY. Did I say radical?Let me 'splain. I've consulted with the Pencil Skirt Powers That Be (that would be moi) and they came to a smashingly obvious and random conclusion. The lightbulb came on..so to speak......and I've made the no-brainer decision to meme this movement. To meme or not to meme peace globes? That is the question. The answer came as a question. WHY NOT?Peace Globes did not begin as a meme. But it began to behave like a meme. Blog to blog to blog. Like a fog. We didn't use the word "tag" ....but that's what we did when we invited others in our blogrolls to participate. The fact that you did so without the obligatory tag is proof that the concept is powerful.It's a fact that the fastest and most effective way to spiral an idea out of control in the blogosphere is via a meme. I should know! We have the vision as a core group of bloggers for peace, we have a sense of unity, activism, awareness and enthusiasm; but we do not - yet - have the power in numbers behind the message. Unity in numbers = power Peace power?What a revolutionary idea.My vision hasn't changed. Nor has my commitment to the project or my willingness to work hard. But if it is to have the influence I know it can - then I have to work smarter. Today, I, Mimi Queen of Memes, toss a slew of beautiful little peaceful globes into the galactic blogosphere as a tag- to get the ball rolling. How far will they go? Where will they land? Who will catch them? Where will they send them next?Who will draw a picture, write a poem, make a song, write a post....that might have the power to begin to change the landscape of my world? Someone will.Will it be you?A friend told me recently, "I have a healthy respect for the power of the written word. If we can all get together and do this on the same day, with the right post title, it can have meaning....It can extend the meaning and become more powerful."Right, my friend. A revolution of words.Don't you want to know how far your words will reach? Have you ever wondered if what you write has relevance and meaning to someone else? Maybe someone in another country, maybe even a violent place. Or just a lonely space.I have to believe that there are many others who - given the opportunity - would like to speak for peace. I say we should use all the tools at our disposal to make sure they get the chance. This meme is a movement. Let's move it. Tag at will! **start copy** Join The Revolution Here are the rules and the story. (1) Copy this into a post (2) ADD YOUR NAME to the bottom of the tag list(3) Tag at as many people as you'd like. The Peace Globe project began in the fall of 2006 with a simple post from one blog, Mimi Writes. The post ignited a flame in the blogosphere. The flame became a passion. The passion became a movement. It amazingly traveled from blog to blog to blog across the globe. Bloggers wrote passionate articles on what peace means to them, along with the promise of three Latin words scribbled on a globe - Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) - branded with the integrity of their names or blog names. It was positively inspiring to watch. And it began to happen all over the world - from Singapore to China to Afghanistan to Brooklyn. It was simple. And powerful. In less than three weeks bloggers from all across the globe will blog for peace.We will speak with one voice. One subject. One day.Won't you join us?November 6, 2008How To Get Your Peace Globe In 4 easy steps!1. Right CLICK and SAVE the peace globe below or choose from other designs here.2. Sign the globe using Paint, Photoshop or a similar graphics tool. Decorate the globe anyway you wish. You can even include the name of your blog. Click here for hundreds of inspiring examples from previous BlogBlasts.3. Return the peace globe to me via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com - Let me know your blog's name and url by leaving a comment here and signing the Mr. Linky. Your submission will be numbered and dated in the official gallery . Your globe and post will be listed on the Official BlogBlast For Peace website and The Peace Globe Posts page. Here's the most important part.4. On November 6, 2008 DISPLAY YOUR GLOBE IN A POST. Title your post "Dona Nobis Pacem". This is important. The goal is for all blog post titles to say the same thing on the same day. Write about peace or simply fly your globe. Go HERE for the other 3 globe template choices!) If you'd like to help spread the word, take this button to your site. The code is in my sidebar. I, Mimi Queen of Memes, hereby royally tag the following....... (Before you copy this list on your blogs, ADD YOUR OWN NAME to the bottom of the list. )
Mary's Writing Nook ............................................................................................................YOUR NAME HERE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE TAGGED TO PLAY
The mail lady must have wondered if Christmas had came early this morning when she delivered our mail. Hubby came into the house with this beautiful pink package.
A few weeks ago, Stephanie at Mississippi Songbird had a giveaway. I entered and lo and behold, I won.
Inside the parcel was this little Avon box that said, Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.
Inside was a beautiful breast cancer Christmas decoration and a breast cancer key chain. They are beautiful!
A better look. This is going to have a place of honor on my Christmas tree this year and the key chain will hold my house keys. Thank you so much, Stephanie, for hosting this great giveaway.
These are the cards that I've received so far. Thank you Pea, Tipper and Susie. I so appreciate your love and support for S. She will be thrilled when all of these cards reaches her just before Christmas.
As the cards come in, I will post frequent updates. Just before I mail them out to S, I will remove them from their envelopes and take a photo so you can all see how beautiful they are.
If you would like to participate in the card shower, there's still time. Just make or buy a Christmas card for S, who is a young deployed American female soldier. Find instructions just under my blog header. Your participation will be very much appreciated.
Congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the election and becoming the President Elect of the US. I saw his speech and thought he did a marvelous job of expressing his feelings about his dream for America. I will pray for this man and for the United States.
I also saw John McCain's speech congratulating Mr. Obama on his win and I thought he did an excellent job. I would also like to congratulate the people of the US for exercising their right to vote. No matter who you voted for, the important thing is, you voted. My prayers are with your country as you make the transition from President Bush to President Obama. May God Bless America at this time in history.~Blessings, Mary~
Today, November 4th is election day in the USA. I urge all of my American friends to go out to the polls and cast their ballets. Exercise your right to vote. This is a historical election and I pray that the voter turnout will be good and that God's hand will be on your country as your new President is elected. ~Blessings, Mary~
Peggy, from Mission4Monday, is asking us to take on a mission each week. This is my fourth week particpating. If you would like to participate in Mission4Monday, follow the link above to Peggy's where you will be able to find out how.
This week I'm on a mission that is something near and dear to my heart. November is Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta. My belief is that there should not be a month for Family Violence Prevention. It is something that should never happen in the first place. This week I'm going to focus on child abuse.
Child abuse is a stigma on society, yet often it is covered up. Children are threatened with worse punishment if they tell. Friends and neighbors who suspect child abuse turn a blind eye and do not report it.
Child abuse is one of the leading causes of suicide in teens and the third leading cause of death in adolescents world wide. Each year one million children are exposed to commercial sexual exploitation. These statistics are astounding and it is you and I that have to step up to the plate and assure that children are protected.
Sexual and physical abuse are not the only types of abuse that exist. Yelling, screaming, swearing and other forms of verbal abuse cut to the quick. Children who fall victim to this type of child abuse are scarred for life. Cuts, burns and bruises will heal, but the mental and verbal abuse do not. Scars are embedded deep into the child's brain and heart and even when they are old themselves, the scars remain for they will never heal.
Did you Know?
* The average age of entry into the sex trade in Canada is between 14 years of age in British Columbia and 17 in Ontario?
* A major reason that young people leave home is in order to escape from sexual and/or physical abuse in their family--the average age they leave is 15?
* Close to one-third of teens between ages 14 and 19 who participated in a Canadian study had experienced some kind of childhood abuse or neglect?
* Children and youth who received high levels of negative parenting practices (i.e. physical punishment, scolding and yelling) were more likely to be involved in aggressive behaviours?
* Those who are abused as children are more likely to abuse their own children and the children of others?
* One in four girls and one in five boys are sexually abused before they reach the age of 15?
Symptoms of abuse vary from deep depression to taunting, teasing, passive or aggressive behavior, meltdowns, constant joking, belittling others, bullying, obsessive compulsive behavior, lying, cheating, stealing, frustration, excessive worrying and so much more, including frequent bruising, black eyes, burns and other physical signs. Keep your eyes and your heart open to stop child abuse now.
Child abusers are most often known to the child. Women abuse children as well as men.
Please help me in my Mission4Monday this week. If you suspect a child is being abused either physically, mentally, emotionally or sexually, report it. It is your duty. Help Stop Child Abuse!~Blessings, Mary~
It's been a few days since I've posted. We didn't have many children on Halloween. Just six little ones early in the evening and then later on four teenage girls came by. That's more than we get some years.
After they had been out trick or treating, Brandon and Jordan came to spend the night. We went online and played Monopoly and it was after midnight before we finished. It's very unusual for Brandon to stay up so late and he surprised himself. Jordan is a night hawk, but believe it or not, he was asleep first. Brandon finally went to sleep around 1:30 and was up again before 7am, when he woke his brother. So it was a short night's sleep. Those boys wear me out.
Saturday afternoon, after dropping the boys at home, hubby and I went to a Native craft fair. It is an annual event and we always try to go. We were a bit disappointed this year, as they didn't have the variety they do some years. I picked up a couple of little Christmas decorations and a new leather folder to carry my license and debit cards. It was something that I needed desperately and the price was right.
I kicked myself for not taking the camera along. There was some nice autumn scenery, though many of the trees are beginning to look very bare. At one point we crossed the Grand River and the water was quite high. Along the banks the autumn leaves were colorful. The weather was fairly warm and it was a nice day to be out and about.
Not much other news from here. I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the autumn weather. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. ~Blessings, Mary~
The above award was given to me by Mike from Rambling Stuff. Thanks, Mike! I'm glad you think my blog is cool.
This award is from Renie at
Thank you, Jojo. This is a beautiful award and very much appreciated. 
Thank you, Jill and Grams! This award is lovely.
A while back, Storyteller at Small Reflections, celebrated her first Blogoversary. She presented those who helped her celebrated with this lovely button. Thank you, my friend. 
The above award is for all of my blogging friends. You know who you are. I cherish each of you. When I started blogging, I never thought that in just over a year's time I would have made so many wonderful friends.
The above button is for anyone who comments on this post. I am from Canada and our Thanksgiving was in October, but I know yours is coming up soon. Enjoy!
Another for my friends and thank you, Denise from Shorty Bear's place for passing it on to me. It is adorable. 
A better look. This is going to have a place of honor on my Christmas tree this year and the key chain will hold my house keys. Thank you so much, Stephanie, for hosting this great giveaway.
