Judith Iris Quate's Blog, page 6

VIOLENCE – FRUSTRATION AND OTHER MATTERS…

The world we live in is very frightening in so many ways.  I cannot leave my house without  wondering if a person is going to either abduct me or pull out a gun and shoot me.   If I am in my car waiting for the red light to change and I do not react quickly enough (two seconds), a horn will blast almost throwing me out of my seat from fright.  If I am driving too slow (at the noted speed limit I must add), the car behind me will swirl his car in front of me, give me a dirty look or the finger,  just to reach the next street before me.  Go figure?  I love when you are waiting at a light and the person in the car beside you is either staring at you or picking their nose; better yet, they are talking on the phone.

Let me make this very clear so you will not misunderstand, I am not afraid of any man or woman, regardless of color or sexual orientation.  I watch enough TV and movies about violence and feel I clearly understand when I should be in fear.

You cannot even feel comfortable in your own house.  I am grateful to have a phone that tells me who is calling, that is if I can understand it.  If not, the phone number comes through on the television as long as I am not watching something On Demand or Netflex.  If I didn’t get calls for energy use, upgrading my mortgage, upgrading my healthcare, asking for donations or selling me a new product, my phone would never ring.  My family and friends  send me texts.

Texting is no long private.  The other day I was offered a job in a text.  I responded to the phone number, just being curious, and no one answered.  A few minutes later a woman calls me and asked if I just called her.  I responded afirmatively and she preceded to inform me the text I received  was a spam and her phone number is on the text.  You can only imagine how many calls she is getting.  I apologized for bothering her and told her I appreciated her calling me back.  This world we live in is crazy for sure.

Don’t even get me started with the internet.  I have been sitting for hours the last few days trying to upgrade my domain to another server.  My domain renewal was due and I decided to change to another server that relates better with WordPress.  Why do I put myself in these situations knowing nothing is going to be easy?   I am now waiting for customer service to call me back because I purchased a design from an advertised company through WordPress and I cannot download it to my site.  I received instructions and it is easy to follow.  I found the download button to make a zip file of my design but nothing happened.  An error message showed in its place.   I called and waiting online for ten minutes until a recording asked if I wanted to leave my phone number and message and they will call me back.  I am still waiting…..and you are enjoying my blog post I decided to write to pass the time (ha ha). I believe the lesson learned here, do not change something that is working!

I would like to add one more point and I will close this post.  The demonstration that took place in congress the other day was so impressive.  It doesn’t matter what political affiliation I am or you, it is the passion they showed to something they felt was not getting the attention needed.  This is what democracy is all about.

I am against violence of any kind and if I was a congressman, I would have joined them in their sit-in.  It is the passion that excites me.  There is too much violence in our world every day and our representatives were taking action they believed in and I say BRAVO to them.  I know the fight is not over.

 

Have a great weekend,

Hugs

Jude

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SPECIAL FATHER I KNOW

Let me tell you a story about a father who was deprived of acknowledgement for many years. He is a man of a few words and probably would not like this post because he doesn’t want the attention. He would ask what makes me so special? I am here to tell you why he deserves to be a special Dad!

The day our twins were born my husband (Allen) was not allowed in the operating room. I was having an emergency C-section. Anyway, in 1979, fathers were not invited to be with their wives.

The boys were immediately resuscitated and placed on respirators and then rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I saw Allen as I was being wheeled out of the OR and he was dressed in scrubs. He told me the doctor invited him in to see the boys and he saw me before I was sutured, and was told he never flinched. My doctor told me he never hesitated to see me and the boys.

He came over to comfort me and then quickly followed both boys to the NICU. He stayed with them all afternoon, alternating from seeing me and the boys.

Several months later we needed to feed tube Jason and suction him and he never hesitated to perform both techniques.

When both boys were home and Jason was healthier, he played with them both like dads do; rough play on the floor and throwing them up in the air. It never occurred to him Jason was different. Jason loved it. The more Allen played with him, the more he wanted it;laughing so hard and kicking his legs and his arms with spastic motions.

Later on when Jason became to heavy for me to manage, he helped me each night bathing and getting him ready for bed. On the weekends, he would get up earlier, change Jason and leave him in bed with me and Michael while he went downstairs to prepare breakfast and feed Jason.

After Jason left home he finally had the time to be a real Dad for Michael. Allen took Michael to all his little league baseball games and even volunteered to be an assistant coach. He was also involved with Boy Scouts with Michael.

Finally, Allen signed Michael up to be a ball boy at an Eagles game for the upcoming season. He decided not to tell him in case he was never picked. However, this was the year when the Eagles made the playoffs and Michael was picked for the game. It was the last game Buddy Ryan managed.

I believed my husband did not get the tribute he deserved. I want to give him the tribute now because I realized how special a Dad he was and still is.

Hugs

Jude

POEM – HATEFUL DISCRIMINATION PRAYER

I am disabled.

People stare at me.

Why is this so.?

I am gay.

I am different.

People hate me, Why?

Because I choose my own

sexual orientation?

I am Jewish.

This is the religion I am.

Why do people hate me

because of my chosen belief?

I am an African American.

People hate me.

What makes me different

because of the color of my skin?

We all have been created equal

regardless of our abilities, sexual

orientation,religion and the color of

our skin.

We all are human beings

created by God.

I do not believe it was his intention

to create people with hate in their blood.

Dear God, I believe you are watching

all the hatred expressed

who demonstrates harsh discrimination.

I am praying for you today

to heal those who have been discriminated upon

in the most brutalizing way.

Please help us heal and give us hope

Dear God, help us find a way,

to create peace and teach us how

we can somehow live as equal

regardless of our different ways.

Jude

A TRIBUTE TO THE TRAGEDY IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Please take the time to watch this video. Help me express heartfelt tribute to the 50 people who died in Orlando, Florida yesterday.

Please repost in their memory.

Let’s send prayers to their family and friends and prayers for those who are in the hospital.

Hugs

Judy.

THANK YOU FRIENDS

I am so honored and grateful to all my devoted friends on WordPress. Yesterday I reached 200 followers. It is a small group but much more I ever dreamed.

I started this blog in 2013 having a strong urge to document my life and share with the world the hope I can help someone who needs support. Apparently 200 of you like what I have to say, the wisdom I share and I hope I am reaching each one of you in some way.

I describe myself as a simplistic writer using basic words to emphasize what I have to say, not how I say it.

I love to write and I love that you want to read my words.

I consider you all my friends and I thank you all in helping me become a happier person in my senior years.

Hugs

Jude

Grieving “The Greatest” and other thoughts…

I was watching testimonials and videos of Mohammad Ali’s life of triumphs, convictions and sheer courage;living with a progressive disease resulting from his years of fighting, I mourn his death and send prayers to his family and friends.

I was surprised to learn he suffered from dyslexia and learned that he used rhyme when he spoke because it was easier for him. He was compensating for what he lacked. When he attended public school they did not offer special education back then. The only choice the teachers had back then was to help as much as they can and pass them through each grade until graduation.

This is so very sad. I am a victim of having some type of learning difficulties and I know if there was special education when I attended school, my life of struggling through each grade would have ended in a much better result for me. I learned how to compensate. In the business world I paid a lot of attention to my superiors who corrected my writing and spelling and I learned from them. This is how I overcame my deficiencies, along with suffering great embarrassment along the way. Thankfully they all were kind, patient and very much appreciated the skills I did have as an efficient, responsible employee.

My brother-in-law experienced similar difficulties in his school years as well. However, his problems were all emotional/mental. In his case as well, special education wasn’t available for him either. I wonder how different his life would be if he was born now.

He is diagnosed to have paranoid schizophrenia. I watched him grow up from the age of five. He would sit in front of the TV moving his arms in a fashion you would see in a young boy of today who is autistic; slowly back and forth, sideways and locking his fingers together. I didn’t understand what the gesture meant but knew it wasn’t normal. He had difficulty with socialization and was constantly bullied at school because he appeared different.

He is very intelligent and loves fishing, building models and fascinated with war history. When he was living at home with his mom and dad you would always find him in the garage working on a project. He loves animals and fed stray cats at times.

Because of the lack of knowledge of diagnosing him correctly as a child, he graduated from high school and slowly began exhibited mental symptoms. He was cared for by the neighborhood mental health program with group therapy, social activities and day programs to keep him occupied. He eventually began working in a controlled setting for which proved to be working positively for him until it was closed down.

Presently he lives in a boarding home in a small town near us. He is getting great services from the mental health program. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the supervision he needs and will panhandle for money and cigarettes and exhibit other behaviors that are unacceptable in society but he doesn’t have the social skills to understand.

I started this post praising the life of Mohamed Ali but the fact that he lived with dyslexia and needed to compensate for years to hide his problem, reminded me of my life and how I was able too compensate and learn through my errors. However, for my brother-in-law, he is part of an era where he was unable to get the appropriate help he needed and possibly misdiagnosed because of the lack of knowledge 40 years ago.

Hugs

Jude

STRESS RELIEVERS

Just a few hours ago while I was sitting at my comfy spot on my couch with the television off, what a phenomenon,

MEMORIAL DAY POEM – 2016

Today is the day set aside to remember

the brave men and women

who sacrificed their lives

to protect our freedom .

We live in the USA where we live in freedom.

We must never take this for granted.

Dear God please take special care of our fallen;

our men and women who were sent to you

after they fought in battles not of their calling.

They were brave and fearless to battle the unknown

so that we can continue to live in peace at home.

We live in a very dangerous world threatening our shores.

My wish to you dear God, please keep us safe from war.

Today we pray the battles will end

and our brave men and women will return to their home again.

AMEN

MEMORIAL DAY – MY PERSONAL REMEMBRANCE

I recall the first time I walked into the room to attend a meeting arranged by the local USO chapter formed for the purpose to recruit volunteers. I was 18 years old and just graduated from high school. This was 1968. My mother encouraged me to attend because she was a member of the USO during World War II and believed I would follow in her foot steps.

She was right. I needed a purpose at that time of my life and what better purpose was to support our troops on their way to fight in a war that was highly protested against in 1968.

Anyway, what did I know? I was young and unimpressive. I felt a sense of belonging, however, knowing somehow the experience would change me in ways I could never imagine.

The bus would pick us up at the center each Friday and take a group of us to Fort Dix Army Base, about a 40 minute drive from Philadelphia to New Jersey. A dance was organized each Friday for the troops and we were their guests to either dance with or give them an opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of a young girl for the evening. It was well chaperoned and I had no fear; just wanted to keep them occupied, away from the fears they all felt.

Occasionally I would meet a young man and spend the evening with him, dancing and talking. He would walk me to the bus and I would receive an appreciative kiss and hug goodbye.

Through the years I often wondered if any of the young men I met ever returned home safe. I feared some were wounded, killed or were missing in action. When I visited the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., I left a flower at the wall as a symbolic gesture of my support as a USO girl.

I dedicate this blog post to all military who sacrificed their lives to keep our shores safe from harm. May you all rest in peace and God bless those who returned home.

Mother’s Day Poem

A mother is the woman who rocks you to sleep at night.

A mother is the woman who tucks you in bed nice and tight.

A mother is the woman who wipes the tears away when you fall.

A mother is the woman who guides you through life, and when you marry, makes you promise never forget when you are scared you can always call.

A mother is the woman who you will watch one day suffer,

wishing to take away her pain;

because you are her daughter

and with all your heart, you love her.

Today is Mother’s day for all

you lucky daughters and sons,

please be sure to give an extra

hug to your mom’s

and remember they are very precious, you will never know

if and when it will be the last one.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL

Written by Jude 5/8/16

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Hugs

Jude