Ohio Valley UUs Community Blog

Let it Be a Dance

2009-06-21T22:04:00.001-04:00

Let it Be a Dance, performed by Manchester Hazard and the OVUUC Dancers!

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

2009-02-15T23:23:00.008-05:00

Life's challenges piled up like Mount Everest. My computer crashed, so I have been unable to keep up with my Internet obligations since September. Money issues...health issues...all in all, it's been a pretty tough year. On top of all this, that beautiful gunfighter (my brother) in the post below, has since passed on, hopefully to bliss. That has always been my belief about passing on, though lately belief has been harder to come by. Cancer is an enormous challenge, for all involved.

For a long time, I thought I had a pretty good grip on reality...as I defined it, anyway. I've believed that there are only two choices...love or fear. I still believe that, though I've really had to accept the fact that a simple choice...isn't always easy. Somehow, this year, I really lost my way and I don't think I'm alone. From our personal challenges, to our community challenges to the challenges our government now faces to pull our economy out of the dumpster, not to mention their pursuit of peace in the Middle East, the challenges of 2008 have produced a bumper crop of frightened, disillusioned people...including me.

Recently, there has been a shift in my consciousness and I'm wondering if anyone else feels it. A new president certainly helped to lift my spirits. Having a new computer is working wonders, but I realize, as I look behind me, that it was me who had to choose to alter my perspective, first.

Every time I tell someone "Nothing happens that isn't for your greater good", I always end up having to prove that, in some way. Every time that happens, I tell myself "I'm just going to shut up, now". But even now...even during the most difficult period of my life to date, I can honestly say that I still believe that. For the past year, I have been "raked over the coals" emotionally, spiritually, physically (though not literally).

Maintaining my "Pollyanna" attitude has felt impossible, at times. I have come to understand that choosing love, peace and joy does not mean suppressing your hurt feelings. I just had too many, to pretend they weren't there. It's been one of my most difficult lessons, because my brain says "choosing joy (when I feel like crap) is the best medicine," but how does one do that without suppressing feelings? Well...the trick, for me, is to go ahead and feel the things I feel, when I feel them. I mean, if I feel like crying, I cry without attaching judgement (there's a time and a place, etc.). Emotions need to be expressed, hopefully in constructive ways, but I have to let them out. It's in the "in-between" times that I can, consciously, choose love, joy, peace and if I do that, the hard times seem to shrink. They don't go away, altogether. We need them for our growth, but they shrink in my perception and fear of them. This ALWAYS ends up altering my reality, for the better.

So in the in-between times I meditate, dance, sing, breathing in joy, peace, love and especially gratitude. When I'm hurt I cry, rant, rave (being careful not to harm anyone), scream into a pillow, create art, write a song...whatever it takes to express it. Then I surrender the hard times. For me, it's to the Universe, but just the use of the words "oh well" can be a powerful surrender. The important thing is to keep from getting stuck in worry and fear.

I think that's where I have been, for the last year. Choosing love became a lot more difficult, at times and I was forgetting to make the effort, during the times I might have had the strength. Once I remembered to do that, things started getting better. Looking back, through all the hardships I can see that I still have food, a roof and an abundance of loving and supportive friends. I survived 2008 and I think I may have even prospered, spiritually speaking. I do know I've learned a lot. Things are looking way up for 2009 and I'm looking forward to a year full of happy "in-between" times.

Anyway, it's good to be back on line! Let's get this blog moving, again!

Brightest Blessings!

Bettina

My Brother...the Gunfighter.

2008-07-24T12:51:00.003-04:00

Some of you have heard me mention my brother, during the joys and concerns and I know some of you were at Artworks the other night when I dedicated the song "Duelin' Daltons" to him. I'm not here to talk about my concerns, on this public forum, but here's a link, for those who might be interested, to an article about my brother, the gunfighter.

"A Day in the Life of a Wild West Gunfighter"

And...here's a cooler pic:

New work...

2008-06-12T09:02:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to pop in with a link to my art blog, where I've added a new one about a recent painting concerned with personal growth. Check it out, if you like, at http://fairywebmother.blogspot.com/ .

Namaste,

Bettina

UUs Are For the Birds!

2008-05-12T07:26:00.021-04:00

Where do I begin? Mother's Day weekend has been a profoundly, moving experience for me and I don't think I am alone...since I wasn't alone. Accompanied by Orland Carra, Jeff, Marianne, Sandy and Alex Madzia, Bill and Laura Randolph and our fearless leader, Kibbie Kibbel, not to mention countless others from around the world, I wandered through sacred wilderness, listening for a particular song...watching for a twitch in the leaves, or a flutter of tiny wings.

I am a birder.

Who knew? I mean, I have always been a forest child. When I was little, my Mother would take us on long walks in the woods and teach us about all the wild things she knew. My father handed down a love of natural beauty...the colors in the sunset...fall leaves. They taught me the names of the more common creatures and to recognize the songs and sounds. Dad always had a bird feeder. He taught me how to use binoculars to get a very close look at Cardinals and Blue jays, Mocking Birds and Sparrows. When I grew up, life crept in and though I always enjoyed nature walks ("Wood's Tromping", we would call it), it wasn't until the late 1990's that I really began to pay serious attention to birds.

I lived in a sweet, little cabin in Yellow Sulphur Springs, VA. Our kitchen window looked out on to a, truly, magical place. Surrounded by forest, the buildings that were visible were very few, very old and fit the scene like a Norman Rockwell painting. I'd sit at that window for hours, watching our feeder, as I looked through various bird books for the names of all of our visitors. I learned a lot that year, but nothing compared to what I learned in a single day at the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Oak Harbor, Ohio on May 10th, 2008; International Migratory Bird Day.

I am a birder.

It's a new label for me. Like when I first called myself an artist, though I had been one, all my life. Today I feel just a bit more real, if you know what I mean. I've started my list...and now I'm hooked. I'm real. I've enlisted. I'm a birder.

As evidence of my "officialness", I submit the following list:

1. American Bald Eagle

2. American Redstart

3. Baltimore Oriole

4. Barn Swallow

5. Black Throated Green

6. Blackburnian Warbler

7. Brown-headed Cowbird

8. Cardinal

9. Catbird (Oh...and ya gotta see this...Cat bird...lol...found it while surfing)

10. Cormorant

11. Great Blue Heron

12. Green Heron

13. Killdeer

14. Lincoln Sparrow

15. Nashville Warbler

16. Northern Parula

17. Northern Waterthrush

18. Prothonotary Warbler

19. Redbreasted Nuthatch

20. Red-winged Blackbird

21. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

22. Screech Owl

23. Swamp Sparrow

24. Tree Swallow

25. Warbling Vireo

26. White-crowned Sparrow

27. Wood Thrush

28. Yellow-rumped Warbler

29. Yellow Warbler

30. Yellow-throat Warbler

Not bad, for a single day of birding!

There was much more going on that day, than just looking at birds (as if that weren't enough). We were witness to a banding demonstration, which gave us a close-up view of many of the birds on my list. We had a lovely picnic on the beach (Lake Erie) and I bought a couple of souvenirs from the Friends of Magee Marsh. We stopped at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and also visited the Sportsman’s Migratory Bird Center, near by, where we were able to view a wide variety of raptors, up close, including an American Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Redtail Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon and a Barn owl. These were on perches, as they were all rescue animals. So sad for them to need humans so, but educational for us and, at least, they were being loved and cared for. Under a tent, next to them, were a variety of Owls including, Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl and Screech Owl. There was also a special telescope set up inside the building where we could view a Bald Eagle on her nest!

All in all a magical weekend with great friends, good food, a little music and memories to last a lifetime!

Cool. I'm a birder.

© 2008 Bettina Makley

UPDATE! Click HERE for additional photos!

Extraordinarily Human

2008-03-24T07:10:00.003-04:00

I found an amazing and inspiring video, today and I just had to share it. I'd love comments.

http://www.microclesia.com/?p=320

UPDATE: Found another one...

http://www.microclesia.com/?p=330

Moderating Posts.

2008-02-21T08:19:00.002-05:00

I've recently had some problems on my art blog with porn spammers attempting to add content. The best way to stay on top of the problem is for me to start moderating comments. This means that, in the future, when you leave a comment, it will not publish until I have seen it. Please understand, I will only reject spam and porn. I will never reject someone's honest opinion, no matter how controversial. I do, still ask that opinions be expressed as diplomatically, as possible, as harsh or offensive terminology can trigger a mind to snap shut, especially if it is just starting to open. :)

Thank you all, in advance, for your understanding.

Bettina

Memetics

2008-01-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

Check out this blog from Susan Blackmore when you get a chance. It is very interesting.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200703150004

Common Gound

2008-01-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

In last night's religious exploration class we viewed the third and final episode in the series of the Jonathan Miller documentary, "Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief". Lively discussion followed the film and something interesting came out of that discussion. As we were talking about the many atrocities that had been committed by various religious movements over the centuries (the Inquisition comes to mind for example) we also noted, as was brought out in the film, the first Atheist State (The USSR) had also committed horrible crimes against humanity as well. Bill suggested that the atrocities committed by religions were carried out by extremist individuals or groups and did not represent the Religion as a whole. Steve was pointing out that the USSR under Stalin also committed atrocities but that these were not done in the name of Atheism, per se, but rather because Stalin wanted to maintain his power. I think that there is some common gound here between believers and non believers, in that in each case, it was due to the excesses of individuals or smaller groups within the larger population that these horrible acts were committed. The end result was that also in each case, Religion and Atheism, the blame or the negative image was planted in the minds of many people who observed this from 'outside'. Perhaps this is one area in which believers and non believers can come together and agree. Common Gound.

Exploration!

2008-01-17T10:40:00.000-05:00

Well it's official. The Church has changed the name of our Religious Education program to "Religious Exploration". Several members felt that the term 'Education' would be better expressed as 'Exploration' and many agreed. The issue came up at our last board meeting and was voted on and unanimously approved to change it to 'Religious Exploration'. So, Explorers, go boldly where no UU has gone before and seek out your truth!

UU Videos on YouTube

2008-01-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

I just found two wonderful videos on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p03xPbSSSBU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezp1W2HKlU

OK, that's all the space I'm going to take up, today!

Bettina

Religious Exploration

2008-01-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

Last night was the continuation of our RE (Religious Education) Class - this one being focused on "What is Atheism?" We had great attendance - 11 people showed up in the bitter cold. We viewed the first segment of Jonathan Miller's film, 'Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief ', and followed that up with some very lively and stimulating discussion. Nearly everyone there had vital and interesting points to make and the evening was a wonderful success. Somewhere in the discussion it was suggested that with the idea in mind of dogma and doctrine being a hindrance rather than a help to spiritual growth, instead of 'religious education' we should refer to these sessions as 'religious exploration', and all seemed to agree that this was the way to go. Please come and join in next Thursday Evening as we view the 2nd Segment entitled: "Noughts and Crosses"! . . . and try not to eat too many cookies!

New Years Eve

2007-12-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...another quiet holiday (knocking on wood).

I'm thinking, a lot, about my New Years Resolutions. Like everyone else, I always make them. With hand on heart and the best of intentions, I vow to create better relationships. I vow to get healthier. I vow to get organized.

On New Years Eve, 1999 I came up with the following "Millennium" resolutions:

1. To love more courageously.
2. To twirl, at least once a day!
3. To make more chowder.
4. To write more poetry.
5. To honor my own feelings.
6. To be verwy, verwy quiet... more often.
7. To write the great American....children's book!
8. To dream bigger, run faster, jump higher!
9. To expand the "Gwidy Universe" and have more tea parties! (clue, if you want one) :)
10. To practice savoring.
11. To sing myself to sleep, now and then.
12. To enjoy being here ... and to keep adding to this list!

Added in 2006: ( Yes, I said 2006. OK, so "procrastinate less" was NEVER on the list)

1. To belly-dance, regularly.
2. To communicate with my far away friends…more regularly.
3. To confront and conquer, at least, one fear.
4. To write more songs.
5. To create magical happenings, as often as possible.
6. To welcome the changes in my life with gratitude toward the Universe.

Looking back on this list, I realize that I've done well...with some of my resolutions...and totally forgotten others! (My poor Gwidies have been neglected for years!!!)

This year, I have decided to simplify. I have only one resolution. My vow for 2008 is...

...drum roll, please.....

...to LOVE more and complain less.

I'm thinking that should cover everything. If I love my body more and complain about it less, I will be healthier. If I love my family more and complain about them less, my relationships will improve. If I love my home and studio more and complain about them less, I will be more organized.

Love more...complain less. Works for me.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Bettina

©2007 Bettina Makley

Christmas Eve Service

2007-12-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well it's Christmas day and, since my family is far away, it's quiet and I have time to come here and blog, a bit.

Last evening I was curled up at this computer in my new, red, chenille housecoat (a present from Lance's Mom) enjoying it's softness and thinking about retiring for the night, when Orland called. "I'm leaving my house in a few minutes," he says "if you want to go to the service tonight." Of course, lots of conflicting thoughts started to jump around in my brain, as I only had seconds to make a decision between staying in my warm, comfy, new housecoat, and slamming on some Christmas garb and going out into the cold.

Christmas Eve day had been, unexpectedly difficult. I thought I was ready for a quiet Christmas with just myself and Lance. Sarah is still in NJ with her sister and brother, as she was asked to extend her art show. The rest of my family is in Florida and Lance's family is far away, as well. I hadn't really invested much time in decorating the house for just the two of us, but I decided, at the last minute, to clean, cook and decorate, just a bit. As I puttered around the house, listening to Christmas music, I began to feel the presence of "The Ghost of Christmas Past" and my mind couldn't help but wander through years of family traditions. Fifty years of caroling, presents, Tom & Jerries, ornament-making parties, cookie decorating and taffy pulls.

As joyful as all of these memories are, it was hard not to feel the sadness of loss, as well. (Even as I type this, I know that my family in Florida are together, drinking T&J's, eating great food and singing Christmas carols in beautiful harmony.) Suffice it to say that I spent much of Christmas Eve day on an emotional roller-coaster.

I'm going to insert a lesson, here and one of the best ones I ever learned: One man's tradition is another man's bondage. All this means is that, sometimes, we need to be prepared to surrender tradition in order to create new magic.

The need to re-create experiences in exactly the same way is strong. Why wouldn't it be? If we feel that doing a certain thing a certain way brought us joy, then of course we might want to repeat that experience. This is how tradition begins...with the best of intentions. Problems can arise, however, when we become so attached to those traditions that if the tiniest one has to change, we get the feeling that our joyful experience has been ruined.

I can't tell you how many Christmases I spent, stressed out, trying to recreate all the traditions I was raised with. I had to make Christmas cookies. I had to set up a tree and decorate it with my collection of ornaments, some of them handed down from my grandmother. I had to have a present for everyone at the family gathering. I had to be home to watch Rudolf, Charlie Brown and Scrooge (OK, this one dates me, as there were no VCRs back then *smiles*)...anyway, you get the idea.

One year, my Christmas ornaments disappeared. I couldn't find them, anywhere. It was one of the lean years and I was not able to have a big, real tree and all we had, for ornaments, came from a book of Sesame Street paper cut-outs. I don't remember where I got the three foot, artificial tree that we ended up with, but we made the best of it with a single strand of lights. We punched out Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover and the rest and assembled them and added them to our little tree. It was a very "Charley Brown-ish" tree and was beautiful, with a little love. It was then that I began to realize that Christmas traditions do not give me love or joy. It is the love and joy I put in that makes them magical! Once I had surrendered my imagined need to control the experience and just allowed Christmas to "become", another, very magical thing happened. At my office Christmas party, they gave out tickets for various door prizes. As I was chatting with friends they nudged me because my number had been called. I had won something! Me?! I never won much of anything before, so I was a little shocked. What did I win? It was the grand prize of the evening...a fully decorated Christmas tree! I brought it home and stood it on the other side of the room from our little tree of love. Looking back, we call it "The Year of Two Christmas Trees" and it became one of the most memorable Christmases of my life.

So, as all of these thoughts ran through my head in the few seconds that Orland was waiting for my answer and after quickly consulting Lance, I responded "Sure! Yes! We'll be ready!" and of course I have no regrets. The service, organized by Walt, was wonderful, in spite of a few quirks and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed singing the more solemn carols of the holiday...in harmony with my new family. After the service we gathered for food, music and "holiday cheer", at Bill and Laura's house. For me, it was an awesome Christmas Eve!

And that is what this blog is really all about. I just wanted to thank all of YOU...members of my new Spiritual family...for helping me remember to be grateful for whatever magic happens! I love you all, more than I can say and wish you all a VERY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Whatever (whoever)" bless us...every one! *wink*

Bettina

© 2007 Bettina Makley

Fun Decorating

2007-12-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday at the dome decorating for the season!

Michelle helping out with the tree, Marianne, Amy & Alex making cranes.

Amy shows the smallest Origami crane in the world.

Jenny, Anna, Jean, Juliana, Alex, Marianne, Amy making decorations. Ned supervises, while Jeff hangs a Wreath.

Jeff hangs the show while Alex, Amy, Jean and Bettina observe.

Everything is done, time to relax.

Decorating the Dome on Dec. 1st!

2007-11-30T10:08:00.000-05:00

Our annual "Decorating the Dome" party will be held, this Saturday at 1:00 PM.

Such a fabulous way to awaken the Holiday Spirit! Just bring your creativity and supplies, or maybe you have a favorite Holiday refreshment you would like to share! All contributions to this joyful event are welcomed and appreciated!

This event is for all ages, so bring the children and join in this, wonderful, OVUUC Holiday tradition!

Jingle bells...jingle bells...

Thursday Evening RE Class a Blast

2007-11-30T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hello all,
I just wanted to comment on the RE Classes at OVUUC on thursday nites. Currently we are discussing our beliefs with Bill Randolph facilitating. Last night's class was the coolest so far with so many differing viewpoints on what 'God' means to them. If you haven't attended one of these you are missing out on some very interesting discussions. These are some issues that philosophers and great thinkers have addressed for thousands of years. Something to really make you think! It shows how diverse and deep our members and friends' beliefs about spirituality really are. One very intriguing comment I heard last night was something that Bruce Patalano said when we were in our smaller group. He pointed out, "You are your own metaphor". This puzzled me greatly and I'm still trying to figure out what it means. At any rate we have a great group of people attending these classes from both inside and outside of our own congregation. If you are free on a thurs nite come on out to the dome and get in on some excellent discussions.

Welcome and Contributor Guidelines.

2007-11-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our community blog! My dream is for this to become a place where our church members gather to express their thoughts, opinions and inspirations regarding our faith, our beliefs and our goals as a community. We also welcome announcements, be they events, birthdays, celebrations, anything you think our members might want to know about.

Contributors are asked to keep in mind that this is a public blog. My desire is to assist in educating the public, as to what UUs are all about. Our opinions about things are varied and sometimes we are very passionate in our writing. If you are an contributor, please remember to be as diplomatic, as possible and please, try to refrain from the use of profanity, when you share your thoughts. That goes for responses, as well. I would not want to have to make this a private group.

It might also be a good idea, if you are a prolific writer, to limit your submissions to one per day. This is not a rule, but a guideline and I invite comments. This is a new idea and we will have some bugs to work out, in order for things to run smoothly.

It is also important to respect copyrights. Make sure you have permission to use whatever you are posting, be it an excerpt, an image, poem or song. If you did not create it, you need permission to publish it. Just FYI...and I know I don't need to say this, but SPAMMING is a great, big NO-NO! :)

I'm also thinking of adding a module for links to OVUUs Websites. Maybe a link exchange with the artists, musicians, etc., that are members (or regular guests) of our congregation. Just a thought. I welcome others.

If you would like to be a contributor, all I need is your email to send you an invitation. Requests can be sent to Fairywebmother@yahoo.com . Please put OVUUC in your subject heading, so it doesn't get lost in the Spam. Also, be sure to include your name, as you would like it to appear in the Contributors list and the URL, if any, that you would like your name linked to.

This will be as positive, informative and fun as we make it, as a community, so welcome and have a good time!

Brightest Blessings,

Bettina

OV UU Community First

2007-11-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

Hey this is a great idea for posting info and suggestions to each other in the Ohio Valley UU Community! Thanks Bettina!