I
am free and white and educated. I am retired from a long and satisfying career
as an artist and a designer. I get to spend the bulk of my time writing. It is
a dream come true. I own my own home, mortgage-free, and when I look out the
windows of my condo, I am fortunate to see lush, old-growth trees, rolling
green lawns, and the welcoming doorways of friendly neighbors who watch out for
me as I do for them. Although I have to keep an eye on my budget, I am able to
treat myself with this and that now and then. I am a born contemplative. I am a
truth-seeker.

I am also spoiled!

I am spoiled, because when I am exhausted, I
get to stretch out on my lovely, soft bed or my luxurious chaise longue and go
to sleep, or point the remote to my smart TV, and chill-out to Robert Redford’s
Sundance Kid or Pierce Brosnan’s 007, or an array of other yummy male specimens
of movie-world. But I am not so spoiled that I am blind to my privileges.

I am not so spoiled that I am blind to how lucky
I am that I live in the peaceful Midwest USA rather than in the Donbas region
of Ukraine, that place where not a soul has the luxury of chilling out from the
exhaustion of his/her war-torn days and nights. I am not so spoiled that I
forget that I was born at a time when prisoners in Nazi concentration camps in areas
of Europe got an immediate bullet to the head or a noose around the neck at the
slightest falter in their step or swing of their pickax during their grueling,
crushing workdays. I am not so spoiled that I am blind to the fact that
authoritarianism is still alive and well in places over there and is rattling
the gate to my peaceable kingdom here at this very moment. I am not so spoiled
that I do not fret over the harsh double-standard that suffers the
disadvantaged in every part of the world from time immemorial to this day.

“Linda, if you aren’t careful, you’ll make
yourself sick taking on the worries of the world. After all, you are only human
and there is only so much we humans can do,” I hear from the peanut gallery.

It
is as if being human is the convenient off-ramp on the highway to paradise or is the excuse for plucking only the low-hanging fruit rather than reaching for
the stars. Don’t get me wrong, I have had an on and off relationship with the
“only human” mindset during large swaths of my life, including too often right
now, to my chagrin. I find nothing pretty and nothing redeeming in it, but it is
a hard one to shake. It is so hard to shake, because I am surrounded by it, swallowed
up in it. Because it is the prevailing mindset of human society, escaping it is
like swimming against a tidal wave.

The way I see it, species: Homo sapiens had
best hurry up and evolve beyond such widespread mediocrity. We cannot go on authorizing
the rightness of humans remaining stuck in a condition of “average Janes and
Joes”. I am not indicting the whole human race. Throughout the ages and to this
day shining examples of highly evolved human beings trod the Earth, and maybe
in other galaxies, for all we know at this time. The present-day, prominent model
who comes to mind is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s leader. And people of his
kind are scattered everywhere, famous as well as every-day people away from the
limelight, some of whom might not know who they are until and unless they put
themselves on the line or are forced through circumstances to step up to it.
My point is that there aren’t enough of such individuals yet among the population
to lead the laggers into their personal power—and for that reason, a critical
mass of us must find and then nurture our inborn magnificence, our God-given
magnificence if you like, and join the ranks of people like Zelenskyy in godly causes
the world over. I use the word “magnificence” in its 14th century
origin, which is defined as: “great mindedness”, “courageous”, “greatness”, “nobility”.
For only our magnificence will save us.

“MAGNIFICENT HUMANITY”

A collage of charcoal drawing overlaid with paper and
fabric elements 

by Linda Lee Greene

Here’s
a peek at multi-award-winning
author and artist Linda Lee Greene’s latest book, Garden of the Spirits of the Pots, A Spiritual Odyssey. It is a blend of visionary and
inspirational fiction with a touch of romance. The story unfolds as ex-pat
American Nicholas Plato journeys into parts unknown, both within himself and
his adopted home of Sydney, Australia. In the end, the odyssey reveals to him
his true purpose for living. The novella is available in eBook and paperback.

Driven by a deathly
thirst, he stops. A strange little brown man materializes out of nowhere and
introduces himself merely as ‘Potter,’ and welcomes Nicholas to his ‘Garden of
the Spirits of the Pots.’ Although Nicholas has never laid eyes on Potter, the
man seems to have expected Nicholas at his bizarre habitation and displays
knowledge about him that nobody has any right to possess. Just who is this
mysterious Aboriginal potter? 

Although
they are as mismatched as two persons can be, a strangely inevitable friendship
takes hold between them. It is a relationship that can only be directed by an
unseen hand bent on setting Nicholas on a mystifying voyage of self-discovery
and Potter on revelations of universal certainties. 

A blend of
visionary and inspirational fiction, and a touch of romance, this is a tale of
Nicholas’ journey into parts unknown, both within his adopted home and himself,
a quest that in the end leads him to his true purpose for living. 

AMAZON BUY LINK 

Multi-award-winning author and artist Linda Lee Greene describes her life as a telescope that when trained on her past reveals how each piece of it, whether good or bad or in-between, was necessary in the unfoldment of her fine art and literary paths.
Greene moved from farm-girl to city-girl; dance instructor to wife, mother, and homemaker; divorcee to single-working-mom and adult-college-student; and interior designer to multi-award-winning artist and author, essayist, and blogger. It was decades of challenging life experiences and debilitating, chronic illness that gave birth to her dormant flair for art and writing. Greene was three days shy of her fifty-seventh birthday when her creative spirit took a hold of her.

Fifty-six years ago, the original Star Trek TV series was launched. The show survived just three seasons, still that does nothing to diminish the impact the program had. If you don’t believe me, take a look at your cellphone. Then, glance at Captain James T. Kirk as he flips open his communicator. Looks familiar, doesn’t it?

 Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise traveled the galaxy in the hope of doing good.

Kirk and his crew were tasked with exploring the universe. The opening voiceover still gives me chills. Space: the final frontier; These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!

While I was just a kid at the time the series came out, I was enthralled by the situations the Enterprise crew endured. I know what you’re thinking. The show today looks cheesy, with sometimes silly special effects and actors routinely chewing scenery. But back in the mid-1960s it was mesmerizing. And often the stories had deep sociological meaning.

While there are several episodes dealing with planetary pandemics, I will skip those since I, at least, need some rest from that particular subject. Instead, the one that sticks in my head is “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” The story centers around the planet Cheron whose people have been fighting a civil war for 50,000 years. Kirk and his crew attempt to negotiate a peace with two ambassadors who are so embittered by their hatred toward one another that no one on the Enterprise can get through to them.

Commander Spock and Captain Kirk struggled with the prejudice of the people on Cheron who’d been entangled in a race war for 50,000 years.

The ambassadors insist that their people are too different to get along. Finally, Spock—Kirk’s Vulcan second-in-command—points out, “The obvious visual evidence, Commissioner, is that he is of the same breed as yourself.” What Spock is alluding to is the fact that all the people of Cheron are black on one side and white on the other.

I was 14 when this episode aired in 1969. Race riots had plagued the US for several years, including those in Newark, New Jersey, not far from where I lived. The TV images of the anger and destruction were frightening. Though I will admit here that I was raised in a predominately white suburb, I camped every summer with girls of all kinds—black, white, brown. We spent our days together, slept in the same tents every night, and never gave it a second thought. So, the violence I watched on the news was confusing.

Kirk has no idea why the ambassadors of Cheron hate one another. Finally, in exasperation, he looks at them and says, “You’re black on one side and white on the other.”

One man puffs up his chest. “I am black on the right side.”

When I heard that line, something clicked in my brain. I now understood the idiocy of racism. And—don’t laugh—I truly believed that soon everyone would realize the stupidity of demeaning others because of what they looked like. In my misguided innocence, I thought that very soon racism would be relegated to the past and that we would all get along. Cue “Kumbaya”.

Of course, that didn’t happen. Today, at 65, I wonder what went wrong? How did so many people of my generation not get the message?

I’d like to think we can still repair the damage we’ve done to one another, but maybe we can’t. Perhaps, if we’re not careful, we’ll end up like the people of Cheron, who annihilated themselves and destroyed their planet because of their hate. My 14-year-old self found it hard to feel sorry for them. After all, they were the instrument of their own destruction.

We might be too.

Here’s hoping we come to our senses in time.

Allow me to give you a brief intro to my latest women’s fiction novel for your reading pleasure.

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

I have a confession to make. Sometimes…sometimes here in Carpenter Country I am not actually sitting at my computer all day working diligently. That’s right. Sometimes I…I go OUTSIDE! Into the SUNSHINE!

One of those special occasions took place in early May when my husband and I headed out to the u-pick field. Because we are serious blueberry pickers, we brought home enough berries to enjoy a few bowls fresh-from-the-field, to put a couple of handfuls on top of cereal, and to make biscuits, bread, buckles, cheesecake, coffee cake, crumbles, cobblers, donuts, muffins, pies, pancakes, scones, and ICE CREAM!

Are you screaming yet for blueberry ice cream? Us too. In fact, we’re going to take a break and sample a bowl. Here’s the recipe in case you want a break from your own busy day. You will need an ice cream maker (ours makes about 1½ quarts) and a blender or food processor for this recipe.

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM

Lately, I’ve been
decluttering to the point where for some reason, I kept old birthday cards that
rang true for me upon receiving them. Some cards were sappy, others were filled
with wisdom and common sense. One particular card resonated with me, and I
thought I’d share this sage advice with you today on my blog. Geared to make
your life a little better, the following nine things make sense and can be
applied in every possible scenario and career choice. Since I’m an author, I’d
thought this list would serve other writers in some manner. Enjoy!