Thanks For Enlisting

Monday, August 18th, 2008 by Alyice

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,
we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival
and success of liberty.” – John F. Kennedy

Growing up, I had hoped to never see a war, or the devastation of such, in my lifetime. The history lessons were enough to tell me that war destroys on so many levels: lives, property, natural resources, historical markers, hopes and dreams.

I wanted and needed to believe in peaceful solutions.

But the reality of our world told me that sometimes the only way to keep peace is to go to war. The only way to allow freedom of choice is to protect it through any means necessary. The only way to hold onto a system of justice that leans towards giving all men (man or woman) equality and dignity is to join forces in order to uphold those truths. And the only way to ensure the future of our children is to essentially fight the bad guys and win.

And that takes some very courageous men and women because, truth-be-told, not all of us are cut out for the job!

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The enlisted are the true heroes. They are the ones who join the armed forces knowing that they could one day be asked to go to war—to wound, injure, or kill another human being—in order to protect and serve the citizens of the United States; to protect our children, to provide a safe future, and to uphold the laws of this great nation.

And so today, as I reflected upon the words sung by Lee Greenwood in his infamous song, God Bless The USA, I couldn’t help but feel especially grateful that so many men and women have done what I couldn’t—and that’s to serve and protect.

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | Comments Off

Live. Love. Laugh.

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 by Alyice

“Live well, Love much, Laugh often,” that’s probably my most favorite saying outside of the scriptures. It’s so simple and yet so profound. But have you ever stopped to ponder what it really means?

Some days, I can’t help but think how lightning fast our lives pass us by and how often we go through life on auto-pilot, never truly taking the time to slow down long enough to really live, to really feel love, to laugh so hard our guts feel as though they just might burst.

This jar contains the words, “Live, Love, Laugh” (etched into the molding paste) because I wanted to remind whoever buys it to slow down long enough to truly experience life—to experience it in its rawest form, our emotions.

The original poem was written by Elisabeth-Anne “Bessie” Anderson Stanley in 1904 for Brown Book Magazine. The poem, in its entirety, is below:

He has achieved success who has
lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of
Earth’s beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

Keep Creating

Posted in The Art Jars | Comments Off

Thanks For Recycling

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 by Alyice

I have recycled in one form or another for years. I sell and/or donate items that are in working or useable condition to places like charitable institutions, garage sales, craigslists, nice-as-new clothing shops, and used book, video and gaming stores. I locate places that will take broken electronics and other items that won’t break down naturally, like cellular phones, old computers, and ink cartridges. I use old boxes when mailing out prizes, orders, and gifts—provided they’re in stable condition, that is. I shred used papers as matting for our hamster and bird. And have just recently begun using old containers and jars as an artistic outlet.

But up until two months ago, I wasn’t doing much recycling here in my hometown because I didn’t know a recycling program was in place. I never could locate one. In fact, many members of the community weren’t even aware of the program until a little yellow slip showed up in our garbage removal bill. Since then I’ve been retraining my family on the importance of sorting our trash. (I say retraining because we used to recycle in the other states we lived in.)

And so this past Friday, as I took five trash bags full of materials that could be recycled to the curb, I couldn’t help but feel good about my little contribution to a cleaner, greener planet.

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | Comments Off

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a mixed media artist and freelance writer. Need web content? Want to commission or license art? Let's Talk.

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