Taxes and Civility

"Soft Green" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez-  Oliver Wendell Holmes jr., I believe once said "Taxes are what we pay for civilized society'', and if that is true then I think we are losing ground.  Taxes were a lot less in the past hundred even twenty-five years and society was a lot more civilized a hundred or even twenty-five years ago.  If a cowboy came back from the "Wild West"  a hundred years ago he would be horrified at the wanton violence, the violence for violence sake and the low value on life we have in todays modern world, and he would also be horrified at the amount of money, and control, the government extracts from you and exerts over you.  These thoughts, while not happy are true and the only way to make them happy is to do something about it, and doing something positive is a happy thought!

Just thought that this painting "Soft Green" is somehow appropriate for this post.

Here's a link:

treasury.gov
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A Moment to Reflect

"Jungle Temple" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez- Hope everyone took a moment yesterday on the first of May to reflect on the joy of spring, a time of rebirth and beauty, a time to celebrate the light of life, not the darkness and death of socialism and communism.  May this nation and this people be worthy of those continued blessings.

Here's a link:

cause of seasons

Life is as Precious as Unique

"Color Lightning" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez-  Happy time, time for the happy dance of joy for the warm days and cool nights of spring.  The time of wildflowers and cute, cuddly baby animals is here and so the cycle of the universe and the Earth; indeed the cycle of life continues. In this uncivilized civilization of ours it is easy to forget or ignore not only the cycles of the Earth but Earth itself because so many of us are not out and about on the Earth but instead we are in the cities.  We also ignore one other aspect of those cycles and that is that each life in those cycles is unique and each life, human or not, is as precious as unique.  Even though that life may be the life of a terrible dictator not precious to us at all it is still most likely precious to God, that is why we in our society that we give condemned people a decent and respectable burial. But enough of this happy talk, go enjoy the day!

Here is a link:

brainyquote.com

Blessed Easter !

"Cindy"s Mountain" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez-  The cycle of renewal, the time of hope fulfilled:  May your Easter be blessed !!

Wisdom of Wayne

"Bright Comet Night" by Drew John Tankersley  

Happy sez- Another beautiful day here in the great American southwest, the sun is shining and the temperatures are mild.  This day is, as I believe John Wayne said, clean and ready for us to fill it with whatever we choose.  I hope I choose wisely! 


Here's a link:
brainyquote.com

Speed of Life: Speed of Time

"Busy Day" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez-  One can almost feel the pick-up in the tempo of life with life always seeming to move at a faster pace in the spring and summer months. The pace of life starts to speed up with the first thawing of winter and in that moment of springs birth the movement of life starts accelerating to the fast frenzy of summer.  The warmer sun and the long days of sunlight not only seem to drive the physical engines of life here on Earth but the emotional and spiritual side of life seems to bloom as well as the flowers of the field.   Relish the Warmth!
Here's a couple of questions - Is the speed of the cycle different from the speed of time within that cycle?  Is the speed of life the same as the speed of time?

Here's a link:

quotegarden.com

Taking Life for Granted

"Summer Breeze" by Drew John Tankersley

Happy sez-  While many parts of this nation is still in the throws of winter and a rather nasty one at that, there are parts of the great American southwest that are welcoming the soft heralds of spring with warm temperatures, blue skies, budding trees and wildflowers in the lower and warmer areas.  As always the cycle continues and in a way today's topic is not so much about the cycle as the cause.

It is always easy to take things for granted and it is something that I think all of us do to one extent or another.  If one is naked one wants clothes and shoes and if one is blessed with them then it is easy after a while to think that we should always be clothed; that it is a natural state for us, a normal state of affairs when really it was not that long ago that we were naked wanting to be clothed.  We are now, perhaps without realizing it,  taking our clothing for granted.  Next we'll perhaps want to have fancier, finer clothes and a house with a closet to hang them in again thinking that that's the way it should be now that I'm clothed I am entitled to keep what I've got and add to it.  The same with ones health if one is gravely ill one only asks to live then if that is granted one wants to be able to sit up in bed then to be able to walk then go to the bathroom on your own - the point is life is given to you one moment and one step at a time and it is very easy once we are on that first step to take it and the next step for granted instead of being thankful that we are first standing. It is only natural, fitting and right that we want to better ourselves  and the world around us but we must remember that we must not only be thankful but aware of each blessing that we are granted and we must realize that because we have one gift granted that does not mean that we are entitled to another or even to keep the one we have. To expect to receive a gift because you feel that you are entitled to one is not only disrespectful to our creator but violates natural moral laws.  One is never entitled to a blessing, and one should not expect it - like life, each moment and each blessing is a surprise - one fleeting step at a time. 

 Here is a link you might find interesting:

brainyquote.com