Ryan Ferguson

Sometimes, you see something that moves you in such a way that it is hard to find words...

In 2011, I watched an episode of the TV show, Dateline, which airs here on Friday night. It is usually about murder cases and the trial which come afterwards.  This case was about a young man who was sentenced to 40 years in prison for a murder and his name is Ryan Ferguson. 
The first show that I saw spelled out the details of the case and showed the trial that came afterwards, but there were certain things that just did not ring true.  I felt so strongly about it that I wanted to write a letter to this young man and tell him so.  During the trial, he always maintained his innocence and nothing the cops could do would shake him from this.  I wanted to let him know that I believed him.
Then, just this past November, there was another episode of Dateline and now the witnesses who identified him as the killer have come forward and both have said they lied.  The law is very difficult to understand sometimes.  Ryan Ferguson is still in prison even with this new evidence.  This is just something that I feel very strongly about and I wanted to share this with you.  The story about this is stated very simply by his Dad and he asks for people to sign a petition and I notice that you may do so even if you are from another country.   I don't know that I have ever signed a petition in my life.  I signed this one.
I have spent a lot of time reading and researching this, so this is not just based on seeing two TV shows.
And yet, I still come back to my very first gut-feeling about this young man: he is innocent. Hey, I am not a lawyer or an expert on anything. I just sometimes see things that I think are unfair and wish they could be corrected.

Did you read my post about Richard Jewell?  As in the case of Richard Jewell, there are times that mistakes can be made and I truly believe that this is one of those times. (Richard Jewell was completely cleared although the stigma was too great to bear and I think this contributed to his early death.)
 I hope that Ryan Ferguson will be released from jail one day. When I wrote my Stone Mountain post a few days ago, and wished you "love and freedom", I was also thinking of this young man and wishing the same for him.  I have two links here for you to read:  

  http://www.justiceforryanferguson.com/index.html

http://www.change.org/petitions/please-grant-ryan-ferguson-a-new-trial-or-freedom


 New appeal filed on behalf of Ryan Ferguson and the link is here...

 http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/ryan-ferguson-files-new-appeal/article_14dbcdac-6c1d-11e2-991f-0019bb30f31a.html

The song by Glen Campbell is one that I have been humming all week long... HOLD ON HOPE.

Arabia Mountain, Clearly Beautiful

Arabia Mountain after the rain... The pools of water are just so crystal clear and so beautiful to see with everything reflected in them so clearly.  Maybe in your part of the world, water looks like this but in Georgia, our lakes and rivers are just not this clear...the pools at Arabia Mountain however, that is a different story.

This moss is called Resurrection Moss as it is very dark until it gets wet and then, it turns a very bright green. It is a startling difference.

I wish you could hear the sound that this water made cascading over this rock!

Clear and beautiful, don't you agree?

The water was running into this lovely lake and with the sun sparkling on the surface...there was simply a lot of beauty to behold. 

"Running Water" is a beautiful song by the Moody Blues, I hope you like it too.

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain was beautiful on January 21st...would you like to see?

These flags are at the base of the walk-up trail at Stone Mountain, the American flag you should recognize and the others are all of the State flags that have flown over Georgia.  It was a sunny but windy day!  Glorious day to be outside, the wind fresh and strong...come on... let's climb the mountain!

I

 Oh look, it must be one of the movie stars filming at Stone Mountain! 

No, that's my son with his Dad !

In the shadow of the mountain, it seems very dark.  The mountain in a lovely silvery gray and the bare trees in silhouette makes for a stunning photograph, especially when taken by Richard.  All of these photos are by Richard, come to think of it, except for the ones that I took of our son and the one of my son and husband.

Jan. 21st was the holiday in honor of  Martin Luther King, Jr.  He gave a speech which mentioned Stone Mountain, do you know it? It is what is called his "I Have A Dream" speech and he said "from the Stone Mountain of Georgia...let Freedom ring"! Mairead from Irish American Mom did a very nice post that you can read here.

"May you always be blessed with Love and Freedom".  

(Inscription in my book by the author, Ben Purcell.  The book is "Love And Duty")  The words are his but my wish is the same.

Louie Zamperini

Lucky Louie, that is his nickname.  Louie Zamperini had his 96th birthday yesterday, Jan. 26, 2013.  What a guy, what a story...I would walk past the most famous movie stars that you could name to shake this man's hand.  The organist from my church told me this morning that Mr. Zamperini was in Atlanta this weekend, he was the featured speaker at a Presbyterian church today.  I would have loved to have seen him! Never mind, I will try to tell as many people about him that I can. See the quote from James Bradley from the cover of the book above? A touching tale of the triumph of love indeed..
 Laura Hillenbrand calls his story one of  "survival, resilience and redemption."  Very true.

I wrote a post last year in January about Mr. Zamperini and you may go to that post just
here.   I first read "Devil At My Heels" in 2004 and have told anyone would listen to me that his is one of the most extraordinary stories I have ever read.  Laura Hillenbrand's book "Unbroken" has become a huge bestseller since it was published in November 2010. Since then, I saw a bit of this TV documentary about Mr. Zamperini when he and the other two survivors had crashed into the South Pacific and were adrift for 47 days.  Yes, that is correct, for 47 days.  If you are ever in a life and death situation such as this, my wish for you would be that you would have in your lifeboat someone like Louie Zamperini.  Being adrift at sea was not even the worst for him. He spent two years in POW camps where he suffered terribly.  After the war, he could not get over the demons of memory until he, at his wife's urging, attended a Billy Graham revival and completely turned his life around and went to Japan and FORGAVE his captors. Please, if you don't know anything else about me, know that Louis Zamperini has my utmost regard and respect.

There is a movie based upon Louie's story that will be made by Universal Studios and I have read that it is expected to be released in 2015.  Of course, I will be very pleased when that movie comes out.  I won't be able to shake Mr. Zamperini's hand today, but if someone happens to type his name into a search engine and lands on my blog, I hope they will read what I have to say about him and will be as inspired by him as I was and still am.

Glen Campbell-Amazing Grace With Bagpipes

Glen Campbell had a TV show that I really enjoyed when I was a kid.  It was called the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and it was exactly that, a Good Time!  He not only sang and played the guitar but he also took such joy in his guests that it was wonderful to behold.  Before that, Glen Campbell was in "The Wrecking Crew" in the 60's which was a group of musicians who played back-up in many of the hits of the 60's and 70's. They have been called the most famous band you've never heard of.  Glen Campbell can not only sing and play a most wicked guitar but also plays several other musical instruments including the bagpipes.  I truly love this clip of him singing Amazing Grace AND playing the bagpipes. The clip finishes with Classical Gas which is such a joy to hear!  Glen Campbell came out with a CD in 2011 and you may go to a wonderful website here and listen to many of the songs.

Glen Campbell has Alzheimer's and has been on what he calls his "Goodbye Tour", with his children.
Such a terrible disease this is, my heart goes out to him and to his family.  Yet, rather than regret, it is a humble gratefulness that I feel from this man.   Praying for him and for those with this disease and their families.

Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery-Conyers, Ga.

Notice the Wise Men are not here...this photo was taken before Epiphany!

After Epiphany, here are the Wise Men, notice they are carefully positioned in adoration.

This is the balcony of the church. Concrete walls, stained glass, wooden benches-all made by the monks..

I wonder if any of the movie stars filming in Rockdale County right now have any idea how close they are to a Trappist Monastery? You may find the monastery website here.  When the Monastery was being built in the 1940's, this area really was out in the middle of nowhere.  I love the story of the monks sending a sample of the soil to the monastery up in Kentucky (where they came from) and asking them what could the soil be good for...the one word answer that came back to them...bricks!


One of the monks writes for our local paper, and when Amy Winehouse died, he wrote an article at how surprised he was by the cruelty of the writing on the Internet after her death.  I found it for you and you may read it here.
The following prayer is attributed to St. Francis and has always been a favorite of mine, and I hope of yours too.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I wish more would join the Monastery.  John from his blog, Reflections, just did a post recently wishing that more would join a monastery.  It is a funny post but also very accurate.  You may see his post here.   

Thanks to all who have become my new followers.  The winter is always a bit of a challenge for me. Hopefully, I will have more time to read all your lovely blogs and leave my words of wisdom with you.  Take care, Spring will come soon!  "Now The Green Blade Riseth" is one of my favorite songs...

My Favorite Music/Found Poem

Thanks to Sara for letting me know the name of the poem I was searching for.  You may go to Sara's lovely blog here.  I appreciate your help so much, Sara, and all of you who took the time to look for this poem for me.  I knew I had this poem in a book which a dear friend gave me in the late 70's.  Richard just found it for me...the book is "Realms of Light, A Collection of Poetry Through The Ages" with photographs by Ernst Haas.  The poetry accompanied by the photographs makes for a very beautiful book.

THE AGE OF SHEEN

I never see the colored boats of night
Jewelling the dull river, breaking their light
Upon it, without thinking of the age
Of sheen when the long poems are written,
The oblique books read until the exotic midges
Of the deep hours caper upon the page.
When there is time for the unlikely love,
And the mind, luxuriant in its sheath,
Wears the time shiningly, having no thought
Of the river and the irony underneath.  

Dorothy Hughes

Now, to go with this poem, I took a photo of my favorite CD. I LOVE waltzes so very much.  That is my favorite music on Earth!  (The painting is by Vincent Van Gogh, of course, it is his painting of "Starry Night Over The Rhone" and I LOVE it, don't you?) This CD would go with me with to a desert island. (Provided I had a CD player and electricity, that is!)  How about you?  What would be your number- one pick for a music CD that is your absolute favorite? 
 Do tell, I want to know!