You Laid The Foundation, But I am Still Working On The Building-Mavis Staples

    I just about see the tail feathers of this year of 2016.
    The things that I look back on are chronic pain ( my building needs repairs) ( working on some new parts) and heartache. I do not know when I have had such a year? I know their have been worse, but 2016 will stand out in my mind, for a huge supply of soft chew, cherry Tums and fetal position bouts of angst. ( I promise next year to concentrate on all the good!)
   The politics of the past year, and the idea that a maniac will be head of our country, has me at a loss for words. At least nice words. I hoped with all hope, that he would surround himself with decent, men and women, and that went up into a puff of crazy smoke. So I have had to let some of that angst go. I will continue to work for my party, and shake my head at all the people who voted for this man. I feel nothing but sorry for how the carnival act, took you down with him. My Father, Homer, would say, " A fool is born every minute." or was that P.T. Barnum??
    There is a 40% group of voters, that are happy. So I hope he does what you think is right. I do not wish for bad things to happen, to him ( the words PE get stuck in my throat) or you the voters.
    Believe it or not, we are in this together. ( I think)
    God Bless The Planet
 Now for more bad tidings,so many people have died this year. Too many of my high school friends, that left us and left a hole. Many famous people, in music, movies and literature, who have touched my growing up in monumental ways, my heart has hurt. There have been so many lives lost to guns and crimes, and stupid happenings that consume the airways. It seems to have been a banner year of sadness, all around. Maybe we just are more tuned into social media and hear more? I don't know, but I am a big giant sponge, and absorb all of this mayhem. Most of this stuff is not sponge-worthy! (Seinfeld people) but it has caused a ruckus. I work HARD to be sweet, joyful and attentive, but this combination in 2016 had me, on the night shift of the ER, after payday, on a full moon!!

Yes, there is always more good days, I just need to write them down!!
Wonderful books were read, my parents are good, got to see my brother during a hurricane, all children are semi-sane and loving humans. Bill retires in the coming year, so that is wonderful ( I think)
Animals are constant love muffins, friends are all doing fun things, Movies , Music continue to touch me. Art is my drug of choice, and my spirit animals still pop up all over the place. I live my life, Out loud, that is just the way I was put together. Good, Bad and Ugly is written about, sifted through, and thrown into the universe. 2026 was just testing me, and I made it!!!
  So 2017 come on in and stay awhile, I look forward to each second of this journey. Lord give me strength to handle all and the gift of laughter to just roll with it!!
  -B-