Amazon has done a wonderful thing.  In the interest of supporting local 501c3 organizations, also known as non profits, Amazon has created a new website that is identical, including pricing, to it's regular website except every time you purchase something through this "Amazon Smiles" website 5% of your purchase goes to your chosen charity.

I'm inviting you to choose DOLPHINS to Stop Domestic Violence as your charity.  All donations from the Amazon Smiles website will go to support our local Living Waters Rx Project.  In the Upper Keys, 42% of the residents between 18 and 65 have NO health insurance.We don't know yet, how Obama Care will affect this figure, however in the meantime, we have too many neighbors who are not able to get the discharge medications they need, after a hospital stay, in order to regain their health.  This program not only helps them with funding, but also follows up with them to help them make healthier lifestyle choices, and to find programs that will make it possible for them to be able to afford any medications they need on an ongoing basis.

On the right you will see an Amazon Smiles link that will set up your Amazon charity to be DOLPHINS and help the people of the Upper Keys, Florida.  Just click the box and enjoy shopping.  Thank you for your support.

Pam

Keys Pipers with the Grinch and Rudy

at the

Upper Keys Christmas Project performance 2013

Key's Pipers Christmas Tours

Upper Keys Christmas Project Musical: Burton UMC

Keys Pipers Debut

Flyer for Keys Pipers Concert Tour

Healing the Wounds

Sorry for the delay.  Life got hectic for a bit.  I must say I'm encouraged to realize the human race is not getting worse, we're just not really getting better.  We keep doing the same things, good and bad, over and over again just differently.

We're here, now how do we get out?

So many people have been traumatized by these horrendous events.  And watching them over and over again does not help, rather it produces further damage.  We don't need to see the horror again, it's crystal clear in our memories.  Moreso, than we'd like it to be. Perhaps we'd like to be blissfully unaware of these events or to just stuff them, not think about them again, but it's impossible to fully enjoy the blessed gift of life if we are blind to the parts we don't like.  I've been struggling over this series of blogs because I know they're not flowing.  Today I realized they're rough because of my own struggle.  My blog is partly to help me heal as well as to hopefully help my readers find their way through the muck to their healing.  I keep thinking about one of my favorite stories about Jesus.

Why now?

I was under the impression that these mass killings, horrible traumas are new to the human experience.  I started to wonder how did we all go so wrong so fast?  Then I researched it.  I thought it all started w/ the World Trade Center bombings in February 1993.  Then in 1995 there was the Murrah Federal Building in

Yet another ....

According to the Washington Times, there were 7 mass shootings in 2012, which is the most in one year so far.  One week before Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we were once again stunned with 26 or 28 deaths, depending on how you count.  And already in 2013, on January 20 a teen

Tadpoles and other miracles

Remember when you were little and you ran down to the creek and low and behold ... there they were.  Hundreds of little black things swimming all over the place in the shallow water.  Fascination ... wide eyes ... oos and ahhhs ... what are they?  You and your friends came up with all kinds of possibilities and stories.  Big brother told alien stories and you ran screaming back home to mom.

Whale tails and and Sacred Spaces

The other day I was talking with another clergy person about religion and spirituality. As we discussed the differences between the two, we were looking at pictures on a Power Point depicting each.  All of a sudden the pastor sat up and sharply declared, "That's pagan. It doesn't belong there."  I looked at the screen, not

Joy

Breathtaking ..

Have you ever experienced the complete joy of the beauty of nature?  An awe inspiring, breathtaking, natural view that fills your very being with a feeling of wholeness and the joy of knowing that the one who created