BIRD THOR'S REZZ DAY

By Debbie Bulloch



A week ago today, on Halloween Day, was the Second Rezz Day for my dear, dear friend Bird Thor. Unfortunately, I forgot her Rezz Day.

Bird has been a friend since my early days at SL. She was here with me when we created Between Homes (BH) and she has been my friend through the good times and through the bad times. Bird has been my protector, alerting me to problems at BH. Because I cannot be at BH all the time, I rely on her to be my eyes and ears when I am not in world.

Bird is from Sweden; her command of English far exceeds my own rudimentary knowledge of Swedish (yes I can say IKEA, Saab, Volvo and ABBA but that is about it). Since meeting Bird, I have learned that she has a wealth of knowledge of American pop culture. Bird has a “wicked” sense of humor – she continually makes me crack up with her jokes (which lose nothing in translation).

Bird is an all-around talented individual. Although we both came in world at about the same time, Bird has already taught herself to build objects like clothing, furniture and now houses (Bird has tried to teach me how to build but I still cannot build anything more complex than a sign).

This is me in front of a house that Bird just built at Between Homes.



Bird is also a talented writer (she loves to writes about one of her favorite subjects, Vikings); Bird publishes her own blog Bird’s Land.

Now getting back to the forgotten Rezz Day. When I tried to apologize to Bird for my oversight, she simply brushed it off by saying, “you have a lot to do Debbie.” Even though Bird was well within her rights to be upset with me (or at the very least disappointed) for forgetting her Rezz Day, she was gracious and forgiving.

Bird’s generous reaction got me to think about the subject of friendship. What is a true friend? When do you know when a person is a true friend?

Friendship is considered one of the central human experiences, and has been sanctified by all major religions. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Babylonian poem that is among the earliest known literary works in history, chronicles in great depth the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The Greco-Roman had, as paramount examples, the friendship of Orestes and Pylades, and, in Virgil's Aeneid, the friendship of Euryalus and Nisus, and lastly Robert and Aimee. The Abrahamic faiths have the story of David and Jonathan. Friendship played an important role in German Romanticism. A good example for this is Schiller's Die Bürgschaft.

The Roman writer Cicero believed that in order to have a true friendship with someone there must be all honesty and truth. If there is not, then this is not a true friendship. In that case, friends must be one hundred percent honest with each other and put one hundred percent of their trust in the other person. Cicero also believed that for people to be friends with another person, they must do things without the expectation that their friend will have to repay them.

The Christian Gospels state that Jesus Christ declared, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."(John 15:13).

By any definition, Bird is a friend and I am so very glad that she is a part of “my crew” at Between Homes. More importantly, however, I am glad that Bird is part of my SL life.

This is Bird and I at Gloeing Ember's home. That's Starr, the German Shepherd, in front of us pretending that he is taking the picture. Behind us are the two dolphins who live at Glo's cove - Chico and Chica.



Thank you for being a friend Bird - this is for you!

La Verne and Shirley – Opening Music

THE REBEL JESUS

By Debbie Bulloch

Tomorrow is Christmas Day.

For many, Christmas is a time for joyous family gatherings, meeting up with old friends and watching little children laugh as they eagerly anticipate receiving gifts from Santa Claus. For many others, however, Christmas has a more ominous meaning: for the sick, for the homeless, for the poor, for those without family or friends and for the children for whom Santa Claus is just an image on a store window, Christmas can be a lonely time.

If you are celebrating this Christmas with dear friends and family members, hug each and every one of them and tell them how much you love them and how much you treasure their presence in your life. Friendship is a special gift for which we ought to be thankful. Especially in these troubled and uncertain times, friends and family are worth more than all the gold, myrrh and frankincense in the world.

If you are not celebrating Christmas with friends and family, please do not despair. No person is ever completely alone. Look around and soon you will realize that even in the loneliest of times there is a presence there, right next to you. As humans, we all belong to a higher spirituality that links each and every human to all the other humans who now walk, or have ever walked or will ever walk, upon the planet. Whether we live in a fancy castle, or sleep on the sidewalks of a crowded city, we are all children of the Universe; no less than the trees and the stars. We all have have a right to be here, that is part of our humanity. No one can take our humanity away from us - it is our birthright.

Regardless of your situation, be at peace with God, however you conceive Her to be. Whatever your labors and aspirations are in the noisy confusion of the Holiday Season, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Please be cheerful - and alway strive to be happy.

Jackson Browne, one of my favorite singers, wrote a song titled The Rebel Jesus. This time of the year Browne’s lyrics have special meaning. Please allow me share those words with you:

THE REBEL JESUS

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all god's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

Well they call him by the prince of peace
And they call him by the savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.


A Merry California Christmas to one and all!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL

By Debbie Bulloch




A Thanksgivings Day gallery, from the traditional to a little twisted...































(Note: All images copyrighted by the various artists. All rights fully reserved by the copyright owners.)

GIVING THANKS FOR OUR TREASURES

By: Debbie Bulloch



In a few days we in the USA will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day celebration usually involves getting together with family and friends, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, consuming massive amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie, and then either passing out in front of the television watching hours of college football games (GO TROJANS !!! )or going to the stores and fighting other shoppers for deeply discounted merchandise.



OK, maybe I am exaggerating just a tad.



The fact is that Thanksgiving is one of those quaint and unique American celebrations that manage to combine crass consumerism and goodwill. To some (especially to foreigners) it may seem a tad odd to pick one day out of the year to give thanks for all the blessings in our life. After all, we should give thanks each and every single day of our lives for our blessings.

This is especially true given the transient nature of our lives on this plane of existence. Here today and gone tomorrow is not just an expression, it is a real possibility; those who we love and hold nearest and dearest to our heart may be here today but gone tomorrow. There is an old song by a '60s group (no I am not THAT old) called Bread. The song is titled Everything I Own and parts of the lyrics go like this:

Is there someone you know,
you're loving them so,
but taking them all for granted.
You may lose them one day,
someone takes them away,
and they don't hear the words you long to say

I urge all of you to stop for a moment and give thanks for your blessings; however big or small they may be. In this uncertain world any blessing is a true gift.

I specially urge you to please take a moment to thank those people who have gifted you with their friendship not just over the past 12 months, but over the course of your life. Think about all the people who have, at one point or the other, made a big difference in your life: a parent, a sibling, a relative, a teacher, a friend, a lover. Stop for a moment and call them (if they are far) or go and see them (if they are close) and say:

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!

There is an old Italian saying that goes something like this:

Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro! (He who finds a friend finds a treasure).

Acknowledge your treasures and be thankful for them.

Thank you all for being my friend and thank you all for being a friend of BETWEEN HOMES.