Category: Lee Woods

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Who Will Be My Voice?

She sat in the corner, quiet as a mouse. I watched her from the door as she looked out into the room. Her eyes darted back and forth to maintain control of her situation. I hated to tell her that though she watched and waited, being backed into a corner she could never defend herself.
I couldn’t help but feel her fear. Those small eyes pierced my soul. My heart broke for her. She sat backed into that corner, her hair tussled and her clothes wrinkled and dirty. I wonder how long she had been wearing them. I noticed the bruise on her right eye. I did not doubt about from where it came. The bruise made me wonder what other wounds she had suffered during her young life.
I stepped into the room and slowly approached her. The closer I got the more I could see her at her young age of four. She stiffened as I approached her. I slowed my pace even more but continued to move forward never taking my eyes off her small body. I stopped in front of her and kneeled on the floor. I didn’t want it to appear that I was overpowering her. I wanted her to see me as a friend, not another threat.
This story is fictitious. However, there are hundreds, no thousands out there like this child that is real. These children are the victims of adults, even parents that have lost sight of the fragile state of these children. The only hope for them besides the resilience that hides behind the fear is the CASA that will be their voice.
I am sure you have heard the statement “we are in an opioid crisis.” This crisis is affecting the children of the addicts at an ever-increasing rate. These children are going through the court system, some without an adult to support them and be their voice.  CASA of New Hampshire is looking for good people to be advocates for these children. Every day people are stepping up to this challenge. However, it isn’t enough. CASA needs more good people to be the voice of the children in need. If you would consider stepping up to this challenge, you will find a reward beyond words. The smile of a child who knows they are safe and loved is priceless.
If you are interested in becoming a CASA or would just like more information, please contact CASA of New Hampshire at (603)626-4600 or email speakup@casanh.org.
TheCASA of NH website address is https://casanh.org/
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Wake Up: Human Trafficking is Real

I’d like to say I’m taking on a cause. But the cause is so great that I can only hope to make a small dent in what, over the last few years has come to light. Human trafficking.

I’m only one voice, and my voice isn’t an important one. At least as far as compares to those who many think are important because of their social status. I don’t believe social status matters. We can be deceived by smoking mirrors. Look deep into what on the surface may appear to be goodness.

Photo by Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma'aji on UnsplashWe have all taught our children not to talk to strangers. Don’t take candy from strangers and never get in the car of someone who offers you something or says they are bringing you to your mom. I think we can agree we have each used the lines I mentioned. 

But think of those children whose parents are absent in some reason from the life of their son or daughter. Those children are usually living in despair. They don’t have anything to look forward to, so any offer may sound better than what they are experiencing in their life. They jump at the chance for a better life. And to their demise. They disappear never to be seen again.

Today we know where those children have gone. We know that children are the prey of a dark plan that uses our greatest resource to feed their excesses.

In my blog on March 8, 2020 I mentioned the good work being done by the Underground Railroad. They set out to rescue children from their captors. The task turned out to be greater than anyone imagined. The evil greater that most thought humanly possible.

Nothing is as it seems. It is in the darkness that the crime is committed. The torture begins and end for a small child in a death that we can’t imagine. I can’t tell anyone what to think or do. I will ask you to visit The Underground Railroad and help in what ever way possible. If we don’t save the children we will be condemning the world to darkness.

Photo by Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma’aji on Unsplash

Fair Use Notice: This article could contain some copyrighted material whose use has not been authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational, and/or criticism or commentary use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Fair Use notwithstanding we will immediately comply with any copyright owner who wants their material removed or modified, wants us to link to their web site, or wants us to add their photo.

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A Precious Tribute

I wrote this short piece a couple of years ago when someone special to me was suffering from a life-threatening injury. Thankfully, today that person is living a healthy life. I thought I would share it with you today. Try not to take life for granted. It can be taken from us quickly and without warning.

Days pass quickly; we watch and wait and wonder. We hope and plan and dream. In an instant, life can be shattered. All the wondering and dreaming comes to a screeching halt in an instant. Watch out for the interruptions.

I sit here silently listening to the voices in my head. What if? Why now? When will it stop or start? I think of all the things I still want to accomplish in my life. It seems a long one, yet now it’s as if I’m running out of time and will never complete…well, anything. Can life be this fleeting?

I say these things because I’m reminded today how precious life can be. I say these things as I remind myself that we should not take each other for granted. For tomorrow can bring a cold reality. I’m thankful that this will not be the case today or hopefully tomorrow, at least under these circumstances.

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I will pray that tomorrow will be a better day, and the light will shine brightly on the “subject” of my short dissertation.

We have many loves in our lives; we have our parents, our siblings, our children, our spouses, and our friends and extended family. Each love holds a special place in our hearts. Today I remember each love and am reminded of the special place they hold in my heart. But today, I’m intensely reminded that one of these loves suffers in great pain, and my heart breaks for her. I pray tonight for the miracle of healing and the grace of God to make it happen. Rest in peace tonight, my love, and regenerate. Return to us the compassionate, loving, intense soul that keeps us all waiting for the next “moment” I LOVE YOU!

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

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Operation Paperclip – A Reference Point

I think I mentioned in a prior post, when I wrote “The War Within”, it was supposed to be  a romance novel. Well, that didn’t happen. Obviously.

Research began with that which I needed to feel comfortable writing about the military service of my main character’s husband. I started with the internet. One thing led to another, and soon I had opened a can of worms.

Then down the rabbit hole I went. I’m still there. My head is still spinning from the information I found. Some people call me a conspiracy theorist because I continue to discuss the  manipulation and criminal activity of not only the American government, but governments and NGO’s across the world too.

One of the resources I used when writing “The War Within” was “Operation Paperclip” written by Annie Jacobsen.

“Operation Paperclip” was one of the many covert operations hidden within the Intelligence community and the military complex. It was what began the mind control programs on American soil. In addition to many other experiments on human subjects.

Annie Jacobsen goes into great detail about what the CIA tried to brush off as a “conspiracy theory”. She showed how the American government brought to the States all the German scientist after World War II, who should have been tried under the Nuremberg Trials or were tried and released. Originally, the operation was called Operation Overcast but it became more commonly known as Operation Paperclip.

The scientists were brought to the USA for many reasons. Some specialized in aerodynamics and rocketry. Others worked specifically with weapons and chemical reactions technology and medicine. All these scientists were secretly brought to the States, along with their families. This without State Department review or approval. Approval would never have been granted because of the association of these scientists  to Hitler’s Third Reich, many who were considered war criminals.

Almost 500 scientists were deployed to White Sands Proving Ground, Fort Bliss in New Mexico. Others were sent to Texas and Huntsville, Alabama to work with the guided missiles program which later became NASA.

Annie Jacobsen, through many hours of interviews, and after reviewing the archives, and reviewing files made available through the Freedom of Information Act, along with other archived government documents, has compiled a work that is eye opening and informative.

Anyone who wishes to know more about the crimes committed by governments and other institutes within the States, should read “Operation Paperclip”. It was quite helpful to me while I wrote “The War Within”.

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Another Voice Another Vote

The citizens of the United States of America are empowered with rights that could move mountains. Such rights should cause us to race to the polls and vote. Unfortunately, not everyone takes this right seriously.

In recent years we have seen a vast change in how we view politics. This blog is not going to be infused with politics in any form. I can’t mention voting without mentioning the elephant in the room. It is the reason we vote. I believe it is also the reason we are see an increased interest in voting and the voting process.

There is a long history of suffrage in this country. One equal to that of the vote. The topic has shaken up the masses at different times in history.

The first vote took place within hours of the landing of the Jamestown voyagers on April 26, 1607, according to their calendar. It was the first attempt at voting on American soil. It was also the beginning of corruption. The commanders of 105 colonialists of Williamsburg unsealed a box containing a list of seven men picked in England who would be the colony’s council. They would select one of the seven as president.

We all remember Captain John Smith. They denied him a seat initially on suspicion of concealing a mutiny. Because they eliminated John Smith from the vote, that left six men, less than six percent of the population, to take part in the choice for president. Six men were the voice for the 105 colonists. Ninety-nine voices remained silent, choked out by the king’s rule.

This country has come a long way from colonial Williamsburg. We have suffered many growing pains. In the early years, they allowed only wealthy white men to vote. Male landowners controlled the interest of the population. Eventually, that changed, and it allowed all white males to vote.

In 1870 they granted the African American male population the right to vote through the fifteenth amendment. Many things didn’t change for this demographic, but it was the beginning of change. It would be almost a hundred years before the civil rights movement would cause a greater change.

We went through the woman’s suffrage movement. This movement broke down the barriers that had, for centuries, snuffed out the voice of women. They finally gave women the right to vote on August 18, 1920, when Congress ratified the nineteenth amendment.

The United States is a melting pot of ethnicity. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (Statue of Liberty). This country welcomes the masses, through its gates (by means of citizenship). In welcoming them we give them the right to be a voice for themselves as well as for the country.

I hope each one of you finds the time today to make your voice heard.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Fair Use Notice: This article could contain some copyrighted material whose use has not been authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational, and/or criticism or commentary use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Fair Use notwithstanding we will immediately comply with any copyright owner who wants their material removed or modified, wants us to link to their web site, or wants us to add their photo.
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A Very Cold Night! Especially for the Homeless

 I sit here tonight in my warm house, listening to the wind blow just outside my window. I know quite well, it’s cold out there. Just before settling in to write this blog, I looked at the thermometer, which reads a negative 4 degrees!

Now I sit here typing as I listen to the wind. I can’t help but think of the people that may be out on the street. I don’t mean people that are out for an evening of frolic and fun. I’m thinking of the homeless right now. I can’t help but worry about those that have no shelter when the weather is like this. If you think about those who are cold tonight if you put yourself in their shoes…

I pull the thin parka around me as my muscles tense up, my body’s reaction to the cold. My jaw gets tight as I try to keep my teeth from chattering while the wind whips through the street. It creeps in behind my neck, forcing its way down my back. I reach up and lift the collar of the coat, stretching it to reach my exposed ears as the cold air burns through my flesh. I’m torn between protecting my cold ears with the jacket and the desire to push my hands deep into the pockets to keep them warm. It’s no use. There is no relief. The cold is too much.

I continue walking, hoping to find shelter from the cold wind. My face is burning now from the cold air. My nose is running. I reach up to wipe away what has dripped off the tip of my nose. I have to laugh as I realize ice has collected just there. I keep going if for no other reason than to keep my blood moving. If I don’t stand still, if I keep walking, my blood will continue to work its way through my body, keeping me, well not warm, but alive. I turn as the passing car interrupts my thoughts. They don’t even notice me. They look right through me as if I’m not standing here freezing. I’m not surprised. I see that all the time.

I’ve now reached the alley I’m hoping will at least shelter me from the wind. I lean against the brick as I slide down that wall and sit, curled up, hoping I can produce enough heat to keep my blood moving. My teeth are chattering again. My joints are getting stiff. Maybe I shouldn’t sit still.

I’m really tired. I need to rest for a little while; then, I’ll get up and move around some. I sit quietly with my thin jacket wrapped tightly around me. I can hear the noise of the night floating away. I can see my breath, so I must still be alive. It’s getting colder. I’m so tired. My eyelids are getting heavy. I force them open and look around one more time.

I see no one; I only hear voices as they slowly drift off into the night.

My feet are tingling. Maybe it’s warming up. My neck hurts, I need to straighten up. Instead, I lean over and lay down, curling up tighter into a ball. I think my breathing is getting shallow. No, I’m just tired. I can’t stay awake; I don’t want to stay awake. If I sleep, I won’t feel the cold. I don’t want to be cold anymore. I’ll rest for a while. It’s okay, just for a few min….

The image above is the life of a young girl freezing in an alley. Will she wake up and walk to stay alive? Or will she freeze there curled up in a ball against that brick wall? You won’t know because this is where the vision ends.

Her story is the story of many homeless people in this country that fight to stay alive during the long winter months. Each of singularly may not be able to do away with the reality that is portrayed in this short vision. But collectively, we can make a difference.

Please take a few minutes this winter to locate a shelter in your area and donate what you can to help those in need of a warm place to stay during the frigid winter months.

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What Happened to the Dream?

Watch as Martin Luther King Jr, stands and speaks peacefully to the masses. The speech, broadcast during a time of civil disobedience, a time of upheaval and inequality, not only by color but by creed and gender. Look into the crowd of people who stand and listen peacefully.

“Let freedom ring,” he says.

He is a man who had a message. He got his message across by peacefully addressing the crowd. In earlier times, police arrested him in his protesting efforts; however, it was when he gathered peacefully in our Nation’s Capitol to share his vision for our country that the people heard him!

He had a dream rooted in the American dream.

“One day this nation will rise and live out the true meaning of its dream ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’”

He stood in front of the monument of President Lincoln that only days prior protester defiled for what it represents, I’m sure he chose that spot because of the message President Lincoln tried to communicate many years earlier, one of which he quoted.  

He had a dream that the content of their character, not the color of their skin, would judge people. Today people protest and defile the monuments and statues that represent our history. A history that our forefathers suffered, so we could grow into the country we were so close to becoming.

What does that say about the character of those that spread such hate?      

We are living in a time of great disrespect, not only for one another but our history. You can’t erase history by removing the evidence of what occurred. In removing and defiling and denying, we only prolong the inevitable.

Turn your back on what was, and it will be again.

Hate and dissension will rear its ugly head. It will fester and infect our society and cause the dis-ease of what we are trying to eradicate. People protest in the name of peace and equality, yet they project and infect the country with hate. Hate does not encourage dialog; it causes the human mind to shut down to reason; it breeds more hatred. If people think by removing our countries monuments, it will cause people to change their views; I believe they are nieve. Here is an example. I use it because it has been in our faces for weeks. If we remove Confederate monuments, does that change history? Does that negate the struggle? Does it remove the lesson learned? Removing the statue does not change the story.

Did the Romans remove the Colosseum because of what it represented, the inhumane treatment of both man and animal? No. They left it as a reminder of what went on. They left it so that generations to come could tell the story and remember what not to do or how to behave.  

By removing the monuments in the South, does it remove the Confederate conflict? If so, it must also remove the struggle experienced by the slave? Do we so want to disrespect the suffering on both sides?    

In this lesson, I think we are failing to remember something. Behind the monuments are men, women, children, families, and communities. Each one suffered in their way. Each one had an experience that was not conducive to love or kindness or fairness.

They continued to live. Our forefathers erected monuments to remember what happened and to facilitate healing. Just because a man fought for slavery, doesn’t mean he believed in it. Men fight for their state or country. When they go to war, they go because their government calls them. They go because they respect their state and want to be obedient.

It isn’t always a personal preference. By erecting monuments, they are offering respect for those that fought and died as human beings. They are mourning the loss of human life.

Remember… All lives matter. Take it down to a personal level. Every human being suffers and deserves to heal. We need to come together as a country as one people. The world is watching us. We, who once was a great example to the world, have become a joke. We no longer deserve the respect we once had. If we can’t play nice in the sand, how can we expect the rest of the world to do so?  

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I Am Arjuna – Bhagavad Gita

I am Arjuna. I am he, who’s called to fight. To kill. To liberate.

The image that stares back at me is fighting with she who studies that body, that spirit, that soul. The soul that signed the contract that would teach her who she truly is.

My dark night of the soul pulls me into the depth of my inner self. It struggles with the lives I have lived in this one lifetime. My soul now calls me to see myself, not as the flesh and blood that walks the earth today. But to see my divine nature.

I am now called to the struggle between life and death. No, not suicide. I am called to awaken. It is time to see my soul self and be that which the creator created me to be.

Love.

I am Arjuna. I am he, who listens to the teacher.

When I study the image of the face looking back at me, I stare into the eyes that are the window to the soul.

I am called to fight, yet I love. How can I destroy that which I have become comfortable with, that which I have grown to know so intimately.

The struggles I’ve lived with and survived, are now part of me. I cling to them as a drowning person would cling to the life vest. It is all I know.

I am Arjuna. I am he, the brave warrior.

I am called to face my fears. To stare down that which challenges me. That which stirs within me, the ultimate fight or flight nature.

The longer I stand in front of the image, the greater the need to know the truth.

I am love, yet I am called by the inner stirring to fight. I now fight for the love that is buried deep within, waiting to be rescued.

I long to breathe the fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun shining on my face. I long to be released from the prison of which I place myself. It is time to be released from the dark night that has held me in a state of nothingness.

I am Arjuna. I am he who rejoices in the light.

Darkness recedes as the light fills my soul. Beckoning me to shine, a light so bright it lights up the world.

I am the expression of my soul. My true divine self has risen and continues to shine bringing forth a love so great it will never be contained.

I am Arjuna.

We are all Arjuna.

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A Love That Stands the Test of Time

Each of us, in our lives at some point, suffer the loss of a loved one. It’s never an easy path to walk.
It is said, the heart wants what the heart wants. The heart may want what it wants, but it doesn’t always get what it wants. Or, if it does, it can be fleeting.
Love is a deep feeling of the heart, not one that can easily be forgotten or released. Over time it may find a comfortable place deep within where it settles into a rhythm of what might have been.
Sometimes love isn’t lost; it just finds itself taking a detour. Giving the feeling a time to mature or grow or maybe find its way back to what should have been.
Other times it seems to come late in life when the noise of the world has settled, and distraction is set aside. Love comes when the time is right.
The heart may want what it wants, but love knows when it’s time for the heart to swell with the passion that brings two souls together.
Sometimes those souls connect for a moment in time, bringing joy, happiness, peace, contentment, and a deep love that is beyond the space of time.
Then it is gone. But is it?
No.
It is that love that stands the test of time. It stands the test of that which is outside of space and time. It is what we call eternity. Love beats deep in the heart right through the soul of eternity.
When you lose a lover in this life, you should know that in that place outside space and time, the heart still swells with the passion that keeps you and your soulmate together.
Tonight, I think about a dear friend who recently lost what I believe is what I describe above. I hope you will find comfort in the words that cannot begin to make up or replace the gentle, loving heartbeat of that missing space in this lifetime.
I hope you can find peace in your memories.

Photo by Suresh Kumar on Unsplash

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A Storm is Brewing

This morning I turned on my computer and stepped away for a moment while the programs loaded. When I returned good, old Windows 10 had once again given me an image to contemplate. Maybe it’s a sign.

I wasn’t sure what I would write about, but when I saw the image in front of me, it became clear. I saw before me nature unfolding dramatically. I saw in the distant a storm brewing. The clouds were accumulating; gathering as if preparing a scheme, planning its attack. As the clouds became darker and darker, the rumble began. The orchestra of sound was escalating and bringing to life the air that had become stagnant. The change became more than clear as the lightning struck the rocks below.

The clouds rolled in faster and faster, and the sky grew dark, and the rains fell. The pitter-patter of rain slowly became a pounding that drowned out the sounds of the birds as they scattered to find a haven from the storm. The lightning followed by the booming crash of thunder that resonated across the sky; the vibration absorbed by the earth below.
As I studied the image, a thought came to my mind. This scene that played out in front of me was so similar to the life we are experiencing today. As we sit back and study, the course of recent time we see the parallel between the storm in the sky and what we are living through right now. Stormy energy has been brewing for a long time. Humanity is about to unleash its wrath just as the lightning emitted in the sky. The booming anger of humanity is drowning out the beautiful sounds of nature. We can’t see the forest through the trees because we have become so focused on negative energy we can’t let our guard down and let in the light.
What a comparison. Think about it. As the clouds accumulate and absorb the negative energy; humankind is absorbing all the surrounding negativity. Negativity begets negativity. It grows like a plague unleashing itself on society and kills the kindness we have been ignoring. The storm in the sky unleashed on the earth, and we have natural catastrophes all over the globe. On a human level, we are doing the same thing. We have unleashed the negativity on each other, and there is very little peace.

I believe the calm before the storm is long gone now. We are amid a storm that is out of control. Maybe if we change our energy, it will affect the surrounding energy. We as humans have a responsibility to love and protect. We have forgotten that as we sling negativity at one another. Maybe it’s time the tides turn. If nature can do it, we can as well.

Photo by Max LaRochelle on Unsplash