Timber's Morning Coffee

What?!?!?! That might be the first question out of your mouth. HIV? A blessing? Really? Well. . .Yes. I know that there has been a ton of stigma associated with this diagnosis. You might be wondering why I would think that a disease that has the potential to kill me might be a gift. Well, for me, it has been and now I will explain why. HIV has forced me to re-evaluate everything in my life, from my relationships to my health to my personal possessions. Perhaps, earlier you might have read my post, " The Holidays are Not About Presents " Contained in that particular blog are some of my truths about the things that are important to me and the things that truly matter. For me, HIV has forced me to look at my health and really be mindful of what my body is telling me. I have to pay attention to the things that I eat, what I drink and what I allow to be in my body. It's super important for me to stay healthy. Before, I had the idea that most of us have: "It's no...

I have struggled with writing this blog for some time. I didn't know when the right time was going to be to do it. There have been many factors influencing my decision. My partner, family, friends, work, theatre, etc. It's been a bumpy ride and very challenging spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. As I sit here in the middle of a snow storm next to my roaring fire in the comfort of my own home, I am mostly content. It feels safe here. The dogs are relaxing, the birds are quiet and I have the house to myself. I can almost feel like I am strong and nothing is changed. Nothing is different. Everything is going to be okay. But, four innocuous words, put together, could change that in an instant. You see, I have a secret. But I don't like secrets. They cause way too much stress. No, it's not that I'm gay. That's no secret to anyone. I mean, HELLO!!! Do you know me? The secret is even larger than that. It is earth-shattering, in some aspects. It is a...

I am regularly astounded by the things that I see when we get closer and closer to the Holidays. We enter a time when the earth goes dormant, but it would seem that the real crazies come out of hibernation.  It's those Black Friday shoppers. And now, it would seem, that there is a "Black Thanksgiving." Truly, it disgusts me. I see people being very hypocritical. We should be spending Thanksgiving weekend being thankful for what we have and the blessings in our lives, yet we see consumerism on a massive scale. Whatever happened to peace on earth and goodwill toward man? Oh, I think someone dropped it back on aisle 3 where they had to push an old lady out of the way to get the best deal for their already spoiled children. We profess to be thankful for the things that we have, yet we don't appear to be that way when we bang our shopping carts into other people, stab someone over a parking spot and get into a fist fight because someone got the last fireplace mantle be...

Recently, I have been turning toward the Beatitudes. I have looked at them from every direction and wondered why more "Christians" haven't taken to them as a way of life. The one that really struck me today was Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." All my life, I have been a peacemaker. (Well, okay, there was one period of about 5 years where I tried to stir up as much drama with my family as I could. . .but let's not dwell on the past) I don't like it when people fight and I just want to see people get along. I seem to have been born with a highly developed sense of compassion and empathy. I used to (and still do) befriend what my mom lovingly termed, "The Unlovables." These were the kids that got picked on in school because they were different. The kids that had no friends. I was constantly asking questions as to why people were being treated so badly and my heart regularly broke for the...

History holds that during Christmas of 1914, during World War I, troops from both sides (French and English vs. Germans) called a truce during the war. The belief is that the Germans set up signs in broken English that said, "You no fight, We no fight." There was an exchanging of gifts and even a few impromptu soccer games. This is my paraphrase. If you want to learn more about the story, Google it. Where is this kind of spirit now? Men were able to set aside their differences and remember what the season was all about in the midst of a war, yet we are unable to set aside our politics and give each other a break in order to spend time with our families (no matter their composition) and remember what Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Festivus, etc. are about. Perhaps we should take a lesson from soldiers from nearly 100 years ago. Instead of fighting battles about our differences and making SURE we are heard, perhaps we should look for what we have in common...