Maria xxx xxx first posted this to Facebook on February 6 th 2020 Short as it may be, I thought it both touching and revealing; so much it has made it here, on Brilliant Blogshare Well, today didn't go as we hoped but it's in the hardest of times we learn the best lessons and feel the most gratitude. Buffy was scheduled to have her teeth cleaned and removed today but Dr. Mac had a gut feeling she needed to look at some lab work before putting her under anaesthesia.  She was right; Buffy showed signs of advanced kidney failure so anaesthesia was not an option and as a family, we decided that the kindest and most loving thing to do would be to let her go before she lost her will to live and stopped eating and drinking. I wouldn't have dreamed of leaving my son out of this decision or not allowing him to be part of the entire process so, I immediately went and picked him up from school.  On the way to the veterinary surgeons, he told me he wante...

NOTE : I wrote this back in 2015, but this year, the 100th memorial year,  I think is a good time to give it another airing. A Legacy from the Great War. (WW1) I was watching a television trailer, regarding a forthcoming documentary, examining the life of those who lived and fought from the trenches. I was struck by the number of film clips taken on the front line. That so many have survived for the past one hundred years is quite amazing, considering the ease of degradation of the materials used. I had not previously considered such an archive of moving images existed, considering movie making was still in its infancy at the time. Seeing these short monochrome ( mostly, although a few colour films were produced ), films of men going about their daily lives on the front line, brought the characters of those captured on cellulose to life in a way I did not think possible. In conjunction with this footage was often clear and exceptional commentary. ...

First published by/on   http://theresecrutchermarin.com/new-blog-page This post has found its way onto Brilliant Blog Share because... well, read it and you will soon know why. I once read,   “If you have one true friend in your lifetime, you are lucky”. With that said, I have been extraordinarily lucky! When I met John in 1976 and we became a couple, I quickly learned that being with him meant having his three older sisters in my life as well. The four siblings had had a difficult upbringing and were exceptionally close and I was thrilled when they welcomed me into their circle. Like their brother, Lora, Marcia and Cindy were kind, positive, unselfish individuals and I became closer to them than I was to my own sisters. Through the years, I would count my blessings for the loving relationship the three sisters and I shared, as they became tried and true friends. These brave, gentle souls would inspire and teach me many lessons that would enrich my life. Wh...

The words the world does not want to hear, but will inevitably do so. When people think of a contemporary royal death in Britain, they think, inescapably, of Princess Diana. The passing of the Queen will be monumental by comparison. It may not be as nakedly emotional, but its reach will be wider, and its implications more dramatic. “She is the only monarch that most of us have ever known” The royal standard will appear on the TV screen. The national anthem will play. It will be a day when you will remember where you were. For Queen Elizabeth II of England, the plan for what happens upon her demise is known as “ London Bridge .” The prime minister will be woken, if she/he is not already awake and civil servants will say “ London Bridge is down” on secure lines. From the Foreign Office’s Global Response Centre, at an undisclosed location in the capital, the news will go out to the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state, an...

This is the first time I have posted a book release on Brilliant blogshare, but there is a reason. This is NOT a War story The modern day civilised world we know is little more than a fragile moment balancing on a knife-edge between the evils of avarice and the struggle for dominant authoritarian supremacy. Caught in the maelstrom between the warring factions are the innocent lives of civilians and children, the unsuspecting conscripts and misguided volunteers on all sides. Conditioned, indoctrinated and convinced by those who have only power and ultimate wealth to gain, are those whose personal stories are revealed within the pages of this book. Life in the War Zone  takes a serious, no holds barred look at the devastation and trauma of life in the battlefields of the  Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Israel, Palestine, Libya, Lebanon and El Salvador. This may well be the book they would rather you did not read. Life in ...

T his post was published by the huffington post on 14th of July by the Rev, Cindy Maddox United Church of Christ minister, poet, and parent This has made it onto Brilliant Blog Share because it is wonderfully written, I am sure you will agree. To the middle-aged woman who gestured angrily and yelled as we passed... To the 30-something man in the power suit who honked and forced his black SUV through our line... To the person who tried to pass us and then moved his car into our lane to block our progress... Perhaps you don’t know. Perhaps you didn’t recognize the hearse and the flapping flags on the first few cars. Perhaps you didn’t notice that we all had our lights on and our hazards flashing. Perhaps your mama never taught you to show respect to the dead by showing kindness to the grieving. You couldn’t know, of course, that the woman inside the hearse was only 20 years old. You couldn’t know that she leaves behind par...

I give a short introduction to many of the posts on Brilliant Blog Share, this is one of the few that does not need any introduction, none at all. We are the last generation who can hear from the survivors, those who actually and  directly  witnessed the holocaust  .  Do not take that lightly Do not forget, your freedom is not infinitely guaranteed either.    It is said  " those who forget history are condemned to repeat it" best not forget, then.

A Legacy from the Great War.  (WW1) ( I first posted this on the 11 th of the 11 th , Remembrance day. But as today is Armed forces day and the 100 th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme I thought it justifiable to give it a further outing )         I was watching a television trailer, regarding a forthcoming documentary, examining life of those who lived and fought from the trenches. I was struck by the number of film clips that were taken at the front line. That so many have survived for the past one hundred years is quite amazing considering the ease of degradation of the materials used. I had not previously considered such an archive of moving images existed, considering movie making was in its infancy at that time.    Seeing these short monochrome ( mostly although a few colour films were produced ) films of men going about their daily lives on the front line, brought the characters of those captured on cellulose to l...

Posted on   November 26, 2015  on https://countingducks.wordpress.com   reflections on a passing life. by   Peter Wells aka Countingducks             I cannot hold your hand this year, I cannot share that memory. I cannot pour a drink for you or walk the beach where we both walked. I cannot laugh as we both laughed or dance a night time’s life away, sure we have eternity I cannot hold your arm this year, and steady you across the road, two old people braving time and laughing at futility. I cannot travel back with you, glass in hand to memories when, young at heart, we hid our  insecurities. I cannot see you in the room, smiling as you always did, at some transgression in our midst, or drive too fast down country lanes or swim where reckless people swim: ignoring safety was our pride. We always got away with it: made it to the other side; but are you are gone and I am here, stripped of context by my age...

Who Am I? Originally posted on  http://thereporterandthegirl.com/2015/08/21/who-am-i/ This post has found its way onto ' Brilliant Blog Share' for the uncompromising and rawness of its words. Clearly there are contradictions and inconsistencies within, but that only goes to highlighting the emotional anguish portrayed by the writer.   Dear readers, I want to introduce this anonymous submission from a friend of mine. He broke up with his girlfriend of two years, a couple months ago. And on my suggestion, wrote a piece today about his feelings. Please show him your support! @ReporterandGirl  or  Facebook  or  G+ . What kind of fucked up, dark, twisted question is that? What does that even mean? I’m asking, seriously. What defines someone? Our actions? Thoughts? Beliefs? What I do when no one is around? Or better yet, what I do when everyone is around? When you break up with someone, there’s this pressure to reinvent yourself. To find out who...