Controversy

 A book is a magical object. You can learn from a book. You can improve yourself with a book. With a book you can travel to other places. They might be near or far. The place might be real or imaginary. The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite things to do on a rainy day is to wrap myself in a shawl or comfy blanket. I make a cup of tomato soup and grab a book. I sit by the window to read and watch the rain.

Now there are some who wish to censor our books. There is talk of re-writing objectional passages or words they find objectionable. In some cases they are correct; those things might be objectionable. However the author took time to write them in that particular format. It is not up to us to change what the author wrote.

Some want to ban books that are written abouts subjects with which they do not agree. If you do not agree with a book DON'T READ IT!

I do agree that some books are not meant for children. Parents are responsible for seeing to it that their children are not reading material that could cause harm. Pay attention. If needed read the book yourself to make the decision.

Some books and authors that have been marked for censorship are Mark Twain, The James Bond series, Lolita, To Kill A Mockingbird, Ulysses, The Handmaid's Tale, Satanic Verses, The Catcher In The Rye, 1984, The Lord Of The Rings, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Brave New World, Forever Amber, Mein Kampf, The Naked And The Dead, Peyton Place, Animal Farm, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Frankenstein, J.K. Rowling 's Harry Potter series, The Grapes Of Wrath, The Color Purple... the list goes on and on and on. 

My feeling is that no book should ever be banned. Even so-called "dirty" books might be a psychological study. 

Again if you do not like it DON'T READ IT.

I Still Miss Someone

 When someone you care about dies you feel sad. And like part of you is gone.

When my sister died last month it hurt. She was 4 years younger than me. She had told me many times that she wanted to go. She was confined to her bed for so many years after she had a major stroke. I hate this saying but I believe it to be true in this case. She is now better off.

When we were younger we were close. We would take our children to the zoo. Old pictures make us look like the Kennedys on an outing.

As often happens family and distance interfere with relationships. It does not stop the love.

My sister was the middle of 7 children/ She had 2 brothers younger and 2 brothers older. I was the older sister and there is also a younger sister. How is that for creating a middle child syndrome? And my sister had it in spades.

My sister used to complain that she never got her way. What actually happened was that she did not get it fast enough (which was immediately).

After her stroke she was unable to speak clearly for a while. Imagine my surprise when I called one day to ask my nephew how she was and he asked if I wanted to talk to her. It was wonderful to hear her voice even though she was still difficult to understand. Over time her speech returned and we spoke often.

So now I miss talking to her. Sometimes she depended on me a little too much and I would complain. Now I find myself starting to call her or wondering why she was not calling me. I would love to be able to complain again.

My sister had developed diabetes along with other ailments related to her not being able to move around. I know several places online that make sugar-free candy/ She could have the peppermint candies to keep her mouth moist. Chocolates made her feel special. I made sure to send her a bit of candy each month.

I also sent her inexpensive Christmas gifts. Things like that break the monotony of someone confined to bed.

I know my sister. She would have wanted a huge star-studded funeral with glamor, glitz, and all the notoriety you can imagine. Instead she was cremated and placed in a niche in a columbarium. She is now at rest.