Tales of the Heartland: "Finding compassion and Stephono"

JDC America's Heartland: From the melodious voices of the Oak Ridge Boys rises a greater musical understanding: "We all are part of the story of an American family," with all that makes or breaks our relationships, influenced by imperfections and our "silly ole pride."

Like the echo of soft whispering winds, I still hear mother's gentle matriarchal voice: "Life is short-lived 'dumpling' glutted with agitation in need of the blossom of compassion, and my dear, the only road to peace and reconciliation."

"Ya sure mom." How many times before had I heard this lady with a sophisticated flair basically tell me I would be sorry someday if I threw "compassion" out the window just to satisfy the state of my hurt feelings.

Stephono and I grew up to understand: Compassion is a road to be traveled, which develops from within the vine of family love. Sprouting its shoots as we travel down the different streets of life, we hope to gain the inner strengths that build our character of humility, long-suffering, endurance, spiritual goodness and a mildness of speech. Stephono and I were a continuous work in progress often waylaid by our emotional state and a vain enemy. . ."justifiable pride."

Our mother's love helped us to translate compassion and concern for others into concrete action, and to not have an "I don't care" ideology in life. She gave us the warmth of her love lifting us up with motherly compassion, showing us one of the secrets of life. . .happiness and joy.

When trouble wiggled its way into our sibling lives mother could be heard in a sweet yet authoritative voice, "Life isn't fair children even when you are compassionate and try hard." How true rings the echo from days gone by as Stephono and I have allowed a breakdown and fracture of compassion for each other to be made brittle by time and distance.

Ridiculous how we allowed a waterfall of misunderstandings and hurt feelings to be fired by our pride and a larva of building anger. Neither of us willing to give into the other, neither of us willing to give of the compassion from our childhood, we had given so freely to others.

My brother Setphono was always a laid-back gentle soul, of soft-spoken wisdom and heart. I on the other-hand to this day, feel the fire in my belly, grabbing life by its tail ready for a roller-coaster ride. Both of us have been nurtured by the one person who can explicate the art of "caring," an emotionally sensitive mother, a counselor of love, of altruistic values and support, who if anything, gave too much of herself to so many.

So how did Stephono and I get side tracked off the balanced road of life onto the side-street of broken compassion? Pure stubbornness.

Most of us preach a good talk, but when it comes down to enduring, we fall short. So it is before Stephono's passing our heartfelt childhood compassion flowered once again into moments of laughter, and days filled with the joy of living. Barriers melted away by a brother and sister's return to their childhood roots overriding the foolishness of the heart and adulthood.

Our children have seen our division and rebirth. They have learned sometimes with difficulty, to climb out of their own skin into an other's, channeling . . . "I see your need" into an unselfish act of moral awareness to impact the world and themselves.

I would like to believe Stephono and I have given our children the gift of being able to forgive themselves and others and not waste precious moments of life. Whenever we give, we always feel its reward somewhere along the way, as "compassion road" curves, zig-zags and cuts into the road of life.


CeCe Day Hill (cgh) Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved
CeCe Day Hill (cgh) The Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved

Book Reviews: "Top Ten Myths of American Health Care, The Compleat Gentleman, Shakedown"

JDC Book Reviews: The timing and relevancy of these three books is in the now. Three critical issues that continue to change the face, freedoms and financial stability of the American Republic.

"The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care," by Thomas Sowell

When a myth is repeated enough times people tend to believe it. Unfortunately, at times it is to their own detriment. Affecting the masses, it becomes a tragedy of unending consequences.

The two sides of the American debate over health care is a pending double-edge sword of financial mayhem, that could very well bankrupt the country and cause tax burdens in excess of 50% per individual taxpayer by 2020. The independent Congressional Budget Office in the analysis of the administration's health care program, indicated the plan neglected to consider cost factors in their "projections."

The American health care system remains the best in the world, according to Sewell. Learn the truths in this eye-opening book by a Canadian immigrant to the U.S., who has seen government-run health care close up, and offers cost-effective alternative solutions to fix it...not replace it.


"The Compleat Gentlemen," by Brad Miner

In the current lifestyles of broken homes, single parenthood, latchkey kids and societal mixed messages, there lies, the three masculine archetypes: the warrior, the lover, and the monk, and questionable versions in-between.

The Compleat Gentleman contains the wisdom that can bring healing and renewal to an increasingly uncivilized age of man. . .one gentleman at a time.

In amusement, Miner touches on the difficult and unpopular truths with discretion and decorum. The elements of the gentlemanly character would have been obvious to any medieval knight. Today, like a lightning bolt it awakens an awareness of the lack and the need for a model of gentlemanly masculinity more than ever. What it takes to be a real man.


"Shakedown," by Ezra Levant - "A warning for America. . ."

While President Obama continues to revise the lexicon of the American political vocabulary, Canada's human right commissions have turned from protecting rights to prosecuting politically incorrect "thought-crimes."

The publisher calls the book shocking, sobering and scrupulously documented. Shakedown is a powerful plea to Canadians to reclaim their basic liberties. . .and an urgent warning to Americans how vulnerable their First Amendment rights are to "political manipulation," and control.

What George Orwell called "thought-crime" is live and thriving in Canada and coming to your neighborhood. Political opinions are monitored, fines are implemented against people for expressing viewpoints; even the permanent banning of people from saying certain things.

If you don't think it could happen in America, you may be missing the subtle points of persuasion infiltrating society like the Trojan Horse of Troy, allowed to quietly move forward by a trusting people; ultimately affecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.


CeCe Day Hill (cgh) Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved
CeCe Day Hill (cgh) The Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved

Politics: "The Case to Impeach the President?"

JDC Government Machinations: With rumblings exploding across the nation, are happenings in Washington unconstitutional as President Obama pushes his humanistic values for good into a misguided socialistic agenda?

The buzz of discontentment has hit the fan as it blows reality into the minds of voters and the Liberal Press.

Judge Andrew Napolitano responds on Fox and Friends AM to a question of "unconstitutionality." The judge believes actions taken by President Obama in his first 100 plus days in office are unconstitutional, and the courts will intervene as they did during the reign of FDR to reverse actions that infringe on guaranteed freedom of choice rights and issues that affect the U.S. cornerstone of free enterprise.

No matter how well intentioned the czarist administration may be, the experience in running a business the size of the United States Government is lacking and is evident in the fostered existing chaos affecting every sector from main street to the federal government.

The desire of the American people to believe in a charismatic voice of hope and change has been referred to as a meddling power-play affecting everything the forefathers of this country fought for. ...That each of us might have the freedom of "choice" unencumbered by government; to be kept in tack by the check and balance of a dual political system.

A system that has currently developed into a dynasty of ineffective stimulus packages, unemployment in excess of six million, preferential union treatment, the new REEP program which will dictate what Americans must do in order to meet "green" standards in order to sell their homes, and Cap and Trade considerations. . .critics say will cost the average consumer hundreds of dollars more in heating and cooling bill.

There has been scripted control of the free press who are now fighting back, and since the February inauguration, the Obama administration has implemented the largest outlay of borrowed money, than all previous administrations combined according to national news report sources.

Ironically, for the first time, on the eve of this past Fourth of July weekend, there was a display of ire by the White House Press Corps, who has covered this sitting president since he started his stump-walk to the White House.

Guru reporter Helen Thomas who has covered the Washington beat for close to 40 years, took issue with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and his refusal to answer questions on pre-scripted town-hall meetings and attempts of this administration to control the Press. "You are pumping the answers. . .It's shocking, really shocking. . .It's a pattern of controlling the press," states Ms. Thomas.

Columnist Jonah Goldberg of the L.A. Times, takes it one step further: "The Press is being treated like a patsy."

Where does it all stop? Will the radical agenda of President Barack Obama be stymied by the 2010 elections? Will there be a public movement beyond the Tea Parties in favor of impeachment? Will our country be delved into the pit of dependency under a government controlled socialism as murmurings imply? Or will what appears to be ineptness, turn out to be a successful strategy? Only God knows and he isn't sending in the Cavalry.

America will sink or swim in the waves of the next four years.

CeCe Day Hill (cgh) Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved
CeCe Day Hill (cgh) The Jane Doe Chronicles (c) 2005-2009 All Rights Reserved