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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Dec 24 2016, 3:44pm
Post #1 of 15
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Read and Restore - The Hope Thread
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General consensus is that 2016 has been one relentless downer. I do not argue with that but feel this attitude has gotten way too much air time. All things have not turned rotten this year so, in the spirit of the season -- most especially good will to all -- I propose we use this thread to post stories of happy, positive things we've experienced whether in our personal life or a piece of global news that needs sharing and celebrating. Even if it's just observing a random act of kindness or an inspiring quote, please post it here and help bring this year to an optimistic close. Hope is powerful but it's something only we can forge.
Two items I would like to share -
Personal: In April, became a grandmother elf for the third time with my first baby Tauriel. Been happily exercising my silver needle and saffron thread stitching girly garb ever since. She is healthy and happy. See att. :-)
World: Announcement today from Nigerian president that the Boko Haram have been completely routed. Not all abducted girls have been found and gathered yet and it doesn't portend all violence has been resolved but after seeing this urgent situation put on the back burner for so long, it does my heart no end of good learning this. Evil aint king yet!
(This post was edited by The Grey Elf on Dec 24 2016, 3:47pm)
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Dec 24 2016, 5:09pm
Post #2 of 15
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What a little cutie you have there! You are right...
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there is far too much focus on negativity, especially in some of the media. People are always quicker to criticise than to praise, as well; to see the half empty glass, not the half full one. 2016 hasn't been my best year in a lot of ways, but I'm still standing! Still sewing, still baking, still enjoying my Lego-obsessed grandsons who live locally, soaking up the scenery and sunsets over the western sea in my part of the world - still here, in short, which is in itself worthy of celebration. I'm reminded of a story about King Mosheshoe I of Lesotho, whee I lived for several years; he was said to go to the door of his home at Thaba Bosiu every morning and say 'Rejoice, for I have seen the light' (whatever that is in Sesotho). Let there be more rejoicing!
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Dec 24 2016, 8:13pm
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I will even say that while watching Rogue One this week, where they said several times some version of "Rebellions are built on hope," I personally cringed at how real life in 2016 has been rather hope-free for me and many others, and these fictitious characters on the screen had more hope for the future than I did.
So, world: Colombia made peace with the FARC rebels, and the US re-opened diplomacy with Cuba, so for the first time in living memory, there is peace everywhere in North and South America. (And this is the season of "peace on Earth, goodwill toward men [and women]," so we really should enjoy the outbreak of peace.)
And personal: while I adore the relatives I spent Thanksgiving with, we all have very strong opinions on politics, and we were not in agreement on the the US election, so I dreaded for weeks all the numerous possible ways we might fight at Tgiving. But we didn't. And we did discuss the election and our reasons for voting how we did at length, calmly and without recriminations. So as I left that night after spending the day with them, I said, "We managed to discuss this divisive election without throwing pots and pans at each other. There's hope for America!" They laughed and agreed. [So one could say I should have been more hopeful that we would get along, but I think it was our shared dread of having a major falling out that kept us all on our diplomatic best behavior. Dread isn't always a bad thing, but I'll take hope in its place any day.]
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Dec 25 2016, 9:03am
Post #4 of 15
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Here's a kind gesture to bring hope
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to many, in a small way; people using thier skill to do a good thing for no reward, just to make others smile. Copy and paste the link and enjoy the angels! Hope this works outside the UK... if it doesn't, it's about a group of knitters who made masses of little knitted angels and put them around the town (under cover of darkness!) and invited people to take one home. Very sweet.
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnorthwesttonight/videos/1361132887251103/?pnref=story
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Bracegirdle
Valinor
Dec 25 2016, 2:19pm
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There is more snow (on the ground) here in Boise than in many years. My next door neighbor usually plows our sidewalk and driveway with his snow-pusher-thingy, but they are out of town this year. Sooo…
Brace was out shoveling his walk when a young lady I’d never seen before, in a pick-up stopped, grabbed a shovel from the back, and started shoveling away. I said “Hi, what’s up?” She said she was just helping people out. (Guess she felt sorry for this old guy out shoveling in the cold cold cold.) Nearly completed I turned around to give thanks and offer a cup of tea, but she was already in her pick-up driving away. (I don’t know who she was or where she came from or where she went.)
“Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”, and many good people! 
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!
‘. . . the rule of no realm is mine . . .
But all worthy things that are in peril . . . those are my care.
For I also am a steward. Did you not know?'
Gandalf to Denethor
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Dec 26 2016, 1:05am
Post #6 of 15
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I found the son I lost 45 years ago. In October I drove 700+ miles to meet him face to face. The wonderful thing is that, all of my family welcomed him with open arms. KS
Kangi Ska Resident Trickster & Wicked White Crebain
Life is an adventure, not a contest.
At night you can not tell if crows are black or white.
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Dec 26 2016, 1:08am
Post #7 of 15
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We must find hope and if hope fails we must find anger. If anger does not conquer we must find rage. KS
Kangi Ska Resident Trickster & Wicked White Crebain
Life is an adventure, not a contest.
At night you can not tell if crows are black or white.
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Dec 26 2016, 4:00am
Post #9 of 15
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so happy for you! As a wise man once said "Hope fulfilled is a tree of life."
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Lissuin
Valinor
Dec 26 2016, 4:02am
Post #10 of 15
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That is, indeed, a reason to appreciate 2016, Kangi Ska.
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I am truly happy for all of you.
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Tintallë
Gondor
Dec 26 2016, 5:44pm
Post #11 of 15
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I was walking through a shopping mall in Irvine, CA with my daughter on December 22 when a young boy handed me a candy cane tied with a bow and wished me a merry Christmas. He was spending his afternoon just spreading holiday cheer to random strangers. It really surprised and touched me - and my daughter passed the cheer and the candy cane along to another random person at busy Los Angeles airport later that evening.
Simple things can surprise, delight, and motivate others to create the same for others.
I wonder if I could knit angels? I haven't knitted in ages, but perhaps if I start now I could be ready to create heavenly hosts by next December! Think I'll Google a pattern. . .
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Dec 26 2016, 11:15pm
Post #12 of 15
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That's as good an excuse as any
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to revive your knitting skills! I made a patchwork/applique hanging that reads, 'Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty' for my living room wall. The slogan was in a very old teeshirt catalogue and it's a good one, I think.
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Aragorn the Elfstone
Tol Eressea
Dec 27 2016, 3:43am
Post #13 of 15
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...because 2016 was truly and totally a horrible year (there can be no mistake), it was not without some bright spots on the personal front for me.
Just in the past three months, I found myself reunited with my best friend from childhood on Facebook. We have not seen each other for nearly 19 years, and had not communicated for 11 years, but since finding each other, we have been talking back and forth (via FB Messenger and Video Chat) every single day since. We have fallen right back into our old friendship like no time has passed. We've also discovered that we share many interests (in film, television, etc.) that were not even in existence back when we were kids. As if fate has kept us along the same track, even though we've been separated. We don't see eye to eye on everything. Our political leanings are different, but neither one of us wants to let that get in the way of this rekindling of our close bond.
I made a wonderful group of new friends this year, some of whom I had the chance to meet up at GeekyCon in Orlando, FL this past summer. We all share an interest in HBO's Game of Thrones (and George R.R. Martin's books), but they're also big Harry Potter fans (which GeekyCon was borne out of). So given my close proximity to the Con, I decided to go this year and meet them in person. We're all going to be attending the new Game of Thrones convention next year (Con of Thrones) in Nashville, so that will give me a chance to meet even more new faces.
On the Cinema/TV front, 2016 introduced me to The Walking Dead, my newest TV obsession, and I got to finish off the year with a magnificent new Star Wars film (the likes of which I couldn't have dreamt of 10 years ago  ) and an absolute dream of a movie in "La La Land" (the PERFECT antidote to every depressed emotion I felt this year).
Oh, and as far as hope goes, there's only five days left of 2016. So that's.... something. 
"The danger with any movie that does as well as this one does is that the amount of money it's making and the number of awards that it's got becomes almost more important than the movie itself in people's minds. I look at that as, in a sense, being very much like the Ring, and its effect on people. You know, you can kind of forget what we were doing, if you get too wrapped up in that."
- Viggo Mortensen
(This post was edited by Aragorn the Elfstone on Dec 27 2016, 3:48am)
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EomundDaughter
Lorien
Dec 28 2016, 6:56pm
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Kinda keeping my fingers crossed
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that I get to 2017 without anymore incidents. Did make some new friends this year who have vowed to encourage one another no matter what.
Got my new shelter puppy over all her health issues. Switched my home to solar power and saving money! Found out there is a new TV Star Trek series being made (good things never die!)
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 1 2017, 3:21am
Post #15 of 15
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funny how it seems to be a consensus, even among those I work with.
I spent most of the year being sick until I landed in the hospital with the most fabulous case of Crohn's disease ever seen...
good news is the expanded Medicaid covered me, and i didn't need to have most of my gut removed. Still recovering but, getting there.
One of my dogs got ill while i was sick... he'd been slowing down all year, an SPCA rescue we didn't know how old he actually was. He recovered enough for me to return home and kind of nurse him through another week, then he was done. He was a big Shepherd/Siberian cross named Legolas, because my friend named hers Strider.
My other dog went nuts, wouldn't eat, just sat by me instead of running. One dog is Not Good. Finally, a guy on a facebook page for mushers that I frequent was rehoming his dogs... "Tell me about the free one..." Rev is a huge, gung-ho, insanely nuts, racing Siberian who lives for food, any food, will even sit for food, even gave up The Hedgehog for food... Denali is eating and happy again, and i have a TEAM.
The Heddgehog is a stuffed dog toy that I made the mistake of giving to Rev. He Would Not Let It Go. Not for bikkies, not for anything. I finally took him on leash, with Hedgehog firmly clenched in teeth, to house, offered him a bowl of his usual food and HE DROPPED THE BLOODY HEDGEHOG!!!!
He will never see it again. He can live with the flappy wubba. He likes the wubba. he will let that go for bikkies. He has also discovered horse poop... ooooooooooooo look at this nicve new smell I've discovered! He rolls in it. Unless you can distract him with the wubba.
There were some good movies this year.
I cannot stop singing the entire Moana soundtrack and I bought more music this year than in the last decade (the Moana soundtrack and four Te Vaka CDs).
I have learned some of the Polynesian lyrics.
My friends and relatives proved to be indispensable when I got sick, stepping in and taking care of critters and mom.
The horses came home. They had been living with friends (each of us lost all but one horse and horses like to be a herd so we put ours together at her place). Now I can teach friends' kids to ride again.
Managed to load and unload kayak a few times after recovering from illness. Actually launched it a few times.
Didn't make it to beach for summer. Didn't catch the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokule'a in the Chesapeake Bay as i had hoped.
Did make it to local bay beach in December, got some cool photos...
http://www.swordwhale.com/...n-christmas-eve.html
bigger on the inside...
Na 'Aear, na 'Aear! Mýl 'lain nallol, I sûl ribiel a i falf 'loss reviol...
To the sea, to the sea, the white gulls are crying, the wind is blowing and the white foam is flying... (JRR Tolkien, Legolas Song of the Sea)
Aue, aue,
Te fenua, te mālie
Nā heko hakilia
We know the way
(Te Vaka, Moana soundtrack)
Member of Horse Manure Movers Local 101, Raptor Wranglers & Rehab, and Night Fury Trainers Assoc. Owned by several cats and a very small team of maniacal sled dogs... sorry Radagast, those rabbits were delicious...
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