Here goes

Sitting here, shivering slightly with the change in the weather, I have several issues exercising my mind and emotions so this entry may take sometime to compose and complete. It may also seem very random in content.

A few days ago I received a circular from the Royal British Legion highlighting the problems of, and help given to, various categories of casualties of service personnel and their dependents. It both angered and moved me considerably. Angered me that people are being jettisoned back into civilian life, after suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and being discharged as unfit for duty, with very little after care or support, and they and their families are having to turn to a charity for basic welfare provision. It moved me as I have a family member suffering from the same condition who is venturing back to work on Monday in order to save his job, home, and his children's education. If he doesn't make a successful return then he will be in the same boat and, quite frankly, I don't know how we will all cope. My capacity to withstand one crisis after another is waning and while the spirit is still willing the flesh and bank balance are spent!
I can see a period of intense and prolonged prayer coming on. On more than one occasion I have set myself the task of intensive prayer which meant actually getting on my knees for long periods and concentrating deeply to exert as much spiritual force as possible - e.g. at the births of my grandchildren in difficult circumstances. Prayer comes every day, in every way, but there are times when extra effort is necessary and I can feel this will be one of them.

Second installment coming up. The other thing to exercise me this week is my growing not-so-little list of those who won't be missed(to paraphrase the song from The Mikado) and I want to add Naomi Campbell to the list, and those like her.
They are all spoilt brats who take up valuable space, do nothing meaningful or useful, need their bottoms smacking, should be sent to bed without any tea and minus their dummies and not allowed out until they have matured sufficiently. Paris Hilton was let out of prison far, far too early for my liking.
Why we throw our hard earned cash at these rich,useless entities, who then grow richer while we grow poorer defies any sort of logic. The same argument was presented to me as a reason to stop smoking and it worked better than any health advice.
Add to the list, also, those incompetents who foul up and are not held accountable (they need a list to themselves!). If I have to carry the can for my actions then I am damned sure everyone else should as well. Yes, I know it's an unfair world but that doesn't mean we have to let injustice go by default just because the worst aspects of human nature seem to predominate.
And if another person bleats to me about not being able to come to work because of a pain in their backs, heads, stomachs or egos, I shall scream, quietly as usual, because it is a daily fact of life for me. I want to say "welcome to my world" where the expectation is that one will just carry on regardless, cope with whatever is thrown at one and just get on. If this seems like a self-regarding rant you are absolutely right - where else can I let off steam?