writing – Page 7

For such a time as this

June 27, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Illustration Via Queen of Your Own Life. Used with permission.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to remain silent, in such a time as this.

Children should be seen and not heard.

Stay sweet.

Silence is golden.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

We heard those messages loud and clear, many of us, for the whole of our childhoods. They found their echo in our adult relationships, and shaped our public interactions. No surprise, then, that some of us are biting our tongues until they bleed these days, and struggling mightily to hold ourselves in check.

I’m all about honesty, and a gracious kindness. I know firsthand the power of a “good word,” softly spoken. I’ll always believe “a soft answer turns away wrath,” and that actions speak louder than words. But good God a’mighty, enough with all this shushing! When the world has taken such a dramatic turn toward the dark…it’s a pearl of great price, this outwardly imposed silence.

A layer of fog rolled in from the ocean a few days ago, blanketing the backyard bistro table where I was contemplating this very thing. I thought about Queen Esther, who rose to power and lifted her people out of danger. Not by virtue of her position, but by speaking her truth. And in that clarifying moment, I recalled a familiar scripture:

“Peace, be still.”

Mind you, I’ve heard (and recited) that Bible verse many times before. It speaks to my soul, affirming the things I know to be true. It’s a call to a higher purpose, seems to me, for such a time as this:

Tune out the noisy distractions.

Quiet your inner chatter.

Be the peace you want to see in the world.

Be still, and know.

Even so, I heard something new that day–or maybe I understood that Scripture on an even deeper level. It’s a calming voice amidst the churning, yes, but it can also be interpreted as a gentle rebuke of those who would oppress us:

Peace, be still!

We are blessed and a blessing, all of us. Our light is meant to be shared. We are truth-seekers and storytellers, and we will not be muzzled.

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Lessons of a sea anemone

June 22, 2018 by Melodye Shore

It’s good sometimes to get quiet, and to go inward.

This beautiful sea anemone is submerged in an intertidal pool. When it feels safe, it opens up like a beautiful flower. Its tentacles reach toward the sun, sway gently with the currents.

Like most sea creatures, the anemone adapts quickly to the ocean’s ebb and flow. When the water recedes, the anemone pulls in its tentacles. Camouflaged now by bits of quartz and seashells, it lies motionless in the sand. The risks are fewer, now that it’s less exposed to the elements. But when the tides turn, and danger passes, the anemone will once again present its most beautiful self to the world.

And there you have it: One of life’s most useful secrets, exposed by the sea anemone.

On a tangential note, I’ve been playing with some new photo apps. I made a little meme with WordSwag, which you are welcome to download & share.

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Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…

June 21, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

–Excerpted from “Summer Sun,” by Robert Lewis Stevenson

Happy Summer Solstice! ‘Tis the season for flip-flops and sandy beaches, iced tea and sun-soaked memories. And light, too–we could use more of that. Hope you’ll savor every sweet, juicy moment, and that you’ll share a slice of summer with me, here!

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Amidst the suffering, a call to our better angels

June 17, 2018 by Melodye Shore

I slept fitfully last night–long periods of wakefulness, followed by nightmares. Migrant children, forcefully separated from their loved ones…tiny, tear-soaked prisoners of an agency that dumps them like stock goods in an abandoned Walmart, or shuttles them to tent shelters in the Texas desert.

I toss and turn. My God, what have we become?

My mind churns: Oh God, what can I do to help them?

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

I’m thinking this morning (as I gulp down yet another cup of coffee) that it’s time to flip the tables, and to throw the money changers out of the temple. And by that I mean: call to account the spiritual leaders who helped usher an undisciplined, unprincipled candidate into the Oval Office, and then turned a blind eye to his transgressions.

He’s an “imperfect vessel,” they say, chosen by God for a special purpose.

To that I say, “Aren’t we all?”

We strive every day to reach our highest potential, and to love one another. Most of us, but not all.

We are taking on the shape of this imperfect vessel, to the point where I hardly recognize our country any more. Armed guards are ripping newborn babies from their mothers’ breasts. No way can I stand idle! I hear the piercing screams of toddlers, pried loose from their fathers’ necks. Who could turn a deaf ear to those anguished cries? Innocent faces, framed by metal fences. School-aged children in crowded holding pens, sleeping on cold cement under thin mylar blankets. When I fall into bed at night, I am haunted by these pictures.

Hundreds of mostly Central American immigrant children are processed and held at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Nogales Placement Center in AZ. Image via Associated Press

Seared into my mind’s eye, the image of a brown-haired girl with hopeful eyes. She’s one of 2,000 children who crossed our southern border since February–a quest for freedom, cut short by her incarceration. I am buoyed by her resilience, seek allies in this fight. Hashtag: Resist!

Image via Department of Health and Human Services. This mural tells immigrant kids housed at Casa Padre, “Sometimes losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”

This isn’t just a political skirmish. It’s a battle for the soul of our nation. We must rise, all of us, and heed this call to our better angels.

Of all people, you might expect our spiritual leaders to be on the front lines, fighting to overturn this new policy. But the pushback from the pulpit has been weak, at best. I saw glimmers of hope toward the end of last week. Throat-clearing, at first, because they’ve kept quiet for so long. The roll-out was slow and muted: polite tweets, mostly, and gentle admonishments. Then came the letters–carefully crafted missives on fancy stationery, co-signed by spiritual leaders of all denominations. In words, if not deeds, they finally took this administration to task.

Not a full-throated protest, mind you. Just a light sprinkling, in an otherwise arid desert. Late in coming, and not enough. Even the strongest warriors have grown weary. We are hungry for change, but our voices are thin and raspy. Must be from all this crying in the wilderness. We are battling the forces of evil, it seems, and our spiritual leaders have gone AWOL.

It’s time to flip those tables.

And by that, I mean we must minister to our own ministers– each of us within the walls of our own sanctuaries, synagogues and churches. “Be a light against the dark,” let’s tell them, “Be a stronger advocate for those innocent children!” We must get them to break their silence, too easily translated as complicity. Blessed are the peacemakers, and the merciful, who march willingly into battle, when necessary.

If they balk, we might need to come at them from a different angle. Maybe, just maybe, we should throw them out of the temple–metaphorically speaking.

Return those collection plates empty. Keep your love offerings in your pocket. Send your money, instead, to the agencies that are actually “praying with their feet.”

“NOT ONE MORE DIME,” let’s say, “Until you publicly rebuke each and every elected official who stands behind the administration’s egregious policies!”

“NOT A DOLLAR MORE,” let’s say, “Until you pull your sleepy congregations into wakefulness, link arms with other spiritual leaders, and march yourselves to the Capitol steps, carrying picket signs and bullhorns.”

Think of it as wick-trimming, which renews old candles and encourages them to shine even brighter.

Equal justice under the law. Loving our neighbors as ourselves. These are things on which we must stand united, no matter our political leanings or spiritual persuasions.

“This will not stand,” let’s say. “Not in our name, or in the name of all that’s holy.”

If money’s the currency of change, so be it. We’ll vote with our wallets. And come November, we’ll be the first ones at the polling place to mark our ballots. Because Lord have mercy, change has gotta come.

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Monarch Butterfly-in-the-making

June 12, 2018 by Melodye Shore

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. –R. Buckminster Fuller

Monarch butterfly-to-be, in my backyard

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Flashback Friday: Magic Slippers

June 1, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Four sisters and a brother, standing in front of my grandmother’s house in Van Nuys, California. Headed to church, no doubt, on a break from my father’s tent revivals.

See how I’m posing for the camera, as if I own the frame? It’s not like me to take the spotlight, and it wasn’t back then. But I was pulled from the shadows that morning by a pair of Mary Janes.

I was the middle child in a very large family. With scarcely enough money for the essentials, we were forced to rely on the kindnesses of strangers: love offerings, dropped into the collection plate, tuna casseroles and cast-offs. Shoes were expensive, so it was a relief when we could finally replaced our pinchy shoes with ones that fit. Hand-me-downs, most often, or dusty oxfords, pulled from a bargain bin. Sturdy lace-ups, so they’d last.

But those glossy buckle-ups…oh my! They were magic slippers.

I was just a child, so I didn’t realize then what I know now: They were also a wild extravagance, purchased with a widow’s pension. It was my Nana’s way of doing things, this gift. Subtle, but symbolic in the best possible ways. “Let your little light shine,” she’d always tell me. Shine like the sun’s reflection in those patent leather shoes.

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American Girl’s Luciana Vega: Our doll giveaway contest winner!

May 26, 2018 by Melodye Shore

It was so much fun to introduce American Girl’s Doll of the Year 2018, and to spotlight my guest blogger, Payton Rowley. She did an amazing job, don’t you think?

Here’s a couple of highlights…

When Payton filled JoyJars® for the Jesse Reese Foundation, she took Luciana with her.

They also toured the Air and Space Exhibits at the California Science Center. An aspiring astronaut of Chilean-American descent, “Lucy” dreams of being the first person to set foot on Mars.

(Click here to see the original post and read the contest entries.)

We have lots of entries, and wow, your comments really touched our hearts. Thank goodness it’s a drawing and not an essay contest—it would’ve been impossible to pick one entry over another! So now, without further ado: Payton and her brother Logan created this video to announce the winning entry!

Here’s what our winner wrote about Luciana Vega:

She’s a beautiful doll that both of my daughters would love. I’m glad to see a girl that’s into space and science which my oldest daughter loves. She loves her story has read the book already and would love the have the doll! It’s wonderful to see a doll that can inspire young girls to go into the space and science industry. This why I love American girl! My daughter is into space right now had her own star chart, this past week she was telling me about worm holes. Fingers crossed that we can get a chance to welcome her into our home!

Congratulations Erin Wyllie! Please send your mailing address to me, so I can pass it along to American Girl. They’ll ship your Luciana doll to you directly, so be sure you put out the welcome mat for her!

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Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

May 23, 2018 by Melodye Shore

PURPOSE

Like most website owners, I’ve updated my Terms of Use and Privacy Policies, in response to the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). So what’s new, you ask? In general, you now have more control over what you share (and don’t); and in turn, we’ll be more transparent about our data retention practices, inclusive of your rights under current laws and regulations.

This privacy policy notice is specific to this website, melodyeshore.com, which is owned and operated by the individual Melodye D. Shore. Some changes apply specifically to residents of the European Union; but on the whole, these policies apply to all visitors on my website. Everybody’s welcome here, but if you do not agree to the following policies and practices, you might choose, instead, to stop visiting / using this site.

KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

“I,” “our,” “us,” “we,” and “Owner” refer to the individual, Melodye D. Shore.
“You,” “users,” and “visitors” refer to the person(s) using this website.
“Website” and “blog” refers to this website: www.melodyeshore.com.
GDPR is an acronym for the General Data Protection Act.
PECR refers to Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations.
ICO refers to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Cookies are small files stored on a user’s computer or device.

PERSONAL DATA COLLECTED

Comments

When visitors post comments on our site, we collect the data they leave in our comments form, plus their IP address and browser user’s agent string, all of which help us detect and remove spam.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to Gravatar, to determine if you are an active user of their service. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public, in the context of your comment.

Visitor comments may be scanned by an automated spam detection service.

Media

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included, as visitors to the website can download and extract location data from images posted to the website.

Subscriptions

We collect information from you when you subscribe to this blog or enter information on our website. Our opt-in subscription forms collect personally identifiable information that includes, but is not limited to your email address and first name.

In compliance with the GDPR, we use the “consent lawful basis” when sending notifications of new blog posts to email subscribers. We collect a narrow range of data about our subscribers, as detailed in “Personal Data Collected,” above.

Subscriptions may be handled through an EMS (email marketing service provider). An EMS is a third party service provider of software / applications that allows bloggers and marketers to send out email notices or marketing campaigns to a specific list of users.

If we send email marketing messages, they may contain tracking beacons, tracked clickable links, and/or similar server technologies that monitor subscriber activity related to those messages. When distributed, those marketing messages may also record a range of data (e.g., times, dates, IP addresses, opens, clicks, forwards, and geographic and demographic data). Such data, within its limitations, will disclose activity for each subscriber, specific to that email campaign.

Any email marketing messages we send will strictly conform to GDPR and the PECR mandates and regulations. We provide you with an easy method to withdraw your consent (unsubscribe) or manage your preferences and/or the information we hold about you at any time. Marketing messages will include instructions on how to unsubscribe or manage your preferences.

Our EMS provider is MailChimp.com. MailChimp holds the following information about you within its EMS system:

Email address
First name
Subscription time & date
Geolocation

Your Personal Data is used only to send you notifications of new blog posts. You may unsubscribe from these communications by following the unsubscribe link provided in every email or by contacting us at melodye@melodyeshore.com.

Lawful Basis

Under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) we control and/or process any personal information about you electronically using consent as the lawful basis–meaning you have given us permission to do so.

Data Retention Period

We will continue to process your information under this basis until you withdraw consent or it is determined your consent no longer exists.

If, as determined by us, the lawful basis upon which we process your personal information changes, we will notify you about the change and any new lawful basis to be used, if required. We shall stop processing your personal information if the lawful basis used is no longer relevant or appropriate.

Information Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information with third parties not affiliated with Melodye D. Shore or this website. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website or serving our users, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release information when its release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property, or safety.

Your Individual Rights

Under the GDPR your rights are as follows:

the right to be informed;
the right of access;
the right to rectification;
the right to erasure;
the right to restrict processing;
the right to data portability;
the right to object; and
the right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.

You can read more about your rights in details here.Y ou also have the right to complain to the ICO [www.ico.org.uk] if you feel there is a problem with the way we are handling your data.

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can also request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

We handle subject access requests in accordance with the GDPR.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website as cookies. These are for your convenience: You won’t need to enter those details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your log-in will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

Embedded Content from Other Sites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, linked articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites will behave as if our website visitor has visited the sourced websites.

External, sourced websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with embedded content. They might track your interaction with the embedded content, if you have an account and are also logged into that website.

Third-party websites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. However, we are committed to protecting your privacy while preserving the integrity of our own site, so we welcome any feedback about your experiences with embedded content.

Do Not Track Signals

We honor Do Not Track signals and do not track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place. You can enable or disable the DNT feature in your browser’s settings.

Data Security and Protection

We ensure the security of any personal information we hold by using secure data storage technologies and precise procedures in how we store, access and manage that information. Our methods meet the GDPR compliance requirement.

Data Retention

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

If users register on our website, we may also store the personal information provided in their user profiles. Users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

Google Analytics

This website uses the third-party analytics service Google Analytics to track and report activity. Google Analytics is a piece of software that captures various data about our website users, including but not limited to:

Website or app that user originates from
Geographic location of user
Pages visited
Length of stay
Types of electronic devices used to browse our site (smart phones, tablets, etc.)

This tracking information allows us to better understand our user demographics, content preferences, and browsing habits, which we may then use to improve and customize our website content. This data is also shared with other Google services, which may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

To opt out of tracking…

You can opt out of Google’s advertising tracking cookie or use a browser plugin to opt out of all Google Analytics tracking software.

See the Google Analytics Terms of Service and Google’s Privacy Policy for more information.

California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)

CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law’s reach stretches well beyond California to require any person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting Personally Identifiable Information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals or companies with whom it is being shared. Learn more here.

In Accordance with CalOPPA, we agree to the following:

Users can visit our site anonymously.

A link to this Privacy Policy will soon be available on our home page, or as a minimum, on the first significant page after entering our website.

Our Privacy Policy link will include the word “Privacy” and will easily be found on the page specified above.

We will notify our users of any Privacy Policy changes on our Privacy Policy page.

Users can request changes to their personal information by emailing melodye@melodyeshore.com.

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA), this website does not actively or knowingly collect personal information of children under age 18. However, the information, content, and videos on this website may be of interest to children and/or used in school projects. If you are a parent of guardian and are aware that your child has provided us with personal data (such as by leaving a comment or subscribing to this blog), please contact us to remove said information. If we independently become aware of such information having been provided by a child under the age of 18, we will take immediate action to delete said information.

Any photographs published on this site that include children have been done so with the explicit consent of a parent or guardian, or are stock photos for which we’ve purchased a usage license.

Fair Information Practices

The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

To be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur: We will notify users via email within 1 business day.

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle which requires that individuals have the right to legally pursue enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

Resources & Further Information

Acceptance of This Privacy Policy

We assume that all visitors and users of our website have carefully read this document and agree to its contents. If someone does not agree with this privacy policy, he or she should refrain from using our website. We reserve the right to change our privacy policy as necessity dictates. Continued use of the www.MelodyeShore.com website after having been informed of any such changes to these conditions implies acceptance of the revised privacy policy.

Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is used, please contact us via email at melodye@melodyeshore.com.

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American Girl’s Luciana Vega, and a doll giveaway contest

May 20, 2018 by Melodye Shore

Yes, I know. This weekend’s really all about The Royal Wedding. A fairy tale, for sure! Did you watch it in real time, like I did? Without a doubt, my Nana of Nottingham would’ve enjoyed all the pageantry and hoopla. And how much did we love that Prince Harry and Meghan Markel intertwined their unique stories into one–symbolic nods to the past, with subtle nudges toward the future.

We’re wishing the very best to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, of course. We wouldn’t dream of intruding on their fairy tale. But if you’ve reached your quota of tea and petit fours, I’m thinking we might chat about something else. Just for a little while, and then we can reprise it together. You see, I’m eager for you to meet two lovelies from this side of the Pond: American Girl’s Luciana Vega, and my new friend, Payton (who is, coincidentally, celebrating her 9^thbirthday today).

Luciana (“Lucy”) skyrocketed to fame only just recently, as American Girl’s 2018 Girl of the Year. Like her American Girl counterparts, she arrived on the scene with an interesting backstory. In brief: She’s an aspiring astronaut of Chilean-American descent who dreams of being the first person to set foot on Mars. When she wins a scholarship to Space Camp, she makes lots of friends. She’s a little shaky in the self-confidence department, but as she explores the unknown, her self-confidence grows. Isn’t that always the way?

Lucy likes to push the boundaries of fashion, as you can see. Straight out of the box, she’s wearing a galaxy-print dress, holographic boots, and an edgy purple streak in her hair. Not included, but still covet worthy, our space traveler owns an entire wardrobe of STEM-inspired outfits and accessories, including a flight suit for intergalactic travel. Sweet, smart, creative, curious… Lucy’s destined to make her mark on this world (and perhaps other galaxies), same as our birthday girl.

Lucky me, I was invited by AG to introduce this newest superstar to you. But when I was hobbled by a foot injury, I decided to loan my Cinderella slippers to Payton. She’s been my blogging assistant for this project, escorting Lucy around town and then reporting back.

Images say far more than words sometimes….so let’s do a recap of their adventures.

On warm afternoons, they enjoyed lounging by the pool with AG’s boy character doll, Logan. (Payton’s grandmother made Lucy’s swimsuit.)

They also filled JoyJars® for the Jesse Reese Foundation. Over the course of a “Year of Joy,” kids diagnosed with cancer (and their family members) receive these treasure troves. It’s a labor of love, the gift of joy–an ongoing tribute to Jessie Reese, who created the Never Ever Give Up (aka: NEGU®) campaign while she was battlng brain cancer. Volunteers like Payton help keep Jessie’s wish alive.

True to form for two science buffs, they visited the California Science Center. Natch, the Air and Space Exhibits were the star attraction!

No word on whether Payton learned to moon walk, but she returned with lots of fun stories to share.

Maybe Payton will become a space explorer, who knows? Maybe one day, inspired by Luciana Vega, she’ll be the first woman to walk on Mars.

To help encourage that futuristic way of thinking, American Girl created an entire galaxy of Luciana-themed adventures. They, in turn, were inspired by NASA’s missions to outer space. Scholastic’s in on the action, now. You’re invited, too! Space simulations, quizzes, photo challenges, Space Camp, book excerpts, STEM projects and more…you’ll find everything on the American Girl game app and website. Oh, the places we’ll go, when we let loose our imaginations!

And now…drum roll please!–here’s the scoop on our Luciana Vega doll giveaway contest.

One lucky person will win a Luciana Vega doll, provided by Mattel/American Girl. To qualify, you must answer at least one of these questions: 1) What do you like about Luciana Vega? or 2) What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever learned about space travel?

Type your entry into a comment box, below. Be sure your sign-in includes your name and email address, so I’ll know how to reach you. All entries must be submitted by midnight on Wednesday, May 23th, 2018 (Pacific). I’ll post the winning entry on Friday, May 25. Good lucky, everyone!

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I’ve got the blues

May 10, 2018 by Melodye Shore

I’ve got the blues.

And by that, I mean the campanula that’s spreading like a welcome mat across our front walkway. (Oh, my lucky stars!)

I’m talking, too, about this purplish-blue posy, irresistible to pollinators and photographers alike.

In my backyard garden, the Hawaiian Blue Eyes are just now peeking through the soil. Hummingbirds are swarming the Black and Blue salvia. And just a short distance from Chez Shore, these Pride of Madeira have rooted themselves into a jagged cliff that overlooks the deep blue sea.

I could sing its praises all day long, the color blue. It’s the hue that makes my heart sing–how about you?

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