Rushing's Ramblings

I recently finished reading the book  Russian Roulette , written by two veteran investigative reporters. The book was a detailed and well-researched description of how members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to influence the outcome of our recent Presidential elections. It should be required reading for anyone glued to Fox News. Russia's hacking into various entities in our country has been occurring for a long time. There's no doubt that we are engaging in the same activities. The end of the USA won't be from troops landing on our shores or from a nuclear blast; it will be the systematic and successful hacking into our infrastructure. Apparently, Russia is better at it than we are. They now have the President they want sitting in the Oval––a man who has been compromised from shady financial dealings with Russian oligarchs for many years. It's almost like we've put out a "Welcome to the USA" cyber sign and allowed them to come on in and make th...

I don't claim to be an expert on anything. Nevertheless, I know what makes me happy. Since I've lived almost seven(!) decades, I might have some wisdom to pass along. Today, I went hiking with my best buddy, Paddy. It has been quite a while since we last walked on the trails in Horseshoe Bay. Paddy's four legs, one-half Golden Retriever, and one-half Poodle DNA make him an excellent hiker. We love the outdoors, and our daily walks are usually on the paved roads through the hills outside my door. When we lived in Seattle two years ago, we spent at least one day a week climbing one of the many trails through the mountains in the Cascades. Paddy is much better at it than I, as he scampers up massive boulders, then looks down at me as if to ask, "What's your problem? This is easy!" Meanwhile, I'm dying. It's hard to describe the elation I feel after I become steadier and maintain a certain rhythm while on a trail. Immediately, I start breathing bette...

I'm fortunate that several people have made a significant difference in my life. Catherine has made the longest and most impactful difference. During the 30-plus years I've known her, she has played different roles in my life. When I first met her, Catherine was a Chaplain and provided counseling to people as a mission at a local Episcopal church in the Dallas area. I had become friends for about a year with a woman I initially knew professionally. My new friend began to appear happier and less stressed during that year. When I asked what had changed in her life, she told me about Catherine. It wasn't long before I, too, started seeing Catherine regularly. After several sessions, I apparently needed Catherine to help sort through problematic areas. When you create a version of yourself outwardly that doesn't match inside, it's an inconsistency that takes a tremendous amount of effort to maintain. I appeared to be a self-confident, secure, and independent wo...

As I was thinking of an example of how one could be pro-life, anti-abortion, and pro-choice all at the same time, a memory of one of my clients from long ago drifted into my consciousness. I was in my early twenties and working as a mental health technician at Dallas County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center. My responsibility was to counsel parents who wanted to place their children in a state institution for those with mental retardation. I was to find community resources for them and, when that failed, to process an application for admission into the state school. It was, in essence, a life sentence to institutional living without ever committing a crime. I was green as they came, especially since I had only recently arrived in the big city of Dallas after growing up in the sparsely-populated Panhandle of Texas. My confidence exceeded my abilities because I had worked in a psychiatric hospital for several years and thought I'd seen everything. I still haven't. O...