Rushing's Ramblings

Sitting in a far corner of the VFW hall was an older man with a long white, untrimmed beard, an old t-shirt, and a gigantic dark grey Doodle of unknown origins sitting at his feet. The man wanted to attend a political event, and his dog accompanied him everywhere. Since I’m a Doodle-lover and owner of the famous and gorgeous Goldendoodle named Paddy, I was compelled to introduce myself and ask the old gentleman about his companion. Roy shared that he found Lucky in a ditch in January near Roy's house in a sparsely populated, hilly rural county in Central Texas. Lucky was emaciated, with burrs and mats covering his body. Someone had dumped the poor soul out in the middle of nowhere. May they rot in Hell. The first order of business was to give the dog food and water, then a nice hot bath and trim. Lucky quickly fell asleep the first night, knowing that he was safe with someone who would care for him. Roy had been living alone for many years. He never knew how lonely he had been...

  Unsurprisingly, I remain passionate about those detained or expelled at the border who fled their countries because of violence and poverty. I do not doubt that most of us would do the same, even those with the misguided view that everyone crossing the border is a murderer, rapist, or drug dealer. We fail to realize that those trafficking drugs wouldn’t be doing so if there wasn’t a massive demand for illegal drugs in the US. There are no easy answers. My focus has always been on families and unaccompanied children asking for asylum. The drug runners are our fault, so until we get a handle on the demand from our fellow citizens, it will continue and have a ripple effect in Mexico and other Central American countries where the drug cartels are ruling with guns. Many of their weapons come from the US.    I made several trips to the border from 2017 through January 2020 after raising money for Angry Tias and Abuelas. This outstanding organization provides aid to families a...

  I can’t explain why I’ve moved to so many places over the years other than I was born a ramblin' woman. It’s a miracle that I stayed with several healthcare companies for more than ten years each in my career, although I wanted to quit each job about a million times. Remembering the places I’ve lived and the people I met leaves me with mixed memories. Living on both coasts in the USA, South Africa, and various locales in Texas allowed me to live in some of the most beautiful places in the world. Coupling that with traveling the world as frequently as possible when I was younger gave me an unmatched worldview. What I discovered is that people are pretty much the same. Some are fun, some are irritating, some are fascinating, and some are those you want to run away from as fast as possible. One would think I’ve seen and experienced it all. I haven’t. This latest move almost took me down. I had considered moving from Horseshoe Bay several times in the past few years. Various ...

Larry was a close neighbor when I lived in Dallas many years ago. We spent hours on each other’s porches discussing our workday, politics, people, news, religion, opinions about various subjects, and our respective histories. We shared core values, and I learned something new from him each time we talked. For many years, he taught writing to gifted and talented “ESL” (English as their second language) children in Dallas. Toward the end of each school year, the children gathered with friends and family to read their compositions in a special ceremony. Larry’s outstanding teaching abilities were evident at the two ceremonies I attended. He loved teaching the children, and there’s no doubt that his students adored him. Larry was born in 1937 and grew up in California. When he “came out” to his parents in the 60s, his parents didn’t respond positively, although his mother eventually accepted it. To this day, his younger brother does not speak to him because he believes Larry is a sin...

I joined a friend yesterday as she made her bi-weekly Meals on Wheels rounds.     It’s been many years since I delivered Meals on Wheels in Dallas with my young daughter in tow on Thanksgiving. Our deliveries were mainly to the elderly living alone in public housing.     I vividly remember how happy they were to see two faces at their door.     The meal was secondary.     Fifteen years earlier, I was a frequent visitor to “the projects” in South Dallas as part of my caseworker job at Dallas County Mental Health and Mental Retardation.     While the government-provided apartments were small and unadorned, they were sufficient to house a family.     Again, the people living in those apartments were no different than you or me, but life was undoubtedly more of a struggle.     I always felt welcome in their homes and never felt unsafe in the neighborhood.   Oh, I’m aware that people of all economic levels live in var...

  I'm a typical grandmother who thinks her grandchildren are the smartest, cutest, and most adorable children ever walking this earth. My seven-year-old grandson, Patrick, spent the night with me this past weekend. I enjoyed every minute of our one-on-one time together. He simply astounds me. It wasn't that long ago that we worried about his delayed speech. Now, he won't stop talking from the moment he awakens to the moment he finally settles to sleep. If you're around him very long, you realize his mind is packed with ideas and thoughts spewing from his mouth like lightning. Sometimes, it takes work to keep up! The following is a typical interaction: P: “I’m opening a hot dog stand in South Austin. My office will be in the treehouse I’m having built. I’ll be the boss, but I’ll need a ‘Counseling Manager’ to take my place when I run an errand.” Me: “Do I get a free hot dog?” P: “No” Me: “Do you know how to give change?” P: “No, but they’ll have to give me th...

I am a grandmother. Maybe not the stereotypical rocking chair, knitting, always calm and collected caregiver of my grandchildren. Nevertheless, I love them with every beat of my heart. I will not leave this world without fighting for their lives and for them to enjoy the same freedoms I’ve enjoyed. And, if anyone tries to harm one of them, Hell hath no wrath like this old grandma. Ann Richards once declared, "I've been tested by the fire and the fire lost." My tears are almost gone after the Uvalde mass shooting, and I’m now mad as Hell. It’s bad enough that many of us have had to become activists concerning book banning, caging children at the border under the Trump regime, gay rights, and women’s choice. Maybe one is okay with the atrocities against our fellow humans mentioned above, but surely, surely, most people in this country are against slaughtering innocent children. But when children (and adults) are frequently murdered in our country, it’s time to focus on...