Late Ripeness
“Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year,
I felt a door opening in me and I entered
the clarity of early morning.
One after another my former lives were departing,
like ships, together with their sorrow.
And the countries, cities, gardens, the bays of seas
assigned to my brush came closer,
ready now to be described better than they were before.
I was not separated from people,
grief and pity joined us.
We forget - I kept saying - that we are all children of the King.
For where we come from there is no division
into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be.
We were miserable, we used no more than a hundredth part
of the gift we received for our long journey.
Moments from yesterday and from centuries ago -
a sword blow, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror
of polished metal, a lethal musket shot, a caravel
staving its hull against a reef - they dwell in us,
waiting for a fulfillment.
I knew, always, that I would be a worker in the vineyard,
as are all men and women living at the same time,
whether they are aware of it or not.”
~ Czeslaw Milosz ~
My name is Cristina Jill Mosqueda Cooper. I pause looking at my name, and think about how much there is to explain with those words alone. My mother gave me a name to use in each of my worlds, Cristina for my Cuban life, and Jill for the American life. I suppose it is there were the paradoxes of my life began.
I have been many things in my life, from a housekeeper to a high school history teacher; but no matter what else I did, I was always a writer. I love words and the power and passion which they can be used to create. I love reading words, writing words, speaking words, and listening to words – especially words from people that I love and respect.
It is my desire to live life on my own terms, and willingly or not, I have paid the price demanded, by the world, to be myself. I share my life with Kate, with whom I have lived for the last 23 years, and Miss Merry Margaret, our little mutt who really is the world’s most perfect dog. I also travel, cook, garden, sculpt, and make large messes doing all of the above. Welcome to my world, that is all for now.
Web Site: http://thatisallfornow.com
Carne Asada If you have read these pages, for any length of time, you know how much we enjoy finding the perfect tacos de carne asada, while on the road. Let me state a fact we all know, no matter our efforts, what we create at home will never match the taste,...
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Outside Looking In I stand on the outside and look in it is a choice I made years ago though I am no longer certain why I did not think it would last a lifetime but it has I have lived my life like an ambivalent college freshman who keeps taking primer courses checking...
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Food and Travel Together I love regional food, something that there is very little left of, in our country, because of our glorious mobility; nevertheless, there are still a few foods that we associate with particular places. A while back, I was getting ready to make a trip to Ohio;...
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George H. W. Presidential Library It is hard for me to believe that is has been almost twenty years since we visited the George H. W. Presidential Library; I am glad I saved the dated ticket. Sadly, I do not have pictures of our visit. The Library is located at 1000 George Bush West,...
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Green Iguana By now, I should be well used to seeing this lizard, native to Central and South America, some areas of the Caribbean and Mexico, which has so well adapted to South Florida; but he still makes me pause, whenever I see him lying out in the sun, on the seawall. While not...
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Happy Mother’s Day This week I posted an article, on our facebook page, about the new vintage inspired, TWA hotel, commenting on the terminal and TWA’s impact on my life. Going through an envelope of pictures, I noticed that TWA also had an impact on my Mother’s life. On the back of the picture...
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Why Do Christians Behave Like they Hate Women? “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” ~...
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To love a painting is to feel that this presence is… not an object but a voice. ~ Andre Malraux ~ A Woman’s Work by John Sloan I am not entirely sure of why I was drawn to this painting; but I was and still am, though with a bit of somber appreciation....
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Why Do We Object to Perfect? “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The Living Bible “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” King James “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The New International Version ~ Matthew...
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