I have been reading a book that has me, well, captivated. It is not my usual fair, a fiction thriller with weird undertones and themes. This is a memoir, Dear Senator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond. Essie Mae Washington-Williams is the illegitimate biracial daughter of the Southern Senator, Strom Thurmond, who campaigned for continued segregation in the South while financially supporting his daughter Essie Mae.

I am trying to wrap my mind around this situation. In the book, Essie Mae tries to reconcile her father’s support of her with his political rhetoric, a difficult task. She seems to believe that he cared for her and her mother, although he seemed unable to voice that affection. Personally, I find that easy to believe. Men of that age just didn’t get all mushy. My own father has never said that he loves me, although I have no doubt that he does. I can easily believe that Senator Thurmond’s standoffishness was simply the man’s nature. That is what strong men were like, after all.

Essie Mae also comes off as a strong, decent person. She could easily gone public with her relationship to Senator Thurmond, but choose not to. She seems not to have been vindictive at all, although one could hardly blame her if she were. She did not disclose her parentage until after the Senator’s death. His family has acknowledged the relationship, but has refused to comment beyond that. Essie Mae did not contest the estate, although, considering the support she got from her father through the years, as well as the money she received for telling her story, she probably didn’t need to.

I find myself wanting more, looking up these people on the Internet. I am intrigued by their situation and the grace with which those involved, particularly Essie Mae, handled it.

Yes, captivating…

Coming home from work today, I heard the song Dark Lady by Cher. I love some of her older hits: Dark Lady, Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, Half-Breed. I’m not so much into her later music in the 90s. I used to have a cassette of her music. I think it was called Greatest Hits, but I’m not sure. What do you do when you want something from way back when? You go to ebay, of course.

So I have spend some time browsing, looking for my beloved collection from the past. When I found Greatest Hits, it had a couple of songs I don’t remember on it. Could it be that I don’t quite remember the title? I don’t know. I put one of them on watch while I continue to search. All because I heard a long lost song on the radio.

what the hell is this white stuff on the ground!?!?!??

Yes,it is April 12 and there is a nice dusting of snow on the ground this morning. Actually, we were lucky. Parts of South Dakota and Minnesota got a blizzard and up to a foot of snow.

I do hope it goes away soon, though. In less than 2 months, Master is coming!

It shatters your dreams.

It deprives you of much needed sleep.

You dread it.

It starts your morning out all WRONG.

What is it?
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>>It’s an ALARM CLOCK!

Yesterday I posted about psychic abilities. Strangely enough, yesterday was my mother’s birthday. She would have turned 73, but she died nearly 8 years ago.

I have never “felt” her presence since her passing, but I believe my mother is around and doing all she can for me, just as she would in life. There are some things that have happened to me since her death that I suspect she has been involved in, such as my success at losing weight, and my meeting Master. However, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen or heard or felt anything along the lines of the supernatural. I believe my mom is around; I just have nothing to back it up.

I will say, however, that visiting her grave leaves me cold. I do not feel her there at all. I feel only an emptiness when I visit. It doesn’t seem natural to talk to her there. It seems particularly unnatural, like of all of the places she might possibly be, her gravesite is the least likely place for her to hang out. Strange, huh?

But, back to her birthday. For some reason, Mom seemed to be more on my mind yesterday. Whenever I wrote the date, 4/9, I was very aware of its significance. I still wouldn’t say I felt Mom’s presence. I felt nothing supernatural at all. But, Mom, you were on my mind.