But thy eternal summer tide shall not fade. ~ Shakespeare

It was the shortest night of the year and warmer weather has finally arrived to this green and pleasant land. Our summer visitors have reached here at last; the martins, swallows, and swifts, while off our shores there are dolphins, puffins, fulmars ~ and the kamikaze gannets whose high speed dives take them deep below the shimmering sea. Followers of the old religion were out in force at the solstice, although their devotions at Stonehenge will have been marred somewhat by the orange paint left by a pair of spoiled, deluded, arrogant climate-change protesters. As the stone circle has been there since neolithic times it will withstand the vandalism of these modern-day despoilers. Counter-intuitively the Earth is 3 million miles further from the sun in summer than it is in winter ~ unless you live in Australia, where everything is upside down. Whether you follow the old religion, or not, the summer solstice with its long hours of sunshine is a time of healing, reflection, and renewal. As Napoleon wrote; ‘If I had to choose a religion, the sun as universal giver of my life would be my god…..’

Jack Collier

My ancient faith teaches me that all men are created equal. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Today is a public holiday in the United States of America; Juneteenth which celebrates the freeing, on June 19th 1865, of more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the State of Texas. This only happened after the Union Victory at Appomattox, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to demand that President Abraham Lincoln’s edict of January 1st 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation, be honoured by the Texicans. Here in this Sceptered Isle, here in this England, we do not celebrate Juneteenth in any way, and that’s not because it’s a stupid name for an important anniversary. We English do not mark Juneteenth because the slave trade was abolished in the British Empire on the 25th of March 1807, after which the Royal Navy did all it could to intercept the mostly American slave ships and free their black cargoes. Of course, black people in America didn’t get the right to vote until 1870, unless they were in Jim Crow state when they might have been able to vote by 1964. As Barack Obama said; ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek….’ Happy Freedom Day.

Jack Collier

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. ~ Lincoln

I was eleven years old when I first realised that I was responsible for my own decisions, that nobody was ever going to solve all of life’s problems for me. From time to time through my life I have forgotten that whatever happens to me was mostly the result of some choice I made in the past. Any action I took was going to have results and repercussions, so if I did the wrong thing now then some time in the future I was going to pay for it. For example, if you go to the Caribbean in July and August don’t complain if you get struck by a hurricane. Or, if you discover that your partner is hanging out in bars and cheating on you, perhaps you shouldn’t have married them in the first place. Conversely, if you choose wisely and act responsibly you may enjoy the health, wealth and happiness you deserve. Eventually, we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, for everything we have done, and for everything we have not done. One thing I learned early was that, sometimes you have to make a selfish decision and do what’s best for you. Some say that it is always best to live by choice and not by chance. And that our lives are the product of the choices we have made. All I know is that if you don’t like your life it’s your responsibility to do something about it.

Jack Collier

Happiness depends upon ourselves. ~ Aristotle

Live in the moment. Don’t wait until tomorrow to be happy. Appreciate what you have rather than being envious of others. Enjoy the company you are with without wishing that you were with someone else. Accept who and what you have become without resentments. It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes for our happiness. It is better to walk in sunlit golden meadows than it is to languish in the greasy, grey, grim, swamp of despair. It is better to be happy, joyous, and free than it is to be anxious, depressed, miserable, and resentful. I should know, I have lived both extremes, I have tried to hide at the bottom of a bottle, and strange as it may seem, I much prefer happiness to misery. For the longest time I was angry, anxious, depressed, ill, miserable, resentful, and sick of being sick. That has gone on for long enough ~ ergo, I am determined to be happy in the future. Lincoln said; most folks are just as happy as they make up their minds to be….. and Lincoln was both truthful and very smart.

I have made up my mind to be happy, no matter what.

Jack Collier

I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time. ~ Schulz

My life is good. I have no money worries. There is a roof over my head. A couple of people truly care about me. I recently returned to England after a long and recuperative vacation in Nevada. My physical health is fine; yesterday I walked five miles in what passes for sunshine in the North East of England. By every measure I am fit and healthy. Yet I am filled with anxiety, apprehension, and fearfulness. I have agoraphobia, being very reluctant to leave the garret at all. I am afraid of meeting people. I get tongue tied and hesitant when I speak. I’m lonely, I can hardly think at all. I am worried that something really bad will happen ~ but I know not what of. Some say that we cannot ever avoid fear. And that to him who is in fear everything is dangerous. All I know is that a brain injury does strange things to your emotions.

Jack Collier

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. ~ Lao Tzu

As I recover from a head injury my ambition tends to exceed my abilities. A few exercises this morning left me feeling weak and shaky afterwards. I find my weakness and lack of energy quite stressful. How long with the after effects of a brain injury go on? It’s been 128 days now; I would have recovered from a broken leg much faster. But then my bones are so heavy I tend not to break anything, no matter how much have abused my body. As all the people in white coats have said; I’m lucky, if my skull wasn’t so thick I probably wouldn’t be writing this. The only ways I know how to aid my own recovery; don’t drink, eat well, get plenty of sunshine and fresh air, exercise as much as I can, be sociable, kind and considerate….. And, do not get stressed; stress is the mind killer. As Wayne Dyer wrote; ‘Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than you think it should be….. Today I will seek some moments of peace and serenity down by the eternal sea.

Jack Collier

This is much the greatest thing we have ever attempted. ~ Churchill

Eighty years ago today, on June 6th 1944, more than 150,000 brave men landed on the five invasion beaches in Normandy. This was the long awaited ‘second front’ against Hitler’s Nazi Germany ~ the first time allied troops had a significant presence in France since the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. This was by far the largest and most complex naval, airborne, and land operation in history. D-Day was very much an international effort; involving American, British, and Canadian soldiers, although the Royal Navy provided the majority of the Naval forces. Operation Overlord was only made possible because of Allied efforts elsewhere, especially by bitter victory in The Battle of the Atlantic in 1943. Yet D-Day was only the beginning of the bloody and protracted Battle of Normandy, which was only ended when RAF Typhoon fighter-bombers, (pictured), destroyed the broken and retreating German armies in the Falaise Pocket. Operation Overlord was not the end, but it was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

Lest We Forget

Jack Collier

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. ~ Maud Hart Lovelace

For the first time in four months I seem to have found some real energy and motivation. Today I haven’t been utterly weary and exhausted in the early afternoon. For the first time in a long time I haven’t needed to take a siesta. Not only that; I feel positive and empowered, full of real old-fashioned get up and go. Whatever has happened to make a difference, I do not believe it’s anything I’ve done. Perhaps the final connections in my brain have been remade, or maybe my endocrine system has started to work again, or it could be that I am filled with happiness because this is the first day of summer. Whatever has happened, I know the dark weariness of the past has left me. And now I can live again.

Jack Collier

The sunrise at Pentecost stands for power and life. ~ David Wilkerson

Today is a feast day in the Christian Churches, but this harvest festival goes back over 10,000 years to the very beginnings of agriculture. The Pentecost is deep in our race memories. This is the beginning of a new world. From today things will be different and better; the ending of pain and suffering in our lives through love and kindness. Today we should be encouraged to have hope and faith that the future will be a better and happier time. Now that the work is done the rewards may be enjoyed. This is a time to share our good fortune with others, especially our nearest and dearest should see our generosity and kindness. Our time is a precious resource that can never be replaced. Today the sun will begin to shine again, and our dreams will come true.

Jack Collier

Let food be thy medicine…. ~ Hippocrates

All you need to cook perfect smoked salmon on a barbecue is sunshine, smoke, and a plank. In twenty minutes serve your salmon steak with grilled asparagus, Greek salad, and sticky rice. It was cooking and eating excellent food like that in the desert sunshine which helped me so much in my journey towards good health. You may think that you shouldn’t take a long vacation when you’re still recovering from a serious injury, but trust me, that’s exactly the right time to have a long, relaxing, stress-free holiday. Of course, you have to know how to set a real open fire as well.

Jack Collier