I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet ‘well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the Prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

I attended the 1^st Allegany Green Party Nominating Convention. I have never attended a nominating convention. It was a learning experience for me. I came away invigorated for the work that needs to be done right here at home in Allegany County!

We nominated Michael Leptic as our candidate for Allegany County Commissioner. We endorsed Wayne Hedrick as candidate for Cumberland City Council. The candidates spoke. Candidates for state level offices spoke along with representatives of the Green party from the state level.

Do you wonder what Green Party values? I am listing the Four Pillars of the party below. I hope they will be as important to you as they are to me.

Four Pillars

* Ecological Wisdom

* Social Justice

* Grassroots Democracy

* Nonviolence

Today I was able to meet my favorite author, which marks the completion of one of the items on my “Bucket List”. Brad has been to the DC/MD area 3 previous times since I have lived in MD. Each time there was a conflict with an activity at work and I could not attend the event. Today I made it to his presentation. He was not at Barnes & Noble as indicated in the picture. My picture from the event did not turn out well so I borrowed this picture that Brad posted from another event. I met him at the Carroll County Community College in Westminster MD. Along with 200+ other fans we listened to a 30-minute presentation, participated in a 30-minute Q & A, and received a copy of his latest book “The Escape Artist“.

Brad has been writing for 20 years. He endeavors to keep every book fresh, which has become more difficult after writing so many books. He researches his books through reading about settings for the books and actually visiting the setting to learn more intimately about it. That way he can accurately describe it in his writing.

Brad’s passion is books both reading and writing them. He is a strong supporter of bookstores and libraries. Reading can take us places we may never get to visit in another method during our lives.

Knowing When to Respond

While the responsibility for domestic violence or sexual assault lies with the perpetrators of these crimes, we all play a role in preventing violence and looking out for each other’s safety. Recognizing the signs of the behaviors that may signal domestic or sexual violence or circumstances that may lead to these crimes is a critical first step to taking action to prevent violence. Once you identify when to respond, you can then identify how to respond in a way that feels appropriate and comfortable.

TIP→ Follow your instincts. If a situation feels wrong to you, it probably is. One way to decide is to ask yourself, “If I don’t act, could the situation get worse?” IF YES, then you should evaluate the best way to intervene.

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is forced or coerced sexual contact without consent – the presence of a clear yes, not the absence of a no. Sexual assault is a crime motivated by a need to control, humiliate, dominate and harm. It can take the form of:

• Rape
• Incest
• Child Sexual Abuse/Molestation
• Oral sex
• Harassment
• Exposing/flashing
• Forcing a person to pose for sexual pictures
• Fondling or unwanted sexual touching above and under clothing
• Force which may include but is not limited to:
  • Use or display of a weapon
  • Physical battering
  • Immobilization of the victim

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Some signs of an abusive relationship include:

• Exerting strict control (financial, social and/or appearance).
  
• Needing constant contact including excessive texts and calls.
  
• Emotional abuse including insulting a partner in front of other people.
  
• Extreme jealousy.
  
• Showing fear around a partner.
  
• Isolation from family and friends.
  
• Frequent canceling of plans at the last minute.
  
• Unexplained injuries or explanations that don’t quite add up.
  

To end domestic violence and sexual assault, we all need to be part of the solution. Educating yourself and others, helping a friend who is being abused, speaking up, and being an engaged bystander are all examples of things you can do to help.

Talking about these issues openly will help end the shame and stigma that domestic violence and sexual assault survivors are burdened with. The next time you’re in a room with 6 people, think about this:

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience violence from their partners in their lifetimes.
  
• 1 in 3 teens experience sexual or physical abuse or threats from a boyfriend or girlfriend in one year.
  
• 1 in 5 women are survivors of rape.
  
• 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lives.
  
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
  

I am very fortunate!! I have prescription coverage and my copays are never more than $25. I have 1 medication where the copay is $0!

I met a patient recently who was not able to fill a prescription for his spouse because they do not have a prescription plan and the cost that one medicine ran above $ 400 for a 30-day supply. I suggested he apply to the manufacturer of the medicine for break. The response was that he did not quality because he made $ 50 more per month than their guidelines allow. I do not feel people should have to go without medication because it is financially out of their reach!

The image above is an advertisement for a 2016 event hosted at Columbia University. I am posting it because the dove and words on the dove’s image are a perfect illustration of the quotation below.

Religious freedom should work two ways: we should be free to practice the religion of our choice, but we must also be free from having someone else’s religion practiced on us.

-John Irving, novelist

“It’s okay if you disagree with me. I can’t force you to be right.”

With an attitude like the one stated above respect has been taken out of the relationship. In this scenario nothing will be accomplished. Too much of our society acts this way and that is why we have so much gridlock in the political process.