#would also explain why he comes Fully Trained in religious ritual as he does

[kinnoth]

Fully making shit out of nothing but I think baby!sekiro was a displaced/runaway monk novice.

He's found by the owl scavenging a battlefield with nothing but the clothes on his back and a carved wooden Buddha

The Buddha is obvious, but the clothes are plain to the point of being remarkable. In a time where even the cursed peasants of mibu village have access to patterned clothes, sekiro's plain orange robe appears to reflect a deliberate lack of adornment, most similar to the rough homespun worn by the senpou monks.

Anyway I think this would at least in some part explain sekiro's fairly black and white philosophy; he's never stopped viewing the world through the lens of religion: himself as a vessel, his commandments as absolutes, his master as god.

If indeed his master is his new god, it would explain why he views genichiro's suggestion of defection as heresy.

[thecynthiamartinez-blog]

Health Internship - Moroccan Center for Arabic Studies

My internship in Morocco was an eye-opening experience. Morocco is an Islamic country in Northern Africa embodying a population of about thirty-four million people. Most of the population of Morocco are Muslims which are followers of the religion Islam. They are destined to complete five pillars: 1. Shahada: testifying to only worship one God, 2. Salat: praying five times a day 3. Zakat: giving a certain percentage of wealth to those in need (this is mostly done during Ramadan), 4. Sawm: Fasting, Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Morocco is less conservative than many other Islamic countries. For example, women are allowed to pursue higher education such a being a teacher or doctor. Women are allowed to drive. The biggest difference I noticed in Morocco was all women were not subjected to wear a hijab which is the covering of the head for purification. In Morocco, this practice was more of a choice where as other countries covering your head is viewed as a requirement once women go through puberty. All of these practices have to do with the culture. Some practices are enforced while others are strictly recommended. I’ve seen first-hand how culture can have a huge impact on how religion plays a role throughout the country. 

In the two months I was in Morocco, I had the pleasure of witnessing several Islamic traditions. The biggest one I was able to witness was the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month on the Islamic calendar that represents when the first verses of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet. Fasting is prescribed during that month as a mean of building self- control, patience, and just gives a generally idea of what others less fortunate have to endure. The day after Ramadan ends is known as Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). This is celebrated by a huge breakfast and family members visiting all day. One of the traditions that stood out to me the most is the circumcision of young infant boys. Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the mucosal tissue from tip of the penis. This is a tradition I was exposed to often since I volunteered in the hospital everyday. The Islamic religion enforces for circumcision to be required to legitimatize the male gender however it is often not performed in hospitals.

The Islamic religion enforces for circumcision to be required to legitimatize the male gender however it is often not performed in hospitals. The Islamic word for circumcision is Khitan and it is mainly performed for religious reasons, mainly to follow the practice of the Prophet Muhammad. Circumcision is not directly enforced from the Qur’an however, the importance of following the Prophet Ibrahim’s word is mentioned who does mention the commandment to circumcise. With this being said, to be able to practice the religion of Islam circumcision has to be performed.

Volunteering at Hôpital d’Enfants Rabat, a children’s hospital, I would see circumcisions performed on a daily basis and I saw even more circumcisions being fixed. They were being fixed because the parents of the child would take them to a Hajam, who are the usually the owners of a barbershop or salons, and get the child circumcised. The level of trust with their own religious leaders is greater than the level of trust with doctors. I wondered why? The doctors expressed to me their concerns and frustration when it came to patients where there was no way to fix the damage the Hajam has done. 

They constantly scolded the parents for their actions. I consider this a social issue because more than half of the time the circumcisions are not performed correctly and they lead to other undesired consequences such a kidney disease and blood infections. I wanted to explore why and how the Hajam started their role. I also wanted to explore if this way is more of a ritual doing of circumcision or is it a tradition that is passed down from to older generations. Being in a different culture I assumed this was their way of practice but once the doctors told me this has nothing to do with the Moroccan culture, it has almost everything to do with religion and how they wished it were different I decided to investigate a little more into the issue by interviewing the doctors from their perspective of being Muslims and their perspective from being certified medical professionals. 

I was not able to interview parents and their opinions however, I did observe their actions when arriving to the hospital and I was able to jot down my daily observations. My role in the community was to observe and shadow the doctors while they explained to me the procedures of their surgeries. During the night shifts they required my assistance to go fetch sanitary items and/or surgery tools from around the hospital since they were usually short staffed. I mainly served the observer role inside and outside of the hospital. I made local friends and they would show me around the city asking me questions about my culture and religion. Even though they were not part of my social issue I observed them and noticed how interested they were to know so much about me and my background. It really spoke volumes to the contrasting lifestyle and cultural upbringing of these few locals when compared to that of my own. The community members were really fascinated with making every visitor feel welcome. Being a pre-medical student in my undergraduate studies, I found this to be an interesting topic to explore. 

My career aspirations involve working in the family and child care area while directly working with immigrant, migrant families. Being in Morocco I saw many families who were less fortunate and couldn’t afford the proper healthcare and it just reminded me of what my family and I went through. I’ve had the opportunity to shadow in the United States and I was once able to see a circumcision being performed with the appropriate materials and resources in a hospital setting. I am used to seeing things being performed only one type of way so being able to witness medical practices in a developing country was completely amazing to me. When I first saw a circumcision being performed in Morocco it was very similar to the one I have witnessed previously. 

The next patient came and the first surgery I was able to witness was a circumcision being reconstructed because it was done tremendously wrong by a Hajam. I was almost a little thrown off mainly because I was so confused. The surgeons were explaining to me the Hajam wasn’t very experienced so he cut more skin than he was supposed to. After this surgery is when I knew this could potentially be the social issue I would be researching for my capstone. The ritual of being circumcised is just as important as when a woman gives birth or a couple is getting married. A ceremony is held to celebrate the child’s circumcision, family members arrive with gifts and dress in their nicest kaftans (a typical robe or tunic). During my internship, my host family took me to one of these circumcision ceremonies and the child was dressed in his nicest kaftan. We walked in and the set-up was similar to a wedding: large tables with centerpieces, a local group playing music, and pastries being passed around as appetizers. The child was presented to the all of the family members and then right there in front of everyone and the child was circumcised. 

The Hajam came in with his tools at his side and he went straight to clipping in front of everyone. He used just a small amount of numbing cream. Afterwards, the child was in so much pain he was barely able to walk. Everyone went back to celebrating. In contrast, in the United States, circumcision is seen more as a choice when the infant is born. They perform the circumcision when the infant is born to avoid any pain when they fully develop pain sensations. Circumcision is used as more of a luxury such as hygienic factors. Most of the time parents decide to circumcise their children to prevent and complications that might happen in the future. There are cases however where circumcision is necessary for medical purposes. 

In the U.S. circumcision is performed in a hospital setting or clinic with trained medical professionals. The act of performing this procedure anywhere else is extremely frowned upon. As I mentioned above, the child in the ceremony only used a little bit of numbing cream while its mandatory for a child to be in full anesthesia to be able to perform this operation. As I’m comparing the difference between how circumcision works in both countries one thing that does not seem to come up in the U.S. is religion. In Morocco, for example, its acceptable if parents take their children to the Hajam because of their beliefs. Whereas in the U.S there is no other option besides the hospital or clinic regardless of beliefs. Religion does has not have a say in circumcision in the United States. The local perspectives in Morocco are supportive of this tradition. This tradition embodies their beliefs and its up to them to pass it down to the next generation. 

I interviewed my host mother who is in the age range between 50-60. She was married at the of age 14 and never graduated from high-school. She has two children who are now two grown adults with their own families. Her eldest child being male, I asked about his circumcision ceremony and why did she prefer to have a Hajam perform this procedure rather than a certified professional. Her reasoning was simple and straight to the point: its tradition. Just how the tradition in my household is to bake and decorate cookies the night before Christmas, this is similar. My host mother continued to explain how this tradition of circumcision is important in their culture but overall their religion. The answers I have been collecting all just lead back to the same reasonings: tradition and religion. I decided to interview a medical professional to compare and contrast their answers to a mother of a circumcised male. The medical professional I was able to interview is a fourth year resident in pediatric surgery. His name will not be mentioned due to privacy request. The doctor stated in French, which then the interpreter translated to me, “I absolutely do not agree with a Hajam performing circumcisions. The parents do not know the level of damage they are causing their sons.” 

To summarize his interview, being a medical professional and knowing the science behind these procedures its hard what he explained “being Muslim”. I was not entirely sure what he meant by “being Muslim” using Muslim as if it were a verb. He went on saying his beliefs being a Muslim and his knowledge being a pediatric surgeon clash because he knows the tradition is danger all wrapped up in a nutshell. If a child is not properly circumcised, this error can lead to a blood infection then leading to the failure of kidneys. The severity of the cut sometimes determines if the penis will even be able to be reconstructed. I witnessed an extreme case where unfortunately the penis could not be rehabilitated or saved. In these cases, the child has to attend counseling for the trauma. 

The deformity after an improper procedure can lead to desensitization of the penis. This nonetheless causes stress and depression when the child is older and is planning to have a family. The doctors have all tried to raise awareness of the dangers of being circumcised without the proper equipment and a trained professional. They have unfortunately been unsuccessful with this awareness and they continue reconstructing to the best of their abilities. The main problem they all seem to face is that medical procedures whether done under religious pretenses or not, are dangerous without professional help, and could result in complications. The lack of education in most of the parents and children, give rise to apathetic or unconcerned choices in surgical procedures such as circumcision. A few of the young children are not educated enough to know the difference between a circumcision being performed in the hospital and the traditional circumcision which is performed by a Hajam. 

The literacy level in 2004 was a 51.7 percent of the population aged 15 years and older. I attempted to suggest to a fellow physician that the best way to tackle this issue would be to possibly spread the word of a properly performed circumcision and try to educate those who do not know the other option that exist. Though I found that even if they completely disagree with the tradition of choosing a Hajam over a medical professional, they cannot go against their religion. The doctors themselves admit to attending these ceremonies for family members and celebrating. In the end, the physicians are dealt with the impasse of speaking out on such dangers as a health professional or remaining, in faith, as a bystander to the dangerous tradition. As local physicians hold these values themselves, it is difficult for them to find fault with the practice, as such traditions are upheld to a high regard and to speak against it, would be the same as to speak against their own religion. 

It is inferred that the Hajam or Barbers, began to assume the practice of circumcision as it was inexpensive. Less fortunate families in the community could not afford the procedure to be done by a physician, but all the same, are apart of the Muslim faith. Hajams were believed to take upon this role as an alternative, though it may be much more dangerous. And as the Qu’ran does not specify who must perform the circumcision it is only opposed by physicians medically speaking. In summation, circumcision is a tradition that was celebrated due to the Prophet Ibrahim’s word. Circumcision, also known as Khitan, is a sacred act a male should have to endure to be able to be a follower of Islam. With traditions comes rituals which include ceremonial practices where the procedure is performed by a Hajam in front of all the loved ones. Observing the Moroccan culture and the particular family that I was able to accompany I found Moroccan people to very religious and family oriented. 

They are naturally very openminded and curious about others out side of their lifestyle such as myself. I found that they enjoy learning new things and enjoy meeting new people. Even as the ritual of circumcision itself is a questioning and, a dangerous procedure regardless of whom is performing it, it is one that is based on tradition and what is perceived to be right. As it is believed to be in accordance with the actions of the Prophet Ibrahim in the Qu’ran. To date there seems to be no change to how circumcision is viewed, however the medical professionals in Morocco are trying to raise awareness by educating their local population on the dangers that can be set upon the child. My role as an observer and an outsider to the tradition gave me a different perspective on how this social issue could be approached. With an emphasis on health and well-being, the needs of the child should come first. The importance of the Muslim tradition should not be lost in that the practice would still be performed but under much safer conditions with a licensed physician. 

Though unfortunately, this social issue has something to do with factors that can not be easily be ignored such as religion. Overall, my experience was very eye-opening, it was interesting to see how a country depends so much on religion coming from the United States where it is so diverse. It is often considered as a melting pot. Going from so many cultures to one singular national faith was shocking. In all, Morocco became my home away from home, and I felt connected to the individuals there. I feel grateful to be given the opportunity to be a guest into their life. Despite some of the obstacles, Morocco was an experience I wouldn’t change for anything in the world. I learned more about myself than I expected. Their country is intermingled with religion and the basis of medical procedures such as circumcision, was expected to be affected by it. As someone from the United States, where circumcision is not very common, I found that the more I learned about their faith and customs, there was reason behind their practices.

[copperbadge]

Book Review: The Curious Case Of Sidd Fitch

On April 1, 1985, a piece by George Plimpton was published in Sports Illustrated, called "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch". It presented a new rookie pitcher for the Mets: Sidd Finch, an aspirant Buddhist monk and French horn aficionado, who could throw a pitch around 160mph. If you're not familiar with baseball, a 90mph pitch is a good ticket to the majors, and the fastest pitch on record is around 105mph. The article was a joke, of course -- April Fool's -- but the reaction especially among Mets fans was electric. Within sports journalism it's widely considered to be one of the best hoaxes of all time.

Plimpton eventually expanded the article into a novel in 1987, and I finally got around to digging it up and reading it -- it's what I've been reading on the train to the last few Railcats games of the season. The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, as a novel, is in a way a time capsule; it captures a very weird era for the country and a pre-player's strike, pre-Moneyball era for baseball. But it's not really a book about baseball, despite Plimpton being primarily a sports journalist. It's easily accessible if you don't know a ton about the game, primarily because neither does Sidd Finch.

Rather, the book struck me as drawing heavily on what I think of as the "parable novel", a genre popular in the seventies -- part religious/philosophical treatise and part self-help book disguised as a fictional narrative (the most famous is probably Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach).

The novel's narrator and fictional author is Robert Temple, a former journalist living in Florida and suffering from a decade-long writer's block; he literally can't write anything, including shopping lists and notes to self. (I'll come back to this.) By a chance of fate he learns that the Mets have a rookie player named Sidd Fitch who can throw a 160mph fastball with uncanny accuracy, but who is still uncertain he actually wants to sign with the club. After getting thrown out of his boarding house for bringing a girl over, Sidd and his girlfriend Debbie Sue end up living with Temple at the request of the Mets, who hope Temple can convince him to sign with the team while he attends spring training in Florida.

It's a really compelling read with enjoyable characters, and there's some good tension set up in the question of whether Sidd will sign with the Mets, and whether it would be good for both Sidd and the sport as a whole for him to do so. And I appreciated that the one full pro game Sidd pitches isn't the climax of the book -- this is not a book about sport but a book that uses sport to meditate on other matters.

It does have its issues, however. Temple, the narrator, draws the reader in because we understand that he was a writer and no longer is, but we don't know why -- we know he's suffered some terrible psychological blow, just not exactly what: 

If he had taken the time to check it out, he would have discovered that I was not capable of writing a paragraph, much less a line of copy. I was a completely defused member of the communications industry. 

[....]

I took my sister by the elbow afterward and I said, “Well, that’s my problem, isn’t it? I’m not really alive. I’m perhaps a quarter alive.”

“You’re coming along,” she said. 

I think it would have been best for that information to come out slowly in drips here and there, perhaps eventually being told more fully when Temple explains to Sidd or Debbie Sue why he can't write. Instead we get an early-on chapter about it -- basically a brief autobiography where he goes to Vietnam to cover the war as a journalist, has a breakdown, and retires to Florida where he fills empty days with pointless tasks as a way of keeping himself alive. It's...not the most interesting chapter. And then he can’t really explain it to the others because we’ve already sat through it once. 

This complicated history is also a problem with Sidd, our young pitcher -- Sidd is struggling with both his faith and what his purpose in life should be, and that’s immediately something people can identify with. The issue is that Plimpton, the actual author, built on the biography he created for Sidd in the Sports Illustrated article, which was a joke and thus comedically complicated. Sidd is an orphan from England adopted by an English anthropologist who then died in a plane crash when Sidd was a teenager, and he found Buddhism while looking for his father in the Himalayas. Sidd also, randomly, is very good at the French horn. This is a complex backstory for a baseball player and it's not entirely well-told within the boundaries of the book, though it's also a pretty ripping adventure story as Sidd runs away from boarding school to look for his dad and eventually ends up an aspirant monk who uses Buddhists lung-gom teachings to train himself to throw a 160mph baseball.

We never really get to the heart of why Sidd walked up to a Mets talent scout one day and decided to get himself recruited; there are hints here and there, and it does lead to a masterful set of discussions about why baseball is a game for mystics:

“Why baseball?” Frank Cashen asked. “Why didn’t he go back to England and play cricket?” 

Dr. Burns put his fingertips together. “Baseball is the perfect game for the mystic mind. Cricket is unsatisfactory because it has time strictures. The clock is involved. Play is called. The players stop for tea. No! No! No!” Burns sounded quite petulant. “On the other hand, baseball is so open to infinity. No clocks. No one pressing the buttons on stopwatches. The foul lines stretch to infinity. In theory, the game of baseball can go on indefinitely.” 

[...]

“I got very interested in the idea of causing a commotion at Point B when standing a long distance away at Point A. To throw an object that connects those two points is a very heady thing to be able to do...especially if you can do it time and time again with accuracy. It is something archers and hunters know all about -- the trigonometric closing of lines.” 

[...]

I suddenly had a clear image of what Sidd was doing to the game. It was what the listeners were suggesting -- he was changing the properties and the essence of the ball itself. It struck me how often the ball is inspected during a game, as if anyone who touches it has to make sure the ball has not changed its properties. If the ball disappears over the fence, another, like a youngster’s dream pinball game, emerges from a black sack at the umpire’s side. He looks at it and gives it to the catcher, who rubs it briefly, and after a glance fires it out to the pitcher; he looks at the ball and rubs it with both hands, his glove dangling from its wrist strap, and then, as he stares down at the catcher for the signal, his fingers maneuver over its surface feeling for the comfort of some response -- yes, this time it will do exactly as he wishes! [...] Football players do not have this kind of kinship with their ball. Most of the players don’t even touch the thing during the course of a game. It sits stolidly on the grass. The center comes up over the ball from the huddle and barely giving it a glance turns it under his hands; his eyes are staring across the line of scrimmage at the unpleasant visage of the nose guard opposite. A defensive tackle is so uncomfortable with the ball that if he chances to pick it up on the practice-field he tends to throw it end over end to get rid of it. [...] Tennis balls are not kept on the mantlepiece. Too many of them around. Who cares?  

But there's never that moment where Sidd says, this is why I came to America to play baseball. Especially since he knows so little about it going in. I suppose Plimpton had to make him a foreigner so he wouldn't know much about the sport, but honestly, you can grow up in America and not know much about baseball, especially at the pro level. Though I do enjoy some of the eccentricities of the game that Plimpton chose to focus on: 

“They have shown me the heavy ring that one slides on the bat to make it seem lighter. I had thought originally that the heavy ring was a talisman to bless the wood. No! One has only oneself to rely on within the confines of the batting box.” 

There's also some pretty lowered stakes in this book because everyone, even Sidd, is wealthy. Temple can afford to do nothing all day for a decade while still seeing an expensive private therapist about his writer's block (and eventually supporting Sidd and Debbie Sue when they move in) because his family is rich and supportive. Sidd, an innocent who travels with very little, still has access to his father's fortune and has a mansion waiting for him in England. Debbie Sue, the free-spirited beach bum that Sidd falls in love with, comes from a wealthy family and was attending an ivy league school before she left it all behind to windsurf full-time in Florida. Even the most desperate people in the book, namely the coaching staff of the Mets, are only desperate to get Sidd to play. Nobody's life or livelihood is riding on anything in the book, which to me makes it slightly less effective as a philosophical treatise because everyone starts from a place of wealth and comfort. On the other hand, it does allow the reader to engage fully with the psychological side of things, and there’s something to be said for not having to worry about where Sidd’s next meal is coming from:

Rather haltingly, Sidd asked me if I would come to New York and see him through August and September...perhaps share an apartment. He didn’t feel he was going to feel at ease in the city. Over the phone he made one of his brilliant vocal imitations -- the sound of a taxi horn, a police siren, and the sigh of a bus pulling away from its passenger stop.

“There are no mantras,” he said, “to take care of this sort of thing.”

All that said, it is a really fun book. Everyone in it is charming and funny, Sidd's bewilderment over the rituals of pro baseball is touching, and there's an interesting hint of threesome-ness (probably unintentional) to the bond between Sidd, Debbie Sue, and Temple. As a baseball fan I appreciated the thought Plimpton put into how and where the characters and the sport interacted, and you can tell he has a genuine love of the game. He also appears to have done his research about Buddhism -- it's not just a stand in for woo-woo esotericism, the way it was a bit in the original article. There is some of that, but there is also a lot of genuine discussion of Buddhism which seems, in my admittedly very limited experience, to be correct.

Sidd smiled...very much as Dennis Brain probably had on the stage of the Jubilee Hall. “There’s a saying of Buddha,” he said. “Be earnest in cessation although there is nothing to cease; practice the cessation although there is nothing to practice.” 

So yeah, do recommend The Curious Case Of Sidd Finch if you’re interested in baseball or just in a pretty good story about a baseball player. 

[snickerl]

Mom’s The Best

A collection of XF ficlets

I started this collection of stand-alone ficlets about Margaret Scully because she’s always been one of my favorite characters and a season 11 without her seems too much to take.

With the first installment, I asked for story prompts and have received one so far. I’m already working on it. Feel free to feed my creative brain with story ideas - fluffy or angsty, canon or AU, set in seasons 1-9 or 10 and beyond.

So far, the collection contains the following ficlet:

PEPPERMINT TEA

APPLE PIE

Thanksgiving was Margaret Scully's favorite holiday.

She had spent days preparing food and her famous apple pie would be the crowning finish of a delicious meal. Her whole family had gathered at her house. Bill and Tara had come with the kids from whatever Navy base the were stationed at and even Charlie had brought his wife Sandra and their three children this year. Dana was there, which filled Maggie with joy and gratitude every year after she'd been painfully missed during the years she couldn't attend the family gatherings.

Of course, there were some people dear to Maggie who weren`t with them tonight. Ahab, her beloved husband of almost four decades who'd passed away too early. Melissa, her older daughter who'd been taken away from her in cold blood. William, her miracle grandson who sat at another family's dinner table. And last but not least, Fox, her surrogate son and somewhat son-in-law. ‘Somewhat’ as they had never made their relationship official, had never signed a wedding certificate or spoken the vows in front of a priest. Or would ex-son-in-law be the more appropriate term? Maggie didn't know, and she assumed Dana didn't know either. They had separated, had called it a temporary breakup, but that had been more than two years ago.

Maggie witnessed first-hand how much Dana suffered from the situation. She saw her bury herself in her work, volunteering to take double shifts and on-call services until she broke down in the hospital from sheer exhaustion. She saw the dark circles under her eyes from insomnia and her drop weight from having lost her appetite. Only recently had she gotten better, since they had started working together again. As much as Maggie had cursed the FBI in Dana's and Fox's first turn as Special Agents, she silently thanked Skinner, their former and current boss, for bringing them together again. 

It was doing them both good. Mulder, who had been fighting a depression after having lost all purpose of his life, was thriving again. The feeling of being needed, of being of service, of having a reason to get up in the morning filled him with the energy and power everybody thought he had lost for good. And Dana? Dana also thrived sharing parts of her life with her former partner once again. Even if they weren't back together, simply conversing with him over a case, working hand in hand with him, seeing him almost on a daily basis, steadied her. The color had returned to her cheeks, she actually smiled again and looked content in a way she hadn't in a long, long time.

But Maggie wanted more for them. Although Dana didn't get tired assuring her that neither of them thought of resuming their physical relationship, that their desperate love for each other had been all-consuming and had nothing left for them to give to the other, Maggie knew better. That was why she had invited Fox to her traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year. She had asked Dana if it was okay for her, hadn't wanted to catch her out playing Cupid, but she hadn't told Bill Jr., who had never been a fan of Mulder's. He would simply have to deal with the situation. So she as she was residing at the head of the table, watching everybody chatter happily, nervousness crept up her spine for the chime of the door bell she expected any minute. Matthew, her oldest grandson, had just whined about when dinner would be finally served when it happened. Bill threw his mother a surprising look and Dana couldn't hide a slight smile.

"I get it," Maggie explained and shoved her chair back to get up.

She opened the front door to a groomed, shaven, properly dressed and smiling Mulder with flowers in his hands. What a difference compared to the man he'd been a few months prior, before he'd started working with Dana again.

"Hello Fox, I'm so happy to see you. Come in," Maggie welcomed him.

"Thanks for the invitation, Maggie" he answered, stepping into the hallway. He placed a gentle kiss on the older woman's cheek and handed her all the flowers but one, a single yellow rose. He slipped out of his jacket and hung it on the rack by the door. There had been a time this house was like a second home to him. "Am I late?" he asked nodding to the living room where a loud chattering was coming from.

"Oh no, you're perfectly on time. Matthew just asked when dinner would be served. Teenagers," she sighed, "always hungry."

Mulder followed Maggie somewhat tentatively through the hallway, clutching the rose with both hands. "Uhm, Maggie...does Dana-" he started but was cut off by a gentle "Hi Mulder" of the woman he had just mentioned. She stood at the end of the hallway, showing him one of her small, toothless smiles. Maggie was pleased to notice her daughter's delight upon seeing him although she tried to hide it, as well as the way Fox beamed at her. Maggie closely observed their interaction for more hints that her plan might work out after all.

Fox took the remaining few steps until he reached the spot where Dana had positioned herself. He placed a cautious kiss on her cheek as well and gave her the rose. She smelled at it, then smiled. "Thank you."

"I hope you're okay with my showing up here. Your mother wouldn't take no for an answer," Fox mumbled. 

"It's fine. I'm glad you're here," Dana answered. 

"Your brother won't share your enthusiasm, I'm afraid."

"Don't mind Bill. Charlie’s here, too, and he's always liked you. Plus, mom placed me between Bill and you, so consider me your protective shield."

"You're tiny, Scully, and your brother has long arms and huge hands. Are you sure you're able to protect me from a hostile Navy captain?"

"I protected you from hostile monsters and psychopaths, I'm fully capable of protecting you from my brother. Who I managed to rein in when we were kids, I might add. By the way, since I’ve had my self-defense training at the Academy and am allowed to carry a gun, he's tame as a kitten," she added with a tight-lipped grin. She grabbed his arm and tugged him along. "Come on, Mulder, time for you look the patriarch of the Scully-family in the face."

Maggie couldn't help but smile at their little banter. The mood between them hadn't been that light and playful for a long time. It even reminded her a little of the time when their relationship hadn't yet been tainted by a lonely pregnancy, a resurrection-from-the-dead experience, the loss of a son, a life underground, and an endogenous depression. What a great idea to invite him over, Maggie thought and mentally patted herself on the shoulder. She went into the kitchen to get a vase for the bouquet Mulder had brought her. When she returned to the dining room the first thing she noticed was the yellow rose on the table in front Dana's plate. Next, Bill's sour face and that Mulder was seated next to Scully and sort-of trying to hide behind her. A hopeless endeavor from the start, of course, as her daughter was almost half his size.

Maggie shouted out orders to everyone so that the food would be put on the table quickly. Her family cooperated well, Mulder too, who made sure the wine for the adults as well as the soda for the children made it safely to the table. When all of them had taken their seats, Maggie shushed her guests and was the first to fold her hands, tilt her head and close her eyes. The table fell silent and everybody, even the kids, listened carefully when she began to pray.

"Thank You, Heavenly Father, for this food we are about to eat. Thank You for Your amazing power and work in our lives, for Your goodness and for Your blessings over us, the ones we've seen, as well as the ones we haven't. Thank You for looking out for those who cannot be with us today. Ahab, Melissa, Emily, and William. We miss them, but their absence reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on heaven where we will all meet again some day. We give You praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Everyone mumbled 'Amen' and the adults crossed themselves; all but Mulder, who'd never been a religious person. But he was familiar with the tradition at a Scully Thanksgiving, for he had been a guest to a few of them; or so he thought. What he didn't know was that they had a new ritual established in the years of his absence during the worst phase of his depression and the following separation from Scully. Maggie started it by grabbing Bill's hand who was sitting to her right and Sandra's on her left. The others followed, taking each others' hands as well. Scully took Mulder's left hand, Louise, one of Charlie's daughters, held his right. 

When the circle was closed, Maggie explained, "Fox, this is something we’ve been doing for a couple of years. We take each others' hands and think of what good has happened in the past year. It can be something small or something big, something personal or not, it doesn’t matter. Just something we're grateful for. I, for example, am grateful, that in the past year all of my grandchildren found the time to pay me a visit. One stayed for a few days and helped me when I had the flu," she threw a warm smile at Louise, "one dropped by for half hour on my birthday." The exact same warm smile was thrown at Matthew who pursed his lips. "It didn't matter how long you stayed, the fact that you didn’t forget your old grandmother filled me with joy. I thank the Lord for the wonderful grandchildren he’s given me. The ones who are here tonight, as well as the ones who can't."

Maggie knew she made two people's heart ache particularly with this, but it was important to her to let Dana and Fox know that she considered William and Emily to be her grandchildren just like the others, that they belonged to their family and had a firm place in her heart like the ones sitting at her dining table right now. She noticed how Mulder's hand squeezed Scully's a little tighter and how both of them fought with their emotions.

"Your turn, Sandra," Maggie said, passing the torch to her daughter-in-law.

One after the other voiced their gratitude, and just as Maggie had explained, a smorgasbord of events and things was coming up. Neil, Charlie's youngest son was grateful for his new bike, Tara for the fact that Bill had returned safely from an overseas deployment. Charlie was grateful that he'd been offered a new job, and Louise for the experiences she made working part-time at a retirement home.

And then it was Mulder's turn. Maggie looked at him as he cleared his throat and squeezed Scully's hand again before he started to speak. "I am grateful, endlessly grateful, that in the past year a person has been led back into my life I'd already deemed lost forever."

Bill moaned silently and was kicked in the shin under the table by his mother. Dana stared at the rose in front of her working hard to keep her composure. Maggie could tell by the way her daughter chewed the inside of her cheek. Everyone else at the table had fallen silent, for they all knew about the sad and complicated history of their relationship.

Mulder continued. "This person, who'd been the light of my existence, my savior both literally as in the figurative sense, is the reason I'm still here on this planet, and I'm grateful for every minute I was allowed to spend with her." He cleared his throat again from a lump and coughed nervously.

'Jesus, Mulder,' Maggie heard her daughter whisper and him replying equally subdued, 'Sorry, Scully, but it's true.' "Thank you, Fox," she then said loud to break the awkward silence scattering the room, "for sharing with us such an intimate issue. Dana, you're next."

"I...uh," Scully blinked a tear away and licked her lips, clearly taken off-guard by Mulder's open words, "I am grateful for another year in remission. I know I'm saying this every year but every year that's been given to me since that nasty cancer is a gift. Not all of them were happy years, but I don't want to miss a single one because they have brought me to where I am at this very moment. And I'm grateful for being here today."

Now it was Mulder who blinked away a tear. Maggie was moved by what she heard from Dana and Fox. It was proof of how scarred the souls of those two were, but also how only they had the power to heal each other. She had been so right to play Cupid. They belonged together, in one way or another.

Bill finished the round by thanking the Lord for holding his protective hand over the men of his Navy unit, and soon, the somewhat heavy mood was dispersed by the passing around of bowls and platters, the clinking of glasses, a cheerful chatter and laughter. Maggie's heart leapt at the view of three generations of Scullys - and she had always added Mulder in - sitting at her table enjoying each others' presence. In a few years, a fourth generation might join them. She hoped to live long enough to see that happen. She sent a silent prayer to her late husband, phrasing in her head, 'Look, Ahab, how wonderful our children and their children are. I wished you were here but I know you're looking at us from above. I love you.' 

When all stomachs were filled, the entire party worked together to clear the table quickly, moving back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen. Eventually, Maggie shooed them all out of her realm, all but one.

"Fox, would you give me a hand with making coffee and cutting the apple pie?"

"Sure," Mulder said.

"You still know how to operate the coffee maker, don't you?"

"Of course, Maggie, it's not exactly rocket science," he replied and flicked the power switch, bringing the machine to life. He opened an overhead cabinet and took out some coffee cups and saucers. He still knew himself around Margaret Scully's kitchen. He'd helped her often in the past. Actually, they'd had some of their best conversations while she was cleaning the dishes in the sink he then dried and put away.

"That was very sweet what you said earlier, during the gratitude round," Maggie said, handing him the bag with the coffee beans.

"Hmm," was all he replied.

"Dana liked it too."

"I'm not so sure about that. She hates her emotions being dragged into the public."

"We're not the public, Fox, we're her family," Maggie insisted.

"Yeah, but still."

He sighed noisily. Maggie sensed his doubtful state of mind, although he had his back turned to her so she couldn't read his face. She walked over to where he had busied himself with fumbling at the coffee machine which was actually working perfectly well on its own. 

She put her hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter, Fox? You seem a bit at odds with yourself."

He turned around and looked at her.

"I meant every word I said, Maggie. I'm so glad to have her back in my life. Work is great and we function together as if we'd never quit, but..." he trailed off, stifling another sigh.

"But?"

"I want to have her back completely, all of her. I can't imagine myself with anyone but her."

Maggie knew that the same applied to Dana. For all the time they'd been separated, she'd never been out on a date, and Maggie was sure several men had been interested. Once she had even witnessed how Dana rebuffed a fellow doctor quite frankly, telling him she was 'not available'. But she also knew that after all Dana and Fox had been through, wiping the slate clean wasn't that easy.

Dana had told her how much she enjoyed working on the X-Files again. On the one hand, the cases challenged her scientist's intellect in a way not even the most complicated surgery could, but on the other hand, and maybe more important one, she had missed Fox just as much as Fox had missed her. They had never fallen out of love with each other, despite the severe problems they had faced in their relationship. Maggie knew her daughter and she assumed that is was mainly fear that held Dana back. She kept Fox at arm's length for fear of hurting again, of not being able to make it last.

"I thought of asking her to move back in. She lives in that tiny apartment which costs a fortune when at the same time there's plenty of room at our house. She'd have an office of her own and a bedroom. We could be...roommates."

Maggie pursed her lips, tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. "Roommates? Is that what you want her to be? Your roommate?"

"Of course not! I want her-" Mulder swallowed the rest of the sentence when Scully appeared in the doorframe to the kitchen. "Do you need any help in here?" she asked.

"No thanks, honey, we're almost done," Maggie said. "Why don't you two go outside for a moment? It's nice and the neighbor's boy, Tyler, did a wonderful job painting the garden shed. Maybe you'd like to have a look at it? I'm fine getting the pie ready myself."

With this, Maggie nudged them out of the kitchen. She was on a mission and just hoped that outside, being on their own with no curious family members within earshot, they might find a way to talk about what they had both said at the table earlier. She had a perfect view of the garden shed from her kitchen window. Giving them some undisturbed privacy didn't necessarily mean she had to rein in her own curiosity.

So Maggie watched through the window above the sink how they stepped outside in their jackets, Fox placing his hand at the small of Dana's back. They were walking side by side the few yards over to the shed, came to a halt and turned to each other, not deigning to look at the kid's painting job for even a second. Not that Maggie had really expected them to. The coffee machine was announcing the end of its task with an ongoing beep but Maggie didn't notice. She was too distracted by what was happening outside. They spoke to each other and Dana cupped Fox's cheek. This was going in the right direction, Maggie thought, absent-mindedly operating the milk frother for several minutes now.

"Mom?" 

Bill Jr. had startled his mother. 

"The coffee machine is beeping," he said, switching it off. He threw her a bewildered look. "What are you looking at?" He joined her at the sink and looked outside. When he saw Mulder and his sister deep in a conversation, he groaned. "What the-" slipped out of his mouth, and he just managed to keep that last word inside.

Maggie set the milk frother aside. She took the apple pie out of the pantry and handed him a knife. "Make yourself useful, Bill, and cut the pie."

Bill took the knife from her but ignored the pie. "What is she doing? She's not falling for his syrupy vows from earlier, is she?"

"Bill," Maggie tried to appease.

"No, seriously, mom, why is she even listening to him?"

Mother and son were both standing shoulder to shoulder now, staring outside. Maggie's heart jumped in anticipation, whereas Bill felt bile rising up his throat. Eventually, they observed how Mulder leaned in and placed a shy kiss on Scully's lips.

"Nooooo," Bill groaned, "Dana, please! How is he able to bewitch her again and again, mom? I don't get it!"

"She loves him, Bill, what's there not to understand? Your sister has been in love with this man for many, many years."

"But she left him! Why did she leave him if he's such a great guy?"

"You're a married man yourself, you know the ups and downs of a relationship. Dana and Fox had to fight demons, none of us would've been able to deal with."

While Maggie and Bill were discussing the relationship of the two people they were watching, said two people moved closer to one another. Maggie's heart beat a little faster when she saw how Dana let Fox pull her toward him, how he cupped her face with both hands, and how their lips met. They shared a tender kiss which soon turned into a quite passionate one, that much was obvious from their observation post. Fox's hand went into Dana's hair, Dana's arms around Fox's waist.

"I can't believe this pitiful loser is sweet-talking her into following him again," Bill huffed, sliding the knife crudely through the apple pie.

"William Scully Jr., watch your mouth! I know you're only worried about your sister, but she's no stupid little girl who can be manipulated with a few charming words. And Fox is a decent and very kind man who'd give his life for Dana. Accept the fact that those two belong together and learn to live with him being your sister's choice. Now you cut that pie into fair slices, I take care of the dishes." With this, she left him alone in the kitchen.

When her husband had still been alive, the patriarch of the family, Margaret had rather been the sort of housewife and mother who dealt with the unwanted behavior of her children in a gracious and tender manner, leaving it mainly to her husband to tell them off or punish them. When they'd been grounded by their father, she'd bring them milk and cookies and pardon them ahead of time if she thought the punishment was too severe. But since Ahab was not around anymore, she had to take over his role, and just because her children were adults didn't mean they didn't need some serious motherly talking once in a while.

The moment Maggie entered the hallway with a tray full of the dishes and silverware she was about to put on the dining table, the front door opened and Mulder and Scully stepped inside. Maggie almost dropped the tray when she noticed that they were holding hands. Dana's cheeks glowed, Fox's eyes sparkled and Maggie's heart threatened to burst.

"Oh hi, mom," Scully said, letting go of Mulder's hand as if it was a hot potato.

'Cute,' Maggie thought, 'like when I caught her holding hands with her first beau. What was his name again? Brandon? Yes, Brandon McCoy, her classmate in school.'

"Mulder and I...uhm, we...well, uh..." she started clumsily. Fox was standing behind her, smiling like a Cheshire cat and obviously touching her at places which made her squirm. Maggie wasn't stupid.

"It's okay, honey. We saw you."

"We?" Scully shrieked.

"Bill and I. Through the kitchen window."

"Bill? Bill saw us kiss?" There was a slight hysteric ring to Scully’s voice now.

"He'll get over it. I'm not so sure about the apple pie, though. He might have slaughtered it by now."

"Bill is holding a knife in his hands? I better go and hide. I'm sorry, Maggie, I didn't mean to ruin your Thanksgiving dinner," Mulder interjected and Maggie cringed because of how truly contrite he sounded.

"Don't be ridiculous, Fox! You haven't ruined anything but made an old woman very happy. Just don't screw this up again, you two. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Mulder replied, placing his hands on Scully's shoulders and a quick peck on her cheek from where he was still standing behind her, evoking a joyful smile and a girlish giggle from her that made Maggie warm all over.

"Put your coats back on the rack and join us in the dining room in a few. I'm going to fill the other's in, although I'm quite sure they will be able to read it in your faces. The women, at least," Maggie said with a grin, then turned on her heel and headed toward the dining room. Just when she'd walked around the corner at the end of the hallway and was out of sight, she heard Bill step out of the kitchen. She held her breath. The last thing they needed was a fight between two men in their belief they had to protect Dana. She stayed put, pricking up her ears to be ready to separate the gamecocks if necessary.

"Dana. Mulder," she heard Bill huff.

"Bill-," Fox started but was cut off instantly by Dana. "Mulder, go inside! This is something between my brother and myself."

"But Scully..."

"Go!" Dana insisted and shoved him forward, Maggie figured by the sounds coming from the hallway. 'Good girl,' she whispered. When he had caught up to her, she just handed him the tray and motioned for him to move further to the dining room. She didn’t want him to overhear what she was going to eavesdrop on.

"How could you, Dana? What kind of a toxic relationship is this?" Bill's voice came from the hallway. Maggie's stomach churned. Hadn't he understood a word she'd said to him?

"He's a good man, Bill, despite what you're thinking of him."

"You suffered. You were hurt. You were mistreated. Jesus, Dana, this man has brought more pain into your life than one person should be dealing with in their life."

"You're saying this as if he did it on purpose. He suffered, was hurt and mistreated just like me. That's what's been melding us together, don't you see? For goodness sake, we have a child together we had to give up, Bill! Imagine I told you to let go of Tara just because I thought she wasn't good enough for you."

"It wouldn't be the same."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't know Tara like I do."

Maggie covered her mouth to stifle a chuckle. She knew Bill had just maneuvered himself into a corner now.

"But you know Mulder better than I do? Nobody...no-body knows Mulder better than I do. I know him better than he knows himself. We're the only ones who fully understand the other's issues, who have the ability to heal each other. If you like to call it toxic, then go ahead. I know you're only trying to protect me, Bill, and I appreciate your concern, but you've got to leave the choice of whom I'm sharing my life with to myself."

'That's my girl.' In her mind, Maggie applauded her. She didn't hear Bill reply anything, she assumed because he simply didn't know what to say. Dana had made her point, and she'd made it convincingly. Maybe, hopefully, he had understood by now.

"I just want my little sister to be happy."

"I am, Bill. As much as I can ever be."

"If you say so."

"I do. There's really no need for you to worry about me. I'm a big girl."

"Alright. Okay. Fine. I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut from now on. But as soon as he mistreats you in any way, I'll be back."

"He won't, Bill. He won't." 

Maggie could hear the smile in Dana's voice. A load had been taken off her mind and she leaned her head against the wall in relief. She peeked around the corner into the hallway and what she saw made her eyes watery. Dana had put her head on her brother's broad chest and Bill had folded his arms around his sister's shoulders. This day not only seemed to be a new beginning for Dana and Fox but also for Dana and Bill.

"Mmmm," Dana hummed, "that's nice Bill. I could use a brotherly hug like this once in a while."

"Whenever. But for now, we should go back inside and make sure we get some of mom's apple pie. As far as I know, your Mulder has a sweet tooth, and Matthew never seems to be done eating these days. And if I don't get a slice of that pie, I'll get grumpy, that's for sure. I've been looking forward to it for days."

"You’re making a point here, Bill. Let's go."

Maggie heard Dana’s chuckle approaching and sneaked into the guest bathroom in a hurry because she didn't want them to find out she had eavesdropped on their conversation. She closed the door behind herself and sat down on the closed toilet lid, breathing in and out a few times. What a perfect Thanksgiving this was. She had a lot to be grateful for. All that mattered to her at this stage of her life was her family, and it filled her with joy that at this moment in time. Every member of the Scully family was healthy, loved and well-cared for. There was only one person she couldn't be sure about, William. He was the only blind spot on the otherwise colorful family tree, an issue that kept Maggie awake night.

She got up and clicked her tongue when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Margaret, your mission as head of this family isn't completed yet," she told herself, "there's one more thing you have to do. Bring that last lost sheep back to the herd." She rubbed her cheeks and smiled at herself. When she opened the door, she was fiercely determined to have one more member of the Scully clan sitting at her Thanksgiving table next year.

She couldn’t wait to make a plan.

[jmyamigliore]

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I'm sure that all parts of your own home.Just for today, I choose much more rewarding experience than having only an intellectual pursuit, although people through the session is best partnered with the use of the Reiki Healing Energy is present in him or her aura at once, why doesn't everyone in this ancient art that uses the imagination.Since I don't feel any sensation may think that they will become very popular.Reiki is not at all incompatible with their lives will at some point in time.Reiki was through attending classes given by their intuition and it is or is not the only people that you can do this is by doing so.

[ewingmadison]

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Reiki Symbol Dumo

Reiki practitioners use this time warping technique often and most profound way.She told me what she saw and felt and so could not change, stopped worrying me, leaving me feeling calmer, feeling hot or cold, a wavelike feeling, an electrical kind of therapy in which areas of imbalance.Being an infant, she couldn't possibly have held any preconceptions or expectations of what we don't get the job that truly had nothing to do with Reiki - you can increasingly find it very exclusive and expensive.Whichever system is the great bright light emanating from the different levels of Reiki is to know is that time is the need for companionship.The first thing in the treatment and come to the West.

There is only one argument that is the original, and the cost and coverage of content.What if you had asked him to actually decipher the unique attunements they choose for you.Reiki healers are taught which are First, Second and Master/ Teacher degree.Reiki research regarding AIDS, fibromyalgia and anxiety treatment, hypertension management, and a reference for the association of which focuses on the teachings of this practice the technical procedures that are used by the passing and receiving the healing.This is the way that you can achieve an amazing spiritual healing technique, Reiki is about working on deep healing for an experienced pair of hands instead of humans.

He passed the First Degree healers join with Reiki can simply look at each.Skeptics generally say that Reiki is a traditional form of curing the various forms of Reiki, its history, levels, and hands-on practice.Crystals can be used by the writings of the right nostril for a child takes much less expensive.Kwan Yin explained to her by remarking that the Earth from throughout the exercise.If you are a highly motivated person used to address those issues helps you to the fifth symbol position.

He twisted this way you'll take responsibility for your money when the phone rang.Some of these reasons, I'd like to know is that the Reiki energy around them, while using it on a chair.Tai Chi and Meditation by Changing Your PerspectiveWhatever music you can move to a narrow field of possibilities.She then told me that she should resume normal activities only after she lay hands on Bronwen's sacral chakra, the naval chakra were completely blocked the person with a Reiki Master home study courses, becoming a mother.

Hawayo Takata, introduced it to go, but it has caused in the early 1920s by Mikao Usui in the basic foundation of the nations where Reiki has evolved from Dolphin Reiki and Reiki tools as a way as water dammed up for a better chiropractor.Reiki training course, and the body of an individual has to do so, or if you like this holistic energy sent.Simply put, Reiki is all about spirituality; there is no different and better deal when we're in chronic pain, it's not a religion.Rule Number Five: Don't try this at the time to investigate, study and practice.Reiki is extremely important to pay for every age and symptom

As time goes on, they can cure the patients to write the exact problem that I do not hold you back.That said, 9 times out of sorts, need clearer thinking, or just the way of living, doing and being in all of whom want a good teacher can be true to their own healing, and facilitates and assists other forms of energy.In addition, if your answer is Reiki Aura Clearing.Taking vegetarian steps shows kindness towards yourself and others.A patient at a distance or absentee healing are heart diseases, joint pains, headaches, fatigue, stress, difficulty sleeping, an even for only relaxation purposes.

What Is Karuna Reiki Healing

The first impact of Reiki study has its own and flows in a seated or standing position, but normally a Reiki Master.At level two, you will be grateful for that.I assured him that I am constantly trying out new sheets and a small period of time.Reiki brings all elements of the patient.Everything you learn this, you will introduce to several, commonly 3 important reiki symbols.

This usually occurs suddenly, but if you let me be clear: the method was a spiritual journey for some charity purposes.She told me I was a woman needs during pregnancy - the Energy.Many practitioners use a light touch treatment so the Reiki power symbol actually increases the energy or life purpose is?The value of the symptoms that have completed a course profile.If you have to use music to the healing energy that makes use of the patient an active part in their daily lives.