LIFE'S JOURNEY~Rosh Hashanah/Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

September 11th: Technically today - year 5787 - is the 1st Day of 2027 by ancient calculations of the Jewish New Year 📜 But for the sake of those who follow the roman-catholic mandated calendar, I'll keep my posts headed under 2026 until the Gregorian calendar flips it's last December 2026 page  📅 🗓️

Holland was feeling punky 🤢 & asked me to drive him to the hospital around noon ⚕️; we left the hospital around 4 PM. Holland was been diagnosed with COPD related pneumonia 🔬 & we're pretty sure that's what he was dealing with when I took him to ER last week … and he was sent home without being properly diagnosed by the skeleton crew walking around ER like zombies. His condition is a lot worse, now. 

My big guy is so miserable 😔

Look at those hot, sore eyes 😣

Poor guy is not liking his Life's Journey very much, in this moment ❤️

I took my book with me, to the hospital: it gave me something to do to occupy my waiting time while Holland was being ferried about for exams.

Because I am military born & bred, strategic warriors interest me. There is not doubt, given Historic accounts - that Attila was a brilliantly strategic warrior that managed to conquer a great deal of ancient land mass. Was he a "barbarian"? Yes, and No: to romanized peoples, he was a barbarian - but he also had charisma, and had no issue mixing with [civilized] romans (keeping in mind that the historical relevance of roman civility is an historically thorny issue, that could also be categorized as "barbarian" - and often was, even in the ancient world standards). The Hungarian mindset is that Attila is "a hero and a legend" & his tribe was called the Hunnic tribe. Historically speaking of military maneuvers … Attila the Hun, the notorious conquering horseman, who terrorized and ravaged the European Continent is compared to the greatest military warrior king, Alexander the Great - whose brutal tactics carved out one of the largest empires in history. That's saying something! Modern military strategy shares core principles with Alexander the Great’s campaigns, even though the tools and contexts have changed dramatically. Historians and military theorists note that while the specific technologies and operational environments differ, the essence of strategy & winning by deliberately matching ends, ways, and means … remains consistent: while the means have evolved, Alexander’s strategic thinking, mobility, adaptability, political integration, and human leadership, resonates with modern military theory. His campaigns remain a case study in how timeless strategic principles can be applied across eras.

The catacombs also interested me - I remember reading a while back (quite a while back - decades ago), while doing Biblical research for studies, that early Christians used to go underground - into the catacombs - to avoid persecution … and to also worship without roman harassments. Remembering how the Early Believers were squeezed in their Life's Journey, helps me keep my Life's Journey in perspective.

So, today's portion of the book was a good contemplative read 📖🧠😊

The Fargos' exploratory route from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia to Taraz Kazakhstan

Translation~I am Attila, son of Munzuc

Wrapping up 'The Tombs' trail …

A nonstop flight from Taraz to Rome at jet cruising speed is about 7 to 7.5 hrs.

The St. Regis Rome Hotel, Italy~Yellow building.

Lobby of St. Regis Rome, Italy

Catacombs of Domitilla - the beginning of the end to this story.

Ancient Christian portion of the Domitilla Catacomb, Rome.

Ancient Pre-Christian portion of Domitilla Catacombs, Rome

Descending into the depths …

Eureka!

Without real remains, supposition is guesswork & guesswork is not factual. The actual burial site of Attila the Hun has yet to be discovered.

{{Catacombs of Domitilla: are among the oldest and largest in Rome, originally dug as an underground Christian cemetery on land owned by the Flavia Domitilla family, part of the imperial lineage of Emperor Vespasian. Spanning about 10.56 miles of intricately carved tunnels, they house ornate tombs, early Christian symbols, and fascinating frescoes that reflect the deep connection between art and faith. Since January 2009, they have been entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word, continuing their legacy as a significant religious and historical site.

Flavia Domitilla was a 1st-century Roman noblewoman of the Flavian dynasty, granddaughter of Emperor Vespasian and niece of Emperors Titus and Domitian. In 95 CE, her husband was executed - and Domitilla was exiled, accused of 'atheism' for adherence to Judaism or Christianity. She died in 96 AD & later catholic traditions venerate her as a Christian saint and martyr, with feast days in May, and associate her with the Catacombs of Domitilla in Rome. Spouse: Titus Flavius Clemens, who was a Roman politician and cousin of the emperor Domitian, with whom he served as consul from January to April in AD 95. Shortly after leaving the consulship, Clemens was executed, allegedly for atheism, although the exact circumstances remain unclear. Over time, he came to be regarded as an early Christian martyr.

Early Christian Fellowship Meetings in Catacombs: in the early centuries of Christianity, especially during periods of persecution, catacombs were used as places for Christian fellowship, worship, and community gatherings alongside their primary role as burial sites. By the 2nd century, Christian communities in Rome began carving extensive underground burial networks into soft volcanic rock outside city walls. These were not secret hideouts, as once mythologized; they were public, legally recognized cemeteries well known to Roman authorities. Why Catacombs Were Used for Worship: Public worship was dangerous under emperors like Nero, Decius, and Diocletian. Catacombs offered a hidden, hard-to-policing location for Eucharist, prayer, and scripture reading. Many martyrs were buried there, and gatherings often included commemorations of their faith. Community identity: In a time when Christianity was still a minority faith, the catacombs became a shared sacred space for affirming beliefs in. Evidence of Worship: Archaeological finds in catacombs show frescoes, inscriptions, and identifying symbols (e.g., the Good Shepherd, the fish) that reflect Christian theology and communal life. Some cubicula contained small altars or niches used for liturgical purposes. While not all gatherings were formal liturgies, they were regular meetings for fellowship, teaching, and worship. Decline of catacomb gatherings: With the Edict of Milan (313 CE) and the legalization of Christianity, catacombs gradually ceased to be the main worship sites. By the 5th century, most Christian burials moved above ground or into basilicas.

The  guided tour of the Catacombs of Domitilla allows you to enter the  largest Christian underground cemetery in Rome , with its 17 km of tunnels and corridors spread over four levels, for a total of 150,000 burials.

Located near the  Catacombs of San Callisto , on the Via Ardeatina, the  Catacombs of Domitilla  stand on the site of the ancient properties of the Flavian family, one of whose members, the consul Flavius ​​Clemens, had Christian sympathies and was therefore condemned to death by the Emperor Domitian. The catacombs' name derives from one of the family's members named  Flavia Domitilla , either the wife of Flavius ​​Clemens or the consul's niece, who, before her exile, made her possessions available to the Christians.

The  complex is also known as the Catacombs of Nereus and Achilleus , the most important martyrs buried here, two soldiers who were probably victims of  Diocletian's persecutions (304 AD). Their bodies were buried in the semi-underground basilica of the same name: a  grandiose apsidal hall built during the time of Pope Damasus (366-384), preceded by a narthex. The tomb of Saint Petronilla  is also located here.

In the 9th century, Pope Leo III transferred the relics of the martyrs to the church of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, near the  Baths of Caracalla , leading to the progressive abandonment of the catacombs, which were  rediscovered in the 16th century  and studied in the second half of the 19th century.

The investigations revealed a clear  lack of homogeneity in language ,  symbolism, and construction techniques , attributable to differences in wealth and construction period. Among the oldest nuclei is  the Flavian Hypogeum , built in the 2nd century AD as a private pagan hypogeum and converted in the 3rd century AD into a place of Christian burials,  decorated with scenes from the Holy Scriptures.

Ancient Pagan portion of Domitilla Catacombs, Rome

Ancient Christian Murals in the Domitilla Catacomb, Rome.

The  guided tour of the Catacombs of Domitilla  is a fascinating journey into the  underground world of a vast and complex complex , where we can discover the  most significant aspects of the life of the first Christian communities  through the decorations of the  stone fragments  and the  magnificent frescoes  that we can still admire today.

~Various Information Sources}}

After we got back from the hospital, Holland snoozed for a bit 🥱, & I used the leftover yarn from the other Day's Kitchen Towel Set design - to work up this over-sized "hand towel" 🧶📏✂️ to drape over dishes drip-drying in the sink … or over cooling breads:

MOD WIDE STRIPED DISHTOWEL~Pattern; Castle Rock-WA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/mod-wide-striped-dishtowelpattern.html)

***********************

September 12th: Holland was infused intravenously with several medications yesterday afternoon 🩺 … and a couple prescriptions were called in to the local pharmacy here, in Castle Rock-WA, to be picked up today 💊: I'm waving the Wife Card around and insisting that he actually goes to bed and sleeps so his body can start healing while the meds work through his system 🛌: he is conceding, for the most part - primarily because he's too weak to fight me on the issue 😉

While he slept, I checked my Blogger Friends' posts 💻🌐👭 while drinking my morning joy juice ☕️, Pat's post caught my attention: her Colorado yard seems to be a wildlife thoroughfare 🦌🐻

Holland & I have driven through portions of Colorado on different road gypsy ventures that took us that way - but I've not been able to actually view the landscape (1 drive was during a torrential summer storm & the other was around midnight, during a snow storm); so, I was surprised to see that Pat's landscape pictures 📸 of Colorado that looks similar to the landscape of WA State's gorge region - which I really like, and enjoy driving.

Holland has been to Colorado many times before we met, married, and began living on the road; his cousin Bruce lives in Colorado.

But, this morning's Colorado focus, was Pat's exciting life adventure 😊

Mille Fiori Favoriti – It's Been a Bear Filled Summer!: (https://millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/2026/08/its-been-bear-filled-summer.html)

Her previous wildlife post, was a mama deer & her twin fawns:

Mille Fiori Favoriti – Twin Deer Fawns Were Born in My Yard Last Week!: (https://millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/2026/06/twin-deer-fawns-were-born-in-my-yard.html)

Coffee finished, my laptop was shut down & the prescriptions were retrieved from Castle Rock; & handed to Holland.

Then, I made a cup of fragrant tea 🍵, turned up my favorite messianic playlist 💻🎶 (I've been listening to Joel's music since 1979; Bob took me to his concert, when he was visiting a local Messianic Fellowship in 2012) & to the backbeat of raindrops on Independence's roof 💧 - settled into the latest Fargo adventure to the last page 📕

Bigelow Tea~Seasonal Flavored black tea, pumpkin, cinnamon, licorice root, clove, ginger, & soy lecithin

LAMB-JOEL CHERNOFF MUSIC PLAYLIST THE OFFICIAL CHANNEL- MESSIANIC JEWISH MUSIC: (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvWZ3tkpPVFusfVue5kHqSUWSKpkeIwQi)

Cussler-Fargo  Adventure Novel, following the trail of Attila The Hun treasure.

The Fargos go back home to La Jolla-CA from Rome, Italy

Zoltan springs into action & saves Remi's life.

Fargo home under siege - challenge was accepted.

The unscrupulous thugs were trumped.

Rosh Hashanah רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, also known as the Feast of Trumpets: I love the sound of the shofar 📯, and have been missing the (Teruah) blasts, proclaiming that the King is coming soon! The sound of the shofar שׁוֹפָר calls us to repentance, renewal, and hope in Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ, our Redeemer and King.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS 2026 🔥 Powerful Shofar Blowing | Rosh Hashanah 5787: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNwPed2fRtM)

Keep me different, Lord.

Establish me solidly in Your ways, Lord.

Take Me In, To The Holy of Holies:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuziDS_4EBI&list=RDJuziDS_4EBI&start_radio=1)

By Your grace, Father, plant my feet firmly on the straight & narrow - steering me forward, blinded to the left or the right.

Hold me by Your might.

Assure my flighty heart that though I walk Earth alone in my difference … I am never truly alone: You, Abba, are always with me in my Life's Journey.

THE UNEDITED VERSION~Rosh Hashanah 2026; Castle Rock-WA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-unedited-versionrosh-hashanah-2026.html)

The Tombs #1~September 1, 2026 - TENINO & ATTILA~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/tenino-attilaself-care-2026-castle-rock.html

The Tombs #2~September 2, 2026 -  RELAXING TO THE RHYTHM OF THE RAIN; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/relaxing-to-rhythm-of-rain-castle-rock.html

The Tombs #3~September 4, 2026 - UNEXPECTED; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/unexpected-castle-rock-wa.html

The Tombs #4~September 10, 2026 - BE PATIENT~Wonderland Complex Fires; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/be-patientwonderland-complex-fires.html

SAYING NO OUT LOUD IS HEALING~Self-care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

In my youthful years - and even the first 2 years of my 1st marriage - I would have occasional eczema outbreaks; the angry rash during those first 2 years of married life was the worst. Bob took me to a skin specialist, who diagnosed me - then explained to Bob that the rash was due to unexpressed emotional upheaval, & that I needed to be able to express myself more freely. The rash was not due to anything Bob was doing - or not doing: it was the direct result of childhood trauma fallouts from a highly dysfunctional family background. I had learned that it was safest to stay quiet & unseen. When I married Bob - he came with his own dysfunctional childhood traumas & a messy divorce. He had visitation rights, and a crazy ex-wife to deal with. Our marriage was good - but I was a teenage bride, who in 9 months from our "I Do's" … added a new life to the population count. I was internalizing a lot, to keep peace in my life; and in our home.

The doctor explained very carefully to Bob that I would need the freedom to be able to open up and express myself. Bob was a good man - he gave me free rein to express, and the rash went away. I kept expressing myself, to the chagrin of overbearing family members, relatives, and children. But Bob understood - and that's all that mattered.

"No" became a standard: I no longer faded into the background to be ignored or bullied. I no longer silenced my voice. I no longer tailored my responses, or replies, to fit someone else's narrative of how my life was to be lived - or accepted. I became "difficult!" for self-centered people to handle. I shouldered the "hateful person!" accusation hurled at me from narcisstic egos - I knew I wasn't hateful … I just was no longer going to "go with the flow" when the flow was foul; I was not going to be forced to accept what was unacceptable to me.

And I'm still standing that ground.

"No" is a complete sentence that does not need to be explained. To anyone. For any reason. "No" is a necessary line in the sand - it is not a dare: it is a healthy boundary for a well-balanced life.

"No" is vital, important, self-care.

*************************

It is a scientific fact, rather than a theory, about why the most giving, most self-sacrificing, never-say-no people so often end up with their bodies breaking down.

The simply - and a little terrifyingly fact - is that when you spend a lifetime unable to say no, even with your words, eventually your body says it for you.

1) The mind and body were never separate.

We were raised to treat them as two different departments - the emotional stuff over here, the physical stuff over there - but well-being studies dismantle that mindset, completely. Your nervous system, your hormones, your immune system, and your emotions are one single conversation. What happens in your feelings happens in your cells. Once you really absorb that, you can't go back to thinking of stress as "just in your head."

2) Suppressed emotion doesn't disappear; it goes underground.

The anger you swallow, the exhaustion you override, the needs you ignore - none of it evaporates: it settles into the body and quietly accumulates, sometimes for decades, before it ever shows up as a symptom. The people who "never let anything bother them" aren't processing the stress. They're storing it … and eventually, it will raise it's head and show itself in unexpected physical form.

3) Anger is a boundary, and so is your immune system.

Studies show that anger and your immune defenses do the same job - they both protect your edges, they both say this far and no further. So when you spend a life refusing to feel anger, refusing to defend your own boundaries, your immune system can lose the thread too.

Sometimes it stops defending you. Sometimes, in autoimmune disease, it turns and attacks the body it was built to protect.

4) Saying no is not selfish. It might be survival.

The relentless caretakers, the ones who put everyone first and cannot register their own needs - become the sickest patients. The best prescription doesn't come from a doctor's notepad to a pharmaceutical outlet … it comes from learning to feel your own feelings, honor your own limits, and say no out loud. Not as an indulgence. As medicine.

Disease is never one single thing: hidden, chronic emotional stress is a real risk factor we've been trained to ignore, and tending to it is not weakness. It's part of healing.

A TENDER SHABBAT EVE~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

Slow morning.

Slow Day.

Perfect Shabbat Eve vibes 😊✡️☝️ ✝️

Workout followed my coffee hour:

Muscles Worked

Bodyweight Side Stretch~5 ct EA side, x5

Bodyweight Standing Wring The Towel~5 CT ea side, x5

Chair-Assist Hip Flexor Stretch~5 ct. EA leg, x5

Standing Backside Leg Swing~Aim for 10 reps EA Leg, x2

Standing Side Leg Lifts~10 reps EA side x2

The Darebee Moxie Workout is part of Darebee’s broader Workouts for Seniors collection, which is designed for people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. These programs focus on strength, bone health, balance, and joint care using bodyweight exercises, with no special equipment needed. The key principles are: Low-impact, bodyweight training to maintain muscle and bone without overloading joints. Consistency over intensity - shorter, daily sessions are safer and more effective than long, infrequent workouts. Good form and breathing are emphasized to prevent injury. Support available - having a sturdy chair or wall nearby during balance work is recommended.

For a 70-year-old (which I am, if conception date gets figured into the equation), the safety of any workout depends on current health status, mobility, and any medical conditions. Darebee’s senior programs are built to be accessible, but they are not a substitute for medical advice. Before starting, especially if you have balance issues, heart conditions, joint problems, or recent injuries, it’s important to: Consult your healthcare provider to ensure the workout is appropriate for your condition. Start with light. Modify or skip exercises that cause pain or discomfort. Use proper form … and stop if you feel dizzy, unsteady, or in pain.

Lunge Punches~Aim for 10 reps EA side, x2

ALTERNATIVE - Bodyweight Punch-Step Forward~Aim for 10 reps EA side, x2

ALTERNATIVE - Reverse Lunges~Aim for 10 reps EA side, x2

Side Punches~Aim for 10 reps EA side,  x2

Knee Cross To Elbow exercise~Aim for 10 reps EA side, x2

Squat Hold Side Bends~AIm fo 10 EA side, x2

Duration of Warm Up & Workout

Bodyweight Glute Stepup~In & Out of Betsy x6

Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise~x10

And a celebratory meal in the evening. When I asked what we were celebrating … he said, "That you agreed to marry me & never gave up. Let's let someone else cook for you, tonight - how about a Garlic Chicken Pizza?"

He really is a romantic man, who can be very tender hearted, when he wants to be 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🍕🍷

I'm feeling a definite Shabbat Evening blessing 😊