|
|
| Friday, 26-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share |  | Bookmark |
|
DUST IF YOU MUST
|
 |
|
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
|
|
 |
|
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
|
|
 |
|
music to hear and books to read,
|
| | View all 4 photos... |
|
I just received this from my freshly retired friend, Hedy, who scatters Aloha wherever she goes. I'm happy that she's not frittering away any of her newly found free time with mindless cleaning.
This struck a chord, as I like my world neat, clean and uncluttered. Although I would never spent eight hours of my precious weekend time cleaning, I spend at least those many hours, spread out across the weekdays, cleaning, doing the laundry, organizing, picking up and straightening.
I need a robot -- or at least a Roomba -- for Christmas. Until then, I shall take Hedy's e-mail message to heart and write "I love you" on the furniture. Our house is a home.
DUST IF YOU MUST
"A house becomes a home when you can write "I love you" on the furniture."
I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING! I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect -"in case someone came over." Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and a life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go -- and go you must -- you, yourself will make more dust!
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.
Share this with all the wonderful women in your life!
I JUST DID.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sunday, 21-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Photo Challenge 16 : Poetry
|
 |
|
'"There is a garden in every childhood,
|
|
 |
|
where colors are brighter, the air softer,
|
|
 |
|
and the morning more fragrant than ever."
|
|
|
Go to the Community forum for more entries.
I visited a daffodil garden a year ago. So taken by them was I, that I was moved to anonymously create a web site that honors the kind people who created and nurtured this garden in the mountains of Southern California.
The photos above are my favorites from that visit. If you wish to see the garden and go on a virtual tour, here's the web site:
http://www.geocities.com/thedaffodilgarden/
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, 20-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Photo Challenge 14: ALL ALONE
|
 |
|
To be alone is to be different, to be different is to be alone.
|
|
|
My photo challenge entry for ALL ALONE:
Taking a walk along the lake, I saw this sight: three white pelicans together and one all alone...
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Friday, 19-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Synchronicity! St. Joseph's Day
|
 |
|
St. Joseph, pray for us.
|
|
 |
|
Bring this matter to a happy end if it be for the glory of God
|
|
 |
|
and the good of our souls. Amen.
|
|
|
While researching contractor law, I followed a labyrinth of links and somehow landed on a site about St. Joseph and his assistance in selling houses: http://www.josephsaint.freeserve.co.uk/House.HTM, then on to another site with this prayer:
Unfailing Petition to St. Joseph....Holy St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary, be mindful of me, pray for me, watch over me. Guardian of the paradise of the new Adam provide for my temporal wants. Faithful guardian of the most precious of all treasures, I beseech thee to bring this matter (mention your request) to a happy end if it be for the glory of God and the good of my soul. Amen.
Other than being Mary's husband and Jesus' earthly father and the namesake of the Catholic high school in Hilo, Hawai'i, my knowledge of St. Joseph was non-existent. So I googled St. Joseph and read that St. Joseph has been honored on March 19 for a thousand years, since the 10th century.
March 19 is TODAY!
Coincidence? Or is it synchronicity, the `meaningful coincidences' in life that nudge me in certain directions? Is this another manifestation of "the Lord working in mysterious ways"?
>> St. Joseph, a righteous man
>> Prayer: Saint Joseph, watch over us as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect us and guide us as you did with your adopted son. Amen
>> Intercessory Prayer
>> More on St. Joseph.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thursday, 18-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
LET'S LAUGH DAY
|
 |
|
Let's Laugh Day
|
|
|
    
I come from a family that laughs quietly, so I too laughed quietly. That is, until I met T, who two years later became my husband. He laughs out loud. So does my friend, Fe. She laughs with her whole being. Her peals of laughter bring cheer to all in earshot, lifting spirits wherever she goes.
Learning to laugh out loud from my husband and friend, I find that doing so is not only good for the soul, it's good medicine. With a good laugh, stresses and tension melt away and I feel a whole lot better. Click here to read up on the benefits of laughter.
This morning, this made me laugh aloud:
 IF ONLY LIFE WERE LIKE A COMPUTER:
If you mess up, "Ctrl, Alt, Delete" and start over!
If someone's being a pain in your tush, click "Delete".
To get your daily exercise, you just click "Run"!
When you lose your car keys or your mind, you click "Find".
"Help" with life's problems and predicaments is just a click away.
To feel like a brand-new person, you click "Refresh".
What made you laugh today?
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 17-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Irish Greetings!
|
 |
|
Happy St. Patrick's Day! *
|
|
 |
|
After a lo-o-o-ong day at the office, we stopped in at TGIF's...
|
|
 |
|
for some ice cold green beer that hit the spot. Cheers!
|
| | View all 4 photos... |
|
Top of the mornin' to you.....(and the rest of the day to 'me self!)
"�ireann go Brách!" or as spelled in English, Erin go Braugh! It means "Ireland Eternally". For me there is much truth in that saying. I am not Irish, but I am inclined to believe that I once lead a happy life as an Irish person for the love of Ireland and all things Irish have remained etched in my heart, eternally.
I love Irish toasts, jokes, sayings and blessings ((OK, and curses, too!). I am not a Catholic, but I love the patron saint, St. Patrick, who wasn't born Irish either, but brought over as a slave. I love Irish earthiness.
May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door!
Interchanging it with my Chinese phoenix ring from my mother-in-law, I most often wear an Irish claddagh ring (on the right hand, crown out and heart in, which means the lass is spoken for), a gift from my girls.
The Claddagh Ring: In the center is a crowned heart, supported by two open hands, symbolising that â??Love, loyalty and friendship reign supreme.â??
I love Irish pubs and green beer. 
Since childhood, I'm always on the lookout for four-leaf clovers; the Irish call them shamrocks. My friend Kalena gifted me with a field of them this week (see picture) that I thought I'd share with you. I learned the significance of each leaf from her: one for Faith, one for Hope, one for Love and one for Luck.
I pass these on to you with an Irish friendship wish:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the rain fall softly upon your fields.
And the sun shine warm upon your face.
May there always be work for you to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Now.................Make a wish!
* Photo from my friend, Kalena.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 16-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Desktop
|
|
"It tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again."
Laki, you are missed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 9-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Photo Challenge 15: The Elements
|
 |
|
The Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal & Water
|
|
|
Checking out Asian-themed furnishings at Marukai (Southern California store for all things Japanese), I found these five elements and remembered this photo challenge. I arranged them in a beneficial, productive sequence, according to Feng Shui principles:
Wood feeds Fire; Fire produces Earth, Earth yields Metal, Metal produces Water (by condensation), Water nourishes Wood.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese method of creating a harmonious environment. Literally, the phrase means "wind and water" and the method aims to promote prosperity, good health, and general well being by balancing the elements and examining how energy flows through a particular room, house, building, or garden. As acupuncture "fixes" the energy imbalances of the body, Feng Shui "fixes" the elemental imbalances of the environment.
Go here for more photo entries on this theme: The Elements.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thursday, 4-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Ripples: A Visit from a Monk
|
|
Peace
My friend, Kalena, sent me an e-mail on Ripples. It is here. It provoked the following musings:
SS visits me once a year. His presence invokes in me a sense of peace. Yearly, he gifts me with his peace. From him, peace ripples forth. I think of him as a Buddhist monk in engineer clothing.
We are both inwardly spiritual people. Neither of us are religious in the traditional sense. Like the Dalai Lama, he neither proselytizes, nor promotes a specific creed. We may have different faith orientations, but have many commonalities. We believe in patience, generosity, compassion, nonviolence, empathy, and thought for the other person.
We share a common, present-moment goal: to be good human beings who strive to be "free, boundless, happy, and full of wisdom and natural purpose."
After our ostensible reason for coming together was cared for, I shared with him how my peace had been disturbed at the close of last year. Two people in our trusted circle had come forward to reveal the covert acts of two others. Brought to light, one promptly confessed to the misappropriations and more; and the other, admitted to their cover up. The authorities were called in and are working on the case.
Since, I have sought out answers to the "Why?" question. Was the motivating factor drug use? I gave myself a "crash course" by reading up on it. Words like Crystal, Ice, Meth, Coke and "prescription drugs abuse have new meaning for me. The signs and symptoms seemed to fit. The addicted often resort to criminal acts to get the money for the "fix," including from family and friends.
Acting from compassion, I had opened the door for both to enter our lives. In the years that followed, I believed that we had built solid relationships based on dignity, respect, honesty and trust. Each of us in our circle opened our hearts. As Judas betrayed Jesus, we felt betrayed. Our hearts were trampled.
Such covert acts kill friendships. "Stuff" is replaceable. Trust, essential to friendship, is not. Since, I have gone through the classic stages of accepting a death. Shock. Anger. Grief. Acceptance. Speaking to SS, I had not yet fully regained my peace. >> Surviving Your Crises, Reviving Your Dreams
Then SS shared that in the last two weeks, he too had been challenged. Someone had greatly wronged him. He confronted that person with the wrongdoing. In return, that person then falsely accused him of wrongdoing and filed a claim against him! He was in the midst of going through a whole process to defend himself, when she came to her senses, perhaps realizing fraudulent accusations come with serious penalties, and retracted her complaint. He understood my feelings, as he had just been through the gamut, himself.
Two weeks later, he has managed to return to his peace. No maybes, here. I felt his peace radiating to me. I realized that my lesson is to return to my peace faster, no matter what life throws me. I was being inspired.
Today, I fully realize that the wrongful acts by these two people were against themselves. I feel sad that they are not observing the dictum, "As you sow, so shall ye reap" (karma), and its effects and are thus creating the cause for their own suffering.
The rest in our circle remain ethical and optimistic. We have moved on in a positive direction. And in fact, two more were added to our circle based on their demonstrated qualifications, abilities and strengths. From all of this, we are already reaping the benefits of the lessons learned by this experience. The lessons have helped us become better people.
For me, it has strengthened my commitment to ethical behavior. I will more mindfully follow the examples of ethical living: The Christ. The Buddha. Mother Teresa, Terry Anderson, and SS. I do not condone their hurtful acts, and I have placed the determination of retribution in the hands of the legal system.
As a kinswoman, I will continue to love these two people unconditionally. I have forgiven their troubled souls. My faith demands it, and I willingly do so.
In this life, SS and I have chosen to come back and place ourselves in a locale that challenges us to our utmost. A place that is fraught with metropolitan maladies of anxiety, competitiveness, insensitivity, and materialism: Los Angeles. No place is free of destructive emotions and the ten nonvirtues in our lives: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive talk, harsh speech, senseless chatter, covetousness, harmful intent, and wrong views, but life in the city is has far more than its share of anger and violence, compared to life in the country.
If we can return to our peace here, we can do it anywhere!
In this milieu, I will continue to practice forgiveness, peace, compassion, and empathy. I will reach out to others with love. With Aloha. While keeping my peace. This life is too precious and short to do anything less.
I am returning to my peace.
...
"We believe we are all
'sons and daughters'
of one God.
We believe
the same Spirit of God
that came to visibility in Jesus/Buddha
yearns for visible expression in us.
This is our common dignity
whatever race or creed,
whatever our place or time.
We long to see our common dignity
proclaimed
and celebrated by all religions.
We pray that the one Spirit all people share
may be given free and generous expression
for the betterment of humanity
and our world.
Amen."
~ Morwood
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 3-Mar-2004 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Questionnaire 1
|
|
My friend Kalena from Washington State sent this to me...
Copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you will send. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.
Don't be LAME... and spoil the fun. Do it. Inquiring minds want to know.
1. What time is it?
8:53 am
2. Name as it appears on your birth certificate:
DLH
3. Nickname(s):
Aunty, Aunty D, Sweetie Pie, Honey, Hon
4. Parents' names:
Andy and Mary
5). Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake:
51 (How the years do fly!)
6. Date that you regularly blow them out?
September 29
7. Pets:
`Oli and Freddy (Shelties)
8. Eye color:
Dark brown
9. Hair color:
Black with more and more silver strands (darn that snow on the roof)
10. Piercings:
Ears (1 set)
11. Tattoos:
None - my enthusiasms change over time to have something permanently etched. Imagine what I would have chosen when I was in my teens (old boyfriend's name or a teddy bear?) or twenties (peace sign?) that I'd now be stuck with for life
12. How much do you love your job?
I started to dislike it when I was working 60+ hours a week. (Burn-out) Now that I work less hours, my love for my work has returned. I especially love the people I serve and the people I work with. I dislike playing the boss role.
Now I enjoy my work more, because I've learned to balance my life with work, play, community service (giving back) and time to myself.
13. Favorite color/s:
Purple freak, here, even my `uli `uli are purple and white, and my toothbrush are purple.
14. Hometown:
The Puna district. Pahoa, Hawai`i
15. Current Residence:
Big Bear Lake and weekdays, LA suburb
16. Favorite food:
GREAT salads, Hawaiian, gau gee mein, char siu, occasional ribeye steak with onions, Uncle T's spaghetti.
17. Been to Africa?
No. Not on my To Do Before I Die list. Florence, Italy is.
18. Been toilet papering?
No. A waste of perfectly good TP. There are more constructive and imaginative ways to have fun.
19. Loved somebody so much it made you cry?
Yes, thank God.
20. Been in a car accident?
Yes. Car was totaled, but by some miracle the driver and I survived with only minor glass injuries. Wasn't our time to go.
21. Croutons or bacon bits?
Bacon bits, but not really. I like sunflower seeds or flaxseed meal sprinkled over my salad better.
22. Sprite or 7Up?
Neither. If you serve it, I'll be polite and drink either. Wanting to keep my bones healthy, I stay away from carbonation. I don't need or want the extra sugar.
23. Favorite Movie:
Too many! ALL my favorites are listed here: http://www.geocities.com/sptmbrmrn/favorites1.htm
24. Favorite Holiday:
Thanksgiving
25. Favorite day of the week:
Sunday
26. Favorite word or phrase:
Aloha
27. Favorite Toothpaste:
Crest Mint
28. Favorite Restaurant:
Sushi Ichiban (for mirugai, salmon/sake; natto temaki!)
29. Favorite Flowers:
Plumeria
30. Favorite Drink:
Water
31. Favorite sport to watch:
Ice Skating
32. Preferred type of ice cream:
CHERRIES JUBILEE!
33. Favorite Sesame Street Character:
(Never watched a single show, so don't know them)
34. Disney or Warner Bros.?
Disney
35. Favorite Fast Food Restaurant?
L&L Hawaiian BBQ, Hanayome and pho restaurants.
36. When was your last hospital visit?
Two years ago for CPR recertification.
37. What color is your bedroom carpet?
Beige with purple throw rugs.
38. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
None. But I've had it lapse twice and had to take the road test all over again in Hawai'i and California. I am not fond of driving.
39. Who is the last person you got email from before this?
BU
40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Borders or Barnes & Noble. (But the truth of the matter is, I wouldn't max out my credit card, as those interest rates are ridiculous!)
41. What do you do most often when you are bored?
Rarely am I bored -- but when I am, I read.
42. Name the person that you are friends with that lives the farthest away?
Puna & K (Maui) ; Wayne & Lynn (Honolulu); Claudia & Jeff (Oregon) and Kalena & Yoda (Washington)
43. Most annoying thing people ask me:
I must blank them out, as I can't remember a single annoying thing.
44. Bedtime:
If I'm working the next day, by 10-11 pm to get 8 hours sleep (a must for me) , so I get a full night's rest. If I'm not, ?
45. Who will respond the quickest?
Ed
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond?
T
47. Last person you went out to dinner with:
T to have Parents' Day dinner with Sue (best friend and mother of our godkids) and Samara (goddaughter) and Jonathan (god-son-in-law), Alana (goddaughter) and Jeremy (her boyfriend) and his sister. Stephanie, visiting from Fresno.
48. Last movie you saw:
Maid in Manhattan (cute, fluffy, chick flick)
49. Theater?
Yes, although I definitely enjoying watching rental DVDs and videos at home, too.
50. Time when you finished:
9:00 am
|
|
|
|
|
