Love Is Alive

     I woke up this morning and lay in bed thinking. 
     I thought about a verse, when I was a child I thought like a child, I spoke like a child, but when I grew up I put away childish things. then I thought of another verse, unless you become like little children, the thought being  that you should be like a child.
     I contemplated my own childhood, carefree. I climbed trees and swung from them on ropes. I traveled the paths in the woods by the streams picking flowers. I caught lightning bugs in jars and watched them light up under my bedcovers, then released them into the dark night. My play partners and I made our own home in the woods with an old table and chairs kindly donated by my mother.
     I dreamed--- I lay on my grandmother's lawn looking up at the blue sky with big puffy white clouds. My dream was about the world and everybody who lived in the world. In my mind everybody loved one another. They held hands, the love was palpable, I felt it with my whole childish heart. I had no concept of how big the world was, I was a child.
     Then I thought about the parents who will be without their children this Christmas because of the act of one person. We cannot comprehend why, but we hold compassion because of love. Then I thought of another verse, there are treasures in darkness. What are these treasures and where are they hidden?  They are hidden in the heroism of  a terrified teacher who hid her children to protect them. They are hidden in the outpouring of love and prayers that are sent to comfort those in grief. They are hidden in every heart where love abides.

What Is Love

Love is you
It's the way you say
I simply love it
And oh really, too
It's the sound of your voice
That makes my heart sing
It's the joy of your love
To which I cling
It's when you say,
You are my baby
And those miss calls
That make my day
Love is you
And who you are
Love is not distance
Near or far
And as I lay me
down to sleep
I look at the moon
Your love to keep

My Heart

     Man looks on the outward, but God sees the inward. How true, how many times does someone think they know what is in a person's heart. Nobody knows the struggles others have nor the burdens one bears. It's always good to have kindness and compassion for another for that person may be in great need for the one kind thing you may give to them. I remember awhile back I was at the grocery store and I smiled at a lady, she came up to me and said that it blessed her. I could have looked past her that day or have been so caught up in my own world, but I simply smiled at her. She saw something in my smile that blessed her. It serves to remind me that such small things in this life can bring joy, a kind word to someone when they need it, a smile, maybe opening a door or helping someone. Joy is contagious and when our hearts are full of it it reflects on the outward.
     I always want my heart to be tender and caring for others. To see beyond the outward and see the inward need. My prayer is that my heart would be so full of love that it would spill over and touch others, that I would be an encouragement to others and speak words in kindness. That I would have wisdom, wisdom is not having all the answers or speaking great mysteries, wisdom is knowing when to speak and what to say so that the words that proceed forth will be a blessing to another. That is my heart.
    

Lessons of Life

     I don't know how old I was when I first learned to swim, but I do remember the circumstances. My parents had decided to take a trip to Nashville Tennessee. My father played guitar and had a band, he always wanted to go to the Grand Ole Opry so off they went, they dumped my sister in Massachusetts with my aunt and uncle and left me in Maine with my grandmother. I decided I was going to climb one of the big maple trees. Everything was looking good as I made my way to the top of the tree. I climbed up and was nearing the top when I stepped on a branch that broke beneath my foot. Suddenly I was plunging downward, head first, towards the ground. My foot caught on the next to the last branch, if I had fallen and hit the ground I surely would have died, but I didn't, no I was hanging upside down in the tree screaming for help. My uncle who lived next door happened to be driving by, he stopped and pulled me out of the tree. Deciding that my grandmother was incapable of caring for me he took me with him for the week. He had rented a cottage at the lake, that was the week I learned how to swim. My uncle gave me some lessons in swimming. It was pretty much the happiest week of my childhood. I would get up at the crack of dawn and swim most of the day away.
     Swimming for me is a way of relieving stress. I go down to the railroad tracks and swim in the water there. Last year when I knew my Mother was slipping away and would die soon, I went to the railroad tracks alot. Nobody else goes there so I was always alone. I would swim and cry, mourning in my own way.
     Today I went there, burdened in my heart I found some solace and relief swimming by myself. As I swam I thought about how my Mom would take us to the beach as children. The place we went to had a small restaurant. We were too poor to afford to spend money on take out food so my mother would pack us a basket. She would make tuna sandwiches with cucumber cut up in it. To this day I make my tuna sandwich like my Mom did. We always spent the entire day at the beach, making our way home at suppertime. I really miss my Mother. I miss her brushing my hair back from my face, miss being able to talk to her. I miss her, I can't imagine what it would be like for a small child not to have their mother. I was fortunate, I know this, to have the mother I had, it saddens me to think of others not as fortunate. Some will never have what you take for granted  in this life. Appreciate it.

A Grievous Wound Is Hard To Bear

Words can be like swords and knives
Wounding the soul and bringing strife
For years I turned my face away
Not knowing it would haunt me one day
All of the hurtful words went deep inside
There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
A grievous wound is hard to bear
Into my heart it did tear
So many tears, so much grief
Then I met you, you brought relief
You brought joy into my soul
your love has touched me and made me whole.


     .

Mom and Dad

     June the 15th was the day my mother was born, She died last September. My father was born on January 2nd and passed away in December of 2003, 6 years and 2 months after he dad a stroke that left him in a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. My mother faithfully took care my Dad after his stroke. Yesterday on June 15th to commemorate my mother's birthday we gathered together and buried our parents. We each cut a locket of our hair and put it in the box with their ashes, then my brother put the box in the ground, covering it and sealing it with a stone that had been engraved with their names and the simple phrase, together forever.
     We never had alot of money growing up, my parents both worked hard, but never made alot of money. My Dad was generous, he was the type of a person who would give the shirt off from his back.  My father often invited someone over to have supper, but my mother never complained, she just cooked a little more.
     Every person has their own memories, but these are mine. Some memories of my father include him cutting my hair, he put a bowl on my head and cut around the edges, it was quite the haircut. I probably resembled the little Dutch boy. Dad tied a string around a loose tooth of mine then tied the other end of the string to the door handle, then proceeded to slam the door to remove that tooth, if my memory serves me correctly I do believe it worked.
     My mother usually did the grocery shopping, but on occasion my father went grocery shopping with us. He put all of the unnecessary items my mother would never buy in the cart, such as potato chips.
     My mother was so poor growing up that she would buy up extra canned goods, my Dad was a carpenter so this worked well, he built her alot of cupboards to store those canned goods in.
     My Dad always made comments about how beautiful my mother was, he was always trying to kiss her. My mother was quite modest and would say, "not in front of the children." But my Dad always managed to get that kiss.
     My mother was our main disciplinarian, but Dad stepped in now and then, especially if we dared to sass our mother. I remember putting on some makeup as a teenager and my mother told me to take it off, I refused. My father came up out of the chair he was sitting in and let me know that if I did not do what my mother requested the consequences were not going to be good for me. Needless to say, I took off the makeup.
      We never really took family vacations although occasionally we took family trips. One such trip we went to New Hampshire. Neither one of my parents read maps very well, not a good thing when you're driving and need that particular ability to get where you're going and home again. Well we did manage to get to our destination, but on the way home my father and brothers went to sleep in the back seat while I happily sat with my Mom in the front seat as she navigated the car. A couple of hours went by, my Dad woke up, we took a rest stop, but where were we? My mother was way off course, instead of being headed back towards Maine we were headed into the White mountains. Let's just say my father took over the rest of the drive home. I don't remember any yelling, but I do remember the map being torn up. I am laughing as I write this.
      If I could sum it all up I would say we were not a perfect family because there are no perfect people, but we were a family. I'll always remember my father cheering me on as I took my first bike ride, picking me up when I wiped out. I'll remember my mother taking care of me when I was ill. I'll remember my parents buying me books to read even though there wasn't much money. I'll remember my mother's encouragement to design and create things. I'll remember my father sitting and playing his guitar and showing me how to play. I'll remember all of the silly songs he made up. We buried our parents, but we didn't bury our memories.

Strength and Courage

     One of my favorite children's stories is the story of a rabbit. He is a stuffed animal who has been given to a little boy as a present. He lives in the nursery with other toys who have been there longer and are older and wiser. My favorite part of the book is when the rabbit asks the horse what it means to be real. The horse replies being real happens when you are loved, really, really loved. Everybody knows that when a child carries around a favorite stuffed animal that toy can get pretty ragged. But the child doesn't care how ragged the toy is because he loves that toy and gets comfort from carrying that toy.
     The horse goes on to elaborate that to the rabbit. The one who loves you makes you real and even though you may get ragged and maybe not be so attractive outwardly you will always be beautiful to the one who made you real.
     The rabbit has a deep yearning in his heart to be real. The story goes on to tell of the boy getting very sick, the toys are tossed out. As the rabbit lays there awaiting his fate he cries. The tear falls to the ground and a flower grows. Out of the flower comes a fairy, she grants the rabbit's wish and his deepest yearning becomes true. He is real, he can move just like the real rabbits. One day the bunny hops back, the little boy sees him and thinks, he looks like my old bunny, the one that he loved so dearly.
     The transformation to being real started before his wish was ever granted. It starts in the heart in the one who dares to love. Love is a scary proposition. When you love someone you open yourself up to being hurt. There is a saying that being loved deeply gives you strength, loving someone deeply gives you courage. In our culture it is perpetrated that a man is not a man if he weeps. But nothing could be further from the truth. Tears are not a sign of weakness, but of strength, strength that dares to love and risk everything. When you love someone you dare to give your heart to them, it takes great courage to do that. Strength and courage go hand in hand, love is the strength behind courage, it fuels courage, giving one the ability to take the risk to be real.
   

Tender Is The Heart

Tender is the heart
That beats with love
Sweetest devotion
To ever know of

Tears fall from
A heart of gratitude
To be so blessed
Where love has wooed

My heart is yours
And yours is mine
Joined as one together
 For all time

The Karate Kid and my Uncle, Forrest Sanborn

                                                            my uncle, Forrest Sanborn
    
      I decided to watch The Karate Kid today after having had a recent conversation with a friend of mine about this movie. His enthusiasm about this movie inspired me to really watch this movie and observe the details. I am enclosing a photo of my uncle, Forrest Sanborn with a bit of information about him. You see my uncle was a karate instructor as well as being a respected member of the Braintree police department in Massachusetts. My uncle was one of the most calm men I knew, even when he got upset over something he never raised his voice. Perhaps part of the discipline he learned was through his own study of karate. For the heck of it I googled his name and found this letter referencing my uncle, who is deceased.  

Bill,
Shimabukuro Sensei, in my view, performed this kata with effortless grace. I think the video was taken in Atlanta at the 2001 Rengokai. Perhaps you were there? Were there pauses during the performance? Yes. I do not know the kata well enough to determine whether the pauses were done for emphasis, demonstration or some other reason. I do find Shimabukuro's execution to be nearly flawless.

Those who are more familiar with Kushanku may have other things to say about the performance.

On another point, neither I nor any of the other board members of Okikukai West inclusive of Goss Sensei teach mindless execution. Neither have any of my former instructors including Ahti Kaend (dec'd), Jack Summers, Forrest Sanborn (dec'd), Carmine DiRamio (dec'd). All of these men sought to bring out the best in their students by instilling discipline, respect and "mindful" repetition.

All the best,

Mike DeDonato
Uechi-ryu of Los Angeles
uechi-la@ca.rr.com
310 710-6334

  
     Anyway, on to the movie. It is the story of an underdog, the kind of story everyone loves because you always root for the underdog to win. The underdog in this case is Daniel LaRusso, a young man who moves with his mother from New Jersey to Raceda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. The apartment complex they live in is not that great, but Daniel will find a friend in the apartment handyman, Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi is an Okinawan immigrant. He fixes Daniel's bicycle after Daniel smashes it into the dumpster, then Mr. Miyagi intervenes when a gang of boys try to beat Daniel up. Mr. Miyagi becomes Daniel's mentor, teaching him karate. He gives Daniel a wise piece of advice, telling him karate comes from the head and the heart, not the belt you are wearing. Through their time spent together Daniel finds out Mr. Miyagi's wife and son had died during childbirth while she was interned at Manzanar, a Japanese/American internment camp in California. She died there while Mr. Miyagi was serving the very same country that imprisoned his wife. A service that wins Mr. Miyagi a medal of honor. In a touching moment Daniel bows in respect to Mr. Miyagi after he realizes this sorrow from his friend's life. Daniel really becomes a surrogate son to Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Miyagi becomes the father Daniel is lacking.
     Mr. Miyagi gives Daniel a beautiful 1950 Chevrolet convertible as a birthday present. Daniel uses the car to go pick up the girl he loves, a girl he has courted through the entire movie and wrongly judged. Just an interesting fact is that Ralph Macchio, the actor who played Daniel, now owns that car.
     As the movie winds down to the fnal scene, the karate tournament, Daniel's mother, his girlfriend, Ali and Mr. Miyagi cheer Daniel on. When things look the bleakest Daniel pulls through to the end, determined to win, just as much for those he loves as for himself. It is their love, encouragement and help that spur him on to win. And win he does, using one of Mr. Miyagi's own poses to win with. As the final scene closes you see Mr. Miyagi's face, smiling with happiness over Daniel's victory. This is a true movie of the heart.

What The Heart Craves

     My profession is working with children. I have been doing it for quite awhile. I was contemplating today as I am wont to do about how each of us start in this life. First we are born of course, I was thinking of how each child is born with hope. The hope that they will be loved. A baby is helpless, dependant on the adults in their life to take care of them. I currently am working with babies and one of my most favorite things to do is feeding the baby. This is pure one on one time, eye connection. Babies are so guileless they do not avert their gazes. They look at you full on, right into your eyes. When I look at their faces, their eyes, I see trust. They trust me to take care of them, a responsibility I do not take lightly. It is more than feeding them or changing their diapers, it is loving them. Some days can be very trying when they have those days of constant fussing because they are cutting their teeth or don't feel quite up to par because they have a cold. They trust me and I want to meet that trust and let them know they are special, precious, unique. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs a person needs to have basic needs met before they can advance on to the next level, then as each need is met you advance on until you reach self actualization. That is the ability to create, be spontaneous, problem solve. I agree with Maslow, you do need your basic needs met, but I don't think any of these things can be separated and that everything stems from love.
      Love in its purest form never takes self into consideration but always looks outward. Always cares about others. Always sees beyond the outward manifestation.  Foe instance one day a child put herself in a dangerous situation where she might have gotten hurt. When I asked her to get down, she defiantly look at me and said, "You're not my mother."  Rather than get upset by her sassiness I merely said, "I know I'm not your mother, but I am here to keep you safe." She looked at me, tears filled her eyes and she said, "My mother left me." It was all I could do to keep from crying myself. I simply put my arms around her and hugged her. What could I say. I wanted to impart love to her. Love is what she needed.
     Love is what the heart craves. To know you are precious, accepted just as you are, with no judgment. The Beatles sang it in all you need is love, love is all you need. It is true, love is all you need.
     I have been going through a struggle in my own heart lately. Love brings me back to where I need to be, to look outward, to care about that which is truly important. Love makes things right for me. Love reminds me I am precious, accepted as I am in my weaknesses. Love reminds me where my heart needs to be, to care about others more than myself.

What Of

What of the heart
My soul did sing
Tenderness and sweetness
Of love did bring

What of the soul
My heart did say
Therein lies the depth
Of true love's way

What of the spirit
Heart and soul combined
Therein will I rest
Ceaseless existence of time

Love Bears All

In silence love will find me
In the quietness
Of your arms
Love is what I see
No words needed
In moments like these
Two souls are joined
Love seeks to please
Love bears all
And quietly speaks
Our hands touch
Love is all we seek.

My Friend Chris

This is a note I wrote on my Facebook. It is the story of how I became friends with one of the coolest people I have ever known. I hope my friend doesn't mind me sharing this on my blog, There's an important message here and it is that two people who are seemingly different are friends. We have a tendency as humans to judge others and label them and I think it's important to go beyond that and really get to know someone. After all, I almost let the thought that Chris and I were so different that he  wouldn't want to be my friend wreck what became a friendship. I would have been robbed of knowing this wonderful person that I call my friend. Thank you Chris for being my friend
 April 20, 2011---.I began to think about this today and knew I needed to write this. This is the story of how Chris and I became friends.
I didn't even know Chris existed until about 4 months ago.
I went on Jane Fonda's page and posted a comment. Chris responded with a comment. We had interaction on JF's page for about a week or two. I have to interject this right now, Chris and I are as different as night and day, he is a liberal, I am a conservative. But that didn't stop us from becoming friends. I began to have a strong urge to send Chris a friend request, But I thought, no, we are too different, he would not want to be friends with me. Then one night I was online and posted on JF's page, Chris responded. I told him I wanted to send him a friend request, but figured he wouldn't want to be friends, he told me he would happily accept my friend request then proceeded to send me a friend request which I accepted.
I began to get to know this friend of mine. One of the first things he said to me was, "you get to see my pictures now." I did look through his pictures, he had some fabulous pictures. He is a born photographer, he had some great pictures of a trip to Europe he had made. And he had other pictures, there was one picture of him laying down on the floor with his legs bent under him playing the guitar, I asked him if this was guitar yoga, he said," yeah, I like to snap a string when I'm done playing, it makes me feel like a badass." Chris has an incredibly funny sense of humor, he is very smart and witty.
When I first came on FB I didn't post any pictures of myself. Pictures of me are, well there is no other way to say this, crappy. I did finally post a couple of my high school pictures, one of them was me with braids. Chris called me Wendy, I said, "who's Wendy?" he said, "You know Wendy from the hamburger place." Being a smartass I went and searched for pictures of Wendy, the real Wendy. I posted it as my profile pic. He loved it, I made smart ass comments like, does this mean I have to learn how to cook square hamburgers and attention, all people who live in my house we are having square hamburgers for supper tomorrow night. He thought that was hilarious. In one of his posts one day he complained about eating too much pasta, I posted the picture of Wendy on his page the next day and told him to stay away from pasta and go have a square hamburger. He thought that was funny. When I finally got up enough courage to post a current picture of me his comment was , you're beautiful, kindness radiates from your face. Writing it makes tears come to my eyes because when you're friends with someone it's the inner person that counts.
You see I had a mistaken idea that I was supposed to be friends with Chris so I could bless him, pretty arrogant, huh, but as it turns out he is the one who blessed me. I began to really see for the first time it doesn't matter if you're a liberal or a conservative, all that really matters is love. People don't have to see eye to eye to care about one another. It seems in this country we have become more divided by what we think politically and made that more important than loving one another. Real change comes when a heart is changed and having Chris for my friend has changed my heart.

Breath

As close as two can be
I inhale the fragrance of you to me
Our breath mingles together
Yours touches my skin as soft as a feather
My heart wells up with love
As I behold you
There is no one else on earth
Save we two
We are lost in eternal bliss
As our lips touch in first kiss.
And ever more it shall be
My breath to you
And your breath to me.

Who I Am

     In this world everyone defines themselves by who or what they identify with. I wrote something on my Facebook as my statement, no words can capture the essence of the soul. I truly believe that, there is no one like you or no one like me.
     But there is One that I identify myself with and that is God. I am a Christian, a born again Christian. I believe with all of my heart. In this world it is not a very popular thing to be. One can understand why in some ways when you see how those who claim to believe act. I am not talking about doing things that are wrong, I am talking about the hateful way they treat others, some going so far as to tell others that God hates them. My Bible says God is love, how can love hate, it is the complete opposite of who God is.
     If there was anyone who didn't fit in with the establishment it was Jesus. he was different and He blew alot of people's minds with His words. They couldn't understand or comprehend Him, it was because they were trying to do it in a worldly way. You can't put God in a box, He's far too big and believe me He's not a pie in the sky that watches you from some distant plain. He lives breathes and moves in love. He is spirit that cannot be contained.
     I always loved what C.S. Lewis said when he was asked about prayer. He said it is like a fountain that wells up inside of my soul and pours forth. It is not some dead ritual of praying so many times a day with ritualistic words, it also is alive. It wells inside of me with a longing accompanying it. It is without words sometimes, it is fueled from a well of love deep within me. Many times if not always tears flow when I pray. They are my fountain that pours forth. The Bible says God bottles our tears, I reckon I have alot of bottles stored away.
     I want to tell you this, if you have ever known a Christian who told you that God didn't love you, they were wrong. I can absolutely say with all certainty that you are loved, precious and special.
     Many times I like to include a song with my blog entry. He makes beautiful things. Don't ever forget that you are beautiful.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0
 

The Artist, A Night At The Movies

IN THE BEGINNING...

The Strand Theatre was built by Rockland businessman Joseph Dondis during a six-week period in the winter of 1922–1923. The Strand was also the first building to rise from the ashes of the fire of June 16, 1922, which destroyed four entire business blocks in downtown Rockland.
The Strand first opened its doors to the public on February 21, 1923 (Washington's Birthday) for a sold-out showing of the silent film My Wild Irish Rose.
The steel-framed theatre, with its terracotta tile walls, and ornamental brick facade was considered unusual and innovative in its appearance. The theatre also boasted a gilded proscenium arch and stamped tin ceiling, jade green plaster walls, an organist loft and an auditorium seating 626. Outside was a traditional Vaudeville style canopy and a stunning "blade" sign with the word S-T-R-A-N-D outlined with electric light bulbs. Two storefronts, a cigar store and a flower shop, were incorporated into the theatre framing the entrance.

The Strand was Rockland's third downtown theatre (the others being the Park & the Empire). However, to compete with the already-established Park and Empire theatres, Mr. Dondis later added a stage, fly tower, and balcony to The Strand to accommodate local dance recitals, theatrical productions, and popular vaudeville shows. The Strand also hosted many fundraising events for local clubs and organizations.

Today, the Strand is the only survivor of the three movie theatres that served the Rockland area in the 1920s.

 

      How can I express my excitement over seeing this wonderful movie, The Artist. I happened to go to youtube today and see my friend Chris' video review of this movie. Chris really turned me on to watching silent movies, he is an enthusiastic Rudolph Valentino fan. From the first Valentino movie I watched, Beyond the Rocks, I was hooked. Thank you Chris.
     In checking with the Strand I found out this movie was playing. I had been longing to see it and was quite pleased.
     This movie did not disappoint, it was far more than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. It is the story of a silent film star, George Valentin, who refuses to accept the changes of the movies from silent to talkies. In the beginning of the movie he is quite a successful man at the peak of his career. In walks Peppy Miller, a beautiful young woman longing to make it in the business of acting. She is in the crowd of fans when she first meets George. She boldly gives George a kiss on the cheek and the picture makes the headlines. Later on she auditions for a dance part in his movie. She is chosen, but it would seem she might not be included until George steps up and makes sure she is. Peppy is attracted to George, but George is married so nothing can come of this.  They go on their separate ways and the roles reverse, because of George's stubborness and pride his life begins to slide downhill as Peppy's star climbs higher and shines brighter. Yet Peppy never forgets George, she cannot forget him because she loves him. As everyone deserts George, including his wife, despair sets in, he no longer has his success or fame, but there is one thing he has that he doesn't even know, Peppy's love.
     My heart rooted for the love these two individuals had, tears fell from my eyes as Peppy longed for George, but did that which was right. Their feelings were so palpable I found myself lost in this movie, it truly overwhelmed my heart. Love does indeed conquer all. The talkies have nothing on the silent movies, for more is said with one look than a thousand words. This movie spoke volumes to my heart without a word being uttered.
     A link to one of the songs from the movie, I hope you enjoy it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUEPoXhf8WY&feature=related

Eating a Tangerine

     As I peel the skin away from the fruit the scent rises and hits my nostrils. I inhale deeply taking in the clean fresh smell. I rub the peel on my skin wanting to hold the fragrance.
     I break off a section of the fruit and raise it up to my mouth, feeling the firmness of the skin brush against my lips as I open my mouth to take a bite. I bite down, the flesh of the skin gives way, the sweetness bursts inside my mouth and the juice is released. I savor its goodness. I eat each segment savoring them. When I am done my lips are swollen and throbbing from the juice that laid its deposit. I lick my lips to ease the throbbing and taste the remnants that the fruit has left behind. This is eating a tangerine.

The State of Being

     The state of being is my favorite term for those moments when there are no words but everything is being communicated.
     I think I first realized this some years ago when I was still new in the field of early education. I knew absolutely nothing about how why children did things, but I had something that went beyond knowledge, it was love. Children sense those things, they know when you love them.
     There was one particular child who would wake up from nap before all the others. I would sit and hold her, just hold her. No words were necessary. Later on I would take a job at another agency. It was very difficult leaving the little ones I had cared for. My supervisor told me that after I left this little girl that I held every day piped up one day and said, "We miss Juanita and she misses us."
     Children are so honest in their feelings, there is no pretension, they say exactly what they think. I think that is why I love being with them. There is nothing like it. When they like you, they like you. I went back to visit some children one time when I had moved on to another job, one of the little girls ran up and jumped in my arms, she placed each of her little hands on my face, looked at me ad said, "Oh Juanita, I missed you so much, I didn't know how much I missed you till I saw you."
     We are much like children. There is a craving in the human heart to know that we are loved. I can tell you with all certainty that you are loved. I have felt love cradle me and within that cradle peace abides in my soul. All need ceases to exist because it has been fulfilled in love. Love fills my heart so much that I feel like it is a fountain welling up in my soul and pouring forth. I am being held, just held within love. No words are necessary, I am in the state of being.
    I want to conclude my blog with a link to a song by Alison Krauss, When You Say Nothing At All. I love these words, you say it best when you say nothing at all.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SCOimBo5tg&ob=av2e

Stopping By Moody's Diner On A Snowy Morning

                                                        

     Moody's Diner is an iconic landmark of the small town I grew up in, Waldoboro. Many people may have never heard of Waldoboro, but they sure have heard of Moody's Diner. I met a man from Texas who came to Maine every year. He said he always went to Moody's for a piece of their strawberry rhubarb pie, he looked forward to it. In the diner itself are many pictures sent from world travelers taken at famous world landmarks wearing their Moody's Diner shirts. There is one such picture taken at the pyramids in Egypt of two people who didn't know one another, but lo and behold, they were both wearing Moody's Diner shirts. The moment was so stunning they had to capture it on film and send the picture to Moody's with their amazing story.

    Moody's was actually started back in 1927 as a few cabins for people who needed a place to stay, the diner was built later. P.B. Moody and his wife Bertha started Moody's, it still remains a family owned business. Of course it is much bigger than it used to be, a bigger dining room was added on because of the popularity of the home cooked food. All of their biscuits, pies and cakes are still made in the kitchen from scratch.
      This past Friday we were the recipients of another lovely snowstorm. I'm thinking at this point you can detect the note of sarcasm in my voice. I have developed an aversion for driving in the fluffy white stuff. Since I have to be at work by 6:30 in the morning I am also driving in pitch blackness. You get the picture, it's not pretty.
      I started out for work quite early, as I crawled along I could barely see. The snow was heavy and driving right into my windshield. I knew I couldn't go on so when I got to the diner I pulled in, called my supervisor and told her I needed to wait until daybreak. This is the second time this winter I have had to do this. As I sat at the counter drinking my coffee I was inspired to write a poem chronicling my experience. Out came a pen and this is what I wrote on my napkin.


      
                            Stopping by Moody's Diner on a snowy morning
                            What is that light I see
                            Through the snow that's blinding me
                            I pull my car in
                            I'll be late for work again.
                            Oh the characters I meet
                           And the coffee tastes so sweet
                           As I take in all that caffeine
                           Whether I can leave at daybreak remains to be seen
                           The light of day is dawning
                           When I crash from this coffee I'll be yawning
                           But for now I am wired for the day
                           Off to work, I am on my way.

     O.K., so I'm no Robert Frost, it's just my homage to snowstorms and many cups of coffee, this is what you get.

Sex Appeal

“Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got.” Sophia Loren                                                                

                                                 

                                                         

“There is more to sex appeal than just measurements. I don't need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain.”    Audrey Hepburn

Two quotes from famous actresses, who were considered to be beautiful women. They had class and they starred in movies that left something to the imagination. 

I would love to take a survey out on the street and ask, what is sex appeal to you. Is it all about the sex or is it something more. What makes someone attractive to you. I would say part of it is looks, but looks don't go very far when there is nothing behind them.

I had a friend who is gone now, he passed away a few years ago. He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't a man you would have considered handsome, he was pretty average in the looks department. But when it came to the personality department he had it in spades. He was humorous, witty and smart. He was someone you could sit and talk to, share things with, a great friend. Whenever I think about him I remember the great stuff I loved about him. We connected on a mind level. I think the basis for any great romance starts out in the friendship department. You may have friendship without romance, but I don't think you can have romance without first having friendship. 

Some of the best times in bed I have had with my husband were the hours we spent talking to each other. Sometimes no words are necessary at all because you can just be, my phrasing for being in the moment, in any moment, when there is no talking, but everything is being communicated.

I do believe men and women do think differently, but I also believe that we are not that completely different.

I was inspired to write this blog entry because of a message I received from someone that got me thinking about sex appeal. So this is my question to you, what is sex appeal? I want to do something different with this blog entry. Give me your answers, I want to do a follow up blog, you the readers will be the ones I survey. I will compile your answers into the follow up blog.

 

Auld Lang Syne

     As always my curiosity is peaked, especially when someone says something that makes me think. As the new year was approaching a friend of mine, Joyce, from Scotland said something to me about the song Auld Lang Syne. I had never really thought about it so I commenced, yes commenced, to researching it on Google. I found out it was actually a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788. I was fascinated, I wanted to know more. So I began to listen to the song being sung. I am a very sentimental person by nature and I cry very easily. I found this song being sung by Jim Malcolm, I was quite taken with his voice, boy did I cry when I listened to him sing. A person stores up alot of memories in their heart. Times that friends have made you laugh or even made you cry, in a good way, because their heart has touched your heart. It's the best kind of love there is, wow, I don't usually get this sentimental, must be the time of year.
     So one thing led to another and I felt like I should make a video. I wanted to put all of my Facebook friends in it, many I know personally and many I have met online. I needed to include one other friend I met through Facebook, no longer on FB, because I like him so much.
     Now I only have slightly over 170 friends, many related, so in some pictures I could nab 4 friends in one shot. It was way too many pictures just the same, so I had to cut. But the end result seemed right. So anyway, I want to leave you with the written Scots version and the English translation because us flatlanders who aren't Scottish need it. If it's not right Joyce you correct me.
     One last thing, as Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol would say, God bless us, everyone. My prayer for all of us is that we make new friends in 2012, there is someone waiting to be blessed with who you are and that we not forget the auld, because we have been blessed.

Robert Burns' version-
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne* ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
and surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pu’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
and gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

English translation
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FeZejZEpm8&context=C3f1bce8ADOEgsToPDskKuN8DYWv5DtxNKJJhIMGbZ