Let's Play #169.

Check these out over at Friday Fill-in's and play along!

1. The right word ______is only a thought away_______.
2. ____C'mon in_____ and shut the door quietly, please.
3. Up ____in my castle on a cloud______.
4. ____Lost in a dream_________ is where you'll find me.
5. Ooh! What is that _____smell_________?
6. ___Thinking _____ is a good idea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __a nice dinner___, tomorrow my plans include __rearranging___ and Sunday, I want to __enjoy the company of friends and family___!

Princess? Yes please.

I recent learned of this project. It has moved my heart. Check out the website here.
While this effort is aimed to provide help in India, I am not naive enough to believe this very thing isn't happening right here in my backyard. I am, perhaps, ignorant to what extent.
Be an advocate. Make a difference. Share a little piece of you for the greater good of humans everywhere.
Be a voice.

Worth a listen.

Under Qualified.

Parenting.
Being a mamma.
Under qualified.

Daddy's working evenings.
Mamma has more to-do's than hours.
Under qualified.

Juggler.
Lover.
Whole.
Half.
Artist.
Ambitious.
Under qualified.

I am strong. I know this.
...I just don't feel that way today.

Hand Wash Cold.

Well worth the watch. I'm adding this to my wish book this year.

Miracles.

Being the season of Lent, many Catechism classes are learning about who Jesus Christ is and what it was that he did. My little man eagerly describes the miracles that he learns each week. First was the changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Next came the bread and the fish multiplication.
This passed Sunday, he talked about the leopard. Wait a minute...a leopard? I certainly missed this one. Our conversation progressed with me being a touch confused.
"You know, Mamma. The leopard. That guy that was covered in all the spots that no one wanted to be around."
"Yes, son, but it was not a leopard. It was a leper."
"That's right, Mamma. The leopard. Like that animal sort of like a tiger."
"My boy, it is a leper. A person with a disease that makes them real sick. Not a big cat sort of like a tiger with spots."
"Ok, Mamma. So, Jesus healed the leopard and now it has no more spots."

Note to me: teach my son more about animals and learn more about our faith.

Grey Giant

Grey Giant, originally uploaded by hatman003.

An elephant never forgets.

Tales from the Textbook.

Hello,
I'm feeling a tad bit neglected lately.
Kindly resume spending dedicated time with me. Precious time. Soak up my teachings. Learn my ways.
Sincerely,
Intermediate Accounting Text

Ponte in Valtellina

Ponte in Valtellina, originally uploaded by bttvirginia.

How I long to walk these streets again.
Flikr, take me away...

Headed there.

This is the place I want to be. Gazing into a sea of green pine, dotted with birch. Wildflowers litter the ground. I'm sitting on a cozy swing swaying gently back and forth sipping a freshly brewed cup of tea. I'm soaking in the early morning sun as it crosses the big bright sky. Open on my lap is a delicious novel. Its words wonderfully woven together with the skill only a wordsmith can offer.

My mind wonders as I lift my pen. What will the topic be?

Think About This.

I tripped across this online and thought it was more than worth a share.
************************
Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight; Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
Should you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15 to feed her family.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking "What Is My Purpose"; Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!
~Author Unknown

I wish you enough.

Every now and again I need to read this.
The other night I was talking with my sister. She asked me how much I loved her. I responded with, "enough." This story is why.

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

I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports.
I love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while writing my stories for you.
I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am experiencing that pounding sensation in my heart. If I am watching such a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need to sit up and take a few deep breaths. So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been known to go to our local airport and watch people say goodbye. I figure nothing that is happening to me at the time could be as bad as having to say goodbye.
Watching people cling to each other, crying, and holding each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate what I have even more. Seeing them finally pull apart, extending their arms until the tips of their fingers are the last to let go, is an image that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day.
On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the woman said, "How are you today?" I replied, "I am missing my wife already and I haven't even said goodbye."
She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, "How long will you...Oh, my God. You will only be gone three days!" We all laughed. My problem was I still had to say goodbye.
But I learn from goodbye moments, too.
Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."
They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated., Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"
"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to dace how much he meant to me.
So I knew what this man was experiencing.
"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked.
"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.
"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that mean?"
He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember int in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.
*I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
*I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
*I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
*I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
*I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
*I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
*I wish enough hello's to get you through the final goodbye.
He then began to sob and walked away.
My friends, I wish you enough!
~Copyright 2001 Bob Parks

On my mind.

All rivers, even the most dazzling, those that catch the sun in their course, all rivers go down to the ocean and drown. And life awaits man as the sea awaits the river.
~Simone Schwartz-Bart

Religion is not something separate and apart from ordinary life. It is life -- life of every kind viewd from the standpoint of meaning and purpose: life lived in the fuller awareness of its human quality and spiritual significance.
~A. Powell Davies

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.
~Isaac Asimov

Creeping in

Don't say it too loud yet but...spring's almost here :)

5 on the 5th.

5 reasons I blog:

1. to write
2. to learn
3. to be
4. to connect
5. to share

5 things to work on:

1. organization
2. self-worth
3. focus & direction
4. the meaning of my life
5. the bathroom reno

5 celebrations:

1. relationships
2. Spring's anticipation
3. health
4. having our needs met to enable us to have wants
5. that song - the one that comes on right when you need to hear it

5 reads on my bedside table:

1. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
2. The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir by Katrina Kenison
3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
4. Yoga Journal March 2010 issue
5. Accounting class notes

5 words:

1. I
2. AM
3. MORE
4. THAN
5. THIS

Planning.

I know I've been talking lately about things that are brewing around here. They are coming. I'm not quite techy enough to just whip everything together in a snap.
This weekend is looking clear and while there are a lot of things smattered across my horizon, my heart project is a front-runner.
Bring on Friday! I'm so ready.

Her.

My piccola,

Beauty is in you.

Believe in yourself forever.

love, mamma

Him.

My son,
You are absolutely amazing just the way you are.
Always remember this.
love, mamma

You are here.

March on!
Let's pretend we're in a parade.
Mine has monkeys and those bongo drum dudes. There's a huge swan float with sparkles dancing the aerial waves and leaving kisses all around. There are dancer, too. Ones that flip and spin and twirl and wear colours of every shade of the rainbow. In fact, their dance is choreographed to look like one.
The reds are so rich you can feel the heat from their fire. Orange is all ablaze. The vibrancy of the yellows are, in a word, spectacular. The greens are varied and remind you of lost places in a forgotten jungle. Blues take you out on the deep wide ocean. Indigos such that you've never seen. Finally, and certainly not to be forgotten, the violets whisper by.
Thanks for visiting...

That's my bizarre spin on the whole in like a lion, out like a lamb about March. What's yours?