Christmas Seals

A gift of a half-penny seems comical in today's world, and it seemed so even 100 years ago, when the Christmas tradition of adding Christmas seals to envelopes of Christmas cards just to add more color and show more Christmas spirit began.

It started in Denmark because a postal clerk named Einar Holboell was so moved by all the children he saw and knew were dying of the illnesses caused by working and living conditions. Nothing pained him more than watching a child desperately trying to breathe, fearing that each breath was his or her last, and then seeing the family mourn as the inevitable finally happened. TB killed people of ever age group, but what it did to children horrified him the most. He realized the only answer was through medical research. And with people's mood to give generously during the holidays, he realized this would be the perfect time to raise money for that research. He made a plan and presented it to his boss. The postal authorities put the Christmas seal plan into affect and even the King of Denmark approved and provided royal patronage. The first stamp bore the words "Merry Christmas" accompanied by a picture of the king and queen. Over four million seals were sold and they raised $18,000. This was enough to fund the construction of two children's hospitals. The tradition continued to grow for many years.

Of course this idea spread across the Atlantic and the story there is just as touching because of a physician in 1873 named Edward L. Trudeau who was diagnosed with TB. He discovered that bed rest, proper nutrition, fresh air and lots of sunshine could help in the recovery and sometimes cure the illness. He went on to build a two-bed hospital, which caught on with other doctors and produced a few more small hospitals. When they ran into financial difficulties, Emily Bissell, a fund-raiser for the American Red Cross, stepped in. It is a complex story and worth your time to do a little research to read the remainder of her story. It involves a newspaper office in "the city of brotherly love", along with a few other people.

In 1908 Americans purchased more than $135,000 worth of Christmas seals and in 1917 the total topped a million dollars. Before his death in 1927, Einar Holboell was knighted by the King of Denmark for his contribution to this cause and he was also honored by scores of other countries, including the United States.

The American Lung Association still relies heavily on Christmas seals to help fund education, advocacy, and research projects about asthma, tobacco use, and air quality. These common people who remembered the real reason for this season teach us of Christ's lesson that reaching out to the "least of these" is the most important expression of Christian love.

Today the tradition is carried on also through email Christmas seals. You can find out more here: http://www.christmasseals.org/

Dedicated to all the children with incurable illnesses this Christmas Season

Patty Cake

Once in awhile a You Tube video just hits me as too funny and I have to post it here. Curtsy to Dee for sharing it with me. Get ready to laugh!!!

Candy Canes

There are probably more stories, legends, fables and myths about the origin of the candy cane as there are different colors, types and swirls of the colors through these hook-shaped sweets. And I am betting you will get more than a couple of emails about the origin or meaning of them this year. I did some research and although I didn't come up with a proven historical origin, I did find out some interesting facts and likely scenarios.

Hard candy has been around for more than 1000 years, but candy of multi-colors only came about in the last 100 years. The time involved to make the multi-colors was the inhibiting factor. On St. Nicholas Day in the 4th Century was when children first began receiving hard candy as a treat. It was expensive and considered a delicacy. Because of the rarity, the first Christian legends associated with it are more likely to be closer to the true origin.

Briefly one legend goes that a choirmaster in Germany used it to keep children quiet and less restless, rather than using the standard punishment for being noisy in church. It took the children a long time to eat these straight white sticks of candy, but he also knew that the clergy and parishioners might not go for the candy eating in church. To overcome this objection, he asked the candy maker if he could make the sticks with a hook on the end. He was told that it could be done. Now he could use this candy as a teaching tool. The shape would remind children of the way the shepherds came to see the baby Jesus, while the white color would stand for the purity of Jesus.

The second early legend I found came from the time when all religions but the Church of England were officially banned. The story goes that a candy maker (probably of an outlawed Protestant faith or Catholic Church) created the candy cane as a way for Christians to recognize each other on the street. It was like a secret handshake. They were decorated with 3 small stripes to represent the Father, Son & Holy Spirit and a larger stripe to stand for the redemptive power of Christ's blood.

Without a doubt, hard candy, especially candy canes, are a treat that has been associated with Christmas since the Middle Ages. It is a sweet reminder for the real reason for Christmas and one of the few holiday traditions that point to the real reason for Jesus's birth.

The Coming

The Latin word for Advent is "the coming". The church established the four weeks before Christmas as the time to be called Advent on their calendar. It starts the first Sunday that is closest to Nov 30th and runs until Christmas Eve. It was originally meant to be a time of reflection on the coming of Christ and what it meant to the world and to the individual believer. But the focus has changed over the decades. Before WW II, the focus was on the future and final coming of Christ. But as Christmas became more focused on children, it began to be more focused on the child in the manger.

The advent wreath with its 4 candles representing each of the 4 Sundays, originated with the Vikings. The colors of the candles vary with different traditions, but there are usually three purple or blue candles. Typically the Christ candle stands in the middle of the wreath and is lit on Christmas eve or Christmas day. The first Sunday in Advent focuses on the prophecies of the prophets who predicted the the birth of Jesus. The candles were to serve the reminder of the light that Christ brought into the world. Tomorrow is the second Sunday in Advent and the remaining three candles of Advent are associated with different aspects of the Advent story in different churches. So, the sequence for the remaining these three Sundays might be Bethlehem, shepherds, and angels; or love, joy, and peace.

A more recent advent symbol is the advent calendar. It was originated in Germany a century and a half ago and focused on children. It actually started out as a wreath also, but had 24 tiny bags tied to it and the child was allowed to open one as each day passed. As the tradition became more popular, the advent calendar was adopted. Today you find both secular and spiritual ones, but both helps stir the excitement of "the coming" of Christmas.

Advent

   "It's the most wonderful time of the year", as a famous Christmas song says. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity", as Dickens states in Tale of Two Cities. All of that seems to fit this time of the year.
    For me the Christmas season doesn't seem to hold the charm and warmth of an old-fashioned Christmas. But what is "old-fashioned" to me is certainly different than what my grandparents viewed as "old-fashioned". And probably what my grandchildren will view as "old-fashioned" is happening today in 2010. But for me, in my pessimistic state of mind, I would hope that perhaps those grandchildren might find a way back to at least some of what my grandparents and I considered the charm and warmth of the Christmas season.
     When I did a little research into past traditions of Christmas I was surprised to find that up until the 1800's, the day recognized as Christ's birth was mostly a pagan celebration. It was a riotous celebration for drinking and singing bawdy songs, especially in England and America. These drunken celebrations had their roots in the Greek and Roman celebration of winter solstice.
      It took the church over 300 years to make the decision to choose Dec 25th to recognize the Lord's birth. Most biblical scholars agree that spring would be the most likely time of the year for His birth for several reasons; one being that shepherds would not have been out with their flocks in the coldest part of the year. So Dec 25th was most probably decided on by the church leaders to counteract the ancient wild festivals held at winter solstice time. There are other reasons for this likely decision, but I will let you do a little research yourself, if you find it an interesting endeavor.
     I'll be doing a little searching this month as to where some of those traditions come from that made up "old-fashioned" Christmases in my mind.

 

Yellow Birds

Thanksgiving is over; company is gone; snow is gone; ice is gone; turkey remains; sweet potatoes remain; and my yellow feather friends remain. As we were house-bound for a few days due to mostly icy conditions along with a bit of snow, I noticed a new kind of bird had showed up at my house. These yellow-breasted fat little fliers have red eyes and are very colorful. Had to take a few closeups of them and will have to do some research to find out their names and a bit about them. Hope they stay around as they are not noisy like my Stellar Jays! Enjoy the pictures and take some time to enjoy the small things during the days leading up to Christmas.

Baklava

So I volunteered to bring a baked good to the church Harvest Festival on Saturday. Hmmm...what can I do that's special? It will be for our church women's booth to raise money. After giving it some thought for about a week I decided to try a recipe that one of my friends is famous for. She has made baklava for as long as I have known her, which is about 30 years. She generously gave me the recipe, telling me it wasn't hard, but just time consuming. Give her an "A" in that category!!! She did give me a couple of tips along with the recipe. "Be sure to clarify the butter or it will turn out soggy and don't thaw the phyllo dough on the counter; do it in the refrigerator."

Yesterday I made the syrup mixture so I wouldn't have to do everything in the same day. So today I tackled the project.

 Everything is all together, so lets get started.

The first 8 sheets all layered with butter between each.

One-third of the nut mixture sprinkled on top.

Another 8 buttered layers. So far, so good; not a single sheet has torn.

Two more nut layers and 16 more buttered phyllo sheets later.

It was a little tricky slicing the top 8 phyllo layers because some

of the little top pieces wanted to jump around.

An hour and a half later it is finally ready for the oven and

I am ready to sit down and put my feet up!

 

Out of the oven exactly 55 minutes later.

After cooling for about 15 minutes I poured the honey mixture

all over it.

And a close up just to make your mouth water.

It is currently in the refrigerator to rest and absorb the honey.

I am now keeping my fingers crossed that it won't fall apart

when I slice it and look terrible for the bazaar.

We will have to wait until then to rate the taste.

Until then, here is the recipe for anyone who would like to give it a try.

Baklava

Ingredients
SYRUP:
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon peel finely grated
1 teaspoon orange peel grated
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup honey

NUT MIXTURE:
4 cups walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons vanilla

CLARIFY:
1 1/2 cups butter

2 packages phyllo sheets

12x16 inch pan


Method
Syrup:
Combine first six ingredients and bring to boil.  Continue cooking on low to medium for 10 minutes.  Slowly add honey and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Cool in refrigerator.

Nut mixture:
Grind nuts in food processor to fine texture, add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Set aside.

Clarify :
1 1/2 cups of butter

Assembly:
Unwrap purchased phyllo dough and lay flat between dish towels.  With a pastry brush, butter bottom of pan.  Lay one sheet of phyllo in pan.  Butter top of sheet.  Continue until 8 sheets are completed, buttering between each sheet.  Layer 1/3 of the nut mixture.  Then another 8 sheets of phyllo, another 1/3 of the nut mixture, 8 more sheet, the last of the nut mixture.  Finish with 8 more sheets of phyllo.  Always butter between each sheet of the phyllo.  With a sharp knife, score the top 8 sheets in a diamond pattern.

Bake at 325, 45 to 50 minutes or until golden.  Cool for 10 to 15 minutes.  Pour cooled syrup over warm Baklava and let stand overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

Will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator

December Projects

I have been busy working on Christmas and birthday projects lately, both sewing and digital projects. So sorry to those friends who haven't found anything new here in awhile. Figured it was time to share what I have been having fun doing and possibly guess which one might be yours.

Saw this table topper in Fon's & Porter Magazine and just knew it looked like something my best friend would love! Found the perfect candle for it at Pier One.

I am having a hard time finding the perfect candle for this candle mat. Thinking maybe when more Hanukkah things come out that I will get lucky.

I plan on making one of these for myself to put out in June during tulip festival time.

 This lap quilt is in the process of being quilted for a special lady.

This table runner is not a gift. It is my own that I am using right now.

Of all the ones I have made, this one is my favorite. One day I hope to have one for each month for myself. I am about half way there now.

While I was taking pictures today Shadow was making sure I got everything right.

I've been also very busy doing some digital projects: a calendar for 2011, a cookbook scrapbook, and an ALS Charity Walk scrapbook. This is in addition to my own genealogical scrapbook. I will post some of those projects at a later date. Thanks for any comments or input. Happy November!

Halloween Anticipation

Just to get you in the mood....

The Mayonnaise Jar

This was sent to me and I found it very insightful. Hope it is an encouragement to others and a reminder to set priorities in the most important order.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life".

The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- The small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life."

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Connect with friends.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled, "I'm glad you asked".

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

Measuring Life

The question arises "How do we measure life?" when someone we know dies young. And what is considered young...any time before 40, 50, or 60? Do we measure how long we have lived by:
How many hair styles we have gone through with the changing fashions?
How much the price of gasoline, bread, or candy bars have increased?
How many different cars we have driven?
How many more square feet the size of our house has increased?
How many children we have had?

I assume no one measures life by those things intentionally. I think a better way to think about it is to measure:
How many laughs you gave to others
How many smiles you have shared
How many people you have loved
How many kind deeds you have performed
How many times you have been patient
How many times you were in awe of nature
How many prayers you have uttered
How many times you have given hope to others
How many times you wiped tears of others

When a life ends, others shed tears because of the memories they had and the knowledge that there will be no more. This brings the thought of what is really important in life. I suggest it is memories. What do we carry with us through that corridor that leads from this life to the next? ....only our memories. What do we leave behind for those who walk behind us on this journey? ...only memories. The only thing that will connect forever those who knew us are memories.

Losing a loved one always gives us pause to reflect on what really matters in this life. Measure and weigh it. Consider the memories being made today and cherish them. Everything else tends to fade away.

Dedicated to Amitabh Das and all who knew him.



This clip is from the end of the movie, Jack, staring Robin Williams as a man whose body ages 4 times faster than normal, while his mind ages normally. In this clip he is really only 18 years old. The film's message deals with what is important in life. Bill Cosby has a nice monologue in the movie where he points out that shooting stars are the brightest in the sky although they only last for a short time.

Memory Lane

Strange what you run across once you start down memory lane. I heard a Letterman song on Pandora today and when I did a search for it on Blip that led to other Letterman songs, and then I stumbled onto Sha Na Na with them on You Tube. I don't think I ever watched their show, but I did enjoy seeing them perform at different places. It was unbelievable what a low voice Bowser had!! When I was at college at Trinity University, I saw the Letterman perform along with Johnny Mathis. This all reminds me that I need to get back to work on getting my 33 1/3 record albums digitized into the computer. Here are a couple of You Tube videos from the Dark Ages!!



And I dare you to try to watch this one and not laugh!!

Hallelujah!!!

I have seen very little patriotism over the last few years, but this video gave me goosebumps and made my eyes water. There is more patriotism shown here than in the White House.

Ancestry Pillow

Several years ago I was heavily into genealogical research on my family tree. Also, a new magazine had come out from Stampington & Company (a wonderful company with a whole line of crafty magazines). In it were directions for printing pictures on fabric in an ink-jet printer. So for a Christmas present for my Mom, I took her most treasured photo of her great-grandmother and printed it on fabric and made an antique-looking pillow with it. I think it was one of her most treasured possessions. Now that she is gone, it lays on my bed and each time I look at it, I am reminded both of her and a great-great grandmother that I was always compared to but never knew.

Projects

Whenever I go to lunch with my girlfriends they always want to know what projects I am working on. With my scrapbooking and card making I can take along the projects to show them. But it isn't practical with the others that I currently work on. So I decided to post it here for them and anyone else interested.

About 4 years ago I was introduced to the Tour de France and all it's intricacies. About all I knew was it was a bicycle race in France. But spending a lot of time with someone who is really "into" it, I discovered I throughly enjoyed it and now I seem to be in the position to watch more of it than he does. But it means several hours a day for 3 weeks of sitting in front of the television. I have never been one for doing nothing but watching TV. I need to feel I am accomplishing something. So each year I have made sure that I have a cross-stitch or quilting project to work on for those 3 weeks. I will be surprised if I am NOT working on this year's project come Tour de France 2011!! It is the most intricate cross-stitch piece I have attempted. But I saw it made up in a store several months ago and fell in love with it.

It has metallic thread woven in it and glass beads, so it literally sparkles.

This is as far as I have made it in the first week. It is done on 28 count linen, so the stitches are very small. For those not familiar with cross-stitch, that means there are 28 stitches per inch. Yes, I have to use a magnifying glass! The finished picture will be 11 1/4" x 17".

I also have another cross-stitch project going. It is my "easy" one that doesn't take too much thought and goes quicker as it is done on 14 count cross-stitch fabric, which is much easier than linen fabric. The finished size is much smaller at 15" x 6 1/2".

But I am not very far along on it either.

Shadow seemed to be unusually attracted to these birdhouses!!

I also have a quilt project going on. After making my daughter a double size "Apple Core" designed quilt when she graduated from A&M, I swore I would never do another quilt with only curved pieces. I have made several quilts for other people since, but this current quilt is just for me. I must have forgotten how time-consuming a curved pieced quilt can be, cause I chose the double wedding ring pattern. But since there is no deadline, as in a graduation date, I am able to take my time with it and just enjoy the process of seeing it come together.

The pattern book picture.

Two rows done and six more to go!

Maybe next year I will be able to post pictures of the completed projects!

Flowers

I have had some luck with my flowers this year. The deer and rabbits have graciously allowed them to grow. ~~knock on wood~~ I really haven't seen any deer this year around my house, but the rabbits have gotten the idea they better hop really fast when they see me coming!! Surprisingly, while watering the hillside today a couple of little rabbits ran out from some bushes. By little, I mean the size of mice. In fact that is what I thought they were until I noticed they had no tail and when I looked closer I could see little rabbit ears. I have never seen such small baby rabbits before. Too bad I had the hose and not my camera when they came out. I suspect it is a nest in the bush, but no Mother rabbit was around.

I have taken pictures of my flowers and I am working on scrapbook pages for them. These are the first 2 and I will post the others as I finish them.

Sidewalk Entertainment

I don't think I have ever copied a whole entry from someone else, but I just found this too cute to pass up. It is from a post by Rozanne Paxman on a ScrapGirl mailing list. Hope she doesn't mind. I envy her creativity!!

Bird 1: Friends... People... Birds... lend me your ears...

Bird 2: Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush.

Bird 1: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;

Bird 2: Here we go round the mulberry bush...

Bird 1: The evil that birds do lives after them.

Bird 2: So early in the morning.

Bird 1: My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar and I must pause till it come back to me.

Bird 2: Are you finished?

Bird 1: I guess so.

Bird 1: Man... this is a tough crowd... I didn't get a single breadcrumb.

Bird 2: Let's go shopping.

I will be looking at the birds on my deck a little differently now, thanks to Roxanne.

Memorial Day

I don't usually do a lot on Memorial Day except have a passing thought about what it stands for. But last night I watched a movie, Taking Chance, that was both informative and moving. It is something I will never forget. So today I decided I would spend the time making 3 scrapbook pages...one for my Grandfather, my Uncle and my Dad. I didn't get very far. After searching through old photographs and finding the ones I wanted to use, scanning them into the computer and putting things together in Photoshop, I managed to only finish one of them.

My Grandfather served in World War I, my Uncle served in World War II and my Dad in the Viet Nam war. My Dad actually volunteered as a civil servant in the Viet Nam War as the regular military would not accept him because of his poor eyesight. But he so wanted to serve in the military because his Dad and twin brother had before him. I am so proud to be part of a military family, even if I wasn't a "military brat", so to speak.

So here is the scrapbook page of my Uncle that I did today and when I get the other two done, I will post those as well.

Thanksgiving is a day when we pause

to give thanks for the things we have,

Memorial Day is a day when we pause

to give thanks fot the people who

fought for the things we have.

It Only Matters Where You End

Once in a great while, if you are musically inclined, you hear a song for the first time and it touches something deep inside you. It speaks to your heart and you wonder how someone else had the same feelings as you have. This is such a song for me. Heard it for the first time today. Maybe it will touch your heart as well. I wish there was a video to go with it. If I ever find one, I will probably repost it. Hugs to whoever stumbled upon this.

t can be a real long road
it can be a lonely night
when you're on your own
and you're running out of light
it can be a real long ride
when your running out of time

so when the time is right
don't hold back
when the time is right
don't hold back

doesn't matter who you are
doesn't matter where youve been
doesn't matter where you start
only matters where you end

it can be a real long road
when im looking in your eyes
give me just one more chance
give me just one more try

when the time is right
don't hold back
when the time is right
don't hold back

doesn't matter who you are
doesn't matter where you've been
doesn't matter where you start
only matters where you end

when the time is right
don't hold back
when the time is right
don't hold back

Today's Walk

"Strange that so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows and spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light ~ to see its perfect success..."
Henry David Thoreau from The Main Woods

I went for a walk south down the road that runs in front of my house today. It is a private road owned by the family that lives farther up Chuckanut Mountain. I didn't pass anyone nor any vehicle, so it was truly a walk through the woods. There were not a lot of colors along this part. Washington isn't called "the Evergreen State" for nothing. But I did enjoy taking some pictures on this beautiful day. It was about 55 degrees and we had that white sky we see so often here.

There is a small waterfall both to the north and to the south of me.

Wild Strawberries

The view at the end of my walk.

 

As I turn back there is a Y in the road. You can walk on up to the top of the mountain, but I would have to be in better shape than I am now to make that trek!

What would Washington be without slugs? This was the only one I saw...but there will be many more as the weather warms up.

This is the only house to the south of me, so I am almost home.

 Home Again!

And the Johnny-Jump-Ups are finally taking over my flowerbed. The rabbits feasted on them all last year. I am hoping they have forgotten all about them this year.

Spring is wonderful here and I hope to get out for more walks before I leave this area. Hope you are having a nice spring and enjoying it wherever you may be in this beautiful world!

Farmer's Market

My latest layout comes from a day my daughter and I spent at the local farmer's market a couple of weeks ago. It was a great day and it's nice to now have a scrapbook page of some of the things we saw.

Do You Know Him?

Vertical?

Sometimes I feel like I just can't go on and vertical is no longer an option.

 

Where Am I Headed?

"Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and full of mercy;

He is patient and keeps His promise;

He is always ready to forgive and not punish."

Joel 2:13

 

Today is Ash Wednesday. This is the little packet of ashes I collected last year on this day. It helps me with priorities in my life because when I look at it, hold it and contemplate it, it reminds me that from ashes I came and to ashes I will return.

The original meaning of Lent was 'holy spring'. Traditionally at this time of year, Christians prepared themselves for Easter by asking God to show them their failures and by repenting of their wrong doings. People new to Christianity were made ready for their baptism which would also take place at Easter. So Lent is a time of preparation: a spiritual spring-cleaning; a challenge to combat evil in our lives. And Lent is a time to turn back to God.

Ash Wednesday challenges us to ponder the reality we most dread to consider: our own death. The journey of the disciple of Christ begins with the task of seriously reflecting on one's own death, embracing it so that one can truly embrace life. This black smudge in the shape of a cross on our forehead reminds us, each and everyone, that we WILL die. This is a certainty we share with each other. Knowledge of this destiny draws us together at the beginning of Lent. 

May this season of Lent be one of contemplation and preparation for a closer walk with your Lord. This is one of my favorite songs. It isn't very popular and this is the best video I could find of it, so here it is. I love the lyrics as I feel they are so true.

Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?
Words and Music by John Fischer
(Written during my summer as the first music director at Ponderosa Lodge, the new high school camp at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center.)

Have you seen Jesus my Lord
He's here in plain view
Take a look open your eyes
He'll show it to you

Have you ever look at the sunset
With the sky mellowing red
And the clouds suspended like feathers
Then I say you've seen Jesus my Lord

Have you seen Jesus my Lord
He's here in plain view
Take a look open your eyes
He'll show it to you

Have you ever stood at the ocean
With the white foam at your feet
Felt the endless thundering motion
Then I say you've seen Jesus my Lord

Have you seen Jesus my Lord
He's here in plain view
Take a look open your eyes
He'll show it to you

Have you ever looked at the cross
With a man hanging in pain
And the look of love in his eyes
Then I say you've seen Jesus my Lord

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I can't let today go by without noting that today is my Mother's birthday. She would have been 84 years old.)

Celtic Heart

For most of us to this life born, the heart takes no great comfort in its own company, but yearns for its completion in another. And so it is that it becomes a hungry hunter and wanders the world in search of its counterpart. The tales told of this human enterprise see no end.

We live in an age with more than its share of sorrow and loneliness, and so it is a goodness and a mercy when two hearts meet, and a greater goodness when they surrender one to the other and declare themselves as bound and joined.

But the sages declare that happiness of this union is given to us as example and foretaste of a greater bliss which is the perfect unity of the soul. There is no need to search for this in far and distant realms, for it is the nearest of all things. The soul is here for its own joy, and it abides always in the Great Unity and the mystery of no other. So it follows then, that all souls are in truth just one soul. Thus is the simple secret of the ages laid bare for all to see, but alas, there are few to hear, and fewer still to seek.     ~~~~~Michael Green

"Where we love is home,
home that our feet may leave,
but not our hearts."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Happy Valentine's Day 

Breakfast

Living alone, I am pretty closely connected to Shadow. We are "in sync" ...well, most of the time. I usually have cereal for breakfast and eat while upstairs at the computer. Shadow can be downstairs, but with her ears attuned to the harmonizing sound of my spoon and bowl, she can tell when I am down to my last 3 bites. She trots upstairs and waits patiently (ummm, patting my arm patiently) for me to set the bowl down so she can clean the last bit of milk up for me.

But this morning I changed the menu on her. I fixed toast and a poached egg and ate downstairs at the table. She sat on the window ledge and watched the birds while keeping an eye on me. When I was finished, there was a bit of egg yolk left on the plate, so I decided she might like that instead of her usual milk. After setting the plate down beside me, she jumped down and sauntered over to the plate. I watched her with curiosity as she sniffed curiously all around the plate making three trips around it before deciding she might try that yellow stuff. I smiled as she took a couple of licks and paused, as if to contemplate if this was something she wanted to pursue. The decision was made to go ahead with the morning treat. She continued for a few more licks and then backed away, sat down and licked her chops a few times. She must have decided it wasn't half bad as she walked back to the plate and polished it off. Then with out so much as a thankful "mew", she went back to her ledge for bird-watching.

So what was the big deal about all of this? Nothing really except I was glad I took the time to watch her and while doing so remember how much I appreciated her affections, her personality, and the reminder that I don't really live alone.