tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28511066998731572232024-03-13T23:18:27.340-07:00Greetings From Gilead...And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-55760858492455808892010-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:002010-05-23T07:48:57.576-07:00An elegiac memory dedicated to our mother Mary<span lang="EN"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I rest in the swing of the small pergola that overlooks the lake where Gilead exists. This refuge for my little sister Sylvia is filled with beauty as only God can produce! The early evening's light casts images of that beauty onto the lake’s water. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The surrounding trees pulsate across the windswept water. The imperfect reality of nature is camouflaged by the shimmering surface of the lake.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the quietness of this moment I looked back into time and see our mother. She was a rare adult/child who carried the pain of adulthood covered with the playfulness of a child. </span><span style="font-size: large;">She, like the lake, could pass from the heat of the sweltering day into the shimmer of childhood. In her dependence on others for help to provide for her children, she performed illusions much like a magician.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S_k_vjLs5FI/AAAAAAAAAEM/MqTrBU-QtfI/s1600/PB050488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S_k_vjLs5FI/AAAAAAAAAEM/MqTrBU-QtfI/s320/PB050488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">She could take the simplest objects and turn them into the wonders of the world. Her magic was as dazzling and elusive as the trees that I now see in Gilead’s reflective surface! Only the bright sun of another day can reveal the reality of those wonders. Even though the reality of Gilead’s illusions shall pass into the light of day, our Mother’s magic touch, as the reflections on the lake, bring peace to my aging soul! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">David Allan Britt</span></span>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-81002512623989786752010-05-22T04:14:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:57:13.359-07:00My beautiful niece Annette wrote this<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S_e-Gox6t8I/AAAAAAAAAEE/XKXC-4AJdxM/s1600/050310082403.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474052893327407042" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S_e-Gox6t8I/AAAAAAAAAEE/XKXC-4AJdxM/s320/050310082403.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 240px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><i><span style="font-size: 130%;">We are all guilty of getting caught up in the busy demands of life.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 130%;"> For me, my Aunt Sylvia's home (Gilead) is a retreat by the water's edge, a place where I love to go and recharge my batteries. Somehow the serene beauty of nature puts everything into perspective. It is a welcomed escape from all that weighs me down. </span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span></i><br />
<div></div><i><span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span></i><br />
<div><i><span style="font-size: 130%;">Find what makes you happy and what gives you peace. Make the most of every day and take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Be blessed!</span></i></div><div><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 130%;">Dearest Annette, I am so looking forward to your visit and I'm so blessed to have you in my life!</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 130%;">Dear Reader, please visit Annette's website for her husband Kevin:<br />
</span></div><div><a href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinchandler" style="color: #ad0078;" title="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinchandler"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinchandler</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-54328893039010361472010-05-11T03:19:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:39:02.293-07:00Failed Vegan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S-kwaQbRpSI/AAAAAAAAAD8/dOAdH1vaRGU/s1600/050310082419.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S-kwaQbRpSI/AAAAAAAAAD8/dOAdH1vaRGU/s320/050310082419.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469956450062279970" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Didn't want to leave the impression that I had managed to stay on the straight and narrow path. After being a pretty faithful vegan for two months, I fell back off with a crash. Which is too bad because I felt so much better while I was eschewing meat (as opposed to chewing meat). Anyway, I'm a meat eater. It's what I crave when I'm hungry. So I guess I'll just have to find a way to eat less of it or eat it in a healthier way. At least I'm keeping better care of my house than I used to, so I guess I have to forgive myself for the ways in which I fail to be the person I had hoped to be.</span></p>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-85976564013516908312010-03-17T19:39:00.000-07:002010-03-17T19:45:26.774-07:00Spring is here once more...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S6GTdho4GbI/AAAAAAAAAD0/IMeWFn2ffyw/s1600-h/pepper+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/S6GTdho4GbI/AAAAAAAAAD0/IMeWFn2ffyw/s320/pepper+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449799159550319026" /></a><br /><p>The loveliest time of the year in the Columbia area. What a blessing to see the tender fragile blossoms of spring burst forth. I was still enjoying winter, but I've never lived anywhere prettier. I have a new cat, Pepper, but because she has a white stripe down her black back, I also call her Pepe le Pew! You'll only get that reference if you're old like me.</p>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-7442983811646213372009-11-27T07:53:00.000-08:002009-11-27T12:20:09.392-08:00The struggle continues...I want to record that on November 9th, 2009, I took my first step on the road to taking charge of my health. I began reading Dr. Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" and it filled me with hope that with a new style of eating and living, I can at least attempt to avoid ill health as much as possible, especially strokes and heart attacks, which may not lead to death, but often lead to dependency. In the past 17 days I have been reading and researching books and online information concerning what is, in effect, a low fat vegan diet. In the process I have given up coffee, soda, meat (except for Thanksgiving turkey) and a host of other foods. It would be simpler to say what I am allowed to eat now, which is fruits (two or three a day), vegetables (including starchy ones like potatoes), whole grains (brown rice and steel-cut oats, parimarily). I feel very good. I won't be able to record the weight that I started at, since I refuse to weigh myself. I have found that in the past to be a recipe for failure. If you diet merely to lose weight and you don't lose weight, you begin to feel that there is no point to the deprivation that you are enduring. However, if you diet for health, to feel better, to improve your odds in the great gamble of life, then you are far more likely to stick with it, especially if you begin immediately to feel better and lighter and happier, which is what has happened to me so far. Even more to the point, the "cheating" I did on Thanksgiving and the giant oatmeal cookies I succumbed to at Earth Fare made my gut hurt and was convincing proof that no matter how good things might taste, it's not worth the price. I'm blogging about this mainly for my own benefit, to try to keep myself honest as I explore this new path. I hope to inspire others to look into the health benefits of the low-fat vegan diet, but I'm not kidding myself that it's easy, because I've had a few struggles with it myself and I am just about as motivated as I could be, short of having actually had a heart attack! I wish I'd read this information years ago when it first came out. Think how much further ahead I would be at this point and how much needless worry I would have avoided. Ya live, ya learn. JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-30174190142623704762009-04-06T15:02:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:34:55.228-07:00Gilead Nights, by my beloved brother<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/SdqB_wXnHlI/AAAAAAAAADs/oGE7wk3e3MI/s1600-h/PB170516.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/SdqB_wXnHlI/AAAAAAAAADs/oGE7wk3e3MI/s320/PB170516.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321708842007338578" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Settling deep in an old porch swing </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">like a bag of dry granular earth.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">I feel the cool of the sunless sky.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Aches dissolve in an evening view!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Stars twinkle from their lofty perch</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">with soft enchantment to calm the day.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Now katydids project their chirping songs</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">which chide the invading worries of day.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Look! A shooting star streaks the sky,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">A whippoorwill calls out with a mating song.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">The splash of a fish bounding for freedom</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">join songs of nature to heal my thoughts!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Evening darkens with the croaking of frogs,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">fireflies dart across the panorama of night.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">I feel now more human than a bag of dirt.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">The panorama of </span></span><st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Gilead</span></span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> has given me rest!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">David A. Britt - April 10, 2009</span></span></span></p>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-9854197807608949642009-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:35:46.194-07:00Gilead, a poem by my brother<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/Sdf3ww6BgsI/AAAAAAAAADk/GVCpzF0vPo8/s1600-h/P8250417.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/Sdf3ww6BgsI/AAAAAAAAADk/GVCpzF0vPo8/s320/P8250417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993901895582402" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">A call from the pristine waters of Gilead</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Haunt my memories of this quiet repose!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">A gull’s bill creases the mirror topped lake;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Silver minnows swim gently below.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">The only sounds were the soft songs of Nature.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">A push or two on the paddleboat’s drive</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Brings yet another of nature’s delights!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Tall trees cast wiggling shadows across</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Waters presenting an inverted coalesce. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">We feel to say nothing but inhale the view!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">We sat in the dock’s veranda and talked</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Of our loving God and our lives so far.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">There were no intrusions to this restful repose</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Only our memories and the moment we shared!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">The only sounds were the soft songs of Nature.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Too soon my retreat at Gilead was over.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">It was back to a world of noise and hustle.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">All struggles of the busy world reappeared</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">Until memories bring again Gilead’s repose,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">I hear again her sweet songs of Nature!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span style="font-size:100%;">David A. Britt - April 4, 2009</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-1032485338252181552009-04-02T08:12:00.000-07:002009-04-02T08:24:04.083-07:00I feel that I am in my own "Enchanted April"<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQSjzYLmiKg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQSjzYLmiKg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-70003425043310220692009-04-02T07:11:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:36:42.953-07:00Why Me?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/SdTilhuFwSI/AAAAAAAAADM/TirYFR3gAqM/s1600-h/P4020622.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/SdTilhuFwSI/AAAAAAAAADM/TirYFR3gAqM/s320/P4020622.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320126194166120738" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span style="font-size:100%;">Why me, Lord, what have I ever done</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">To deserve even one</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Of the pleasures I've known?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">That was worth loving you</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Or the kindness you've shown</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Help me, Jesus I know what I am</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Now that I know that I've needed you so</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Help me, Jesus, my soul's in your hand</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Tell me, Lord, if you think there's a way</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I can try to repay</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">All I've taken from you</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Maybe, Lord, I can show someone else</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">What I've been through myself</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">On my way back to you</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Help me, Jesus, I know what I am</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Now that I know that I've needed you so</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Help me, Jesus, my soul's in your hand."</span></span></div><div>Lyrics by Kris Kristofferson<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;">These lyrics beautifully express how I'm feeling right now, looking out at the drizzling rain in a snug house, plenty (too much) to eat, healthy, blessed... when I read the news about how hard these times are for so many people, I can't help but feel a little guilty for the good life that I am living. I hope that I am properly grateful, but I doubt it. I don't know how I could be unless I find ways to pay back just a small amount of the grace that has been given to me. Love and prayers to you all.</span></div>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-21904612217698519792009-03-27T08:08:00.000-07:002010-05-22T04:37:15.769-07:00Hwangyong Hamnida<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/Sczs-4f0DhI/AAAAAAAAAC8/tc2CMvOgXzA/s1600-h/2767663_korean_spices-600.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/Sczs-4f0DhI/AAAAAAAAAC8/tc2CMvOgXzA/s320/2767663_korean_spices-600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317885825079578130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I have just met two very sweet young Korean men who might be coming to stay with me for a while. So shy, but very nice. I am hoping this works out as I continue my multicultural existence. Maybe I'll learn to cook Korean dishes?</span><div><br /></div>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-89992475254551954472009-03-26T14:25:00.000-07:002009-03-26T14:44:28.657-07:00One God, by Hugh X. Lewis<tr><td id="INCREDITEXTREGION" dir="ltr" valign="top" width="100%" style=" DIRECTION: ltr; font-family:Arial;font-size:12pt;"><div style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Millions of stars placed in the skies by one God</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family:Arial;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Millions of men lift up their eyes to one God<br />So many children calling to him by many a different name<br />One Father loving each the same</span></span></div> <div face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span></span> </span></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/Scvzs2-1oaI/AAAAAAAAAC0/l_BG1vHxIuw/s320/guardian.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317611737039872418" /> <div face="Arial"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Many the ways all of us pray to one God<br />Many the paths winding their way to one God<br />Walk with me brother, there were no strangers after his work was done<br />For your God and my God are One. Amen!</span></span></div><div face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">When I was a little girl, I used to swing in the rope swing tied to the big oak tree in the back yard, and this was one of my favorite songs.</span></div><div face="Arial"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As my friend Michael would say: Namasté!</span></span></span></div><div face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td></tr> <tr> <td id="INCREDIFOOTER" width="100%"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%"></td> <td id="INCREDISOUND" valign="bottom" align="middle"></td> <td id="INCREDIANIM" valign="bottom" align="middle"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-58806693542800334232009-03-25T18:48:00.000-07:002009-03-26T08:57:34.174-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrgU8IJWCI/AAAAAAAAABE/wa-hvCIqG1I/s1600-h/P2210597.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrgU8IJWCI/AAAAAAAAABE/wa-hvCIqG1I/s200/P2210597.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317308960406591522" /></a><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I was just thinking about love, specifically romantic love. An acquaintance of mine is newly in love and she speaks voluminously about her beloved's every wonderful quality. Even his defects are seen as charming, nothing at all to be concerned with. So I think that's how the bonding process starts, the superglue of relationships begins with a willful belief in the wonderfulness of the loved one. Once strongly bonded together as a couple, hopefully the inevitable disillusions will seem paltry compared to the essential strength of love and gratitude we feel for being in such a partnership.<br /></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">All that being acknowledged, I was musing about what it is that goes wrong, that lets us drift apart and become bitter. I think a lot of what we believe about our lovers in the beginning is merely a projection of our wants and needs, so we lovingly twist and pat and force into place all the hoped-for ingredients in our Pygmalion quest for perfection. I suppose if our lovers prove to be close enough to the template, then this projected image holds. But all too often, a word, a habit, a behavior that we find unacceptable begins to inform us that our hologram is malfunctioning, that the reality is far from the creature we had hoped to fashion. <br /></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There begins the anger and resentment. How dare they to have failed us? How dare they not be who we wanted and needed? But just now I find myself wondering, how is it that we cannot acknowledge that it is not our lovers who fail us. What fails us is our projection, our stubborn demand for perfection, our selfishness in failing to appreciate the person before us for the qualities that they have.<br /></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I strongly believe that if God chose to put that person in my life, they are there for me to love and learn from, whether they be a lover or a friend, and to the extent that I wilfully deny their true essence as a human being, I shortchange both them and myself. </span></span></span>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851106699873157223.post-88517143425385758372009-03-25T17:22:00.000-07:002009-03-26T08:58:00.663-07:00Spring has arrived in Elgin...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrTpEHUDGI/AAAAAAAAAA8/PNLUqDMFkF4/s1600-h/P3080139.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrTpEHUDGI/AAAAAAAAAA8/PNLUqDMFkF4/s320/P3080139.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317295012496804962" /></span></a><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrTowJQ75I/AAAAAAAAAA0/CVZp28bGnUc/s1600-h/P3070132.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M7WgIQxTuu4/ScrTowJQ75I/AAAAAAAAAA0/CVZp28bGnUc/s320/P3070132.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317295007136280466" /></span></a><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Do we ever really believe that spring will come again after the barren grays of winter? But there it is at last, the beautiful fragrant flowers of spring that uplift our souls and remind us of the Resurrection! Even though the cherry tree seemed dead throughout the long, dark days of winter, yet we had faith that it would come back to life in that miracle of renewal that comes with every spring to thrill our souls anew.</span></span></div>JaneEyrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589447905049036469noreply@blogger.com0