FLOWERS GRACING MY EARLY MORNING WALK

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This morning I decided to do something different with my early morning walk ..... to take pictures of flowers down the paths winding round the hilly neighborhood.
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You see, sometimes we, in-spite of our brilliance, don't notice our surroundings as much as we really should. We simply gloss over the terrain not minding the many wonders, big and small, God placed in there for our enjoyment and pleasure.
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We know it's there but we take it all for granted. Just as we think that the trees around us will always be there and so pay no attention to them. Not realizing that even trees, or all of nature for that matter, also need our attention and care. They too, as we all know it, take care of the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the water that rains down on our fields.
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Life on this planet is a give-and-take. A symbiotic existence.... there is something you have that I need or something that I have that you need. An interdependent relationship between man and man... and man and nature.
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So this morning I decided to pay closer attention to my walk. And with heightened expectations hied off with the rising sun so eager to see lovely surprises packed into this particular morning landscape. By God's design.
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These pictures were taken with my phone. It could be better with the right tool I know........ but this little ole lady makes do with what she has. I think in this case, it is the object and not the tool which is magic...... magically Magnificent!
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Of course, the morning walk wouldn't be complete without the usual trip to the talipapa (market) for fruits... banana, lansones, mangoes, pineapple (later sliced and slid into the refrigerator to cool). Added to my basket too were.. golden squash, sweet potatoes and saging na saba.
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Great day.. indeed! Thank God!
May God bless you and your dear ones.

LIFE IS BUCKETS FULL OF TURBULENCE - BUT ONLY BECAUSE WE NEED TO GROW

"The heart has its reasons and they aren't debate topics." 

 --- Robert Brault (American writer)

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When I saw this in my email this morning from Mr. Quote Man, but of course, immediately it resonated inside the walls of my brain and my heart. How many times in the past have I done this or that and to which I was pressed for an explanation or was imposed on with an argument. Words which didn't have to be there in the first place, if only they thought more on that my life was running its own course and story and that it really didn't have to be theirs, too. The heart more often than not moves in the direction of least resistance. I myself am not one for debates on any subject or for any reason.
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Life, as I now know it to be, is buckets full of turbulence or commonly called conflict, confusion. But we are asked to grow in its midst, like it or not. Yet we cannot if people around us stand as obstacles or hindrances by imposing or poking their own life stories upon us. Life is so designed by a bigger Authority above to be a perfect fit for every person who walk it...... male and female, black and white, rich and poor, young and old, and whatever your race and religion.
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We each have our own tailor-made set of experiences... successes... failures... dead-ends... mistakes... challenges... and the peeling off of layers in our core and character which do not belong there if we are meant to grow. And grow is the big thing on the agenda of life.
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We are continually asked or made to grow in the little and big things in life. The reason why stacks of problems are sent our way. Sometimes we understand it and sometimes we don't but the command still remains...... grow!
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Then the big questions come out to the fore..... What is it that we need to do to improve the self?... Why are we asked to change?... Where should we start?... When shall we begin?... Who can best help shed light to the path we need to be on?... How will we work things out to achieve the goal?...
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And this is how we begin to write our life story.
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May God bless you and your family. Stay rooted in your dreams.
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(Thank you, Mr. Quote Man, for the lovely quote.)

NOVEMBER - EVERYTHNG FLOWS, NOTHING STANDS STILL

Another new month for the living … ironic to start it by thinking of the dead or of death as traditionally marked by All Soul’s Day (November 1). November is close to the end of the year. Most of us measure life by the number of years lived. We say ‘A good year’ or ‘A bad year’….. Blowing out candles on our birthday cakes accordingly with laughter in that year or a big sigh in the next.
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I have had my share of both the good and the bad. A huge diversity of experiences which comprise my storybook of life. Childhood, school, working, family, children, birthdays, debuts, anniversaries, death, travel, joy, sorrow, fear, disappointment, embarrassment, anger, suspicion, betrayal, surprises, sadness, adventure, worry, anxiety, middle age, adult, and now the golden years.
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That’s how life rolls out for every one of us. Our separate experiences despite being individual and unique run parallel to each other on the spectrum of life. We’re different from each other and yet so much the same. What separates us are the dividing lines of continents, countries, nations, governments, color, race, religion, ideologies, and this crazy idea that we are better than the guy sitting next to us. That makes living in this world such a burden.
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Well, since I can’t solve the world’s problems, neither can superman, but…………..
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I could at least do something about my day and life in my little corner of the world.
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I have learned that life should be measured not by the number of years but by the number of breaths of awesomeness we embrace. Those moments which fill our whole being with authentic joy, contentment, passion, compassion, understanding, love, empathy, gratitude, and positivity.
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Many have written about this '...not by years but by the number of breaths...' but it truly is a good thought. Imagine those many times we have wasted on negativity...... Imagine what we have lost by not loving enough what we love and instead wasting breath on bashing what we hate...... Imagine the strain on our senses as we ourselves create our problems...... Imagine how we have bit by negative bit been draining our souls of its power to heal our lives. We have always been our worst enemy… undoubtedly.
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November has a purpose. That is to remind us that we can’t live forever. Wake up and live life the way it should be lived…. By God’s design. The year will soon be ending as all things in life do. But let it not be said that we didn’t live a good life (tough life notwithstanding)... one precious moment at a time… one precious memory at a time… one joyful heartbeat at a time… one positive experience at a time... one prayer of gratitude at a time... one precious day at a time. Thank God for November, too.
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Blessings to you and your family