There is always a way…

This was passed along to me by a dear friend. I just could not resist sharing it, as the lesson is enormous. Hope you enjoy!!!

An old Italian gentleman lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son explaining his predicament.

Dear Vincent, I’m feeling really sad cause it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to plant the tomato garden this year. It’s too hard, and I’m getting to old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the garden for me, like the old days. Love Papa.

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Don’t dig up the garden, that’s where the bodies are buried. Love Vinnie.

At 4am the next morning FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant your tomatoes now. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. Love Vinnie.

 

Do Oompa Loompas really exist???

As a child growing up, I had a passion for books rather than toys. It was this passion that made me fall in love with the books of Roald Dahl. Endless were the hours spent, in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, with James and his Giant Peach, and countless other magical places that this timeless author took me to. That which I adored more than anything, is that the books were filled with exquisite messages that I have subliminally carried in my being through this life.

Here now are some of  enchanting quotes from the master storytellers works.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.”

“So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall.”

    “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”    

“The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a deep deep sleep, and all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world all to themselves.”

“Matilda said, “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it.  Be outrageous.  Go the whole hog.  Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable…”

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

“I was glad my father was an eye-smiler. It meant he never gave me a fake smile because it’s impossible to make your eyes twinkle if you aren’t feeling twinkly yourself. A mouth-smile is different. You can fake a mouth-smile any time you want, simply by moving your lips. I’ve also learned that a real mouth-smile always has an eye-smile to go with it. So watch out, I say, when someone smiles at you but his eyes stay the same. It’s sure to be a phony.”    

“When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important:  A stodgy parent is not fun at all!  What a child wants – and DESERVES – is a parent who is SPARKY!”

“My candle burns at both ends. It will not last the night, but ah my foes and oh my friends, it gives a lovely light.”

“Of course they’re real people. They’re Oompa-Loompas…Imported direct from Loompaland…And oh what a terrible country it is! Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world – hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles. A whangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping.”

“Watch with glittery eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”

Do you know your ABC’s???

A-ACCEPT

Accept others for who they are and for the choices they’ve made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.

B-BREAK AWAY

Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.

C-CREATE

Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.

D-DECIDE

Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.

E-EXPLORE

Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.

F-FORGIVE

Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

G-GROW

Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way. 

H-HOPE

Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

I-IGNORE

Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.

J-JOURNEY

Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you’ll grow.

K-KNOW

Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter

L-LOVE

Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.

M-MANAGE

Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.

N-NOTICE

Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.

O-OPEN

Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there’s still much to be thankful for.

P-PLAY

Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.

Q-QUESTION

Ask many questions, because you’re here to learn.

R-RELAX

Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.

S-SHARE

Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.

T-TRY

Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

U-USE

Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that’s wasted has no value. Talent that’s used will bring unexpected rewards.

V-VALUE

Value the friends and family members who’ve supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.

W-WORK

Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.

X-X-RAY

Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you’ll see the goodness and beauty within.

Y-YIELD

Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you’ll find success at the end of the road.

Z-ZOOM

Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

 

Guest House…

The human being is a guest house.
Every day there are new arrivals….
A joy, a sadness, a contentment or a despair.
We have an awareness of unexpected visitors that are not so pleasant at times.
However welcome them all.
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows who come to sweep your house and empty your rooms.
Still, treat each guest of emotions honourably.
They may be clearing you out for some new delight ahead.
The dark thought, the doubt, the confusion.
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each visitor has been sent as a guide from beyond so we can learn and become the people we are meant to be.

Author unknown

Small pleasures…

Sometimes we must surrender to “looking and listening”. 

Thank you to my dear friend George for sharing this.

 Cast:
Lefteris Eleftheriou
Evgenia Deliali

Narrated by:
Makis Revmatas

Directed by: Constantin Pilavios
Written by: Despina Ladi
Director of photography: Zoe Manta
Music by: Christos Triantafillou
Sound Design by: Teo Babouris
Mixed by: Kostas Varibobiotis
Produced by: MovieTeller films

The River and the Clouds…

The River and The Clouds Once upon a time there was a… beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down. She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.

One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. Because of the nature of impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure, her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair, anger,and hatred became her life.

Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to die. “If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?” But how can a river take her own life?

That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself that she had never seen herself. That night was the first opportunity for her to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered something quite important.

She realized that what she had been looking for was already in herself. She found out that clouds are nothing but water. Clouds are born from water and will return to water. And she found out she herself was also water.

The next morning when the sun was in the sky, she discovered something beautiful. She saw the blue sky for the first time. She had never noticed it before. She had only been interested in clouds, and she had missed seeing the sky, which is the home of all the clouds. Clouds are impermanent, but the sky is stable. She realized that the immense sky had been within her heart since the very beginning. This great insight brought her peace and happiness. As she saw the vast wonderful blue sky, she knew that her peace and stability would never be lost again.

That afternoon the clouds returned, but this time she did not want to possess any of them. She could see the beauty of each cloud, and she was able to welcome all of them. When a cloud came by, she would greet him or her with loving-kindness. When the cloud wanted to go away, she would wave to him or her happily and with loving kindness. She realized that all clouds are her. She didn’t have to choose between the clouds and herself. Peace and harmony existed between her and the clouds.

That evening something wonderful happened. When she opened her heart completely to the evening sky she received the image of the full moon – beautiful, round, like a jewel within herself. She had never imagined that she could receive such a beautiful image. There is a very beautiful poem in Chinese: “The fresh and beautiful moon is travelling in the utmost empty sky. When the mind-rivers of living beings are free, that image of the beautiful moon will reflect in each of us.”

This was the mind of the river at that moment. She received the image of that beautiful moon within her heart, and water, clouds, and moon took each other’s hands and practiced walking meditation slowly, slowly to the ocean.

There is nothing to chase after. We can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful environment.

 -A Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

Imagine…

I have always carried a deep admiration for John Lennon in my heart. I feel that he was way ahead of his time both as an artist as well as a visionary. Here are my top 10 Favourite John Lennon quotes:

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?”

“Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.”

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

“The more I see the less I know for sure.”

“My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”

“Avant-garde is French for bullshit”.

And last but not least:

 

 “Imagine there’s no countries
  It isn’t hard to do
  Nothing to kill or die for
  And no religion too
  Imagine all the people
  Living life in peace

  You may say that I’m a dreamer
  But I’m not the only oneI hope someday you’ll join us
  And the world will be as one”    

Erinee 🙂

Believe 101…

I believe That we don’t have to change friends, if we understand that friends change.

I believe- That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and, you must forgive them for that.

I believe-That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe- That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe- That it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe- That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe- That you can keep going long after you can’t.

I believe- That we are responsible for what  we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe- That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-That regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe- That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe- That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe- That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe- That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-That sometimes when I’m angry, I have the right to be angry, but I don’t have the right to be cruel.

I believe-That just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I believe- That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe- That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe- That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe- That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe- That just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other, and just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe- That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe- That the people you care about most in life are the essence of life. Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.

I believe- That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you – you will find the strength
to help.

I believe- That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe- That you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe- That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

Author Unknown

Erinee 🙂

The shoebox…

There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted doilies and a stack of money totaling $25,000.

He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she said, “My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily.”

The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears. Only two precious doilies were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. “Honey,” he said, “that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”

“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the doilies.”

Spice…

Once in a while you watch a film that takes ahold of all your senses. A Touch of Spice is such a film. Magical, moving, and magnificently alluring. Allow me to take your hand and simply walk you towards the ‘spice house’, for a captivating moment between a grandson and his grandfather.

Erinee 🙂