Thursday, May 10, 2012

SOUL FOOD

Barbara Ward-Finneran


Not every action will produce the desired results. 
Experimenting and making mistakes is part of the process of realizing your potential and dreams. 
Power through the challenges melding your unique talents with that desired purpose. 
Be convinced in thoughts, words, and deeds that every task brings you closer to that personal victory and the rest will follow. 



Keep the promises that you make to yourself!
©  All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

WICKED HOT!!!!!

PATTY B
What is it about a man in a uniform that makes women HOT?!?!
 
OK, first, my dearest apologies fellow bloggers for my absence. But being a very busy Mom of three kids who is always on the search for uber cute shoes, constantly deals with a craving  for chocolate and lately has a total lack of exercise... I have let my writing slide.

But, anyway... talking with my "bestie" this morning I came up with a question: "Why do women find men in uniform uncontrollably HOT?

Is it the organized and impeccable look? The I took the time to carefully match and shine my shoes and there is none of yesterday stains from what the typical man might have spilled on himself because he was too interest in the boob tube and may have missed his mouth completely. Perhaps it's the shiny buttons (what girl isn't drawn to a little bling now and then)?

By the way... I'm not just taking "Military Men" as what women doesn't think of the famous movie " An Officer and a Gentleman" when we see men from the Armed Forces dawning their whites.  How we all wish we were Debra Winger and could be carried away.....aaaHHHHH!  But I mean Firefighters, Police Officers and even the "Delivery Men". Yes, ladies, don't we all wonder what could happen in those brown trucks of theirs given the opportunity?!  Sorry, all I could think of is the slogan "What Can Brown do for You?". OK!  Time for this Mom to take a cold shower... LOL

But before I sign off,  I'm putting the question out there dear DRL fans...
 "What makes a man in uniform Hot?"

I look forward to your comments.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

SHE SAID... LOVE ALWAYS REMAINS


JILLIAN B. HART
"If two points are destined to touch the universe will always find a way to make the connection. Even when all hope seems lost certain ties cannot be broken. They define who we are and who we can become. Across space,  across time, across paths we cannot predict, it always finds a way......."

Can love be defined as an energy between two people? If energy can neither be created nor destroyed, does that then too mean that love can never be created or destroyed?  That love just is.  Always was.  Always will be. It’s there.  Destined to find us.  Once we love a person does every action in our lives touch on some chord that will vibrate in eternity in their heart? We can not deny how we feel.  We can attempt to bury it and ignore it.  Put it in a box and hide it away.  Yet, it never ceases to exist. Is that why when someone says they love you, it makes you really happy, but yet you don’t really “feel” it.  It was already there before the words were spoken. But, if someone takes that love away, or says they don’t love you anymore, you can feel every ounce of where it filled you up drain away.  Leaving you feeling empty.  Out of energy.  That energy is still there. It cannot be created nor destroyed.  It’s just not wrapped around you anymore.  It becomes a conscious intention as to how we move on from that kind of change in the energy in our little corner of the world.  Some may positively interact with it forever or act as if it never was.  There is no escape.  It’s part of your personal infinity.  Love never leaves you.  It’s energy just changes.  
The “Red Thread of Fate” which also has other varying names like “Red Thread of Destiny” refers to an East Asian belief or myth that the god’s tie a red string around those destined to meet.  Some believe that two are tied together with a knot and the others are just looped around to cause a more temporary connection.  Both ideas expressing that we are inextricably connected to certain people.  Perhaps even to all people like expressed in the idea of “six degrees of separation”.  Every interaction has an impact on the string or thread.  It gets tangled, stretched, beaten and battered but never breaks.  All kinds of shifts can take place but the path of the connected thread is a constant.  It inexorably weaves it’s way with you through life linking you and your common connections in the universe.  
According to Chinese legend, the god in charge of “The Red Thread” is believed to be Yuè Xià Lǎo, the old lunar matchmaker deity, (Ah, yes the moon! Another source of energy commonly symbolic to lovers - but that’s another blog.), who is also in charge of marriages.  Two people connected by the thread are then destined to be lovers.  Fated to be connected regardless of time, place or circumstances.  Regardless of a happy life or existence that goes on without daily interactions with the other.  The thread never breaks.  So similar to the Western concepts of soul mates or twin flames.  
Tony recently did a He Said, asking; “Do You Have a One that Got Away?”.  I believe many people do - even if they admit it or not.  
A person can have a good life.  Be happy with their mate, kids, family and still have a forever connection to another.  Not want to give up a thing that they have right now. Not want to risk the good and happy relationship that is their life, yet part of them yearns for that other person.  Perhaps, Facebook isn’t responsible for this resurfacing of emotions that seem so commonplace in our tech world as Tony wrote about in his post.  Apparently "the One That Got Away" has to do with love.  Love that can not be created or destroyed. It always was and always will be.  Perhaps, the “Red Thread of Fate” explains it.  It’s not a matter of “the One that Got Away” but rather, the fact is, if you choose to acknowledge it - YOU CAN NEVER GET AWAY.  LOVE ALWAYS REMAINS!

Monday, May 7, 2012

SOUL FOOD


Barbara Ward-Finneran

Be in the moment.
Your moment.
Each day.
All you have is right now to with the best that you can.
Only when you give up the battles within your own mind can you dwell in this life with a peaceful heart.
If you aren't present to this moment, then you risk being trapped between  looking forward to what may never be or back on regret.
Make a choice.  Choose now. 

Keep the promises that you make to yourself!
©  All Rights Reserved

Sunday, May 6, 2012

THE ANSWER IS........ GHOSTS

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

As an Assistant Principal, I took our students on many fun and educational field trips, but
by far the best was the 4th grade and the 8th grade trips to Saint Augustine! Teaching is
my love but teaching Florida History is my passion! When my kids went to the Ancient
City, they knew all about Ponce de Leon, Menendez, the different Native Floridian tribes,
the battles, the Spanish, French, American (Union and Confederate) rule of Florida,
and even pirate history! They knew the Florida timeline right up to the present day and
remembered and shared so much on our trip that their parents were amazed.
How, you ask, was I able to accomplish such a feat of excellence in teaching? The answer
is……. Ghosts! That’s right, ghosts!

As we studied the history of each historic spot in Florida, I related the ghost stories that
went with each area. We read from Weird Florida (an awesome book by the way) and
many of the published accounts of paranormal activity in St.Augustine. So haunted
is this city, that on any given night, there are 7 or 8 different “ghost tours” going on at
once. The city is so famous for its ghosts that the cast of TV’s Ghost Hunters came to
investigate. They had one of the scariest nights of their careers right in the St. Augustine
lighthouse! Certified: Definitely haunted!

The lighthouse is said to be haunted by the spirits of 3 little girls. Two were the
lighthouse keeper’s daughters and the third was a friend. They liked to ride the cart on
tracks that led down to the water where ships would unload goods and wheel them up the
tracks. On one of these “rides”, the cart overturned into the water with the girls inside and
the friend was drowned. People often report hearing girls laughing down by the water and
see their little faces in the windows of the main house.

Another favorite haunting of my students is the secret room at the Castillo de San Marcos
(the fort). Years ago, while a crew was cleaning the canons on the upper level, the
ground beneath it caved in and the canon fell to the first level. Several workers went
down to see it, but no one could find it. Finally, someone was lowered down into the
hole with a light. He was almost overcome with the strong scent of spicy perfume. He
found the canon in a small room, completely sealed off, and to his horror he also found
2 skeletons chained to the cold coquina wall. After much research, it was discovered that
during the Spanish occupation of St. Augustine there was a Commander of the fort whose
wife was much younger than he, and known for her great beauty and the exotic, spicy
scent of her perfume. She was also rumored to be having an affair with the handsome,
young Captain of the Guard. According to entries in the Commander’s reports, his
beloved wife ran away with her lover, never to be seen or heard from again. Could
these two be the ones sealed up in the secret room? The skeletons have long since been
removed, but why do visitors still catch the scent of her perfume when they enter?

At the Mission of Nombre de Dios, there is a quaint little building which is the La Leche
Chapel. It is part of the original mission Menendez and his party set up and where the
first Catholic Mass was held in the United States. The first teachers were the priests
and sisters who came to teach the Timucuan natives of the area. These faithful nuns are
buried right next to the chapel. The story persists, even though the present director of the
Mission denies its truth, that one of the nuns was buried alive accidentally. This wasn’t
uncommon at the time since the only way to tell if one was dead was if you couldn’t feel
a heartbeat or see them breathing. Many people were buried with a bell on the grace, a
string leading down to the hand to ring if they regained consciousness. Someone was
hired to sit by the grave through the night (thus the “expression graveyard shift”) to start
digging if the bell rang. Unfortunately, this young nun had no such bell. There were
reports of moaning and the ground vibrating near the grave and people were terrified. It
was decided to dig her up to prove this was all nonsense. When they opened the coffin,
there were deep scratch marks on the inside lid and her nails were broken and blood
stained. Her mouth was open as if screaming. She was quickly reinterred, but to this day,
people standing by the grave sometimes hear moaning and feel the ground beneath them
tremble.

I told my 8th grade this very story and when we visited, they were most anxious to stand
by the graves. We were in the chapel praying, but it was a hot and humid morning. Two
of my girls felt a little faint and asked to stand outside for some air. They walked over
to the grave. I stood in the doorway where I could supervise both the students praying
and the girls outside. Suddenly there was a bone chilling scream and my two girls came
running to me. They clung to me for dear life and cried, “It’s true, it’s true! We heard the
moaning and the ground began to shake! It’s her!!! It’s the nun!” I held them both and
stood with my mouth open in surprise. Sure enough, the ground WAS trembling and I
could hear a low moan that seemed to be coming closer and closer……………..
Suddenly a man on one of those giant lawn mowers came riding around the corner of the
chapel. It moaned and shook the ground as it whacked away the grass and weeds. Tears
of horror turned into tears of laughter as the girls realized that their ghost was a big green
John Deere!

So if you love Florida history, ghost stories or both, Saint Augustine is the place to go!
Sure there are colorful shops, picturesque Bed and Breakfasts, sightseeing tours and
sun- kissed golden beaches, but most importantly, there are GHOSTS!