Forget-me-Not's Posts (151)

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“How may I find refreshment in the rain,when I'd rather be outside doing something in the sunshine?”
If you have never taken time to notice rain, sit by a window on a rainy day and watch how the rain makes all the colors brighter. Green never looked greener than on a rainy day, and how about the glorious earth? Yes, there is beauty everywhere if only we take the time to look. Watch what happens when raindrops hit the trees. The leaves seem to dance, and the trees come alive with animation. Watching this can help you remember the importance of rain as a life-giving necessity for our planet. And, it only takes one raindrop to make a leaf dance. Why not help celebrate the dance of life with a dance of your own? Here are a few more ways to help you move through boredom toward acceptance of rainy days while nurturing your spiritual self:

• Meditate to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of your home
• Go outside and dance in the puddles
• Light candles and burn incense while watching the rain fall
• Breathe in the rain smells; visualize yourself being washed clean of negativity by refreshing raindrops
• Take your dog for a walk in the rain
• Pick up that book you've been putting off reading and honor yourself with a much needed break
• Give attention to that favorite project you've been neglecting
• Reinvent yourself by writing goals, dreams, and thoughts in a journal
• Take a long, warm bath with candles and listen to the patter of rain drops on the roof
The next time the weather forecaster calls for rain, look at it as a time for you to break away from schedules, deadlines, and whirlwind activity and make time to focus on your being. Let the rhythms of the rain help you put yourself into the present moment. Allow yourself the luxury to simply be. ...


By Francie Klopotic www.Aquarius-Atlanta.com

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For millions of people, happiness is rather elusive. They've tried to buy happiness. They've tried to force it. They've sought it through pleasurable activities. But nothing has seemed to work for them. Researchers now believe that our brains are hard-wired in ways that, at least to some degree, determine just how happy we're going to be. In short, it's in the genes. At the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, scientists have used advanced imaging technology to pinpoint the area of the brain — specifically, the left prefrontal cortex — that serves as the center for positive, optimistic, and happy feelings. When people naturally have higher than normal activity in this brain region, they are more likely to feel positive moods, and they'll tend to start each day ready to take on the world.As powerful as these genetic predispositions may be, happiness is still partly within your control, says David Myers, PhD, the John Dirk Werkman Professor of Psychology at Hope College in Holland, Mich. "It's rather like our cholesterol level — genetically influenced, yet also influenced by our habits and attitudes." To help bring more happiness into your own life, here are some strategies to try:1. Nurture your relationships. Maintaining healthy love relationships and friendships can be a challenge. But those challenges, and the emotional development that inevitably come with them, can promote happiness.2. Join the "movement" movement. Studies show that aerobic exercise is an antidote for mild depression and anxiety. "Happy minds reside in sound bodies," says Myers.3. Act happy. A recent study at Wake Forest University showed that when people simply acted extroverted, they felt happier than when they acted extroverted and feel happier.4. Nurture your spiritual side. Faith not only provides valuable support, but it's a way to focus on something other than yourself. "Study after study finds that actively religious people are happier, and that they cope better with crises," says Myers.According to Ken Sheldon, PhD, associate professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia, all of us are born with a particular "set range" for happiness, which can be fine-tuned by various life circumstances. Your goal, he explains, should be to reach and remain in the upper end of the happiness range that is part of your genetic blueprint. "All of life is a process of becoming," says Myers, author of ‘Pursuit of Happiness and intuition’"From womb to tomb, we're developing. So we can, at any time, reshape our future." Happy individuals have certain personal traits that set them apart from people with clouds hovering over their heads. Sheldon's research has shown that happiness is associated with characteristics like autonomy, competence, close relationships, and high self-esteem.Of course, some people are true believers that the quickest path to happiness is to buy it or to mold it by transforming their personal surroundings. They may have convinced themselves that if they buy a new car or move to a beach community in California, lasting happiness will follow. But Sheldon warns that while these kinds of changes might work for a while, new possessions or fresh living arrangements will eventually become part of your status quo and their power to deliver happiness will fade. "The route to sustained happiness is not to change the static circumstances of your life, but rather to change the activities that you're involved in," says Sheldon. "This could mean committing to a new vocational plan, pursuing a new set of goals, or joining a new organization."Although concerns of the times can shake the foundations that support personal happiness, these unsettling events have prompted some people to rethink their lives and move in more positive directions. After natural and national disasters, many people become much clearer about what is important to them, and what gives them purpose in life. They also can become more adaptive, and more appreciative of the little things. Even in difficult times, people can find happiness.One way to steer your life toward happiness is simply to count your blessings, and perhaps even create and make regular entries in your own "gratitude journal." Myers points to research showing that people who pause each day to reflect on the positive aspects of their lives (for example, their health, friends, family, education, freedom) are more likely to experience heightened well-being.Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, conducted a study comparing the well-being of lottery winners versus people who had become suddenly paralyzed. Following the initial euphoria of their newfound wealth, the lottery winners were no happier than the accident victims. The paralyzed individuals had to adjust to the shock of their new physical limitations, but after this early distress had eased, they were much better able to appreciate the small pleasures and victories of life than those who were overnight millionaires, and they felt more optimistic about the future.~By Richard Trubo, Health.MSN.com
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Happy mother's day to every mother of Englsih Club

Lord, are there roses in your garden
On the shores of jubilee
Would you pick a dozen of your best
And deliver them for me?
For you see, today is mothers’ day
And I can’t visit my mom
For it wasn’t very long ago
The angels came and took her home.
So if there are roses in your garden
On the shores of Jubilee
Would you pick a dozen of your best
And deliver them for me?
Would you take them to my mother
And tell her that I love her.
Tell her that I miss her
In oh! So many ways
But I have joy in knowing
We’ll meet again someday
And we’ll pick roses together
On the shores of Jubilee.


Written by: Lynn Casstevens

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Last night,somewhere in Pakistan,a U.S. commandos ended the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Do you think that, the fact that Al-Quaida's head was killed makes the world safer, or on the opposite, should we all be worried of what is going to come next as a revenge from the terrorists ?

My friends, i know it's a delicate topic to talk about, and i am not asking you if, what did the americans is right or wrong, or if we can find excuses to terrorisms acts. In fact, i have to admit that I have hesitated a lot before writting this blog but somehow, it's important for me to know how you feel about this.

Please don't let hate overcome you and try to stay objectif in your answer. We are not here to fight, but to try to understand. Thanks a lot.

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Every now and then, my old friend Buster sents me funny notes or mails that make me laugh or that take me into deep reflexion. I am amazed to see how, such an old man can laugh at himself. No wonder he is still alive after having such a hard life. I believe that it is his sense of derision that helped him all his live long. All of what he sent me for the past 17 years really helped me to relativize things and to find positivenesswhere it was not always obvious.
He became a real ray of sunshine in my live and i thank him so much for being such a wonderful friend
So here is what he sent me.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body - the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love.. I will I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old!
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten, and I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say 'no', and mean it. I can say 'yes', and mean it
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day
Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.

Author unknown
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The Lily of the Valley gently
makes her presence known
with wisps of fragrant whispers
from wherever she is grown.
She lives within my garden
just beyond Sweet Violets' Place.
Miss Lily quietly conducts
her life with genteel grace.

She can't forget the reason she
reclusively resides ~
in God's own Garden she once grew
and now in mine abides,
for she arrived upon this earth
as Eve's most bitter tears,
and Lily of the Valley kept
that secret all these years.

Her pristine bells of purest white
are silent, save for scent.
She hides within a cloak of green ~
that's how her days are spent.
With modesty this gentle soul
has captured countless hearts.
Her fragrance lingers in the breeze


Poem by Linda Lowther, bard owl
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A few days ago, i added a blog about the strange and funny things we had to face while learning english. The positif comments i received on that post motivated me to search for more. Are you ready for more fun ?Do you have any idea of what the word "oxymorons" means ? Noooo, it's not a kind of stange insect, neither the name of a rare disease that could affect our bodies.An Oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words.It is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, terms, phrases or ideas are combined to create a rhetorical effect by paradoxical means.http://www.oxymorons.info/reference/oxymorons/definition.aspHere are some exemples : could you find more ?A new classicAccidentally on purposeAll aloneCountless numbersCruel kindnessReal fantasyAwfully goodPretty uglyOnly choiceDarck lightVirtual realityMournful optimist.What about "Homographs"According to "Dailywrittingtips",homographs are words with different pronunciation, meanings and origins but the same spelling.Isn't that strange ? But tell me, how can 2 words with the same spelling mean 2 different things ?You won’t house me in that houseNever desert in the desertHer good resume helped her to resume her careerI coudln’t coax the coax into the hole !I did not object to the objectThe farm was used to produce produceI asked one of my fan to turn the fan on.www.dailywritingtips.comI hope you enjoyed this post !I will try to find something interesting for the part III
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IT'S A CRAZY LANGUAGE

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.


One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese


You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?


If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.


We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language when it says ...


The bandage was wound around the wound.

The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

He could lead if he would get the lead out.

A bass was painted on the head of a bass drum on third base.

The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.

I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

If we explore the paradoxes of the English language, we find ...

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough
when going through the bough on a tree!

Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and
a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and
get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?


And finally — if Dad is Pop, how come Mom isn't Mop?


Contributed by Geri in Santa Fe, New Mexico
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In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with theLong Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move."We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams." "It`s foolish to chase wild visions."Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=2731
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Dear friends,

One of my dearest friend added this deeply moving letter on his facebook profile. I found it so sad but at the same time so full of hope that i decided to share it with you.

 

"First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.  

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful. 

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets. 

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

 We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group. 

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time. 

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

 

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

 

 They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others.  Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again. 

 

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent."

 

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

 

With Love in return, to you all,

Samantha Roddick

 

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Hello sisters and brothers,

Last night, my old friend Buster (remember the american veteran who must be now 87 years old) sent me a new beautiful text. As in every stories he sent me all those years, there is a "morale" in this one too.
This post taugh me a lot, not only with the new vocabulary words (in bold), but mainly by the way it had been written. Let me give you the exemple of the following sentence. I found it extraordinary !
"He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose".

I hope you will enjoy reading this post.

Six minutes to six, said the great round clock over the information booth in Grand Central Station. The tall young Army lieutenant who had just come from the direction of the tracks lifted his sunburned face, and his eyes narrowed to note the exact time. His heart was pounding with a beat that shocked him because he could not control it.
In six minutes, he would see the woman who had filled such a special place in his life for the past 13 months, the woman he had never seen, yet whose written words had been with him and sustained him unfailingly. John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.
His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft hand writing reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She now lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. 'Suppose I'm beautiful. I'd always be haunted by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose I'm plain (and you must admit that this is more likely). Then I'd always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don't ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decision.'
When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting — 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York City. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.
I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

"A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips, 'Going my way, sailor' she murmured.
"Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.
"The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.
"And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.
"I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. 'I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?'
"The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. 'I don't know what this is about, son,' she answered, 'but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!'"
It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom.

The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unexpected. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are."
By Sulamith Ish-Kishor

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Live and become.

Dear friends, it's late, I don’t usually write at this hour of the night because I lack concentration, but I just saw a film on television, a film that moved me so much that I need to talk about it. In my life, partly because of my profession, I have seen many heartbreaking stories, but i have never been so troubled by what I just saw tonight. I wonder why this movie upsets me so much as it is a fiction. Maybe over time, I became too sensitive to any injustice shown in "Live and Become" The soundtrack is also beautiful and i guess it adds an emotional side to the movie.Here is the summary of this very touching movie. If you have the chance to watch it,don’t miss it and,please,let me know what you think about it. That kind of film is very valuable as it makes us deeply think about what we can, each do, to make the world a better place to be.Live and become realized by Radu Mihaileanu.In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel. The day before the transport the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9-year-old boy. Upon arrival this second mother dies. Schlomo is adopted by a good family but remains depressed until he secretly sends a letter to his real mother. From the beginning he experiences large and small racist difficulties. In his teens he and Sarah fall in love. Her father is an extreme racist. Schlomo tries to gain "real Jewishness" by winning a competition in Bible interpretation. No change of Sarah's father's attitude. Disappointed he goes to the police and reports himself as not being a Jew. But the police officer just gives him a scolding. "The newspapers are full of that stuff, the Falashas are no Jews. Now they begin to believe it themselves." His adoptive parents send him to France to study medicine. When he afterwards marries Sarah she loses her family and her status as a "white Jew". But he dares not tell her the truth until she becomes pregnant. She leaves him, but only because he had not trusted that she would love him as much anyway. His adoptive mother reconciles them. Sarah's first line when she returns: "Unbelievable what three mothers would do for you." But she makes a condition for returning: Schlomo must meet his real mother again. As a doctor he takes a job in the Ethiopian fugitive camp where she is still alive.Written by Max Scharnberg, Stockholm, Sweden
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Hello my friends

Though I don't have enough time to be as active here as I would like (it takes me a lot of cncentration and time to write something here) most of the time, only having a few minutes to answer your posts, I decided to spend one hour (or more :)) here to give you a feedback  of a very interesting conference I went to last week. Many of you probably already know much about this topic, but it gives me a good opportunity to start writting here again.

By reading Expector's last post to me, i had an idea. I will put in bold all the new words i had to look for in the dictionary.

 

Searchers, by studiyng communities who manage to avoid certain diseases, pointed out 7 primary nutrients that help people to stay "young" and healthy. So here is the precious list :))

 

Olive oil comes on the top of the list (no surprise)

Countries with the lower rates of heart diseases are those that consume a lot of olive oil, mainly Meditterranean countries. ( I love their food, particularly turkish and greek ones)

Olive oil is said to regulate the cholesterol lebel and helps prevent blokking our arteries. It also plays a major role in controlling the blood pressure. Full of anti-oxidants it also helps us to prevent many aged-related diseases. So, even if you are on a diet, do not cut out fat completely and include a small amount of that precious oil in your daily meals.

 

Fish

It has been proved that people who really eat lots of fish (as Japaneese people) have a long average life span and shows straonger physical fitness compared to those who mainly eat meat. It is ver rich in Omega 3 and it helps to prevent cholesterol.

 

Wine (yes... yes, it's not a joke :))

For the past few years, studies have shown that, alcohol in moderation can help to protect our heart from heart diseases, but also from diabetes and, what a surprise for me, from aged-related memory lost. Hahaha, i though it was the opposite, when people drink too much alcohol, they forget everything :))

Experts agree that the most beneficial alcohol is red wine because it contains anti-oxidants that activates genes which slow down the aging of our cells.

 

Chocolate ( Belgian chocolate is said to be the best in the world)

I was so surprised to hear that people who live on the shore of Panama  have rates of heart diseases 9 times lower than the ones who live in the mainland of the country. The reason is because people who live on the shore drink a large amount of cocao drinks that is rich in flavanol that help to protect le blood vessels.

When blood vessels are protected it lowers the risk of high blood pressure, kidney diseases and dementia.

More over, cacao contains magnesium whic is known as an anti-depressant and calcium which is good for our bones.

To avail of its benefits, the chocolate must be the dark one with, at least 70% of cacao.

 

Yoghurt.

Thought the lacteol found in milk products is more and more said to be bad for our health, yoghurt is one of the best prevention for osteoporis. It contains good "bacteria" that improve intestinal health. This is why yoghurt, known as a probiotic,  boosts our immune system, protects our intestins and lower the risk of some types of cancer.

 

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are rich in unsaturated fat, offering us similar benefits than olive oil. Reaserchers showed that people who eat hazelnuts gain about 2 years of life. It not only contains a good level of proteins and fibre, but also different kinds of anti-oxidants. They are also rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium that help us to keep a good blood pressure level.

The vitamin B contained in those fruits supports the production of blood and helps to protect our muscles and heart.

 

Blueberries

An experiment was done with mice eating blueberries. These mice produced better results in body balance and coordination tests than mice fed normaly.

The components in blueberries (and other soft fruits)  are know to counter infections and oxidative damages associated with age-related problems to the memory and motor-function.

Those blue little wilde fruits are also rich in fibre and vitamin C

 

Whaou.... i am done and, guess what ! It took me more than 2 hours to write this post ! Now you can understand why i don't write often :))

 

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My Angel Friends (by Veronica Ann Cech)

 

Friendship . . .

. . . is you.
. . . is love.
. . . is shared.
. . . is forgiving.
. . . is understanding.
. . . is shared secrets.
. . . heals many hurts.
. . . is not judgmental.
. . . is shared laughter.
. . . is slow and steady.
. . . can be angry at times.
. . . is dependable and true.
. . . is more precious than silver or gold.
. . . is meant to be savored like fine wine.
. . . is not perfect, much like we are not perfect.
. . . does not hold grudges or demand perfection.
. . . makes all the wrong things in life, right somehow.
. . . is meant to be gulped like lemonade on a hot summer day.
. . . is always there, through times of trial, happy times and hard times.
. . . just happens, but once discovered, needs to be tended like a beautiful garden.
. . . is a road to be traveled slowly, remembering the sights and sounds.
. . . is strength when you are too weak to notice its there.
. . . is a cherished moment of mutual understanding.
. . . reaches into your heart and grabs a firm hold.
. . . is a refreshing rain on a hot day.
. . . is sunshine through the clouds.
. . . cannot be forced or induced.
. . . is relaxed and comfortable.
. . . is a shoulder to lean on.
. . . is an ear to whine to.
. . . gets better with age.
. . . is shared tears.
. . . is shared pain.
. . . is shared joy.
. . . is shared.
. . . is love.
. . . is you.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaaiwLhehss
Dear friends,

Here is the most beautiful love song i have ever heard in my life. It's an old song, but, up to now,  I have never heard anything better.

So, as it will be Valentine day very soon, i have decided to post it here and to dedicate it to my angel and to all of you.

I have found the lyrics in english, but though it is close, it's not absolutly the same. I would be happy to know what you think about it.
So, here it is...

If you were... Salvatore Adamo

If you were the earth
I would be sower
You'd be my harvest
My law...
And I would die happy
Have seen you in flowers
Falling asleep forever
In you

If you were the time
I' would be hourglass
And you would strung out in me
If you were the wind
I would be a sailboat
And I swell with you

If you were ...
But you're still my love
You are, you're ...
And you filled my days
You're living
You're in love

If you were the road and your eyes the horizon
I would follow you confident
I would be vagabond
To marry your voice
I would be a song
If you were emotion
I would be shiver

If you were the sea
I'would be River
And my days would flow to you
If you were a country
My arms would be borders
And I would go to war for you

If you were ...
But you're still my love
You are true
And you filled my days
You're living, you're in love
You are!

French lyrics for those who know this language ;

Si tu étais...

Si tu étais…. Salvatore Adamo

Si tu étais la terre
Moi je serais semeur
Tu serais ma moisson
Ma loi
Et je mourais ravi
De t'avoir vu en fleurs
M'endormant à jamais
En toi

Car je n'existe que par toi, par toi
Si tu étais le temps
Je serai sablier
Et tu t'égrainerais en moi
Si tu étais le vent
Moi je serais voilier
Et je me gonflerais de toi
Si tu étais...
Mais tu es plus encore mon amour
Tu es, tu es...
Et tu remplis mes jours
Tu es de vie
Tu es d'amour
Tu es...

Si tu étais la route et tes yeux l'horizon
Je te suivrais confiant
Je serais vagabond
Pour épouser ta voix
Moi je serais chanson
Si tu étais émoi
Je serais le frisson

Car je n'existe que par toi, par toi
Si tu étais la mer
Moi je serais rivière
Et mes jours couleraient vers toi
Si tu étais pays
Mes bras seraient frontière
Et je ferais ma guerre pour toi

Si tu étais...
Mais tu es plus encore mon amour
Toi tu es vraie
Et tu remplis mes jours
Tu es de vie, tu es d'amour
Tu es !
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I'll come back...

 

My dear friends,

I wish to thank each of you who, while i was too busy to come here, kept sending me kind messages. From now on, i will spend much of my time in Turkey and, for the few pasted weeks, i was there to arrange all that needs to be done when moving to another country. I was extremely busy and i didn't have internet connection until last Sunday.

As my father had a heart attack, i had to come back urgently to Belgium where i am now. I guess i will stay 2-3 weeks here. Those past days have been very difficult for me and i am not really in the mood to be active here, but i will come back to you as soon as my tired mind will feel better.

 

Peace to all,

 Manuela

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Every day is Christmas.

 

 Every  day  is Christmas when you have the kind of mind,

that stores up all the goodness and the sweetness it can find.

When you don't need an occasion to spread a bit of cheer,

but just keep on a-giving of yourself throughtout the year.

 

Every day is Christmas with a gaily wrapped surprise,

when you've learned to see the friendship in someone else's eyes,

when you try a little harder and complain a little less,

holding fast to all the fervor of the faith that you possess.

 

Every day is Chirstmas when you've found that you can be

more concerned with words like  'you' and less with 'I' and 'me'.

When it's fun to do a favor and to lend a helping hand,

when being understood means less than when you understand.

 

Every day is Christmas with a beauty deeply cast,

when you find it doesn't matter if you're first or if you're last.

When you can face your conscience and be glad of who you are.

Then every day is Christmas for you'll have friends near and far.

 

Author Unknown.

 

 

This photo IS NOT mine but i could not resist to download it here as it is for me the perfect image of the warmth of Christmas

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1. Avoid the touristic season.Prices will be cheaper, ligns won’t be as long before visitingthe “must see” and you won’t have to deal with the crowd wherever you go.2. Use internet to find a low cost transportationsThere are plenty low cost airlines that cross the world. Subscribe to their newsletters and you will recieve their best deals. Don’t hesitate to compare, it may take your time but it is worth it.You can also find cheap train tickets. If you are in Europe you may travel with the Euroline buses, or taxistop. Think about carpooling, more and more people use it .3. If you wish to stay in a hotel or a hostelYou can find a huge choice on internet. To have a better price always try to book directly (by phone is the best) at the hotel and not through a search engin. As the hotel won’t have to give a pourcentage to (for exemple) Booking.com you can ask them to reduce the price of the room if you pay with cash money. (It always worked out for me ) Never forget to ask a written confirmation of your booking.If you prefer to stay with locals, check for “free accommodation” websites . They are numerous on internet. But please keep in mind that the main goal of those clubs IS NOT to just propose free accommodation, but to create contacts and to share more important things than a free room.4.Not to waste time, make a plan.If you travel for a short time and if you have precise places you want to see make a plan before you go. Use internet, check maps,read travels forums and write everything down in a little notebook you will always keep with you.If you wish to avoid the queue in places that are very crowed, buy your entrance tickets on internet.5. Make a check list of things you need and Travel “light”Take time to make a list of things you will need, write it down and follow it when packing your bag, so you’re sure you won’t forget anything.When travelling, we always tend to take too many unnecessary things ! Take clothes that are easy to wash by hands and that dry fast. A “two in one” cloth is great. A pair of pants with zippers on the legs can turn into a short and a jacket that you can take the sleeves off will be great to have for any kind of weather6.Must do.- Make a copy of your passeport and of your transport tickets and keepthem in a plastic pocket.- Always write down the address and the phone number of your embassyin the country you visit. If you are a backpacker, let your embassy knowwhere you plan to go.- Keep in mind the emergency phone numbers of the country where youare (police and doctors) but write them down too.- In your little notebook, add the phone number of the person that shouldbe contacted in your country if you have problems abroad.- If you take medecines, take enough with you and don’t forget the littlepaper notice that are inside of the boxes. It can be very usefull if youneed to buy the same molecules . Most of the time the commercialnames are different from countries to countries.- If you are allergic to some medecines, keep a clear note about this inyour passeport.- Learn how to say the main sentences in the language of the country youvisit.- Follow your intuitions and show common sense.7. A smile open all the doors...Put a smile on your face and show respect to the country’s culture. Don’t be scared to go to the indegenous and to show them your interest for their country.With time and along my journeys, I have noticed that, wherever we live, we all need the same...love and care.Keep your dreams alive :)Manuela
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