Food for thought - Wolf Food

 

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story."
"I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. The only person hate hurts, is you. It is like taking poison and wishing for your enemy to die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."
He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."

I love this story! It is a constant (and sometimes much needed) reminder to clear my heart of all anger, and to refuse to let the poisons take control of my life. It reminds me that I DO have a choice as to how I react to what is going on around me. We can't always control what happens in our lives, but we can control how we react to it. How we react is always a choice!!

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but how we react to what happens, not by what life brings us but the attitude we bring to life."
~Wade Boggs~

Which wolf have you fed today?

Reflection of 2012

 

Wow! 2013 already!! A full "postless" year has passed me by. 2012 was an interesting year.

It was filled with much sadness & turmoil - the death of my friend (in September), reoccurrence of my Dad's prostate cancer (so far, he's good), my daughter's car accident (thank God she is fine now), two job changes (feels like I've been everywhere man), and a present breast cancer scare for myself (still crossing fingers on this one).

Thankfully though, there was also joy! Much joy!! Joy always trumps sadness!

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain."
~Joseph Campbell~

So, that's the short version of the past year for me. Now I'm rolling up my sleeves, flexing my muscles, and I am ready (oh so ready) for 2013. Bring. It. On!!!!

Every year instead of a New Year's Resolution I pick a word. One word that sums up what I would like to work towards in the coming year.

This year my word will be PEACE. Inner Peace.

 

"What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen."
~Henry David Thoreau~

Come on 2013 - I can take ya!!!

A wish from me to you..

I hope this holiday season finds you surrounded by the ones you love.

A Christmas Blessing

During this Christmas season,
May you be blessed
With the spirit of the season,
which is peace,
The gladness of the season,
which is hope,
And the heart of the season,
which is love

Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to you glad.

~John Greenleaf Whittier~

A sad heart ....

Yesterday my beautiful friend Karen passed away from Lupus complications. She was only 46 years old.

Just last week her and her husband returned from a relaxing holiday in Jamaica. She was also in the process of helping to plan her only daughter's upcoming wedding.

I am so saddened by this news and absolutely heartsick for her family. What a horrible, horrible thing!!

Life......we take every day of our lives for granted. Often wasting our time, or putting off things that perhaps we shouldn't. "I'll just do it tomorrow" But something like this shows us that "tomorrow" is not promised and all we really can depend on is today. Don't waste it! Hold your loved ones closer today. Call that friend you haven't talked to in forever. Let the people you care about know just how much you love them. You may never get another chance!!

If I had My Life to Live Over

by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it. live it. and never give it back.

Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Be yourself..

Wow! And then she was 2

Happy Birthday to my sweet adorable grand daughter. You truly make my heart smile. xxx

Amazing things a Grandpa will do....

Taliyah: Pop, come Pop, get in bafftub Pop........*pats the water*

Pop: ...*after a little protest pulls his jeans to the knees and stands in the bath tub*

Taliyah: *still patting the water*.......Sit Pop, sit in bafftub Pop

Pop: *sits in*

Taliyah: *giggles*.......Look Nanny, Pop wet. Silly Pop

Life lesson..

Life isn't about keeping score.

It's not about how many friends you have.

Or how accepted you are.

Not about if you have plans this weekend or if you are alone.

It isn't about who you're dating, who you used to date, or how many people you've dated, or if you haven't been with anyone at all.

It isn't about who your family is or how much money they have, or what kind of car you drive, or where you were sent to school.

It's not about the clothes you wear, the shoes you have on, or what kind of music you listen to.

It's not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, or brown.

Or if your skin is too light or too dark.

Not about what grades you get, how smart you are, how smart everybody else thinks you are, or how smart standardized tests say you are.

It's not about what clubs you're in or how good you are at "your" sport.

It's not about representing your whole being on a piece of paper and seeing who will accept the written you.

But, life is about who you love and who you hurt.

It's about who you make happy or unhappy purposefully.

It's about keeping or betraying trust.

It's about friendship, used as a sanctity or a weapon.

It's about what you say and mean, maybe hurtful, maybe heartening.

About starting rumors and contributing to petty gossip.

It's about what judgments you pass and why.

And who your judgments are spread to.

It's about who you've ignored with full control and intention.

It's about jealousy, fear, ignorance, and revenge.

It's about carrying inner hate and love, letting it grow, and spreading it.

But most of all, it's about using your life to touch or poison other people's hearts in such a way that could have never occurred alone.

Only you choose the way those hearts are affected, and those choices are what life's all about.

~Author Unknown~

I miss you already...

The history of the Cabot Tower

The story of The Kyle

Amazing views of Signal Hill

Small boats to ride in

Beaches to walk on

Meadows to run in

Fresh breezes to delight in

Beautiful towns to grow up in

Best friends and

Family to grow old with

Or simply the best fish n' chips around.

All of these things are what makes home "HOME" .....and one thing is for sure..Newfoundland will always hold a large piece of my heart.

Thanks for the amazing visit Newfoundland. I miss you already!

Life according to Taliyah

According to my 2 year old grand daughter....

THESE

Are MooCats

Meow

Home Sweet Home

14 years ago , my husband, my children, and myself moved 6000km away from the beautiful place we will always consider our home - Newfoundland. When I think back to that time in our lives, I can still feel the heartache of saying good bye to those we love. It was tough! It's still tough! And there are definitely days that are harder than others.

We miss our family...but we also miss the island itself. The smell of sea air on a warm summers night. The taste of the salt water on my lips as I walk along the shore. The sound of the waves as they crash upon the rocks with the tide. *sigh*

Newfoundland is a beautiful, magical place. A place that has a way of wrapping itself around your heart, and burying itself deep within your soul. And it doesn't seem to matter if you've vacationed there, or grown up there. For whatever the reasons, Newfoundland is a place that is not easily forgotten.

In 10 days we will be boarding a plane. Our first visit home together in 5 years. I can hardly wait!!!! :)

What century is this anyway?

My daugher is planning to go to school. The other day, while helping her get registered for classes, one of the ladies at the school made a comment that has stuck with me all weekend.

She said to her "you're thin and beautiful, you won't have any trouble finding work once you've completed your studies"

I'm sure my mouth fell open when she said it, because immediately she responded with "I know it's unfair, but let's face it, society still thinks that way - thin, beautiful girls get ahead much faster."

At first I kept telling myself, nah, she's crazy, people aren't really that shallow anymore. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, unfortunately she is probably right.

Tv spends countless hours telling us to lose the weight, get rid of the zits, and lighten those "ugly" scars. Darken our bodies, whiten our teeth, and dress to impress. And when all else fails... get plastic surgery.

How can we teach our children that it's what's inside that counts, when the media continuously contradicts this message? How can we (ourselves)look in the mirror and be happy with what we see, when society and the media sets us up to believe we are never good enough?

Even super models in all the popular magazines maintain a weight that is 15 to 20 % below what is considered healthy for their age and height. Modeling agencies actually prefer them that way. Crazy huh!!

Yet, for photo shoots, some models go through plastic surgery, some are "taped-up" to mold their bodies into more photogenic representations of themselves, and even then, photos are airbrushed before going to print. So even the chosen "perfect ones," are imperfect.

We need to remind ourselves and each other constantly (especially our children) that these images are not the norm.... they are unobtainable to the average individual...and for the most part...they are fake.

Learning to feel comfortable with "the skin you're in" is tough enough!! Society needs to accept that all of us are more than what we see in the mirror, or the numbers we register on a scale. We don't need to change our bodies...we need to change our way of thinking !!

I hear you are counting sheep again, Mary Jane.
What's the point of trying to dream anymore?
I hear you're losing weight again, Mary Jane.
Do you ever wonder WHO you're losing it for?
~ Alanis Morissette ~

*photo is from unknown source

Their coming to take us away..aha...

Hubby and I watching TV - suddenly hubby looks at me....

Hubby: OMG....I believe we're losing our minds!!!

Me: why?

Hubby: we are sitting here, all alone..... Taliyah isn't here.....and we are watching Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs!

Me: hahaha! Oh yeah, I guess we are!!

Hubby: picks up the remote to change the channel

Me: WAIT!!

Hubby: Wait? Why?

Me: I wanna see what's going to happen.

Hubby: laughter

Yup...we've officially lost our minds!

Grandpa's little helper...

A grandfather is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend. ~Author Unknown~

Happy Sunday...

I absolutely love this photo and thought I would share it. "A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible"