Beautiful Lesson of Life

Debbie's Story
By Lolly Susi

I had belonged to the cancer support group for three years, and Debbie had never been a regular attendee. In the advanced stages of ovarian cancer, she had too many places to go, people to meet and experiences to undergo.
But we always looked forward to her return, and after each adventure, Debbie would report back to the group.
"Ayers Rock is as amazing as I had hoped it would be," she effused after her trip to Australia. "It was my dream to see it before I died." And she brought out her photos and her stories and her smile. Debbie had a smile as wide as any room she entered. It is still my strongest memory of her.
I don't think I ever knew what Debbie really did for a living, but someone once suggested she might have been a model. Even in her illness, she was beautiful. Or maybe that was her smile. Anyway, it didn't really matter.
We never spent a lot of time at our meetings talking about the past. The present was too all-consuming for each of us.
Debbie was by no means the only member of our group who was facing her own death. Some traveled, like Debbie, braving exotic locations in spite of physical weaknesses or colostomy bags or post-treatment fatigue. Some stayed at home and made the most of remaining time with family and friends. Some were resigned, some philosophical, some fearful as they came to terms with their mortality. Death is a personal thing. But Debbie's way was my favorite: facing it full-on, with verve and spunk and gusto and joy. On the night she announced she was leaving the city and moving to a hospice that would let her be nearer her family, I knew we would never see her again, and it left an empty place in my heart.
On a cold and dreary winter evening, one of our members reported her phone call to Debbie's hospice. Surrounded by her family, Debbie was close to death. Her kidneys had failed, but in the final hours of her life, she still managed to take a brief phone call. She wished us all well. That had been several days before, so we knew she was gone. During the meeting, we lit a candle and had a moment's silence in memory of our friend.
Two weeks later, Debbie appeared in the doorway of our meeting room. Thinner, weaker, walking with a crutch, she was assisted to a chair by her sister. "Hi," she beamed. "Bet you didn't expect me tonight!" We stared at her, stunned.
Debbie laughed. "Who (besides doctors) says doctors know it all, anyway?" she gushed. "There I was, at death's door and beyond, and suddenly, for some reason, my kidneys kicked into gear. Go figure." And she laughed again.
Her laughter waned. "I can't stay long. I have to get back. It's just, I know some of you are facing what I face, and I had to come tell you, it's all right. I was there, you see. In fact, I feel cheated I had to come back. And it's beautiful there, wherever it is. Then, all of a sudden, here I am again." She shrugged. "I had to come and tell you all: Don't be afraid. You're going to be okay."
I don't remember what happened after that. We all said good-bye, like we would see her next week. We knew we wouldn't.
At our next meeting, we lit a candle for Debbie once again. During our moment of silence, I thought of her smile, and her warmth and joy. Debbie had given us her last report on her biggest journey.

Today's Quote

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Today's Quote

Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go.

-Sylvia Robinson

PERSPECTIVE

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son
on a trip to the country with the express purpose of
showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and
nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor
family. On their return from their trip, the father asked
his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the
father. The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and
they have a creek that has no end. We have imported
lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole
horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they
have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who
serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they
grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have
friends to protect them." The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we
are." Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you
wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for
everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't
have.

http://www.dashmoviepoem.com/thedash.htm

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

MOTHER

This is a truly BEAUTIFUL piece please
read this at a slow pace, digesting every word and in
leisure...do not hurry....this is a treasure...

For those lucky to still be blessed with your Mom,
this is beautiful. For those of us who aren't, this is
even more beautiful. For those who are moms, you'll love this........



The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is
this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said:
"Yes, and the way is hard.
And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But
the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not
believe that anything could be better than these years. So she
played with her children, and gathered flowers for
them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and
the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was
dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother
drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
" Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and
the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.
But at all times she said to the children,
" A little patience and we are there."
So the children climbed, and when they reached the top
they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."
And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up
at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my
children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.
Yesterday I gave them courage.
Today, I 've given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened
the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped
and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.
" And the children looked and saw above the clouds
an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the
darkness. And that night the Mother said,
"This is the best day of all, for
I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and
the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong, and walked with
courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And
mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end
is better than the beginning, for my children can
walk alone, and their children after them."
And the children said, "You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates
closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her
but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She
is a living presence......."

Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper
of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand
on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives
inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from, your first home; and
she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love
and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can
separate you.
Not time, not space... not even death!

MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED...

Hoje celebra-se o dia da poesia,como tal aqui vai uma pequena homenagem a todos os meus amigos "POETAS"

Houve, certa vez, um jovem corajoso que acreditava firmemente que nascera para ser poeta. O problema era que de nada entendia: nem rima, nem verso, nem metáforas, nem métrica. Mas de tanto tentar, uma estrofe pequena brotou:



A poesia me chama ao amor:



Sempre me acorda com paixão;



E eu a beijo tal como a uma flor,



Que nasce pura em meu coração.



E levou seus versos à academia, à escola, às livrarias, acreditando que seu poema era bom. E ninguém lhe disse nada: apenas palavras vagas e sorrisos gentis o acompanharam até as portas que lhe ficaram bem fechadas. Aquilo não era poesia. Então, ele tentou melhorar a estrofe:


A poesia vive em mim como dor



Insiste e me acorda com paixão;



E se essa não é a chama do amor,



Por que vive este meu coração?


E levou seus versos aos bares, às praças, aos parques, aos mercados de rua, acreditando que seu poema era bom. E ninguém lhe fechou a cara, nem lhe negou um sorriso e abraços o receberam e outros poetas da vida o acompanharam até os corações de portas escancaradas, cheios da poesia das horas, dos versos rabiscados no guardanapo, escondidos nos cadernos.


Houve, certa vez, um jovem corajoso que acreditava firmemente que nascera para ser poeta. E poeta se tornou, mas sem academia, escola ou livrarias, apenas poeta de versos, de poesia pura como os dias que não se cansam de nascer brilhando.
--Autor desconhecido

LONG BRANCH, NJ

FOMOS PASSAR O DIA A LONG BRANCH,ESTAVA BONITO E SOALHEIRO MAS UM POUCO VENTOSO,FEZ-ME LEMBRAR O VENTINHO NORTE TAO TIPICO AI DA NOSSA TERRA.......

PAI NOSSO DAS MULHERES

Pai nosso que estás nos céus e em nosso coração de mulher,

santificado seja o teu nome, todos os dias, desde o primeiro raio de Sol até o apagar da última estrela, em todos os cantos deste imenso e belo mundo que para nós todos criaste,

venha a nós o teu Reino porque amamos a paz e a justiça, porque cremos na partilha dos dons e do pão, e na construção da felicidade,

seja feita a tua vontade assim na terra como no céu, pois Tu queres apenas todo o nosso bem, o nosso crescimento e fidelidade de nosso amor.

O pão nosso de cada dia dá-nos, hoje e amanhã, a nossos filhos, para que cresçam fortes e te sirvam e te louvem pela vida, e também a todos os frutos da terra, pois eles são bons e de rica variedade,

perdoa as nossas ofensas e também os nossos descuidos, as nossas crises, a nossa mania de querer consertar o mundo e transformar as pessoas,

assim como nós perdoamos a quem nos tem ofendido, a quem não nos compreende, a quem não nos ajuda nas tarefas e nos trabalhos, a quem não confia em nossa capacidade e intuição de mulher,

e não nos deixes cair em tentação, nem no desânimo, nem por cansaço, muito menos na autocompaixão.

--Autor desconhecido

Resposta a um desafio da Lua de Lobos

1 - ALTURA- 1,56 sem salto alto,claro!!!!

.2- QUE SAPATOS ESTÁS A USAR?- flip flops

3 - MEDO?-As vezes

.4 - OBJECTIVOS A ALCANÇAR:-Regressar novamente a Portugal muito em breve e continuar a gozar a vida .

5 - FRASE QUE MAIS USAS NO MESSENGER?- Lol

.6 - MELHOR PARTE DO CORPO?- Pes

7 - PALAVRÕES? - NEVER

8 - LADO DA CAMA? - Esquerdo.

9 - TOMAS BANHO TODOS OS DIAS? - Isso pergunta-se????

10 - GOSTAS DE TOALHAS QUENTES? - Adoro!

11 - URSINHOS DE PELÚCIA? - Borboletas fofinhas

12 - ACREDITAS EM TI MESMO? - Muito

13 - DÁS-TE BEM COM OS TEUS PAIS? - Recordo-os com muito amor,pois sem eles nao estaria aqui hoje

14 - GOSTAS DE TEMPESTADES? - So por tras das janelas

15 - DESPORTO? - Nao estou nessa onda agora

16 - PASSATEMPOS E HOBBIES? - Conviver com a familia e amigos,internet,e viajar .

.17 - FOBIAS E MANIAS? - fobias - Vertigo - manias - Pensar que posso fazer diferenca no Mundo

18 - QUANTAS VEZES O TEU NOME JÁ APARECEU NOS JORNAIS? -Uma que me lembre.

19 - CICATRIZES NO CORPO? - Uma pequenina no pescoco(operacao a tiroide).

20 - DE QUE TE ARREPENDES DE TER FEITO? -No regrets

.21 - COR FAVORITA? - O azul e o branco(mas sou do Benfica).

22 - UM LUGAR ONDE NUNCA ESTIVESTES E GOSTAVAS DE IR? - Grecia

23 - MANHÃS OU NOITES?- Depende

24 - O QUE TENS NOS BOLSOS? - Nada.

25 - O QUE FARIAS SE FÔSSES PRIMEIRO MINISTRO?- Neste momento demitia-me

26 - SE GANHASSES O EUROMILHÕES QUE FARIAS AO DINHEIRO? - Doava algum,e gozava o resto.

27 - SE TE CAÍSSE NAS MÃOS A LÂMPADA DE ALADINO O QUE FARIAS? QUE DESEJOS PEDIRIAS? - Que terminassem as guerras no Mundo , mais igualdade entre os homens e saude para toda a vida .

28 - SE O MUNDO ACABASSE HOJE ÀS 23h59m QUE FARIAS ATÉ LÁ? -Dava muitos abracos e beijinhos

29 - SE TIVESSES UM FILHO SEM SABER COMO, SEM RAZÃO NENHUMA, QUE FARIAS? -

Com esta idade nao dava jeito nenhum

Estao desafiados

Espacos Compassos e as Palavras

Canto Poetico

Bags 'n The City

Eu estou aki

Fases da lua cheia

THANK YOU MY FRIENDS

Thank you,all.........O meu agradecimento por terem participado na minha Festa,foi muito divertido o convivio,espero repetir no proximo ano........

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.

-Albert Schweitzer