like a tree

expectation

"Lower your expectations of earth. This isn't Heaven, so don't expect it to be."
-Max Lucado

abou ben adhem

Abou Ben Adhem James H. L. Hunt 1784-1859

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold;
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?” The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, “I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.”

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest!

My father made me learn this poem at a very young age. Even today, I can recite this poem word for word.

still round the corner there may wait

Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
--J.R.R. Tolkien

~sunday morning beauty~

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church,
I keep it staying at Home -
With a bobolink for a Chorister,
And an Orchard, for a Dome.
~Emily Dickinson~

Is this not the most beautiful color!?
Early this morning, I went outside to take a picture of my 'flying birds on wire' to list on Etsy; and one of my favorite flowers was in all its glory. They were so beautiful, I couldn't stop looking at this beautiful creation.

I have nothing against going to church; I used to go all the time. But, I have found in the past few years that I feel God more when I am outdoors with nature than I do inside brick walls, listening to someone who may or may not know what he/she is talking about.

Shadowlands Quote

"The pain is a part of the happiness then, that's the deal." ~Shadowlands

mirror mirror

It's been one of those freakin' weeks, when I want to catch the next magic carpet and fly far far away. I swear, it's been one of those weeks! This poem gives me hope, I think. Hope you all have a great weekend!

The time will come

when, with elation,

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror,

and each will smile at each other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

~ Derek Walcott

~it's just a number~

A photo I took last summer of a most beautiful butterfly. He hung around for 3 days; then moved on.

I love this quote...

Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943, translated from French

One of the things I noticed when I moved back to the U.S. after living in Europe for 10 years, that Americans are much more hung-up on age than Europeans. One of the first things people ask you when you strike up a conversations is 'how old are you'? I cannot recall a European ever asking me my age.

If it were up to me, I would not even know my birthday! I'm serious. It's not that I care for other people knowing my age - I just refuse to allow it to define what I like, who I am friends with, what I wear, how I wear my hair, or what I do.

For certain, life is too short to give anyone power over our choices!

~struggles and triumps~

“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however, we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”

Memoirs of a Geisha

Spring in the making

Just a few pics from my yard since Spring arrived. Things are starting to bloom, and everything is the most amazing green, that it takes my breath away to look at all the beauty. Spring seemed to take its time getting here this year, but well worth the wait.









I found this bike at the dumpster.:) I had been wanting an old bike to put in my yard for vines to grow on. Even at the Goodwill, the ones I have found were more than I wanted to pay for this purpose. Even though I was not crazy about the colors of this one, I figure, that in time it will look all rusty and old...just the way I like.

Fresh Fruit Tart

I made this last night, and it was fantastic. With so much fresh fruit in season, it is a great time to eating lots of fruit. I am including the crust recipe that came with the recipe, but I have my own crust recipe I use for everything, as it always turns out perfect. If you would like a copy of it, let me know. I also grind my own whole wheat flour, it is courser than commercial, and I like the texture it gives crust -- gives it a earthy, nutty flavor that can't be matched with what you purchase. Even the commercial wheat flours work well, and still give a nice texture. My favorite brand of commerical flour is 'King Arthur', for those times when I do have to use store bought. I also used a fresh orange to make the juice, so much better.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

4-5 teaspoons ice water

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed orange juice, it is so much tastier)

1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced (I used mango this time)

1 cup fresh berries of choice

For crust, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and the 1 tbls. sugar. Using a pasty blender, cut in margarine or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons ice water; toss until crumbly, sprinkling with the remaining ice water if necessary. Form dough into a circle on waxed paper cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Roll into a 10-inch circle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper; invert dough onto an uncreased baking sheet. Remove remaining waxed paper. Crimp crust edge. Prick crust with a fork. Bake crust in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool. Meanwhile, for glaze, in a small sauce pan combine the 2 teaspoons sugar, the cornstarch, and ginger. Stir in the orange juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Cool. Place crust on a serving plate. Arrange fruit on crust. Spoon glaze over fruit. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Serves 6

157 Calories

6 g total fat

0 mg cholesterol

71 mg sodium

24 g carbohydrate

3 g fiber

2 g protein