THE ROAD TO PEACE

Conversation for 3/28/11

Have you ever considered what a slippery slope the world of adult communication is? You are at a play with your granddaughter and her other grandmother. You look at the time and find out you are already an hour and a half into it. Tapping the arm of your co-Grammy you say, “Oh my gosh, Judy, do you know it is 9:30 already?” The comment is meant to just show that you are surprised that time has passed so quickly. Five minutes later the intermission comes, and Judy asks our seven year old granddaughter if she wants to leave – wondering if she is tired. To your relief the child says that she is enjoying the play and that she wants to stay until the end. Later on, in the car, Judy tells you that when you mentioned the time she had thought that I was saying we should leave because it is late. You have here a minor failure to communicate.

Sometimes the failure to communicate is not quite as minor as the example that I have given above. You say something to someone that you mean in the most loving way and is interpreted entirely differently than what you meant. Feelings are hurt, and misunderstandings start. Pretty soon you're wondering what went wrong, wrong between you and your good friend, or your daughter or your daughter-in-law. You may not even know why, because you can't read a person's mind. You just know that something is wrong and something is different. It is even hard to know how to clean it up or what to do. You are unless field under a black cloud.

If other situations are a slippery slope dealings with your adults children and their spouses are slippery slope lined with banana peels. We've been there, done that, but that doesn't give us the right to think that we know everything or to think that they have to do things the way we did them or want them to do them. Think back to the time when you were a “new adult child” of your mother and father. I know for me I wanted to be allowed to live my own life and the way I chose. Sometimes I didn't appreciate them putting their two cents worth in. I felt that I had a right to make my own adult choices. Also, when it was about something that I had issues with from my childhood, I wanted to do it differently. Sometimes parents are the role model, and sometimes they're not. I have found that I can save myself a lot of pain by not injecting too much opinion into the lives of my children. To do so is to invite a painful awareness of my own shortcomings when they were children.

I have come to understand that people only know what they know when they finally get to know it. And the best way to come to an understanding or gain experience is to do just that – experience it. You can't do that if some older adult is always jumping in with advice and information that is given in such a way that it almost means you have to do it their way. Now I'm not saying here that we cannot sometimes speak into their lives, what I am saying is that we have to do it wisely.

Recently, I heard a very funny statement. Judy, my granddaughter Kieran's other grandmother, was talking to her friend. They were discussing relationships and how to remain on an even keel with relatives and in-laws relatives. Here's what her friend told her…

“Wear beige and keep your mouth shut!”

Well this may not be the best advice at all times, it is pretty good advice for many situations. I know I've had my life, and I learned so much from all the good and bad choices I made. The young adults in my life should be able to do the same. So, I will remember and follow (when appropriate) this advice and Judy's friend. I am currently shopping for more beige outfits to hang in my closet.

In Jesus we have an excellent example of this behavior. Jesus didn't fight back when they were banging the crown of thorns into his head, when they were spitting on him, or when they made him carry the cross. He could've winked an eyelid and destroyed them all in a heartbeat but he held his quietude. Please read the following Scripture…

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him,
“I charge you under oath by the living God:
Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

Matthew 26:62-63.

Jesus walked the "road to peace" all through his life.    That doesn't mean that He always found peace.  People misunderstood Him all the time.  Communication IS a slippery slope.  I only hope that I can follow His example – even if imperfectly.  I don't have to be talking and advising constantly.

AND, as I recall, Jesus wore a beige colored robe also.

Written by Corinne Mustafa

3/27/11

This 'n That ~ 3/21 - 3/27

Just A Few Drops

Author Unknown

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn't see some rain soon... we would lose everything.

It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn't walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort...trying to be as still as possible.

Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches, thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour. He would walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn't need his Mommy checking up on him).

He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn't even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.

When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house, to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip slowly fill up his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little back. And it came clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn't ask me to help him.

It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said.

As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job.

I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was weeping with pride.

Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can't argue with that...I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm...just like the actions of one little boy saved another.

I don't know if anyone will read this...but I had to send it.... To honor the memory of my beautiful Billy, who was taken from me much too soon.... but not before showing me the true face of God, in a little sunburned body.

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INSPIRATIONAL SAYINGS

The future depends on what we do in the present.

- Anonymous

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.
- Abraham Lincoln

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
- Anonymous

Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.
- Jim Rohn

AND THE BEST ONE OF ALL ON THIS LIST....

I have enjoyed life a lot more by saying yes than by saying no.
- Anonymous

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HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR SWIM!

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THE MANY USES OF SALT

Place silk flowers into a large bag

and pour in one cup of Morton ® Salt.

Shake vigorously. Remove.

 And voilà!

Your flowers will be clean.

There are sooo many amazing uses of salt that I decided to give you a link for you to use to discover the wonders of the salt that the little girl with the umbrella brags about. Hope you find some useful hints.

http://www.mortonsalt.com/household/index.html

Thank you and have a great week!
Shared by Corinne Mustafa

TEMPUS FUGIT

Conversation for March 21, 2011

TEMPUSFUGIT

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Tempus fugit or so they say

Seasons and years flying away

Hard to keep up.

Three days ago kids played in snow

Crispy days of winter hearts aglow

Cold blue skies above.

Lovely cascading flakes and swirling wind

Watching from my window cozy within

My appreciation rising.

Day before yesterday we started to spy

Green buds and flowers, heard birds cry

From up on high.

Spring with all its beauty increasing

Resplendent growth seems to be unseasing.

My spirits rising.

Yesterday the fields were filled growth

Summer suns and gentle rain both

Gifting plants from the heavens.

Now arrive the rainbow colors of fall

Harvest signaling nature's curtain call

Wind spirals leaves skyward.

Today I relish all the loviness I see

There's beauty in the windblown leaves debris

Autumn's close advancing.

So you can see that time flies

And for us there is no reprise

Season following season

Year following year

As time melts away

New time solidifies and starts to melt again

Trapped in its annual, inevitable chain

It flies leading onward.

Onward taking me closer and closer
To my real home in the wonders of eternity

To my indescribable Father
Who waits for me.

WRITTEN BY

 CORINNE MUSTAFA

THIS 'N THAT...3/6 - 3/13/2011

Eagle Story - Freedom and Jeff

Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery, it was broken in 4 places. She's my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand. Both wings were broken, her left wing in 4 places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vets office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her dowl cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone.

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn't said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long. That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird.

On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power coarse through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedoms.

Hope you enjoy this.

Jeff Guidry

Jeff Guidry and Freedom are at Sarvey Wildlife Center: http://www.sarveywildlife.org/  

Send E-Mail for Jeff to: jeff@sarveywildlife.org  or eaglewalker@comcast.net  

SHARED BY CORINNE
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The local newspaper recently asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners:

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Children of God

you tube link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9RqVRBtjM4

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Household tips and tricks were important in Grandma's day.

You had to learn to be self-reliant. There were no Wal-Mart® or Home Depot® stores to run to when you had an emergency! You were on your own, and you simply made do.

That's when these household hints and tips came in handy. Innovative solutions to problems were often passed down from parents to children. And now these same old-time solutions can make it possible for you to solve some of your household problems too.

Whether it's driving off your dog's fleas, preventing rust, learning how to make a rag rug, or discovering how to destroy roaches, you will find the answers here in this collection of old-time household tips and tricks.....

Troublesome Ants

A heavy chalk mark laid a finger's distance from your sugar box and all around (there must be no space not covered) will surely prevent ants from troubling.
To Drive Off Fleas
Sprinkle about area a few drops of oil of lavender.


To Keep Flies Off Items
Boil three or four onions in a pint of water and apply with a soft brush, let dry.
To Soften Hard Water
Hard water becomes nearly soft by boiling.

To Temper Glass
Lamp chimneys and glassware for hot water are made less liable to break by putting in cold water, bringing slowly to boiling point, boiling for an hour, and allowing to cool before removing from the water.













1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding a stupid person that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2.Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

3. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

4. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

5. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

6. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

7. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

8. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

9. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

11. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

12. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

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FROG

The Secret can be found in

FROG

A woman named Vicki once knew a young person at church named Susan. Susan always seemed effervescent and happy, although Vicki knew she had faced struggles in her life. Her long-awaited marriage had quickly ended in divorce. She had struggled to get a grip on her single life. She hadn't chosen it, but she decided she would live it with utmost enjoyment and satisfaction. Susan was active in Sunday school, in the choir, as a leader of the junior high girls' group, and in the church renewal movement. Vicki enjoyed knowing Susan. Susan's whole face seemed to smile.

One day Vicki asked Susan, "How is it that you are always so happy, you have so much energy, and you never seem to get down?" With her eyes smiling, Susan said,"I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that, what are you talking about?" Vicki asked.

Susan replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others."

Vicki agreed, "Okay, now what is it?"

The Secret is this: "I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do. HE has never let me down." Since I learned that Secret I am happy.

Vicki's first thought was, That's too simple! But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy -but it didn't! She thought a better-paying job would make her happy -but it hadn't.

When did she realize her greatest happiness? Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God. Susan knew the secret, Vicki learned the secret, and now you know it too!

We can't depend on people to make us happy. Only GOD in His wisdom can do that. Trust HIM! And now I pass the Secret on to you!

FROG.....Fully Rely On God!

shared by Corinne