Thought For The Day #12

Yea, 'fraid that is beyond my capacity to be able to do.

evelyn, when we first met you were just a bud waiting to blossom. I think you've blossomed! : - )
In answer to your first Limerick, only one person was going to St. Ives. : - )
I don't know where you found all the rest of them limericks, but there are a couple I'm going to try to remember! Sweet going GF! : - )
Good ones QG, loved all the state flowers! : - )
Shermie, I'm telling ya, it's all the folks in Sun City, and their Sr. moments are drifting in our direction! LOL!
Hi Margaret! Don't forget it's still yesterday here! LOL! : - )
BookerC, I'm with you. I couldn't see (much less name) all the state flowers. I could have sworn the state flower in OK is the dogwood, but that didn't look like any dogwood flower I ever saw. I was clueless, except for HI, AZ, and CA. Go figure. I'm also geographically challenged. : - (
I can vouch for the rain, and the winds. Sharon Come Home! Toto and I miss you! LOL!

Some sad news and why I haven't been online. I've been bummed out that one of my friends passed away unexpectedly. Her DD asked if they could have a Memorial Service for her out under Gma Oak this past Sunday.
The strangest thing happened, during the Memorial Service, while people where telling how much Shaun was part of their lives, and how she changed their lives for the better. A whirlwind started blowing inside Gma Oak tree. And the leaves were falling off Gma Oak. Seeing as how Gma Oak is always green (except when in drought mode or if dead), that was pretty amazing.


I'd like to dedicate this poem to my friend Shaun, who is off exploring the Great Mystery! : - )

"I love you not only for what you are,
but for what I am, when I am with you.

I love you not only for what you have made
of yourself, but for what you are making of me.

I love you because you have done more than
any creed could have done to make me good,
and more than any fate could have done to
make me happy.

You have done it without a touch,
without a word, without a sign.

You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is
what being a friend means, after all."
~Roy Croft~

As a parting note, over 50 people showed up for Shaun's Memorial. They were laughing at the directions I'd written in the dust on the back window of my jeep. : - )
Then it started raining and washed most of them off, so I got to stand out there under my umbrella which kept going inside out to tell people where to park. Brrrr!
Thankfully the little shower was over quickly. It was still windy, and rained again later in the day.
Most of the people that came to the Memorial were the people Shaun had sponsored in AA or NA, or had met through her religion. I heard many heart warming stories about her, and can only hope that when I die, my Memorial Service is as well attended.
There is a new star in the Heaven's tonight.
Safe Journey and Blessed Be, my friend, you will be missed.
Walk In Beauty~
SingingWolf

How beautiful, SW! I am sorry for your loss. Grandmother Oak will not be able to contain the people you have touched....

There is always a lot to be thankful for, if you take the time to look. For example, I'm sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt. ~Author Unknown

Oh, Jules, I am so very sorry for the loss of your friend.

"Cares melt when you kneel in your garden."

Jules, so sorry about the loss of your friend. She sounds like she touched a lot of lives! Glad that you were able to have such a memorable send-off for her, though. I've been to some lovely funerals, and I've been to a few that left me just stunned at their insensitivity and impersonal attitude. Glad Shaun's was the lovely variety, weather notwithstanding.

Are you a James Taylor fan? Your story of her funeral, and the Grandmother Oak, for some reason reminded me of his song, "Enough to be On Your Way." He wrote it after his brother died (on JT's birthday, no less), but he changed the name from his brother to a woman named Alice. It's a beautiful, haunting song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUeLfpQU9aw

Enough To Be On Your Way

The sun shines on this funeral
The same as on a birth
The way it shines on everything
That happens here on earth
It rolls across the western sky
And back into the sea
And spends the day's last rays
Upon this *******-up family
So long old pal

The last time I saw Alice
She was leaving Santa Fe
With a bunch of round-eyed Buddhists
In a killer Chevrolet
Said they turned her out of Texas
Yeah she burned 'em down back home
Now she's wild with expectation
On the edge of the unknown

Chorus:
Oh it's enough to be on your way
It's enough just to cover ground
It's enough to be moving on
Home, build it behind your eyes
Carry it in your heart
Safe among your own

They brought her back on a Friday night
Same day I was born
We sent her up the smoke stack
And back into the storm
She blew up over the San Juan mountains
And spent herself at last
The threat of heavy weather
That was what she knew the best

Chorus

It woke me up on a Sunday
An hour before the sun
It had me watching the headlights
Out on Highway 591
'til I stepped into my trousers
'til I pulled my big boots on
I walked out on the mesa
And I stumbled on this song

Chorus

Very nice, commemorative. Wish I remembered the tune....

my dog-I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that. ~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

quiltygirl, there is a link to the video on youtube just above the song lyrics. Really a haunting tune, one of my favorites by him (though I have a lot of favorites by him.)

Sherman, too true. I've been feeling lousy, probably a sinus infection, and crashed on the couch after work. The dog came and rested her chin on my arm, and the cat came and curled up on top of me. Seems they know when you need a little extra comfort (though I could probably do without the extra dander when I'm already congested. LOL)

booker- you are so right. the animals always know when you need comforting.

BookerC,
With your permission, I'd like to forward the song you sent to Shaun's DD. I believe she'll find comfort in the song. I used to love JT. I used to listen to music more, then I had kids, and had to listen to "Rubber Ducky", and all the Disney tunes. I've been listening to other songs since I got the war pony, which had satellite radio. So does my new jeep. I love listening to singer/songwriters, mainly because I like melodies.
My friend kwanjin sent me this song, which has always made me think of Shaun. I'll probably always remember her this way too. The blond singer is so like her. Beautiful, lively, and charismatic. So full of love and life. Shaun was great fun and loved to dress as they did in costume for the Renaissance Fair.
She even made costumes for others. It's not hard. The wings are harder to make, but her DD said she'd show me how. : - )
One of my favorite memories is of the year we gathered together all the kids and danced around the Maypole with her. It was so much fun. She kept the ribbon wrapped pole until the following year when we did it again. : - )
This is the you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0GJjv9SdF8

These are the lyrics:
Blackmore's Night lyrics
Album: Under A Violet Moon [1999]

Under A Violet Moon
Dancing to the feel of the Drum
Leave this World behind
We'll have a drink and toast to ourselves
Under a violet Moon

Tudor Rose with her Hair in curls
Will make you turn and stare
Try to steal a kiss at the Bridge
Under a violet Moon

Raise your hats and your Glasses too
We will dance the whole Night through
We're going back to a Time we knew
Under a violet Moon

Cheers to the Knights and Days of olde
the beggars and the thieves
living in an enchanted wood
Under a violet Moon

Close your eyes and lose yourself
In a medieval mood
taste the treasures and sing the tunes
Under a violet Moon

This my delight on a shiny night
the seasons of a year
to keep the lanterns burning bright
Under a violet Moon

Repeat chorus.

WIB~
SW

This message was edited Mar 26, 2011 1:12 PM

Animals can and do sense when you are feeling bad, but recent studies suggest it's not good to let them sleep with you. : - (
I have a good friend with epilepsy. Her dog lets her know when she is about to have an epileptic seizure. The four footed are more than we think, they may not understand words, but they understand emotions. : - )

Speaking of Walt Disney, I found this quote by him that I thought you'd all enjoy. : - )

"Movies can and do have tremendous influence in
shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment
towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood."
~Walt Disney~

He'd probably faint if he saw what is on tv today. Ahh, for a much more innocent world . . . .

WIB~
SW

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. . Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is my dog."
- Gene Hill

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
—Margaret Atwood

The Honisuckle that groweth wilde in every hedge, although it be very sweete, yet doe I not bring into my garden, but let it rest in his owne place, to serve their senses that travell by it, or have no garden.
—John Parkinson, A Garden of Pleasant Flowers, 1629

Sorry, I did not have any animal prose, as our cat of 20 years just passed away a few days ago.

When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Grief is so painfully real, regardless of its origin. The love of, and attachment to, an animal friend can equal that of human relationships. Likewise, the loss of an animal can be just as devastating.
unk

Thanks, Karen!

Hugs, going out to you, Evelyn. So sorry about your kitty.

SW, I very glad you're enjoying Blackmore's Night. That is one of my favorites of theirs.

Here is another classic. The song isn't much but the lyrics strike home.

"Then as it was, then again it will be
Though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea
Flyin' the skies of fortune, each our separate ways
On the wings of maybe, downing birds of prey
Kind of makes me feel sometimes, didn't have to grow
But as the eagle leaves the nest, it's got so far to go."

Ten Years Gone, Led Zeppelin

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other? -George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819-1880)

Sherman, your animal/dog quotes struck right to the heart and are so very true, Makes me cry with the reality of the thoughts. So true, so true - shared them with my friends and family who are animal people (not that many-the rest think we are nuts).

Evelyn - sorry for your loss, kitty will be waiting for you to join him over the rainbow bridge, no doubt. When we grieve for lost animal family, we have to believe that God would have us together again in heaven. In our household, recently, I would change your Eliot quote by one word, exchanging less for more, lol, kinda

I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.
Elizabeth Kubler

SW, I didn't post the video, so the permission isn't mine to give. :) It is freely available on YouTube, so if you think it would bring her comfort, by all means, send her the link! The Zeppelin song is an old favorite of mine, too. Not quite as tuneful as JT, but it has it's own rough beauty.

Evelyn, so sorry about the loss of your cat. Sounds like he had a good, long life with you. I know what an empty place is left when we lose an animal we love. ((HUGS)) and hoping you are finding comfort in all your good memories!

Came across this prayer today, and it hit home. It is so easy to be distracted by regrets about the past, and worries about the future. Wanting to keep my mind focused on what is in front of me NOW, where I have an opportunity to make a difference.

"I give this prayer to you...that I may be a faithful laborer in the fields you have assigned to my stewardship." - Norman Shawcuck

PS My family and I love to go to Renaissance Festivals, too. My husband goes in a kilt, a nod to his Scottish heritage, and I have a few different outfits (of course). It's been about three years since we've been to one, though, so my kids have long ago outgrown their costumes. They've worn everything from kilts to knight costumes, and even pirate costumes one year when that was the theme. I never did outgrow playing dress up! My parents and my sister love to go, too, in costume of course.

This message was edited Mar 27, 2011 5:50 PM

My birth certificate names mean "young" and "youthful". I try to live up to them as best I may. I love dressing up for the Ren Fairs, and it's been even longer since I've been to one. I've gone as a maiden, (wow, if I hem that dress up I can wear it again! Even if I'm a bit long in the tooth! LOL!), I've gone as a wench, and I've even gone as royalty. Being a Royal sucks. Had most fun as the maiden, but don't mind going as a wench. I always have a lot of fun, and it's always worth it, to get DH out of the house.
I don't feel silly dressing up in Costume, but if we go this year, and we probably should, then I'm hemming up the maiden dress, and wearing my straw hat. It's way more comfortable than one of them corset things, Couldn't hardly breathe the last time I wore one of them. I weighed more then, though. Still won't have any cleavage, so I might as well be comfy. I do love watching everyone get silly, and now that we have the wet wipes I won't have a problem sampling the food. : - )
Going to the porta potty will be easier too. Has anyone been to the Ren Fair in Norco? I was wondering how that one is. The one is Devore was getting kind of crazy. Our city want's us to do a Ren Fair. I don't know where or how we could host a week long event, parking would definitely be a problem, but if the Chamber wants one bad enough they can figure out the logistics. I was thinking a one day or weekend, Renaissance Revel would be sufficient.
BTW, just in folks, we will be hosting a Pow Wow here on Nov. 4-6th, 2011. It will be a Memorial Pow Wow in Honor of our friend, Norman Pico Sr. of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. Put it on your calendar. I will post more info, when I have it. Jayme SnowFly is taking over the lead on this one. : - )
Saginaw Grant has promised to be here, and I will be contacting everyone in the Indian Community to ask for all Gourd Dancers, Veterans and current Military to come out on Sunday the 6th for the Veteran's Honoring Ceremony.
Won't be a dry eye in the place. : - }
Evelyn, I am sorry to hear about the loss of your feline friend. : - (
I'll ask my friend Star, to keep an eye on your Kitty and to Bastet that your friend will be content until you are rejoined. Yes, I believe that all creatures go to Heaven. Someday we will have the pleasure of being with them again. Star passed away several years ago, although it seems like only yesterday, and she always watches over my critters when they die. She has an enormous heart. : - )
BookerC, I know that it will give her comfort, so I will pass along both links.
Kwanjin, thanks for turning me on to Blackmore's Night. Awesome Band! : - )
I'd forgotten the Led Zeppelin song, probably 'cause it wasn't very harmonious. Great lyrics though.

First I have a Thought, (wow, she thinks, lol!) Then I'll post a song that I love.

"Experience is the one thing you can't get for nothing."
~Oscar Wilde~

Great quotes everyone. You make me proud! : - )
WIB~
SW

I've been searching for a You Tube link for this song.
It was originally written and performed by Buffy Saint-Marie. A folk singer from the '60's. Buffy may not have the best singing voice in the world, but I like it, because it's real, and her lyrics touch my heart. : - )
This song was also used by Rita Coolidge for an album. If anyone can find either version, and post the link, it's well worth the listen. I have it on my ipod, and computer.
Since I couldn't find a video of a live performance, I can only give you the lyrics. This is one of my all time top ten favorite songs.

Up Where We Belong
~Buffy Saint-Marie~

Who knows what tomorrow brings
in a world where few hearts survive
All I know is the way I feel
When it's real
I keep it alive

The road is long
There are mountains in the way
but we climb a step every day

Love lift us up where we belong
where the eagles cry
on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
far from the world we know
up where the clear winds blow

Some hang on to used to be
live their lives looking behind
When all we have is here and now
All our lives
out there to find

The road is long
There are mountains in the way
but we climb a step every day

Love lift us up where we belong
where the eagles cry
on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
far from the world we know
up where the clear winds blow

Time goes by
No time to cry
Life's you and I
Alive... today

Love lift us up where we belong
where the eagles cry
on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
far from the world we know
up where the clear winds blow
• • •

This is one of the songs I want to have played during my Memorial. Along with "Amazing Grace" sung in Cherokee by Walela (Rita Coolridge & her sisters band).
Walk In Beauty~
SingingWolf

I know that song. I think we performed it in high school choir. Beautiful.

SW, we'll see if we can get Rita et al, to play for you when the time comes.

Meantime...

"Life is not so bad if you have plenty of luck, a good physique and not too much imagination."
Christopher Isherwood
(I wish, Chriostopher, I wish.)

Kwanjin,
No need to bother Rita, I have the song on my ipod too. : - ) I love my ipod. : - )
Not planning on leaving this planet until I finish doing all the stuff on my bucket list. Problem is, as soon as I finish one thing, I always seem to find something else to put in that old bucket. LOL! : - )
It was really foggy this morning, but it's sunny now. I have to go soak up sun and replenish my vitamin D. Plus Spirit seems to have gone a visiting.

So here is my though for the day.

"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."
~Roger Ebert~

and (chuckle),

:A good film is when the price of the dinner,
the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it."
~Alfred Hitchcock~

Have a great day all!
WIB,
SW

I don't see that as a problem. Just means you're going to live forever. LOL

"You just keep thinkin', Butch. That's what you're good at."
Robert Redford, Sundance Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

kwanjin, I just don't know how you can remember all those movie lines. : - )
Found a really good one for today.

"Music doesn't lie.
If there is something to be changed in this world,
then it can only happen through music."
~Jimi Hendrix~

Nice and warm, plants are calling me! Have a great day everyone!
~WIB~
SW

SW, I remember them because nothing else is in there. ^_^

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!'
Bob Marley

"The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?" Bob Marley, after he, his wife and manager were shot by an unknown assailant.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2011 10:19 PM

So not true, kwanjin, lots of good stuff, in there! : - )
Great Bob Marley quotes! : - )

"That government is best which governs the least,
because it's people discipline themselves."
~Thomas Jefferson~

He's probably turning over in his grave right about now. It's hard to believe that when this country was first founded, there were no state or federal taxes. I wonder what he'd think about all the bloated Government bureaucracy, we have today?
In the old days, they'd have a raffle to pay for a section of road to be resurfaced or a bridge built. The community would get together to build schools, and other "public" services that we take for granted. Medical care, better hope you don't get sick and the Dr. can make it to you in time, and you'll be nursed at home, hopefully by someone who knows their herbs. What a long wild trip through time. Some things are better, some not. We've still got the first and second amendments though.

I thought this one was funny.

"The more i want to get something done,
The less I call it work."
~Richard Bach~

Say kwanjin, which character from the WIzard of OZ, was the brainless one? It's been driving me nuts trying to remember. The Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man or the ScareCrow? Mental foghorn is a blowing! : - }
~WIB~
SW

not kwanjin but it is the scarecrow

My BIL's psychologist's ringtone is, If I Only Had A Brian.

Someone I know has a GPS, with Yoda's voice programmed in it to give directions. : - )
A scarecrow! And the lion wanted courage, while the tin man wanted a heart? I'm still confused.
I'm going to have Jason help me put "Imagine" by John Lennon in my phone as a ring tone. He's also going to get my year old "new" phone working with my jeep so I can drive hands free again. Not that I get that many calls when I'm on the road. You know how that goes. LOL!

"Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want
it the most always like it the least."
~Lord Chesterfield~

The above is so true. Especially if it means they have to change. I like this one much better. : - )

"Art is man's nature; nature is God's art."
~P.J. Bailey~

You all go out and enjoy the day!
WIB~
SW

I see everyone took me at my word! LOL!

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

WIB~
SW

"Not planning on leaving this planet until I finish doing all the stuff on my bucket list. Problem is, as soon as I finish one thing, I always seem to find something else to put in that old bucket."
Jules

A friend sent me an e-mail with some funny ones. Thought I'd share, since we seem to be mostly women on this thread. :)

*Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

*Don't get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you walk funny.

*I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

*By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

There were lots more, but most of them had to do with man-bashing or getting drunk, neither of which I thought were appropriate here. I have better things to do with my time than indulge in either of the above! LOL

Angie

Hey Angie, it works the same way with boys, when they finally realize Mom was right. LOL!
Thanks for using good sense about the man-bashing and getting drunk quotes. : - )
It's probably not cool to bash people at all (unless it's it a friendly "chop" fight.)
Which is kind of juvenile. Will never forget the time my BFF (whose first name happens to be Angie), got me with this chop. "I sure am glad I'm not looking in a mirror," I almost died laughing. I couldn't top that chop.
I proclaimed her the champ of chop fights. LOL. : - )
Gosh, that brings back memories of High School, when no one cussed and people still had manners.
Crackin' me up kwan, now you're quoting me? LOL! Okay. if the bucket fits, wear it, or fill it! LOL! : - )

This one is short and sweet and kind of thought provoking. : - )
"Fortune favors the bold."
~Terence~

and,

"Don't compromise yourself.
You are all you've got."
~Janis Joplin~

WIB~
SW

Had to do it, Jules. You know I love ya!!!