Quote Tuesday

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Lydia | Leave a comment

This poem is written by Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian born writer and lyricist of international acclaim. He has written numerous books, but “The Alchemist” remains my all-time favorite. I imagine that this poem is written from the perspective of a child who looks to me for guidance as he/she grows to become a strong, loving, kind, and compassionate human being. Specifically, it brings to mind, my children, my g’children, nieces or nephews, or any person looking to me as a role model. As I read the poem, I am reminded that my actions do speak louder than our words. More importantly, however, the poem causes me to ponder the question, what negative message might I have conveyed, when I thought they were not looking? This is the poem’s message to me, and it has gotten my attention. I am listening. For now, all that I can say is thanks.

Blessings and love, lydia

P.S. You can check out Coelho’s blog here.

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking by Paulo Coelho

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God that I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me good-night
And I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt—
But that it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You smiled
And it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You cared
And I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking—
I looked . . .
And wanted to say thanks
For all those things you did
When you thought I wasn’t looking.

Quote Tuesday

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Lydia | Leave a comment

Dear God, I want to thank you for being close to me so far this day. With your help, I haven’t been inpatient, lost my temper, grumpy, judgmental, or envious of anyone. But, I’ll be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think I’ll really need your help then!”

~You Don’t Look Sick: Living Well With Invisible Chronic Illness,” by Joy Selak and Dr. Steven Overman.

Calling All Angels

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Lydia | Leave a comment

As a child, one of the very first prayers that I memorized was:

“Guardian angel, my guardian dear. For whose God’s love, entrusts me here. Ever this day, be at my side. To light and guard to rule and guide. Amen.”

To my young, innocent self, the prayer served as a balm against my fears, and an assurance that no matter what, I was loved and protected. What a gift to a young child — the gift of peace of mind. As I grew older and much more skeptical, my belief in angels is as strong as ever. I believe that there are angels about us, some seen and unseen, at the ready, looking out for us and ready to protect us at a split seconds notice. I can think of numerous instances when I am convinced that they have protected me from harm. It appears that I am not alone; since over 50% of Americans hold similar beliefs. http://j.mp/pI3FcE.

So, when I happened upon this song, the title alone piqued my interest. The song, “Calling All Angels,” by Jane Siberry, is a hauntingly beautiful song that, for me, conveys numerous messages about life, how we view it and how we live it. As an initial matter, it is a reminder that as we travel along our journey, though we may feel lonely, we need never be alone. Whatever our circumstance, we are never alone in this world. Next, we “call our angels,” not with the expectation that they will shield or prevent life’s eventualities, but, among other things, as a source of strength, guidance, support, and compassion, so that we might better face life’s challenges.

In addition, and I believe, the most crucial message: some suffering and pain is largely unavoidable– that is a fact of life. We will experience “the lows,” whether we choose to call them challenges, obstacles, pains, or whatever, it simply does not matter. You must and will face them. In life, we cannot experience the highs without the challenges wrought by “the lows.” They are indeed two sides of the same coin, and there is no one without the other. It is by facing and overcoming the struggles, obstacles and pains, that we are provided the opportunity to achieve growth, understanding and wisdom. It is through our bouts with such obstacles that the highs are even sweeter.

I hope that this song reaches the ears of anyone who feels lost, abandoned, and alone in what can sometimes seem a lonely and uncaring world. Perhaps, he or she will come to understand that even in the midst of their darkest days, there is always light, since where there is darkness, there is also light. They, too, are two sides of the same coin.

Blessings, love, and light, lydia

Calling All Angels lyrics

Santa Maria, Santa Teresa, Santa Anna, Santa Susannah
Santa Cecilia, Santa Copelia, Santa Domenica, Mary Angelica
Frater Achad, Frater Pietro, Julianus, Petronilla
Santa, Santos, Miroslaw, Vladimir
and all the rest

a man is placed upon the steps, a baby cries
and high above the church bells start to ring
and as the heaviness the body oh the heaviness settles in
somewhere you can hear a mother sing

then it’s one foot then the other as you step out onto the road
how much weight? how much weight?
then it’s how long? and how far?
and how many times before it’s too late?

calling all angels
calling all angels
walk me through this one
don’t leave me alone
calling all angels
calling all angels
we’re cryin’ and we’re hurtin’
and we’re not sure why..

and every day you gaze upon the sunset
with such love and intensity
it’s almost…it’s almost as if
if you could only crack the code
then you’d finally understand what this all means

but if you could…do you think you would
trade in all the pain and suffering?
ah, but then you’d miss
the beauty of the light upon this earth
and the sweetness of the leaving

calling all angels
calling all angels
walk me through this one
don’t leave me alone
callin’ all angels
callin’ all angels
we’re tryin’
we’re hopin’
we’re hurtin’
we’re lovin’
we’re cryin’
we’re callin’
’cause we’re not sure how this goes.

Spring Longing

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Lydia | Leave a comment

Image by ViaMoi via Flickr

Today the high temperature is hovering somewhere in the 30’s. Now, I realize that this is winter, but for goodness sakes, this is Austin, Texas, and just two days ago it was a balmy 80 degrees! I know, I know, get over it, right? But, I am a southern girl and I prefer cold weather as much as a visit to the gynecologist. I tolerate it. Although, I don’t complain as much about going to the gyne, so, go figure.

In actuality, it’s Spring that I am looking forward to–renewal and all, and as Charles Dickens referred to as the “spring of hope.” As of yet, I’ve been unable to discern the origin of the phrase, but “spring is in the air” is oh so accurate. You can sense its coming as surely as you can a coming rain. There is an energy in the air that is palpable, electric, and yes, hopeful. The signs of Spring are not only in the air, but in the earth, as the season’s buds reach towards the sun, after a long winter’s nap, and in nature itself as, among other things, the swift and beautiful hummingbirds return seeking that sweet nectar to sate their thirst, and the myriad insects, those welcome and unwelcome, arise from their slumber to perform their role in the rites of Spring.

Yes, I long for Spring but I must also keep in mind that