I Love Cheerios

Our grandson loves Cheerios

On our grandson’s fifth birthday, my husband and I enjoyed his company for lunch and presented him with a celebration gift. He was impressed with its size and opened his eyes wide to take in its measurements. He held the wrapped package in his hands and beamed a grateful smile at us. Gingerly, he tore the paper to expose a bright yellow box with its distinct image of a heart-shaped red bowl; a symbol on one of Canada’s popular cereals.

“Oh, Grandma and Grandpa, I love Cheerios,” he said.

He hugged the container with eager thankfulness.

“Sweetheart, there’s more. Look inside,” I said.

He removed the tape pieces that held the flaps down and peered inside. His little hands dove deep into the large box. He plucked the soft plush bear from its container and wrapped it in his arms.

“Thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Grandpa. His name is Ivan,” he said.

We left the restaurant and strolled across the parking lot toward our vehicle. I could hear our grandson singing to himself quietly, making up lyrics about his new friend. For the next while, we shared in the development of a sing-song for him to present to his mother.

My husband and I agree that time spent with our grandson is like a breath of fresh air. We consider his love and kindness towards us as welcome as the countless number of round grain oats found in a jumbo carton of Cheerios.

Love comes in all shapes and sizes. One of the many places it can be found is within a child. A child looks to its mother and father for direction on how to conduct him or herself. For example, a house filled with a common exchange of ‘I love you’, lives within the heart of the giver and is absorbed by the receiver. The word thank you is considered a prayer. A prayer can be offered every day, as many times as you want. You are welcome, is also a method of praising someone. Offering a greeting is a way to express your gratitude and love for a person and life.

Love from a child is unconditional and is meant to be unrestricted and unlimited. God’s love is expressed the same way – limitless and boundless. You can receive love from many sources including yourself. Washing up in the morning is praise for your physical self, and expressing a prayer to God is praise to Him and your spirit. Holding hands with a child allows for an exchange of energy from one soul to another. A hug with your teenager is also an exchange of love. A peck on the cheek of your life companion is an exchange of kindness. A smile at a stranger is an opportunity for you to express your love of the world.

Our grandson generates love is mass doses. He has inherited this gift from God, and is developing its benefits from his father and mother, all the members of his immediate family and the gentle world around him. He absorbs love from his teachers who take the time to look directly at him when speaking with him, from the bus driver who accepts his loose change and thanks him for it, from others who watch him as he learns to swim or plays on the soccer field. Stand close to a child and you’ll be cloaked with the energy of innocence and love. Listen to a child and you will learn what it is to love all things. Speak with a child and tell him you love him. Hug a child for thirty seconds and glory in the exchange of positive energy.

Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess, for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. ~ Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message, 2000

His name is Ivan

His name is Spiderman

Sisters In Kind

Joy Gives Us Wings

Three friends gathered in a house in Woss, British Columbia, and found sisterhood.

The foundation of the event was based on joy. The pleasure of being in one another’s presence gave us wings. Our chronic health conditions were set aside and we became more vital. Our intellect was keener and allowed us to formulate a plan to support youth to attend an international conference.

Together, sometimes holding hands, the bliss of being with each other surged strength through us. We learnt coping techniques from each other to deal with the world at large. Together we were wrapped in a sphere of usefulness.

We kept sadness away from our hearts to avoid its weakening characteristics. Our sisterhood strength took over so that our comprehension and intelligence were unveiled.

Our intention is to practice sisterhood regularly with all our women friends.

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. ~ Abdu’l-Baha

Nature Exudes Joy

The Past Tense of Eat

Deluxe Board 

 I like everything SCRABBLE®. Twenty years ago I bought myself a deluxe model along with the official Scrabble players dictionary.

I especially like the word ET, a past tense of eat. It provided me a forty-eight point score at the tournament I attended in Campbell River as a fundraising event for the local literacy program. I never thought my word would cause a ruckus.

I had placed my tiles on the board, counted the points and stated them and the word quietly to my opponent. Her responsibility was to record the word and the points for it. She refused my word.

“What’s the matter?” I said.

“What’s that supposed to be?” she said. She pointed to my word.

“Et is a past tense of eat”, I said.

“I’ve been teaching English for thirty-five years and I’ve drilled it into my students’ heads that ate is the past tense of eat,” she said.

“Do you want to challenge the word?” I said.

We both knew the single challenge rule where if a player places a word and her opponent wishes to challenge, the challenger may do so with no penalty.

Ultimate Argument-Settler

 I waved the word judge over. He flipped through the pages of the Scrabble dictionary, located ET and read the definition. I knew that book to be the ultimate argument-settler for Scrabble game players.

“Why aren’t we using a proper Oxford dictionary?” my challenger said.

As her voice grew louder other tournament players turned their attention to our action. 

“This will be the last game I play. Let’s finish,” she said.

She recorded my word and the points on the score sheet. 

After the award ceremony I approached her and asked if she would be interested in joining me at the community centre where we play Scrabble for fun. After she accepted the invitation I handed her my official Scrabble players dictionary.

“Bring it with you on Thursday,” I said. “I’ll bring my board.”

Scrabble has it rewards

Tournament Fundraiser for Literacy

Triple-Header Extravaganza

♪ Sing Along With Me ♪

I LIKE THAT music fills me with joy. I don’t know how to play a musical instrument, but I know melodies spike my energy. I sing like nobody is listening, and consider hand clapping after a performance part of the entertainment.

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, Frank and I enjoyed a triple-header date of listening to a jazz band at a local pub, and afterward a pop crew followed by an eclectic posse of voices and guitars. The Forsland Group was led by a barefoot lady jazz singer, accompanied by a saxophone player, guitarist and bass fiddle player. Many of us were tapping our feet to the beat while others were bobbing their heads to the rhythm and snapping their fingers. My compulsion is to sing along  if I remember the words, however because jazz tunes have doo-wop ups and downs it’s nearly impossible. 

♪ Brass Instrument Keys  ♪

Afterward, we attended a fund-raising festival of music at the Campbell River Community Centre. The first band, Inclusion, is composed of three singers and five instrumentalists who tend to play dance music and sing-a-long tunes. The audience is always invited to participate and that's when I'm at my happiest. The band that followed, Ogre Major, has one female singer, a male singer who played guitar, along with two other guitarists. A computer produced the funky background sounds. I’m a big fan of lyrical music with words I can understand so everything I heard that day at all three concerts suited me just fine.

 ♪Dig That Funky Beat ♪

One good thing about music,

 when it hits you,

 you feel no pain.

 ~ Bob Marley

How To Prevent Racism

We are one

 One way to put a halt to racism is to gather like-minded people together, provide them with message boards, a walking path and police escort, and then have the citizens bring the message of unity to their community.

On Saturday, March 23, 2013, I had the privilege of joining friends, family and acquaintances on a walk to stop racism. I bundled myself in a chicken costume and carried a sign that read “Don’t Be Chicken…Stop Racism”. My friend Wendy and I marched with other passionate folks whose message that crisp day was to say that we are one people, one race, filled with hope that skin colour will become as commonly accepted as eye colour where it matters not in the eye of the beholder.

Personally, when I meet people, I look into their eyes and search for their existence there. What I find is someone looking back at me and my hope is that they like what they see.

I was humming a song as we strolled along.

♫ We are drops of one ocean,

We are leaves of one tree,

Come and join us in our quest for unity,

It’s a way of life for you and me.

We are flowers of one garden,

We are pearls of one sea,

Come and join us in our quest for unity,

It’s a way of life for you and me.

All the world is one country,

Man is one, can’t you see,

Come and join us in our quest for unity,

It’s a way of life for you and me. ♫

Like-minded folk

Multi-cultural stop racism messages

Witness to Wisdom

 The energy in the cramped room filled with recovering alcoholics brought feelings of humility, companionship and wisdom to my senses.

I was there to celebrate my son’s anniversary and was surrounded by others of like-mind who also felt a kinship with him. Complete strangers, some of them, friends for life, most of them, the members of this amazing fellowship listened quietly and with respect to the topic explored that evening. Each member was invited to share his and her experience with the group . Some chose to pass on the topic while others spoke with keen enthusiasm for the excitement brought on by alcohol and the downside of not knowing when to stop. Some spoke of losses repeated over and over with each relapse, while others, too new to the program to know the consequences of giving in to their obsession, spoke of their gratitude for having a place to land and share their hidden feelings.

I felt camaraderie and love emitting from the attendees to the ends of my toes. I took in a deep breath to absorb the moment and released a quiet exhale with the hope that the feelings of compassionate brother and sisterhood would stay with me. The power of the meeting’s tone remains with me and I am grateful.

At the end of the meeting we stood, clasped hands and chanted the prayer that is shared around the world:

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Dance To Raise Awareness

We danced like no one was watching. Some of us pranced around in circles, while others stepped to the beat. A few bobbed from one side of the group of forty to the other, smiling the whole while. Some clapped their gloved hands, some stood still, others closed their eyes and swooned to the music. We followed the song by Ms. Tena Clark, “Break The Chain”.

We danced for the One Billion Rising cause, a meaningful event that educates the masses about violence against women. It was a worldwide event and Campbell River was part of the extravaganza on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at Spirit Square.

I’ve prepared a short movie for your viewing and listening pleasure.