I Still Know Who She Is

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.

The Nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. The Nurse saw him looking at his watch and, since the Nurse was not busy with another patient, decided to evaluate his wound. On examining it, the Nurse saw it was well healed, and talked to one of the other Nurses and got the needed supplies to remove the sutures and redress the wound.

While taking care of the wound, the Nurse asked the elderly gentleman if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, since he was in such a hurry. The gentleman said, no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. The Nurse inquired as to her health and the gentleman told him that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. As they talked, the Nurse asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. The gentleman replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him for five years now.

The Nurse was surprised and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' The elderly gentlemen smiled as he patted the Nurse's hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.' The Nurse had to hold back tears, and had goose bumps, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life'.


SAYINGS

True love is neither physical nor romantic'. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank.

The happiest people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about, I just did..

Life is not about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Almighty God, you will make it to a place called Success.

[~unknown]

Just A Candle's Aura

(I wrote this, 15 Jul 2011, thinking about how bright Future's venue from my youth's portal.  The visions of hope from my girlhood, were tarnessed and faded by the reality of Life with all its challenges, disappointments, and distractions.  Now, in the winter years, the bright aura of my youth does not burn as blue a hue.)

There gathered a sense of sharp anticipation
as I stepped through Folly's Door,
to find Future's Embrace.

The brilliant Aura of Youth,
now harnessed by Life's Distractions
and Time's Passage -- fades
until No More.

The Ending of the Day,
has mellowed to a fine Hue,
the sharpness of a stormy Passage.

There a momentary madness
burning high in Youth's Abode,
Now extinguished in Elder Days
of unrealized Wishes, Hopes, and Dreams.

The moment –
Nothing more remains --
Just A Candle's Aura!

[dht-2011]

[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images]

In God's Hands -- Father's Day

Introduction

There are three kinds of family, those you are born to, those that are born to you, and those you let into your heart.

Family Short Story

“As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.”  
[~Leonardo da Vinci]

This quotation message says to me that life is best lived in all its richness and fullness, so that at life's end there are no regrets or "I wish I had's".

My prayer for those who have finished their life's journey, is that they went to their rest in peace and with no regrets or unfinished business.

I have lost so many family members and dear friends over the years (through death and otherwise) and I still feel the grief deeply today. It is a great comfort to me to know that you are all there for me whether in spirit or heart.

I have such wonderful memories of those I loved so dearly and I cherish the moments I had with them. They are always in my heart. I feel a sense of peace knowing that they are at rest on their Celestial Porch.

God knows when to call his children home, unfortunately we are never ready when He is.

I know that the pain of losing someone can be almost too much to manage, but I also know that those who have passed at life's end are at peace now and are no longer suffering.

Perhaps we can all take some time today and let the people living, who are dear to us, know that we Love and Cherish them.

For all those Loved ones, who have passed and are lost to us in body and spirit, let's take a moment to let them know we have never stopped holding them in our hearts and memories; and, Thank them for the legacy of love left us.

I am truly blessed to have had so much support through the difficult times.

May God Bless You and Your Families -- Today and Every day.

Love to my dear FAMILY and dear FRIENDS, both here on Earth and those who sit on their Celestial Porch.


Closing Thoughts

Here you have a Family Short Story, which began before we were born and continues after our passing, with our predecessors and our descendants, and the many lives, and hearts that are "touched" by their passage.

We are the legacy of past generations, and all that we have is due to their passions, laughter, and tears during their passage through this life. They gave us the gift of freedom and sit as angels on our shoulder as we walk through the weeds of yesterday and into the garden of tomorrow. When we stumble and fall, remembering past generations lifts us and strengthens our resolve so we can better weather the storm and see the waiting rainbow.

However, this is not the end, for there are other family members and new generations to come. This is just a short story for those family members that are interested in OUR FAMILY STORY and HISTORY.

I feel very honored to be a part of this FAMILY TREE.

I love being a part of the history of this land.

I love that my family were here before me ... and will be here after me.

***************

SPECIAL NOTE

I post this, for my Father who is ill and probably will not be living to see another Father's Day. I mailed him a letter today at the assisted living facility where he lives (he is age 91) to tell him I am thinking of him on this Father's Day and that I LOVE him.
It is not always a simple or easy thing to 'let go' of past memories, loves, hurts, loss. AND, for some the past has such a strong hold, that it makes the struggle of daily living very difficult. Many feel the 'pull' of past regrets, transgressions, strife, war, and the 'cut' is so deep that there is never a salve to ease the pain or a 'bridge' to help cross from the past to tomorrow. I think of those who serve in the military and who for some the overwhelming demands of war leave a mark on their 'soul' that can never be erased and a burden that must be borne for their lifetime.

This, then, is my tribute to my Father on this Father's Day!

[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images --Begonia flower - "Angel Wing"]

WHERE ONLY SHADOWS DANCE

(I wrote this, 13 Jul 2011, in a gray frame of mind, all too frequently occurring.  The "good times" in my life so far removed and their memory fading, seemed to go by too quickly.  Only now as I re-play those favorites,  do I feel I was not prepared to savor the precious few bright and clear moments. With misty eyes and wet checks, I try to recall happier times, despairing at the barriers that the 'bad times" cloud with melancholy.  SPECIAL NOTE --  My own writing offerings, I call " The Unrhyme Prose Poem Style". It is often serious, whimsical, thoughtful, fanciful, full of shadows and light, and of course Nature (birdies, flowers, and such). 

"Which of us, in his ambitious moments, has not dreamed of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical, without rhyme and without rhythm, supple enough and rugged enough to adapt itself to the lyrical impulses of the soul, the undulations of the psyche, the prickings of consciousness?”
[~ Little Poems in Prose, Charles Baudelaire])


The days at times are shrouded 
in unremitting shades of gray.

Dark shadows obscure
the corners of my life.

MELANCHOLY is as a shroud
that allows only gray scales of color –
NEVER the rainbow
rues of LOVE, JOY, HOPE, BELONGING...

The edges of memories blur –
their shape and texture mute –
with a blink of the mind's eye –
they recede.

How strange it seems
they happened Just As Quick
in their Time.

Now replaying those moments
over-and-over,
thoughts drift through Barriers
 NOT even Time's Gate Keeper can Deny.

The vast darkness
 so dense at times, 
the light cannot invade the Expanse
WHERE ONLY SHADOWS DANCE!

[~dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE:  GOOGLE online images]

JUST DAY DREAMING

The skyline is a Mocking reflection
of my Day Dreamer's Passage.

My thoughts wander
chasing butterflies
in the Garden of my mind.

Graceful waves of ferns
emote a welcome greeting
on my Sojourn.

Glimmers of blue and green
sparkle at the edges of my Dream
off the cool waters
catching the sunlight.

My Day Dreamer's thoughts
feather to nothing,
burdens of the day,
easing the Signs of worry
from my brow.

A brilliant smile lit from within,
hints of the whimsical fancies
that dance to a tune
only this Day Dreamer hears.

Mysterious thoughts
challenge and inspire
and excite my Day Dreamer's Nature.

Lack of coherent order
releases the Bonds
that shroud the Boundary
of my senses.

Reflections of a secret romantic,
flicker as patterns of mist and fog,
smoke and shadow,
sun and moonbeams,
and fall across
my Day Dreamer's imaginary Landscape.

Warmth, laughter, and LOVE --
all welcome ingredients
for Today's Illusions
and Tomorrows Hopes.

And, the polly wogs in the Pond
all turn into Princes,
as the Day Dreamer's interludes
slip by-the-by.

The drab sparrow drops its cloak,
revealing beneath its brightly feathered finery
in a Peacock's plumage; 
But, Beware
the hidden heart of a Hawk!

A profusion of flowers
array in drooping sleepy splendor
along the Day Dreamer's Path.

Candle flames dance merrily
into the evensong of the Sunset.

Flickers of moonlight
beckon the Day Dreamer
to witness its play
on the garden Steps.

Overhead the stars in the night lit heavens,
shine as celestial beacons,
softly guiding this Nocturnal Traveler.

Whispers of a soft summer evening
drift on a gentle breeze,
ruffling the rhythms of my Flight.

Such are the Meanderings of my mind.

I am – A DAY DREAMING TRAVELER!

[~dht-2011]

***************

(Just being and writing on 11 Jul 2011, for some days are just easy and made for lazy-ing around and JUST DAY DREAMING about your Life, Yesterday, Today, and pondering Tomorrow!   My life is a river that flows, I know not where, With eddies for reflecting, and swift currents gone too quick, Past the 'Shores' of my life. Yesterday's youthful dreams, Today's hopeful goals, Float on the water without anchor, Toward Tomorrow's Destiny.) [~dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images]

Everyday Words - Everyday Thoughts

Your thoughts don't have words every day
They come a single time

Like signal esoteric sips
Of the communion Wine

Which while you taste so native seems
So easy so to be

You cannot comprehend its price
Nor its infrequency

[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #1452]

***************
DEF: "esoteric" Adjective: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

***************

In this poem, my Maternal Cousin EMILY Elizabeth Dickinson (10 Dec 1830 - 15 May 1886), says to ME that there are NOT words enough to describe every feeling and emotion that float through my mind every day. Moreover, that the meaning of some thoughts is confusing to some who do not know my circumstance or me. In addition, some 'words' when said or written have a 'price' that is a toll paid by the author for their effect on the emotions and attitude of self and others.

EMILY did not follow the typical path of a woman of her time for she never married. She lived a solitary life in her parent's home taking care of the household and her parents during their lifetime and illness and after their deaths living alone in the homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent many hours in conjugating the mental processes and writing down some of her feelings and thoughts about her life, nature, faith, love, death, and other topics. In over 1700 poems and writings, that are known about, she recorded on paper by hand (no computers or MSWord) her thoughts in 'words'. Today she is considered a genius with the use of words, and there are college course, books, museums, and historical societies that are dedicated to reading her 'words' and analyzing each punctuation, phrase, topic, and nuance.

For myself, I believe EMILY'S 'words' and her poetry and writings can be best enjoyed when applied to my own life and experiences. In this way, I am internalizing her whispered words that murmur to my heart and that put a 'period' to my feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, I find that by reading something she has written, I am better able to gain clarity on a point in my life. Clarity helps remove the confusion and shadows that intrude and hinder the 'walk of life'. There are enough 'boulders' and 'rough seas' that make the journey difficult!

I am reminded of a time that a DEAR FRIEND helped me to reach clarity at a time, a couple of years ago, when I was baffled and confused. My friend listened to me describe my status and said that it sounded like I was experiencing DEEP GRIEF. This was a welcome realization and helped me put into perspective the many confusing feelings and thoughts that floated through my mind and heart and fell softly on to my wet cheeks. Grief is a personal process that no 'words' can explain, but 'words' in a Poem, a Prayer, or from a DEAR FRIEND can help the healing process through the solitary feelings from loss of loved ones.

[~ DOROTHY HAZEL TARR, dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE; GOOGLE online images]

DANCING DANDELIONS

(As I was walking, 6 Jul 2011, on the 'Beaver Pond Walk' in the Senior Community where I live, there was the softest breeze that teased the wild grasses and and swayed the blooms of the yellow Dandelions that bordered the walking trail. It was a magical moment that I enjoyed and captured in several photos.  I could almost hear the 'Waltz' in the air that the blooms were dancing to.)

Yellow Dandelions border the trail,
their blossoms dancing merrily
to a tune only Nature plays. 

Suddenly Day's Passage changes the blooms
to white seeded spheres. 

Be QUICK to make a WISH
and use your BREATH
as the feathery seeds fill the air. 

Watch in wonder
as the seeds take flight
and drift far and wide
on a summer breeze.

[~dht-2011]

***************
A few WEB SITES for DANDELION info:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/dandelion/



***************

               [PHOTO SOURCE:  My photo, My Camera, 2011 on 'Beaver Pond Walk']

[AND, here is a short video of the DANCING DANDELIONS

 that I took with my camera on this walk. ~ dht-2011]

BLESSINGS of a new day

(I wrote this tribute to a beautiful dawn, 5 Jul 2011, viewed from my backyard.)

SOME OF MY WORDS

My heart is weightless like a cloud

floating in a bright blue summer sky,
drifting in a warm breeze.

The sounds of the (bird's) Dawn Chorus
fill my hearing. 
The scent of flowers
perfumes the air. 

I'm BLESSED to be alive

to share this morning
as the SUNRISE anoints the day
with promise and hope. 

It's good to 'count our BLESSINGS'

each day and at every meal!  

The New Dawn a reminder

that Our Blessings
should not be taken for granted!

[~ DOROTHY HAZEL TARR dht-2011]

[PHOTO SOURCE: My camera, My backyard at NEW DAWN]

DREAMING – Soap Bubbles

(I wrote this today, 3 Jul 2011,  as I was thinking some introspective thoughts about life, time, and circumstance and the soap bubble seemed the perfect symbol to 'pair' them with. And, my Kindred Spirit "C" contributed this thought --  I just love these photos, so light and airy like thoughts that come and go.)

*** DREAMING  –  Soap Bubbles ***

WHERE has the time gone? How fast the years have come and gone!

The PRESENT has no more substance than SOAP BUBBLES blown from a soap bubbler (and as in this PIX).

TOMORROW is a dream, a promise, a hope for the nether.

I believed in my DREAM (fool that I am) and my heart sang with HAPPY thoughts.

Now, shadows intrude where the joy and sunlight have withdrawn.

Sometimes life takes a different course than what we plan or expect.

YES, I had been a DREAMER, full of hope and plans. NOW, such dreams are faded, never to be realized, and only live as wispy thoughts that float on the air as soap bubbles, and then burst.

In my mind, pictures flash of days long passed and flow over me in quick waves (NOT in any sequence of time).

I wish at times (all the time really) for a second chance with all I have learned--to turn back the clock, and ...

I cling to the GOOD pictures and try to push away the BAD pictures--but it seems they are one and the same.

HOW does that ole saying go? "You have to take the GOOD with the BAD." (or something like that)

SO, the soap bubbles drift -- each capturing a moment of time in my life, each a good and bad 'picture' of a time in my life.

Soap bubbles as transient as my next breath!
[dht-2011]
---------------

ALSO see YouTube video ---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMengiVFlBg&feature=share

[PHOTO SOURCE: Google online images]

DUST Motes -- Dancing a JIG

(WELL, I guess you are curious why I felt like writing on, 3 Jul 2011, about DUST MOTES.
WELL, I guest it was just a 'case' of DAY DREAMING and FANCIFUL THOUGHT PATTERNS--seems I have a 'writing virus' that is triggered by unusual and everyday observations!!! . (chuckles) )


The bright sun sits high in a hot cloudless sky. 
The breeze is noticeably absent. 
The shadows are short at noon's zenith.

Then afternoon sun pours through my window, illuminating the dust motes that dance in the air,
as the ceiling fan stirs them to a JIG.

I GUESS it's time to DUST AGAIN!
[dht-2011]


***************
[PHOTO SOURCE:  GOOGLE online images]

[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images - wooden dustpan on top of small chair]

LOVE -- Whispers

(I wrote this as a tribute, 25 Jun 2011, to my BELOVED daughter on her 47th Birthday. LOVE you sweetie !!)


Sometimes the threads of LOVE are a silent gesture, a bold token, a thoughtful gift, a sacrifice, a prayer, or whatever ... Woven together, these LOVE threads become a strong bond that can withstand the rigors of life and the tests of time. The bonds become the fabric of our life with all the texture, flourish, whimsy, faith, and strength that make our life rich and full.

Family Lore has many colors and patterns made from these fabrics and LOVE threads that WHISPER IN THE EAR of generations, reminders of our bonds to the past, the hopes of the present, and the promise of the future.
[~dht-2011]

[PHOTO SOURCE: My Photo, My Camera, My Maternal Gram's Peddle non-electric Singer Sewing Machine, that I learned to sew on -- GREAT MEMORIES !!  NOW, the machine is silent and unused; I miss my Gram every moment of every day!!]

                             [PHOTO SOURCE:  GOOGLE online images - quilting]

Three Butterfly Theme Poems

[PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]
***************
From Cocoon forth a Butterfly – A poem by Emily Dickinson

From Cocoon forth a Butterfly
As Lady from her Door
Emerged -- a Summer Afternoon --
Repairing Everywhere --

Without Design -- that I could trace
Except to stray abroad
On Miscellaneous Enterprise
The Clovers -- understood --

Her pretty Parasol be seen
Contracting in a Field
Where Men made Hay --
Then struggling hard
With an opposing Cloud --

Where Parties -- Phantom as Herself --
To Nowhere -- seemed to go
In purposeless Circumference --
As 'twere a Tropic Show --

And notwithstanding Bee -- that worked --
And Flower -- that zealous blew --
This Audience of Idleness
Disdained them, from the Sky --

Till Sundown crept -- a steady Tide --
And Men that made the Hay --
And Afternoon -- and Butterfly --
Extinguished -- in the Sea --

[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #354]

***************

PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

***************
Some such Butterfly be seen – A poem by Emily Dickinson

Some such Butterfly be seen
On Brazilian Pampas --
Just at noon -- no later -- Sweet --
Then -- the License closes --

Some such Spice -- express and pass --
Subject to Your Plucking --
As the Stars -- You knew last Night --
Foreigners -- This Morning –

[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #541]

***************

[PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

***************

Two butterflies went out at Noon -- A poem by Emily Dickinson

Two butterflies went out at Noon --
And waltzed upon a Farm --
Then stepped straight through the Firmament
And rested, on a Beam --

And then -- together bore away
Upon a shining Sea --
Though never yet, in any Port --
Their coming, mentioned -- be --

If spoken by the distant Bird --
If met in Ether Sea
By Frigate, or by Merchantman --
No notice -- was -- to me --

[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #533]

***************

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to my Kindred Spirit and Counsin "C",  
for a PERFECT gift and remembrance -- A Book of Poems by Emily Dickinson.

Thank you for the gift, with warm affection, respect, and friendship, Dee
***************

Rainy Days - and - Rainbows

(Inspiration and sentiment for this writing, 25 May 2011, arrived from the rain that fell this morning over my roof, and set the leaves to sparkle in the sunshine -- the sunshine has come out and the sky that is 'chuck' full of glorious RAINBOWS! )

***************

A drop fell on the apple tree
Another on the roof;
A half a dozen kissed the eaves,
And made the gables laugh.

A few went out to help the brook,
That went to help the sea.
Myself conjectured, Were they pearls,
What necklaces could be!

The dust replaced in hoisted roads
The birds jocoser sung;
The sunshine threw his hat away,
The orchards spangles hung.

The breezes brought dejected lutes
And bathed them in the glee;
The East put out a single flag,
And signed the fete away.
[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #794]


{A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to a VERY SPECIAL FRIEND for the VERY SPECIAL GIFT OF A BOOK OF POETRY and WRITINGS of EMILY ELIZABETH DICKINSON.  Emily was/is my Maternal DNA Cousin, and my very special friend that made me the gift of this book, and put a personal inscription inside,  is my Maternal Cousin and Kindred Spirit "C". [~ dht-2011] }

OR why didn't you just say so (Emily's poem):


It seems Emily's poem #794 is about a summer rain shower and how it refreshes and changes the land as the water cycles (a chain of nature as a chain of pearls in a necklace) through nature as rain, streams, rivers, seas, oceans, then evaporation and storms and rain again.   How the land is blessed, kissed by the rain, decorated by glittering raindrops, and dust is settled.   How the rain makes soft and cheery sounds on the roof and birds sing their song.   How the sunshine 'gave it up' and the clouds and rain prevailed in rain shower festivities (fete), until the sun came out again from the East and displayed a rainbow (flag).   How the rain and wind washes the leaves (pear shaped leaves like a lute).
[~ dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE:  National Geographic Online image of Rainbow]

WHAT'S A BUTTERFLY

                                      [PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images]

***************

SOME OF MY FAV QUOTATIONS AND PROSE ABOUT THE BUTTERLY--


“What's a butterfly garden without butterflies?” [~Roy Rogers]

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
[~Irish Blessing]

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. [~Author Unknown]

The fluttering of a butterfly's wings can effect climate changes on the other side of the planet. [~Paul Erlich]

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.
[~Richard Buckminster Fuller]

Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine.  
[~Jeffrey Glassberg]

The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower a tethered butterfly.  
[~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun]

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. [~Nathaniel Hawthorne]

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." [~Hans Christian Anderson]

Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. [~Author Unknown]


I've watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed,
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas,
More motionless! And then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
[~William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"]

I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. [~Charles Dickens]

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. [~Author Unknown]


It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by.
How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment?
For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. 
That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop. [~Vita Sackville-West]

 We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. [~Carl Sagan]

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. [~Rabindranath Tagore]

I WISH YOU TIME ENOUGH, TO REACH YOUR HEART'S DESIRE WITH LOVE OVERFLOWING AND KINDRED SPIRITS TO SHARE IT WITH !! [DOROTHY HAZEL TARR, ~dht-2011]

***************
SO SAY I----->


DO you have a favorite BUTTERFLY poem, quote, saying, dream, and/or thought?


Any thoughts about the quotes proffered here about BUTTERFLYs?


WHAT does the BUTTERFLY mean to you (if anything)? (ie., change, love, spring, nature, bugs, insects)


WHAT SAY YOU -------> ????
***************

A TRIBUTE TO NURSES

PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images; NURSE AT WORK]
***************

NURSE'S DAY – History
National Nurses Week was observed in 1954 from October 11 through October 16, to mark the centennial anniversary of Florence's Nightingale's Crimean War mission, which came about based on the reports making their way back to Britain regarding the condition and care of the wounded.

In the fall of 1854, Nightingale and 38 other female volunteer nurses were dispatched to the Ottoman Empire to the location of the British encampment. There was a shortage of medicine, a disregard for hygiene, and infections were rampant and often fatal. It was here that the dedicated Nightingale earned her famous nickname, "The Lady With the Lamp," because even after the rest of the medical staff had retired for the day, she still persisted in making her solitary rounds in the dark.

It was not until 1974 that Nixon finally proclaimed an official National Nurses Week, and in 1982 May 6th was designated National Nurses Day by President Ronald Reagan.

Not to be confused with National Nurses Day, another celebrated day falls within Nurses Week designated solely to school nurses, and is referred to as National Student Nurses Day. It falls on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week each year.

It is on May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday, when International Nurses Day is celebrated each year. The International Council of Nurses creates and distributes to nurses kits that contain useful information and materials for nurses around the world.

The International Nurses Day (IND) 2011 theme is "Closing the Gap: Increasing Access and Equity."

If you know a NURSE, be sure and remember them with even the smallest token of appreciation on NURSES DAY 6 May 2011.  They deserve it.

***************

[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images; "The lady with the lamp", Florence Nightengale, founder of modern nursing]

Nursing is an art:
and if it is to be made an art,
It requires an exclusive devotion
as hard a preparation,
as a painter's or sculptor's work;
for what is the having to do with
dead canvas or dead marble,
compared with having to do
with the living body,
the temple of God's spirit?
It is one of the Fine Arts:
I had almost said,
the finest of Fine Arts.
[~Florence Nightingale]

***************

Being a NURSE means......
You will never be bored.
You will always be frustrated.
You will be surrounded by challenges.
So much to do and so little time.
You will carry immense responsibility and very little authority.
You will step into people's lives and you will make a difference.
Some will bless you. Some will curse you.
You will see people at their worst-and at their best.
You will never cease to be amazed at people's capacity for love, courage, and endurance.
You will see life begin-and end.
You will experience resounding triumphs and devastating failures.
You will cry a lot.
You will laugh a lot.
You will know what it is to be human and to be humane.
[~Melodie Chenevert, RN]

***************

FOR A SPECIAL NURSE

Long before you entered nursing
The Lord had played His part,
Planting seeds of love and kindness
In the portals of your heart.
For it's clear that you've been gifted
With a sympathetic ear,
And blessed from the beginning
With a willingness to cheer.
And the people who you care for
Are better off by far,
When they're touched by your compassion,
By the person that you are.
For in times of woe and worry
When they're frightened or they're blue,
No one could be more consoling than the friend they'll find in you!
[~unknown]
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This is dedicated to that SPECIAL person that tends you in times of need—YOUR NURSE.
AND, to a SPECIAL NURSE, my beloved daughter, of whom I'm very proud. [~dht-2-11].

A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

Before I was a Mom


Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth every day.


Before I was a Mom
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.


Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.


Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.


Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.   [AFTER ALL,  I WAS ONLY AGE 17 when I became a MOTHER! ~dht-2011]


Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.


Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.
[~ UNKNOWN]


---------------

And Grandma's too...
While we honor all our mothers
with words of love and praise.
While we tell about their goodness
and their kind and loving ways.
We should also think of Grandma, [be they here with us or only a memory ~dht-2011]
she's a mother too, you see....
For she mothered my dear mother
as my mother mothers me.
[~ Author Unknown]


---------------


Before the child is born
A mother's love begins
Before the child is born
And lasts through time
And difficulties
And differences
And many wounds
And days of joy
And days of sorrow
Winding, wearing
Weeping, sharing
Changing
Until, at the end
What remains
Is that solid core
That began as love
Before the child was born.
[ ~ Ruth Greer]

**********

A SPECIAL HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!

These are so beautiful.  I teared up – USED LOTS OF TISSUES -- while reading them, that's why I selected these particular poems to share! 

They are not my words – BUT they express my sentiments and feelings well !!  They are a wonderful sentiment and tribute to Mothers – both Mothers in our lives now and those Mothers that paved the way.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY – to Mothers everywhere!

[dht-2011]

**********

                              [PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images]

PATH -- Waiting for a Sign

                             [PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

**********

SOME OF MY WORDS

I gave a ragged cry of despair at the losses in my life (youth, innocence, health, family, love, money, opportunity ...). In my heart, I heard a consoling voice.

Do not weep. As the winds of time blow across the land, all must find their path. You will see your path; it will be written in the sand and dust, and whispered in the breeze. Then you will know. It may not be the path you desire; but it will be the path you are meant to follow.
[~dht-2011]

**********
NOTE:  I chose this PIX to pair with my words, for to me, it graphically depicts a structure showing the ravages of time and sand, where there is no life, where there is no path. There's just lots of dust waiting for some stupid sign about some stupid path to be written in the dry, hot wind.

Here are the thoughts my Kindred Spirit and Cousin proffered about this posting:

The photo fits perfectly with the words; "winds of time blow across the land ... sand and dust ..." . Good job. Photo reminds me of visiting ghost towns in California; always interesting imagining the people who lived there and what their lives were like.

As humans we are usually wrong when we say "there is no life" when what we mean is that there is no sign of "human" life. What is wonderful about this pix is that is shows absolute signs of life, of nature reclaiming yet another abandoned human structure ... and life goes on.

THE CHANGING SEASONS

                              [PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

**********

The changing seasons

mark the passage of time

on NATURE's Landscape,

even as the lines on my cheeks

mark the hourglass

of my life's journey.

[dht-2011]

**********

Hummingbird -- Visit

[PHOTO SOURCE: A color plate illustration from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (1899), showing a variety of hummingbirds.]
**********

This morning I was watering the backyard with my garden hose by hand (the sprinklers still need repair) and enjoying the early morning sunrise, breeze, and pretty clouds. There were robins, doves, and quail in the yard with me foraging for nesting supplies and breakfast. Quietly a hummingbird came within two feet of my "NOSE" (really my nose), attracted by the fine spray of water from the hose. It took a drink or bath, and I held my breath and did NOT move!! This moment in time lasted about a whole minute. Then it flew away. The hummingbird makes a distinctive sound with the 'beating' of its wings, and I can usually 'hear' them before I see them. This was the FIRST time a hummingbird has come so CLOSE to me and a FIRST time one has come to drink and/or bath in my garden hose spray (that was in my HAND).

This whole experience was an early morning BLESSING that gave me joy and peace! I was so MOVED spiritually that I wanted to share this experience with you.

OUR DAYS ARE TRULY MADE UP OF THESE SMALL AND PRECIOUS MOMENTS!!! 
I am so glad there are flowers in the yard so that these small creatures feel safe to visit and find food!

HERE are a few PIXs of Hummingbirds that I found on the internet that looked nice (I did NOT have my camera to take my little visitor's PIX!)


THE HUMMINGBIRD:

HERE is a LINK to a description of the Hummingbird from WIKIPEDIA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

[PHOTO SOURCE:  GOOGLE online images --  Green Violetear Hummingbird at a flower.]

GARLIC -- in my garden

                      [PHOTO SOURCE: Garlic painting from GOOGLE online images]

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Today I planted 50 garlic plants. I'll finish up with 50 more tomorrow. They are SO-O easy to grow in the garden or in a pot. The leaves are edible and can be cut and used like chives. The garlic plants that I planted today will mature and produce bulbs later in the season; and these I will dehydrate and store in garlic flakes and powder. I LOVE garlic in recipes, roasted, on garlic bread and in garlic mashed potatoes. I eat garlic every day in some form and it is a staple in my pantry. Garlic can also be braided into various shaped wreaths.


Just for fun, I have attached some GARLIC PIXs.

GARLIC info from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

HEALTH BENEFITS
http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/garlic-000245.htm

HOW TO ROAST A HEAD OF GARLIC
USE GOOGLE to search for lots of "HOW TOs" for roasting Garlic.

Roasting your own garlic is very easy and worth every iota of what little effort, it requires because the aroma is intoxicating and the flavor smoky and mellow. In just 30 minutes, you will have a delicious appetizer ready to go. Serve with sliced crusty bread and olive oil.

TYPES OF GARLIC
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5591398_types-garlic-plants.html

Basic Types: Garlic plants are divided into two basic sub-species: softneck and hardneck. Softneck garlic is much more common and is the kind that you would buy at the grocery store. Hardneck are much less cultivated and more often found wild.

Softneck Garlics: There are two basic types of softneck garlic: silverskin garlic and artichoke garlic. Silverskin, as its name suggests, has shiny, whitish parchment covering the numerous cloves. Artichoke garlic has fewer, larger cloves with tougher coverings.

                     [PHOTO SOURCE: Above GOOGLE online images-garlic growing in soil]

                         [Above PIX from GOOGLE online images-garlic wreath.]

Your comments are welcome, especially recipes or hints on how you use garlic.