Just when we think we know someone...

I just love it when I discover something new and wonderful about a person in my life. Last week my sister Tiena sent me a link to a site that has all of her poetry on it. She invited me to read it, and read it I did... the entire thing! About an hour later, I had cried, laughed, wondered, reflected, recalled, remembered, experienced compassion, sorrow, joy, overwhelm, amazement, and love. I thought I knew I my sister. We are very close, we are all close in my family. Little did I know the depth of the beauty of her soul. A discovered a whole new voice, and a talent that I had an inkling of, but never really appreciated until having the opportunity to see it all together in one place. I sure hope she keeps writing and posting. For your enjoyment visit http://tienaweina.blogspot.ca/. I didn't think it was possible to love my sister any more than I did, but I have a new sense of deepened appreciation for the way she sees the world, her incredible faith, her divine way of rhyming... and I love her so! Thanks for sharing this very personal journey with me Tiena and now the rest of the world!

There were many poems that I enjoyed, but one in particular stood out because it related to one of my Fabulous 50 Adventures on my list: Contemplating on 50 meaningful life questions:

How Come?

How come so many people are rich,
While so many live so poor?
How come so many have to do without,
While those who have a lot get more?

How come people can be so happy
While others are feeling so sad?
How come so many can find peace
While others will stay mad?

How come so many people think they are right
While others try to prove them wrong?
How come so many people feel so weak
While so many can be so strong?

How come some people can learn so quick
While others try and can't succeed?
How come some people will try to help
While others can't see the need?

How come some countries are so abundant
While other countries must seek constant aid?
How come so many must work for so little
While others are so highly paid?

How come so many will choose righteousness
While others choose crime and will stray?
How come some will leave their hometown
While others will choose to stay?

How come there are such vast differences
In this world of ours, we ask ourselves how come?
What can we do for peace love equality
the answer is in all of us
each and everyone.

I found myself wondering why I spent so much time in the first half of my life wanting to be right. Now that I have reached the age of 50 I seem to have a new found wisdom which guides me to just let it go! There is no need to be right anymore. I guess this is because I have come to realize that there really is no right! Just different versions of a personal perspective based on our own life experiences. I also no longer feel the need to continue in a conversation with a person who does feel the need to be right. Here is something to try the next time that happens. If the person is really insisting that they are right, just stop and tell them, okay you right, in your world and your experience the facts all lead to you being right. And then just let it go. Watch the expression on their face! It is almost guaranteed that they will continue to try and convince you that they are indeed right. It is then it becomes obvious that they really don't care about whether or not they are right, it is really just the need to continue the tension between the two of you. There is a wonderful book called "The Untethered Soul". It speaks to this issue so beautifully, and also the book Oneness. Both were journeys given to me by beautiful friends. I hope you might take the same journey and discover  the way to no longer needing to be right.

Cooked a new recipe on Friday night; straight out of the August Sobeys magazine. It was a wonderful spiced and honey glazed pork chop. I guess I went to the August edition as I was still recovering from the snow on the ground, and not feeling ready to let go of the summer season. I gave serious thought to cracking open the ice sealed BBQ, but opted for the oven instead. The recipe was a bit complicated but they sure tasted good, and I only had to make one trip to the grocery store for the ingredients.

Also visited a place I have never been before today! It was Cherrywood Lane in the Dartmouth. We had the pleasure of visiting the new home of my sister in law and her daughter. They are starting a new adventure of their own, by moving in together. I am sure the two generation family will have some glorious moments with nanny just across the hall each and every morning. It's a beautiful home and one that will be filled with love and joy and laughter, as two young grandsons get to share the same roof with their mom and dad and nanny! I truly do feel that when we began to separate the generational households, we lost so much. I still recall evenings watching the Waltons and wishing that I could have had the pleasure and joy of having my grandparents live under the same roof as our family. So much of life's wisdom is lost across the miles, and between the distance of separate abodes. I wish them well on their journey.

Today I also added another item to Fab 50 Advent #12: by finally learning how to use the two finger, one finger, system on my Mac tracking pad! It was pretty funny when the young gent at the Apple store was looking at me like I had two heads when I just couldn't get it. When he finally said, you use two fingers when you want to do the equivalent of selecting a drop down menu - I was like, oh right, now it makes sense! Which these days seems to take a bit longer than usual... thanks to good old menopause.

Tonight I also added another item to Fab 50 Advent # 25 by watching "It's a wonderful life".  I think I have watched this movie over 30 times! And I still love it. Isn't funny how even when you know the full plot, and the complete ending, a special movie can always move your heart once again, anyway. I always love watching this movie while wrapping Christmas presents.

I had a major brain wave while just about to fall asleep the other night... I was thinking how am I going to interview 50 women over 50 about their perspectives on life before and after 50? This was gonna take a great deal of time. I rarely leave my home (tied to a computer for work all day, and then time spent blogging and on Facebook (lol).  I needed to figure out a very efficient way. So I have a strategy which involves sending out an email to 50 women over 50 and asking them to answer 50 quick questions and hitting reply. I would love to capture these thoughts; serious, humorous, mysterious, and all, and then write a book. So if any of you would like to receive the email please let me know. I will finalize the questions this week, and then send along. You will then have two weeks to answer and send back. :-). Who knows perhaps some of you will enjoy the writing so much you might even start a blog of your own.

I was thinking about this weeks virtue of compassion, and it was interesting to note a video make by Ellen DeGeneres and posted by a Facebook friend of mine. She is speaking of the issue of bullying and sharing her wishes, her concerns, and most importantly her compassion for those who have been or are being bullied. This is truly a women of integrity and the purest compassion I have seen. If only we could help the bullies in the world to understand that they too have compassion, and that there is a way to awaken it. I believe that helping these bullies to find meaning in their life, and to believe that they can make meaningful contributions to society is a beginning. For so many of these bullies there is a lack of compassion, caring, understanding, consideration, etc. And when you add the anonymity of social media there is also a complete lack of human connection which results in disassociation with the human spirit of the individual being bullied and their own soul. There is a wonderful reporter from the Chronicle Herald who is doing a series on the issue and I am appreciating her efforts to try to show all sides of this very complicated issue. Funny though isn't it, it's not really that complicated:love one another and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Where oh where does it all go wrong?

Also another not for profit for Fab Ad #2 - Of course it was the Salvation Army Christmas bowl. This is such a special project and it gives me great joy each year to drop that loose change into the famous red bowl. Think about how long that bowl has been a part of Christmas. I am so grateful for those volunteers who stand along side it, with smiles and friendly Christmas cheer.

...oh my the moon was so beautiful tonight! Took my breath completely away.

and on that note, I think I will lay my head down to sleep.
Until we meet again my friends.