~ firefly-dreaming a virtual home to learn (or teach!) alternative methods of solving problems we find facing us each day. By sharing ideas & knowledge on living with less stress, more joy & embracing tolerance & compassion we are working towards building a sustainable future for all living beings.
"Thank you" is a miraculous expression. We feel good when we say it, and we feel good when we hear it. When we speak or hear the words thank you, the armor falls from our hearts and we communicate on the deepest level. ~ Daisaku Ikeda
...on living with less stress, more joy & embracing tolerance & compassion,
we are working towards building a sustainable future for all living beings." RiaD
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road we're on seems all uphill,
When our resources are low and debts are high,
And we want to smile but can only sigh,
When worries are pressing us down a bit,
Rest, if we must, but we cannot quit.
For today's open, I decided to take advantage of a visit by our good friend, Keiko Yabuuchi, and share with my good friends here her reflections on the upcoming dates, August 6th and August 9th - the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
newp: Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us your feelings on this emotional subject for you.
Keiko-san: No, thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my deep feelings as a Japanese woman on the unbelievable suffering caused by the atomic bombings on August 6th and 9th, 1945. I was born exactly 1 year after the Japanese surrender, on August 15, 1946, so my childhood was always in the shadow of these horrific events.
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience,
which is the bitterest." ~ Confucius
There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true,
Then give the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you.
"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." ~ John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day
For me, it's always important to remind myself that the relationship with my environment does not exist in isolation - I believe that my connection with my surroundings is a dynamic partnership... it's alive. I also believe that, whether consciously or unconsciously, I'm continually exerting an influence on my surroundings, just as my surroundings are constantly having a profound influence on me.
For this reason, I've determined to do my best in exerting a positive, value-creating influence on my environment - and at the same time, try to open the deepest part of my being to the whispers of Mother Nature in an almost reverent way, even embracing her whispers and lessons that are far beyond my comprehension. I can only hope that in time, I will come to realize her ancient wisdom and be grateful for her patience and compassion towards such an undeserving disciple.
Lately it's taking all I have just to hold on... to hope... to sanity... to the strength it takes to get through the necessary tasks of another day.
I know that worry and despair are among the most draining of human emotions... but they also remind me that I have a heart, that I still have the capacity to care, even through exhaustive tears, about events beyond my control or far removed from my immediate environment.
La marea negra, the black tide, has seeped into my mind, my heart, my sleep... just as sure as it has seeped into the marshes. Suffocating... burning... infuriating... and ultimately leaving me feeling completely helpless in the face of the devastation that will affect so many living creatures.
(7:30~
IMPORTANT INFO- READ THIS!!! - promoted by RiaD)
Genetically Modified Foods Could Cause Long-Term Sterility
* Warning: This Common Food Causes Devastating Offspring Defects in New Research Study
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
Mercola.com, May 22, 2010
Straight to the Source
In this interview, Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, discusses the latest GMO research findings coming out of Russia, which adds fuel to previous concerns about long-term sterility and other highly bizarre physiological side effects.
