Saturday, March 31, 2012

Lucky Lucy


I'm celebrating Jenny's 100th Saturday Centus from the shores of Maui today, but I'll be winging my way home in a couple of hours. Better get a move on, eh? The prompt (which happens to be an incredibly long one) is in red. Thanks for all the good times, Jenny!

∞§∞


My untied shoelace changed my life. As I leaned down to re-tie it, I kicked away a few leaves. When I turned my head slightly to look where the leaves had been, I was astonished to see a rubber-banded wad of hundred dollar bills nestled in a little indention in the muddy ground. As always, I wrote a little poem to mark the occasion:

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers
©201$ by Lucky Lucy

Lookie-look what I have found.
A roll of C-notes on the ground.
You know I’ll throw some dough around.
In for a penny, in for a pound.

Wad ‘em up and watch ‘em wrinkle.
Squeeze ‘em tight and hear ‘em crinkle.
Benjamins make my eyes twinkle.
(I’m so happy I could tinkle!)

~the end~

of pbj sandwiches and top ramen, that is

∞§∞

Friday, March 30, 2012

On the Road Again...

Headed down the Road to Hana.

Complete with very charming old bridge.

And winding roads.

And open views.

(All enjoyed at a pretty slow pace.)

We saw some beautiful rock formations and lush vegetation.

And on the way home, we spotted more than a few surfers.

And paddleboarders and sailors.

And people out enjoying a beautiful day in Maui.

As for me, I enjoyed these beautiful trees in Maui.

And these beautiful views.

And this, right out my living room window.

And this...

And oh yes, these.

Fishing off the ladder there is pretty cool.

And so is watching the sunset.

And getting in some reading while waiting for dinner.

This neat little spot was in Lahaina.

Front Street was cool too, also in Lahaina.

In fact, we're heading back there tonight!

Tomorrow we fly home, but we've had a great time!!

=)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Better than Gold

A day by the ocean is better than gold.

But even more brilliant is what the nights hold.

The glow of the sun as it kisses the sea

infuses our spirits with tranquility...

reminds us that endings make room for new starts...

and warms us with beauty that captures our hearts.

Not even the menu serves up a distraction.

For Todd, it's the view that provides the attraction.

(Though fish and filet do give some satisfaction!)

;)

S IS FOR SUNSETS

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Maui Wows Me

Guess where I am.

Do you like the view out my kitchen window?

How about the walkway down to the beach?

You can swim and snorkel down there.

With turtles. Sea turtles. Lots of 'em.

Here's what the living room view looks like.

And this...

Whales breach out there at sunset. Dolphins cavort.

Every day.

It's the next best thing to paradise.

Our little Maui condo rental.

*sigh*

We are pretty much in heaven!

=)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Rating Game

Saturday Centus has rolled around once more, and Jenny's write-happy readers are living the dream with her new prompt, which (coincidentally) is "I'm living the dream, man." No more than 100 words can be used to develop this *sigh* totally dreamy theme, and I have used considerably fewer. The prompt, as always, is in red.


∞§∞



Rating the Dream

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson


I’m living the dream, man, a bad one.

Who knew? I expected a rad one.

But R(ad)’s not the rating…

It’s X-cruciating.

A nightmare, if ever I had one!


∞§∞

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Best Cure for What Ails You


We've all heard it before, probably many times: The best cure for what ails you is helping someone else. I know this to be true, but a speaker at church last Sunday brought it home to me on a whole new level. I'm not sure if it's what he said or just that I was ready to hear (probably a combination of both), but I did want to share a couple of his experiences with you.

The first of these happened one morning at a fast food restaurant on his way to work. He walked in, ordered breakfast and sat down, noting an odd-looking woman in the far corner. She wore several coats, had multiple hats on her head, and wasn't particularly clean. What's more, she mumbled to herself in a way that was clearly prompting people to keep their distance. Every other customer in the place was seated as far away from her as possible. At first, our speaker followed suit, but then he got what he called an "impression" to go over and have breakfast with her. He quickly shot down that idea in his own mind, determined to enjoy his breakfast without company. No such luck. Despite his reticence to comply, the persistent thought remained, becoming stronger and more intrusive until he finally decided Someone upstairs must be telling him something. Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, he picked up his food, walked over to the woman's table, and asked if he could eat with her. She nodded; he sat down, and they had a conversation for the next half hour. She spoke non-stop about her life as if no one had listened for years, as if she were starving to be heard. And, to his surprise, being the hearer felt good. When the time came for him to go to work, he excused himself with a smile and shook her hand. He particularly remembers the look on her face and the warm feeling between them. He never saw her again but often thought of her as he visited that same fast food restaurant.

Our speaker's second experience also occurred at a fast food restaurant. (Maybe he needs to branch out into some healthier food choices!) Be that as it may, he was sitting next to a man who had apparently seen him pause briefly before eating his lunch. The man asked, somewhat hesitantly, if he had been blessing his food. Surprised that his activity was so obvious to an onlooker, our speaker nodded that yes, he had been praying. Clearly moved, his questioner said quietly that it was nice to watch someone saying grace. In almost the same breath, he confided that his wife had died the week before. His grief was so palpable that it enveloped both of them, and they cried together.

Simple stories, both, but they touched me. Would I sit with the homeless woman? Would I cry with the grieving stranger? I fear that I would not, even if the Lord prompted me. My inclination is to stay away from people who appear dirty or unkempt; and I rarely speak, other than in passing, to men I don't know. Not that I want to throw caution to the wind or abandon good sense and appropriate wariness, but does my fear keep me from making meaningful connections with people around me? Am I missing opportunities to bless and be blessed?

One last story for all of you: Leo Buscaglia was asked to judge a contest where the "most compassionate" child would be chosen, based upon stories of caring or service submitted by parents, relatives, or friends. A child of four won, one whose elderly neighbor had just lost his wife. Peeking through the fence and seeing the old man in tears one day, the little boy went through the gate, climbed up on the widower's lap, and sat there for a time. Later, his mother asked the child what he had said. Surely his answer must resonate with every one of us: "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

We can help, too. I can help. And not just because it feels good. But because it IS good.

"Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Respect for the Flag

I don't like it. And I wouldn't like it with Romney either.
Or George Washington, for that matter.
Red state or blue state, this is our flag.
The Stars and Stripes forever.
And we need to honor it.
Republican or Democrat,
Libertarian or Independent...
This is a star spangled banner.
Not a billboard.

I hope that Nancy Hilbert and her Lake County associates will choose not to fly this flag again, not just because it is against the law, but because they realize it would not be appropriate. And I have to believe that President Obama would agree.


federal flag code, public law 344, section 4G;

“The flag should never have placed upon it or any part of it, any marks, insignia, letters, words, figures, designs, picture or drawings of any nature.

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