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My son & I both lost our fathers within 2 months of each other. Josh's Dad died of cirrhosis of the liver in Nov. '95. Josh was 15. His Dad was only 39.
My Dad had lived a long life & was 87 (I think) in January '96 when he passed away. He was in a convalescent home & we knew he wouldn't be around too long. But it was still a shock when it happened. Fortunately we had about 12 hours "warning" from the nursing staff & I had a chance to get there and say goodbye before he left.
I tell you this as an explanation of why we haven't celebrated Father's Day for about 14 years. It's just something we sort of ignore when it comes around. But the commercials & newspaper ads don't let you "just skip it". You're inundated with messages for almost a full month before the big day arrives. So I can't help but be a little melancholy at this time of year.
Today I came across an article that just really warmed my heart. THIS is what being a Dad really means. THIS selfless act reminds me that there really are some good guys out there, who step up to the plate regardless of biology or any other reason that some Dads use to bail out on their responsibilities. I hope this touches you as much as it did me. And if you have a Dad or "father equivalent" you will be celebrating with this Sunday, remember: no matter how difficult your relationship may be (as mine was), he's still here & he won't be forever. Try to find a way to love him in spite of his flaws (you have some too!) Years from now you'll be glad you did. :-)Here you go: (CNN doesn't seem to let you copy/paste)
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Summertime would not be as wonderful
if you didn't have this strawberry treat.
Filled with generous portions of sweet and tart,
it is the perfect dessert for a warm summer evening.
Check out the recipe below from The Kitchn
D.I.Y. Strawberry Shortcake
Biscuit
2 cups cake flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2/3 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Strawberries
1 quart strawberries
1 lemon, zest & juice
1/4 cup sugar
Cream
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Heat oven to 400�F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Sift the dry ingredients for the biscuits together, then cut the butter in and work in with your fingers until it's in pea-sized lumps. Beat the egg with the cream and vanilla and add. Work in just until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured countertop and cut into rounds. Bake for 10 minutes or until just barely golden.
Hull and chop the strawberries and macerate for at least an hour with the lemon zest and sugar.
Beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Add the sugar, vanilla and salt.
To serve, split each biscuit into two and layer with strawberries and cream.
8 Words in 3 minutes
from Richard St. John, TED Conference
I love these videos..I can check out the speakers from the TED conference
and I don't have to pay anything...nice
I think I am finally feeling better today..I'm a bit nervous to say anything in case I jinx it...
Feeling inspired, I found this Daily OM article on growing your own food. What a beautiful way of connecting to nature and eating healthy. Please enjoy & I hope you plant something soon ;o)
Flavors of Life
Growing Your Own Food
from DailyOM
Growing a garden of food at home is an experience anyone can enjoy. Even a hanging basket of rosemary or a cherry tomato plant in a pot on the windowsill can enhance your connection with the cycle of life. If you have space outdoors, the green and blooming colors of the edible delights you are growing will decorate any view while tempting you to enjoy the outdoors. The edible plants we nurture allow us to literally taste the fruits (or vegetables or herbs) of our labor while helping us more consciously participate in the circulating energy of nature.
Allow yourself to begin slowly and simply, so that you can learn to dance with nature’s intricate orchestrations. There are many experienced gardeners out there to assist you as you choose seeds or small plants to start your garden. As you learn to heed the seasons, soil, sun, frost, and shade, you become more than a mere spectator of life’s cycle. Instead, you step into the role of cocreator and enhance what you nurture. No matter how large or small the size of your garden, you can benefit from growing your own organic, fresh, and nutritious food while also reveling in the depth of flavor and texture that comes from plants that have been well-tended, nurtured, and loved. As we appreciate the food we’ve grown, we can recognize the care that farmers put into the produce most of us buy at the supermarket. With this new understanding, we can acknowledge the roles other living creatures fill as participants in cultivating the cycle of life. We may even learn to peacefully coexist with the animals and insects that share perhaps too great an interest in our garden.
When we grow our food, we participate more fully in nature’s cycles and form a closer bond with Mother Earth. Knowing how to grow your own food allows for a sense of freedom and pride that you can feed and provide for yourself, one of the most basic necessities. Gratitude may fill us as we marvel at the beauty of nature and the majesty of the universe that orchestrates such natural wonders. When we allow our appreciation of life to expand, we harvest so much more than food and the taste is that much sweeter.
maybe I'm just tired of being on the edge of a flu
My mother sent me this amazing letter written over 100 years ago, speaking to the value of letting go. It has helped me deal with some personal challenges, and I hope you find it helpful as well.
Learn To Let Go
If you want to be healthy, morally, mentally and physically, just let go.
Let go of the little bothers of everyday life, the irritations and the petty vexations that cross your path daily. Don't take them up and nurse them, and brood over them. They are not worthwhile. Let them go.
That little hurt you got from a friend, perhaps it wasn't intended, perhaps it was, but never mind, let it go. Refuse to think about it.
Let go of that hatred you have for another, the jealously, the envy, the malice, let go all such thoughts. Sweep them out of your mind, and you will be surprised what a clearing up and rejuvenating effect it will have upon you, both physically and mentally. Let them all go; you house them at deadly risk.
But the troubles, the bitter disappointments, the deep wrongs and the heart-breaking sorrows, tragedies of life, what about them? Why, just let them go, too. Drop them, softly maybe, but surely. Put away all regret and bitterness, and let sorrow be only a softening influence. Yes, let them go, too, and make the most of the future.
Then that little pet ailment that you have been hanging onto and talking about, let it go. It will be a good riddance. You have treated it royally, but abandon it; let it go. Talk about health, instead, and health will come. Quit nursing that pet ailment, and let it go.
It is not so hard after once you get used to the habit of it - letting go of these things. You will find it such as easy way to get rid of the things that may mar and embitter life that you will enjoy letting them go. You will find the world such a beautiful place. You will find it beautiful because you will be free to enjoy it - free in mind and body.
Learn to let go. As you value health of body and peace of mind, let go - just simply let go.
Christmas Greeting
Loretto, Las Cruces, NM
December 25th, 1907
Lavender Bath Sachet
from Stephanie Tourles
Combine the following ingredients:
1/4 cup dried lavender flowers
1/4 cup instant powdered whole milk
1/4 cup oatmeal
Place into a 3-by-5 inch muslin drawstring bag.
Toss the bag into the bathwater
The ingredients will release their skin pampering properties and will treat you to a wonderful relaxing bath.
I just used one this evening and it was heavenly!
This inspirational passage reminds me that Spring is a good time for reevaluation of your path, your actions..please enjoy ;o)
7 Techniques to Prepare Your Life for Your Spring Season
By Julie Jordan Scott
Looking both at outside my window and on the calendar on the wall, Spring is definitely on its way.
At the change of each season, we have the opportunity to take examples from this period of time to re-evaluate the personal effectiveness we are having in our work and our lives.
One invitation the Spring season invites is the freedom of new growth. Take some time to reflect upon which of these techniques you will immediately apply in your life and which ones you will use in the coming weeks.
1. Seek beauty in every space, even the unlikely ones. There are many places where the bulbs have been planted and all that is evident is dirt. Nothing else. In your life, possibilities are waiting to Spring forth. Seek beauty in your waiting time before the blooms are apparent to the rest of the world.
2. Prepare for the journey of the new season. It lasts for three full months, so have an adequate supply of the stuff you will need. Be sure to be rested. Spring brings a lot of exercise and physical prowess. Be ready!
3. As the days continue to lengthen, celebrate the longer periods of sunshine. Intentionally note how much more brightness there is as time goes along. Perhaps choose Mondays (although any day will do) to celebrate by participating in the sunrises and sun sets. Each Monday, observe its sunrise and its sunset and note the increased time for light each week on your calendar.
4. Intentionally spend 15 minutes of quiet time outdoors as you welcome the new season. It is one way to both sample the outdoor experience and prepare you to make the re-connection with nature as it gets warmer.
5. Recognize that while Spring officially "kick's off" according to a date on a human calendar, it has its own flow. Do not limit yourself to two dates on a calendar and go all or nothing for that day or days. Pace yourself so that your blooms will fill your season with perpetual color rather than one quick burst of color followed up with flatness.
6. Fertilize now and throughout the Spring through reading books by authors that are new to you. Instead of taking a seminar with a person you have seen repeatedly, try out someone new. Freshen your thoughts as you actively explore new methodologies in your life.
7. Commit to reawakening fully this season. Focus on living fully in each and every moment. Breathe deeply. Smile broadly. Laser in on quality of life rather than the busyness of life. Spring forward with passionate serenity.
Richard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger
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