Yum.
I had forgotten how much I love fruit roll-ups.
On an unrelated note, my right eyelid has been twitching for two days. Perhaps I need to switch to decaf. 
You are currently browsing the archives for May, 2006.
A vacation is…
singing along to music on a road trip
scary gas station stops
traveling on rickety bikes through the woods
making s’mores each night on the campfire
sharing a cabin with four other women
watching sunsets
laughing while stargazing
naps in the afternoon as the sun shines down
exploration of a “haunted tower”
not having access to internet & tv
reading in the cabin while a thunderstorm rages
realizing that you forgot your tennis shoes but not caring
ice cream with espresso poured on top
taking a canoe out on a very deep lake
playing glow-in-the-dark frisbee with random kids from Minnesota
soaking up the sun after a long winter
watching boats on the water
wading in the water…even though your feet turn blue from the cold
posing for pictures
cooking food from scratch
aimless walks
stopping at random places on the way home just because you can
Different Paths
with the sun setting in front of us
our walking sticks and cloaks on our backs
our soft murmur of conversation veiled
by the desert wind we travel in.
We can look into each other’s eyes now
this power unknown to us
of pictures taken after the fact
during pure moments in time
because we see the divinity inherent
behind the eyes, inside our spirits.
Walk with me, soul companion.
Baha’i Youth Arrested in Iran
54 Baha’is were arrested on Friday because they were doing humanitarian service. They were tutoring poor children (with a permit from the local government), and were ARRESTED. Some of them are 16, 17, 18 year olds. Think about 54 of your local high school students and members of your community being arrested because they were tutoring children.
Think about the fact that these Baha’i youth are not allowed to go to college because they are Baha’is. Baha’i marriage is not seen as valid in Iran. The Iranian government has been very clear about the fact that they wish to wipe out the Baha’i community in Iran. They disseminate hateful and false propaganda against a peaceful minority.
“The arrests come against a backdrop of increasing concern by international human rights monitors that the Iranian Government is escalating its 25-year-long campaign of persecution against the 300,000-member Baha’i community of Iran, the largest religious minority in that country…”
Don’t allow yourself to be ignorant. Please say prayers for the Baha’is in Iran, and for all of the people around the world who suffer human rights abuses every day.
I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm beset me in times of tests, and in moments of heedlessness guide my steps aright through Thine inspiration. Thou art God, potent art Thou to do what Thou desirest. No one can withstand Thy Will or thwart Thy Purpose.
-The Bab
Not surprised.
how people get to know each other
to form friendships or assumptions
based on 5 minute meetings in a
crowded room.
I am trying to fathom how one can
make any judgement of who I am
when they’ve never tried to know me
or have a conversation beyond “hellos”.
I am trying to discern
how it can be justified to say things
masked as “concern for a friend”
but are hurtful in any case.
I am trying to figure out
what it is I did to make them feel unwelcome
or why they simply did not approach me
when they felt slighted.
Maybe I am mistaken
but I was pretty sure we are supposed to
be going for a higher standard here.
But who am I to say
how others should think of me?
Maybe I need to try harder
but I feel like there is only so much
I can do.
Live @ The Vic
I went with a friend to see Live at The Vic on Tuesday night.
Amazing.
I must start by saying that Live has been one of my favorite bands for at least the last 8 years. I’ve never seen them perform live. They’ve been doing this for over 15 years, and you can tell that they absolutely love their job. 2 encores, old favorites and songs from their cd that is coming out in June. 1.5 hours of wonderful music.
I’m still happy from it. Amazing how music can do that to you. Click to see a list of some of the songs that they played.
Continue Reading…
Whoosh!
Whipped up rice pasta and green beans in a homemade garlic butter cream sauce for dinner. Made up the recipe as I went.
whoosh!
Made gluten-free brownies from scratch.
whoosh!
Cleaned out the fridge & microwave.
whoosh!
Ran to the grocery store for a friend.
———–
Even though I still have a pile of clean clothes to put away and I haven’t everything on my to-do list done…I still feel productive and happy. I spent the evening by myself, and away from my computer (except for the few minutes I am taking to write this).
I’ll explain the “whoosh” thing now. Every family has their own made-up words and funny stories…well, for us it means to clean in a frenetic and somewhat haphazard way. Used in a sentence:
“I whooshed the house so that when people came over it was pretty clean. I only had 15 minutes to do it!”
Does your family have made-up words or phrases that only make sense to you? Share!
A prayer
O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!
Verily, I beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual world.
O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount.
-Abdu’l-Baha
Lunch break @ work
(Two cube monkeys pass each other’s desks)
Coworker #1: I hope you choke on your sandwich.
Coworker #2: Yeah, well, I hope you slip on your orange peel.
So much love at the office. The benefit of no walls on our cubicles is that you hear things like this. The two older gentlemen that sit across from me have a running banter that keeps me amused throughout the workday.
Georgia mornings
I wanted to say
this morning felt like
a Georgia spring morning
when the heaviness in the air
is the heat trying to start the day.
I walked down Chicago city sidewalks
covered in the spring green of seeds flying down
from the trees finally blooming in glorious colors alive.
The strange silence hung over my pensive walk,
I don’t remember hearing the usual clamor
of the machinery around me humming.
Instead I thought of you in silence
and our strange story continued
in the cycle that we’ve now
come full circle in May.
We’ve never been
so poignant
as today.
Commencement
Tomorrow morning I will walk with the other students of the classes of ’05 & ’06 in the commencement ceremony of the College of Business.
I graduated in December but we only have one ceremony per year. It is very surreal. I have more friends walking with me than I thought I would.
Strangely enough, I am still struggling with the idea that I’m done. I have my Bachelor’s degree. I am working in the “real world”. I pay rent and bills and my student loans. Maybe tomorrow will make it more real.
PS: The gowns are really funny-looking. Also, they only come down to mid-shin. Ah well.
Crazy food!
My food habits are getting stranger. Part of it is influenced by work, of course.
Example of Monday’s “meals”:
1. Corn on the cob/beef/chicken/baked beans/can of Coke
2. Bag of chips
3. Veggies w/dip
4. Candy bar
5. Another can of Coke
6. Bowl of cereal with strawberries in it
7. Hot dog (no bun) with all of the toppings, and fries
8. Fresh strawberries dipped in yogurt
The caterers are wearing hard hats. I think maybe it is supposed to be cute/themed. Right…
One Night
In the blanketing darkness around me
I sense the timeless souls
in harmony we sing
and our words flow from lips to praise
I let tears run down my face
and offer up to God my pain.
The joy in the prayers released
to diffuse in the world surrounding
if only they knew
the spirit of these days.
Patterns of light and shadow
played around the columns and windows
the soft footsteps matching the music
as we circled round this place.
My God, my Adored One
in every way we prayed
in silence offered up our devotion
with thundering voices cried out in adoration
and returned to life undismayed.