More Quotes: and my short feflections on them

Don't judge those who try and fail,
judge those who fail to try.

My reflection: Don't judge. Period.

Here is a better wording of the quote:
Try and fail, but don't fail to try. - Stephen Kraggwa

Be not afraid of growing slowly;
be afraid only of standing still.

My reflection: Be not afraid. The Lord is with us (Psalm 118:6).
And for everything there is a season...even for standing still.

Take heed: you do not find
what you do not seek.

My reflection: Just be careful what it is you seek.

Inspired Quotes II

‎A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

The more light you allow within you,
the brighter the world you live in will be.

Confidence comes not from always being right,
but from not fearing to be wrong.

Look deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better. -Albert Einstein

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak.
Sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.

You may only be someone in the world,

but to someone else, you may be the world. - Enrich Fried, German poet

Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted.

Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. - Hans Margolius

He who foresees calamities,

suffers them twice over. - Beilby Porteus

Worry is the interest paid on trouble before it falls due.

Yesterday is a canceled check;

tomorrow is a note;

today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely. - Kay Lyons

The person who has learned to take things as they come

and to let go as they depart

has mastered the art of cheerful and contented living.

If you really want to do something,

you'll find a way;

if you dont, you'll find an excuse.

Family Room and Kitchen

Hubby took Isabella to ballet yesterday and I was able to spend the afternoon doing some serious "home blessing".

Home blessing is when I do things for the home including cleaning, organizing, and of course decorating/beautification. It always feels so good to savor the results afterwards and I even remembered to take some photos....

Kitchen

I have more to follow but for now gotta get ready for my bible study. Until my next home blessing....

Footprints: A New Version

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.

But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.

You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.

Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.

Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.

You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends. Now you pray:

"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."

"That is correct."


"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely."

"Very good.. You have understood everything so far."

When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."

"Precisely."

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.


"You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"

Learning to Dance in the Rain

(submitted for St. Paul UMC May 2012 Newsletter)

  One rainy day in April 2011, during one of my daughter, Isabella's, rehearsals for the San Francisco Ballet’s production of Coppelia, I learned a lesson on “dancing in the rain”. We decided to take the train rather than our usual drive to San Francisco. We elected to take BART because it was going to be a long rehearsal and I didn't want to have to worry about parking issues. When we got out of the train, it was pouring rain. I told Isabella: "Let's stop at the library and wait for the rain to pass.” She said: "But Mommy, we don't know when the rain will pass. Let's just go for it." So we did “go for it” and toughed the rain. As we were walking the 3 long blocks to SFB, the rain seemed to have gotten worse, and I could feel the water seeping into my boots. I was so concerned about Isabella's feet and tights getting wet. By this time I started losing my peace and getting irritated, opening a door for the enemy to come in. I got upset at Isabella for suggesting to "just go for it" instead of stopping at the library. I was actually upset at myself, but I just had to put the blame on someone else (confession). In her efforts to calm me down, she said: "Mom, remember you always say to enjoy the moments? And this is a rare moment when we get to walk in the rain! Let's have fun with it and we'll always remember it."   Well, I will surely remember that ever so precious moment. I learned yet another treasured lesson from my angel daughter.
 
I was worried for Isabella’s feet and tights getting wet. Well, they did get wet, but the War Memorial Opera House is fully equipped with a washing machine and dryer, and the staff gladly took care of her wet tights. And there was plenty of time for me to take care of not just her wet feet, but also her blessed spirit. We took time to reflect on the priceless wisdom offered by that particular, memorable moment. So as it turned out, my getting worried, upset, and irritated was a complete waste of energies and time. 

This quote came to mind: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain". 

We can choose to be happy as we wait for the storm to pass.

John 16:33 
"I have told you these things,so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I, Jesus, have overcome the world. 

John 10:10b 
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

Dear God, Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to overcome the world so that in Him we may have peace. Thank you Jesus for coming so that we may enjoy life to the full even during the “rains and storms” of life. And thank you for an angel daughter who taught me how to “dance in the rain”.

Inspired Quotes

God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.

A smile and a hug is a great gift... one size fits all.
It can be given for any occasion
and it's easy to exchange.

The real measure of a man's wealth
is what he has invested in eternity.

Thank God for what you have,
TRUST GOD for what you need.

If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow,
you have no today to be thankful for.

Love is the only thing that can be
divided without being diminished.

Happiness is enhanced by others
but does not depend upon others.

For every minute you are angry with someone,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness
that you can never get back.

Do what you can, for who you can,
with what you have, and where you are.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends..... B1.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge.

Ideas won't work unless ' You' do.

Your mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

When prayers go up, blessings come down.

Don't tell God how big your storm is, Tell the storm how big your God is!

Revelations from Buffing the Floor

(submitted for St. Paul UMC September 2012 Newsletter)

“Mom, why do you buff the floors every day? I think there’s something wrong with you”. This is what my middle son jokingly told me one cleaning day.

You see, as a “seasoned” stay-at-home mom, I have become quite efficient when it comes to cleaning our home, to a point that I buff the floor almost every day. My children would probably argue that it's not efficiency; rather more like OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). They termed my OCD tendencies “Monk-ing” taken from the TV show “Monk” about an obsessive compulsive detective. Anyway, my children often say: “Mom is Monk-ing again”.

My choice of a dark cherry wood flooring for our home didn't help my OCD tendencies. The floor looks beautiful when it is clean and buffed. Unfortunately, every little dust and most specially foot marks, become very visible and they bug me to a point that I sometimes end up all upset at my family (confession time) if they fail to put slippers on and leave foot marks on our newly buffed floor.

So as I buffed the floor, I pondered what my son told me. Could there really be something wrong with me? I think I do have borderline OCD (ok sometimes it seems more like full blown OCD:). There may be some truth to what my son said: I must be getting some type of enjoyment from buffing the floor to be doing it that much. Then the answer stared right at me as I buffed away (one of those aha! moments). Because I also love to reflect, meditate, and pray so much, floor buffing allows me that extra time! And then I realized that I do the same thing when I take a shower, fold laundry, wash dishes, or vacuum - anytime I'm doing something that sort of frees my mind to reflect, meditate, and pray. I call these action prayers....prayers while in “action”.

Then there are those prayers I term my resting/waiting prayers: those graceful moments taken while I'm resting (i.e. tea/coffee time, or when I can't sleep, or during my quiet time) and while I'm waiting (i.e. at the doctor's office, or waiting for Isabella at dance, or just about anytime I'm waiting). So, basically, I have been blessed with a very reflective personality and that, by the grace of God, I am able to use any available time in getting to know HIM more intimately. So now every time I see dust or foot marks on our floor, instead of getting all upset, I remind myself that it is another great opportunity to “meet” with God. And so I blissfully buff away, all to the glory of God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters.
 - Colossians 3:23

Isabella: Principal's Honor Roll

Congratulations to our DD Isabella who managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA despite her grueling ballet schedule thereby earning her the Principal's Honor Roll award. She also earned the Presidential Award for physical fitness. She is a very diligent student and we are indeed very proud of her.

Coppelia Premiere

All the hard work from the grueling rehearsals for Coppelia paid off and are all so worth it! These photos I purchased from Erik Tomasson Photography and the awesome reviews say it all. It was a magnificent production...from the costumes, to the sets, to the music, and the dancers...all superb!

It was certainly a wonderful opportunity and quite an honor for Isabella being a part of this glorious premiere.

Excerpts from the Reviews:

(click on the link for the complete review)

From the San Francisco Chronicle

"And let's hear it for the San Francisco Ballet School, which contributed 24 girls, all in blushing pink tulle, for the demanding combinations of the Waltz of the Golden Hours, and all looking like Makarovas in the making. This show stopping moment suggests that there's a message in giving dancing opportunities for everyone in this Galician town".

from the San Francisco Examiner

“Coppélia” is very big, featuring what seems to be the entire company, including dozens of children from the ballet school in the wedding scene and the Waltz of the Golden Hours. Decades into the future, famous dancers will include “Coppélia” in the War Memorial as stage debut on their résumés".

from the California Literary Review

"This production is, in a word — glorious! ..." But Act III really sold this production. Picture 24 little girls, in gold-sequined pink tutus and tiaras — genius. Besides looking completely adorable, the young corps performed with grace and professionalism.

What an advertisement for the San Francisco Ballet School! If I were a parent in the audience and wanted to find ballet training for my child, Act III of this Coppélia would pretty much dictate my choice.

from the San Francisco Sentinel

"In the middle of Act III comes the “Waltz of the Golden Hours” – a 7-part collection of exhibition dancing – essentially a celebration connected to the village’s dedication of a new set of bells and the wedding of Swanilda and Franz..... Opening the festivities were 24 very young ballerinas – all in amazing form, with unified gestures, precision poses, and adorned in the most exquisite tutus a little girl ever dreamed of."