Tag Archives: Christianity

OUR CRUISE TO MEXICO – Part 3

24 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy

                                                     

The next day, our port of call was Cozumel.  We docked at a small island and caught a fast ferry boat to Playa del Carmen.  Very touristy town.

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Brian had pre-arranged a car/van for the six of us to take us to Tulum and the Mayan ruins there.  The car was arranged through Avis, so we thought we were safe.  However, when we tried to find the address where the Avis rental store was – it wasn’t there!  We even checked in with the police station, and they had no clue where it was!  Brian actually called Avis to find out what was going on.  Finally, after walking around the town for about an hour, he was able to find out they had built a lovely new showroom – on the outskirts of town!  Apparently the Avis company didn’t realize this – had no record of it, etc.  In any case, we climbed into two taxi’s, and were on our way.

While the rest of us freshened up, Brian got the car.  Turns out, they had given away the van he had reserved, and the only vehicle they had was a Jeep that only held five bodies, so Katie sprawled in the luggage area of the vehicle.  Not very comfortable.

And especially not comfortable when we were hurtling down the road at 60 mph and came to an unmarked HUGE speed bump!  She was literally bounced to the roof of the car, and banged her head, causing her to cry out!  After this happened the second time, she tearfully announced that Forrest was riding back there on the way back!!  There were three speed bumps on that road, and only the third one was marked!

We finally arrived at Tulum.  We had a light lunch, and Brian arranged with a local to be our guide through the ruins.  Before we headed off, we were treated to a show of pole dancers.  No, it’s not what you think – this was a group of four men, dressed in native costume, at the top of a tall pole, who allowed themselves to be dropped nearly to the bottom of the pole (and the ground!) and swung around.  Very festive, but certainly not something I would want to attempt.

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And then we began our tour of the ruins.  Fred and I have always enjoyed roaming around ruins – whether in New Mexico, Texas, Europe, or now Mexico.  Our girls enjoyed it, as well, so this would be a fun trip.We were quite interested in seeing the “village” and the building there.  We saw the temple and it’s outbuildings.

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One structure that interested us quite a bit was at the top of a hill.  Our guide, Ernie, said that it was an “early warning system” that the Mayan’s had built-in for hurricanes.  When a hurricane was coming, the wind would blow through that building – or the “hole” within it – and make a unique sound.  And it only sounded when a hurricane was approaching – no other storm would make that same sound.  Fred, being a meteorologist, was fascinated by this piece of information and the ingenuity of those ancient peoples.

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When we returned to Playa del Carmen, Brian dropped us off and he went to return the car.  We were concerned that he wouldn’t get back to the ferry in time to make the ship, but did – running at top speed!

More to come……….

 

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A REFLECTION OF THE HEART FOR EASTER

22 Mar
The Wonders of Nature
Louise Gibson
                                          I look through my kitchen window each day.
                                          Seeking, as I always do-
                                          All the signs of God’s presence
                                          In the soul-stirring scene that I view.
                                          It never ceases to amaze me
                                          That His presence is everywhere.
                                          The Easter Lilies are radiant,
                                          Postural,. as though in prayer.
                                           They are programmed to bloom at Easter,
                                           Then close for another year.
                                           Their role is to glorify the Saviour-
                                           Then silently disappear.

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Our Trip to Italy-Part 3

21 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill

Marcia got her wonderful second floor apartment through an agent, and because it was the home of an elderly couple that ran a business, it came completely furnished.  The owners ran an interior design firm and have their showroom on the ground floor below and live in their own apartment next door.  Marcia’s apartment was rather formal, decorated with flocked wallpaper and Persian rugs that soften and helped warm the marble floors.  The original householder was a WWII POW for five years, and after the war, when vacationing, he collected many of the unique furnishings that filled the apartment.

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Our room was elegantly decorated with objects d’ art from many European countries and some from Egypt.  The bedrooms also beautifully decorated and the beds were soft, warm and comfortable.  One of the most interesting features of the house to DiVoran, was the kitchen with its dishwashing arrangements.  After washing and rinsing the dishes by hand, you would slot the dishes into racks in a cupboard directly over the sink and close the doors, leaving the dishes  to drain discreetly into the sink.

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This is where we met Erika, Marcia’s young Italian friend and Language teacher while she was in Italy.  Erik  was 27 years old, spoke excellent English, and had a delightful sense of humor.  She was the assistant to the president of a small firm that produced radio control systems.  She had been filling a big part of Marcia’s life and heart now that Marcia was away from home and family for such a long time.  She was intrigued with the fact that DiVoran kept a daily journal and wanted to know all about the nature and advantages of the process.

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The next day was Sunday and Marcia and Erika drove us to Padua for a guided tour of the city and its sights.  Padua is called the city of (1) the Saint with no name, (2) the park with no grass and (3) the coffee shop with no doors.

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The Shrine of St. Anthony in Padua was completed in 1301 AD to house and honor the relics of St. Anthony of Padua.   Born Fernando Martins de Bulhoes in 1195 Lisbon, St. Anthony is the saint depicted in many early paintings holding the Christ child.  My study of St. Anthony reveled no reference to the term “The St. with no name”, so it’s a mystery to me why he is called that.

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The “Prato della valle” is the largest square (piazza) in Italy, and is called “the park with no grass”. The Romans founded the city of Padua in the 4th century BC and created this square for military training and gatherings. Later, in the Middle Ages, the square became the courtyard of a church, then a big open-air theatre for dramas and games and even a large open-air market.

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The  “Caffé  Pedrocchi” is known as the “coffee shop with no doors” because of the ancient tradition of staying open all night.  Founded in the early 18th century, the ground floor was completed in 1831.  Then the gothic pastry shop called “Pedrocchino” was built in 1839. During the “Fourth Congress of Italian Scientists” in 1842, the rooms of the upper floor were added, and Vincenzo Gazzotto, painted the ceiling in the Renaissance Room.  The caffé has historical prominence because of its role in the 1848 riots against the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy, as well as for being an attraction for artists over the last century, from the French novelist Stendhal to Lord Byron, to the Italian writer Dario Fo.  The Caffé Pedrocchi has been continuously open for business 24/7since 1831.

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—–To Be Continued—-

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Abundance

18 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

jungle divoranWhen we go to Lake Eola in Orlando, we always see something wonderful because the lake is home to black swans, white swans, geese, ducks, coots, turtles, and is a landing pad for sea gulls as well. Last week we saw two black swans building a nest on the ground using pine straw (dead pine needles put out by the park managers as mulch.) The female was inside the increasingly rounding nest putting beak fulls of pine straw around herself—that’s how she gets the nest to fit–while the male was gathering the straw in his beak and piling it up. Each time the female depleted her pile he brought another close enough for her to reach.

Last spring we walked past a tiny shallow pond with limited access to the lake. In it were at least two dozen baby ducks and one big duck for a baby sitter. This kept all the babies out of the clutches of anything that might hurt them until they learned to make it on their own in the big lake. I call it the nursery, of course. I can’t tell you how delightful it was seeing them all swimming around, practicing dunking and being free and happy in the sunshine.

I know it sounds kind of sad, but we’ve also seen a lady come collect many bags of eggs and take them to her official vehicle. The park isn’t so big, after all, about a city block in size. They take such good care of the birds there that if they let all the eggs hatch they’d soon be overrun with all the above. If I see that lady again this year, I think I’ll ask what happens to the eggs. Maybe they go to a place where more birds are needed or maybe they’re breakfast at the zoo (horrid thought, but perhaps necessary.)

God’s nature is like that. There is so much abundance we would never go hungry or have any shortages if we took proper care of what he has given us—and by that I don’t mean chemicals!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

¶ JAMES 1:17

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OUR CRUISE TO MEXICO – Part 2

17 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

                                                   

JudyFirst port of call was George Town, Grand Cayman Islands, British West Indies.

 

We had to tender into town from the ship, as the port wasn’t deep enough for the ships to anchor there.  There were four cruise ships in port at one time – I know of our ship – the Norwegian Majesty, with Norwegian Cruise Lines, and the Disney Magic with the Disney Cruise Line.  It was a busy port.

 

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George Town was like a lot of tropical port cities – lots of “inexpensive” jewelry stores.  I guess our tastes aren’t very complicated, because that “inexpensive” jewelry seemed awfully expensive to us!!  And so we escaped unscathed!

Fred and I walked around the town quite a bit, just to see what was there.  We came upon a monument dedicated to King George V.  Interesting…..

 

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Not far from that monument, we came upon a very unique tree.  The shape made us wonder whether or not it had been “shaped” or if it actually grew that way.  It was a huge tree and gave some much-welcomed shade.  It was really HOT in George Town!

 

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We had signed up for a type of glass-bottom boat tour, and were eager to see it.  It was similar to the regular glass-bottom boats you would think of, but this one was different.  While there were areas to sit up top, the main viewing section was downstairs.  The lower part of the boat was underwater, and glassed-in, with huge windows.  Almost 360-degree viewing!  They called it a “semi-sub.”  It was a most enjoyable ride, and they had a diver that came along and fed the fish for us.  So we were able to see a lot of fish – some known to us, and some unique.

 

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After the semi-sub ride, it was time to return to the ship, so we got in line to catch the tender back.  The line was quite long.  As I was looking ahead of us, I spotted a young man in a red t-shirt that had on the back “4est” – and I knew that Karen and her family were there.  Our grandson’s name is Forrest, by the way.  So we “cut in line” and were able to catch an earlier tender than we would have if we had stayed in that long line.

 

More to come……….

 

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Surviving the Winter

16 Mar
A Few Thoughts
Patricia Franklin
This has been a long and cold winter here in Colorado, and we have been feeding the many species of birds who either stayed the winter or came passing through. Our bird feeder is mounted on a pole on my patio, just above my little rose that I planted in a barrel in the Fall. We put a wire cage around it and added dry leaves to keep it from freezing.
During these waning days of winter, a couple of squirrels have joined the birds, also looking for food. So they have been devouring the seeds that fall around the barrel. The squirrels love to get inside the cage and dig through the leaves for the seed.  I stand here by the patio window on cold days enjoying the birds and watching the squirrels chase each other around the yard, and I wish I could be out there too. A couple of times I noticed that the bigger squirrel chases the smaller one away from the barrel all the time and will not let him eat, while he himself is getting pretty fat.  But the smaller one has such a sunny disposition that he will entertain himself and me by running all over the yard, chasing his tail and doing flip after flip in the air. He is so cute and a real gymnast. 
On a couple nice sunny days, I was able to sit out on my patio chair just a few feet from the feeder.  I noticed that Fatso was really skittish and ran away when he saw me, but Frisky hung around and wanted his turn to eat. He crept up close to the barrel, then stood up on his hind feet and looked me in the eye. I stayed put, and he relaxed after a minute or two and started eating all around the barrel. Eventually he jumped up and in the cage and enjoyed a nice meal.  This happened a couple of times while I was out there and Fatso would stay away.  I figured Frisky had caught on and knew she was safe from Fatso bothering her. So I tested my theory the other day when I saw Fats in there for too long.  I went out and sat in my chair.  Fats ran away, and it wasn’t too long before Frisky came leaping across the lawn, stood up about 4 feet from me and looked me straight in the eye. Then he jumped up into the cage eating to his heart’s content. So today I repeated the same thing and I even talked to him while he was there. He did not seem to mind. So both of us sat there happy as a lark on a summer day.  Such is entertainment in the long cold days of winter in Colorado.

 

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Metamorphosis

15 Mar
 From the Heart of Louise Gibson

Metamorphosis

 

The struggles in life are many

In those times we begin to grow.

As the caterpillar becomes a butterfly,

Our metamorphosis is tedious and slow.

When God strips us of all vanity,

And we truly search our soul

We ultimately find it is He that we need

The One who can make us whole.

Others may fail us, oft no fault of their own

But if we trust our Savior,

We’ll not walk alone.

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Sprinkles

14 Mar

I’m pretty sure God knew about the internet way before Al Gore invented it. I can imagine him smiling all those years ago when I grumbled about everything taking soooo long. “If words can be heard through a telephone line then why can’t a piece of paper somehow be scanned and sent along those same lines” I would ask. Abra-ca-dabra the fax machine was born. Then I wanted a computer that could actually sort data and give me answers to my multitude of questions , I wanted, no I NEEDED instant communication at all times and she-bang  personal computers,the internet  and smart phones became everyday items.

Just like God knew about my irrational need for instant communication he also knew of all the blessings he had placed in my life long before I even knew I needed them. He sprinkled my life with people who would become dear friends, mentors and helpers. It seems that whenever I have a need, God has already sprinkled someone in my life fill it. His latest provision was a quick thinking friend with a rice strainer!

There is a lovely passage in I Corinthians 12: 12-26 where Paul speaks of the different parts of the body and how each part is equally valued.  I think it is that way with the people in one’s life and even my place in other’s lives. Sometimes I might be a helping hand and another time a lowly toe. Both are necessary  and important, neither more grand than the other.

All of this chatter to get around to say forty years ago God sprinkled a talented woman into my life. Louise Gibson is the mother of my best friend from high school days and now, hopefully, she is going to fill a need on this blog. She will be posting on Fridays and the title will be “From the heart of Louise Gibson”

 

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Our Trip to Italy Part 2

13 Mar

                                                                                                                                                                Bill Lites

 

After breakfast at the Flut Bar the next morning, we took the city tram to see Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco of the Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie.  They were still working on the five-year restoration of the painting, and were meticulously removing centuries of soot and grime.   DiVoran really enjoyed finding out how the fresco had originally been painted, and now seeing how the restoration process worked in detail.

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Then it was on to explore the many shops in the beautiful indoor Gallera Vittorio Emenuele Mall, and to have lunch at the American Bar Ristorante there.  This is where we first witnessed “The Italian Coffee Break.”  It seems that the Italian men would come into their favorite ristorante in twos and threes, dressed in their business suits, overcoats and fedoras, walk up to the espresso bar, and order their coffee.  It came in tiny cups, into which they would stir in sugar and then throw the entire cup down their throats in one gulp, pay and be gone before we knew what was happening.  We figured they were on their way home for their afternoon “sonnellino” (nap).

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Our Kodak moment for the day was one that DiVoran saw and wished we had a video camera to capture the entire scene.   It was of a young woman with her two small daughters in the Duomo.  DiVoran said all three wore wool coats like she had worn in the 40’s.  The beautiful mother helped the little girls select candles and light them.  The littlest one, who couldn’t have been more than three, started to sing “Happy Birthday” in Italian, but her mother gently hushed her.  All the while, the candle flames lit their small faces and made their large brown eyes glow with excitement and wonderment.

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We headed for Venice the next morning with a 3-hour train ride on one of Italy’s 1st class Europe Rail  high-speed trains through the country side from Milan.  Marcia picked us up at the train station in Venice and showed us some of the main attractions of Venice including the San Giovanni E San Padio, Santa Maria Glorosa Dei Frari and Scuala Di San Rocco churches.

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We had lunch at the Bora Bora Ristorante with Marsha, and two of her fellow Disney cast members.  After lunch we strolled along the Grand Canal to the famous Rialto Bridge, where we shopped the many shops located within the bridge.

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Continuing on with our mini-tour, next we visited the beautiful St. Mark’s Basilica, known for its unique Italian Gothic and Byzantine architecture.  This Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, and was completed in 1071 AD.  This famous structure is rumored to house the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist, which were stolen from their original resting place in Alexandria, Egypt by Venetian merchants, and brought to Venice in 828 AD.  The adventure is depicted in the 13th-century mosaic above the door farthest on the left of the front entrance of the Basilica.  What a magnificent experience that was, with the many and varied mosaic creations throughout the entire edifice.

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After leaving St. Mark’s we caught a water-bus for a quick tour of the Grand Canal, on the way back to the train station and Marcia’s car.  From there, it was a short 18,5 km drive to Marsha’s apartment, on the outskirts of Mogliano Veneto, met her landlords and to finish the day with a fabulous Italian dinner.  After that, we were ready for bed, and what a bed it was.  But, you will have to wait for Part 3 to find out what I mean, so don’t go too far away.

—–To Be Continued—–

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Top Grade Literacy

11 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

jungle divoran

I’ve always liked kids, reading, and books. That was the reason I took on a once a week job with reading challenged kids. It was fun. I learned a bit about ADHD, Dyslexia, and people who can read, but don’t comprehend what they read. We had young man stuck in the sixth grade because although he could mentally photograph a page, he could not explain what the words meant.

Several people I know have severe dyslexia. One is on welfare for it; the other is a brilliant doctor who gets books for the blind from the library so he can enjoy adventure books in his spare time like anybody else.

That’s one side of the coin. The other side is a friend who could go through ten romance novels a day and still take good care of her husband, children, and home. She ended up going to adult classes to get her college degree and supporting her children when her husband left them.

I know a couple of people who have turned reading into a fine art. One is Albert, a tall brown fellow about ten years old who is a wonderful natural athlete, especially as a basketball player. The first time I heard Albert read aloud in Sunday school I was thrilled and amazed. He had inflection; depth, tone, rhythm. I asked whether they  recognize his skills at school, and he confirmed that they do. He reads the announcements over the intercom every morning. When asked, his mother said she had read to him with those same embellishments since he was a baby and he had picked it up from there.

The other artistic reader who was an English teacher, taught her children to read before they went to school. Now she is frail and cared for by a daughter and a son who is a policeman. I never have heard one word of complaint from this dear lady. She’s always telling other people how wonderful they are.

She tells me that, frequently, her daughter calls her on the phone and reads to her from Jane Austen. They just finished, “Northanger Abby.” Every night her son reads a chapter from a James Herriot novel. “I get a bedtime story,” she says, happily.

Does that thrill you as much it does me? I’m not going to say reading aloud is a lost art. Obviously, it is not and someday perhaps someone will read to me in just that way, but for now, I’m thoroughly enjoying my IPod, http://www.audible.com, and my all time favorite author whose books are recorded for a new generation: D. E. Stevenson.

The best book to read, aloud or silently is, of course, the Bible, which can change your life for the better forever.

Matthew 4:4

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

*kids.

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