One piece in the puzzle

I was one piece in the puzzle.

In this community event.

Where people sung.

Danced.

Did capoeira.

Made art.

Humility

Humility is what gives us the vision to look upon our world with fresh eyes. Humility enables us to respect others enough to put down our spurious images of ourselves and open our arms, as individuals and as a nation.

- Joan Chittister

Afternoon at the park

The temperature is rising in the Arizona low country.

I was such an outdoors kid.

Now I take the girls as much as time allows.

And I rejoice, and celebrate nature.

I walk. I rest. I watch.

I am peaceful.

Taking chances

Art is about taking chances.

These kids did, and what beauties they created...

Justice

Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe? Expediency asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: Is it popular? But conscience asks the question: Is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular -- but he must take it simply because conscience tells him it is right.

- Martin Luther King Jr.,

From his address, "To Chart Our Course for the Future" (1968).

Hidden beauty

I believe in the quietness of beauty, the kind that perseveres and is steadfast.

:-)

Knowing your city

Here and there one can still find glimpses of what Tempe used to look like.

The horse lovers.

Berries.

The fence.

They did not move.

More fence.

It's like living in a different zone, right in the middle of concrete. The rooster was going wild, chasing chickens. For a few moments, we were enveloped by the sounds of a farm.

Circle of life

I cannot resist this woman's garden. There is always something growing there.

Rose bushes serve as a boundary from the street.

These grow in the AZ winter.

In many colors.

Sometimes I cannot tell what is a flower and what is a vegetable.

Another winter flower.

The gardener, a piano player, grew up on a farm, and everything about her homestead resembles farm life

Nourishing images

At the farm at South Mountain.

Daily Reading

I found Riana 2 years ago before her daughter was born.

I have followed them ever since, reading almost daily about their adventures in the south of France.

There is something fascinating about their life, as if it reminds me of life in Mozambique with our neighbors Dona Laura, Senhor Jose, and their three daughters.

1. Go see for yourself. They are at These Days in French Life

In my backyard

The humming bird made a nest.

It is so tiny... I had never seen a nest that small.

It was windy yesterday and that branch moved around quite a bit. The bird seemed content with the whole experience.

Lets face it...

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

- James Baldwin, writer and civil rights leader.

Obama's letter to Sasha and Malia

Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have.

But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.

In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation. I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity. I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer.

And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other. Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something. She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us.

It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be. I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have.

That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure. I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love,

Dad

(Published in Parade magazine)

A wish came true

Being creative in the kitchen helps balance the otherwise sense of routine didIaccomplish anythingtoday feeling I sometimes have. Mind you, I do plenty everyday but not all is tangible and measurable. I had chosen new recipes from my favorite cookbooks and broke in my Christmas present.

Meet Kitchen Aid. She's lovely and I like being able to do other things as she mixes the butter, sugar, flower, etc.

I made these deliciously tasty and pretty things.

Not so random thoughts

Mothers are crucial in the lives of their offspring. They don't fully realize that until the time they hold their babies for the first time. Mothers need to know that it is their touch, their voice, and their companionship that will help their child back to wellness again and again.

Here's to all mothers and their substitutes who nurture the world.

The White House

I am really liking watching the new president. Here's a place to visit.

At the cellular level

"To facilitate an attitude of deserving abundance, it will be helpful to examine what you want to change in order to cultivate this knowing at the cellular level of your being."

- Wayne Dyer, Manifest Your Destiny.

Soulmates

Are those who are most capable of disturbing our state of peace. Those who can push our buttons and send us into a rage at the slightest provocation are our greatest teachers.

This is all fully described in Wayne Dyer's book "Manifest your Destiny".

Sometimes your calling comes in dreams

Do you ever get the feeling that God speaks with you in your dreams?

God on Earth

I found a place.

Where I go to be with God. I love it.

A little girl's dream

When do we girls start admiring high heel shoes?

Grasshopper really likes these.

A state of mind

:)

See, go, choose

See what no eye can see, go where no foot can go, choose that which is no choice–then you may hear what makes no sound–God’s voice.
- Angelus Silsius
Quoted in How Shall We Live by Joan Chittister, OSB.

Tread Softly

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
- Voltaire

Ink, Spray, and Smash

This looks like a fairly easy technique. See the tutorial here.

Not my card, but something I am willing to try when time permits.

Creative Parenting

Click to enlarge


For the parent of the picky eater. :-)

Endings and beginnings

Huge life changing events took place in December/January for me, so I prefer to focus on continuity, with some fun as celebrations.

RC, the horse I rode a few days ago at Ponderosa Stables. The family went on an hour's worth of horseback riding.

It was a beautiful day, in a beautiful place.

Self portrait.

Bo, the horse who liked to eat. I understood the meaning of bowlegged cowboy syndrome after about 40 minutes into the ride. I was hurting.

A New Year's Eve tradition in our family is a stop at the local Thai place for a bowl full of that coconut soup. Yes, it has a name, but I can't remember it. Ummhhh. it is good.