Magical Moment 394, "The Luckiest Man In The World"

If you’ve been here a while, then you know all about Joy, Ethan, Zachary, Jack, Evie, Gabby, Zoey, and Trace. You know that Taylor is a bear and Kevin was a hero. You’ve read about triumphs and heartaches and you’ve gone gaga for Erica. You’ve run across all manner of creatures and critters like jellyfish, sparrows, texas chicks, frogs and owls, and even a Goose. You’ve seen photographs that have caught your breath and read poetry that just makes you smile, despite the world. At times you could literally smell the lilacs. Oh, and the music! Such lovely music there’s been. Through a blizzard in Virginia, the heat of the Summertime, and even in the rain, a new song has never been far away. But it has rained a lot. In fact, it’s poured. Just the same, though, with a little help and a lot of friends, the Sun’s always come back out, bursting with new life and new inspiration. No goodbye is ever forever and each goodnight proceeds a unique sunrise. The builder’s dream has come true and the Venetian dreams remain. Even when it was hard to do so, the story has continued. It continues, not because of the words on the screen, but because of the heart that reads them. This blog has very little to do with her, although she writes them all day after day, and each day a little of her bleeds into them. No, this blog is for me. It lies flat and cold behind the glass until I wake up and log on. That is when the magic happens. That is when my one magical moment happens each day. I look forward to it like I can not describe to you. I’ve noticed that some others of you out there seem to like some of them too and you read them and comment. That’s okay. I don’t mind sharing. I do apologize for taking a day away, but there’s another train tomorrow and she’ll be back soon. Thanks for reading my ramblings and remember: take care of her and treat her right so that she can continue to bless this undeserving bum everyday the way I don’t deserve to be blessed.

Sincerely and gratefully,

The Luckiest Man In The World

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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