Magical Moment 441, "Dreamin"

I watched a documentary about residents in the slums of Brazil whose only option to earn a living was to sift through miles of garbage for recyclable material. It was difficult to watch, and I could almost smell the bitter, damp air that they spent hours breathing in. The pay was next to nothing and the living conditions were atrocious. I found myself naively wondering, "How and why can they live their life like that?" After some contemplation, I realized the painfully simple answer. There was never another option for them. No shred of thought that they could do otherwise. Nothing that they could see, hear of, or even imagine in their wildest dreams. How could they do something if they never thought of it?

I've slowly come to realize on my own, that the more you imagine in life, the more it becomes an actual possibility. I never saw a female in the Army until I went to an Army National Guard ceremony for my older brother. There was one female in his class and she earned an award for the highest physical fitness score. I remember being very proud of her though I never met her. I was about 12 years old. That may have been the first time I ever thought it was possible to be in the military myself.

I've NEVER imagined becoming a chemist, doctor, mathematician, or biologist. And guess what...I never WILL be with that mind set. On the other hand, I've daydreamed of making music in every way possible since I was a little girl. And those daydreams are helping me now to make a reality.

The documentary continues to tell the story about an artist, Vik Muniz, who photographed these garbage pickers and made beautiful, priceless art from their pictures. When the masterpiece was complete, the garbage pickers were moved to tears from seeing themselves in a way they never thought possible. Something valuable. Something fascinating. For many, this eye-opening vision changed their lives. They could no longer bare the thought of returning to their job. Some opened their own shop or business. Some moved to a new area to start over. But all were changed forever after they saw themselves in a new light and began to imagine a different life.

For some reason, God sees us ALL as priceless and beautiful. He wants us to know our value and never settle for less. He gave us imaginations and brains and creativity so that we could dream to our full potential and become the masterpiece that He created. I think we are to hold onto our dreams, pursue them, dream more, dream often. Because before it can become reality, it first has to be imagined.

Image from Muniz's series "Pictures of Garbage" from here.

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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