Magical Moment 408, "Shadows"

Those of you with an over active imagination, take one step forward. It's a curse and a blessing, am I right? It can be fun, creative, inspiring, and productive. When I was a little girl, I don't often remember complaining that I was bored. I played queen and slave with my sister, and never minded one bit that I was always the slave. That made a better story line anyway. I never got bored in school because even though I wasn't listening a lick to the teacher, I had plenty of doodles to keep me occupied in my spiral notebook. And all that diligent note-taking in Sunday morning sermons? Well, I wrote some of my best break up songs during that preaching. On the other hand, my sister now feels guilty about forcing me to be the slave so many years ago. She thinks it affected my self esteem. My grades, I've always had to make an extra effort to stay focused in school. And church, well, I know what my priority should be there.

It's like trying to control a beast. Some people struggle with gambling, adrenaline highs, or other impulses. I struggle with staying reasonable. Not over-reacting. Not over-worrying. Not over exaggerating every little thing. In childhood, I could make a tree into an enchanted castle. In adult hood, I can make a mole hill into a mountain. And believe me, I DO!

It's like seeing a shadow of a mouse that's magnified on the wall and has become some great, terrifying monster! It doesn't matter what it really is, it only matters what it has become in my mind. Shadows are misleading. They're usually lies. Of course, if you know they're only shadows, you can control your fear. Reason with it. So I've done it before, and I'll do it again. That black, intimidating mountain on the wall? It's no mountain at all. It's only a mole hill. And its steps lead to the conquerable top.

If every shadow were as lovely as this
stained glass door, I wouldn't worry!

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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