CANDLE POWER - IT'S TRUE POWER

THE REAL POWER OF CANDLES.......


When I was a child, candles formed a part of our daily lives. We lived on a smallholding with no Electricity for the first 6 years of my life, so we used candles and oil lamps for lighting. Now, with the power cuts we are experiencing in South Africa, many people have to revert to candle power once again. Many people don't have gas or oil lamps and cannot afford to buy them.

I, however, love the mystique and romance that candle light brings. There are two ways of interpreting images by candle light. One could see the eerie and sinister shadows as "monsters", or you could consider the power of that single candle being able to create a new world with extra objects that disappear as soon as you blow out the candle. The shadows on the wall, and the reflection on the table are all gone when the flame is gone! One candle has that much power...


The warm glow of candle light on the face of a child brings such soft tones instead of the harsh brightness that the electric globe gives us. It emphasizes the innocence... On a cold winter's night the warmth encompasses us and is comforting and peaceful.

People are very quick to complain about not having "Electric Power", but the lack of it forces us to become quiet and reflect on our lives... No TV, Radio, or Computers... In this rushed life where we don't have the time to relax and have a good look at the life we are living - always chasing after something - never in one place long enough to appreciate life itself. Most people don't live their lives....they are too busy trying to control it to actually live it and enjoy it!!

Come on!! I dare you to switch off all the lights, and light a few candles. Sit and relax while you watch the shadows, forever in motion in the light of the flame that flickers at the slightest breeze. How fragile is that flame, and yet, it clings to the wick like someone clinging to the rock face of a mountain after falling over the edge. It is not that easy to blow out the flame... you need to really blow hard... and even after the flame is gone, for a few seconds you can still see the glow on the wick, as if reluctant to really let go.

I would love to be like a candle in other people's lives, bringing them warmth and softness - a vision of warmth instead of the cold reality of a life of chasing after rainbows.

SPUN TO PERFECTION ~ YET DEADLY!!

The Spider......

Another perfect creation of God…..

I see the delicately woven silk web spun to perfection, glistening in the early morning sun ~ the dewdrops sparkling like newly cut and polished diamonds in the rays of sunlight. In the center, spread eagled, hangs a beautiful black, white and cadmium-yellow spider. Its long legs remind me of a tiger with their black and yellow stripes - at the end of each of the 4 front legs a long spike-like “finger” - a single claw. The spider is covered in fine hair that shine in the sunlight, creating a silver aura around it.
The head ~ hairy, flattish and gray forms the first segment of the body, while the back segment is long and black with white spots that look like stripes until you see them closer. It sits in wait for some innocent insect to fly into the trap so neatly spun across the bare patch between two palm fronds.
Such a beautifully spun silken web that looks like a jewel, yet it is a deadly trap for the prey that have the misfortune to land in the sticky glue that keeps the silver strands together. They become entangled where they will soon die and become food for the spider.
That is life - and endless cycle. We all need food, and sometimes have to kill to get it.

CHANGING SCENES

Life is like a cloud - forever changing shape and direction......

Have you ever had a good look at clouds and cloud formations.

A while back we traveled back from Piet Retief in Mpumalanga, (South Africa) where we had done a Wedding Photo and DVD shoot.

As we traveled clouds started gathering more and more until the sky was covered with white fluffy cotton balls. White candy floss forever changing shape.

I love finding shapes and forms in the clouds. "Look - there is a bear lying sleeping!! and there is an old man smoking a pipe!! Is that a little lamb?"

Alas! within minutes - sometimes seconds - they disappear and change into fluffy cotton balls again. Sometimes they stay longer, changing shape, but still recognizable.

Beautiful!! So many different sights to see. Some clouds are very
dark - almost black. Others seem blue, and then the bright white ones that almost hurt your eyes when you look at them. "Look, there are some bright gold and orange clouds - isn't it a sight too beautiful to even describe!"

Then I think of the proverb - or is it just a saying - "Every dark cloud has a silver lining", and I realize that it is literally true. Look at all the large black clouds hovering above the mountains. They each have an incredibly bright edge... a silver lining!!

Our lives are just like these clouds. There are so many different shapes, sizes and colors and they are forever changing.

Show me the person who can HONESTLY say that their life is the same every day, and I will have a hard time believing you. Every day comes with its own joys, challenges and sorrows, and it does not only choose certain people. Everyone must go through the happy and the sad, the success and the failure...to be able to grow.

Everyone's life is like a cloud, I know mine is. Every dark cloud has a silver lining....sometimes you have to look carefully to find it, but it is there... the same way every dark period in your life will have a bright spot hidden somewhere...just look for it. Also remember that the sky is always darkest just before the dawn!!

I know that it is not always easy to stay positive, but with help from above I know that I will always be safe.

Here are some quotes I love and would like to share with you:

“Try and fail, but don't fail to try.” ................................................................ by: Stephen Kaggwa

“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.” ............. by: Tom Krause

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow ................................................. by: Mary Anne Radmacher

“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.” ................................................................................................................ by: Adlin Sinclair

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” ...................by: Unknown

And this is my best choice:

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ..........................................by: Mark Victor Hansen.

MUSIC FOR THE SOUL

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then surely music is in the "ear of the listener".

When you complete your profile in social networks one of the questions that you often have to answer, is "What kind of music do you like", and this is my thoughts on that.

What more can you ask than the sound of crickets and the croak of frogs at night. The owl that hoots at midnight.

Listen to the birds singing happily on their way - especially at dusk and dawn. What is more beautiful than the dove calling for it's mate. The cry of a wolf in the distance, or a lion roaring to let the world know that he is the king of the animal world. Then there is the hyena's laugh that sounds so much like a human's that it could easily be mistaken for one.

These carefree and happy creatures don't worry about tomorrow. They know that they will be provided for.

Have you ever sat next to a brook and listened to the water rippling over the rocks and the cry of a fish eagle as it looks for its mate.

I have had the wonderful privilege of hearing the sound of a large flock of Flamingos flying over my head so low that I could hear the sound of their wings. It sounds like something exhaling very heavy and very long....the breath of something very large. It was such a wonderful sound - no man made music could compare.

The cry of a newborn baby is a reminder that life goes on, the wonder of someone who was created in the image of God by God.... A toddler talking to butterflies and flowers and "singing" with the birds. The innocence of these little people who have not a care in the world. They are happy in the knowledge that Mommy and Daddy will look after them, They will make sure that no harm will come to them.

How much more should we be happy in the knowledge that we are also looked after by our Father each and every day.

We should listen to the beautiful song of nature and know that we should never be concerned about tomorrow. If those beautiful creatures with their tiny little brains know that tomorrow will look after itself, how much more should we understand the Greatness and the Power of God, our Father.

Even silence is a beautiful sound. It is the sound of solitude and peace. A time you can be alone with your Creator without the noise of everyday life - Metal on metal, engines roaring, people fighting....... Silence is a much better sound than this!

I thank God for the music he provides every day in these simple things.

Look at these quotes - they inspire me, maybe they can do the same for you:

Listen what the poplar-tree
And murmuring waters counselled me. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature inanimate employs sweet sounds,
But animated nature sweeter still,
To soothe and satisfy the human ear. - William Cowper

He who hears the rippling of rivers in these degenerate days will not utterly despair. - Henry David Thoreau

MY PASSION

Mission Statement

Yesterday a group of us were discussing our Mission Statements. It was very late for me, so unfortunately I had to leave the discussion before I had the opportunity to give mine.

My mission statement is very simple, yet complex. I know that this is a contradiction...how can it be simple AND complex at the same time.

Let me explain - My mission is to help people and animals. This is where the complexity comes in.

I am passionate about helping people and I want to do this online as well as offline. I also want to help animals - this would have to be offline, as I have not seen many animals with an internet connection.

Right, let me start with my offline ambitions.

My mission is to acquire a small farm that I will divide into 4 areas.

The first area should be obvious - it will be our living quarters with a house and garden for our personal use. In the garden I will have vegetables, Herbs and shrubs.

The next area would be for animals suitable for a petting zoo. Len, my husband is crazy about miniature horses, so that is at the top of my list. Ponies for kids to ride would also be lovely. We will have cows, sheep, goats, a pig or two and a couple of bunnies. We would need a few chickens too for their eggs. I want children to have access to these animals to teach them that milk does not grow in cartons and show them where eggs come from. Many children have only seen animals on TV and in magazines. I want them to be able to touch them and experience the wonderful feeling of a nuzzle from a horse and a cuddle with a bunny. These children must realize that there are living creatures other than human beings. They must hear the beautiful sounds of nature, and not the blaring screech of an MP3 in their ears.

The third portion, which will be the largest, will be a sanctuary for injured and orphaned wild animals. There will be holding pens to keep them in while they need medical attention or nursing. When they are ready to face the world again, they will be set free in the "wild" part of this sanctuary. This will also serve as a place where people can experience the wonder of wildlife - where they can be one with nature and its wonders.

Then we come to the fourth and final section. This will be my own sanctuary. Here I will have many water features, one being a large pond with an artificial waterfall that I will populate with different kinds of ducks. I will plant lawns, with fairly large trees with bird feeders hanging from them to encourage birdlife in my bird park. I will have Honeysuckle and Jasmin, Gardenia and yesterday, today and tomorrow plants,to attract butterflies and other inects, with berries and fig trees for the birds. I will have picnic tables and chairs for visitors to enjoy a picnic while enjoying the beauty of nature around them.

I will have a Gazebo where I can sit with my Laptop to do my internet business. This is where I will connect with with all the people I can help online.

Now you will realise that to complete my mission, to live out my passion, I need to also be successful and earn money on the internet. To enable me to help others, I need to help myself as well. So - I am actually not here to earn money only for myself, but to find the means to help others who are in need of my help.

I trust that some of my global friends will come and visit me in my sanctuary some day - Julie and Russ, I hope you will be my first visitors. I know that you will enjoy this as much as I will.

I have a dream, I have a vision, I have a Mission!!

I believe in the saying - If you can perceive it, and you believe it, you can achieve it. AND if you can see it. you can believe it - Well, I can see it - VERY CLEARLY!!

THE TWO WOLVES

Food for thought:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside everyone of us.

One is Dark - anger, envy, jealousy, conceit, sorrow, hatred, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, lust, superiority and ego.

The other is Light - joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Deepak Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

1. The law of Pure Potentiality: by believing there are unlimited possibilities for me if I sit in silence and listen, stop doing and start being without judgment.

2. The law of Giving: by joyfully giving more while knowing that I will receive more when I appreiciate what I have now.

3. The law of Cause and Effect: by accepting that I create my future by my choices today.

4. The law of Least Effort: by being in the flow of nature, accepting the present and taking responsibility for myself without blaming others.

5. The law of Intention and Desire: by being in the now where changes are made and stating my desires while understanding the power of my thoughts will create my tomorrows.

6. The law of Detachment: by letting go of the outcome of my desires while taking what action needs to be taken to create my dreams, trusting that what will happen will be for the best.

7. The law of Dharma: by doing what I believe to be my purpose in this life while being in service to others.

Live in the love, light and laughter, for there you find life.

Emotional Intelligence is the knowledge and practice of choice with regard to our emotions and the emotional expression of others in our world (both personally and professionally). Everyone can master these tools and then choose which ‘wolf’ you wish to feed and how to manage other ‘wolves’ based on the goals and intentions you have for your life

I MET A FRIEND!!

I have many wonderful friends from every corner of the world. I have very good and loyal friends, BUT.....

Almost two years ago I met MY friend. MY soul mate in friendship. We have never met face to face, and we are separated by oceans and continents, but I am sure she was my friend from the day she was born. You see, I am ten years her senior, so for the first 10 years of my life I waited for her to be born. It still took many years for us to meet, but we were destined to find each other.

We are so connected, we read each others thoughts. We feel each others joy and pain. Sometimes there is no need for words, just our love for each other and our love of God and all he created, tells us what the other one feels. I have many friends, beautiful and loyal friends, but only one like Julie.

I met a friend... Julie Wolf. We have never touched hands, but I know we have touched each others lives more than any physical touch ever could.

We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and are friends in spite of those weaknesses. I will always be her friend - unconditionally, and I trust that the same goes for her.

With a friend like this who came into my life - unasked - I am the richest person in the whole universe. I know we were sent to each other by Divine Intervention. I believe it is a Divine Connection by a Higher Authority that connected us. It was my destiny to meet her. I know we will laugh together and cry together, but we will do it together, support each other - we are friends.


I may have more friends like her, waiting for us to meet, but until then I have a beautiful treasure. A VERY SPECIAL friend. Maybe I will never find another friend like her, but I am happy because I am rich. If I meet another...then I will have an even bigger treasure! In fact, I do have another friend who comes very close to being as special...... Russ, Julie's husband.

Some good quotes about friendship:

"I believe that friends are quiet angels who sit on our shoulders and lift our wings when we forget how to fly."
---Unknown

"Some friends come and go like a season. Others are arranged in our lives for good reason."
---Sharita Gadison

"True friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."
---Amanda Kunkle

"A friend shares the good times and helps out by listening during the bad times."
---Molly Oliver

"True friends are always together in spirit."
---Lucy Maud Montgomery


"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand."
---Unknown
And this is my pick of the bunch......it reflects my own feelings so well.

"Sometimes in life, you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is forever friendship. When you're down and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows. If you lose your way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on. Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay. And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete because you need not worry. You have a forever friend, and forever has no end."
---Unknown

Who else has friends like these. Let me know - please leave your comment.