In Depth

This story is directed at those who choose not to believe in God and for those who experience any doubt of His presence and/or existence. I recently came across a true story about a woman in Fort Myers, Florida whose mother was dying. It is my hope that this story may touch you in the same way it touched my heart. The story, some of which is in the exact words of this woman is as follows:

I was fortunate to be able to sit at my mother’s bedside and have lots of talks with her during her last weeks on earth. Most of her last month was spent in a hospital until we went to Hospice House. I knew Hospice helped people die but I didn’t know they had a 16 room home in Fort Myers where people could come and die in peace. We had many conversations as she drew closer and closer to death and spoke many times about death and heaven.

In one such conversation about heaven I said: “Mom, well… could we have a secret, something just between us? I know it’s going to sound crazy. But if you die and when you get to heaven, if it’s more than you ever dreamed it would be, if you are all right and see God and Jesus, would you send me one red rose?”

This was a very special moment between me and my mother an eternal moment. She said, “Yes, I’ll do that.”

A week later I said, “Look mom about our secret, I’ll be on earth and you’ll be in heaven. How are you going to get a rose to me?”She said to me without reservation “Honey, God can do anything!”

Shortly after that on September 16,1997 her mother died. As you can imagine this was not a wonderful time. So much to do with funeral arrangements that the woman forgot completely about the secret she and her mother had shared. Then at the funeral home, during the wake a strange thing happened. Let me share this in the woman’s words.

All of the sudden in the back of the funeral home I caught a glimpse of an elderly gentleman with a cane. I didn’t know him. I was sure that I had never seen or met him before. I turned and looked at him… as he knelt down at my mother’s coffin and placed in her hands just one beautiful red rose. I walked over to him and inquired what made him bring the rose. He said, “oh honey, for some reason all day today I had a red rose on my mind, all day I have been thinking about it. I just knew I had to get one red rose for your mother.”"

Now if your like me you have tears streaming down your cheeks right now. Let me suggest to you that God is real and sometimes in His graciousness and love, He will, for just a moment pull back the curtain and allow us to see beyond our limited view of life and death.  Don’t wait because if you do it may be too late. ( author unknown )

Skywatch Friday

Worth of Dates

The date palm is the most enduring symbol of the Sultanate's rich heritage, alongside the trusty camel, the vitalising falaj and other long-cherished aspects of traditional Omani life. It has been the main wealth of people in past generations, the fruit serving as a source of daily nourishment, with the branches and the tree trunk proving valuable in the creation of a great many things that have been an integral part of the Omani home and household. (http://www.nizwa.net/agr/dates/datepalm/datepalm.html)

See other W's on

ABC Wednesday   Round 10   letter W- worth

The Magic

The Sunset

The crimson sunset above

The magical horizon orange and purple

Setting fire to the sea

The warm golden soft sand 

The crisp colour and rhythmic sounds

The birds swiftly on the ocean

Setting movement to the sea

The people counting down

As the night sky slowly takes over

The beauty of the Sunset

The soothing crimson sun

Being kidnapped by the moon

Summer Autumn Winter Spring 

It gives the same effect

And no matter how hard you try

Your mind can not be taken away

By such glamour

All day your waiting for it

It's the time when you relax

And all of your worries swept away

It's the magic of the Sunset. 

Talia Simpson

On Guard

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Do not value the things you have in your life. But value who you have in your life!

Author Unknown


sharing with...

Belleza de

 “Let me be a free man. Free to travel.

 Free to stop. Free to work. 

 Free to choose my own teachers.

 Free to follow the religion of my fathers.

 Free to think and talk and act for myself.”
                   
Chief Joseph

Nez Perce Indian Tribe




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A Dream

A Dream Within A Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow-

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand-

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep- while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

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Fill me

YOU FILL ME UP
You fill me up when I am empty,
Like no one else has done;
Pour warmth into my spirit,
Like rays from summer sun.

Like rain upon the desert,
On a dry and barren land;
You cause my soul to blossom,
With touch from gentle hands.

And like the breeze of springtime,
Gently 'cross my body blows;
Igniting there a flame of fire,
That sets my heart aglow.

You've placed a seed within me,
That has grown into a vine;
Of sheer unbridled passion,
Tendrils curled and intertwined.

You fill me up when I am empty,
Like an overflowing cup;
No one else has ever filled me so,
Yet my Love, you fill me up.
Allison Chambers Coxsey

Valueless Lamp

WISHES . . .

If I could have my wishes,
If wishes did come true;
I would wish for happiness,
And a long full life for you.
I would wish for laughter,
And fill your life with song;
Then ask for peace and joy and love,
To follow you all day long.

Then I would ask for peaceful rest,
To visit you at night;
And that your every morning,
Dawn shimmering and bright.
I would ask for nothing,
To give back to myself;
As long as you are happy,
I want for nothing else.

For just to see contentment,
On your face and know you're fine;
Would truly satisfy me,
And bring joy to this heart of mine.
If I could have my wishes,
If wishes did come true;
I'd wish for the sun, moon and stars,
And I'd give them all to you.

by Allison Chambers Coxsey

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Just One

Just One
Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!




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Without You

It is in the small things we see it.

The child's first step,

as awesome as an earthquake.

The first time you rode a bike,

wallowing up the sidewalk.

The first spanking when your heart

went on a journey all alone.

When they called you crybaby

or poor or fatty or crazy

and made you into an alien,

you drank their acid

and concealed it.

Later,

if you faced the death of bombs and bullets

you did not do it with a banner,

you did it with only a hat to

cover your heart.

You did not fondle the weakness inside you

though it was there.

Your courage was a small coal

that you kept swallowing.

If your buddy saved you

and died himself in so doing,

then his courage was not courage,

it was love; love as simple as shaving soap.

Later,

if you have endured a great despair,

then you did it alone,

getting a transfusion from the fire,

picking the scabs off your heart,

then wringing it out like a sock.

Next, my kinsman, you powdered your sorrow,

you gave it a back rub

and then you covered it with a blanket

and after it had slept a while

it woke to the wings of the roses

and was transformed.

Later,

when you face old age and its natural conclusion

your courage will still be shown in the little ways,

each spring will be a sword you'll sharpen,

those you love will live in a fever of love,

and you'll bargain with the calendar

and at the last moment

when death opens the back door

you'll put on your carpet slippers

and stride out.
by Anne Sexton(Courage)

How Simple

How simple it is to see

that all the worry in the world

cannot control the future.

How simple it is to see

that we can only be happy now.

And that there will never be a time

when it is not now.

Gerald Jampolsky

The Elders

Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. 

When I was sixty-five I still had pimples.

- George Burns

The Connection

The Connection

The fragrance of the newly blossomed flowers,

the chirping of the birds,

and the texture of the earth –

all remind me there is life.

There is a life to live and experience!

The blue sky is so magnificent,

and the ocean is so infinite

I feel like a tiny creature in this entire Universe!

How amazing this life is which unfolds itself

to something it is destined to be!

Just like a flower – it blooms, it graces the surrounding,

and spreads aroma – it is a joy to behold.

The sublime sensation that arose from the tone

of the sweet voice echoing from the distance

is a pure connection to the world within!

Rajyeshwari Ghosh

To forgive

In Life

© Angie Flores

In life there are people that will hurt us and cause us pain,

but we must learn to forgive and forget and not hold grudges.

In life there are mistakes we will make,

but we must learn from our wrongs and grow from them.

In life there are regrets we will have to live with, 

but we must learn to leave the past behind and realize it is something we can't change.

In life there are people we will loose forever and can't have back,

but we must learn to let go & move on.

In life there are going to be obstacles that will cause interference,

but we must learn to overcome these challenges and grow stronger.

In life there are fears that will hold us back from what we want,

but we must learn to fight them with the courage from within.

God holds our lives in his hands. He holds the key to our future. 

Only he knows our fate. 

He see's everything and knows everything. 

Everything in life really does happen for a reason: "God's Reason".

Circuitous Route

Circle Of Life

© Carly Nasch

Life is a carousel. Always going forward, never going back.

Existence is a hard thing to keep when you stop trying. 

To live a life, you must want to live. 

To want to live you must find a way. 

When all hope is lost you must stand tall. 

When all others retreat you must prevail.

You are the conscious inside your head. 

You create your own destiny. 

Life is a very hard thing to keep 

when your life does not always go the way you plan. 

Fight for your life and the right to keep dreaming. 

If you feel you were gifted, share your gift. 

If you feel you were cursed, fix it. 

As you get older, your life becomes a challenge. 

Who are you? 

What do you want in life? 

What will you be? 

What is your purpose in life? 

If you worry, these things will turn into burdens. 

But if you hold on to them in the back of your mind, 

all of the answers will come in time. 

Life is a carousel, always going forward never going back. 

Look to the future not to the past.

I will

I'll Be Here

I cannot ease your aching heart,
Nor take your pain away;
But let me stay and take your hand
And walk with you today.

I'll listen when you need to talk,
I'll wipe away your tears;
I'll share your worries when they come,
I'll help you face your fears.

I'm here and I will stand by you,
On each hill you have to climb;
So take my hand, let's face the world...
And live just one day at a time.

You're not alone, for I'm still here,
I'll go that extra mile;
And when your grief is easier,
I'll help you learn to smile!

On Call

              

 "Work alternated with needful rest, is the salvation of man or woman" Antonette Brown Blackwell 

The Coin

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can 

determine how it will be spent. Be careful, lest you let others spend it for you

 
Rod McKuen

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!!

The indispensable

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this:

Decide what you want"

Ben Stein

Civil Twilight

A friend is one who sees through you and still enjoys the view 
Wilma Askinas 

Anxious Soul

"THE DISAPPOINTED"

There are songs enough for the hero

Who dwells on the heights of fame;

I sing of the disappointed —

For those who have missed their aim.

I sing with a tearful cadence

For one who stands in the dark,

And knows that his last, best arrow

Has bounded back from the mark.

I sing for the breathless runner,

The eager, anxious soul,

Who falls with his strength exhausted.

Almost in sight of the goal;

For the hearts that break in silence,

With a sorrow all unknown,

For those who need companions,

Yet walk their ways alone.

There are songs enough for the lovers

Who share love's tender pain,

I sing for the one whose passion

Is given all in vain.

For those whose spirit comrades

Have missed them on their way,

I sing, with a heart o'erflowing,

This minor strain today.

And I know the Solar system

Must somewhere keep in space

A prize for that spent runner

Who barely lost the race.

For the plan would be imperfect

Unless it held some sphere

That paid for the toil and talent

And love that are wasted here.




Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 – 1919)

My Heart and I

My Heart and I 

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I.

ENOUGH ! we're tired, my heart and I.

We sit beside the headstone thus,

And wish that name were carved for us.

The moss reprints more tenderly

The hard types of the mason's knife,

As heaven's sweet life renews earth's life

With which we're tired, my heart and I.

II.

You see we're tired, my heart and I.

We dealt with books, we trusted men,

And in our own blood drenched the pen,

As if such colours could not fly.

We walked too straight for fortune's end,

We loved too true to keep a friend ;

At last we're tired, my heart and I.

III.

How tired we feel, my heart and I !

We seem of no use in the world ;

Our fancies hang grey and uncurled

About men's eyes indifferently ;

Our voice which thrilled you so, will let

You sleep; our tears are only wet :

What do we here, my heart and I ?

IV.

So tired, so tired, my heart and I !

It was not thus in that old time

When Ralph sat with me 'neath the lime

To watch the sunset from the sky.

`Dear love, you're looking tired,' he said;

I, smiling at him, shook my head :

'Tis now we're tired, my heart and I.

V.

So tired, so tired, my heart and I !

Though now none takes me on his arm

To fold me close and kiss me warm

Till each quick breath end in a sigh

Of happy languor. Now, alone,

We lean upon this graveyard stone,

Uncheered, unkissed, my heart and I.

VI.

Tired out we are, my heart and I.

Suppose the world brought diadems

To tempt us, crusted with loose gems

Of powers and pleasures ? Let it try.

We scarcely care to look at even

A pretty child, or God's blue heaven,

We feel so tired, my heart and I.

VII.

Yet who complains ? My heart and I ?

In this abundant earth no doubt

Is little room for things worn out :

Disdain them, break them, throw them by

And if before the days grew rough

We once were loved, used, -- well enough,

I think, we've fared, my heart and I.

With Praise

The sad part about life is we tend to comment only on those who do it wrong

 
and neglect to balance it with praise for those who do it right 

Keith Ready

Round About

Sohar has been famous for a long time for its commercial activities. Due to it being the administrative centre of Batinah North, there a number of specialized markets that serve different types of customers. Among these markets are: the central fruit and vegetables market, the fish market, the handicrafts market and Friday market which specializes in selling grass and vegetables. Several big malls have nowadays either opened or are starting to open branch in Sohar (http://www.soharuni.edu.)

Your Life

"Allowing the truth of who you are--your spiritual self--to rule your life means you stop the struggle and learn to move with the flow of your life." - Oprah Winfrey

Not to surrender

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Powerful Feelings

Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from 
emotion recollected in tranquility  -by William Wordsworth

Theme day topic: Tranquility

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                                                                  Season 5 Episode 46   http://skyley.blogspot.com

Great Art

Silence is the one great art of conversation.-

by william hazlitt

Sound Strange

It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by 

setbacks.

In your heart

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come."-  Chinese proverb  

Short Break

When your strength is gone and there's a goal you simply must achieve, you don't have to give up, but you do have to be sensible. Take short breaks along the way--- to allow your creativity and energy to be renewed.

Straight Ahead

 I want to see the sky

in a  different

perspective,  and save it on my  mind…

Wandering

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and universe." - Anatole France

Seize the day

Seize the Day!

Maybe just saddened. Not so with the others. It is scary to believe that they were alive one day; and then bad health, bad choices, wrong place, wrong time, just enters and ends it all way too early.


The loss of someone young never ceases to sadden and surprise us; and yet statistics tell us that the average age of widowhood is 55. This means that even though men die at 85, they also die at 25.


Statistics like these and the death of someone young remind us that life may be much shorter for some of us than for others. This leaves us with two philosophical choices. We can either believe that we can extend our lives by making the right choices to care for our health, develop good lifestyle habits, make appropriate life choices as to where we go and what we do and who we associate with. Or we can believe that when our time comes it comes and we can’t do anything to change this. How many times have we heard of the person who has lived to be one hundred who drank, smoked, and never took care of their health; and yet a person who worked out everyday and died at 40?


In any case it is all clear that today is the only day we can truly be sure of. Today is here and tomorrow may not be. So for today, we need to “Seize the day….Carpe Diem”.


Enjoy the moment. Do all you can do to make today as special as it can be for you, for those you love. And spend some time today thinking of how you can make the days to follow, no matter how few or how many there are, all that they can be.