Happy New Year

To all my friends and followers with all my LOVE....

The Women behind my Strength

I believe that one of the reasons we come to the planet Earth is to learn from the interactions with others.
As I get older and as I try to understand my purpose in life, I find myself loving more and more humans and animals, although I still have a lot to work on one of my weaknesses, thinking that the world is against me when I don't get what I want!
I keep on reminding myself that whatever happens in life, what really matters are the lessons that we learn from every single situation and that all we need is PATIENCE to wait for the end results.
That's right PATIENCE... I said it.... PATIENCE... PATIENCE.... PATIENCE...
But, this is not about me....this is about the women that stand behind me, giving me the strength to find the PATIENCE that I came looking for in the planet Earth!
These three women that give me their unconditional LOVE, that becomes my STRENGTH are ( and not always in the same order, they take their places according to the situations) my Mother, my Sister and my Daughter.
I want to thank the three of you for being the WIND BENEATH MY WINGS!

LOVE FOREVER!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Every year I make the same wish:
Christmas in a warm country!
Coming back from the beach and having Christmas Eve celebrated under the stars with my family and friends!
After 34 years of "White Christmas", I would like to be able to experience, at least once, the "Sandy Christmas"!
I might not even like it... but until I'm able to compare, I will keep on wishing for it!
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas with LOVE, Happiness & Friendship.

Joyeux Noel !

CHOCOLATE

Whenever I feel stressed out, the first thing that comes to my mind is "chocolate".
Not until I have done some research that I have realized that it's not just because of my " sweet tooth" that it comes to my mind. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain,which has various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep,etc...
Chocolate is produced from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree.After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground and liquefied, resulting in pure chocolate in fluid form: chocolate liquor. The liquor can be further processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids (and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate).
Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.When in doubt about what to buy me.... just remember this post!

ALL STRESSED OUT.....

This is exactly the way that I feel now..... give me some dessert!
Long hours in the office, dark when I leave the house..... still dark when I come back, not enough time to go shopping, than all I have to eat around the house is cookies and chips, because they don't go bad as fast as fruits and vegetables.... I also have a pint of ice cream that I keep on dipping my chips into....
When am I going back to my regular work hours?....when...when?
I have been working 6 days a week, some of those are 11 hours days and when I asked for a week vacation in January...the answer was that "he" also needed that same time off. I only had one response to that:"Does it mean that I am not working hard enough to deserve one week vacation in January?"
The next day, my vacation request was approved!

Valber & Vanille

It was with great pleasure that last Sunday we have attended Valber & Vanille Show.
As so, we want to take this opportunity to thank Angela Mesquita, from Brasil Remittance, for inviting us to her table and for the warm welcome that she gave us, as we came into the hall. If it wasn't for her, we probably wouldn't have gone to the show. A GOOD FRIEND, as always!
Although a lot of mixed feelings came up, memories of the times we had together..., it was a way of LETTING GO of an era that has served a purpose in our lives.
Many lessons were learned... decisions were made and values were put to the test. As long as something was learned from all those experiences, I can say it was well worth!

All the best to the duo... many more decisions to be made and values to be put to test, keeping in mind that " we are spiritual beings who are having a physical experience".

The Human Experience

All the books that I have been reading, from Dr. Brian Wiess to James Van Praagh, share the same idea: "we are spiritual beings who are having a physical experience".

As spiritual beings we choose to come back to earth and encounter all the opportunities that will propel us and the human race forward in earth's evolution.
Our natural state as spirits is one of expended consciousness and we have the power to create with thought and ideas. Although, when we come to earth we bring with us the blueprint of all previous life experiences, we leave behind the memories of those same life experiences, in order to start over with a clear conscience.
The only problem is that we forget our divine nature and we tend to look to others to validate and measure our own worthiness instead of believing in ourselves and creating our own paths.
We become victims of circumstances rather than creators of our fates.

"As a spirit having a human experience, you can choose to not merely exist but to be fully conscious and aware of living in a limited world. When you take a conscious part in life and its multitude of choices, you won't let life happen to you - you will make life happen for you..."

From: Ghosts Among Us, by James Van Praagh

Emanuel Felix

The few memories that I still have of Emanuel Felix are mainly from my childhood and although every time I went back to the island, I tried to get in touch, it was always hard to find him. We would see each other at Rua da Se,the Market Place or even at the airport, but always in a rush. He was either traveling to Paris or to a meeting with a colleague and we always promised each other that "next time" we would spend some time together. In 2001, I finally had the pleasure of his company, together with his wife, his son, his grand-son and my sister. We had coffee and cake at his place where he told us all about his trips to Saint George's Island as well as to California and read us some of his poems. This was the last time we were together.
February 14, 2004, on my father's birthday, he passed away due to diabetes complications.

His published work follows:

A Palavra O Açoite (1957)
Vendedor De Bichos (1965)
Angra No Último Quartel Do Século XVI (1967)
O Instante Suspenso (1982)
A Viagem Possível (1984)
Seis Nomes De Mulher (1985)
António Dacosta - Esboço De Um Roteiro Sentimental (1988)
Conceito E Dinâmica Do Património Cultural (1989)
A Viagem Possível (1993)
Os Trincos Da Memória (1994)
Habitação Das Chuvas (1997)

Rest in Peace.... 

Rest in Peace....

Winter is upon us

Every winter,
When the great sun has turned his face away,
The earth goes down into a vale of grief,
And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,
Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay -
Then leaps in spring to his returning kisses.
~Charles Kingsley

H1N1 Flu

Never was the World as divided as it is now regarding a subject that is so crucial to everybody as the H1N1 Flu Virus. Public Health Agency of Canada came up with a pretty neat brochure, giving us instructions how to protect ourselves as well as our families.
The big controversy is the flu shot, that has the population divided in two groups; in favor and against.
I, personally, try to stay away from any flu shots, whatever type of influenza it is. All I have to say in my defense is that the further away I am from doctors offices, hospitals and walk-in-clinics, the healthier I feel. So why not keep it up!

Les Coquettes

When I was invited to attend Sunday's show, I was a little apprehensive about it. Go to a burlesque show? Who, me? Although, through one of my past life regressions, I have seen myself on stage with someone that is very close to me, as happy as I could be, being part of the troupes, I still was not 100% comfortable with the idea of going to a burlesque show.
In my mind it was something that was not well accepted by society. Could it be some old feelings from that past life?

All I know is that by the time the show began, I had already forgotten about all those old feelings and was enjoying myself very much.
Les Coquettes show is done in very good taste, smart, funny and sexy. But isn't it what BURLESQUE is all about?

Autumn....

"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."
- Edwin Way Teale

The Sleeve Police

I consider myself very lucky not having to use the public transportation daily. Once in a while I have no other choice but take the subway to and from work. Today it was one of those days!
With a lot of people getting under the weather this time of year, the local news come up with ways to prevent the spread of any sickness, specially the H1N1 flue:
- Washing the hands thoroughly
- Using Purell or any other alcohol compound after any contact with another human
- Sneezing into the sleeve instead of the hand
As I was riding the subway and looking at all the population of Toronto, traveling during rush hour, made me realize that it's hard to break some old habits, specially the sneezing habits.
I think that we are going to need the "Sleeve Police" to patrol the subways and ticket those that still insist on sneezing anywhere but on their sleeves. What about using the old handkerchief?

Writer's block

I want to thank the Seeker for the vote of confidence in me, although I am going through some"writer's block".
It's so funny that every time I used to hear the expression, I thought that it was just an excuse used by the writer, and I would question myself how it was possible for a writer to run out of words.
The fact is that it's more than words that go into a text, it's also feelings and sometimes it's hard to match the words with the feelings....
So, I apologize to my fan club and thank the Seeker for pushing me into the direction that I love so much, but at this time I'm going through "writer's block"

Golden Heart Blog Award

I want to thank The Seeker for including my "Blog" in such a high level of bloggers to whom she has passed this gorgeous award.
It's an honor to be the recipient of such award.
God bless you!

My Last Bullfight?

Bullfights are part of our tradition here in the islands, mainly the one that I am from, Terceira.
I remember clearly the times that I went to the bullfights with my parents and sister as well as the times that I went with my father, just the two of us,when my sister was a baby. Every time we come to the island, my husband and I, we always go to at least one bullfight.
Since the day that we arrived at the island and I found out the date of the first bullfight, I started looking for company to go. I knew that my sister and my daughter would be upset with me, they are big defenders of the animal rights, so I asked my husband to go with me, I also know that he is a big defender of MY rights and he is bigger than them...if in need, he would help me.
We got the best seats and got ourselves prepared with our cameras to capture the best angles of the show....I was so happy!
But to this moment I am trying to understand what happened there... the minute the show started I also started to feel sick...and I couldn't watch the punishment that was being given to both animals, bull and horse and all I wanted was to get out of there.... All my happiness was changing into sadness and I even had tear in my eyes.... I love to see th bulls in their habitat, but I don't think that I will be able to go back to watch the show....

The ritual of the sun

I have been lucky enough to be able to return to my home town almost every year and that way keep myself in touch with my roots, family and friends.
Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, half way between Europe and North America, these gorgeous group of islands called the Azores have the ability to offer us the four seasons in one day.
Because of that ability, every time we want to go swimming, we need to find out what side of the island offers the "summer season" with sunshine and enough heat to give us a nice tan.
If where we are is cloudy, it means that the sun is shining somewhere else, we just need to know where...
-We go to the front door to check which side of the island is less cloudy
-We go to the backyard to check the same
-We call a friend that lives at the other side of the island
-We go back to the front and than to the backyard and check the skies
-If by any chance we see the top of the Pico Island than it means trouble - rain for the next three days (forget about swimming)
-We call another friend that lives in another area
-Finally we just hop into the car and go chasing the sun, from one beach to the next until we find the SUN, which usually takes about one hour
In the evening when we meet our friends, the conversation usually starts by finding out where each one of us went swimming and how warm it was!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

When I think of "good times" I always feel the presence of my Father in them. During past lives regression therapy, we go through earlier stages of the present life, mainly happy moments, to help us do the transition to the other lives.

When I go back to my childhood I always remember coming home from Church with my Father. I was about 7 years old, my sister was a baby and she was not allowed to go to church at that age (babies made too much noise and would distract the old ladies). As so, my Mother had to stay home to babysit her, while we went to Church together. We always came back from Church through the public garden, just the two of us, talking and laughing, hand on hand, knowing that while we were in church, my Mother had prepared a nice lunch and that the four of us would be sharing that meal the moment we walked through the door.
We have shared a lot of happy moments around the table, sharing the food that my Mother always prepared, just for the four of us...the five of us...the six of us and so on... as our small family grew.
Now a days, when my family is sharing a meal, I still feel my Father's presence and his name is often mentioned through out the meal by my husband or my kids.

Happy Father's Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SON!

JUNE 6TH, 1977 a bundle of joy was born!
I want to thank you for all the Joy that you have brought into our lives and tell you that no matter how old you are, you are always that same bundle of joy and happiness to us.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Wishing you all the LOVE & HAPPINESS in the world!
You deserve it!

Valued Follower Award

Thank you Seeker for sharing with me this lovely award that you have received from your friend Sallymandy from the blue kimono.

I will treasure it forever!

Here’s the text that comes with it:

“This award is given especially to these readers. Your visits and comments make me happy to be a blogger. I learn from you, your comments, and your blogs more than I can say.

In the words of Voltaire, ‘Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.’

THANKS A MILLION!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART!

Today is my baby's Birthday...
I can not believe that she's turning 26!
I just want you to know darling, that no matter how old you are, you are always my BABY and that I will always be there for you!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Wishing you all the LOVE & HAPPINESS in the world!
You deserve it!

CRUELTY

Cruelty is generally defined as the intentional and malicious infliction of suffering on another.
It can be described also as indifference to suffering, and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.
During last week's fashion contest at the Portuguese blog mini-saia, in which the readers can send pictures with their looks, so that among them is chosen the "Look of the Week" and latter on the "Look of the Month", that's exactly what I have observed -"Cruelty" as well as complete disrespect for another reader.
But what has surprised me the most was the fact that the owner of the blog has chosen not to interfere and has allowed the poor behavior displayed by her followers.
Here is a sample for your perusal: mini-saia, do you think that this beautiful person deserves any of those comments? I don't!
Thank you!

Spring has arrived!

When Spring arrives, our friends "the Robins" also arrive at the backyards.
Every morning before going to work, I make sure that I go to my backyard or if I am short of time that I look through my kitchen window, where I often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground.
Although robins are considered harbingers of spring, many Robins spend the whole winter in their breeding range. But because they spend more time roosting in trees and less time in the yard, we are much less likely to see them. The number of robins present in the northern parts of the range varies each year with the local conditions.
Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day. Because the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution.
Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter.
I love these small animals that bring so much life to our backyards and I often worry when I don't see them in the morning before going to work.
Sharing the same feelings is our cat Pimpao, that loves to chase them around, more like a game than anything else, although we can see his hunting instincts at work.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

FROM

ALL OF US IN TORONTO

TO

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

MOTHER IN THE WORLD!

Past Lives Regression

The truth is that I am fascinated by the whole concept of Reincarnation and above all the Past Lives Regression therapy. As you have read on my post French Soldier I have attended a workshop with Dr Brian Weiss, M.D. and once again the experience has been extremely helpful to understand the reason behind some of my behaviors.
We were a group of about 800 people that could feel the energy in that Conference room coming from Dr Weiss's soft voice. More than half of us were able go back and experience a previous life.
I find it very easy to go back in time and sometimes I question myself if it is just my imagination.
The fact is that it all seemed so real!
This time, I was a nun in a Monastery, I am not sure if we had the vow of silence, but there was not much talking, my room was so small, that the furniture was only one bed and a lavatory.
I was sad all the time and very lonely and going back to that time, made me understand the reason why I need to be surrounded by life...laughter and joy.

Happy Easter to all my Family and Friends

FRENCH SOLDIER

Being a follower of Dr. Brian Weiss myself, I am looking forward to the workshop that I am attending this Friday coming up, April3rd/09.
A psychiatrist that, by using hypnosis as a tool to help his patients deal with long forgotten incidents, was astonished when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks.
During a workshop that I have attended last year, with a different instructor, I was able to go back to one of my past lives. I was a 1400 french soldier, and I was dieing on the battlefield together with thousands of other dieing soldiers. The soldiers were asking for help and I felt bad that my suffering was ending, while so many were still staying behind. When I woke up and told the instructor my experience, I was instructed to go back and help all those soles find the light and forgive the killers for what they had done.
At that time I was dealing with some nightmares where someone very close to me was going to die and I was feeling scared that it would become reality. The truth is that after that workshop the nightmares stopped. I also think that the reason that I hold such a strong feeling for France is because I have been a FRENCH SOLDIER once!

ROM

One thing I can not forget is how much fun I use to have during March break!
Before the "High School" years, when my kids needed full supervision, I would take that week off work, to take them places; movies, skating,etc.
As they grew older, we still continue to go places together,whenever we have the opportunity to skip work or school and we laugh and have fun together, the same way as when they were kids.
The last place we have visited together was the Royal Ontario Museum.
We were able to see the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, Galleries of Africa: Ancient Egypt, Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine, The Nature of Diamonds exhibit and much more.

Remember .....

I find that it's much easier to forget than to remember... as so, I always say that "I have the ability to forget!" and I move on, laughing and accepting the fact that I am forgetful.
When I go shopping and I forget to buy anything on the list , when asked, I always say that "It was sold out!". My kids know what I mean by that, and often they remind me that I am a candidate to Alzheimer's and I should take care of myself.
During one of my investigations, I came across a natural product named Ginkgo biloba, that has the ability to increase the blood circulation to the brain, making it beneficial in all types of dementia, increasing alertness and memory. Ginkgo has been used in traditional medicine to treat circulatory disorders and enhance memory. At first, it seems to be the ideal treatment for the cause, but as with any natural product, we need to get ourselves well informed about the side effects, specially if taking any medication. Please don't forget to consult your family doctor or a health professional to ensure that it is the right product for you.

An Angel's Touch

BELIEVE

A feather fell to earth today
And touched my
aching heart;
I felt an Angel close to me
With wisdom to impart:
When sadness seems
to overwhelm
And take away the light,
Remember that the
sun will rise
As morning follows night.
Believe that you
can overcome;
Believe that you can win;

Believe that you are in

His care
And let the sunshine in.

I dedicate this poem, from the Angel Touch Moments, to my son, to reassure him that I am not his only fan.

Jersey Boys

Today, my daughter and I, we went to see the Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.
We always enjoy when it's live performance!
Jersey Boys tells us the story of how four guys from the Garden State became The Four Seasons, one of the biggest American pop act of the early 1960's.
The musical has the different band members recount their version of the story directly to the audience. This gives the show a documentary style, that when punctuated by musical numbers gets the audience to participate in singing along with the artists. From "Earth Angel" to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", we were both there singing along with the band.
Even though I'm the one that was a teenager in the 60's, my daughter was the one that was more in tune with the lyrics!

COMING BACK

"We choose when we will come into our physical state and when we will leave. We know when we have accomplished what we were sent down here to accomplish... When you have had the time to rest and re-energize your soul, you are allowed to choose your re-entry back into the physical state."

Not accidentally or coincidentally are we born into our families. We choose our circumstances and establish a plan for our lives before we are even conceived. Our plan is aided by the loving spiritual beings who eventually guide and protect us while we are in our physical bodies as our life's plan unfolds. Destiny is another name for the unfolding dramas we have already chosen.

From the book "Messages from the Masters" by Brian Weiss, M.D.

Happy Carnival

With this image, I want to wish all visitors a Happy Carnival with lots and lots of fun.....
This picture was taken at Sao Paulo's Sambadrome during Perola Negra School of Samba's parade.

My Favorite Fruit

If you ask anyone that knows me, what's my favorite fruit and they don't say grapefruit that means that they don't know me well enough.
From the three types of grapefruits, white, pink and ruby, my favorite is the ruby red, right from the fridge.
Grapefruit was first noticed on Barbados in 1750 and got that name because it grows in clusters just like grapes.
Besides the fact that I love it's taste, grapefruit is low in calories, about 97 calories per fruit and it's rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, potassium and folic acid.
Other benefits from grapefruit are, the fact that it's pectin helps to lower cholesterol levels and also helps to normalize hematocrit levels(number of red cells in the blood).
I admit that sometimes I get frustrated when I have to separate the flesh from the white membrane to make my salads, but it's well worth going through that process.
For the last 5 years, my |Christmas Eve fruit salad is made out of grapefruits, grapes, oranges, pomegranate and my favorite liquor. Does anyone know the name of my favorite liquor?

BONNE ST. VALENTIN !

Nothing could express better the way I'm feeling than the above image!
I have been under the weather for the last couple of days and I have to save all the fun for another day. For now I'll stay with chicken soup and my cold medicine.
Enjoy all you can!

Friends are like balloons

I would like to share a poem that my husband sent me to work, when I was feeling a little down. The author is unknown.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy.
They just promised it would be worth it.

Friends are like balloons.
Once you let them go, you can't get them back.
So I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.

Love you all!

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

THE PREPARATIVE

Since this is the birth of my Blog, I felt compelled to start with an extract of a poem from the metaphysical poet Thomas Traherne, who died in 1674 and was able to remember his pre-existence.
In "The Preparative" he describes the time in his mother's womb and then he recalls his consciousness of pre-existence:

Before I knew this hands were mine
Or that my sinews did my Members join...
I was within
A House I knew not, newly cloath'd with skin.
Then was my Soul my only All to me,
A living endless Eye
Scarce bounded with the sky
Whose Power and Act and Essence was to see;
I was an inward sphere of Light

THIS BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION