| GLOBALTICKIT.COM A Real Life Adventure |
A Global Tick It Article by Vibodha |
A Mother's Day
& Farewell Feast |
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I noticed how sunny it was compared to the UK. I also saw how cold it got, compared to the UK. I saw the stop signs, which they didn't have 'over there'... and thought how good it would be if America had roundabouts instead of traffic lights everywhere. It was a time of differences. That was almost ten years ago. |
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And yet again, I found myself back in America. |
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And it looked different.
I got to see just how lucky I was to grow up in such a beautiful place, with such a wonderful family. I saw how blessed I am to have such expressive, intelligent, insightful, creative and delightful people to call my family (and friends). |
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The love was obvious. You could see it in their eyes. It wasn't always something we often verbally expressed to each other, but I knew it was always there. |
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Two fantastic months is not an easy thing to fly away from. It was not easy to say goodbye. Though we did it with full bellies! |
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A little trim here, a little trim there. And in the end we had a clearing, thanks to Chris' digging & Poppy's supervision.
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 It
was nice to sit down after a morning's work and admire the environment
we had created. |
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If you think about it, when you nurture your environment (ie: fix up, decorate, make it nicer) you get a sense of fulfilment of having done something to make your surroundings 'feel' better. It is not 'work'. It is giving myself a gift. I get the opportunity to enjoy an environment that is beautiful, which in turn fills me with a sense of gratitude. |
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We had a feast. Shawn cooked while we beautified the garden. It was GORGEOUS. Thank you Shawn!
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Poppy showed me a card he kept in his pocket with a very powerful saying on it.
It read: |
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| "We often
wait too long to do what must be done today, in a world that gives us only one day at a time, without any assurance of tomorrow. While lamenting that our days are few, we set out as though we had an endless supply of them." |
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What if we had waited to take this trip? What if we had waited? Was not today the best day to take on this adventure? I think it was... I know it was. |
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This reminds me of an old chinese saying: When is the best time to plant a tree? Thirty years ago. When is the next best time? Now. I am grateful that we took the opportunity to take this trip around the world when we did. |
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It was great to spend it surrounded by family. |
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And, as all things
must, the afternoon came to an end. It was time for goodbyes. |
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However, as we have come to realise after all these years of traveling,
the world is a small place, and goodbyes are always, only, goodbye-for-nows. |
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I would again like to thank my parents & my in-laws for their financial support in making this trip. Without it, we may have had to wait. Thanks again for making it possible, and for making it so special. |
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See you again SOON. Either here or in Australia. Bye (for now). ~ E.j. |
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Images and Text © 1999-2005 Globaltickit.com |
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| Be a light unto yourself :) |
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When
I first came back to America, after studying in England for a year,
the first thing I noticed was all the differences.
Since
then I have been married, traveled around the globe twice, lived
in five foreign countries, and had a baby in Australia 
Sure,
I noticed things I think need to change (ie: the government, the
insanely expensive healthcare system, the high taxes...) but mostly
I noticed how wonderful it was.
It
was most apparent when looking at how Devon was received.
The
hardest thing about visiting America this time 
For
me, the day started with gardening. 
Incedentally,
one of the buddhist teachings that has had a large impact on the
way I live my life is that of nurturing one's environment. "Nurturing
the environment around you fills you with a sense of peace."
Anyway, back to the day.
We sat outside and talked.
I must admit this is a very powerful way to live life. 
It
was, of course Mother's Day!
