Update Uplate

. . . there are so many lessons and discoveries in daily life

but one must look and feel with the heart . . .

At a public high school inside a prison compound,

as part of a workshop series we are facilitating,

artist Joey Ayala shares how he uses music 

to raise the consciousness

and appreciation for culture. 

In turn, the children shared insights about their conditions

and the kind of music that inspires them.

An interesting sidelight was the reaction of one of the parents

who told me she got "goose pimples" experiencing a "live" performance.

At a conference with people involved in advocacy work

where we facilitated a creative session on visioning,

the participants expressed their frustrations on the way corruption

has somehow affected the public perception 

of their NGO (non-governmental organization) status/work . . .

. . . . advocacy work can be tainted by less sincere individuals and groups but there lies the challenge of real advocacy work: to rise above the pressure and burden of selfless commitments.

In that same conference

where we mounted a side exhibition of children's artworks:

. . . were actual manifestations of individual creative expressions

of hope, faith and love by children who are victims of abuse.

If these children can express faith and hope in their condition

so must adults like us who work on their behalf.

At a community bazaar where we did fun craft activities for kids:

. . . i learned that it is not important to know

why Rudolph the reindeer has red nose,

or if a blueberry cupcake is colored violet and red,

or if a fairy wings is yellow and studded in glitter,

or if stories we tell has a semblance of truth in it.

For most of the kids I encountered in the bazaar and elsewhere

the important thing is that adults learn to listen to their stories

and accept and appreciate their creative expressions. 

In my house Heaven

I learned to listen to the many voices:

. . . of connection, of unity, of compassion.

Our pup Babur tells me it is OK to get tired

and to begged off from chores like decorating the house for the holidays.

. . . because somebody (Luchie) will do it for me.

Luchie would also often warn me to take it easy and take naps.

Babur would also warn and call my attention with this look:

. . . when I accidentally left a piece of cotton in my ear while cleaning it. Dogs sense danger better than people. Babur would whine endlessly until I found an ENT doctor in my community who took the cotton out and told me NEVER to use cotton buds to clean ears. Ha, I bet you don't know that too! I was told to just use a towel to wipe/clean my ears. I found out too that my ENT is also an Otorhinolaryngologist specializing in head and neck surgery! Ha, I consulted and shared my recent throat operation/radiation with him and got great tips about complications and metabolism ;-) Thanks Dr. Sebastian!

Our adopted cat Petrocelli who stays on the roof . . .

. . . taught me to trust his wild side when he allowed me to pat and caress him. But he did so because he wanted me to adopt another of his cat friends. More on this next time ;-)

And this week one of our free flying birds dropped this on me:

. . . one of Chicky's (our chico tree) fruits which we already reserved for the birds. Hmmm, apparently, Chicky and the birds have decided to share with me one of these yummy fruits. What blessing!

And my other blessings:

. . . is my senior superdog who taught me patience, kindness and love.

Some people asked me how a dog like Sweepy can bring so much happiness and love in our lives? And I always tell them that I can not put it all into words. One must bond with dogs and animals like him to really know and experience such joy and bliss. I know this to be true since our virtual friends in the blogosphere have also experienced this joy with my dogs!

As for me, I am threading with careful steps now.

I try to listen to my body and if my energy is down I take a rest.

I also try to observe which of the foods make me feel better and less tired and how often I should take them. I load up on fresh fruits like apples, grapes, grapefruits, bananas, papayas, oranges, pineapples with yogurt and yakult. I gave up my kefir milk because it makes me bloated. I take brisk walks when I am home and I  never fail to laugh at my clumsiness and forgetfulness and appreciate friends who understands when I cancel dates and meetings and yet meet me on short notice. 

I pray a lot and link to God

and raise my gratitude for all these blessings

and wonderful insights.

And in my quiet moments

I whisper my prayers for good health and happy times for all of you

and on full moon nights (next week)

I, together with my hounds,

will zap you all with healing and loving lights!

And that's my late update ;-)