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What good a friend are you for if in the direst of needs you aren't there?

Can you share what your beliefs are on friendship? Or better yet, who are your friends?

Here is my story. I have only three friends, I mean real good friends. One is going on for the last 45 years, met her in College. Still going on very strong. She lives in another State but we see each other at least twice a year. Call each other every now and then.

The other is 40 years, met her right after I landed my first job as a University professor. She lives in Switzerland and see each other once every two years. She comes here in the US while I go to Europe alternately. She is rich and just travels but very accommodating. (she introduced me here at CS, she writes poetry and almost forced me to be a member here, long story) Anyways, the third one is about 15 years now. All I can say is that these friends are ready to offer their lives if it is needed. At least that is how I feel and do the same on my part if I am needed.

I can't see nor feel the comepleteness of life without them friends.

Share your expectations and experiences with friends if you want to. Otherwise thanks for reading this blog.

I will be away for a while but will get back later.

Question: Are you there when your friends need you?

"Paint me a picture, Mommy" she demanded. And so I painted one. A huge mural that stretched forever - a mural of words. Words that spun tales like my foot on the pedal of the spinning wheel as it gobbled raw chunks and twirled them into long continuous strings of oily wool.

Words that exported us into the universe as we floated on the backs of unicorns, sailing through galaxies and sipping from the stars of the Milky Way. Words that bounced and soared, skipped and tickled.

Words that crept quietly, rustling in underbrush. Creeks of words that gurgled and slid, bubbled and sang along riverbanks of imagination. Words that flew and darted amongst tall cedars and scrambled lightly over soft, spongy, needle-laden ground.

Words that crouched in trepidation, hiding in long fingers of dusky shadows before bursting into the bloom of golden sunshine and sparkling with prisms of dew.

Words that danced, played, tumbled and somersaulted. A mural of love.

"Imagical Mom"

I will take
your small hand
and lead you softly
through lush forests
pause to lay
on spongy beds
of fallen needles
squint at blue sky
blonde sun peeks
through cedar boughs
dappling earth
woodsy fragrance
bites your nostrils
make animal
cloud shapes
touch gently
petals of wild flowers
play peek-a-boo
through fern fronds
hide and seek
in roots of
hollow trees
whisper secrets
to giggling streams
picnic behind drapes
of willow trees.

I will sprinkle stardust
tickling on your eyelids
and take you
on journeys
where unicorns fly
catch tails of
shooting stars
slide down
rainbow bannisters
bounce on trampolines
of clouds
tumble with trolls
dance with fairies
laugh with elves.

Some day you will
look behind
and know
that I have taught you
- magic.

© AJC

After many long cold winter months, spring finally comes into the country and we can start preparing for the BBQ season. To get off to a good start, it is of course very important to refresh the necessary etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking, as only a real man can do.

When a man is a volunteer to take care of the BBQ, the following chain of activities is set in motion:

1) The woman buys the food.

2) The woman makes the salad, cooks the other vegetables and provides dessert.

3) The woman prepares the meat to bake it and puts it on a nice dish together with the necessary herbs and oils and brings it to the table next to the BBQ. Here the man waits with his 6th beer, next to a finally burning fire mass.

4) Now comes the important piece: THE MAN LAYS THE MEAT ON THE GRILL! 5) The woman goes back home and starts collecting plates and cutlery to cover outside the table.

6) The woman comes back outside and calls that the meat is burning. The man thanks the woman and asks if she brings another pint while he keeps the situation under control.

7) Again important: THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OF THE GRILL AND LAY IT ON A DISH AND GIVES IT TO THE WOMAN!8) The woman now fills the plates, distributes the vegetables, the lettuce, the bread, the napkins, the sauces and places the plates on the table.

9) After dinner the woman cleans the table and does the dishes.

10) Most important of all: EVERYONE DISRUPT THE MAN'S COOKING ARTS AND THANKS HIM FOR ALL THE WISHES HE HAS DONE.

11) When everyone is finally gone, the man asks the woman if she has enjoyed her "cooking-free night". To see her reaction he decides that some women are never satisfied .......

Sure, there are differences. We all have them, and can recall those of our parents, Ouch! Often a major cause of family strife. Therapy helps, but men often refuse. Yet, are more workable, when they do come along, if one can relate, and be firm with the BS.

My step-dad's adopted younger sister is deaf. She came to my mom's coffee shop to help out during Chinese New Year when we needed a lot of help to cope with the madness!

Her husband, who is deaf too, came along together with their teenage son who is of normal hearing. I initially communicated with her son of the things to do around so that he could pass on the information to his parents. When it got busy I had no time to tell the son anything and tried signing to the mom and dad myself!

I got so flustered that we all ended up giggling!!!


Here's a heartwarming video I'd love to share....




Lukeon

Daniela, I allow comments on my blog this time around

Last weekend I attended a very interesting and very wonderful Indian wedding. A friend of mine. She's my former doctor and we've become good friends. She moved out of the area and went to a different hospital. We maintained a very good friendship and on her most awaited occasion, she tied the knot to a fellow doctor who's born here but observe a very strong traditional Indian values.

The food, music, decorations, but most of all the rituals involved, all took time for preparation and voila a most memorable ocassion that was relished by everyone who witnessed that lovely day.

I'm a Filipino and we do have similarities in the affair if we follow the old wedding rituals.

From beginning to end it takes about 3 to a year preparation.

The most interesting is first of all, we don't marry for love. It's pre arranged by our parents and elders. On the first stage, the broom party makes the proposal, in a formal called out meeting. Discussion about how many will be paid as demanded by the bride to be family. It originally entails from asking them how to provide a land, an animal for farming and money to start a life. A payment for the parents who raised her and if grandparents are involved, them, too.

Anyways it's a very time consuming and very grueling mostly for the groom's family because if the demands are not met, then no wedding.

Meantime the couple to be can't even see or talk to each other.

Anyways a very colorful and interesting part of the old tradition.

My sister went through this. They were married forever until my brother in law passed away 5 years ago.

I moved to the US and of course married my husband for love. Divorced after 30 lovely years with four wonderful children.

It'd be nice to share your stories if you experienced a very interesting, at times strange tradional wedding.

Thanks all for your read and or comments.

Happy weekend everyone.

Just had a fun exhausting night with my sister-in-laws and kids. This evening is the last day of Ramadan and I didn't get to share "iftar" with them due to busy work schedule so I decided to invite everyone to have Iftar at my place. Lots of cooking and baking...foods turned out great 6 adults and 7 teenagers including my ex=husband and his wife came over. Luckily I was done with all the cooking and baking when they arrived. Haven't seen them for some time and all were very happy to come see me. I'm the favorite aunt for all the kids so we had lots of fun dancing in between desserts Every kid had a turn dancing with me, I'm exhausted! I'm pretty close to my in-laws and I'm always part of the family even after the divorce, they are always there for me whenever I need help and I'm so happy to keep it that way

Family members who stand by each other are rare to find. I'm lucky to have them and will always treasure them

I hope you're all having a fun weekend too

and HAPPY EID to all those who celebrate

I'm not going to elaborate what an unpleasant and irritating experience it is to be around pretentious people.

The worst part is that they think you believe their charade.

Well do you know how to say it without being too obnoxious that you know they are liars?

Note: I personally cut off those kinds of people. Avoid them like plague. No explanation or inviting a pose for apologies.

We're going to attend a wedding in Hawaii and it's a family thing. Now I heard from my cousin whose the bride's mother that this person whom I can't stand around me is also a god mother meaning we'll be in the same table, etc etc.

(She once asked my children why we've become cold with them but she clamped and said nothing, acted innocent and being polite). I'm actually thinking of either tell her about her lies or cancel my attendance, either one is a difficult decision.

What would you do?

Thanks all for your read or comments.

I had a short stint, about 2 months, looking after disabled kids and teenagers when I was 17. It was a voluntary job about 30 mins drive from my home. Transport and food provided. The facility was run by a local church that got its funding mostly from Sweden.

Some of those kids were lucky, they had families to go back home at the end of the day. Some were not that lucky......

There was a 9 year-old boy who was brought to the center with bloodied ankles. Apparently, his family had no one to look after him at home and decided to shackle him to the post outside the car porch so that he wouldn't soil the inside of their house...

A teenage mom who had an intelligence of a 5 year-old kid who had been impregnated by strangers over and over again.....she had the sweetest disposition, always smiling at waving at me when she sees me every morning....

Sadly, when I left that place after 2 months, I got too caught up in my own problems to think of them..

When I watched this clip, I can't help but feel in awe of this man. Admiration and respect quickly followed suit. Love his final statement..."There's always good in this world, more than the bad, always..."