Family Blogs (544)

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..."

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.

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

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.

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

I don't normally write about my personal life but today was my daughters graduation and I'm feel so proud about her I want to shout it out to the world. My little devil is growing so quickly. She will now be studying aboard and I will miss her but mums always do what is best for their kids..

starting to lean threateningly toward the Ponderosa Mansion here. 40 or so meters tall. Took it down in pieces, with much regret, as I normally spend my time hugging the big girls. (Hugging big girls, now there's a thought) Like a sniper, have had this old girl in the crosshairs for some time. She served us well, as a location for various antennas, a tire swing when the twins were younger, for shade, and just for her beauty. Will also help this winter in the wood stove, after she's in little pieces and has a chance to dry out. But the writing was on the wall. Even though she still had a few large greening branches up top in the sky, and again this season was producing those wierd other worldly Gymnosperm "ersatz flowers", that become pine cones, most of the lower ones were drying and falling, also a threat to wires. (and to passers by). But how sad was the process. After taking down the top ten feet or so, she began to exude that wonderful smelling sticky pine sap, methinks in panic, as part of some ancient evolved protective strategy---traps for invaiding borring beetles, bandages after wind or lightning damage? Is it dumm to tear up not a little over all this? Aa.

Long weekend for all, so taking the twins up the road to New Brunswick. Reversing Falls in St. Johns, St. Stevens chocolate factory. Last time here they were infants---now at university, and boy are they noticing the interesting little differences betweeen home and our nearest neighboring country. Street signage, time zone, money, accents, and so on. Among the sweetest everyday people you'd meet anywhere as well. But clash of technology in the car, where I've been roundly ridiculed for having a car radio with BOTH CD and casette players, but none of the more modern junk, like MP3 whatever. Until, that is, when I popped in a 120 minute audio casette of the best cuts from half a dozen CD's of an early '90's Grunge band that I recorded this week. "Hey, we know that cool music---it's Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. How'd you get that stuff to play in the car, Dad?" But they like my vinyl set up at home. Aa.

To all friends and members here who celebrate and respect Ramadan

My son didn't come home to me last night because his dad and step mom took him out shopping for Ramadan. He was very excited and I;m so happy about it. I do celebrate Ramadan and Eid as much as I can, it feels good to reflect and do some self renewal, spend more time with loved ones and be more kind to less fortunate people...should be everyday but we all tend to get busy in life and forget other far more important things.

I love Ramadan and Eid here, it's a great time for love and giving and spending more time with family. Will prepare "Iftar" and share them with friends who are coming over for a Bible study later...best part is I have a long weekend away from work so plenty of time to clean up and to sleep and sleep as much as I can till I get busy again.

Have a weekend everyone

the more strident of the domestic violence workers were publishing pamplets claiming that over 95% of such criminal activity was perpetuated by men. These would be the typical obese, unloved, angry, saggy, shagged out old mares, with histories of their own abuse, never resolved therapeutically, who tend to staff such "womens' " centers. And it's true. In heterosexual intimate partner violence, men tend to do more assaulting. Of course, among lesbians, it's a moot issue, except that their rates of IPV are sky high. Less so in poofter pairs. But as soon as mothers' abuse of their own children began to get included in more valid statistics, the alleged 95% dropped closer to 50-50, Don't take my word for it. Happy Mothers' Day to all grounded decent moms. Aa.