Meta tags:
description=small things big lessons;

Headings (most frequently used words):

the, too, recent, vinaxios, menu, in, memoriam, little, much, or, just, right, self, erected, barriers, art, of, giving, is, now, calling, her, mom, again, fallen, basket, blessings, are, on, me, garbage, and, kimchi, pre, loved, paying, for, our, bad, habits, posts, comments, archives, categories, meta, post, navigation, small, things, big, lessons,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (296), and (242), that (119), her (118), not (85), was (77), for (73), mom (72), she (70), with (65), they (63), our (57), one (56), from (53), are (52), when (52), have (49), time (43), but (43), their (43), you (39), this (36), more (36), who (35), what (32), can (31), while (30), may (29), mother (29), yet (27), even (27), were (26), than (25), there (25), only (24), has (24), now (23), love (22), into (21), many (21), out (21), been (21), good (21), said (20), left (20), them (20), much (19), over (19), then (19), could (19), well (19), would (19), life (18), years (18), other (17), away (17), which (17), having (17), all (16), being (16), also (16), had (16), food (16), #little (15), rather (15), will (15), used (15), others (15), things (14), day (14), after (14), loved (14), basket (14), giving (13), new (13), often (13), person (13), his (13), home (13), down (13), too (12), just (12), long (12), find (12), way (12), back (12), through (12), still (12), how (12), these (12), see (12), like (11), never (11), enough (11), thumb (11), hand (11), give (11), most (11), friends (11), christmas (11), those (11), about (11), human (10), family (10), faith (10), first (10), together (10), own (10), vlvhl12 (10), happy (10), death (10), someone (10), until (10), your (10), need (10), before (10), get (9), nature (9), again (9), self (9), right (9), any (9), take (9), look (9), say (9), last (9), came (9), another (9), off (9), always (9), its (9), very (9), didn (9), though (9), pre (9), child (9), parents (9), alone (9), feeling (9), 2022 (8), some (8), something (8), trigger (8), both (8), looking (8), old (8), told (8), remember (8), god (8), where (8), spirit (8), come (8), passed (8), know (8), dementia (8), blessed (8), since (8), psychology (7), health (7), behaviour (7), 2021 (7), december (7), least (7), without (7), gone (7), usually (7), finally (7), finger (7), hands (7), because (7), myself (7), given (7), however (7), become (7), looked (7), feel (7), better (7), end (7), don (7), items (7), full (7), few (7), ever (7), voice (7), joy (7), lot (7), impatiens (7), ones (7), piggy (7), less (7), year (7), already (6), relationships (6), 2013 (6), recent (6), bad (6), pain (6), true (6), doing (6), did (6), put (6), noticed (6), mine (6), late (6), asked (6), people (6), once (6), part (6), ready (6), ourselves (6), understand (6), son (6), around (6), later (6), cars (6), particularly (6), result (6), onto (6), same (6), days (6), accent (6), call (6), nice (6), maybe (6), brother (6), father (6), took (6), two (6), eating (6), crack (6), flowers (6), summer (6), photographs (6), care (6), grew (6), per (6), cent (6), school (6), wordpress (5), com (5), vinaxios (5), create (5), parenting (5), emotions (5), communication (5), christianity (5), june (5), august (5), november (5), 2018 (5), 2023 (5), kimchi (5), habits (5), amongst (5), lifting (5), couldn (5), quite (5), further (5), despite (5), such (5), body (5), unconditional (5), him (5), truly (5), gave (5), children (5), equally (5), heart (5), whom (5), means (5), early (5), show (5), waiting (5), help (5), second (5), times (5), pandemic (5), comes (5), big (5), behind (5), each (5), birthday (5), likely (5), began (5), showed (5), height (5), cannot (5), suddenly (5), think (5), mama (5), sometimes (5), nothing (5), generous (5), merry (5), class (5), view (4), free (4), society (4), points (4), blessings (4), change (4), tugging (4), lives (4), fall (4), living (4), house (4), use (4), mind (4), sure (4), approach (4), contrary (4), morning (4), consistent (4), number (4), importantly (4), place (4), friend (4), medical (4), including (4), tried (4), worth (4), make (4), wait (4), far (4), treat (4), bring (4), keep (4), themselves (4), furniture (4), value (4), hub (4), imagine (4), beginning (4), appreciate (4), hold (4), forever (4), desire (4), direction (4), attention (4), money (4), couple (4), called (4), unfortunately (4), tongue (4), lived (4), except (4), truth (4), matter (4), shopping (4), case (4), must (4), inflation (4), needs (4), helper (4), dare (4), enjoy (4), watched (4), pieces (4), during (4), open (4), tumbling (4), water (4), became (4), upon (4), beauty (4), does (4), arrival (4), dead (4), nickname (4), recognize (4), experience (4), let (4), grandchildren (4), whether (4), respondents (4), die (4), poor (4), best (4), lost (4), spoke (4), interview (4), started (3), website (3), comments (3), log (3), sign (3), join (3), feed (3), work (3), philosophy (3), medicine (3), community (3), business (3), july (3), september (3), 2020 (3), january (3), violetlotushealing (3), garbage (3), memoriam (3), calling (3), art (3), erected (3), barriers (3), facial (3), hair (3), stay (3), survive (3), longer (3), damage (3), happens (3), lack (3), chinese (3), blame (3), believe (3), weight (3), repetitive (3), thing (3), habit (3), locked (3), cream (3), doctor (3), anything (3), causes (3), position (3), read (3), caused (3), handed (3), nevertheless (3), paying (3), bible (3), doesn (3), himself (3), weak (3), dying (3), going (3), harsh (3), turned (3), walk (3), return (3), born (3), face (3), sorry (3), quickly (3), baby (3), journey (3), difficult (3), kind (3), neither (3), circular (3), here (3), wife (3), desired (3), stop (3), clever (3), past (3), save (3), ikea (3), friday (3), along (3), multiculturalism (3), language (3), dialect (3), speak (3), fun (3), tell (3), hard (3), mask (3), grocery (3), sale (3), supply (3), carefully (3), somehow (3), pick (3), ask (3), political (3), either (3), commented (3), wish (3), tested (3), gladly (3), eat (3), regressed (3), 94th (3), dinner (3), memory (3), ago (3), feeding (3), stuck (3), night (3), sat (3), table (3), made (3), forgotten (3), delicious (3), week (3), covid (3), meals (3), herself (3), favorite (3), fallen (3), trying (3), inadvertently (3), red (3), settle (3), state (3), taking (3), inside (3), hang (3), corner (3), start (3), hearing (3), interestingly (3), memories (3), lose (3), sharing (3), effort (3), towards (3), inviting (3), group (3), christian (3), household (3), offended (3), fear (3), shared (3), conversation (3), hungry (3), talking (3), point (3), overeating (3), starvation (3), suggest (3), experienced (3), aged (3), peers (3), sunday (3), thankful (3), instead (3), parcels (3), premature (3), small (3), design (2), site (2), name (2), required (2), comment (2), manage (2), reader (2), content (2), subscribed (2), subscribe (2), account (2), blog (2), science (2), economics (2), cognition (2), october (2), april (2), mathew (2), unconscious (2), making (2), door (2), isn (2), immediate (2), obvious (2), real (2), example (2), regular (2), exercises (2), repair (2), needless (2), argument (2), marriage (2), idiom (2), puts (2), ice (2), motion (2), bend (2), labor (2), aware (2), lock (2), intriguing (2), easily (2), adopted (2), involving (2), quietly (2), thus (2), naturally (2), woke (2), triggered (2), changed (2), remedy (2), relieved (2), failing (2), regularly (2), patient (2), treated (2), thought (2), learned (2), bestowed (2), painful (2), necessary (2), relief (2), cases (2), common (2), among (2), above (2), soon (2), realized (2), meaning (2), failings (2), branding (2), holiday (2), message (2), translation (2), sacrificial (2), wouldn (2), known (2), anyway (2), offering (2), whatever (2), john (2), saving (2), lovable (2), inherited (2), against (2), created (2), patiently (2), embrace (2), humans (2), hidden (2), varied (2), grow (2), mothers (2), window (2), smile (2), nurse (2), wrong (2), world (2), should (2), reality (2), received (2), coming (2), problem (2), emotional (2), orphans (2), staff (2), knows (2), unlike (2), determined (2), order (2), recycling (2), process (2), finding (2), wonder (2), applies (2), husband (2), admired (2), previous (2), worse (2), mention (2), sounds (2), gives (2), offers (2), refuse (2), course (2), furnitures (2), rest (2), comfortably (2), working (2), green (2), anymore (2), drawing (2), try (2), cantonese (2), version (2), allure (2), english (2), sound (2), siblings (2), anyone (2), speaks (2), adopting (2), moved (2), move (2), different (2), miss (2), buying (2), across (2), cheese (2), almost (2), pointed (2), half (2), exposed (2), lady (2), thanks (2), loud (2), groceries (2), fellow (2), certain (2), live (2), abundance (2), culture (2), interests (2), met (2), accept (2), nonetheless (2), fact (2), limited (2), caring (2), forgets (2), disinhibited (2), uncensored (2), words (2), lovingly (2), albeit (2), physical (2), gluttonous (2), needed (2), fade (2), hers (2), elderly (2), wheelchair (2), scene (2), pace (2), 401 (2), positive (2), otherwise (2), wave (2), apart (2), protracted (2), assist (2), meal (2), highway (2), serious (2), accident (2), venture (2), ignoring (2), growth (2), blossom (2), crash (2), bouquet (2), soil (2), broken (2), described (2), high (2), visible (2), pay (2), barely (2), noticeable (2), pressure (2), growing (2), fast (2), remembered (2), transplanted (2), twice (2), inhabitants (2), sending (2), within (2), instantly (2), satisfaction (2), round (2), places (2), risk (2), heat (2), parts (2), choose (2), color (2), getting (2), running (2), victoria (2), fell (2), tradition (2), confidence (2), drastic (2), weeks (2), term (2), grandma (2), endeared (2), mamie (2), reverse (2), rosy (2), cheeks (2), standing (2), front (2), staring (2), uncommon (2), displayed (2), dining (2), inheritance (2), gifting (2), arms (2), visit (2), seem (2), future (2), faces (2), retirement (2), spending (2), retired (2), share (2), charity (2), valued (2), isolation (2), thinking (2), correctness (2), holidays (2), leger (2), survey (2), canadian (2), non (2), greetings (2), saying (2), greeting (2), offending (2), might (2), somewhat (2), wondered (2), afterwards (2), older (2), earth (2), topic (2), interest (2), hesitancy (2), local (2), really (2), lord (2), famished (2), enjoyed (2), deprived (2), everyone (2), else (2), appreciation (2), occasions (2), opportunities (2), usual (2), diminished (2), hardly (2), hunger (2), fullness (2), starved (2), crave (2), salivate (2), spend (2), starving (2), rarely (2), every (2), canada (2), grateful (2), heaven (2), visited (2), prepare (2), tender (2), skin (2), age (2), eyes (2), beautiful (2), fragrance (2), control (2), snacks (2), actions (2), james (2), vision (2), head (2), loving (2), plate (2), brought (2), prepped (2), primary (2), provided (2), hospital (2), opportunity (2), worsened (2), guardian (2), angel (2), available (2), subjected (2), kindergarten (2), lessons (2), email, write, loading, collapse, bar, subscriptions, report, privacy, subscribers, post, navigation, entries, meta, war, uncategorized, travel, technology, system, categories, 2015, march, 2016, 2019, archives, letting, friendshi, jus, posts, search, behavior, triggers, insidiously, slip, fanfare, breather, confronted, rear, analogous, overlooking, reason, contributes, finance, relationship, incidental, cripples, credit, cards, unexpected, bill, breaks, bitter, ends, meter, deep, frozen, slippery, patch, untimely, whoever, repetitively, culprit, typically, bears, stood, strenuous, intensive, comparison, mild, radar, mindful, slipped, found, idling, maneuver, involves, fingers, occupied, spared, conscripted, ceased, tug, returns, knew, bearing, happened, persisted, sometime, persevering, straightened, thumbs, recommended, apply, rub, a535, improve, prescription, glucosamine, diclofenac, cyclobenzaprine, suggested, perhaps, cautioned, cease, movements, involve, seasoned, went, illustrate, successfully, believed, immediately, consulting, dear, formal, training, laboratory, intelligent, voracious, suffered, assortment, ailments, prolonged, illness, makes, describes, honourary, doctorate, google, diagnosed, stenosing, tenosynovitis, inflammation, tendon, sheath, affected, bent, ranges, mildly, annoying, depending, severity, steroid, shot, unresolved, intervention, surgery, severe, learnt, occupations, require, motions, typing, gripping, exacerbate, condition, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, arthritis, none, unable, succeeded, stiff, straighten, counted, fortunate, dispensable, recycle, story, reading, roman, arrives, happen, presented, rebellious, hadn, noble, inspire, selfless, sacrifice, line, 1john, msg, grace, realities, news, unconditionally, favors, exercised, freedom, awaits, existed, continues, fair, blatant, favoritism, instinctively, react, differently, temperaments, adamant, nasty, surprise, consider, nursery, adoring, mdm, gaze, embryos, planted, birth, confusion, ache, hefty, law, suits, fertility, centers, fought, devoted, confused, lamented, positively, meaningful, invigorating, admit, easy, possible, admirable, remains, unfortunate, impossible, researches, orphanages, affects, development, frequent, caregivers, shifts, jobs, fortunately, seller, buyer, sit, passively, complete, rests, carry, dejected, vulnerable, matured, dates, totally, environmentally, friendly, usable, hey, buck, lured, mean, ditched, liberated, partner, rejected, stroke, untainted, newness, steer, wants, inherit, image, item, gingerly, owned, air, liberation, set, owner, piece, gem, yearning, final, mission, clenching, euphemism, beautified, align, theme, picking, drawn, quality, assured, advertising, ploy, psyche, plus, member, additional, apparently, description, recently, promotion, bought, car, lots, renamed, evolved, preowned, vehicles, somewhere, returned, defected, electronics, refurbished, clearly, properly, allowing, multicultural, audrey, hepburn, ruth, westheimer, british, queen, mesmerized, french, mandarine, melodic, civilized, languages, exposures, objective, rich, history, evolving, slangs, proud, interferes, foreign, bases, shed, original, next, venue, costco, amused, encounter, condescending, locate, warehouse, decide, strategy, areas, spotted, shouted, crowd, puzzled, uttered, philadelphia, spelled, nod, muffled, asian, distorted, understanding, shopper, nearby, overheard, sell, goes, denial, neighborhood, store, check, iceberg, lettuces, sky, rocketing, chain, problems, strategize, stretch, budget, task, interrupted, enquiring, shouldn, surprised, project, knowledgeable, questions, shoppers, females, guys, directions, female, gently, piles, cabbages, stacking, putting, aside, policy, debates, richer, brings, unique, offer, altogether, monotonous, bland, verbal, exchange, disperse, tongues, tower, babel, nationalism, melting, pot, pros, cons, polarized, models, compromise, debated, arguments, sides, largely, based, ideology, social, economic, evidences, alzheimers, wonderful, compliment, ill, tempered, fail, watches, says, genuine, intently, fat, mumbled, sheepishly, embarrassment, fed, comfort, lacks, faculty, intricacies, involved, delay, gratification, moment, meeting, instantaneous, lasting, begins, doze, trip, germany, breakfast, hotel, restaurant, admiringly, gentleman, painstakingly, 9pm, snail, ate, spoon, chopsticks, sliced, mouth, enjoying, asking, verbally, express, feelings, paused, smiled, hug, offered, stomach, grumble, tempted, momentarily, gobble, turn, cold, lunch, symptoms, omicron, gathering, shielded, infected, symptom, rapid, tests, hours, negative, precaution, poses, theoretically, mechanically, stare, period, assisted, solution, finished, hit, afternoon, traffic, congested, middle, 6th, planned, endure, cooking, gardening, reminded, weaknesses, addressed, damaging, wounds, achilles, heel, spring, forth, hasten, cost, taught, patience, bouncing, resemblance, returning, tumbles, takes, recover, shocking, shaken, nerves, bruised, roots, footing, virtue, spoil, undue, haste, passive, pastime, prune, stalling, picked, salvage, transplanting, detect, cracks, intact, felt, onward, wanted, glorious, gleam, hope, rejuvenation, weren, hanged, temporary, existence, nutrients, thrive, reluctantly, pulled, describe, experiences, held, lofty, hurts, benign, unbearable, intended, nourish, burden, showered, inherent, weakness, unattended, untreated, wound, mend, seen, hairline, poured, weighted, reached, threshold, widened, deadly, momentum, sent, smashing, impact, distant, root, blossoming, redness, amidst, bed, cedar, hanging, baskets, elevate, plants, nourished, buildup, won, sleeping, feet, wet, watered, heard, thumping, ground, cracked, spluttered, remained, lopsided, smashed, reminiscent, motor, vehicle, annual, rituals, gazebo, backyard, mark, type, yard, shade, stand, relative, shadowed, garden, creating, surely, prearranged, particular, side, rooted, belonged, colors, officially, solstice, falls, northern, hemisphere, winter, usher, weekend, honored, unofficial, ontario, gardeners, flocking, nurseries, bringing, perennials, blooming, gardens, acquisitions, onwards, barring, occasional, weather, thunderstorm, trees, tens, thousands, power, record, breaking, endearment, shred, devaluation, begin, rethink, usage, sprang, dawned, members, nicknames, grandmother, pronunciation, genuinely, personality, trait, nicknaming, excused, bestowment, chubbiness, smily, refer, teased, affirmed, companies, constrained, remind, lonely, reactivate, fading, noticeably, softly, utters, portraits, families, traveling, homes, special, touch, electronic, pictures, visual, images, convenient, instant, upload, refresh, photo, albums, recall, magic, flipping, pages, excitement, introducing, acquaintance, philantrophy, fool, gain, jim, elliot, highlighted, insecurities, cook, seniors, four, modest, generously, leave, obligations, material, taken, volunteering, bank, assisting, aging, cushion, pension, spends, splurge, realize, hastily, arranging, garage, desperately, donate, junk, removers, haul, irony, earlier, shelf, unused, clogging, closet, space, useless, attractive, freely, estate, recipients, alive, requires, willingness, closer, student, church, becomes, timely, leaves, draw, reconnect, sumptuous, expect, exceptions, overlap, receive, acts, robbed, spontaneity, alienated, connected, generic, safe, offend, pondering, postmedia, opinion, examining, attitudes, religion, relates, season, shows, nationwide, greet, compared, minority, subset, deliberately, avoid, strangers, avoided, culturally, religiously, eight, according, andrew, enns, executive, vice, president, institutions, governments, businesses, guess, politically, correct, passing, seems, strong, majority, tend, worrying, interaction, uneasy, spontaneous, enthusiastic, intrusive, sports, activities, disturbing, bit, possibly, circle, protective, guarded, habituation, indoctrinated, north, american, step, toes, switched, keeping, fit, spontaneously, invited, playing, pickle, ball, tai, chi, meet, weekly, reflected, regulars, library, chatted, casually, crossed, paths, led, dropped, peripheral, lasted, circumstances, allowed, proverbs, niv, falsehood, lies, poverty, nor, riches, daily, bread, disown, steal, dishonor, wiseman, spoken, devour, feels, obligated, consume, waste, amount, general, plentiful, enjoyment, augments, eventually, regain, overindulge, toned, row, blankly, tables, mostly, desserts, untouched, normally, treats, cup, tea, coffee, posed, overindulgence, overwhelmed, demand, competition, participants, demands, understandably, satiation, extreme, versus, bursting, admittedly, misfortune, suggesting, lesser, evils, base, phenomenon, arguably, imagined, dive, relate, opposed, interested, buy, bloating, fantasy, contrast, 望梅止渴, quench, thirst, plums, desirable, under, intuitive, overeat, close, extent, malnutrition, binging, gorging, vomiting, aspiration, bleeding, actually, planteration, demise, grief, fementua, heavenly, names, picture, pause, tenderly, sons, selfish, complaints, accolade, opposite, responded, willingly, fashion, migrate, relatives, spouse, younger, welcomed, minute, completed, earthly, firmly, haven, knowing, sense, ventured, developed, sight, length, silly, worried, destination, promised, allayed, trusted, saw, prepared, worry, rooms, jesus, youth, gracefully, diminish, becoming, dry, wrinkled, closed, breath, departing, sensed, nine, fruits, characters, galatians, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, results, indulgence, qualified, pondered, cliche, compares, highlights, counts, aren, reference, abraham, considered, righteous, essence, impulsive, talk, minds, unpretentious, teacher, loudly, audible, yah, winded, shhh, minimize, obediently, stayed, lowered, walked, asleep, awakened, classmates, wheeled, downstairs, worship, service, leaving, tasted, occasionally, 唔好食, taste, kept, cleaning, complaint, watching, subtle, unnoticeable, resided, permeating, passage, deeds, frail, interviewed, screened, candidates, street, observing, assessing, deciding, entrance, prepping, present, willing, difference, outcome, failed, giver, proved, liked, contact, considerate, till, raise, gaining, independence, dependent, childlike, sweet, wise, ways, kitchen

Text of the page (random words):
to give than to receive acts 20 35 i have well off and not so well off friends i also have generous and not so generous friends interestingly the well off and the generous group do not usually overlap more often than not the less well off ones are the more generous ones wonder whether this has been your experience too i ve known this couple for a long time ever since the student days when we grew up together in the same church now the wife has just retired and the husband not far from behind they take joy in gifting and inviting their good friends to share delicious meals together often this tradition becomes particularly timely given the long isolation since the pandemic and now high inflation often leaves one thinking twice before eating out by doing so they draw friends together to reconnect over sumptuous food and they expect no return but they are the few exceptions amongst the well to do group giving now and giving in the future through one s estate are not quite the same whether the recipients are family friends or charity as good and as generous as it may be giving away after one s death is giving away things one needs no more and things that one cannot bring along anyway giving away money when we are still alive requires a willingness to part with something that we can never be sure if we may ever need them one day to me this is closer to the spirit of giving we don t have to be dead though to realize that things we hold onto until death may lose their value along the way we often find ourselves hastily arranging a garage sale desperately looking for a charity to donate to or even pay junk removers to haul away things when we move house the irony is that these items would have been much desired better used and valued by others earlier in their shelf life unfortunately they had been hidden unused and clogging up our closet space all these years towards the end they become useless to us and not that attractive to others even when freely given away giving has many faces and is by no means limited to material things alone another friend of mine has taken on an early retirement he s now spending time volunteering in the food bank and assisting in the care of his aging father he can easily stay longer at work to cushion up his pension or even now that he s retired spends his time and money to splurge on himself yet both him and the other couple choose to share what they have with others then there s another couple who often cook for and visit their elderly friends in need well not that they have nothing better to do they are seniors themselves who often need to look after their four grandchildren despite their modest means of living they give generously to others they once told me that they may have nothing to leave to their grandchildren but they are giving what they have now their children seem to understand and value what they are offering now more so than an inheritance in the future more importantly they give out of love rather than obligations those highlighted above are the clever ones amongst us as they give now they experience the joy of giving while they still can and not later when they are gone as we open our arms to let go of our insecurities we free them up to embrace joy that comes with our giving that s the art of giving now he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose jim elliot faith family human nature life parenting philosophy points of view relationships gifting inheritance philantrophy 0 calling her mom again december 21 2022 vlvhl12 it s not uncommon that we find portraits or photographs of families traveling together displayed at homes to bring back special touch and memories electronic pictures have since made sharing of these visual images convenient and instant you may be at one end of the world but you will see instantly with whom and on what i m dining at the other that is if you even care however i cannot remember the last time i made the effort to upload old photographs to refresh my memory not to mention sharing them with others yet for those old enough to remember what physical photo albums look like you may recall the magic of flipping through the pages with your loved ones or the excitement of introducing your past to your new acquaintance photographs make good companies for those who live alone or constrained because of health they remind them that while they maybe alone they do not need to feel lonely photographs also help to reactivate memories in those of us who are beginning to lose them with dementia my mother s memories have been fading and even more noticeably in recent years she does not recognize most people be they standing in front of her or staring through her old photographs she sometimes does not even recognize herself yet there is one person whom she can always pick from the photographs recognize and call out who she is she softly utters 媽媽 in chinese mama or 母親 mother most if not all members of her big family were bestowed with nicknames for example my grandmother was called 時拉 which is the reverse pronunciation of nice as i understand because she had such a genuinely nice personality somehow i inherited the trait of nicknaming from her family my mother was not excused from my bestowment as she regressed to become more like a child together with her chubbiness and rosy smily cheeks i began to call her little piggy her nickname took off and soon my brother and some good friends began to refer to her as little piggy as well interestingly sometimes when i teased and asked if she is a 豬仔 little piggy or 人仔 little person she would think for a little while and said i m a little person to which i affirmed while little piggy is a term of endearment used in good spirit with no shred of devaluation i begin to rethink its usage of late it all sprang from hearing my mother calling my grandma mama or 母親 and not the endeared nickname 時拉 or others it dawned on me then that while grandma was 時拉 the nice lovable person to many she was mama alone to my mom and her siblings equally while little piggy is lovingly called by others she is mamie to me and my brother alone and when she is gone one day while i may find another piggy there will be no one to call mom anymore for there would have only been one mamie to me family life nickname 0 the fallen basket june 6 2022 vlvhl12 summer does not officially start until summer solstice which falls on june 21 or 22 in the northern hemisphere however most of us having gone through a harsh winter could not wait but usher in summer over the victoria day long weekend which fell on may 21 to 23 even if one forgets about this well honored tradition of summer s unofficial arrival in ontario one couldn t help but noticed gardeners flocking to nurseries bringing home their favorite flowers before the perennials start blooming in their gardens victoria day s arrival offers us confidence that our new acquisitions will survive from this day onwards barring the occasional drastic weather and drastic we did have already from a thunderstorm on may 21 that left 10 dead many fallen trees and tens of thousands without power for days into weeks and then a record breaking heat on may 31 amongst other annual rituals i hang a basket of impatiens on the gazebo in the corner of my backyard to mark the beginning of summer rather than buying a ready to hang basket i usually create one myself this way i get to choose the color and type that will do well in that corner of my yard red impatiens usually survive the shade and stand out in the relative shadowed part of the garden further creating my own basket surely save some money than getting a prearranged one particular in these days of running inflation the only down side unlike a ready to hang basket flowers take time to settle after being transplanted into their adopted basket they need to be comfortably rooted before they feel belonged grow and show their true colors a week has passed and i looked with satisfaction from a distant window to see my basket of impatiens taking root and blossoming into a round bouquet of redness amidst a bed of green cedar behind hanging baskets elevate their inhabitants to a new height where they can show their beauty their height however also places them at risk i water my plants early in the morning to keep them well nourished from the heat buildup through the summer day and early enough so that they won t be sleeping with their feet wet during the night as i watered my impatiens i suddenly heard a big thumping sound and watched the basket tumbling down hard onto the ground the basket cracked open and the flowers spluttered out with only parts remained inside lopsided if not smashed it s reminiscent of the scene of a motor vehicle accident i remembered having seen a barely visible crack on the basket when i first transplanted the impatiens ignoring the hairline crack i didn t think twice if the basket would hold its inhabitants well and it did until the water that i poured in weighted on it the pressure suddenly reached a threshold where the crack widened sending the basket with the flowers within tumbling down together the height of the flowers created the deadly momentum that sent it tumbling smashing instantly on impact what was just described may well describe many of our life experiences being held high and visible often puts us in a lofty and admired position but when we fall from that height it hurts a lot more nonetheless one cannot blame on height alone the crack that i didn t pay much attention to was already there a barely noticeable crack was benign until the pressure on it became unbearable what was intended to nourish us in our growing process like water for the flowers could become a burden when showered upon too much too fast more so an inherent weakness in us when unattended to and untreated suddenly became an open wound that no remedy was ready to mend i picked up and tried to salvage all the pieces transplanting them into another basket this time with one that i could detect no cracks other than the intact pieces i stuck back a few broken ones which i felt i could save from that day onward i carefully watched over the sorry state of my impatiens while i so wanted to see them quickly return to their glorious state which was there only the day before i would be happy to settle with any sign of life or gleam of hope for rejuvenation there was not much i could do but to water and wait i noticed the broken pieces that i stuck back into the soil weren t doing much they hanged onto their sorry state of temporary existence while drawing nutrients away from those trying to thrive reluctantly yet determined i pulled them out now a week or so has passed since that tumbling crash i can see some resemblance of a red bouquet returning in life not only do we fall from time to time we try to come back from our tumbles it takes time for us to recover from a shocking crash of whatever kind our shaken nerves like the bruised roots need to settle in the soil find our footing and wait to blossom again waiting is a virtue as we can spoil things by undue haste waiting is nevertheless not a passive pastime as we take time to prune away what is stalling our growth the crack of the fallen basket reminded me that weaknesses in us not addressed in time can open up to damaging wounds ignoring one s achilles heel while trying to spring forth and hasten growth can inadvertently cost more damage on this my impatiens has taught me patience in the journey to bouncing back and blossom behaviour emotions human nature life parenting psychology gardening 2 the blessings are on me may 2 2022 vlvhl12 never realized until i hit the highway one late friday afternoon how traffic has become so congested again despite being in the middle of our 6th wave of covid that said a serious accident on highway 401 didn t help however given it was my mother s 94th birthday i had planned to venture out and pick up her favorite food rather than have her endure my cooking yet again during this protracted pandemic a week ago i sat down for lunch with 8 old friends as a result at least 6 of us were tested positive and showed symptoms of omicron after our otherwise happy gathering having had covid during the first wave likely has shielded me from being infected again i showed no symptom and my two rapid tests 36 hours apart were both negative yet as a precaution i have been eating my meals away from the rest at the dinner table it poses a problem though when my mother s helper is away while mom can theoretically feed herself mechanically her dementia causes her to stop and stare at her food for protracted period of time if not assisted the solution is to assist feeding her first with my mask on and then have my meal away from her when she is finished back to that friday night on her 94th birthday needless to say it was well past 9pm when we sat down at the dinner table after i finally made it home at a snail s pace on 401 i watched mom ate as i used spoon and chopsticks to carefully put sliced pieces of food in her mouth i could see that she was enjoying her food even though she didn t say much i remember once asking mom are you happy she looked at me and said i don t know may be she has forgotten what happy means or maybe she can no longer verbally express her feelings but then she paused smiled at me and said give me a hug to which i gladly offered now my stomach began to grumble as feeding mom took time and i was so tempted to put down my mask momentarily and quickly gobble down the delicious looking food which was beginning to turn cold i remember a trip to germany with my mother and brother quite a number of years ago my father has already passed away then having breakfast one morning in the hotel restaurant my mother watched admiringly at an elderly gentleman patiently and painstakingly feeding his wife in a wheelchair my mom commented he must love her very much that scene and her comment stuck in my mind since someone looking at mom being fed lovingly on her 94th birthday in the comfort of her home albeit a little late for dinner for an old lady may well say she s so blessed yet the truth of the matter is that the blessings are on me you see while mom has her physical and may i dare say her emotional needs met she now lacks the full faculty to enjoy or appreciate the intricacies involved on the contrary while i had to delay my gluttonous gratification for a moment my joy of meeting her need when her needs are needed most is both instantaneous and long lasting at least until my own memory begins to fade as such my doze of blessings are more than hers people who either know me for a long time or have just met mom and i a few times often commented you are such a wonderful son i wish i am but the truth of the matter is i don t know the reality is that i have not been tested it would be a true compliment and i would gladly accept it if only my mother is a difficult ill tempered person and ...