Closing Shop

So I am going into hibernation as far as my blog is concerned..I am not sure if and when I might pick it back up, but as of now I won't be posting any articles until I feel led otherwise :) To be honest, there is no particular reason for this decision..I just don't feel like doing it anymore ..Period ..
I just have to laugh cuz that's how I do life :-) It's been soo nice to have a venting box for my thoughts, but I guess the next season in life has come knocking..And I ain't afraid of doing what I gotta do when I gotta do it..So everyone who happens to come upon this page, may God bless you mightily and direct you in the path you need to go..give you wisdom to see that there is an Omnipotent God waiting to adopt you as his child if you bow your knees, and let him take control...I wish you the best in this journey called life..Peace yall!!

Gotta admire him

He got to be one one of the most confident people in NYC..love it!!

Prayer of the day 11/04/09

My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

My find this past weekend :P

Warning: Sugar in abundance

I’m the slave of the Moon; talk of nothing but moon.
Or brightness and sweetness. Other than that, say nothing.
Don’t tell of suffering, talk of nothing but blessings.
If you know nothing about them, no matter. Say nothing.
Last night I went wild. Love saw me and said:
I’m here. Don’t shout, don’t rip your shirt, say nothing.
I said: O Love, what I fear is something else.
There’s nothing there. Say nothing.
I’ll whisper secret words in your ears. Just nod yes.
Except for that nod of your head, say nothing.
A moon pure as spirit rose on the heart’s pathway.
What a joy, to travel the way of the heart. Say nothing.
I said: O Heart, what is this moon? Heart beckoned:
For now, it’s not for you to know. Say nothing.
I said: Is this face angel or human?
Neither angel nor human. It is other, say nothing.
I said: What’s this? I’ll lose my mind if you don’t tell me.
It said: Then lose your mind, and stay that way. Say nothing.
You who sit in this house filled with images and illusions,
get up, walk out the door. Go, and say nothing.
I said: O Heart, tell me kindly: Isn’t this about God?
It said: Yes it is, but kindly say nothing.

Thank You

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Holy Holy Holy

Great is your mercy

Hannah's Prayer

My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;
upon them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."

The story of a bike

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics

So last night I went to watch Cavs play the Boston Celtics @ Ohio State ..I totally had to be a Celtics fan for the night as they truly were the under dog (the stadium was booing them the whole time..whaaa.... tho there were 3 celtics fans behind me whom I could have easily murdered if I wouldn't have gone to prison..I am kidding..well maybe not so much hah) .. I do have to admit King James was doing his thing, and it was hard not to be sucked into the the triumphant mood of the crowd:P
Ps: I had terrace streets tho.... sighhh

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Video

Tere Liye from Veer Zaara

Bollywood never fails to feed my romantic idealist ways hahah

Prayer of the day 10/22/09

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

What are you? A Carrot, an Egg, or Aromatic Coffee Beans

My friend Alicia forwarded me this story ..Deeper than deep...Thanks Baby Hall :P

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Prayer of the day 10/21/09

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

The danger of a single story

What I can do with right now

DEFINITELY THIS
AND
OR
OR

Diwali, The Festival of Lights (Oct 17, 2009)

Prayer of the day 10/20/09

Your word, O LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
To all perfection I see a limit;
but your commands are boundless.
Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

I know the one who answers

From the canyons of the mind
We wander on and stumble blind
Wade through the often tangled maze
Of starless nights and sunless days
Hoping for some kind of clue
A road to lead us to the truth
But who will answer?

Is our hope in walnut shells
Worn 'round the neck with temple bells
Or deep within some cloistered walls
Where hooded figures pray in shawls
Or high upon some dusty shelves
Or in the stars or in ourselves
Who will answer?

If the soul is darkened by a fear it cannot name
If the mind is baffled when the rules don't fit the game
Then who will answer?
Who will answer?

Subway Series

Baked Eggs and Avacado appetizer...

So I am trying to strengthen my cooking muscles.. This time around it went a bit better than the Pumpkin Bread saga....I was planning on retiring my apron if things went otherwise..hah
Side Note: I saw the recipe for Baked Eggs from the blogspot 'Eat, Drink , and be Married" and thought it was pretty neat..And I decided to cop it :-00
http://shelbystonesteel.blogspot.com/2009/10/yummy-baked-eggs.html

Prayer of the day 10/19/09

The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Italian Streets: Tribute to a New Land

I reached the Alps: the soul within me burned,
Italia, my Italia, at thy name:
And when from out the mountain’s heart I came
And saw the land for which my life had yearned,
I laughed as one who some great prize had earned:
And musing on the marvel of thy fame
I watched the day, till marked with wounds of flame
The turquoise sky to burnished gold was turned.
The pine-trees waved as waves a woman’s hair,
And in the orchards every twining spray
Was breaking into flakes of blossoming foam:
But when I knew that far away at Rome
In evil bonds a second Peter lay,
I wept to see the land so very fair.
--Oscar Wilde--

Prayer of the day 10/16/09

Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our Father forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty for all that is in heaven and in earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from you and you reign over all. In your hand is power and might. In your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore our God we thank you and we praise your glorious name.

This made my day: How beautiful!

Father's Love Letter

A house that does not look lived in

Carolina Herrera's home in Spain ..The fabric, the vibrance, the space speaks luxury...Pictures:: The exterior of the house, the entry, the guest bathroom, a pix of Carolina Sr and Jr, and Patricia Herrera in her mother's bedroom.....

A lonely Tree

Prayer of the day 10/15/09

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you