Desiderata

I took out the poem book I created when I was thirteen that my brother, Jonas, bound for me, so that I can add my new poem, “Summer” in it. I seldom write poems these days. The last one was about four years ago so my poem book was just sitting where it was for that length of time. I fondly gazed at the cover: the poem, “Desiderata” typed on pretty pink stationery. Reading it again evoked some memories and emotions.
Growing up in the Philippines I can recall two things that radio stations play constantly during Lent (more so during holy week), besides the usual story of Jesus: “Footprints in the Sand” and “Desiderata.” (Radio stations were a staple medium when I was growing up. Not everyone had TVs, but everyone had radios.) These two poems have stuck in my head and have lasting impact on me personally.
Desiderata, I know the words by heart. I can still hear that deep male voice, as if he were God Himself, reading the poem with the background music playing; the radio blasted, being the center of our tiny living room put up on the highest shelf so that its sound can resonate in the entire house. I can still sing the following verse, the only verse that is sung during the entire reading:

“You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”

It is very uplifting and inspiring. Every time I read it, it gives me a new perspective on life, the world, its people and our Creator. It is a morale booster, I think.
Below is the full text. I hope it will inspire and uplift you like it does me every time I read it.


Desiderata
By Maxx Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

For more info on Desiderata, go to: http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm

Summer

Summer

Sun. Fun. Cloudless blue skies. Sultry breeze.
Short shorts. Tank Tops. Flip-Flops. Barefeet.
Barbeques. Cookouts. Bonfires. Smores.
Picnics. Camping. Mosquitoes. Bees. Fireflies galore.
Fireworks. Parades. Car Shows. Festivals. Fairs.
Beach. Sand. Pool parties. No cares.
Swimsuits. Goggles. Slip ‘n Slides.
Rummage Sales. Baseball games. Park ‘n Rides.
Corn. Watermelon. Lemonade. Ice cream.
Kites. Bike rides. Chasing butterflies. Daydream.
Green grass. Pretty flowers. Sprinklers.
Tent concerts. Cold beer. Wine Coolers.
Long days. Short nights. Sleeping under the stars...
Sweet, lazy summer days…how painfully short you are!
Sun. Fun. Summer's just begun.
Enjoy it fully before it's gone...

Up North

(Picture: Sunset at Steven's Lake)
We had a full few days up north. We arrived midday on Thursday, which I did not expect Tom to do any work. He and the boys went around the property and made some trails for the ATVs. We stayed up late by the campfire and Tom blasted all the fireworks that we brought from home. The boys had fun with the sparklers. But I was surprised Friday morning when I asked Tom what he was going to do that day as far as working on the cabin. He said he was not going to do anything and consider this a real vacation. I've been accustomed to him just working his butt (pardon me) off every time we go up there that this came as a real surprise to me. Well, when I said that I was not expecting this to be a vacation but another work day, he started working! There's not much to be done anymore, just little things here and there. The main things are finished. So he started doing the baseboards and finished up the trims on the two highest windows. When he finished for the day, we went to Lost Lake where the boys had a blast swimming. Connor and Colin buried each other in the sand while Tommy waded in the shallow water. Then there was a little girl who told her mother that she caught a "swimming slug." Well, that "swimming slug" turned out to be a leech; then she caught another one--yikes! That was really cute (the name the girl gave the leech, not the leech!) Thankfully, none clung to anyone. We went back to the cabin and sat again around the campfire and roasted marshmallows. There were leftover sparklers from the night before so the boys lighted them. This time, Tommy was there to enjoy it and even hold a few!
The following day, Tom did a few more of the baseboards and then we went fishing at Steven's Lake. Tom caught a couple of little blue gills that he tossed back in the water. Connor did not catch any fish though a crayfish clung to his rubber worm bait. Colin did not catch any, either. They were both disappointed as they were looking forward to cooking and eating their catch when we got back. But it was fun to just get out there and do it. The water was really calm and it was very quiet. Tommy broke that silence a few times but in the end, he settled down. It rained on us a little bit but then it came to pass quickly. It was rather late when we got back so we did not have a campfire but went straight to bed.
During the day while Tom was working, the boys rode their ATVs to the point of wrecking the gravel driveway! They both had to repair it with shovels before we left on Sunday. Tommy and I went raspberry picking a few times. I usually ended up taking back to the cabin only a handful for he would eat them as we go. We had a really fun time. I only wish I had my bike and Connor's so we could have ridden them to Halsey Lake. We left Sunday, and as usual, it always feels good to be back home.

Late Night By The Pool

Just got back in from swimming and just sitting by the pool afterward watching the tiki torches burn and the light fountain streaming colorful lights on the water. It's our second late night out by the pool this season but we've never stayed out this late before. We were all swimming until night fell. (For me swimming is so much enjoyable when the sun is hidden behind the clouds with the temperature as warm as it was today.) Then I changed to dry clothes and put Tommy to bed and later went back out with Tom and the older boys to sit by the pool. Tom popped a few firecrackers which the boys enjoyed. The mosquitoes were particularly bad (the boys had a contest of who had the most mosquito bites--yikes!) but after a douse of Off!, they quit bothering us, leaving us to enjoy this sultry summer evening.
I told the boys of how we dealt with mosquitoes in the Philippines: how we would burn the leaves and small branches of a tree called "ipil-ipil" in the afternoons to ward off the mosquitoes and how I think the mosquito repellent coils are made from the same tree; how we burned those coils every night, like the one we burned tonight (Lion-Tiger, mosquito killer--is a popular brand that I remember); how sometimes we would spread vegetable oil on a plate and wait for the mosquitoes to swarm over our heads and just swat them with the oiled plate and how the mosquitoes would stick to that plate and die (then Tom added, "and they eat it" for effect. Both boys went "Ewww"); and how we slept inside mosquito nets for which Tom remarked at how uncomfortable and hot it was to sleep in because he had experienced it when he went to the Philippines.
My mosquito story-telling was cut short by raindrops. So the boys quickly gathered their things to take in the house while Tom and I covered the pool and blew out the citronella candles, mosquito coils and the tiki torches. Ah, what a lovely evening it was! Everyone should sleep good tonight.

Lazy Summer Days

Ah, I love waking up to lazy summer days when the days are long and the nights are short and wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside; when the sunshine seeps through the window urging us to get up; when I don't have a particular thing to do besides usual daily necessities.
I feel like I had a much needed break from the busy holiday weekend. Thank goodness there was no baseball game yesterday. I did have to take Tommy to the doctor for his two-year-old-well-baby-check-up. Tom met us at the doctor's office so he was able to help contain the boys in that tiny space. Other than that, we stayed home all day yesterday.
Today might be different. We have to run errands but at no particular time. I love< not having a schedule to follow right now. The boys are still sleeping and I can take my time on the computer before I have to make breakfast. :o)

Recovering from a Trip and a Storm all in One Week!

We just got home Sunday afternoon after a four-day camping trip at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which was a lot of fun by the way and I still have to write about it, and I was still trying to recover from that trip (it takes me a few days) when the storm hit Monday night. After coming home from the boys' baseball games, we had a snack, prepared the boys for bed, did a few things here and there and finally relaxed and sat on the couch about 9:30pm. Tom turned the TV on. He tuned to NBC and there was this huge green color on the screen with some pink and purple in the middle from the radar. It was heading east on our direction. It did not look good.
There was no talk of bad weather, not at either baseball games. Of course, the boys and I stayed home all day trying to recover from our camping trip and I did not tune to the weather, I seldom do. But Tom is constantly keeping an eye on the weather so I was surprised when he himself did not even know the storm was coming.
We lost power about 10:30pm. The boys and I were huddled in the basement with their glow-stick/flashlight/whistle/flashers on while Tom kept an eye on what was going on outside from the main floor. He started gathering our computers, cameras and home movies and brought them downstairs. I went upstairs to light some candles when I heard this booming sound outside. I knew for sure something went down. I thought maybe it was debris from a tornado, I didn't know. I went back downstairs to check on the boys and we stayed there until the storm had passed.
We woke up to a very muggy morning since we had all the windows shut from the wind and the rain all night and no A/C for the power had not come back. It was a steamy day outside on top of not having power and water in the house. The aftermath of the storm almost became an extended camping for us since we didn't have water nor electricity at the campsite. Luckily, we still had ten gallons of water leftover from camping, which we used throughout the day. (Ten gallons was a lot of water when there was none at all coming out of the faucets.)
The booming noise I heard last night was the tree in our backyard. Luckily, it did not fall on the house. We had just cut the other branch that was bending toward the house last year. Good thing we did for that would have come down on the house. I discovered further that it had fallen on top of one of my flower gardens which destroyed more than half of my flowers in that particular garden. It's only two years old. I worked hard on making that garden look nice. It did, until the tree fell down on it! Oh, well...I had to whine somewhere in this article or whatever you call it. Blog. That's it. Oh, while I'm at it, did I mention the laundry that piled up during four days of camping that I haven't gotten into yet at this point? And then, a full day of no electricity? I should title this blog "Whining" and not what it is now. I know some people have more troubles and have more to whine about than I do but this is mine and am letting it out. Whew! There. I let it out. Really, I should be thankful. And I am, truly.
Now where was I before all this whining thing?
Oh yes. We worked on getting the tree cut and cleared all day long. The sound of chainsaws and generators were blaring in the neighborhood. Almost every household in our block had a tree down. Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage to property.
The town of Eagle, which is roughly fifteen miles west of us was not very lucky. A tornado touched down in the town and destroyed some homes. Only minor injuries, thank God!
Friends and family called to see how we were doing. Thanks for all your concern guys!
The power came back on at 7pm. Thank goodness or I told my husband we would have to spend the night at a hotel or some place where I could take a shower. We were all so sticky and dirty from working on the fallen tree all day.
Now, it's Friday and besides putting my flower garden back together (which I'm not sure anymore if I'll keep it as a flower garden or turn it into a green house area), I think I have recovered from the trip and the storm. Today is the first time I got up at 5am all week and have the energy to write. (Hurray!) It has been a trying week and I'm glad that it's almost over. I can just look back on it and leave it there. Exactly.

Homesick

Tom asked me to gather some old pictures of my neighborhood today to show to his co-worker who asked about it. I started rummaging through old pictures and I found a few that I would scan and email to him in the next hour or so. I also remembered the slideshow of Cebu from a few days ago posted on my profile. So I went and clicked on the youtube link. Seeing the pictures of Cebu brought tears to my eyes. It looks so different yet the feeling I get looking at it is the same. My emotions are mixed: pride, longing to be there again, memories stirring up in my head and emotions in my heart. It's been thirteen long years...