Beautiful Mind

She had this way about her. She walked like it did not matter,

like it did not hurt. She sealed the scars up inside like vintage

wrapping paper, and when she smiled, she smiled from the

core of the world, like the happiest being on earth. She moved

with the same grace, as though she were taking the world for a

walk. Only she knew that the world would not ever really walk,

and she had to carry it atop her shoulders. And there she was,

beaming, a picture perfect of sun trails and piano keys; world

on her shoulders, not once saying "I can't" ….

Anonomys

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They Called Her An Ugly Duckling

She wore frumpy clothes. Her teeth needed straightening. She was very insecure, she believed what everyone said about her, admitting she was an "ugly duckling." She believed, however, that one's prospects in life were not totally dependent on physical beauty.

When she finally met a man who was interested in her, she decided not to take him to a fancy, social event, but instead took him to the slums of the Lower East Side, where she did volunteer work, helping young immigrants.

The young man, who had held a rich, sheltered life, saw things he would never forget -- sweat shops where women labored long hours for low wages and squalid tenements where children worked for hours until they dropped with exhaustion.

This walking tour profoundly changed the young man, moving him to say, that he "could not believe human beings lived that way."

The young man's name was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the young woman, who changed his life forever, who would change the world forever, her name was Eleanor Roosevelt.

They would eventually marry, and Eleanor Roosevelt would become more than just a First Lady. She was nominated three times, during her lifetime, for a Nobel Peace Prize. She was a renowned social and political activist, journalist, educator, and diplomat. Throughout her time as First Lady, and for the remainder of her life, she was a high profile supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, of equal rights for women, and of social reforms to uplift the poor. She helped the Tuskegee Airmen in their successful effort to become the first black combat pilots.

Even after her husband's passing, she remained active in politics for the rest of her life, chairing President Kennedy's ground-breaking committee which helped start second-wave feminism, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.

They called her an ugly duckling when she was growing up, but to the world, she was a beautiful swan whose beauty inside helped her speak the truth, making the world a little better for all.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt, born on this day, October 11, 1884

All Hallows' Day (Halloween)

Halloween or Hallowe'en; (a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day.

It initiates the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. The traditional focus of All Hallows' Eve revolves around the theme of using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death."

pingoat

Have No Regrets

Eat the damn chocolate cake, get your hair wet,

love someone, dance in those muddy puddles,

tell someone off, draw a picture with crayons

like you’re still 6 years old and then give it to

someone who is very important to you.

Take a nap, go on vacation, do a cartwheel,

make your own recipe, dance like no one sees

you, paint each nail a different color, take a

bubble bath, laugh at a corny joke.

Get on that table and dance,

pick strawberries, take a jog, plant a garden,

make an ugly shirt and wear it all day,

learn a new language, write a song.

Date someone you wouldn’t usually go for,

make a scrap book, go on a picnic, relax in the sun,

make your own home video, kiss the un-kissed,

hug the un-hugged, love the unloved,

and live your life to the fullest.

So at the end of the day, you’ll have no regrets,

no sorrows, and no disappointments.

Feed Shark

Beauty of Autumn

The rain falls gently
Quenching the thirst of a landscape
Parched by the rays of the hot Summer Sun.

The song of the birds is now silenced.
The petals of a once brilliant flower have faded
A bright, azure sky with soft white clouds is gone,
Replaced by the grey dampness of the season.

The caressing breeze of summer
Has turned into the stormy winds of fall.
Leaves once proudly perched on the limbs of trees,
Now dance gaily through the air.

Brightly colored in the warm tones of autumn.
Children laughing merrily on their way
As they hear the crackling sound of leaves beneath their feet.

A jack-o-lantern sits in the window,
Showing a wide, toothless grin or scowling frown.
The snapping of pitch from a burning log,

The faint scene of pine filling the room,
Flames leaping about as if it were a ballet.
Performing for its audience.

The soft, comforting glow of candlelight
Bringing with it serenity and quiet thoughts
I sit in amazement watching all that is around me.

Yes, there is a God.
Only He could have made the wonders I see before me

I will accept the solitude and indifference of winter.
So I may anticipate and appreciate.
The re-birth of spring.

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Thanksgiving Blessing

Thanksgiving Blessing

O God,

We thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.

We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.

Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thorn bush is aflame with your glory.

For each new dawn is filled with infinite possibilities for new beginnings and new discoveries. Life is constantly changing and renewing itself. In this new day of new beginnings with God, all things are possible. We are restored and renewed in a joyous awakening to the wonder that our lives are and, yet, can be.

Amen.

(Walter Rauschenbusch)

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White Raven

A separate species from the black raven, white ravens are extremely rare. They are larger and more intelligent than their black counterparts, if that could be possible!

White ravens are known to have black or blue eyes, and therefore are not albino, but leucistic. Albinism occurs when one of several genetic defects where the body is unable to produce or distribute melanin, a natural substance that provides color to the skin; and leucism is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, a known phenomenon in nature. If the animal lacks all pigmentation and has pink eyes, it is an albino. If it lacks pigmentation in only some parts and does not have pink eyes, it is leucistic.

This usually arises when two common black ravens, with the same genetic defect, mate. The chances of this happening are rare, however, since they are monogamous and live long lives, there is a good chance they could produce successive generations of white ravens.

The white raven is highly regarded by many native cultures and has special spiritual significance.

Wisdom and subtlety of truth is attributed to the white raven; as well as introspection, courage, self-knowledge, healing, creation, rebirth, magic and mysticism, shape shifter, prestige and the complexity of nature.

Several legends credit the white raven for bringing light to the world by freeing the sun, moon, and stars, which were locked away by an evil being. In the course of its heroic deed the white raven was turned to black. The occasional sighting of a white raven is meant to remind people of how the world was saved for all mankind and animals of creation.

Bearing magic and mysticism, ravens have a long history of myth enshrouding them. Shamans know the power of an unexpected piercing sound in shifting consciousness. Ravens have this power, giving out varied sounds, and can assist us in shifting our consciousness into various dimensional realms. Hence one of the reasons why the raven is referred to as a shape shifter with magical powers.

Ravens are considered to be highly intelligent and clever mimics. They can mimic and use the calls of other species in their own vocabulary and can show us how to understand ‘animal language’.




The raven's black color is linked to darkness, the place where unconscious fear resides, and is regarded as a bad omen; therefore feared by many.

Like all wildlife and nature – ravens should be respected, rather than feared. Some refer to them as the keeper of secrets: a link to the void. Ravens are master magicians and represent transformational energy, revealing to us how to rid ourselves of our inner fears.

If a raven has flown into your life, magic and healing abound, awakening the energy of our will and intention. You have the ability to make great changes in your life. Raven are strongly linked with death and rebirth.

Remember not to be fearful of the raven, but rather to give thanks for the teachings he brings. The raven chooses its student according to their knowledge, and usually stays as long as needed to help transmute karma, returning you to the light.