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12/31/2007
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Happy New Year
I have been absent from Live Spaces for so long and some friends have started to worry. No, I have not forgotten any of you. . . and no, I have not been ill. The reason ? ? it is simply because a day has only 24 hours not the 30 that we all need. LOL!!
Yes, I have been so busy but let me tell you about what I have been doing some other day because today, I would like to apologize to all of you for causing you to worry about me and to convey to you my wish for the coming year:
My wish for the New Year - 2008
If I could have just one wish for this New Year,
it would have to be for a world of peace and love.
A world free of conflict and poverty,
A world of no suffering,
A world of goodwill and cheer.
At this special time of the year,
please accept this token
of my love
A wish from me to you
for the very best
in the coming new year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Hugs,
Marie
| | 9/6/2007
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Hibiscus
A few summers ago, my friend, Junko, gave me a hibiscus plant in a pot. Each winter, it spends winter in my little green house and each summer, this plant rewards me with beautiful red blossoms until mid-autumn. It is a red Chinese hibiscus (H. rosa-sinensis) the most popular type of hibiscus in tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is native to East Asia and flourishes in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and the Philippines. Many varieties and hybrids have been created with flowers ranging from white through yellow and orange to scarlet and shades of pink, with both single and double sets of petals. We often associate them with the warm, sunny beaches of Hawaii but in fact, it is Malaysia that has the hibiscus rosa-sinensis as its national flower. It is called "Bunga Raya" in Malaysian. The hibiscus that is the state flower of Hawai'i is called ma'o hau hele or hibiscus brackenridgei, also known as "yellow hibiscus".
In temperate zones, probably the most commonly grown ornamental species is the Hibiscus syriacus, also known in some areas as the "Rose of Althea" or "Rose of Sharon" (but not to be confused with the unrelated Hypericum calycinum, also called "Rose of Sharon"). This hibiscus is the national flower of South Korea. The Korean name of the flower is Mugunghwa
One hibiscus specie that I specially like is the Hibiscus schizopetalus which is also known as Fringed Hibiscus, Fringed Rose Mallow, Waltzing Ladies, Japanese Lantern and Japanese Hibiscus. I find the last 2 names strange because it is a tropical hibiscus and does not grow in Japan except in greenhouses. Perhaps it is because it does resemble the Japanese paper lanterns called "chouchin". It is a weeping type of hibiscus and its original home is East Africa & Madagascar. The flowers are fringed, dangling, dark coral-pink flower with a long stamen. I have added some new photos to my old "Hibiscus" photo album including two photos of the hibiscus schizopetalus.
NOTE: The photo of the Hawaiian state flower, hibiscus brakenridgeiis or ma'o hau hele that I have also added to the album is not one of mine. It is a public domain photo.
Marie
| | 8/6/2007
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Lotus
Mid-summer in Tokyo is hot and humid and over long centuries, Tokyo city folks have developed many traditional methods of coping with the stifling weather.
These include eating lean, protein-rich fish such as eel and sea bass, listening to insects singing, enjoying a fireworks display or chilling horror play, and early morning strolls on a bridge or around some ponds to enjoy the wonderful sight of lotus flowers at dawn, when the day is quiet, cool and fresh. Large green leaves ripple in the breeze, and long stalks rise above the water holding up beautiful flowers in shades of pink, or purest white.
Dawn is the best time for lotus-viewing - when the flowers have just opened, and before the intense heat of noon forces them to close.
Buddhists consider these beautiful, pure flowers rising from muddy waters as a symbol of spiritual awakening and salvation in paradise.
Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo's Ueno Park is a well-known place to see lotus flowers in early August.
I have uploaded more photos onto my "Lotus 2007" photo album. I hope they will help to keep you cool this summer.
Marie
| | 7/29/2007
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I am Thankful
It's my birthday today and when I woke up this morning, I started to count my blessings. I must tell you that I consider myself truly blessed and that I am very thankful for all my blessings.
I am thankful for having had parents who gave me very good genes and very good education.
I am thankful for having children who believe I am not only very wise but also that because I love them very much, I will forever be their best consultant and adviser.
I am thankful that my husband values my ability as a wife and mother and always supports my views on child-rearing and education.
I am thankful for my family's good health.
I am thankful for having wonderful friends who love me wholeheartedly for what I am and not for what I have.
I am thankful to be living in this peaceful, beautiful country among very civil, courteous and kindhearted people.
I am thankful for living in a modern era with the conveniences, technology and information that make the day-to-day tasks of life so easy and very enjoyable.
I am thankful for all the birthday greetings and best wishes that I received from friends and loved ones.
I am thankful for every moment because every moment is a gift.
Marie
| | 7/26/2007
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A Thousand Winds
by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004)
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die
Recently, the beloved mother of my very good friend, Michi, passed away.
To help soothe her greiving heart, I sent her the above poem.
This lovely, inspirational poem has an interesting history. So many variations of the poem can be found, and so many different claims of authorship have been made, and still being made. But it is said that the best evidence indicates that it was written by a Baltimore, U.S.A. housewife, Mary Elizabeth Frye, in 1932, to console a German Jewish friend, Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was unable to visit her dying mother in Germany due to anti-semitic feelings in Germany at that time. She told Mary Frye that she lamented the fact that she was not able to "stand by her mother's grave and shed a tear." These words inspired Mary Frye to write the verse to comfort her friend
The many variations and disputed origins of this poem occured mainly because it was never formally published nor copywrited.
For many years the poem's origin was generally unknown, being variously attributed to native American Indians (especially Navajo), traditional folklore and other particular claimant writers. It has appeared, and continues to appear in slightly different versions and different titles.
The complete story of the research made on the origin of this beautiful poem, can be found on Business Balls.
Originally, This poem did not have a title and the first line, "Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep" became the first title by which the poem was known. The poem can be found with different titles, but I like "A Thousand Winds" best.
Marie
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