| Image Copyright � Jeffrey K. Bedrick. Used with permission. http://www.jeffreykbedrick.com |
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| TITLE: THE PETALS THAT FALL Author: Arleen M. Kaptur A flower bud offers so much hope and expectation for the potentially beautiful bloom that is to follow. We watch it gently open its petals and bask in the warm sunshine of the day. The fragrance fills the air with the aroma of life and even the night hours cannot fade its brilliant color and delicate details. But one day the petals begin to fall one by one onto the ground. Our flower begins to fade in beauty, but a miracle lies within. There deep inside in the very plant that brought it to fulfillment, there lies the future growth and possibility for the following year and more breath-taking delight in new growing seasons. Well, life is so much like this flower. Babies and children truly delight us with their fresh newness and comical antics. As they search to know the world around them, they can sometimes mess up ours. They spill, fall, fight, and grow. Our eyes deceive us as we don't notice the evolving adult in that beautiful child. Our ears close to their endless chatter, and our feet get weary of following them and insuring their safety. Before long, and without any notice, they are young adults and capable of making decisions and following their own dreams. We are adults for a longer time in our lives than we are children. How many times we long for those carefree days of letting each day bring on fun, joy, and total abandonment to whatever comes our way. As adults, we plan, schedule, and keep "to do" lists. We keep the world in motion and we clear a path for the future generations. Adults create products and innovations to make life easier and more fulfilling. Bridges bring people and nations together, and bricks build homes and families. Cultures teach us to tolerate differences and history shows us what to avoid. Then, without any warning, we reach our golden years. Retirement from our jobs is as close as a heartbeat and we relinquish the heavy reins of industry and and business to the next generation of adults. It becomes our time to bask in our achievements or to remember, smile, and relish the memories. Whether our thoughts bring the good times or the bad, they all had a hand in forming the life we have and the thoughts we possess. As senior citizens, our eyes may not be as bright as a child's, but they still carry a vision. Our hands are not smooth and delicate, the story of labor and hardship is etched in them forever. However, our words can still delight and bring joy to the youngest of the young and to the current adult world. We have memories, successes and failures to relate. Our stories give insight into what was and what can be. Each day still has its challenges but also its rewards. The hours can be filled with what we enjoy, or they can be wiled away while we wait for the inevitable. Life goes on whether we like it or not. To choose not to enjoy what it has in store will just crimp our ability to continue growing and achieving self- satisfaction and self-esteem. We are who we are and that is what we have to work with. We can sit back or we can reach up. The choice all through life is ours and so are the rewards and consequences. In all, there is no bad stage to life. Each and every segment of our being has potential and possibility. As children we dream, as adults we do, and as seniors we remember and instruct. Each life cycle is wonderful in its own right and we need each and every one of them to have a world that is bright and as close to miraculous as we can get. We are never out for the count unless we choose to be. There is no bypassing the system, so the only beneficial way is to keep looking ahead, enjoying whatever stage were in, and also relishing what the other age-groups have to offer. There is delight in young and old eyes alike, and the tales are endless. A young child invents stories, adults seek out facts, and older people weave life into bite-size pieces. Our hands can age but our hearts stay in tune with our souls. We are what we want to be but then even that can change if we desire it. Whether its a child, an adult, or a senior citizen, there is life at its best! For convenience the calendar tells us where we are in life. But life is not a page in a diary book, it is a living, breathing, beautiful experience that can light up the universe and outshine the stars. We are life-so ENJOY! �Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, motivational booklets, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.jerry.1hwy.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/index.html http://rusticliving.info http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving |
| TITLE: WE ARE ALL ANGELS By: Arleen M. Kaptur A child is born and everyone is delighted. They ooh and aah over the precious little one but no one seems to notice one important detail. This scene of seeing a newborn and admiring the handiwork of life itself has been repeated millions of times for generations. Each child that is born has the unique attribute of being an "angel." Yes, there are television programs, books, magazines all dedicated to these heavenly beings. They are our helpers, our motivators, and our guides. They make us aware of some impending danger and they watch over children at night. Remember that beautiful old prayer "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep..". In essence we are all angels to each other. But we are angels with a flaw. We are born with just one wing. As a child, I heard stories about one-winged angels but never considered myself to be one. As the years passed, I met many of these one-winged delights, and saw this flaw in my own children. It may sound peculiar but I was grateful they were one-winged angels. The power behind having one wing is immense and awe-inspiring. You may be privileged to know the two-wing angels and that's just great. I, for one, marvel at the knowledge it took to make one-wing models. If you have two wings you can fly and do whatever you want, when you want to and the ability to get a lot accomplished is wonderful! I feel a bit sorry for the two-wingers because they get to do everything by themselves. We one-wing models need each other. Oh sure, we could accomplish what we set out to do with only one wing but it would take a lot more effort and a lot more time. Consider the alternative - you have one wing, I have one wing and together we have two. We need to hold on to each other, to count on one another, and to be there for the other because we are one-wing. Whatever your personal belief in life is - marvel at the brilliance of creating beings such as these. You knew that they would be impatient to get things done, their work load would be ever increasing, and yes, their tempers would shorten with the time restraints. So the idea came to make them believe they are self-sufficient yet by nature they will need each other. How truly marvelous! By having just one wing, our grandparents needed each other, our parents needed others, and as children it was always easier to play games and have fun with someone else. Even if you live alone and have only one wing, books, music, television, or whatever source of information you may have, there just waiting for you is someone with another wing. It may be a writer who inspires you with their written words, or a musician whose music soothes your soul. Whoever it is, and whatever method is used to reach you, with two wings you have the strength and endurance to face a new day and accept the challenges and possibilities. Now this is truly deep - no one is ever really alone. Even if you are totally isolated on an island from all other human contact, you share your garden, or your fresh fish with the creatures that inhabit your area. Nature accepts and provides. It gives you the earth to plant and you give your left-overs back through careful recycling, mulching or feeding of assorted animals and life forms. It's fun sometimes just to think of how this entire system works. So let's celebrate knowing that we each have one- wing and that to soar in the sky, to reach the moon and to fly amid planets and other worlds, we need each other. In whatever method your other wing may come (personally, in the written word, music, or nature) accept the genius of the plan and rejoice that you are a one-wing delight to every form of life on our planet. The possibilities are limitless, the challenges are many, and oh, the wonder of it all! �Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June Arleen Kaptu has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://webspawner.com/users/rusticliving http://topica.com/lists.simpleliving |