Aboriginal Day/June 21st

Aboriginal Day/June 21st
Originally uploaded by soulvision.

This was a fun day in the park. The sound of the beating drum had everyones feet moving in step. This dancer led us all into a friendship circle where soon we were all holding hands in a big circle and moving with rhythmic steps to the drum and the cry of voices singing in the air. He continued to move inside the circle like a spiral, to greet each one with a handshake and the circle continued until all exhchanged a greeting and completed the friendship cirlce. It was a beautiful dance.

dancing in our minds

Today at work there was a celebration for all the residents that have birthdays in June. There is always cake and icecream and a band comes in to play music...real oldtimers themselves! I enjoy this party, it's at the end of my shift and I can sit and visit and just have fun with the residents. I was helping an old woman eat her cake ( which she was loving) and I was watching her fingers tapping to the music. She hasn't walked in years. So I took her hands in mine and we slowly swung them back and forth together like we were dancing the two-step. She instantly picked up the rhythm and it was as though she was dancing. Just from her movements I could tell she had done this dance many times before and knew it well. Her eyes lit up and she was lost in the motion. What must it be like to hear those songs of their youth from 60 or 70 years ago? Beautiful I hope. And then I thought what will I be listening to? Somehow the rock and roll that I grew up with doesn't really seem to fit the picture!!

awards day

Yesterday was Awards Day at my daughters high school, the year is almost done. She told me she would be getting an award for being on the Gold Honor Roll. To my surprise and hers, there was more. She got medals for the highest mark in grade 10 English, French, Socials and Grade 11 Biology. She got the highest grade point average of 96%. And she got recognized for Citizenship and Service. I am a very proud and happy Mom to say the least, but really, I am happy for her and to see what she accomplished. There were a lot of bright kids that got honored and recognized for all their achievments. I have to say that the citizenship and service awards put a big smile on my face, it's nice to see her strength of character as well. There was one young man who didn't really excel in academics or sports or any thing in particular...he was recognized for how he interacted with the teachers, fellow students.....his character. When he went up to recieve his trophy, the whole school stood up for him. It was very moving.
I posted some pic's on Flickr which you can see!

alone tree or a lone tree but not a lonely tree

alone tree
Originally uploaded by soulvision.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow
by Kahlil Gibran

The picture of the tree reminded me of the image in this poem, the tree being the temple and the two separate trunks being the pillars.