Reunited at The Rainbow Bridge

This is specially dedicated to anyone who has lost a pet. I couldn’t lie to say that I understood what you had gone through since I did not own and lost any pet before. But I sincerely hope that you can find the strength to move on from the words and song. And one day, you will be reunited with your pets at the Rainbow Bridge.

The Rainbow Bridge Poem

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Author Unknown, originally posted at Rainbowbridge.org
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Rainbow Bridge by Emi Fujita

Lyrics of Rainbow Bridge

Do you know now that I must be going
To a place full of happy memories
In an emerald meadow by a Rainbow Bridge
You can hear heaven’s anthem on the breeze

Well, a heavenly light falls around me
In a twinkling my youth has been restored
Over green hills and valleys once again I roam free
Like the days when on eagle’s wing we soared

I’m surrounded by many companions
And together we pass our pleasant days
Every need is provided, there is nothing I lack
Save for you to whose memory my heart strays

When you’re heaven-bound
There’s a place you pass through
Called the Rainbow Bridge,
I’ll be waiting there for you
Yes, I’ll be waiting for you
With a heart that’s tried and true
Till the day I can feel , once again,
Your arms around me

Fare thee well now for I must be going
Dry your tears, no you must not cry for me
Till the day that we meet again at long journey’s end
At the Rainbow Bridge,
You know that’s where I’ll be

At the Rainbow Bridge
This heart waits faithfully

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Photo credit: Unsplash

Success by Bessie Anderson Stanley 1904

Below is the poem, ‘Success,’ written by Bessie Anderson Stanley in 1904. You may find it somewhat similar to another poem that was widely attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson but disputable. It was Emerson’s version which I first came across many years ago. But today, I would like to share with you the version by Bessie. Although it is important to give credit where it is due, even more important is the similar message behind both versions. What is your definition of success?

Success by Bessie Anderson Stanley

He has achieved success
who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the trust of
pure women,

the respect of intelligent men and
the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty
or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others and
given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.

Originally posted at: Robinsweb.com
Photo credit: Sasin Tipchai

Unite as One Human Race

I hope that people will finally come to realize that there is only one – the human race – and that we are all members of it.

Margaret Atwood
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I certainly hope so and I believe we can do it together; to be one human race. As we usher in 2010, I believe many of you have already made resolutions for the new year. Please allow me to suggest another if this is not one of your resolutions: Let us make peace with ourselves and eventually with the world.

We are different and yet we are also similar to each other. We are all sons or daughters to our parents, fathers or mothers to our children, uncles or aunts to our nieces and nephews, brothers or sisters to our siblings and friends to our friends. You and I, we are just souls being housed in different bodies.

When we focus on the differences, we see the differences in colour and culture. When we focus on the similarities, we can look beyond the physical layer into the beauty of the soul – the essence of life.

This is a journey with lot of challenges, but one which we do not travel alone. And together we can do it! Let us join our hands together to take on this journey of peace where our children understand and respect each other difference. And they treat each other with loving kindness and compassion. We can positively influence our children through our actions.

Wishing everyone a great 2010 with Love, Peace and Happiness!
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Photo credit: artistlike

Wordless Wednesday: (Woodland Skipper) Fearless Little Creature

More Wordless Wednesday

Over the weekend, my sister and I brought her children to the playground at Pasir Ris Park. The children had a few hour of fun going down different kind of slides. Such simple joy; they just kept going at the slides. And they wouldn’t want to leave if we didn’t ‘force’ them to.

While we were at the playground, this little creature (thanks to Amanda @ MooreBlogLife, I now know this is a Woodland Skipper) landed right in front of one of my nephews. My nephew started to huff and puff at it, like the big bad wolf in the three little pigs. No, it didn’t make any attempt to fly away at all. What a fearless creature, standing up to a creature so many times its size! I just had to take a shot of it with my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone.

There are some limitations in using a camera phone to take photo. Go over to Amanda’s site to see her shot of the Woodland Skipper, her shot is so much clearer and you can see much more details of it. The power of a proper camera is truly amazing. My shot is nothing close to her photo.

Pretty soon all the other children gathered around it. I was kind of worry with the fate of the little creature. Fortunately, it knew just when to take flight.

There are times in life when we have to stand up fearlessly to challenges, like the little creature, and yet know when to ‘take flight.’ The challenge is knowing when to do which. Some of us are ever ready to give up when we hit walls and yet others just do not want to let go and move on. When we take time out to reflect in the quietness, our inner voice will reach out to us. We have to learn to listen and to trust that inner voice.

I am glad to say that all children and adults were friendly and no insect was injured or treated badly in this experience. 🙂

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(Christmas Time) Imagine by John Lennon

Christmas Tree LightingIt is December 24 here and just a day away from Christmas. Are you already done with your Christmas shopping? Have you set up your wish list? What are the wishes you have for Santa Claus this year?

Whatever your wishes to Santa may be, I hope that they do come true for you. I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

May you and your family experience peace, joy and harmony. May we also extend that peace, joy and harmony to people around us. With the thought of peace, loving kindness, compassion and understanding towards each other, we will be able to make our common dream comes true – that one day we are living in peace and harmony.

Differences divide while similarities bond us together. There was a saying which I chanced upon previously but I couldn’t recall the author of it now; it goes, “One day people will realise that there is only one race in this world – the human race.” Let us starts peace from within us.

Thank you Cathy for sharing the lyrics of Imagine by John Lennon with me in the previous post.

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

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Living Life Forward

looking back at the mirror

Photo by BadDude

Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.” – Ann Landers

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There is power and truth in this saying. And yet, why do some of us let our pasts hang on to us and continue to make our lives miserable? Do we not have the trust in ourselves to let go and move on in life? Perhaps, we do not trust or believe that life will get better? Indeed, it is not always guaranteed that life will get better once we let go and move on. And in some cases it may get worse? So why do we even bother to move on?

That is one question which I cannot answer for you? I believe that everything happened for a reason. For what reason you may ask. Sometimes you would know the reason immediately and other times you would not. Whatever reason it may be, there is always an opportunity to learn from what happened and to grow.

Just as a toddler falling, many times, from learning to walk, the toddler didn’t question why he/she was falling; the toddler just kept on trying.

As for me, it didn’t always get better for me in letting go and moving forward also, but it had not gotten any worst too. In fact, whatever I had thought not possible, proved me wrong again and again. There are times I was broken and thought that I could never love another as deeply again?

And eventually when I met the person with the ‘right’ chemistry, sparks flew and my heart beating once again at the speed of light. Yes, I exaggerated. But I believe you get my idea that eventually we will find the ‘right’ person again – provided we are willing to let go and move on with an open heart again.

Letting go and moving on is not always easy. But it can also be as easy as deciding that we want to move on. Lessons in the past we need to learn but forward we must move on … for that is where our future lies.

I wish for you the strength and courage to take on any challenge that you may be facing in your life now.

Do you have any experience in the past where you had found the strength in letting go and moving forward? How were you able to overcome your challenges? And how did it turn out eventually? I believe your shared experience can empower and inspire others too.

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Peace Starts from Within Us

peace

Photo by zoostory

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – Dalai Lama

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I couldn’t have said it better than his Holiness. I have previously asked if there is a quietest place on Earth and I got funny answers like in the cemetery or only dead people are quiet. It was good to read the lighter sides to that question.

Some of them gave serious and thoughtful answers through their personal experiences; they had found the quietest place from hikes in the Rocky mountains while looking into the eyes of an eagle or quietness in moments of solitary amidst the vastness of the Sonoran desert or simply just be surrounded by nature.

The majority of people shared my thought that the quietest place is found in everyone – within oneself. It is easy for one to find peace during good times. But when one find peace within himself/herself, one can even find peace in the most traumatic and challenging time.

Through this peace that one find within oneself, one can obtain peace with others like what His Holiness, Dalai Lama said. And through this peace that one obtain with others, we can have peace in the world. Do you think that is possible? I believe it is possible.

Besides peace we make with ourselves, we must also be compassionate and kind to each other; treating each other with loving kindness as if you would be treating your family and friends. There is a saying, “There are no strangers in this world, but only friends we have not met.” And Mitch Albom said in his book, “Strangers are family you have yet to come to know.” There is a certain truth to this as I believe we are interconnected in this world. What we are doing may indirectly affect another.

Since we are not living life as a hermit, there are bound to be communication with people around us. With communication, misunderstanding can easily arise. There is a need for mutual understanding and respect for each other difference. Failing to put ourselves in another shoes usually lead to conflicts. This can be otherwise averted if we are not too quick to judge others or situations. Let us practice less haste and more patience.

When we are compassionate and kind to others, others will eventually reciprocate with compassion and kindness also. You may ask why it should start from us? Like Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Let us be the change and let us inspire others to follow. And together with mutual understanding and respect for each other difference, peace in the world is highly achievable.

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It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

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