Like most small towns in America, summer brings a festival. (I know we are several weeks off from summer, but it never hurts to anticipate.) A weekend of festivity, gastronomic adventure and community identity. On Vashon Island we celebrate the Strawberry Festival. A long time ago, there were strawberry fields on our island. No more. [...]
Tag Archives: Resilience
Unabashed
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Also tagged dancing, gratitude, heart, hope, joy, LIVE WITH INTENTION, music
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Broken Things
Walking the streets of Hong Kong, one cannot help notice the number of vendors, pushing their carts along the streets in and out of traffic. Repeatedly shouting, “Sale! Sale! Specials items for sale!” It is not easy to avoid the aggressive sales pitches. One visitor noticed a single vendor, clearly different. The vendor was quiet, [...]
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Also tagged Community, compassion, GRACE, heart, hope, pay attention, touch
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Going Home
Do you know the story about the dog negotiating traffic, eluding Washington State Police, and crossing a bridge? (Yes, it sounds like aFar Side Cartoon.) But this was not just any bridge. Zeb, an Australian shepherd, crossed the “520 Bridge,” spanning Lake Washington. (For those keeping notes, the “520,” the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, is the longest floating bridge [...]
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Also tagged heart, home, hope, presence, sanctuaries, sufficiency
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No future
A rather unsophisticated man endured a medical operation with a 20% chance of survival. When told about his condition and the odds that were against him, he engaged in no calculations and did not consult with another physician. He said simply, “I want to be one of the twenty percent.” One year later, he reduced [...]
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Also tagged dancing, freedom, heart, LIVE WITH INTENTION, passion, TAKING RISKS
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Wellies
On an unseasonably cool night the Red Bike Restaurant is packed with patrons, for a local fundraiser auctioning creative and bizarrely decorated Wellies. Here in the Pacific Northwest, Wellington boots are considered formal wear. I expected good island entertainment. I did not expect to have my heart tugged. Sporting their wellies, a group of island [...]
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Also tagged dancing, delight, heart, hope, LIVE WITH INTENTION, music, self-care
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Wade in
Walking the beach one day, Gunilla Norris sees a young child run-determined on very unsteady legs-into the water. The infant’s intensity is palpable. The mother sits some distance away, outwardly comfortable enough about her child’s safety not to interfere with his adventure. With a wet sagging diaper, the young boy runs into the water with [...]
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Also tagged freedom, heart, LIVE WITH INTENTION, TAKING RISKS
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When life is bigger
In 1914, famed explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out from England on an expedition to cross the continent of Antarctica. He posted this brief notice: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” Five thousand men applied. [...]
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Also tagged awareness, endurance, GRACE, hope, TAKING RISKS, uncertainty
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Freckles and Purple Jesus
In the perfume shop show window was a large jar of freckle salve, and beside the jar was a sign, which read: DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES? “What does the sign say?” ask Pippi Longstocking. She couldn’t read very well because she didn’t want to go to school as other children did. “It says, ‘Do [...]
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Also tagged beauty, delight, enough, freedom, GRACE, heart, LIVE WITH INTENTION, TAKING RISKS
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