Quiz….Capital and Largest city

remember the and…. you will have two answers for every question

1. Canada ___________________ and ________________________

2. Australia _________________ and _________________________

3. India ___________________  and _________________________

4. Brazil __________________ and __________________________

5. China __________________ and __________________________

6. New Zealand _______________ and _________________________

7. Switzerland _______________ and _________________________

8. Turkey __________________ and _________________________

9. Vietnam _________________ and _________________________

My very favorite kind of meditation…. the wind

We remember that nature’s power is as close as our breath,
and we breathe deeply once again.

We can connect ourselves with a basic force of nature by
focusing on the essential element of air during a wind meditation. We begin by
centering ourselves on our breath. We inhale the life-giving force, feeling it
fill us, and then releasing it into the world to let our breath mingle with the
breath of nature. If we cannot feel the wind right now, we can recall times
when the wind has sent us gifts of caresses on bare skin, ruffling our clothes
and playing with our hair. We can evoke sounds carried on the wind, maybe
laughter or song, or perhaps just the wind’s own whispers through the trees or
across the landscape of our ears. We may summon up an image of falling flowers
or leaves from above, vivid colors set free with the wind’s encouragement. We
may envision birds drifting on unseen currents with wings unbent, or flags and
banners unfurled in the breeze. The scent of a sea breeze may come to mind, or
the aromas of freshly baked treats or fragrant blooms that reach us fro! m a
distance.

As these memories enliven our senses, we are feeling the
vital force that surrounds and animates us. We can look to the trees to sway in
time with nature’s rhythm. Just as we can be soothed by the wind, we know that
nature has great power. In a rush it can block out all sound, leaving us with
only the beating of our hearts.

Wind can even make the inanimate dance and whirl gracefully.
With a gentle sigh, the wind has carried sailors to faraway lands and balloons
to great heights above. We can entrust the wind to carry our voices and best
wishes out into the world, knowing it will be carried to its perfect
destination. Releasing these precious offerings to its care, we remember that
nature’s power is as close as our breath, and we breathe deeply once again
before returning to the world around us.

I LOVE the wind’s energy…. my very, very favorite thing to
do is to go listen to the wind “beat” on the water…..
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Women’s work – really? Let’s define and take a look at it.

The importance of tending the hearth that nurtures all who
bask in its warmth is a beautiful thing.

In the recent past, the term women’s work has come to have a
derogatory connotation. Women’s work encompasses all the domestic chores that
have historically been associated only with women—cooking, cleaning, and
raising children. Whenever a person is limited to only certain kinds of work in
a society, there is a need to break free from that work in order to inhabit a
place of choice. However, when we choose to do women’s work because we enjoy
it, there is nothing degrading about it. There is an honor to it, and when done
alone or in a group this work can be truly meaningful and fulfilling because
the home is the foundation of security for all who live in it. The importance
of tending the hearth that nurtures all who bask in its warmth cannot be
overstated.

In addition to being essential to the functioning of the
world, women’s work offers creative fulfillment, intimate interaction, and
personal satisfaction. The more we become aware of the significance of this
realm of labor, the more fulfilling it will be to those who do the work and
those who benefit from it. A well-set table and a delicious, healthy meal can
heal us on multiple levels. Clean, crisp sheets on a bed allow us to enter a
deep slumber, inspiring a sense of safety and trust. Our mental, physical,
emotional, and spiritual health all rest upon the smooth functioning of our
homes.

The gift of women’s work, which still often comes from the
hands of women, now also comes from fathers, husbands, and hired help. Whatever
the source, our sincere gratitude upon receiving these treasures reminds us of
the profound value of what is traditionally known as women’s work. The more we
acknowledge the tremendous importance of this work, the more we are able to do
it with a sense of pride, never feeling for a moment that our efforts are less
significant or meaningful than those working outside the home—on the contrary,
it is this work that makes all other work possible.

Well, we come from a home which shares the “woman’s
work”… so I think it is time to rename it… got any suggestions???