Mondays Music Move Me... Feb. 11, 2013

Hello my favorite music lovers. Today's post is written while I watch the Grammys. So, I am totally distracted.

This is not something I would normally do because frankly, I hate awards shows. There, I said it.

Shall we move on?

Before I go too far, congrats Kayla on being Spotlight Dancer this week.


This weeks theme appropriately enough is Valentine's Day/Love Songs.
However, this week we have a catch, the word "love" cannot be in the title. Ohhhh!

 Without further ado:

First up:

 Next up:

This one:

Finally this one:





 Have a good week everyone.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for Tuesdays Topics. ~Naila Moon

Day 15...LOVE

Day 15

My entire life my parents had/have hanging in their kitchen this chapter from Corinthians 13 that spoke about LOVE.  It was a first anniversary gift from my Dad to my Mom.  It was a testament to how my parents felt about each other and what was truly important to them in life. It is my favorite verse of the Bible to this day.

We tend to throw the word "love" around. We "love" this or that person we "love" this or that thing, when in truth, we really just like stuff a whole lot.  The word as it is in the Bible is a strong word and one that should not be used so lightly.  I am not pointing fingers...I have thrown it around too.


Today I am most thankful for love. I think this is a basic need that all of us need. We crave love from our parents or cargivers from the time we are born. We look for it in other people as we get older. I believe we have always had it from our Creator.


This love is the greatest of all because there is no failings in it as humans tend to do. It is perfect. Really, it is something to strive for, this LOVE.


Peace...Naila Moon

Day 13...On Collective Thought

The last couple of days I have mentioned the idea of collective thoughts. Those things we human beings can strive for just simply by believing it to be so and working toward that common goal. 

It is not so far-fetched as you may think this sounds. I mean if you simply believe in the power of prayer, then that is collective thought.

Now do not get me wrong though, even though I truly believe in this idea, it should not replace individual thought either. After all, if it was not for those individuals who decided to have their own thoughts and mindset, we would still be living in a monarchy or worse.

Think about these two examples:

1. I have a friend by the name of Cam who currently lives in Japan. A few years ago, another mutual friend asked him to come to her country to be at her wedding. It would take about $4000 for him to come. He asked the universe or in prayer you might say, for this to happen.  He also mentioned it to his online friends and then left it at that, believing that it would happen. Our friend, also believed and asked.


Guess what?! Collectively and with work it did!  This is just a brief part of this whole story.


2. Recently, as you already know, my nephew was diagnosed with leukemia. His prognosis did not look so great. I asked first in prayer that he would be healed but then I asked those of you out here in Bloggerville and elsewhere to pray for him or send him positive thoughts.  The rest of my family did the same.


Guess what?! I am happy to report that, although he still must have chemo, his blood counts are good AND it looks like he is not going to need a very painful bone marrow transplant.


Do you see what I mean?


One final thought, my friend Cam that I mentioned earlier, since I first "met" him he tells everyone he loves them. He believes, as others do, by simply telling individuals they are loved, they will feel it and in turn, it makes a better place to live. Hmm...collective thought?

Until tomorrow, peace....
Naila Moon

 

The blog you never want to write or R.I.P.

My blogger friends,

I have not had the energy to blog in the last week for my focus was on my Dad. He went in to respite care the day before Father's day as my Mom was going to take a much needed rest and small vacation.  I was to take care of him after five days of respite. He had liver, colon, and lung cancer. He also had COPD, a heart condition and two aneurysms.  The man seemed to have nine lives.

I went to visit him everyday.

This Monday he began to take a weird turn. He got progressively worse and on Wednesday he passed away. 

I was the only one with him on the day he took his last breathe. I had just put his favorite singer on, Sarah Brightman, and watched  him say goodbye to this world.  He had no pain and the music made him seem to be even more at peace.

I wish that I could say that gives me some comfort. In some ways it does, in other ways, it does not.

I am grateful that I got to spend the last few days with him even if he could not speak to me. We spoke about a few memories we had together and at one point I saw a tear come from his eyes. Maybe this was a knowing or a wishing that things had been different between us.  Maybe it was just simply a moment of time that had gone by that was good and precious. Truly, I cannot be for sure.

Even as I write this I am utterly sick of the time that was wasted over the years.  The time I spent ticked at him for something that happened 23 years ago. Or the times that I felt so alienated by him. Why did forgiveness not come sooner?


Yet, the last 6 months had been wonderfully great and there in the end, it was just he and I. It was just a father and a daughter spending the time he had left together with only an understanding of love.

I will and do miss my Dad already.  I could never have imagined him being gone from this earth and yet he is. I am blessed in knowing and in what my faith tells me, that he is with me in spirit. That I suppose is where the comfort truly lies.
He was an organ donor so it is also great to know that someones life will be blessed because of his gift.

So, Dad, I love you. I will miss your humor and your endless trivia, but most of all, I will miss your face.  It is not so much as goodbye as see you later.

Peace...Naila Moon

Soothing the soul baby style

One of the many pleasures of moving back home is getting my baby time. I am babysitting twice a week just enjoying everything being Grandma has to offer.

Even though my grand-daughter is a few months past 1 year old, I thought it important for us to create a play space for her in our small apartment.  I remember my Grandma had that for all of her grand-children and it is a nice memory for me and I want to make a memory for her. (and subsequent grand-children ?)

So, Tamirisc and I have a box full of toys and books which is of course at her level to dump and play in as she wishes.  This area is surrounded by some of my puppets and stuffed animals of (uh-hmm- cough) my younger days.

She played hard and we enjoyed our time together but then I think the jazz music I had playing soothed her soul because she finally went to sleep.

It really was one lovely day. I look forward to many more! 


Peace...Naila Moon

Cupid? Not Tomorrow!

 

In the past Valentine’s Day was not something I really wanted to celebrate. I was divorced for years and seeing other couples happy simply depressed me.

This is not to say that I was not happy for them. ( I am not the jealous type) Oh no, I was just not happy being alone or without someone in my life.  I of course was not untypical for I encountered (and continue to do so) many women that felt the same way. In fact I have met several men that have felt the same way as well.

Anyway, getting back to Valentine’s Day…a few years back my daughter and  I discovered the Anti-Valentine’s Day movement.  It was for those that did not have a significant other but also in direct protest of the card and flower industry that make millions on this day.

Love should be celebrated every day of the year. Right?

We decided not to give out Valentine’s Day cards, buy chocolate, buy flowers or anything that day and even though both of us now have someone in our life, we still don’t.  Instead, we celebrate the day before, the day after or maybe the next week.

My husband thought I was crazy last year when I told him to please not get me anything but to wait until a couple days later. He ACTUALLY agreed and two days later took me to get a discounted bear. LOL  It was wonderful and I loved him for it.

As I agreed to do a blog Valentine’s exchange,  I had to stay true to self.  So, as you can see, this is posted BEFORE Valentine’s Day . Who knows I might change my mind next year.

I wish you a lovely day. I will see you in two days. 

Peace...Naila Moon

Learning to Dance In the Rain

"Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain."~Vivian Green

 Over the holidays I was reminded about how precious life is and how we should never take if for granted. Case in point is my relationship with my Dad.

 I have not spoken too much here about my Dad's condition but I would like to if you will allow me the moment or two.  You see my Dad is dying.  I know, I know...we all are in truth, but my Dad literally only has a few more days of life left.

You see, my Dad is dying of cancer. He has it spread throughout different parts of his body and was given 2 months to live. That was going on almost 2 months ago.  His life in the last few years was mundane and well, in my mind forgettable. Our relationship was extremely strained. In fact, I was angry with him for years.

So, how I learned to dance?  Well, over the holidays, I decided to talk...really talk with my Dad. Tell him how I felt and clear the air so to speak.

The conversation lasted 15 minutes but it was the most fruitful and loving 15 minutes of my life. He told me he was sorry for the mistakes and attitudes he took with me and hoped I would forgive him some day.

I told him, I forgave him two years ago and was just waiting to hear that he was sorry.  The weight lifted for both of us. Forgiveness is truly something of the heart and I am truly grateful for those 15 minutes.

I learned to dance!

I am forever grateful for the littlest moments in life.  I always have been but sometimes I need to be reminded. Sometimes, I just need to remember that as life is happening around me, I need to stop and appreciate it. 


I will miss Dad whenever it is time for him to leave this Earth but I also know that we are now both at peace with each other. What little time we have left together will be time to dance in the rain and enjoy it for it is precious.


Peace...Naila Moon


Learning to Dance in the Rain Movie | Learning to Dance In The Rain
 

Post it note Tuesday Nov. 2nd-the Voting edition?