roots

in margaret benefiel's words: "deep roots anchor strong trees"

it reminds me of a resurfacing dream that continue to guide the direction of my life:

"i am swimming alone, under water, in a warm vast ocean of darkness. i realize that i can breathe like a fish. i start to relax and enjoy the freedom the water gives me. intense feelings of warmth fill my heart. i notice that i am swimming with a lit candle in my hand, which provides just enough lighting to see my body. unsure of the journey ahead, i just keep on swimming. then, i notice a light in the distance. its candle smoke creates a trail and it pulls my body confidently in its direction. as i focus on the light ahead of me, i catch a glimpse, from the corner of my eye, of another distant light, but this one is far behind me, gradually following the path of my candle smoke. suddenly, my heart is filled with warmth again as i realize that i am not alone."

Cup#2

I'm in trouble.... Cup#2.

[sigh]

full cup of coffee = long day ahead

morning conversation with nainai

this morning, nainai woke me up.

she opened the shades:
"look mom - the sun is up! wake up!"

then she peeked outside at the
sun and screamed:
"ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the sun bite
my eyes!"


... hahahhahahaha...
the funniest thing ever.

soul food

dialogues of inspiration - seeking deeper change & meaning
family time - all of it: chaos, laughs, tears, stress, and love
lazy sundays - pajamas & movies
warm sunny, blue sky days - playing nature's music
puerto rican food - feasting on empanadas, mofongos, pinchos
starting/ending a meal - with a homemade pina colada
laughing at the embarrassing moments - together
planning for more adventures - with each other
baby miracles - their smiles, the twinkles in their eyes, their fearless determination
Love - all that has been, all that is, and all that will ever be.

seeds

seeds of knowledge
seeds of hope
seeds of vision

a vision carved
from the heart of
earth's creation

little
wonders of life
swift up
by the wind's embrace

free-falling

different latitudes
and longitudes
into earth's flesh
birthing roots
nurturing earth's soil
inkling stories into
its river veins

whispering
in the wind
cries filled with
hope
truth
life

childhood lessons

growing up, my mom used to huddle us kids around and say:

"remember to always love each other, to help one another, and to work hard."

i'm just now realizing that this simple message is actually not so simple; it is filled with intent, truth, and love.

adventures with nai

tuesday 3/2

afterwork, i picked up nai at grandma/grandpa's,
then had a car conversation with her about the buildings we
were passing, on our way to the library.

and she said, "mom - boooooring!"
me: "what did you say?"
nai: "booooooooring!"
me: (a little hurt) "why?"
nai: "i already know"
me: "ah..sorry"
nai: "it's okay, mommy"

once at the library - we picked 7 books, she scanned all of them,
said hi to other kids passing by, then we got our sweet treat in the
coffee shop (a spiderman chocolate cupcake).

wednesday 3/3

working late today, so slept in with nai.
she demanded pizza when she woke up.

nai: "my tummy is hungry, mommy"

so we drove to cubs, grabbed a sausage pizza,
with juice, bananas, and yogurt.

baked the pizza, once home... 10 minutes later,

nai: "pizza is ready! i smell pizza!"
me: "it's still not ready - 10 more minutes"
nai: "mommy! but i smell pizza - it's ready!
pleeeeeeeease, my tummy is hungry!"

she cried for 1 minute... realizing that maybe
i was right.

and when it was ready - she ate 3 slices
until her tummy was "good".

(in)visible headlines

and the world keeps on turning

olympics end
filling candadian streets
with flags and traffic
chile 8.8 earthquake growing deathtoll
triggers post-quake looters
tsunami scares for japan, hawaii, australia
suicide bombs, attacks, death in unstable
land of afghanistan

home lens on
returning killer whales shows
oprah's no phone zone campaign
students paying for unpaid internships
ucsd's growing race tension - illusion of inclusion
pain of illusions continue as noose hangs in library
a village called versailles in nola
roaring a unified voice
abercrombie & fitch's ignorance of people
costing millions
nature's winds blow electricity out for northern-eastern
usa

and closer to home
drive by shooting at a vigil
for a murdered teen, shot the night prior
murder-crash case reopened after toyota recalls
$1500 worth of girl scouts cookies stolen from a garage
weather storms of snow mountains
melting into floods as the spring sun peeks
(a)typical march in mn.

and the world keeps on turning.