Poem, unknown author

Here's a poem I rediscovered cleaning the house today. I found this when Abuelo Centellas was in the hospital.
I Asked God

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, NO.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said No.
Patienceis a by-produce of tribulations; It isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
God said, NO.
I give you blessings, happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said NO
suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said NO.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said NO
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things
I asked God to help me love others, as much as He love me.
God said...
Ahhh, finally you have the idea.

"Getting to Know you..."

Who would have ever thought I'd be getting to know people via blogs and e-mails. I just read Sam's girlfriend's, blog and was delighted at the wit and humor. I have also gotten to know her mom via the internet. Maybe some will agree with me that it is easier to share with people in writing than in person. I'm terribly nervous with other people and never seem to let go until I feel secure. I'm certainly not very spontaneous. And I can never find the right words when I have something important to talk about. I usually find the right words only with a pen or keyboard when I have time to squeeze the thoughts out like trying to get a lemonade taste when you only ordered water with lemon. Usually by then the moment has passed and I didn't get said what I should have or would have liked to.
With that said, I just want you to know that you can leave a comment on my blogs; that way I'll know someone read this and then it will be true communication - two way.
So, hello, out there. And Andy, if you read this - I miss your blogs!

Pumpkin anyone?

Cooking isn't my forte, but I do have more time to attempt some things. I've never been one to follow a recipe exactly, maybe that's why my cooking isn't the best :( But I had a pumpkin apple soup in Canada and have been determined to make it my own.
Finally I concocted one that I think tastes like the Canadian dish- of course having modified several recipes I found online.
So from one large can of pumpkin I was able to make three unique dishes:
l. pumpkin apple soup
2. pumpkin banana bread - just substitute about 3/4 cup of pumpkin for some of the mashed bananas, and
3. pumpkin cream pie - using vanilla pudding, cool whip and pumpkin. Actually I follow this recipe exactly having found it in an advertisement.

All taste great and even Daniel likes them!
Well gotta go - have to get out of the house for a showing!

"Step into the Light"

Last night Daniel and I attended Mike Brush's concert at the Temple Theatre. It was a performance by his students (Vocalocity from SASA), his newest band, Brush Street, and some of his solo work. All of it original music. Mike is an excellent mucician and 'regular guy' and the program was just hard to describe; words like 'awesome' or 'great' just don't cut it.
Here are the lyrics from his song "Step into the Light" :

You know we've been hiding - way too long
It doesn't feel right - something is wrong.
Hard to define what is holding us down
And we can't find the answers just standing around.
The messages coming are chattering noise;
Creating confusion and clouding our joys.
The answers we need aren't so hard to find
It we could just set all this thinking aside.
Got to be quiet; Got to be still.
Let go of the ego. Let go of the will.
Give it to God to set it right, and sooner or later,
We'll step into the Light.

Second-hand lving - remote control
It all seems so distant. It all feels so cold.
So hard to surrender - so hard to let go,
To simply allow our days to unfold.
Throw open the doors and walk on in;
It's never too soon to start over again.
With each revolution comes a brand new day.
Don't let the old ones get in the way.
Got to be quiet; Got to be still.
Let go of the ego. Let go of the will.
Give it to God to set it right, and sooner or later,
We'll step into the Light.

It's time to shine through - and be who we are,
Radiant lights - Dazzling stars.
All of us are - in God we are one.
And seeing it clearly, we dance in the sun.
We can't long deny it - or hide it from sight.
Sooner or later, we'll step into the Light.

Thanks, Mike Brush, for sharing of our thoughts in such powerful music. Let 's all find some line of this piece and make it a reality today!

Good Reads

A quote which opens one of my favorite books is the following by Oswald Chambers:
"The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance."
I enjoy reading, but only recently have I been able to find the time to read. Let me share a few titles with you that I've enjoyed or found helpful, and then in your comments you can share a title or two with me.
Perhaps the most recent book that captured some of my own feelings - giving that 'utterance' I longed for is the novel, Cry the Beloved Place by Alan Paton. The Kite Runner (can't remember the author) is also one that left me deeply moved. Now I know some do not like Danielle Steel, but her book 'No Greater Love' - a Titanic story, is very complex and moving. Not at all like the cheesy movie about the Titanic wreck.
Some self-help books that I continue to read and reread are the following:
When Love Hurts, by Karla Downing . I'm trying to get permission to translate this one.
God, Do you Care? by Lynda Hunter
Happiness is a Serious Problem by Dennis Prager. A gift from a friend that I've read at least 4 times.
So now you all can guess what kind of problems I have! :)
Finally for those of you who wonder what post polio is all about and how it is affecting me, the book The Polio Paradox by Richard Bruno explains this quite well, once you get past all the medical jargon.
I'm looking for some good titles. In fact I just got off the library web site and ordered a few books. Please suggest some to me.