Monthly Archives: August 2013

Whale Of A Time

It’s been a long time since I have sat down to write a blog about anything actually. I am still looking for work but have gone back into a World of Warcraft phase enjoying the horde side with a couple of friends. Last night though, as I was looking for something to watch on the tele, I came across the last 15 minutes of the Australian version of 60 Minutes on Channel 9 NBN. It was showing a piece on Humpback Whales in Hervey Bay, Queensland.

I want to know why everything in my life seems to lead to certain moments. I know I am sounding like a cliche but I can’t help it. When I was in the fifth grade at Vernon Elementary my teacher was Miss Mc Coy. She instilled in me a love for the humpback whale, actually for all whales. She used to play records of them at times. I never imagined that I would ever get to see them. Flash forward about 33 years and I am living in Australia with the love of my life who can’t see the beauty of the majestic whales as they migrate up and down the eastern coast of Australia but he gets to hear my ooo’s and ah’s. This year we haven’t much luck spotting them but the funny thing is, we had been thinking about buying a house or holiday place up at Hervey Bay, Queensland but decided it was too far north. Now I heard that the humpback whales choose that lovely place for a respite on their pilgrimage. I had an aha moment. I cried after I saw that piece because I knew that I was where I was suppose to be and the timing for me was right in every aspect.

My sister Margaret, came to see me in 2007 and we went on a whale watching tour right outside Manly heads. It was a great day. We saw quite a few whales. I think she really enjoyed the time and the Channel 7 helicopter even filmed the whales we saw. When we got back home, we bragged to Adam that 7 news featured our whales. I often wish I could just sit on the headlands and watch the whales procession up and down the coast. I can do that now because I live in a terrific area where if I am fortunate enough, I can sit on the headland and watch. Adam can listen to me cooing or hear the waves crashing or even listen to the birds while he keeps me company.

I know sometimes life doesn’t make any sense. There is a lot of horror out there but I am very fortunate. I know this is a recurring theme in my blog. I know I am blessed. I always find myself in the right spot at the right time. I make connections to things from my past. I look forward to making new connections especially when it comes time to the whales migrations. To think they were on the brink of extinction less than 50 years ago but they are coming back.

Thank you Miss Mc Coy for being such a great teacher. Thank you for opening my eyes to a whale of a time! I will leave you with something I found on youtube. The gentleman on the video was featured in the piece I saw last night.

Posted in Narrative, nature

A Lasting Imprint

Aug 15

Posted by yaussiechick

Sometimes you think that you don’t really influence things around you or impact others but I came to a realization the other day after reading on Facebook about the death of a former coach whom I had as a homeroom teacher when I was in Seventh grade. Coach Causey was a really awesome teacher. He inspired a lot of students. I was really shook up and still can feel the effects of knowing he’s not back in Leesville. I feel so sad for his family because if I feel this bad, I can imagine how much worse it is for them since I have lost my own parents. I have an inkling of the sense of loss that they are going through at this exact moment.

The role of the teacher is quite important in my eyes. Although I don’t have qualifications as a teacher through university training I have done scripture teaching in Australia voluntarily for a few years. I have stopped for now because I am doing a sort of hiatus on that. I felt strange teaching scripture in a public classroom even though the parents have chosen for the children to attend the half hour course that our parish church provided for the area where I lived. I found it very daunting at times because when I grew up in the United States, it was a no go zone. In the first amendment of the Constitution Thomas Jefferson wrote about separation of church and state. In some ways, I totally get where he is coming from because the government doesn’t have a right to dictate to its citizens how they should or shouldn’t worship God. It’s up to the individual to do so which is another reason why I pondered the decision to continue teaching the children in public school. The government didn’t supply the scripture teachers with any funds. It was truly up to the parents to decide if they wanted the child to go to the classes. There was separation of church and state to the fullest extent but I still felt funny. When I tried explaining my feelings to some of my colleagues they just didn’t quite get what I was trying to say. I suppose it’s because you had to experience living with the concept of separation of church and state. It’s like trying to explain to a natural-born Australian why Americans think it’s their God-given right to bear arms (not all Americans do but a majority would rather die than contemplate giving up guns because they feel so strongly about this constitutional right.) You just have a mindset that feels ingrained. I know I am making a huge generalization here but if the shoe fits, by golly, I am going to wear it. For me it’s like trying to explain mateship if you have never been to an Anzac Day presentation, you just have to be there to experience the camaraderie that Australians have down to a tea. One of the things I really treasure about Australia is how relaxed they can be. They know not to take things too seriously but they also know when to be serious. I find growing up in the United States that some Americans can be very narrow minded or think they are better than others because they were born in the best country in the free world. I know I was guilty of this impression myself for the longest time until I decided to move across the Pacific Ocean to be with the man I loved. It was getting away from the USA that I actually found the scales of close- sightedness fell off of me.

I feel as if I have digressed here but I am hoping to tie this all together because even my generalizations have a lasting imprint. Coach Causey had a great love for the USA. I don’t think he had ever left Vernon Parish but he really understood to the best of his ability about the sacrifice Americans have done to try and protect their country for their future generations. In his own way, he left a lasting imprint on me and I am sure on many others who were fortunate to be taught by him. He instilled pride and respect to me about the great country of my birth. My own father served his country to the best of his ability.

In every life we come across, we do leave a lasting imprint. Sometimes the imprint maybe of love and happiness. Sometimes the imprint maybe of hurt and pain but I really hope that the lasting imprint I leave behind is of compassion, forgiveness, and love. In the end that is what I really want to strive for leaving a lasting imprint of love, peace, and tolerance.

What would you like to leave as a lasting imprint for future generations?

Posted in Narrative, Uncategorized

August Peace Challenge: One Good Thing About Music

Aug 7

Posted by yaussiechick

Since I began blogging in January, I have always loved sharing things about music and peace so when I discovered Kozo Hattori’s Blogger for Peace, I was rapt! This month though, I am sort of struggling with this challenge. I wanted to do something really special but when I try to sit down to write a song about Peace, a lot of things and songs come to my mind. Mostly it’s all the liturgical songs that I have grown up with. I guess this would be the best place to start because if it wasn’t for the music that I heard growing up in church, I don’t think I would be as formed as I am.

In a lot of ways, music for the most part always ring with the truth of the lyrics. I was thinking of doing a montage of songs that I have grown up with. I do know there are a lot of wonderful versions of the songs that I could find on youtube but wouldn’t it be more personable if I were to sing it myself? I am not sure but I do know there are such beautiful songs already about peace. Carey Landry wrote Peace Is Flowing Like A River and Sy Miller and Jill Jackson wrote one of my favorites which is Let There Be Peace On Earth and David Haas wrote Prayer for Peace. I will spare everyone’s ears from me singing! 😉

Not everyone though believes in God but they do believe in peace and love so I thought why not put up a really lovely song that everyone should be able to relate to and with. Kozo Hattori in one way I think has started his own sort of Peace Train of sorts through our blogs so I thought it fitting to put up this video in my blog. Surely if we all stepped aboard the peace train in one way or another we’d start a really lovely revolution or evolution to peace. Thank you Kozo for setting out such a really wonderful challenge and I hope that everyone will glide on the peace train to make their country as well as our world a better place.