A tribute to my Uncle Kelvin - with a Poem at the end

My Uncle Kelvin was a character; he had many a personalities that I remember growing up. Here are some of the fondest memories I have of my Uncle:

I was around 7 or 8 and my dad lifted me up onto our dining room table at our house at Roberts Creek Brushgrove.. As mum wanted to do my hair. Our Christmas tree was up all sparkly and we were on our way to Calliope to celebrate Christmas with our Aunty Mary, Uncle Kelvin and my three cousins, Leanne, Lisa and Susan. My god I can still feel the excitement I had right now, I remember my legs swinging under the table and me singing’ Goodie, Goodie Gum Drops, Goodie Goodie

Gum Drops. I was going to play and have fun with my cousins and I was going to play with Bracken the dog. Aunty Mary would pamper me and give me loads of hugs and kisses, and then there was Uncle Kelvin, who I loved getting a big hug from but at the same time he scared me. He was a big man compared to my dad, a deep strong voice and whenever he used it I would get scared, but never tell anyone or show it, but then he would go about whatever he was doing and I would smile and carry on again.

I remember mostly the word SUUUSSSANNNNNNNN!!!! Coming from him. It was just Uncle Kelvin. I use to watch him take photos and be in awe of this and wished I was just like him taking the photos. It was something that really grabbed me from an early age. I remember being so proud that he would take photos for the Grafton Daily Examiner and his name would be attached, and while I was at St Marys College, I would make a point to say “That’s my Uncle who took those”! I was also proud to say that “My Uncle worked and the Grafton Brewery and was management”.

Christmas time was always my favourite time, with everyone laughing and carrying on, yelling over top of one another, then Uncle Kelvin would put on his Country and Western Music. That’s right my Christmas were full of Country and Western Music, not Frosty the Snow man or jingle bells. This I loved! I love different.

I’d ask him questions and he would happily answer them but I knew when he was finished – a short fuse I think and I always had that bit of “I’m a little scared” still inside of me as I grew older.

It was Uncle Kelvin who got me into loving taking photographs which I thank him for this today. What you can capture in one second, you can hold onto a lifetime...

I was also bought up with stuffed animals peering out at me from the walls! Deer’s were my favourites. I would sneak a pat looking very wearily as I was waiting for Uncle Kelvin to jump and yell “Don’t you bloody well touch that” and make me fall to the ground trembling. But I got away with it.

Uncle Kelvin was a strong man, and he has not gone too far, his spirit is here with us every day, it’s just the body that dies, not his spirit.

Look into your heart and be honest about all the people in your past who have harmed you in any way. Where there is pain, practice pardon. Forgiveness is the very foundation of spiritual awakening. - Dr. Wayne Dyer

My Poem

My dear Uncle Kelvin can't you see?
I'm not the little niece you remember me to be
I am now 40 years of age with a family of my own
But just always remember that you will never be alone

My Uncle Kelvin he was loud, and by god was he proud
He also had a strong personality
Which really stood out in a crowd

He also had his soft spots too
I witnessed with his children
They hugged and kissed and played with him
And he also loved his grandchildren

I will always remember our arguments
Our feuds, even our different points of views
There is one thing that I know will never change
Is the love I had for you

I hope that you can hear me
And even if you can't
I want you to know
You're always in my heart.

God bless,goodnight and sweet dreams Uncle Kelvin
Love your neice Jessica

Dad - My Angel Experience

Trying to write an experience on FB is not so easy as it must be said in 420 words – So I will put it into my blog in more detail.

I was driving to work yesterday ( Monday June 13th) it was raining and miserable and being a public holiday most people were home with their loved ones or families and I got thinking of my dad. It was exactly just as I drove past the Coolangatta airport. I think of dad now and then and as you do, I get all choked up and a little upset but it only ever last for around 30 seconds and then I smile and move on. Well I got to the hospital, and into work I went.

There was only 3 of us working instead of 13 & more due to the public holiday and its like this on the weekends too. So I was put on wash up out the back as I am not a senior yet and unable to operate the big sterilisation machines. But being out the back on your own has its advantages, I get to put my own music station on – triple J, turn it up and dance and sing away while working. It gets my spirit going!

There was a knock at the door from someone out in the corridor, and it opened. A ladies head poked in and said in an accent... “Do you have any Scourers?” I couldn’t quite hear her so I moved closer and she repeated herself... “Of course I do, here have a hand full”. She then proceeded to speak to me about her work and straight away I knew she was Polish, it was like listening to my Grandma, Nanny Choo dads mum, and listening to dad all over again. Oh boy I was tearing up slightly listening to her but I took a deep breath and I smiled so BIG my cheeks were hurting.

I asked her “You are Polish?” she said yes. I told her my dad was from Bielsko Biala http://www.bielsko.biala.pl/eng

but died 5 years ago at 80. She told me she was from this town and then we talked for ages about how I travelled and stayed in Bielkso Biala and had a fantastic experience. She knew straight away and asked “How did you cope with no one speaking English?” I told her I would go to the Hotel President http://www.hotelprezydent.pl/ to speak to the one lady at the desk who spoke English. Everything during the day was by sign language and pointing.

She starting talking about cooking and the food dad use to make or eat like Bigos, Pierogi, Kapusniak, Klopsik, Kluski, Ogorki kiszone. This blew me away! I was in heaven and as you know me, I started talking hundred miles an hour.

She then told me of a little place in Bay street, tweed that sells some ingredients to this food and as a lot of the polish salamis too! And its on my way to work? I will be going there defiantly.

I didn’t want her to go and just listening to her voice gave me a great comfort.  But I must soldier on in life and I just thank my Angels and Dad for coming and saying HI! It’s so great to know he is around me and this is only one of 4 experiences I have had since dad died.

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.

Sucker Punched by a Potato Chip?

I came across this article and found it interested and would like to share it with you......

Everyday foods that can cause you pain.

How your diet can ease your aches.

Most of the pain people suffer from, both in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, involves the complex system of nerves (neuro), muscles and tendons (musculo), and bones, joints, and cartilage (skeletal). MSK [musculoskeletal] pain, which covers a wide range of symptoms and causes, affect one in four adults worldwide and is the most common source of serious, long-term pain and physical disability. Chronic pain, often a result of unresolved MSK pain, is the cause of as many as 60 percent of people requiring early retirement or long-term sick leave.

Research has shown that the everyday decisions you make regarding the kind and amount of food you consume have a significant impact on your health. Food provides more than energy for your body to function. It also contains vital nutrients, including vitamins and minerals that are critical for the well-being of your bones, and substances such as antioxidants and phytonutrients that can slow down the inflammation that plays a key role in the development of MSK pain.

The most recent scientific research has also found that nutrition has a direct impact on inflammation, which is one of the key components of chronic pain, osteoarthritis, and heart disease. Perhaps the most radical medical insight to come out of all the research into the relationship between food and its impact on the body is the role that certain foods play in initiating inflammation. Food and food additives that trigger inflammation are labeled as “pro-inflammatory” because they cause the body’s natural defense system to respond in much the same way it would to a wound or other injury. For example, trans fats—a kind of unsaturated fat created by using hydrogenated oils—are known to increase the risk of a number of degenerative chronic ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, by raising levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. (LDL cholesterol transports cholesterol throughout your body and, at higher levels, accumulates in artery walls and makes them hard and narrow. HDL collects excess cholesterol and carries it to your liver.)

Food manufacturers have known for a while now about the dangers caused by trans fats, but because trans fats enhance the taste of certain foods, as well as add calories and artificially slow spoilage, they continue to be used. This all adds up to higher profits for food companies, but the real costs of trans fats are shifted to consumers. Health authorities worldwide agree that we should reduce all consumption of trans fats to trace amounts.

Trans fats along with the preservative sodium nitrite, the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, sugar in its many forms (dextrose, sucrose, lactose, high fructose corn syrup), artificial chemical sweeteners, artificial colors, homogenized fats, and other toxic, disease-promoting ingredients, can still be found in abundance in the American food supply, all approved by the FDA.

These foods and additives promote inflammation by generating free radicals—atoms, molecules, or ions that lack an electron in their outer shell and seek to bond with other atoms or molecules to stabilize themselves. Once formed, these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes, forcing other molecules to become unstable in turn. They build up over time and cause cartilage to lose its ability to bounce back, artery walls to lose their ability to resist plaque, and airways to lose their tendency to remain open. The body reacts to inflammation in the arterial walls in a similar way to how it reacts to cuts and other external injuries.

This can result in the formation of scar tissue that attracts plaque “essential” because our body cannot produce them, yet they are present in every living cell in the body and are critical for normal functioning of the body. The omega-3 EFAs that are found in foods such as cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, bass, swordfish, and tuna) and flax seeds, walnuts, and dark green leafy vegetables (including kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, and dark green lettuce) have been shown to discourage the production of inflammatory chemicals that harm the joints and other parts of the body. These omega-3 EFAs appear to turn off inflammatory reactions when the body no longer needs them, and so to keep the inflammation process from running amok. They also contribute to the creation of a variety of powerful anti-inflammatory substances.

By contrast, omega-6 EFAs, which are found in red meat and other animal products and in many vegetable oils used in cooking and baking, promote inflammation. Our diet is overloaded with omega-6 foods, including the omnipresent vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, peanut) not only used to fry foods and make potato and corn chips, but also added to most processed foods, commercial salad dressings, microwavable food, frozen food, and many brand-name breakfast bars and candy bars.

Until about a hundred years ago, our ancestors lived well on a diet in which omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids were in balance.

The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is roughly 2:1, which has been our traditional diet for many thousands of years. Today, the ratio averages more than 20:1, which is dangerous to health. If you eat fast food more than four times per week, chances are your ratio is closer to 40:1. A study in the January 2002 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that the omega-6 EFAs increased inflammation in heart cells.1 Because omega-3 and omega-6 interact with each other, it’s important to maintain the proper balance between them that is crucial for good health.


References
1.Michal Toborek, Yong Woo Lee, Rosario Garrido, Simone Kaiser, and Bernhard Hennig. “Unsaturated fatty acids selectively induce an inflammatory environment in human endothelial cells.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 75, No. 1 (January 2002): 119-125.

Excerpted from Stop Pain by Vijay Vad, M.D. Copyright © 2010 (Hay House).

Vijay Vad, M.D., is a sports-medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and a professor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He is the author of Back Rx and Arthritis Rx. In 2007, he created the Vad Foundation, dedicated to two causes: supporting medical research into back pain and arthritis, and funding education for disadvantaged girls worldwide. He co-founded The Inflasoothe Group in 2008. Dr. Vad lives in New York City with his family.

Unconditional Love – A Simple Experiment by DR. WAYNE W. DYER

I would love to share this with you all.... Dr Wayne Dyer is one of my favourite and I own alot of this books.... Enjoy....

There is no greater power in heaven or on earth than pure, unconditional love. The nature of the God force, the unseen intelligence in all things, which causes the material world and is the center of both the spiritual and physical plane, is best described as pure, unconditional love. This God force is the oversoul to which we are always connected because we are localized extensions of that force.

I suggest you embark on an experiment in which you practice only unconditional love for several days. Vow to yourself that you will only allow unconditional loving thoughts to emanate from your consciousness. Make an intense proclamation to live unconditional love. During this time, refuse to have judgmental or critical thoughts. In your quiet time, think only peace and love. In all of your relationships, think and act in only loving ways. Extend loving thoughts and energy wherever and whenever you encounter anyone or anything. Become unconditional love for this period of time.

By pouring love into your immediate environment and practicing gentleness in all of your thoughts, words, and actions, your immediate circle of friends will begin responding in a whole new way. This act becomes expansive very quickly and you can radiate this love to your whole community. You become detached and loving toward all. You are not loving the hostile acts of others, but you are loving the spirit that is blocked in those who are harmful and unloving. When you can live this way and reject all thoughts and actions that are not of an unconditionally loving nature, you will experience the essence of your spirit and discover how to overcome limitations in your life.

What can you expect as you practice a few days of being total unconditional love? If all of your meditations are devoted to love, and if you pour love into every single situation and every single person you meet, and beyond that to everyone on the planet and to the infinity of the universe, you will feel yourself becoming a different person. You will sleep more soundly. You will feel at peace virtually all of the time. Your relationships will be more deeply spiritual. You will begin recognizing the “coincidences” of your life with greater regularity. Your thought forms of unconditional love will begin to produce what you desire without your even being aware of how it is happening. Your dreams will be more intense, and the vision of your purpose will become clearer.

I Challenge you to go on a 24 hour Positive Spree

So from now on... for 24 hours of reading this, Go on a 24 hour Positive Spree, no negativity, catch yourself before you speak.

Positive 24 Hour High Five!

We have all been bought up and conditioned to a certain style and way of life.

Instead of striving to see yourself as superior to others, why don’t you choose a self image of a valley. From this grounded and receptive position be willing to HEAR and RECEIVE.

My how I use to be so self destructive on myself when things did not go my way, but I’ve learnt to seek a calm inner response to the circumstances in my life.

Everyone I know or who I have meet out there in the world who knew me – actually knew me as loud and boisterous, so out there doing my own thing, not following any sheep, dressing up in weird stuff going out at night, laughing loud and not having any responsibilities. I’m still loud! As most of you still know, but so much less negative.

You know the old saying “Knowledge is Power” and if you find it works for you that’s fantastic, if it doesn’t why is there a need for your ‘ego’ to say so... You’ll end up with stomach ulcers, irritated, stressed, and aching bones, feel miserable, catch colds regularly and complain you don’t feel well.

If you really listen to what comes out of your mouth, try to see how positive it really is. Really LISTEN to what comes out of your mouth and try to catch yourself doing this, try to catch all the aches and pains the sickness you feel in the bottom of your tummy, the colds and then throw them over your shoulder or into a fire and say “Ta Ta, goodbye forever”!
Life is a breeze when ego is not in charge.... I’m in charge of my inner world, not ego.

FIND THREE GREAT FRIENDS

FIND THREE GREAT FRIENDS
Cultivating great friendships is one of the surest ways to find more happiness and joy in your life. Recent studies show that those with a wide circle of friends and family live longer, laugh more, and worry less. But friendships, like all other good things in life, take time, energy, and commitment. Having said this, few things will offer greater rewards. As one philosopher wrote many centuries ago, there is nothing in the world more valuable than friendship. Thos who banish it from their lives remove as it were the sun from the earth, because of all of nature’s gifts it is the most beautiful and the most pleasing”.

As I grew up, my father often said that the person with three great friends is a rich person indeed. I have never forgotten this advice and encourage you to take it to heart as well. To build deeper friendships, you must be willing to move out of your comfort zone, break the ice with people you might not know very well, and show sincere warmth. You plant the seeds of friendship; you are bound to receive a rich harvest of great friends. At a party or a gathering have the courage to walk over to someone you would like to get to know better an introduce yourself. Every human being has a deep need for affection, and most people will be delighted you took the initiative. And if they do not respond to you, so what? Rather than viewing it as rejection, see it as their loss and politely move on to the next person who can benefit from all you have to offer.

Norway, Finland, Amsterdam, Denmark

Scandinavia well what can I say..

It is one of the most unique untouched parts of the planet I have ever seen. It is magical, mystical and made me feel so so close to Mother Nature and the universe. If you have read my earlier blog on My Journey from Sprit it explains how I came to travel this country. It was 1998, I was 28 years of age, I travelled from London to Amsterdam to Germany to Norway up the top to ........ across to Finland into Santa Clause Land back down to.... across on the ferry.... to Estonia back to ... and then I flew back to London.

The people and friends I meet along the way will always be with me. As most of you may know I ALWAYS have my video camera or camera glued to my eye, so on this trip, I happened to capture all on DVD.

WOW! I cannot wait to show Kobi my trip. She understands that her mummy has been to Santa Clause land and I have seen Santa and the reindeers who live at ......... and now at her age of 4 she is wanting me to take her to Santa Clause Land now. I’ve told her ‘One day sweetie, I’ll take you’...
I have a ..... calendar on my wall at home and I’ve shown Kobi the months and we point out December and tell her this is when Santa comes down under to visit so we have to wait all the months in-between until he comes.

The trip went something like this: On the bus at 6am travel the countryside stop around 12pm for lunch – Trev the cook would get his set up from under the bus and set it up for lunch, put it away, on the bus until we got to the next town, get out and look around for a couple of hours, back on the bus 3pm, travel to our destination to stay the night. Unpack, set up tents or like myself and others who preferred to stay in cabins (it’s very cold up there) make ourselves at home. Trev set up the cook’s tent and always made the BEST food ever for us all! When we were finished we were in teams of 3 or 4 and helped to wash up and ‘Air Dry’ all the plates.

Play a few games, have a drink and in for the night. Start all over the next day.

I hope one day Kobi gets to travel the world like I did. If it wasn’t for my dad telling me stories most of my younger life about the travels he did when he lived in Poland, I would not have known what laid out there in the big wide world.