vision piece

Here is my beloved husband and daughter...And, I love these long grasses which move and dance in the wind. It is so nice that people consider grasses "ornamental"! These are along the bank of a small pond.

The photos of the kids were taken over Thanksgiving, when it was warm enough to go outside without a coat. A week later we recieved about 6 inches of snow, the nice kind that is good for packing and sticks to everything. We had several hours of rain beforehand which made it difficult for motorists, and air travel when everything turned to ice, but we enjoyed it. We don't have pictures because the camera wasn't charged but the kids were playing in the snow from 7:30 in the morning until lunchtime.

staying where we are?? What should we do! Where should we live? How do we find the perfect school so that my children become compassionate world citizens? What patterns are we creating in our children? This morning I awoke from a dream where our little family was a unit almost tied together yet without strings on a street in downtown Chicago. My perspective was looking from the street toward the building with the sidewalk in the foreground, and lots of people moving or standing on the edge of the pavement. We, as a family unit, were flying through the air...back and forth...back and forth almost like a pendulum. Yet, I had a feeling of complete happiness watching our family united and flying. Cut.(film terminology of course has rubbed off on me) My perspective is of the shelves in a department/Target type of store. I seem to be looking for what caused us to be united and fly, yet where I am looking has nothing on the shelves and there are no prices... What are we to do...may...

My oldest is going to school, and this weekend he missed going. Gradually, from September 5, he has been dealing with not being at home with us, and liking school. I miss him. He cried each day of the first week, although he told me the only thing he didn't like about school was lunch--too noisy. And said after the second week that he wished that the weekends were 5 days, and he went to school for 2 days. Now, he wanted to go back to school on Saturday. Students in his school recieved % rates in the 80s last year, which compared to other schools in Chicago, is REALLY good. Although I have difficulty with some of the things he is coming home with(behaviors, comments about content in various classes) I am concerned and have met with the Principal in hopes of changing some of the things I see as problems. He has been put into a gifted program, which means LOTS of homework, including the first day of school. I have mentioned, and hope the school implements a version of the Virt...

Although Italy has been on the imminent horizon for about 5 months, the hopes of change for our family have been postponed, it seems, until next year. I am disappointed, but am the kind of person my husband relies on in order to find positives in any situation. I believe in going with the flow. I am willing to take risks, but not against unrealistic obstacles. I am in search of God's will, and do not feel God wants us to leave just yet. We need to make sure that our home sells before we go, in order to make this transition possible financially. We need valid work documents, I am not comfortable going without proper documentation and being lawful. My dear husband has applied for citizenship, but we just received a letter saying that the process has been delayed because they are giving him a background check. After dealing with the Italian Consulate, I have a new awareness of how one or two people can cause problems for so many people. We should recieve my work permit in Oct...

A website which outlines some interesting information: http://www.usip.org/topics/lebanon_israel.html A link: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-2-1.html A teacher's resource: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/eyetoeye/teachers/index.html website sent to me by my sister-in-law: (The website is changed on a regular basis. Previously it had an image of young girls writing messages on the bombs which would be sent into Lebanon. As an educator, a mother and a human being, I am horrified.) http://fromisraeltolebanon.info/ Story posted 6 hours ago about protests against Israel: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060806.wprotest0805/BNStory/Front Some friends of ours were in Haifa between July 17-25, on Pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines on Mount Carmel...other friends are living there--in the eye of the storm. A Jewish Prayer for Peace: Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the most high. And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares...

Please check this out! http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/06/waterfuel.wmv

Life remains the same for so long, and then in a moment it can change tremendously. The tender herbs in the meadow stand upright and then with a strong gust of wind are made to bow to the unseen forces of nature... We are all but tender herbs which are moved by these amazing forces. We are hoping that this gust of wind is pushing us in the direction He wants and what is ultimately the best for our little family. I have been given an overseas position in an IB bilingual school. We are preparing to move, have bought the one-way plane tickets for August, organizing/giving away and selling our belongings, repairing the house/building a new garage, selling the car etc.. Will be attending a colloquium on education this weekend(spiritual education and community development), a dual language training in June and an IB Middle Years Program Training in July. My dear husband will be taking care of the kids while I am enriching myself, fertilizing our family tree.

How can a year go by so fast?

Please read about the situation for Baha'is in Iran. Thank you. http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2006/03/on_the_site_of_.html

We spent Easter with my family, and had an Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard, later we had dinner with some friends.

Yesterday was the first good snow this season for making snow men...the snow man melted today and toppled and we will be expecting almost 60 degree weather by the end of the week! Chicago..

Yesterday morning I went to the fruit market just with my second son in order to spend quality time with him. When we were looking at the fruits nicely displayed above, there upon the shelves below were different kinds of candy in small containers(very accesible to shorter eyes). J gently moved his open hand across them and said a breathless "Beautiful!" I started laughing outloud causing an older AFrican-American woman to come up to us. I explained to her what he had said, and as a result we conversed as we went through the store...or as J "was picking out his dinner" as she described it. Corn, beans, brocolli, kiwi and a huge ham and jar of pickles I told him to put back. Last night we had a younger couple and her mom over for dinner. They started describing all the things the young girl did as a child...I was so thankful J was in bed by this time. For example, she took all her father's favorite record albums and put them all out on the floor and starte...

at an average price per month of 4 times what we pay for electricity...chinese medicine is quite an investment...

my children are earning "fruit of service" for their "tree" to celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha. If they put their dishes away, clean up, act kindly, etc...we added their virtue beads they earned earlier to the tree as well... "ye are the trees of my garden. ye must bring forth goodly and wonderous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom..."...we sing this Hidden Word as well...

the boys gave bear-y a bath my baby girl hears water running in the bathroom, and thinks it is bath time!

our dear friend Ruhiyyih came home for 9 days of lovely chatting and baby tickling...it was wonderful to see her after such a long time.