Not Calvin and Hobbes

2022 is Year of the Tiger

新年快乐

Happy New Year

Note: No one was injured. The temple was shut down. Tigers are now well taken cared of and not exploited.

Be Not Afraid

What is it that most people are afraid of dying, death and the dead? There’s really nothing to fear for the celebration of the deceased since death is for the living. When I was in Thailand, volunteering for the AIDS … Continue reading →

What Buddha Never Taught Me

The year 2019 sounds so futuristic remembering a 1996 visit of Thailand. I feel nostalgic tonight. Photography then was archaic when we have to use a real camera, a film and the negatives processed. I could never tell whether the photos … Continue reading →

Cherish Every Day.

In other’s people’s eyes, he’s lovely. For me, I love him so much. I really loved him. Every day before he left for work, We said we love each other. At midday, we’d text to see  if the other had … Continue reading →

Photograph and Memories

I love this shot of the children squatting in the garden. It reminds me of gardening. Different seeds sprouted and they grew into a beautiful living being with its own personality. These are the little buddhas I took care of … Continue reading →

With Open Arms

This gallery contains 1 photo.

A simple invitation I sent out to different organizations offering my services as a volunteer. To my surprise, Aids Baby Centre (ABC) accepted my invitation. On May 8, I arrived at Chiangmai from Vancouver, BC, Canada. I received a warm … Continue reading →

The Wild One

AC does not want me to think that he is still playing with stuff animal as I mentioned in this post.  So he sent me more evidence that this is what he does in his one and wild precious life in Thailand.

To prove his point that he is not the baby but the Tiger. Note the long line up on the right of the monk. Many are experiencing this one and wild precious life.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty: BREAKFAST!

Paid in Full

How do you give?

Do you give grudgingly or willingly?

Giving is the best communication.

Thank you, Paulette

Courage to come back

The sign states: “No Trespassing, Private Property”.  What a strange sign when there is a church in this land?  How can I attend the church as a stranger in this property when it is situated in the middle of an Indian Reserve? 

Took all my courage to trespass in a deserted street and I was cautious of my surrounding.  I felt that there were eyes looking at me as I walked along the street and to my relief I saw a gray nun heading toward the church. 

I felt much better when I was inside the church.  The congregation was mostly Native Indians and elders.  Much to my surprise, they were very hospitable to me.  I felt at home.  Soon, I became a regular every Sunday Mass at St Paul’s Church of North Vancouver for a short period. 

Here I met Starr.  She is kind to me and a little bit on a serious side.  I told her that I was just passing through on my way to Thailand to do volunteer work.  Starr confided that one day she would like to do an altruistic work.  I said by the grace of God, it will happen, just keep praying about it.  That was year 1998. 

Before I left the church, there was an activity of hanging a star on a Charlie Brown Tree.  Anyone can take part to hang a star and share what it means to her or him.  Then Starr came to me and lead me to where the tree was.  She pick up a star and hanged it. 

She introduced me to the congregation that the star represents me as her “hero” because of what I embarked to do in Thailand.  I was a surprised by her kindness. 

When I came back home to Canada, Starr has obtained a home.  Her plan is to help out destitute troubled women.  The house will be a recovery home for addicted women.  I helped her a bit on some legal papers.  I provided her with boxes of books from my own collections of religious books for her house.  As a present, I gave her a meditation book “God in All Things by Anthony de Mello”. 

Then life got in a way.  

I’ve lost in touched with Starr until one night in 2010 I was watching the evening news.  The news was the Courage to Come Back Award presented by Coast Mental Health. They called a name that is so familiar to me, Starr Peardon, a recipient of the award. 

Oh my goodness, I have to watch this, dropped everything and glued watching the television.  

There is so little I know of Starr.  As far as I’m concerned she’s a beautiful person and I never once asked her what her background is.  Then I learnt her story from the news. 

Starr was a drug addict, drug dealer and a criminal.  She was in and out of jail and gave up her children to foster care.  However, it was in the correctional facility where she had her conversion.  

In an article written in The Province Newspaper, I quote: 

It was while doing time at the old Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women that the jail’s chaplain, Hank Smidstra, prayed over her while she detox. 

“This strange thing happened. It was like a warmth. Like God put his arms around me. I didn’t believe in God,” said Peardon. She woke up the next day and knelt on the concrete floor. 

“I prayed to a God I didn’t believe in. I swore and I cried and that same peace descended on me. That was my conversion experience,” 

With her conversion experience, Starr was able to  fulfill her dream.  “Talitha Koum”, meaning “little girl, rise” is the house for “broken women”, a place of healing.  Countless women have turned around their life with her help.  It is going strong until now. 

Last year on March 31, 2012 we celebrated Starr’s retirement party.  And she has all the reason to smile for being an instrument of God.  And I have all the reason to smile outward and inward when I think of her.

God bless you, Starr Pedron. 

This article is a true story written for Writing Challenge: Truth.

 

Related Articles:

• Talitha Koum Society
• The Province Newspaper: Ex-addict helped found healing place

DP: Just a Dream – “Eye” dreamed.

You’re having a nightmare, and have to choose between three doors. Pick one, and tell us what you find on the other side.

Dreams, I like dreaming even if it turns into a nightmare.  Nightmares are just dreams, nothing to be scared about.  It’s scarier when I am wide awake having to deal with everyday living.  Pick a door?  When I pick a particular entry that opens to the unknown and enter it, what’s behind one door is connected to the other gate.  It does not really matter which door I choose.  This is what I call a dream within a dream.  I can quickly go back to a dream and continue dreaming.

There is a particular dream that is etched in the most recesses of my mind, body, and soul.  The time was the early year of 1998.  I was temporarily living in the basement of my friend, Jan, as I was on my way to be of service to ABC (AIDS Baby Centre) in Chiangrai, Thailand.  That basement was hellish, but I told Jan, I will turn hell into heaven.  And I did.  Jan just loves how I transformed her basement into heaven.

About the dream, skipping the details, this is the ending:  I opened my eyes, and I saw a single EYE surrounded by luminous light.  The Eye was staring at me.  I don’t know how long I started back.  And suddenly, fear kicked in, and I said: “Lord, I am not ready for this.”  Then I closed my eyes and went to deep dreamless slumber.  I woke up and missed out the better part of the morning, it was almost noon.

Ever since I become fixated with eyes.  I look at everyone’s eyes to see if I could capture that eye in someone else.  I am longing to go back to that “Eye” dream. I am now ready to look straight to that “Eye.”  As a result, my nightly prayer before I lay down to sleep, my last words are:  “Lord, come and visit me in my dreams.”