I Am a Woman, Hear Me Roar

I Am Woman -Artist: Helen Reddy from "Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits": EMI ST 11467 -peak Billboard position # 1 for 1 week in 1972 -Words and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again CHORUS Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman You can bend but never break me 'cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul CHORUS I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long long way to go Until I make my brother understand Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman Oh, I am woman I am invincible I am strong FADE I am woman I am invincible I am strong I am woman

The Road to Ithaca

Ithaka As you set out for Ithaka hope the voyage is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you. Hope the voyage is a long one. May there be many a summer morning when, with what pleasure, what joy, you come into harbors seen for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind— as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars. Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you are destined for. But do not hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you are old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you have gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich. Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you would not have set out. She has nothing left to give you now. And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean. Written by C.P. Cavafy, Translated by Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrard, (C.P. Cavafy, Collected Poems. Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Edited by George Savidis. Revised Edition. Princeton University Press, 1992)

I Believe

What I believe is very personal to me. I have a few core beliefs that I was taught by my parents. I believe we come into this world knowing all truth, however due to the nature of mortality we allow external forces to influence us and forget much of what we know. Perhaps this is what our Mother and Father in Heaven intended. I believe that parents should provide for the basic needs of their children. These needs are included in Maslov's Hierarchy of needs:

After these needs are met, we are then able to learn and then do the things we came here to do. I realize that many parents are not capable of providing all of the basic needs. Many of us are left to learn for ourselves how to meet some of our own needs. Parents should study and learn what children need so that they can provide it. However, even when we choose to become parents and study and learn all we can, we cannot know everything. Therefore, our children will still need to learn many things on their own.

Meeting Joy Funnell

When I came to England last month, I literally found Joy in my journey... Joy Funnell that is. I had the amazing opportunity to take a course from a world renown artist: http://joyfunnell.co.uk/ Besides being a classy lady, Joy is a wonderful teacher. I learned in two days what would have taken me years to learn on my own. What a gift this was. Thank you God for Joy Funnell.

Who I Am

I am a naturally happy person who grew up feeling loved and secure. Life was not always easy, but I was almost always happy. It was not until I was older and felt overwhelmed by the challenges of adult life that I experienced pain and sorrow to any degree. Through this blog, I will endeavor to share my story of how I have learned to find joy and laughter along the way...