Water - there is so much we take for granted.

Alicia: I just finished watching the movie, Water. It is a foreign film, filmed in India. It is about an 8-year-old girl, Chuyia, promised in marriage (and actually married) at seven, who is suddenly widowed (her husband was much older than she). She is then is forced to live out the rest of her days (well almost, watch and find out) in a temple for Hindu widows, communing with 14 other women and a cruel headmistress who agrees to take her in and who abuses her station within the household. But it's through the trials of another widow, a beautiful prostitute named Kalyani (forced into prostitution by the headmistress in order to garner income for the house but largely for her own sake)who is courted by a man from a higher caste. I won't tell you the rest because you should see it. It is also the story of the effect the teachings of Ghandi had on law and social inequalities in India down the most rural and poverty-stricken areas of India. You also learn about the importance and symbolism of water in the socio-cultural traditions of India.

The movie was released in 2000 and directed by Deepa Mehta. It received a nomination for the 2007 Academy Award®: Best Foreign Language Film.

You must see this. It's amazing and takes such a captivating look at the hardships women, married and unmarried, faced in India. Some reviews claim there are some historical inaccuracies regarding the reaction by the people of India to Ghandi's message at the time that he was alive, regarding the new law passed allowing re-marrriage by widows, and as regards the degree to which the practices of the people in the small town depicted where as widespread as the director would have us believe, but I do not know enough of the history of that country to tell. The subtleties of character and the lyrical yet realistic attempt at portrayal is captivating.

"I am only a child"

Alicia: Please watch this and listen carefully ... it will speak to your heart ... it will make you cry ... but it will inspire you as well.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17665.htm

Happy Birthday Amelia and Navid!

Alicia: Today is my sister Amelia's birthday and coincidentally my cousin, Navid's birthday as well! I am so very proud of the amazing adults and individuals they have become. They are both working toward their dreams in their own ways.

Navid easily reveals his extremely silly side, especially around his cousins Brian and Geoffrey, but then has this amazing dedication to his work, his family, service, the perfection of ones character and bringing joy to others with his easy smile and witty reparte! But watch out when he gets into a water fight with his cousins! Still .. he has a plan or rather, I should say, plans ... and he is going to do amazing things and, in fact, does them already in the way he enriches the lives of all those he works with on a daily basis.

Amelia ... dear, sweet Amelia ... she and I have grown so close over the past year I am very proud to say! I have always been exceedingly proud of her and the woman she has become and even more so as she gets ready to embark on what will be a fascinating learning experience with a New York children's theatre production company. I am so, well, proud (there are really not any other words to describe it) that she is going after her dreams. It's not an easy thing to do in this world today - to master the natural desire for fulfillment professionally and creatively and also to find an environment that fosters a spirit of service and the perfection of virtues. I am also very excited that she will be coming for a visit on her way back to the States from Haifa in a month!

Happy Birthday to you both! All our love! (See some pictures below)

Jameh & Taleh

This just in! My nephew, Jameh, holding his new little sister, Taleh! Absolutely precious! It doesn't get much better than this!

Traveling back in time - Labor Day Weekend

Alicia: So ... the exciting events of my niece's birth have delayed this posting (not complaining at all - it was an exciting and fun weekend! - a new baby always trumps). Well, on Labor Day weekend, Brian and I attended the Tennessee Baha'i School but not just as attendees - as teachers! That's right, Brian and I teamed up to teach the preschool kids, ages 4-5. I have taught children's classes in the past but this was Brian's first experience with not just teaching litte kids (short people as his Dad likes to say) but with being around so many bundles of energy. On some days (we taught 3 morning classes) we had as many as 17 kids in the class. Of course, sometimes parents stayed to help those kids who were not quite ready to deal with a bunch of new people all at once, but that didn't always make a lot of difference in the amount of work we had to do to prepare the lesson plans and activities for the day as well as to keep track of all the needs of each of the children, all from diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Needless to say, we were exhausted at the end of each day. However, we were very happy to be of service in this way and it was a wonderful experience for me and Brian as we hope to soon be enlarging our own family - not just in the sheer exposure to so many little ones but in how we as a team work together. It was a great learning experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Well, as you will see below, one of the main activities for the children was a mjor art project where they painted and decorated faces representing each child and then added plants and leaves from our nature walk. The focus of the lesson was to teach the children how even though we may all look different on the outside and come from different places around the world, we are really all the same inside - all one human family. The children were simply amazing. I love being around children as they learn and discover. In the evening of the second to last day, a talent show was held and you will see some video clips below from it. Unfortunately, the video quality is poor and if you adjust your sound on your computer, you can hear the quality of the performances better. There were a wide range of performances but these were some of the ones I particularly enjoyed. Also, my brother Brian and a couple of his friends performed a rap. I know you can't really understand what they are saying, but you still get a sense of the performance and I hope to post the lyrics soon. So, well, enjoy!

Taleh Maria Fananapazir

Alicia: This is the name of my new little niece - Katrina (my sister) and Nafeh's (her husband) second darling, blessed child. She was born on Saturday, September 15 at 1pm. Myself, Brian (my husband), Brian (my brother), Lameh & Karen (Nafeh's parents), my parents, and Jameh were all down at the cafeteria having lunch - and in Jameh's case, taking a nap - when my mother got the call from the nurse. We rushed up there and in groups of four went in to meet this new little blessing. She is absolutely darling and I am so proud of Nafeh and Katrina. They decided this time to use hypnobirthing techniques and this worked for most of the birth. They also had with them a midwife and nurse (and of course late the delivery doctor). They did spendidly will relatively little complications and no pain meds - way to work through the pain Katrina! Oh, I am so proud of her. And, Taleh ... oh, she is just so precious and cries very much like Jameh did when he was first born though higher pitched. She's a little smaller than Jameh and I would be surprised if she ends up having blond hair like Katrina did when she was younger as her eyebrows are very blond. And, she makes the cutest faces and even smiled at me a couple times (though I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was the one holding her). She and momma are home now resting and everyone is adjusting to the presence of this new little life. Jameh loves his new little sister and is just so excited and amazed by the little thing and loves pointing our her cheek and eyes and nose, etc. He's such a smart little boy - it's hard for me to believe sometimes that he's only abotu 20 months. So ... here are a few pictures from this past weekend (more will be forthcoming). Also, check out the sites at the left for more details and pictures of Taleh.

Happy Birthday Geoffrey! - Updated!!

Soooooo sorry the pictures have been so long in coming ... we were happily sidetracked by the birth of my beautiful niece Taleh Maria Fananapazir (see post above). Anyway, here are some delightful and memorable pictures of my wonderful and amazing brother, Geoffrey Darrell Tyson. So enjoy the many faces of Geoffrey ...



























































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Alicia: Today is my brother's birthday! He turns 23! I can't believe it. We are so proud of him! So, my brother, Geoffrey - truly a unique soul! I truly cherish the special relationship I have with him. As he said on the blog post for my birthday, we certainly do have a special connection - poets often do.

So, Geoffrey ...

May the rhyme of your life
Never cease to bring you rhythm.
Even as that soul-stirring beat
Echoes constant yet ever-changing.
For with change, you have become
More than you knew you could be.

Though, certainly He knew.
He has filled you up
With His love and His love is your love.
Your eyes glisten with this Truth.

Give ever of yourself more than you can bear
For love is never truly lost.
It only transforms the lover.
For as once we were asleep
Now we wake - brighter still is the morrow.
And your heart will embrace it.

This He knows.
He has filled you up
With His love and His love is your love.
Your eyes glisten with this Truth.

Trust in Him and all shall be revealed -
through your everlasting light.

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I love you, Geoffrey! You're awesome!

Water exercise is the way to go

Alicia: So, this morning I went to my water workout class. So fun! But hard. It's amazing how much of a workout you can get in the water with an hour of water aerobics. The instructor paid me several compliments along the lines of "Have you ever done aerobics before? You're good at this." and "Yeah, you've got it. Very good." I felt a little proud but also a little like I was 6. It was such a small accomplishment but one nonetheless. Not all of the workouts are easy especially when you have to try and stay in one place and are short and can barely touch the bottom in the shallow end. I'm exhausted. This is going to be very good for me. The other women in the class are very nice and welcoming. I should have done this a lot sooner. This is really going to help me in my battle with hypothyroidism and general de-stressing. My arms especially feel stronger and when I got home and weighed myself, I had lost 2 pounds. I know your weight can fluctuate up to 5lbs per day, but it still felt good to see the needle go down and to the left instead of the right. In fact, since starting the detox program (detoxing your body is a bit like spring cleaning - this is not the other kind of detoxing ... we all build up toxins in our body in the foods we eat, not drinking enough water, and not getting enough exercise - even stress increases the build-up of toxins) .... anyway ... since starting it, I have lost 7 pounds! Very proud of myself thank you very much! Now, Geoffrey, my brother, says I need to be creative today ... so ... here goes ....

Swimming in the pool
Jumping in, I didn't feel so cool
Daunting idea at first
Then I felt that burst -

Of energy as I crissed and crossed -
How much weight have I lost?
Stretching and crunching
Toes pointed, knees bunching.

I love the water.
Oh no ! Here I go ... teeter totter
Ooops ... drifting to the left then right
Up ... down ... with all my might.

Done already? Time flies ...
We say our goodbyes ...
I'm going to love this class.
Yep ... I think I'll pass.
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Does that work Geoffrey?