Kiss And Hug

Kiss And Hug
Remember the childhood lyrics:
Kiss and hug,
Kiss and hug,
Kiss your sweety
On the mug.

1. Of course, we didn't know it at the time, but that puppy-love activity holds the secret to some positive affects as an adult. Some time ago, a West German magazine released its fascinating results of a study conducted by a life insurance company. This study found that husbands who kiss their wives every morning:

live an average of five years longer,

are involved in fewer auto accidents.

are ill 50 percent less time,

earn 20 to 30 percent more money

National Clean Hands Week

September 17 - 23, marks the establishment of National Clean Hands Week started by the Clean Hands Coalition, a unified alliance of public and private partners, working together to improve health and save lives through clean hands.

• Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.
• It is best to wash your hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds.

Sympathy

Sympathy comes from the Latin sympatha, from Greek: συμπάθεια transliterated as sympatheia, literally: to suffer together also: affected by like feelings or emotion. Thus the essence of sympathy is that a person's feelings reflect or are like those of another or that a person suffers as a response to, or because of, another person's suffering.
Sympathy exists when the feelings or emotions of one person give rise to similar feelings in another person, creating a state of shared feeling.

Dearest Friends and Family;
Elina wrote the following entry on her internet Live Journal. I (we) am so proud of this very special daughter.

From Elina:
it's a difficult thing to tell people that you've lost your child, that you're no longer pregnant. it's awkward to wait until they ask how the pregnancy is going.monday, monday i went to the doctor. i hadn't been in since august 2nd, before greece. i was to be 12ish weeks along, in to see my wonderful doctor baginski, who delivered the angel sleeping a room away. he was supposed to tell me baby number two was growing and healthy, to hear the heartbeat, to send me away for another two weeks.he didn't.first we couldn't find a heartbeat. that happens, he said. it's early still... then we looked from an external ultrasound... he saw something, but didn't say much. "could there be something wrong" "there could... but let's look inside". so we do an internal ultrasound.we found a baby, and we found a heart, but it wasn't beating...

we spoke in his office in soft sensitive tones, i was impressed to find him as ideal a doctor in grief as he was in celebration. there were lots of tears, and jesse and i spent the day together as a family watching the ocean foam and roar as it always does. its waters were warm and refreshing and washed me with a feeling of smallness, of a larger plan, a bigger picture. life is a dance.

the next morning i lead worship with the children, singing "You give and take away, ...still my heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name" and i raised my hands and let my voice echo in the crowded room, and made my choice. many are the plans of man, but the will of God WILL come to pass. this child has a great destiny, and it's not here with me.this morning was the hospital's collection of her remains. i drifted off to sleep with an oxygen mask, and awoke in a recovery room, one body instead of two.

Grandparents Day!

Grandparents Day equals bragging day! Here are a few of the many adorable looks and wonderful moods of Miss Karis Lei, and
Miss Misha Rose ...







Every year, on the Sunday after Labor Day, grandparents all over America are being honored by their children's children. It's an opportunity to show love and help children become aware of the strength, information, and guidance an older generation can offer.

The water in Epidavros is warm, clear and refreshing! As Misha and I would go strolling around on our many walks in the mornings while Elina was in her icon painting class, we saw scenes like this:

The blazing crystal blue sky was a constant reminder that we were in another world. This first
picture is from a little nearby beach that looks back at the town of Epidavros. Isn't it just like way you always pictured a Greek fishing village would look?
Looking at this picture, it's hard to believe we were here just a few short weeks ago.


The scent of orange blows in on the onshore morning and evening breezes. Orange orchards and olive groves are in abundance around Epidavros, so you can imagine how delicious the fresh-squeezed orange juice tasted to our often times parched throats.

Today is Labor Day

Today, September 4th, is Labor Day in America. This national legal holiday is over 100 years old. Through out the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival.
The celebration and large parade in honor of the working class was first held in 1884, by the Knights of Labor. The parade was held on the first Monday in September. Later, in 1894, Congress passed a law recognizing Labor Day as an official national holiday.
Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest, and unlike May Day, political demonstrations are rare. It has come to be recognized in the U.S. not only as a celebration of the working class, but even more so as the unofficial end of the summer season. In the northern half of the U.S. at least, the summer vacation season usually begins with Memorial Day and ends with Labor Day.
Many colleges in America, as well as some secondary and elementary schools, begin classes immediately after Labor Day.
State parks, swimming pools, and campgrounds are all quite busy on Labor Day, as vacationers take one last advantage of the fading hot season. It's also one of the most popular weekends in the year for weddings; a time when friends and family are on a holiday from work and school, and therefore, able to attend the wedding. So ... it only made since for us to be married on Labor Day weekend! September, of course, is the month that marks the beginning of autumn, marking the time of year when the average daytime maximum temperatures take a plunge in most of the U.S.

34th Wedding Anniversary!

September 2, 1972

On this day 34 years ago, we we married!
A very wise father of the Church once said,
"The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together. Men will take up arms and even sacrifice their lives for the sake of this love. St. Paul would not speak so earnestly about this subject without serious reason; why else would he say, Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord? Because when harmony prevails, the children are raised well, the household is kept in order, and neighbors, friends and relatives praise the result. Great benefits, both for families and states, are thus produced. When it is otherwise however, everything is thrown into confusion and turned upside down. When the generals of an army are at peace with each other, everything proceeds in an orderly fashion, and when they are not, everything is in disarray. It is the same here. For the sake of harmony, then, he said, Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord .... and husbands, love your wives!"


This was our wedding invitation:
"Our children, Tamera Lei and Philip John, will be united in marriage, Saturday, the second of September, nineteen hundred and seventy-two. Their vows will be spoken at six o'clock in St. Paul's First Lutheran Church, North Hollywood, California.
We would be honored to have you share these happy and sacred moments with us, witness their vows before the Lord above, and be our guest at the reception following at the home of the Bride.
May God bless this love of theirs, we pray,
Mr. and Mrs. David Robertson Keyte
Mr. and Mrs. Milo Samuel Pelikan"

We have loved each other these 34 years, and we fervently pray that we are granted 34 more!