CHRISTMAS GIRLS!

KARIS LEI & MISHA ROSE looking cuter than ever during Christmas in North Carolina

Happy New Year!

Happy 2007!

from

The Pelikans

Shogatsu

January 1st to 3rd are called Shougatsu (Japanese New Year) in Japan. January 1st is called gantan and is a national holiday. Shogatsu is the most important holiday in Japan. People say to each other "ake-mashite-omedetou-gozaimasu" (Happy New Year) whenever they see at the first time in the new year.

Japanese people eat special dishes called osechi ryouri during Shogatsu. Osechi ryouri is packed in a Jubako box, which has several layers. The foods are colorful and artistically presented. Each dish has a particular meaning. For example, prawns for long life, kuromame (cooked sweet black beans) for health, kazunoko (herring roe) for fertility, tazukuri (teriyaki taste small sardines) for a good harvest, kurikinton (sweet chestnuts and mashed sweet potato) for happiness, and more.

It is traditional for Japanese people to visit to a shrine or a temple during New Year's Days. People pray for safety, health and good fortune. The first visit to a temple or shrine in a year is called hatsumoude. It is not a very religious event but rather a custom. Many well-known temples and shrines are extremely crowded. Some temples and shrines expect a couple million visitors during New Year's holidays each year.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Many people believe that the 12 Days of Christmas begin 12 days BEFORE Christmas, but actually we are in the midst of the twelve days, which began the night of the 25th of December and ends on the morning of January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.

Today is the 3rd Day of Christmas.

In the Middle Ages these 12 days were ones of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which culminates on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas Season.

Some Christians assign symbolism to the gifts in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, and this symbolism is what I thought would fun to share with you today:

The 'partridge in a pear tree' is symbolic of Jesus on the cross.

The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments.

The 'three French hens' are the three Persons of the Holy Trinity or the three virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love.

The 'four calling birds' are the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; or their Gospels. Which makes sense because they are "calling" out the story.

'Five gold rings' are the first five books of the Bible, or the Pentateuch.

'Six geese a-laying' refer to the six days of the Creation.

'Seven swans a-swimming' are the seven sacraments and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

'Eight maids a-milking' are the eight Beatitudes.

'Nine ladies dancing' are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

'Ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments.

'Eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful Apostles.

'Twelve drummers drumming' are the twelve doctrines in the Apostles' Creed.

This interpretation is usually taught with the story that British Catholics, suffering persecution in the 16th century, wrote the song with these hidden meanings. The song would have served as a learning and memory tool.

For some coloring fun during the Twelve Days of Christmas, check out this link:
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/coloring/12dayscolor.htm

The Magic of Christmas

The Magic of Christmas

The magic of Christmas is so many things. . .
A holly wreath gay and a church bell that rings,
A tree all a-glitter, a candle's soft glow
And moonlight reflected on new-fallen snow;

A kitchen's aroma of sugar and spice,
Bright packages wrapped up so pretty and nice,
Red stockings o'erflowing with candy and toys
And hung by the fireplace for good girls and boys.

The magic of Christmas is found everywhere. . .
Sweet voices of carolers upon frosted air,
The jingle of sleigh bells across hill and vale,
Glad ring of the postman delivering the mail;

Good friends dropping in and the laughter so gay,
Store windows decked out in delightful display.
Dear Santa Claus chuckling his famed "Ho, ho, ho!"
And little tots whispering as Santa bends low.

The magic of Christmas is so many things. . .
A candlelit church and a choir that sings,
The being together with people we love,
Belief that the Christmas Star still shines above;

The caring and giving and goodwill towards men,
The Christ Child reborn in our hearts once again,
Contentment and peace and a faith strong within,
A spirit of love that makes all the world kin.

The magic of Christmas is all this and more,
May your day be merry with much joy in store
And may the bright mem'ries and glow ne'er depart. . .
The magic of Christmas live on in your heart!

~Beverly J. Anderson

Wave of Joy

Only 6 days left until Christmas - wow! Where has the time gone?

Christmas is a beautiful time of year in Japan! I am continually amazed by the gorgeous Christmas lights everywhere, and the signs that read 'Joyful Christmas.' Favorite Christmas songs are piped through the stores, and Christmas cakes are displayed in bakery windows. In Japan, Christmas is known more as a time to spread happiness rather than a religious celebration. It's Japanese New Year (called 'o shogatsu') that is more like our traditional Western Christmas. New Year is the period where families get together, have a special meal, pray and send greetings cards. New Year is celebrated over five days from December 31st to January 4th and is a very busy time.

A very dear Japanese friend wrote to me today proclaiming her understanding of our busy schedule as we tried to plan our annual get-together with them. She proclaimed that "we are [all] in a wave of joy and busy at this time," and this phrase "wave of joy" has been ringing in my ears ever since she wrote it. It made/makes me happy!

Even though it's a busy time, remember the wave of joy that is Christmas!

Advent

Advent is the period preceding the Christmas season. It begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and covers four Sundays. Because the day it begins changes from year to year, so does the length of each Advent season. This year, in 2006, Advent began on December 3.

The word advent, comes from the Latin, and means “the coming.” For centuries, Advent has been a time of spiritual reflection as well as cheer and anticipation. Even as the Christmas season has become more secular - with advertisers urging holiday gift-givers to buy and buy some more - Advent still brings joy and the observance of ancient customs. Christian families find quiet moments lighting candles in the Advent wreath, and children use Advent calendars to count the days until Christmas.

Two Holidays

Today, both Japan and the US celebrate a holiday:

Pictured here is a rendering of the "First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World."



By Presidential Proclamation beginning in 1934, the second Monday of October is Columbus Day.


It was a long tiresome journey for the 100 sailors of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Weeks passed with no sight of land. The food, water, and supplies were almost gone. Most of the sailors were restless and wanted to turn back. But, Columbus cheered them by talking about the riches they would find into the Indies. Finally signs of land appeared. Branches with green leaves and red berries floated past the ships. They then saw in the distance LAND! Sailing closer, sandy beaches and green forests appeared. Columbus and the sailors thought they had arrived in India, but actually they had discovered America!


In order to give federal employees 3-day weekends, a 1968 federal law made several changes in dates of holiday observances. Originally, Columbus Day was observed on the 12th of October, until 1971 when it changed to the second Monday in October.
Italian-Americans feel pride in the day due to the fact that Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor, sailed to the Americas. Many royal courts were interested in financing the voyage, but Spain financed the ships for Columbus' brainchild.

Trying singing these songs, just like children in America do, to learnChildren learn little poems to help remember the year Columbus landed in America:

COLUMBUS DAY("Mary Had a Little Lamb.")
Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Ocean blue, ocean blue. Columbus sailed the ocean blue, In fourteen-ninety-two. Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Ocean blue, ocean blue. I enjoy making discoveries,too. How about you?

OH, COLUMBUS("Oh,My Darling Clementine.")
Oh, Columbus; oh, Columbus, Sailed the ocean wide & blue. He landed in America, In fourteen ninety-two.

In Japan today is SPORTS DAY:

The second Monday of October is Taiiku no Hi, or Sports Day, a national holiday to foster healthy minds and bodies through physical activity. It was established to commemorate the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were held from October 10 to 24. It was designated a national holiday two years later in 1966. Until 1999 the holiday was on October 10, but beginning in 2000 it has been changed to the second Monday of the month.

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!

california pelikans, signing in. big things coming, i can feel it in the air... expect big things.

The Pelikans in Greece

Whew! I made it to Greece and back! And what a journey it was too. After arriving last Thursday, I've realized more than ever that my body will get the sleep it needs whether I like it or not. With security at the various airports, and hours and hours of travel, there is no doubt it's all taken it's toll on me. It wasn't until today that I was actually able to get up and out of bed at a decent hour (0700 this morning) and back on my feet, so to speak.

So, where do I begin to tell you about my amazing trip? I think I have to start with my granddaughter, Misha. Getting to know her by spending every day, all day, with her, was such a delight! She got to know me too! She is a very sweet and friendly little baby, so she came to me right away. By the end of our visit, however, she reached for me like we'd been together forever - just what I longed for!

Each day Elina was in class during the morning and evening, so Misha and I went on little adventures together. Midday was much too hot, so we mostly stayed inside during the afternoons.

The icon that Elina painted during her class is exceptionally beautiful, and we are so proud of her. Isn't it breathtaking? The title of this icon is "Sweet Kissing" - The Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus are cheek to cheek with love for each other.

Elina worked very hard every day to raise her level of skill, and without a doubt, she accomplished her goals!

We saw so much that words can hardly do it justice, but at least this little bit will get me started with the story of the Pelikans in Greece.

More to come ...

The theatre in Epidavros ...

Hello from Greece!
Well, we all made it to Greece, safe and sound. Today is our second day here, and we are finally getting caught up with sleep enough to start enjoying ourselves.
I can say without reservation that we are in paradise! Epidavros, what a gorgeous place! It's very hot, but the heat is dry and bearable - especially in the mornings and evenings. Everyone here takes time in the hot afternoons to rest, and then prepare for dinner at about 9:00 PM!
I ate the best Greek salad I have every had, with the best of breads - this area is famous for it's bread (among other things that I wil write about later).
Misha Rose is an absolute doll, and a joy to be with. Just think, she's in Greece at 10 months of age - wow!
I promise to send pictures soon, and write here as often as I can.
Take care everyone ...

Blessings,
Tamera

Today in History

On July 25, 1956, while sailing off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts bound for New York City, the SS Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound SS Stockholm of the Swedish-American Line in what was to become one of history's most famous maritime disasters. Struck in the side, the position (list) of the mortally wounded ship left half of Andrea Doria's lifeboats unusable, which might have resulted in significant loss of life, but improvements in communications and rapid responses by other ships averted a disaster similar in scale to the Titanic disaster of 1912. Most passengers and crew survived. The evacuated luxury liner capsized and sank the following morning.
The incident and the aftermath were heavily covered by the news media. While the rescue efforts were both successful and commendable, the cause of the collision and the capsizing and sinking of the Andrea Doria afterward generated much interest in the media, and many lawsuits. The Andrea Doria was the last major transatlantic passenger vessel to sink before airplanes became the preferred method of travel.

Monday Ladies

Hello to all of my Monday English students. Tonight's entry is especially for you:

How did you feel about English today? Did you feel like you were understanding more and more? Here are a few more reasons to keep studying English ...

Remember:
About 1,500,000,000 people in the world speak English. Another 1,000,000,000 are learning it.

• 75% of the world's letters and postcards are written in English.
• Almost all international conferences and competitions are conducted in English. For example, the Olympics and the Miss World contest.
• Diplomats and politicians from different countries use English to communicate with each other. English is the main language of organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and the European Free Trade Association.
• Travel will be more easy. You will communicate with people wherever you go — English is spoken in more than 100 countries. You can ask directions, have a conversation, or... ask for help. Who knows, maybe English will even save someone's life someday!

A NEW ENGLISH CHALLENGE

Studying English for just 15 minutes every day gives you much better results than studying for a whole day twice a month.

Liberty Bell Rings - July 8th, 1776

July 8th, 1776
The Liberty Bell was situated in the tower of the USA's capital building (at the time) the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall). It rang to summon citizens to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence which had been adopted on July 4th 1776.

The bell has the following inscription on it:

"Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof"
At the close of the reading the bell in the cupola pealed forth the glad tidings of the birth of the Nation and the spectators "gave their hearty consent with three loud huzzas and cried out "May God long preserve and unite the Free and Independent States of America."