Last night Ali made a feast for Angela's good-bye dinner....one of many events to say good-bye to one of our cherished friends. Angela is such a beautiful soul, and she will be missed here for sure. However, I know we will meet again many times---I wish her the best---and I know she will be a success with whatever she takes on~ 
This past weekend someone asked me the story about the Claddagh ring...and i couldn't remember the whole thing. So, like any good web 2.0 user...I gotta blog about it.
Here's how the story goes...
The story of the Claddagh is based in rich Irish culture. It begins about five centuries ago in the fishing village of Claddagh, just outside the city of Galway.
Men of the village, much as they do today, would go out to the sea, each day, to fish for food for their families and other villagers. The sea presented many dangers. On some days the sea was high and on others the current was strong. The greatest risk, however, was that there were pirates.
On one such day, the story goes, a young man was fishing at sea with other men from his family. Suddenly, from their small boat, they spied a Spanish pirate ship. That sight, the men were certain sealed their fate. The pirates captured the men from Claddagh and brought them to the far off North Coast of Africa. It was there that they were sold into slavery for what they were sure would be the rest of their lives.
Richard, the youngest of those captured, was the most distraught. All men had left loved ones behind, but Richard had just met his true love and now feared that he would not live to see her again. Years passed and several of the men died. Others accepted their fate. Richard worked as a slave, but continued to long for a return to his village and to his beloved. To keep his spirits up and to keep hope in his heart, each day Richard stole a tiny speck of gold from his slave masters in the goldsmith shop where he tended the fires. Years passed and, with his tiny pieces of gold, he was finally able to fashion a ring. It was his hope that, despite what seemed nearly impossible, he would return to his village and present the ring to his true love. No one really knows if Richard escaped or earned his release from slavery, but in either event, the day finally came when Richard could begin the long trip back to his village in Ireland . . . to his home.
At his journey's end, Richard was overcome with joy when he learned that his beloved had remained true to him in his long absence, waiting faithfully for him to return. It was on that day that Richard gave his beloved the ring he created that is now known worldwide as the Claddagh Ring. The Claddagh design appears not only in rings, but in other types of jewelry as well. The heart in the design symbolizes the love Richard longed to share with his true love. The crown symbolizes his undying loyalty and the hands symbolize friendship, which is, after all, the very foundation of love, with loyalty holding the two hands together.
The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principals and can bear the full light of day. The content of your character is only by your choice. Day by day what you do, what you think and what you choose is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny. It is the light that guides your way.
- Heraclitis
Mike sent this to me on Monday...the craziest day of my week....and I am working hard to remember this as I greet 1,000 new international students to UB!
A time of new beginnings... it's exciting!
This past weekend I was so lucky to host my friend Saji and introduce him to Buffalo! Today is Rachel's Birthday....and there are so many reasons why I am so happy she is my friend.......I guess it's good to list them so everyone knows....
1. She's super smart!
2. She's oh so crafty
3. She's a great listener, advice giver and all-round great shoulder to cry on
4. She shows love to all her friends....
5. She is and will make the world a better place!
Mike got me into this writer...Eckhart Tolle--- in his book, "The power of now" he writes about love...in our time. His response is beautiful...and one I hope to remember each day.
Question: A powerful word: Love. Which is the role of love in existence?
Answer: Love comes into existence when you know who you are in your essence and then recognize the “other” as yourself. It is the end of the delusion of separation, which is created by excessive reliance on thinking.
So, this is what my desk looks like....books, books and more books.
But, yesterday a little angel (Rachel and the Inter-library Loan service) brought me the PERFECT book for my dissertation topic.
Universities and Globalization: To market, To market
This book examines the operations of power and knowledge in international education--- exactly what I am interested in. And it's written by a thoughtful, insightful scholar named Ravinder Sidhu.
I was so excited....it was such a wonderful gift and I feel revived to continue with pursuing this crazy PhD~
Yesterday I made some yummmmmmie pesto using the fresh basil from my window box. I enjoyed the break from working on my Qualifying exam....
I was just smiling thinking about sharing this great batch as I was listening to Carlos Vives and enjoying sounds of my imaginary Island life inside "little summer."
While Carlos' is from Columbia, his music makes me feel like I am enjoying life on a breezy, carefree Island...
Enjoy his music for yourself!
Whenever you think you 'can't' do something, or you think 'you' can't make a difference--just feeling down about life and any possibility to create change----
Remember that we are all millions of energy particles--- and that energy, positive or negative--- can be transformed from one form to another, but it is never created or destroyed.
Somewhere within this idea, we can argue that we are all connected for the mere fact that we transfer this energy to each other. So what we do for another, will ultimately help us.
So, as I finish off the week I think....how can I work with my own energy to make others feel as happy and good as I feel today?
