Bountiful Success

 

There is something I feel very strongly about and alot of people may disagree with me and that’s okay.  I’m speaking about the recent news that Celine Dion has partnered with Nununu to develop her own clothing line.  I did abit of research on this company.  The co-owners are Iris Adlar and Tali Milchberg from Israel.  The company was founded in 2009.

NUNUNU

The basic colours are black, white and gray.  Each year a different colour is introduced. The clothing features letters of the alphabet, stars, skulls, words like NO and WHATEVER. There are Ninja hoods and hoods with horns.  The company was first called Black Sheep but a lawyer told them the name was taken.  On the suggestion of a friend the women called their company NUNUNU which is the Hebrew term parents use in Israel as a gentle, finger wagging way of saying “No, no, no, don’t do that.”

NEW ORDER

Ms. Adler said that their shirts that say NEW ORDER is to show that they’re trying to make a new order in the new world.  The plus sign is to emphasize a sign of equality.  Names used to describe their clothing are trendy, self-expression and alternative fashion.

After partnering with Celine Dion the new line’s motto is, “Celinununu unites two forces by one voice: fashion has the power to shape people’s minds, inspire your children to be free, and find their own individuality through clothes.”

I’ve greatly respected Dion over the years – her singing, her family values but after watching the video she made to launch her new clothing line that has all changed.  I’m greatly disappointed and had to add my voice to those that are now speaking out.  Monsignor John Esseff was the first to speak out calling the clothing demonic so I checked on line to watch the video and was appalled as was my husband.

QUESTION            

The first thing I have to ask is why on earth is the background a baby nursery?  She’s sneaking into the nursery and after being wrestled to the ground says that it’s okay because she’s Celine Dion.  So???  She feels it’s her duty to save these poor babies from their stereotype pink and blue blankets.   Why does she have to be dressed in all black with heavy black eye makeup and blowing black fairy dust? The entire scene and message has a creepy and sinister feel to it from beginning to end.

SAD EXPRESSIONS

At face value this may all seem like a good business venture.  I looked over alot of the clothing line and the children doing the modeling are not smiling.  To read their expressions you could almost write captions under them like, WHAT YOU LOOKIN’ AT, GET OUTTA MY FACE, WHATEVER.  I have to say it looks like these kids are more in bondage than “free” as the Nununu motto boasts.

OUR RIGHTS AS PARENTS

Parents, grandparents, we need to beware and read between the business lines here. Our children are at risk. Our basic rights are being stripped away from us to raise our children our way and not the way that celebrities and style dictate.  I’m not being naive.  I know from experience as a kid growing up that I wasn’t cool because I wasn’t wearing the newest fashion.  We brought up our own children to know that it was okay to be different. How? By not bending to fashion rules dictated by Hollywood and fashion designers.  They didn’t feel any less inferior.

BE INFORMED

I encourage anyone reading this to do your own research and then form your own opinion. I know that it was worth my time and effort to do so.  My personal rule of thumb is that if I have a bad feel about something then something must be wrong and I better find out why.

 

TRAIN OF LIFE

 

I’m inviting you on a train ride.  The train has a name: L-I-F-E.  As the train rides along, there is much to see. There are mountains.  Some are quite tall and some not quite so tall.  Some of the mountains have

names such as: sickness, failure, hardship, trouble.  There are curves and bends that make it impossible to see what lies ahead.  There is uncertainty as to what lies beyond that next bend.

Then there are tunnels.  Long and dark tunnels.  The darkest seems never ending, almost suffocating but finally a very small ray of light can be seen at the end of it.  It is a light that fills us with hope and expectation that the train will burst forth into light, escaping the darkness; and it always does.

There are beautiful landscapes such as lakes and rivers along the journey.  Some are quite breathtaking.  Of course there’s all sorts of weather on our journey.  Sunny days are the best and are always what we would wish for, but along with these days come days with howling winds, sleet, snow, and rain.  It

covers the windows making visibility nearly impossible.  Things are out of focus.  The train is pushed and buffeted.  It feels like it’s going to give into the storms and derail, but it resolves to stay on track.

Finally it reaches its destination.  It pulls into a breathtaking station called H-E-A-V-E-N.  Words cannot explain the splendor, the awesomeness and beauty, the sights and sounds.  Such singing! Such joy and happiness!  Look!! There on the platform!!  All of our loved ones who took a train before us are waving and cheering and waiting to welcome us home.

This train has a very special Engineer.  His name is Jesus and He has tickets for this ride.  They are going for the fantastic price of FREE.  All you have to do is ask Him for one.   It will cost you nothing but it cost Him His life.

When you ask for the ticket you will notice is says S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N written in red.  That is because His blood was shed for that ticket.  When you ask, He puts your name on it and marks it PAID IN FULL.

When you travel on the train of LIFE, you have to put your complete trust in the Engineer.  No matter what mountain, what curve, what valley, or what storm,  you’ll stay on board.  Don’t pull the emergency cord and get off and be left standing at the side of the tracks.  What disappointment and sorrow it will be for our loved ones who are waiting to welcome us home.  Let’s not do that to them or ourselves.

As we travel this train called L-I-F-E, let Jesus be your Engineer.  Accept with thankfulness the free ticket He is offering you.  Cherish it.  He’s never had a derailment yet.  Hear Him calling: “ALL A BOARD”!

Looking forward to challenging ride and a fantastic homecoming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRAIN OF LIFE

This summer my husband and I had the pleasure of enjoying the birds around our cottage.  We had wrens, chick-a-dees, blue jays, hawks, robins, cardinals, sparrows and hummingbirds. We noticed a mother sparrow who had built her nest in one of our backyard trees, making trip after trip feeding her babies.  That gave my husband an idea.  He set out to make a very nice bird feeder and off to the neighbourhood store to buy bird seed.  He fastened the feeder to the end of our deck and we would sit at the opposite end of our deck sipping our coffee and enjoying watching momma bird feed her babies.

When the babies were big enough to leave the nest they too started to visit the feeder.  It didn’t take long for other sparrows to find the feeder and they too started to come.  It got to the point that they were fighting to see who would sit on the feeder.  At the time it seemed like a good idea to us so we scattered seed on top of the table underneath the feeder.  Hmmm…not a good idea.  More and more birds started to come and before long there was bird droppings everywhere.  With that my hubby moved the feeder to the backyard where they could make all the mess they wanted.

Now to our little hummingbird friends.  My husband got out our hummingbird feeder and filled it with his his sugar water recipe and fastened it onto a bracket he had hung about half way down our deck.  It didn’t take very long for a little female hummingbird to find it.  She came several times during the day to feed.  We had to sit very still when she did come as she was easily frightened away. She would tank up just before dusk every night and then be back first thing in the morning.  As she continued coming to the feeder,  we could tell that she was feeling more confident as she didn’t scare away quite so easily as she did when she first started coming.

I happened to be sitting in my rocking chair one afternoon enjoying my iced tea. Our little friend decided that I was sitting too close to her feeder and I was encrouching on her territory.  She flew under our canopy tent top and hovered in mid-air about 5 feet in front of me.  It was as if this bird was saying: “You’re in my territory- MOVE!”  Let me tell you something.  When you have something that tiny hovering in front of you with a beak like a darning needle you better be yielding the right of way.  So with iced tea in hand I moved to the end of the deck and she proceeded to enjoy her feeder.  

Let me take a minute to share some interesting facts about these little wonders of nature.

They summer throughout most of the eastern U.S. , south-central and southeastern Canada.  In the winter they migrate to Florida, southern Mexico, Central America and even to Panama and the West Indies.  They defend their territories and will attack and chase other hummingbirds that enter.

These little wonders can fly straight and fast but can also stop instantly, hover and adjust their position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control.  Their wings beat up to 80 times per second, they fly straight to a speed of 30 m.p.h. and up to 60 m.p.h in a straight dive.  They weigh less than a nickel. They consume approximately 1/2 of their weight in sugar daily, and feed 5-8 times per hour.  In the winter they have to fly 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico in one flight.  It is a myth that they piggy back on other birds. Sadly most hummingbirds die within their first year but there are significant numbers that live an average of 3 years.

It’s interesting to know that these little birds have different characteristics that distinguish it from other hummers.  A close look at them will surely make you fall in love with them and that’s just what happened.  We called our hummer “Spitfire” pictured here below. The idea came from stories my mother told me.

She lived through the second world war and told me about the Spitfire airplanes used during the war. It was after multiple improvements that the Spitfire’s winning combination of speed, maneuverability, and firepower turned it into a formidable airplane to be dealt with in battle and became a much loved British icon.

Soon another hummer started coming around and this one we named “Nervous Nellie” due to her nervous nature at the feeder.  Spitfire had made it clear that our feeder was her own personal property and so when Nellie tried to feed Spitfire would dive bomb from out of nowhere and chase her away.  We were able to distinguish between the two as Nellie would fly nervously back and forth when feeding and would be always watching. Although hummers have no sense of smell, their eyesight is very keen.

My husband and I were entertained all summer long watching these little wonders of nature come and feed and chase each other.  It was especially fun to watch when a male hummer came and tried to feed.  That poor little guy never got chance to even land because Nellie and Spitfire dived bombed him to the extent that he finally gave up and didn’t come back.

As fall set in we noticed that our little hummers were coming less frequently.  As my husband and I sat one afternoon sipping coffee he wondered about taking the feeder down as neither Nellie nor Spitfire had been around for well over a week.  Can you believe that I almost wanted to cry?

Then out of nowhere Spitfire flew in for one last, long drink.  It was as if she were saying: “I’m on my way south. ” So we sent her on her way with a prayer that she would make her long journey safely and return to us next year where her feeder will be ready and waiting.