"Piano Lessons..." 'Obama Da Dog' "Happy Yom Kippur to all our Jewish friends!

Reasoning based upon observation's are not very sound...

Many believe we are being looked  upon from above by our diseased loves ones...

Beautiful Story

This is a beautiful and touching story of love, perseverance and compassion. Well worth the read.

At the prodding of my friends I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Honor and I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa .

I have always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons - something I have done for over 30 years.

During those years I found that children have many levels of musical ability, and even though I have never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, I have taught some very talented students.

However, I have also had my share of what I call 'musically challenged' pupils - one such pupil being Robby...

Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him as a student.

Well, Robby began his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel.  But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary piano pieces that I require all my students to learn.  Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him.

At the end of each weekly lesson he would always say 'My mom's going to hear me play someday'.

But to me, it seemed hopeless, he just did not have any inborn ability.

I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled, but never dropped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming for his lessons. I thought about calling him, but assumed that because of his lack of ability he had decided to pursue something else.

I was also glad that he had stopped coming - he was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed a flyer recital to the students' homes. To my surprise, Robby (who had received a flyer), asked me if he could be in the recital.
I told him that the recital was for current pupils and that because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify.

He told me that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to his piano lessons, but that he had been practicing.

'Please Miss Honor, I've just got to play,' he insisted.

I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital - perhaps it was his insistence or maybe something inside of me saying that it would be all right.

The night of the recital came and the high school  gymnasium was packed with parents, relatives and friends. I put Robby last in the program, just before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a
finishing piece.

I thought that any damage he might do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer'.

Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed.

Then Robby came up on the stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked as though he had run an egg beater through it.  'Why wasn't he dressed up like the other students?'  I thought.
'Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?'

Robby pulled out the piano bench, and I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen to play Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C Major.

I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories.

He went from pianissimo to fortissimo, from allegro to virtuoso; his suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent!

Never had I heard Mozart played so well by anyone his age.

After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo, and everyone was on their feet in wild applause!  Overcome and in tears, I ran up onstage and put my arms
around Robby in joy.

'I have never heard you play like that Robby, how did you do it?

Through the microphone Robby explained: 'Well, Miss Honor .... remember I told you that my mom was sick? Well, she actually had cancer and passed away this morning. And well ...she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she had ever heard me play, and I wanted to make it special.'

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed in to
foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy. I thought to myself then how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I have never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy ... of Robby.

He was the teacher and I was the pupil, for he had taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself, and may be even taking a chance on someone and you didn't know why.

Robby was killed years later in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P.Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April, 1995.

And now, a footnote to the story: If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are probably wondering which people on your address list aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message.  The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a difference!

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice

Do we act with compassion or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?


L'shanah Tova, may you all be entered into the Lord's book of life for another year on planet earth, Happy New Year to all, Jew and gentile, two legged and four legged. Happy Jewish New year!

This blog was shared through http://www.truthbook.com/

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Losing Focus..." 'Michael Herr' (Aloha Friday)

Renowned author Michael Herr is back on this awesome Aloha Friday talking about his take on the T.V. shows we  like to watch....   Make sure and check out Michael's website at; http://www.michaelherr.com/

'Not every T.V. show is a winner, what's your favorite television show..?'

It's Aloha Friday.

Losing Focus

It's that time of year when I eagerly await each new TV series. However, because of technology problems (I can only tape two channels at a time), I frequently have to choose between shows. Last night, for example, I wanted to tape the new series "Terra Nova". But I also wanted to tape "Pawn Stars" (one of my guilty pleasures). And I also wanted to go to bed and sleep. So I taped my two shows, but I had to forgo either watching or taping "Hawaii 5-0". I suddenly realized that wasn't a very difficult decision to make. "Hawaii 5-0", like many other series, has lost its focus.

I've noticed this happening all too often over the years. A new TV series comes along, bright and fresh and entertaining. And then, after a year or two, the writers run out of ideas. The original focus is lost and the series latches on to one or two main themes . . . and beats them to death. In the case of "Hawaii 5-0" every show now seems to revolve around the efforts of the team to find that arch-villain Wo Fat. Humor is gone. Serious drama is all. Character development is replaced with surprising plot twists; all centering around the hunt for Wo Fat.

Another show that was once a favorite of mine has also fallen prey to this loss of focus, this single-minded approach. The Science Fiction show "Supernatural" was so good that first season it was on the air. The two Winchester brothers hunted down every sort of monster I'd ever read about. You never knew what they were going to run into next. In one of their best episodes they even had to deal with some human monsters. Those are often the best kind of monsters. Then, it felt like the writers exhausted their list of monsters. So the writers moved on to having the brothers deal with angels and demons (maybe the writers finally got around to reading Dan Brown's book). Now for well over a year the show hasn't really dealt with the Supernatural; it's dealt with God and Lucifer and the whole question of where is God these days when so much evil is abroad in our land. It's a pity. That first season was so enjoyable as the Winchester boys hunted down witches and ghouls and all sorts of things that go bump in the night.

Some few series manage to keep things fresh and alive for a long time. Unfortunately most keep going long after they should have been pulled off the TV landscape.

Got any favorites that you see heading for the dustbin? Did you have any that got cancelled too soon; while they were still bright and wonderful?

Well, there's always next year.

Much aloha.



 check out Michael's website at http://www.michaelherr.com/  buy all six books for only $18

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Wet pants..." 'Obama Da Dog'

There's an answer for everything and sometimes a simple prayer works wonders....

It's good to have friends who cover for you...

There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened.. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.
As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.
The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out..... All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

This blog was shared through; http://www.truthbook.com/

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Vacations aren't what they used to be..." 'James "kimo" Rosen

James "Kimo" Rosen is back blogging about how vacations aren't what they used to be....

Enjoy your vacation, OK everyone on three, ALOHA!

This blog also appeared as an opinion article in the October 6, 2011 edition of the Kauai Garden Island News; http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_a2493096-efe4-11e0-b6eb-001cc4c03286.html

There were two letters to the editor on 10-08-11  in the Kauai Garden Island Newspaper in response to this blog, check them out at; http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_c22796a6-f16e-11e0-b03f-001cc4c03286.html

Vacations aren't what they used to be...

Life, work and our everyday routines bring a desire for a break, a vacation, a short sojourn.

Most people  are victims of such devices as Ipod's , blackberries, Iphones  and the simple cell phone itself. These devices do more than make phone calls they  can do everything from photograph your child's first steps, , videotaping a news event right in front of you, videoconferencing with friends and family, texting and even playing games like scrabble with people halfway around the world...

People are attached to their electronic cyber devices.

Going on vacation these days no longer means a break from everyday life, from phone calls to visits with business associates, friends and family, people take their stresses with them.

The greatest vacation these days  is not a trip on an overcrowded and overpriced airplane, to an overcrowded and overpriced hotel, then onto the overcrowded and overrated restaurants or  even cruise ships in the middle of the Ocean.

The best vacation these days may just be a week off from the stresses brought on by the life of cyber- electronic devises, or should I say vices.

 check it out, this blog also appeared as an opinion article in the Kauai Garden Island news; http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_a2493096-efe4-11e0-b6eb-001cc4c03286.html

Letters for Thursday, October 6, 2011

thegardenisland.com

Vacations and vices

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Why we forward jokes..." Obama Da Dog'

A forwarded joke is many times a way for a person to say they care...

Dog's are defintely man's best friend....

This explains why I forward jokes..

A man and his dog were walking along a road.  The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.  He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road.  It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.  He and the dog walked toward the gate and, as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.  When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir.  Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'  The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog,'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.  There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog..

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog..

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'




Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain....

When you are busy, but still want to keep in touch with friends, guess what you do?   You forward jokes.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact with friends,   You forward jokes.

When you have something to say to friends, but don't know what and don't know how,   You forward jokes.

Also to let them know that they are still remembered, still important, still loved, still cared for, guess what you do? You forward jokes.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile..

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime!

We wish to thank http://www.truthbook.com/ for sharing this blog with us.....

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Your Bucket List..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspirational Monday)

Judith Whitehead is back guest-blogging on this Inspirational Monday about your own personal bucket list... Judith lives in Amherst N.Y. has worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for almost 30 years...

A Bucket list can be anything from growing a garden to spending time with friends and family to taking a dream vacation, everyone has different desires...

Recently my husband and I rented “The Bucket List”. It was

an introspective movie about two men who were terminally ill, that felt before they passed on they needed to do a Bucket List of all the things they never did, and wished they had, before they kicked the “bucket”. The movie made me reflect on my own life and what I still needed to accomplish before my number was up.

The more I thought about it, I began to realize that I have been filling my “bucket list” all of my life. Maybe I am a more introspective person than some, because I have worked in the medical field for more than half of my life. I have seen and spoken with people from all walks of life, young and old, sick and healthy. I have enjoyed hearing their interesting stories of how they have managed to live to a ripe old age of near 100.

Most of them are very content with their lives with the exception of the unhealthy ones; they tend to be resentful and bitter. Many of them agreed that raising their families and seeing them succeed was key to their happiness. They beamed with pride when speaking of their accomplishments.

My “Bucket List” began many years ago when my young goal was to marry, raise a family and live happily ever after. Goals should change as we age to help us grow and feel fulfilled. My list began to grow when I felt that I needed to accomplish a Bachelors degree in my late 30’s that I never took the time to get. That experience made me grow in many ways. Giving my children the tools to succeed and the freedom to accomplish those goals has given me great pleasure. Being able to travel and see how the other half lives has been an enriching experience; and having the opportunity to work with and help people has been the most enlightening of all.

I feel people need to add to their “Bucket List” constantly as they age; don’t wait until you receive bad news about your health or are too old to accomplish all you have wished for your whole life. Live your life with no regrets. I think the people I have met along the way are content because they have done just that. Their lives have been full, their needs have been simple. They have not had to keep up with the technology of computers, cell phones, and plasma televisions. The people I meet during the workday that are nearing their “triple digits” have filled their “Bucket List” their entire lives. They have kept their lives simplified.

And as for the two men in the movie; after living their list of things they wanted to do but never had done, it came down to the very same thing for both of them. They came from two very different walks of life. Their families were the most important thing to both of them. Their connection to their families brought them the most happiness of all. Without family and friends, life can be empty. The basic need of feeling needed and giving of ourselves is the most important item on the List.

I hope you all have started a “Bucket List” for 2012.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Microwave, Pharmaceuticals and more..." James "Kimo" Rosen

Things that are out of style eventually come back in style and things that are considered bad for us eventually become good for us... James "Kimo" Rosen is back...

Cooking marshmallows over the stove-top will eventually be considered healthy!?

Why is it that so many alternative types are against microwaves ovens? I have many intelligent friends that will not use microwaves fearing that they may be exposed to  terminal radiation not only in their food but anywhere within a  stones throw of the oven.  These people are adamantly opposed to microwaves unless one certain food group is utilized.


The food group I am speaking off used to be cooked in oil, then in the 1980's it became swank to air-pop  it. Now the children of the world know only one way to cook this food, in a microwave, yes the food is Popcorn.


So why is it that people so bitterly against microwaves will cook popcorn in a microwave buy not even reheat leftovers or hot beverages?

The same group opposed to microwaves is  mostly the same group opposed to pharmaceutical drugs. I actually had a friend telling me how my doctor is wrong by prescribing me pharmaceuticals, usually these are the same people that do street drugs, but have conniptions over Doctor prescribed meds.

People are living longer than ever, I do not believe doctors prescribe things that are bad for us, people are living longer than ever due to new pharmaceuticals, people with HIV now live for years after being diagnosed as opposed to 30 years ago where it was a death sentence.  I suffered a spinal abscess back in 2005 If not for antibiotics I would not be alive today.

Eggs used to be considered a dangerous food, now Doctors are telling us the Yoke is actually good for us! Coffee used to bad for us, now we are being told it helps control blood glucose levels.

 Getting back to popcorn, the reason that people cook popcorn in the microwave is a basic reason, it tastes great, may I recommend eating some microwave popcorn right before taking your meds, or right after smoking that joint, of course depending on which side of this debate you're on.

Things that are out of style eventually come back in style and things that are considered bad for us eventually become good for us...

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!