A story for anyone who's not quite perfect

Dear ones,

Recently I came across this short story, which I would like to share with you…I’m very sure most of you already know it…so do I (since childhood), but reading it again, brought into my awareness a whole new meaning for compassion, forgiveness, humbleness, gratitude and ultimately love, which I believe it could be a good refresher for all as we take a quick moment to ponder about life in general. Please, enjoy this light reading!

"THE CRACKED POT: A Story for anyone who's not quite perfect"

Once upon a time, a water bearer had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across her neck; one of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.
The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot, in comparison, was deeply ashamed of its own imperfection, and truly miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: 
"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. 

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.'
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming, beautiful wild flowers on one side of the path, and this cheered it some. 
But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half of its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. 

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?
"That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I benefited from it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate our table. Without you being just the way you are, we would not have this beauty to grace our house."

MORAL: Each of us has unique flaws; in varied way/s, we're all are some sort of cracked pots, but it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding...we've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them, because it is a lot of good out there.

On the road to perfection, often we forget about the flowers from our side of the path, which bring their own fragrance to the journey…please take a moment to observe them, to think about them, spend more time to analyze them and suddenly you will realize that a new dialogue is unfolding – a dialogue between you and yourself, which has the potential of bringing answers to many unspoken questions. 

 “This is the very perfection of a man - to find out his own imperfections.” (Saint Augustine)

Excerpt from a summer journal

Summer – a time to relax and replenish...a wonderful season which allows unwinding or leisure travelling with loved ones, gardening or eventually walking barefoot on the green grass, sun bathing or sun gazing (at sun rise or sunset), attending varied outdoor festivals /activities, or a time just to simply cherish peaceful moments of rest in warm stillness.

For instance, describing the feelings of sincere joy and gratitude happening in my heart during a stroll on the beach at the sunset can’t be put into words, but definitively are making for a powerful relaxing experience, with a lasting reverberation.  

On the other hand, it has been observed that peaceful walks in nature during summer time can heighten our attention toward each step we take (either horizontally or vertically, metaphorically speaking) making us feel more present and appreciative at the same time.  

Without any doubt, summer is the perfect time of the year to enjoy the rejuvenating green colors of the blooming flora, while expressing sincere gratitude for all the miracles of creation as nature is spoiling us all with such a fertile bounty and truly splendid sunlight. 

Wishing you a pleasant season!

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere." (Vincent van Gogh)

July 1, 2019: CANADA Day

CANADA DAY is a statutory holiday, which celebrates the 'birth' of Canada. 
From a historical perspective, I'm refreshing that on July 1, 1867, Canada became a new federation with its own constitution by signing the Constitution Act – formerly known as the 'British North America Act'. 

CANADA is one of the planet's most comfortable and caring societies. The United Nations Human Development Index cited the country as "the most desirable place in the world to live." (source: Time Magazine) 

Happy CANADA DAY,
dear fellow Canadians! 

National Anthem: ‘O Canada’ – audio

June 21, 2019: SUMMER Solstice

Without any delay, I’m extending to all my friends a bunch of peaceful greetings for a wonderful summer….hope the season brings you joy!

A short scientific briefing on SUMMER SOLSTICE:

“Summer Solstice” is a planetary event, noticed by everyone throughout the entire world, occurring this year on June 21^st – an instance which marks the longest day of the year and the beginning of the astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time the Sun is most powerful, but after the Solstice, days will start to get shorter & shorter…meanwhile, all is green & growing – a beautiful celestial reminder of the perpetual miracle of creation. 
Additionally, during the summer time, since the earliest days of the human civilization on Earth (according to a number of various historians) a large number of festivals, outdoor activities and events are happening celebrating many facets of existence, leading to a colorful, joyful and relaxed sense of community. 

                       SUMMER (by Antonio Vivaldi) – audio

June 16, 2019: Happy FATHER's Day!

I would like to acknowledge “Father's Day” (celebrated on this part of the world this year on June 16), which is an un-official holiday, meant to celebrate all the fathers, while honoring their contribution in raising children.

June 1, 2019 – INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's Day

At this time, I would like to acknowledge “International Children’s Day” – a day which yearly is internationally recognized on June 1^st by a number of countries in the world with the purpose of drawing the attention of different governments and organizations across the globe to children’s issues.

Alice’s Book Club – SPRING session of 2019

Spring is almost over, but today (Friday – May 24’19) I was glad to meet at a public library with a group of friends for our seasonal book club. 

This time we began our evening together with light refreshments and small talks while listening to soft classical music with a spring theme. Indeed, delightful and peaceful moments of togetherness, camaraderie and settling cheer. 

After that we continued with focused conversations and the novel discussed this time was “The Camino“, by Shirley MacLaine, unanimously voted by the entire group during the past season. 

In essence, THE CAMINO is a book about a famous pilgrimage that has been taken by people for centuries called the Santiago de Compostela Camino, across northern Spain. 

“The Santiago Camino has been traversed for thousands of years by saints, sinners, generals, misfits, kings and queens. It is done with the intent to find one's deepest spiritual meaning and resolutions regarding conflicts in Self - from the Introduction Shirley MacLaine is far more than a Hollywood legend - for the last three decades she has continued with her brave and public commitment to chronicling her personal quest for spiritual understanding. A truly inspirational woman, Shirley was prompted to take part in the annual pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain after receiving two anonymous letters imploring her to take the difficult trip. In her mid-sixties, Shirley managed to finish the nearly 500-mile trek in only thirty days - a phenomenal achievement. Throughout history, many illustrious pilgrims from all over Europe have taken up the trail, from St Francis of Assisi to Dante and Chaucer. Now it is Shirley's turn. With rich insight, humility and her trademark grace, Shirley MacLaine gently leads us through the range of astonishing and liberating visions and revelations that are revealed to her as she walked the pilgrimage.“

For your convenience, in the comments section below I’m including the brief summary that has been circulated by few publishing houses.

Without any doubt, this book presented us an interesting conversational theme, based on which lots of personal perspectives emerged during our evening talks.

At the end, the thought we each were left with was that life is a precious gift and constantly we need to analyze ourselves, while adjusting as needed.

As usual, the time we spent together flew by very fast, and once again the commitment to continue with our gatherings was reinforced by the entire group. 

Also, while at this page, I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation to these dear friends, who planned well ahead of time their agenda of the day, efficiently rescheduling a number of last minute changes and marched through several unexpected life situations so we all could meet for a few hours in order to have a pleasant time amongst books, while discussing interesting concepts. Kudos to each of them for their determination!

Until we meet again, I’m wishing you a wonderful rest of spring!
Warm regards,
Alice

“The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a page.“

May 2019: Happy MOTHER’s Day!

~ Wishing all mothers out there to feel loved & appreciated! ~

“Mother’s Day” marks a special moment when we can unite our efforts in celebrating all the mothers in the world, while each of us could express at the same time the personal gratitude for our own mother, for her devotion and for her true unconditional love, which is profound, noble and absolutely beautiful!

Motherhood has the greatest potential to influence the human life.

Mother's Day Song: “A Mother's Love”  – audio

1 Year Anniversary of ALICE & FRIENDS CIRCLE™

                        Romanian literary evening featuring 1^st year anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™

On Friday (May 3’19) I was very happy to gather with a group of dear friends at a public library to celebrate the current spring time as well as the 1^st Year Anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™.

Our evening together began with a round of brief introductions around the circle, as new friends are joining us. Also, we all were pleased to have with us again two guests of honor – Dr. Ovidiu Grecea together with his wife. Dr. Grecea is Consul General – Head of Mission and Plenipotentiary Minister of Romania, and he brought us a renewed message, re-emphasizing the importance of effective communication and co-operation, reminding as well that the good we do now will benefit the next generation/s to come. Heart-warming indeed!

Further, our program continued with a number of presentations featuring the current spring season. Additionally, each of my guests that evening shared with the group the relevance of our gatherings; in essence, what does it mean for each of them to put aside few hours, once in a while, to meet with the group to discuss subjects that are not necessarily part of the everyday talks, such as poetry, literature, biographies, arts, cultural trends, personal life changing experiences & much more. All the thoughts my friends shared openly that evening really made my heart sing, realizing once again how blessed we are to be able to have genuine heart to heart conversations & brain to brain discussions, in this consumerist world, when a significant number of people are focusing more on ‘having’ rather than ‘being’.
Subsequently, our conversations were followed by a traditional Romanian song (called 'La multi ani!'), time when we raised our glasses with (non-alcoholic) champagne, toasting for togetherness, happiness, good health, prosperity and peaceful longevity!

After that I was truly honoured to receive from Dr. Grecea the Romania’s 100 anniversary medal for my continuous community work, which reminded me that 

coming together is a beginning, keeping together is a progress and working together is a success.

While at this page, I would like to say that the success of “Alice & Friends” initiative is something I’m happy to share with my loyal and supportive friends who are part of this circle…my success is their success and their success is my success. Unity is strength.

Then we continued our evening together with another Romanian traditional custom, called ‘egg tapping' (aka 'egg knocking') since the May 3’19 is also known as the ‘Bright Friday' (being the next week after the Orthodox Easter)…again, another joyful occasion to honor our roots, our traditions and our ancestors. 
Last but not least, we also commented on two coming local holidays – Mother’s Day (on May 12'19) & Father’s Day (on June 16'19) extending our greetings. 

As usual, we concluded our evening together with a large variety of light refreshments we each brought for the occasion, good camaraderie, as well as prolonged conversations among beautiful friends, with good hearts, whose common denominator is the passion for arts, culture as well as heritage and ancestral traditions. 
We all had a great time together and once again, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to all these dear friends, who at the end of another long week they each took the time to join the group for few hours to share thoughts and to enjoy the companionship of each other, which I find truly heart touching.

Until our paths will meet again on this wavelength, I’m sending along a new bunch of best wishes to each of my friends for a wonderful rest of spring!
Sincerely,
Alice

Mesaj primit înspre publicare din partea Domnului Dr. Ovidiu Grecea* şi al Doamnei Liliana Grecea

Draga Alice, La Mulți Ani, încă o data, pentru acest destoinic și interesant proiect pe care l-ai gândit, muncit și transpus în practică, împreună cu niște personalități adevărate și reprezentative ale comunității românilor-canadieni din Vancouver. A fost o reală plăcere pentru mine și soția mea Liliana, nu neapărat ca oficiali de la consulat, ci ca niște oameni normali, cu simț românesc și dragoste de țara lor, cu respect față de țara care i-a primit și în care muncesc dar mai ales, față de aceste minunate doamne și minunați domni care se străduiesc să păstreze filonul indestructibil al ființei românești, pe aceste meleaguri canadiene. Interesant este faptul că, “Alice & Friends” nu este un grup strict elitist sau închis, azi ne-am bucurat că tânăra generație s-a arătat interesată și participativă, la atât de sincerul, frumosul și dătătorul de speranțe, subiect/tematică din această seară minunată, “primăvara” în sufletele, percepția, amintirile și exprimările celor prezenți iar “pruncul” de 1 an, botezat “Alice & Friends” a început să meargă pe propriile-i picioare, să reușească a se exprima și impune, ca un viitor pilon existențional și reprezentativ al comunității, al iubitorilor de cultura, de reflexie și de respect față de România și Canada. Noi încercăm să transmitem un mesaj cât mai direct și profund, cu condescendența și dorința de bine față de românii-canadieni din provincia British Columbia, de a se regăsi, reevalua și iniția formulele organizatorice și de manifestare propice, ca o comunitate puternică, unită, cu adânci tradiții în Canada și care în multiculturalismul și oportunitățile de afirmare de pe aceste meleaguri, să-și regăsească chintesența funcțională și adevăratul nivel de reprezentativitate, față de celelalte comunități integrate în societatea canadiană. Comunitatea românilor-canadieni are un potențial enorm și valori deosebite, de necontestat, important este ca acestea să se adune și să acționeze pragmatic, concret și eficient pentru binele comunității și al tinerei generații. Felicitări, mulțumiri, mult succes și cu speranțe de bine, te îmbrățișăm cu drag, Liliana și Ovidiu Grecea

*Domnul Ovidiu Grecea este Consul General şi Ministru Plenipotenţiar al României la Vancouver

Time is not measured by clocks, but by special moments.

This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture.