House of Zathras

I’ve been very busy the past few days, and haven’t really been on the computer during that time. I come back to find not one, but two awards.

The first was from VW:

I think this award shows the fabulous possibilities of new friendships through the internet. I may never meet VW or any of my other cyber-friends, but I love hearing from them and hearing about their lives. And y’all can’t know how much I appreciate the support y’all give when I’m having a rough time. Thank you, VW, for this honor.

The other award was from Tink.

Thank you, Tink. I’m not sure I deserve your accolade, but it is much appreciated. I never thought of myself of having a ‘social conscience’. Does this mean I can’t yell at my kids in public anymore?

Wow. Now I have to pass these on to other bloggers.

For the Color of Friendship Award, I pass it on to five women who strive to make the lives of those around them better. I read their blogs because whether they are simply taking care of family or working to make others’ lives better, they do it with grace and dignity despite any roadblocks along the way. Their names are after the poem:

The Colors of Friendship

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The most beautiful. The favorite.

Green said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

Blue interrupted: “You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled: “You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, and the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet: “I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out: “I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life’s blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

Purple rose up to his full height: He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening, thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: “You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

The rain continued: “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.” And so, whenever a good rain washes the world and a Rainbow appears in the sky, to let us remember to appreciate one another.

I hereby award the ‘Colors of Friendship’ award to:

Rachel at Perieraville

Roses at Ack! Thbbbt!

Cindi at Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Dawn at Overactive Imagination

Pam at Pamibe

Thank you, ladies, for helping me to see past the storms of my life, and adding the colors that make it beautiful.

Now, for the other award, ‘Bloggers with Integrity’. My 20 year-old unabridged dictionary defines ‘integrity’ as:

1. the quality or state of being complete; wholeness; entireness; unbroken state

2. the entire, unimpaired state of quality of anything; perfect condition; soundness

3. the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity

That’s a lot to live up to! But I do know someone who is all of that and more. Because this guy not only has strong morals, he is upright, honest, and sincere, and he and his wife work to heal those who have been broken and impaired. Bob, over at Bob’s Blog, raises a family of his own and foster children. I am in awe of the challenges they face and overcome. Both Bob and his wife are deserving of the ‘Bloggers with Integrity’ award, more so than any other people I know. I found this quote: Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. Bob and Colleen, your children will think of you. God Bless you both.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 1:12 pm and is filed under Heart-Felt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.