viernes, 29 de febrero de 2008

Para renovar la esperanza

Antídoto

A los “come-sueños”
los combaten
los “con-sueños”
a los que se los
reconoce porque tienen
ojos de nubes y
brillo de amaneceres,
traen la brisa
y los arco iris
en las manos;
Y sienten en la piel, la inocencia.

En los pies descalzos
y las manos curtidas
Ven nuevas esperanzas,
Y tienen sonrisas
Que iluminan el horizonte.

Los “con-sueños” somos vos,
Yo y todos, los que
abrigamos en el alma
una aurora de Paz y
un mañana de Armonía.

(Después de “Come-sueños” de Roberto Vega.)

Maria Martha Espíndola
Ára Poty, Yvy Pitâme. (Primavera en la Tierra Roja) 2007.-

miércoles, 27 de febrero de 2008

English Grammar Exercises

This is for students at the Introductory Course at ISARM!

And for all those who need simple on-line exercises on different grammatical items!


http://englishonline.sites.uol.com.br/english/intermediate.htm

Good luck!

Friendly, ma.ma.

martes, 26 de febrero de 2008

How to reach happiness- Sobre cómo alcanzar la felicidad

After all the warm comments and greetings of my friends, I feel tempted to believe that I am entitled to write on what happiness means to me.

Anyway, as I am a better story-teller than a philosopher, I will resort to a tale I read when I was a child.

This is how the story goes: "Once upon a time, there was a little cat who was just beginning to go out on his own at night. He left home one starry night and went downtown. After walking for some time, he decided he wanted to learn about how to get happiness. He walked and talked to different cats that night but no answer satisfied his curiousity. When suddenly, he met and old cat who seeemed VERY happy. So, he went nearer and asked him: "Dear old cat, you look really happy. Can you tell me what happiness is?"
The old cat, looked at our young curious cat and replied: "My dear one, happiness is for cats like our tails." "Our tails?" asked the young one very surprised at such a simple answer. "Yes, dear, our tails. If you deliberately want to grab it with your paws and make that the only objective in your life, you will go round and round in endless circles and you will never be able to reach it and keep it with you; but, on the contrary, if you go about life doing what is right to be done, your tail, happiness, will be following you gracefully all the time."

Did you like my story? I hope so!

Let's do like our old cat, let's go along life doing what we have to do...

Lot's of love, ma.ma.

---------------------

Después de los hermosos comentarios que he recibido, me siento tentada a creer que puedo escribir sobre cómo alcanzar la felicidad.

Pero, como soy mejor cuenta-cuentos que filósofa, prefiero recrear una historia que leí hace mucho tiempo, cuando era niña.

Acá va:

Cuenta la historia que una noche estrellada, un gatito que recién comenzaba a vivir la vida y salir de su casa para aventurarse en los placeres gatunos nocturnos, decide que ya es tiempo de aprender cómo alcanzar la felicidad. Entonces, se prepara especialmente, y sale convencido de que esa noche aprenderá a ser feliz.
Después de mucho andar buscando la respuesta sin encontrar una que realmente lo satisficiera, y, cuando creía que ya no encontraría esa noche la respuesta, ve a lo lejos un gato viejo que paseaba por un tejado meneándo su cola con mucha gracia y elegancia. "Este gato viejo, parece muy feliz, él sabrá darme la respuesta, " pensó. Se acercó y le pregunto: "Gato viejo, vos parecés muy feliz, ¿Cómo puedo alcanzar la felicidad yo también?
El gato viejo miró tiernamente al joven y le respondió: "Mi querido joven, la felicidad para los gatos es nuestra cola. "
"¿Nuestra cola?", respondió el gatito asombrado ante tan natural respuesta.
"Sí, hijo mío. Es como nuestra cola, cuando corremos detrás de ella y tratamos de alcanzarla, damos vueltas y vueltas y nunca lo logramos. No podemos agarrarla y mantenerla entre nuestras manos por mucho tiempo, se nos escapa. Pero si vamos por la vida haciendo lo que tenemos que hacer, nuestra cola, como la felicidad, va con nosotros por detrás."

Amigos, espero que les haya gustado el cuentito. Los invito a que aprendamos de este viejo gato y hagamos lo que tenemos que hacer en la vida...

¡Felicidad y Paz para todos!

Cariños, ma.ma.

Waterblog: Observation and reflexion on blogging

Waterblog: Observation and reflexion on blogging

lunes, 25 de febrero de 2008

Posted by Picasa

25 years

Today, My husband Ricardo and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Some people say "20 years is nothing" ("Veinte años no es nada") and to that I reply, 25 years is enough time to realize you really love someone. We have come a long way and after all this time I can look backwards and say: "It was worthwhile!"
I can say many things about 25 years (Imagine!) but I would like to point out some reflexions about living, learning and growing up together.
We were very young when we got married; I was 21 and Rick was 25! (Today we would have been considered almost teenagers!) And as time went by, we underwent several changes, difficult moments, happy experiences, but I consider we evolved and matured together. We needed patience and understanding coupled with love and affection.
Of all these, I think that understanding and sympathy for each other are the main ingredients. If you really love someone, you have to put yourself in his shoes when crisis arises.
So growing up isn't easy but if you find the right person and have patience enough to try again and not to give up at once, love can make that growing, a celebration!

Cheers to our love, Rick!
------------

Hoy es un día especial: Ricardo y yo cumplimos 25 años de casados! Bodas de Plata!

Muchos dicen, "20 años no es nada" (creo que es el título de un tango) pero yo digo que es mucho, tanto como para darse que cuenta que uno ama a alguien con toda el alma. Miro atrás y pienso, en cuánto crecimos desde 1983! Pasamos muchas cosas juntos y el camino no fue fácil.
Tuvimos momentos de felicidad, de crisis, de duda, de goce, de dolor, de gloria, de enfermedad, de salud, de todo.
Éramos tan jóvenes (él 25, yo, 21) casi adolescentes, y eso significó muchas cosas, pero sobre todo que tuviéramos que crecer y evolucionar juntos hasta formar esta pareja, esta familia que somos hoy. Formar una familia y criar a los hijos(en nuestra caso, Eugenia), no es tarea para flojos. Se necesita mucha valentía, mucho coraje, para afrontar ese desafío de prolongar nuestra historia, de re-crear la vida día a día. Pero, vale la pena!

Pienso que a través de los años, los dos hemos dado prueba de que nos amamos, en la salud y en la adversidad, en la alegría y en los momentos difíciles, en la duda y en la certeza.

Les pido que levanten sus copas y brinden conmigo por el amor, bess, ma.ma.

domingo, 24 de febrero de 2008

Learning brings pleasure

Learning new things gives us a lot of pleasure. I can't remember a time when after having gone through the experience of learning I didn't feel a sense of full achievement.
When we set up to learn something, the final goal may seem too far away and the "light at the end of the tunnel", unreachable.
But, as we struggle along and advance step by step, we feel lighter and lighter and if we try hard enough, we get what we wanted at the beginning. Then, the feeling of an enourmous joy invades us as a whole! Our self-steem grows and we feel we are ready to achieve even more.

This experience of creating my blog, is making that effect in me. I feel that as I get along, I can get to do more and my mind dares to dream of even more.
I am very greatful for this!

Today, I've decided to write my posts in Spanish, too. Even though, the texts will be similar but not exact translations.

Love to you all, ma.ma.

_________


Aprender algo nos da siempre un gran placer y un sentido de realización plena. No recuerdo ninguna experiencia donde aprender algo no me haya hecho sentir bien, y, los logros no me hayan ayudado a aumentar mi auto-estima.
Cuando nos decidimos a estudiar o a aprender algo nuevo, la "luz al final del túnel" puede parecer distante y los escollos en el camino, abrumadores.
Pero, a medida que avanzamos en el proceso y vamos obteniendo pequeños logros, un sentimiento de felicidad enexplicable nos invade y sentimos que podemos lograr aún más.

Hoy, he decido escribir en castellano/español también para aquellos que quieran compartir sus reflexiones conmigo en esta lengua.

Para todos y todas, un cariño, ma.ma.

miércoles, 20 de febrero de 2008

After the storm...

One more thing I can be sure of now is that after every storm there comes sunshine, always, no doubt. At times of uncertainty, you may feel that you are at the bottom of the ditch and that nothing can be worse than how you are feeling that but believe me: "There is always something good waiting for you tomorrow when the sun comes up again".
I had many moments in my life when I really thought I could not bare any more and I went to sleep with eyes full of tears but life taught me that we only have to give it time and the wounds alsways heal.
Time and love, unconditional love, are the answers.
Love, ma.ma.

lunes, 18 de febrero de 2008

About learning and teaching all the time

I know that I may be saying something you have already read or heard about, that we are constantly learning and teaching. But let me tell you that as time goes by I become more and more aware of this truth. These two processes seem to be so connected that one cannot be separated from the other. It is a law of Physics: the more you give, the more you receive. The more you need, the more you give.

My friends are constantly reminding me that this is so when they come with the right words at the right time. For some time now, this new blogging experience was making me feel quite frustrated and when I was almost going to give up for good, my friend Vicky came across with the question "Have you started your blog yet?". Maybe for her it was a usual question, but it was just what I needed in order to go back to this blog of mine which is just my first try at it. I immediately sent her what I had and she wrote my first comment for which I am very greatful.

Now, this brings a song to my mind: "That's what friends are for..." so I will dedicate it to my friends, to all of them but especially to Vicky.

I do not know how to include a video here but I will try.

Love, ma.ma.