I am a wife and mother with a dietitian's conscience and very little time to blog these days. I love Jesus with all my might and I am totally dependent on His.
This song has been one of my favorites, but over the years, being away from the Brazilian community, it had almost been forgotten. It brings back good memories, but its significance is stronger now than ever. But God has a way of bringing things back to memory. It is on the same CD of the song I posted about yesterday. The video is the what I call the "remix" version, as opposed to the reggae style in the original recording. I will post the lyrics below (except it won't include the new rap segment) and the translation.
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.
Tributo a Iehovah (Jeová) Autor: Adhemar de Campos Eu sou grato por tudo que tenho O tesouro maior deste mundo Me foi dado como herança eternal Maior prova de um amor tão profundo
Tenho vida, alegria, todo o tempo Tenho amigos, família, muitos irmãos Foi Jesus, meu amigo verdadeiro Que fez tudo ao me dar a Salvação
Louvarei ao Senhor em todo o tempo Seu louvor estará continuamente Em meus lábios e também no coração Jesus Cristo será sempre minha canção
Tribute to Jehovah
I am grateful for all that I have The greatest treasure in this world Was given to me as an eternal inheritance The greatest evidence of a deep love
I have life, joy, at all times I have friends, family and many brothers/sisters It was Jesus, my true friend Who did all things when He gave me His salvation
I will praise the Lord at all times His praise shall continually be in my mouth and in my heart Jesus Christ will always be my song
During times of hardship, it is often hard to see where God is in it all. But as I have witnessed recently in my own life and have witnessed in the lives of many friends, God becomes more real and their walk with God becomes much deeper than ever before. I was reminded of this song this weekend, after I was talking with some dear friends of how some songs and biblical truths I knew from long ago have a much deeper meaning to me than they used to. I confess, I don't like being in the situation I am currently in, but my desire has been to allow God to be my joy, not my circumstances. I don't buy the philosophy of being thankful for what I have because things could be worse. I believe we are cheapening our praise to God when that is our motivation. I am thankful things are not worse, but I see people suffering much more than I am and ever have, yet their joy in the Lord is unshaken and very evident in their lives. That is what I desire more than anything else. It is a treasure no person or circumstance can take away and is worth more than any "better" circumstance or more prosperous situation. That is what I am thankful for -- a joy that can't be taken away from me. I certainly get downcast often, but just as the Psalmist said:
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation" Psalm 42:5 (emphasis mine)
A visit to my mother's this past weekend helped restore that hope in the Lord, and I feel once again a song in my heart. The following song was written when the author's child died, a grief I have not experienced first hand, but one that several friends of mine have. They also have come to these conclusions. The song was inspired by Job 42:5,
"I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you"
I found a video on it from YouTube with the Portuguese lyrics, but I have included the English translation below.
Supreme Goodness/ Supreme Being/ Greatest Treasure*
Author: Adhemar de Campos
Before I knew you from hearing of you, but now I know you by walking with you.
I know the God I have, my King, Lord and Father
I want you in my life more and more
Before I knew you from hearing of you, but now I know you by walking with you.
You are my Supreme Goodness/Being/Greatest Treasure, my King, my Lord and Father
I rejoice in your will more and more
You search and know my heart, Lord
You know that I am limited and count on your Love
Therefore, as your child, I come to give you praise
How good it is to have your life in my life
You search and know my heart, Lord
You know that I depend on you and count on your Love
Therefore, as your child, I come to give you praise
How good it is to have your life in my life
How good it is to have your life in my life
What glory it is to have your life in my life
I rejoice in having your life in my life
* I did not consult a dictionary for this. As I understand it, "bem" in Portuguese has several meanings and I think all can be applied to the lyrics to this song. First, it can be used in the context of a spiritual being (Supreme being), and it is also associated with goodness (Supreme Goodness). "Meu Bem" is also an endearing term among those who are close, such as husband/wife, mother and child, etc. Very much like, "my dear" in English.
[updated] After talking to my mother, she mentioned that the word Bem, often means possessions (or goods). I had totally forgotten about that meaning. She also explained that it is much like treasure. In fact, on the recording I have here at home, he starts by saying, "Jesus is our Greatest Treasure..."
My sister-in-law was reading one of the books from my kids' extensive Berenstain Bears collection, called Count Their Blessings. It is a cute story about finding contentment with what you have. When she was done reading the book to A (my 4 year old), she asked him:
"So, are you going to count your blessings?" "No." Answered A. "Why not?" asked his aunt. "Because it will take too long."
Have a great Thanksgiving week. Count your blessings... All of them :-)
Every now and then, I realize I need a break from the day to day internet habit. Tonight, I realized I need another one of those breaks. I won't be blogging for a while, although I already have a post scheduled for Thanksgiving. I'll pop my head out every now and then, but I don't intend to be reading blogs or my email much at all.
And hopefully by then, blogger will finally have removed my junk blog status :-)
... You deprive them of play-doh for at least 6 months.
Really. My kids (ages 2, 4, &6) have been sharing ONE container of play-doh for the last 2 hours! We inherited some toys a few years back and they are sharing those rather nicely too. This is without any arguing or yelling.
Warning: This is a rant, I have not exhaustively researched the topic and it is my opinion on the limited information I know. If you can enlighten me, I'll greatly (and humbly) appreciate it.
A childhood friend of mine living here in the US mentioned that she is running out of Vegemite. I mentioned to her that she could probably find some at World Market, but then a friend of hers said they stopped carrying it because of a FDA BAN on importing Vegemite.
According to Snopes, it is because it contains folate, a b-vitamin.
If you have ever tasted vegemite, it is a love it or hate it kind of food (or should I say condiment). Although, in my case, I sometimes like it, sometimes don't. Even if you love, love, love it, it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat too much of it. For goodness sakes, we are adding folate to other foods because of the potential health benefits to the general population . So why not allow Vegemite? And why did it take them until 2006 to notice this? Given I don't have a jar with me, I don't know if they added folate to it, or if it is naturally occuring [update: upon closer reading of the above-mentioned snopes article, it appears folate is added to Vegemite]. Neither do I know how much folate is in it to begin with. Nonetheless, many Australians have thrived on the stuff and if it were a health problem, I think it would be have been banned in Australia first.
I believe Marmite is an English product similar to Vegemite. I have never compared the two. Has the ban applied to Marmite as well?
This is a classic example of government regulation going too far and not doing what it is intended to do. The FDA can't make up its mind on whether or not high fructose corn syrup is natural and they are divided on the safety of Bisphenol A. These two substances have a much larger (negative) impact on this nation's health. On the other hand, unless you totally despise the thing and are forced to eat it, Vegemite consumption is NOT a health threat. Neither should its sale be considered criminal activity.
Well, that is enough to place the FDA into my hall of shame.
End of rant.
[update 4/22/2010] I saw some at World Market today!
We had a good start to homeschooling. J was very excited about it, and it was going much smoother than we had anticipated. But as time went past, he started showing resistance to doing school, most likely because he'd rather be playing with his brother's new birthday toys. Still, we pressed on and once we would get started, he was fine. Then we took a break and when I told him we were getting back into school full swing, he was so excited. I expect a bit of resistance. I also use it to reevaluate what I am doing and see if I can incorporate certain activities that he really likes. In his case, giving him a craft is the coolest thing in the world.
J has started getting some favorite books and reading it to his siblings. Both my boys have had books read to them over and over again to the point they know it by memory, but I know he's really reading because sometimes he asks me how to read some words. It also is flowing a bit differently. It's fun to watch. This also provides for many quiet, tranquil moments with all of the kids together.
Last week, we commemorated my husband's great aunt's 96th birthday. The boys each made a card. I have been teaching A his letters and told him how to write Aunt Sallie. He wrote Aunt in the middle of the card, then started on Sallie below. Because his letters are still pretty big, he ran out of space. So, he wrote the LL, then ran out of space again so he wrote the I in front of the Ls. The card ended up saying ILL AUNT. Not quite the birthday wish we'd like to give. He ended up writing his name and wrote the letters wherever it would fit, so in the end the "ill" wishes were not as obvious, as there were letters everywhere.
N is already in the why stage. She just turned 2 in July. I didn't think that came until 3 or 4. She copies her brothers so much. She has really shown how much she does comprehend at such a young age, yet she still gets confused why she can't always get her way :-)
One other note: My kids are homeschooled, but I don't think it's a decision every family needs to make (but I'd encourage them to consider it). We do it because we want to and it is a good fit for our family.
Why do I have to get at least 5 calls today reminding me it is election day? Do I not realize the significance of this day, especially this election? Although I knew it was my stepdad's birthday today, I almost forgot to call him. I would much prefer a reminder for that.
And why do they declare someone a winner with 2% of precincts reporting? It sure does affirm the "every single vote counts" idea, doesn't it?
I don't know much about PCOS, but dietitian Monika Woolsey and her network do. It was after a comment on my blog that I thought it would be a good idea to post about Monika's blog: InCyst on the Best. In addition to PCOS-related posts, there is a weekly commentary of The Biggest Loser episodes, and a lot of insightful posts relevant to anyone.
Also, Julia Schindlmayr, a graduate student at New York University is surveying women with PCOS about their dietary habits. If you have PCOS, I encourage you to fill out the survey. It will help us dietitians (and other health professionals) learn more so we can better serve women with PCOS. And pass the word on to anyone you know who has PCOS. The survey can be found at: http://www.afterthediet.com/polycystic.htm.
I just had to share a quick conversation I had with some trick-or-treaters last night. I would guess they were about 10 years old. One kid said, "look how much candy I got!" His stash was probably the size of a soccer ball. I answered, wow! Are you going to eat all of that? He said, "Yeah, I'll probably be eating it over the next 6 months."
One of the other boys said he was donating half his candy to kids with mental illness who couldn't go out to trick or treat. He also mentioned something about HIV. Nonetheless, it appears his mom has taught him well to think of others.
I'm glad I just happened to ask. I was so discouraged last year to see how much candy these kids got. It is so excessive. But thankfully I got to see that they're not that interested in eating it all. At least not all at once.
Posts
