Life After Death

As most of you know, I am not one to write my political or religious views on my blog but I need to do this one. I really don't believe in life after death, however, I am questioning my beliefs. I may be just overanalyzing this incident but I am going to share.

Unfortunately, my Grandpa passed away Friday (I heard on Saturday). He had many health problems and he died peacefully at home with my uncle and my grandmother. It is definitely difficult to lose someone and especially being so far away. I was so looking forward in seeing him in 2 months when I return home for Christmas.

It has been raining here in Greece for about 5 days straight. This past weekend was a washout, so it was a good weekend to curl up, stay in the pajamas, read and relax. And reflect. On Sunday, I was basically here on the couch in my livingroom for the entire day. Looking through the sliding glass doors and watching the rain come down. Mid morning a pigeon flew on to my balcony and starting pecking at some crumbs and plant bits. This pigeon continued to walk around the balcony. It tried numerous times to go through the glass of the sliding glass doors and almost came into my bedroom as that door was open (we don't have screens here). This pigeon then just hung out on my balcony for a good six hours. It slept by the door for a long time too. The same pigeon.

And so in my thoughts, I was kind of thinking that this pigeon may have been Grandpa coming to spend some time with me before he flew up to heaven. Over six hours..... and so I was happy to have the pigeon keeping me company on Sunday. And I will never know but maybe there is life after death.

a few observations about ME

a few observations I know about myself but have really surfaced in the past couple of weeks:

I cannot hammer a nail into the wall straight.

I love the tool the leveler!

I love toast (just picked up my friend's toaster).

I really think I have ADD - I go get smething for the task I am doing and 30 minutes later I wonder why did I come in here - oh ya to do that other task. Therefore I begin many tasks and never seem to finish one of them!

If I buy produce, I really need to use it/eat it within a few days because then I cannot recognize what I bought a week later and I have wasted money.

I love the iPod shuffle option - it always plays songs relating your mood.

Although my mother tried so hard to make me plan ahead and finish projects ahead of time, it didn't seem to stick with me - I am an eleventh hour person!

I just learned from a friend that my messy desk (and other messy things I leave messy) is due to time management problems.

It takes no time for my place to get messy but takes a hell of a long time to clean it up!

All for now - Halloween party this Saturday so definitely a new posting soon!!!!!

Majestic Meteora

Due to the Greek political elections, all schools were closed on Friday and Monday. I can honestly tell you I have no idea what the views of the men running but they keep mandating these elections which is fine with me because it means no school and an opportunity to travel somewhere! So this weekend, my friends and I went on a 5 hour road trip up north to Meteora. Although historians do not know the exact date when the monastaries were built, they believe the monastic life began in the Byzantine period. Meteora means 'in the air' as these monastaries seem to suspend atop of the rocks between earth and heaven. At the peak of this area, there were 24 monastaries - now there are 6 (4 for monks and 2 for nuns). The rock formations are incredible themselves but add the monastaries and it is sheer beauty. The buildings seem to have grown out of the rocks. There is a lot of greenery around which blends the natural beauty of this area. I went to St. Stephen's and Roussanou (nunneries) and the Holy Trinity monastary. We drove to the Metamorphossis monastary - the largest, but only saw the outside because it was closing.

My quiet time and the monks' quiet time -

his looks more peaceful and natural than mine!