tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post1939326396832624469..comments2023-11-12T11:31:23.535-05:00Comments on My Five Men: Silly Robins!Betsy Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-63408601151167540312014-02-12T15:31:13.410-05:002014-02-12T15:31:13.410-05:00Well, it looks like we're sending essays to ea...Well, it looks like we're sending essays to each other! ;) Thanks for writing back. As you were writing, I am composing a post for this evening about this very topic. You are not the only one who had those initial feelings, because someone read your first comment here and emailed me saying they agreed with you and that outside the USA it is a bit different. So, I do want to clear things up for others who may feel the same way and didn't comment. I think it will be a good discussion.<br /><br />By the way, I loved the kindnesses you were doing...flowers, cake, visits...all good things...and yes, shining a light. :)Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-10679618961307486032014-02-12T15:19:44.750-05:002014-02-12T15:19:44.750-05:00Dear Betsy, I am more than grateful to you, that y...Dear Betsy, I am more than grateful to you, that you took so much time to talk to me that exhaustively!!! And I am a little sorry, that I cannot just have you over for tea to go on with that interesting discussion! <br /><br />I think I agree with every detail of your little essay and I really love your methaphor of 'shining God's light'. And please rest assured that of course I would never have thought you or anyone else telling about her/his ideas of spreading kindness of 'bragging' (so I learned a new word today)!!!! Of course I knew from the start, that your whole attitude and the spirit of your Random Acts of Kindness Adventure was every inch as you describe it!!!<br /><br />And it is my opinion also that to be thankful for the gifts of life and salvation, to cherish and praise them, one should try be 'kind' on earth. It's one of our tasks, I believe. And by the way, I always find, that there is a much greater joy for myself in trying to lead (and sometimes succeed) a life of kindness and love than anything else! <br /><br />What kind of irritated me was my own reflex of feeling slightly uncomfortable about the question whether I could talk about my little ideas or not. And this in obvious contrast to the pure excitement and joy you (and all my American friends) seem to experience in this matter.<br /><br />So as I tend to be a little self reflective sometimes, I asked myself, where my little uneasiness might derive from. Cultural differences in feeling towards this subject? Deep and old religious roots as we discussed them? Just being a bit complicated? Maybe there was a bit of everything in it! <br /><br />But anyway I ended this investigation with the decision, as I already said yesterday, that one simply has to TALK about the things you want to succeed in this world! Instead of being quiet and humble. Maybe it can even become a false pride, too, if you take pleasure in your humbleness... But to have your detailed opinion helped me a lot to sort things out.<br /><br />I hope, Betsy, you do not mind, that I obviously kind of 'urged' you to write me such a long letter. But it was indeed a real 'Random act of Kindness' towards me!<br /><br />Thank you again and blessings<br />Christel <br /><br /><br /><br />Country Charmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-35950596417358951062014-02-12T08:02:32.713-05:002014-02-12T08:02:32.713-05:00Hi, Vicky J. :) Thanks for commenting! Dry cat f...Hi, Vicky J. :) Thanks for commenting! Dry cat food? I never would have thought! I have plenty of that! I'll have to put it out with the seed and see if they take it. As long as I don't attract the local skunk or raccoon! haha. <br /><br />I do know that sound! One of my favorite things about spring is to have my window open beside my desk...the feeder is just outside the window and I can here them chirp and flutter...and it makes for great photos without anything between us.<br /><br />Love that you have 20 doves! I've only seen a couple here this winter. I guess you have the doves and I have the robins! :)Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-42348387002634243792014-02-12T01:03:39.231-05:002014-02-12T01:03:39.231-05:00This is the first winter in a long time that we ha...This is the first winter in a long time that we haven't had robins here (north-central Missouri) all winter long. I guess they somehow knew it was going to be a harsher season than usual. What I have done in the past is to feed them dry cat food. They need the protein and just gobble it up! I was excited today to see about twenty doves at the feeders. Usually there are only four or five. You know the sound they make as they lift up - that little squeak and the flutter of the wings? It was amazing to hear it from so many at once. I hope they return tomorrow. ~Vicky J.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-7474120909710139362014-02-11T19:42:38.241-05:002014-02-11T19:42:38.241-05:00I'm so glad you brought this up, Christel!
...I'm so glad you brought this up, Christel! <br /><br />I think there is a difference in doing little kindnesses (like sending a note, baking a cake, or sending flowers) and bragging in public about giving a large amount of money to a certain organization. My husband and I give quite a bit of money to several charities and individuals, and I do think it would be in very poor taste to publicly broadcast what we do..especially how much we gave and to whom.... Just like it would be in poor taste to say how much we paid for our house or car, or something like that.<br /><br />The Random Acts of Kindness is more of spreading a little love and encouraging others to pass it on. God tells us not to hide our light (or love for him) but to let it shine through the world. So I see the random acts as spreading light just like he wants us to. God also says to encourage each other to do good works, and I think this falls under that line of thinking, too! If you never share what you do, how are you to encourage others to join in with you? That's how I feel about it anyway.<br /><br />Many of my acts are anonymous, so there isn't a chance of bragging or being proud about it. Whoever got my card and payment at the salon has no idea it was me who did that. Some things are not done anonymously, like me leaving a treat for the mail lady and like you taking flowers and a cake to your friend. We're just showing love and kindness...with pure motives...not expecting anything in return and certainly not feeling pride in what we have done.<br /><br />I can understand how you would feel telling someone what you did might be bragging about it, but I guess it's all in the attitude in how it is presented and in the motive of why you do it. If we link together in our blogs and share our ideas and experiences, I think we inspire each other and motivate each other to look for more ways to spread kindness. At least that was my intent and I hope nobody thinks we are all bragging and being proud. And I'm certainly not expecting any pats on the back, rewards or anything like that. I just wanted to encourage people to look around at others and spread some love and hope that it keeps growing and spilling over to others as it gets passed on.<br /><br />I also agree that doing good things doesn't get you to heaven. Luther is correct. God says we should do good works as a result of your salvation and not a means to salvation. Salvation is a gift and cannot be earned no matter how good we are or what we do. As I mentioned before, this was just to shine God's light and love, and encourage others to do the same. No rewards, except the blessing you receive in giving.<br /><br />I think this might be a good topic to bring up here on my blog, so I'll address this further on this Friday's post.<br /><br />Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. You know I appreciate your opinion!Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-77268841470806938322014-02-11T17:34:37.772-05:002014-02-11T17:34:37.772-05:00Hi Betsy, lovely birds, georgeous photos! And how ...Hi Betsy, lovely birds, georgeous photos! And how astonishingly big these Robins are! We only have a very small kind in Germany. And we have no snow at all and the temperatures seldom get below celtic 0° in the nights but up to celtic 12° during the days. There is even a petunia from last summer still living outside my kitchen window. That has never happened before! - <br />When you payed a visit to my blog last weekend, you commented on the differences between British and American 'green thumbs'. I do agree, that they have a huge amount of spectacular gardens on the British Isles. In my opinion this is due to their climate and to the traditional passion for gardening, the whole nation has developed over the centuries. Nevertheless I have seen pictures of brilliant American gardens, too!<br />But in fact I'd rather like to talk about some other 'difference' today. I have thought about this for some time for fear to create some misunderstanding. So let me state at first, that I think your 'Random acts of Kindness' project is absolutely a great idea and I admire you anyway for all your energy and benevolence. But over here in Western Europe we are usually brought up with the idea, to be 'kind', but never talk about it in public. So for instance I have a considerably rich friend who gives among other things an awful lot of money to a school for poor girls in Asia and would be very cross with me, if I ever mentioned his name! I guess in your country the priority is to set an example, which can be followed, wheras in Germany one could be suspected of to much 'pride' in the biblical sense. It might also be, that there still rules a powerful echo from one of the major topics of the Reformation: the Catholic Church said, you could come to God by giving money to the church and by doing good deeds and Luther said, no, only and exclusively by the MERCY of God. This did of course NOT mean, that you shouldn`t do good things, but you should not hope to be able to make some kind of 'deal`with God. Of course this might seem to be a far cry from the topic at first glance, but I think something of this fundamental religious struggle must be still in our collective subconciousness over here. Because I really had to ask myself, why at first I shrank back from the idea of having to tell what 'kind acts' I might have performed! But after all I tend to convert to your American motives and will tell here what I did: walked the fields several times to feed some wild cats, living in an deserted orchard on their own after their owner's death. Send a bunch of tulips and a letter to a friend, who had an accident on Saturday. And as she has a lot of bruises and must endure great pain, I will bake a cake for her tomorrow, because she loves cake, and send it to her. And I talked to a friend of mine, who works in a Home for Senior Citizens to find a lonely lady for me whom I can visit regularly....<br />Christel Country Charmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-17886062654568575452014-02-11T16:36:21.367-05:002014-02-11T16:36:21.367-05:00They are! In Cedarville, to be exact! ha.They are! In Cedarville, to be exact! ha.Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-53346811583196201112014-02-11T16:36:05.392-05:002014-02-11T16:36:05.392-05:00Well, that was a happy accident! haha.Well, that was a happy accident! haha.Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-10876581917862677462014-02-11T16:27:21.737-05:002014-02-11T16:27:21.737-05:00I haven't seen any robins yet. Maybe they'...I haven't seen any robins yet. Maybe they're all in Ohio.Marthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293816902877287168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-33796173311575775552014-02-11T15:51:49.413-05:002014-02-11T15:51:49.413-05:00Beautiful, I love birds! And I love how you captur...Beautiful, I love birds! And I love how you captured the bird flying ;)Sincerely Carmenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09636428911050716196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-54027432447798102112014-02-11T15:36:36.273-05:002014-02-11T15:36:36.273-05:00I have something I want to tell you. Look for an ...I have something I want to tell you. Look for an email!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-2075722907316532392014-02-11T15:36:03.647-05:002014-02-11T15:36:03.647-05:00You're online? Splendid.You're online? Splendid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-18538290851979517532014-02-11T15:34:49.277-05:002014-02-11T15:34:49.277-05:00They are a little aloof, though. Nothing like Mr....They are a little aloof, though. Nothing like Mr. Cardinal that actually looks in the window, makes eye contact and talks to me! ha.Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-51068263366536982642014-02-11T15:33:13.137-05:002014-02-11T15:33:13.137-05:00Good evening, beautiful! (smiling)
Can't blam...Good evening, beautiful! (smiling)<br /><br />Can't blame those robins one bit for lurking in your trees! And look at that blue sky! We have sun today! Amazing and splendid!<br />I carried my umbrella just in case, though.<br /><br />Vince xoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-86530910738600253572014-02-11T15:14:25.009-05:002014-02-11T15:14:25.009-05:00I'd take Batman over Robin any day! :)I'd take Batman over Robin any day! :)Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-58768533469966166032014-02-11T15:13:29.660-05:002014-02-11T15:13:29.660-05:00yes, they are...and hungry! :)yes, they are...and hungry! :)Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-72372873772401928452014-02-11T15:13:14.615-05:002014-02-11T15:13:14.615-05:00I totally agree!I totally agree!Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-65203621634915105312014-02-11T15:12:59.607-05:002014-02-11T15:12:59.607-05:00That's because they are all in my trees! What...That's because they are all in my trees! What's up with that? ha. Maybe they heard Georgia is getting ice. lol...Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-53044368047855873662014-02-11T13:49:11.737-05:002014-02-11T13:49:11.737-05:00These robins are lovely Betsy:)These robins are lovely Betsy:)Gloria Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03055543111865966546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-44780490996925810952014-02-11T13:18:47.866-05:002014-02-11T13:18:47.866-05:00Hi Amy - yes, true to US style - they make the Rob...Hi Amy - yes, true to US style - they make the Robins bigger and better! ROFL<br />Just joking Betsy!! LOLEddie Bluelightshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18069024660422117718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-19550815632208983742014-02-11T12:32:46.815-05:002014-02-11T12:32:46.815-05:00Lol. I bet this weather is confusing the birds all...Lol. I bet this weather is confusing the birds all over as it is us. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10304701332216772385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-67026615319703908852014-02-11T10:00:01.087-05:002014-02-11T10:00:01.087-05:00It is sunny here today too Eddie! Our robins woul...It is sunny here today too Eddie! Our robins would run a mile if they saw an American robin - ours are tiny in comparison aren't they. Hope that everyone is drier today! xxAmy at love made my homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17111180584250029433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-3329496436453811352014-02-11T09:56:38.042-05:002014-02-11T09:56:38.042-05:00Ah! What a difference a day makes (Tues) - it is s...Ah! What a difference a day makes (Tues) - it is sunny!!! varooom!!<br />We feel so much better when the sun comes out.<br />Just looking at your Robins and digesting some of the comments.<br />Boy, your Robins are much bigger than ours - they would definitely call the Batmen lolEddie Bluelightshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18069024660422117718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-52001216191468683472014-02-11T09:29:47.259-05:002014-02-11T09:29:47.259-05:00I've seen crows, sparrows, and mourning doves....I've seen crows, sparrows, and mourning doves. Even a couple of squirrels. No robins, though.Kathy Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10593849691667606991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357105223288312642.post-4094779408855834292014-02-11T08:27:12.200-05:002014-02-11T08:27:12.200-05:00They seem happy enough. But I always take note th...They seem happy enough. But I always take note that when warm spring arrives, they start singing. They don't sing in the winter! Betsy Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06807795605763246015noreply@blogger.com