My interests are too broad to list everything. I make the most of what life has to offer so I enjoy things I like with great passion. I delight in the arts in numerous forms, creative and expressive, observing and participating. I love both consuming and preparing great cuisine - ethnic food, regional favorites, seafood, gourmet specialties, family style dinners. . .
I like the great outdoors with its scenic and athletic qualities like hiking, fishing, and nature photography, but am not too keen on camping. I take pleasure in indoor activities which broaden the mind, intellectually and artistically - a constant battle between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
These days most of my energies are channeled to Christian studies, grief and mourning education, and recovery facilitation. I love activities that are solitary, but the element of being with another person that stimulates me most is great conversation.
Creative, unique, intelligent conversationalists who believe one can never have too many friends.
People who epitomize this sentiment, "A friend is a friend forever if the Lord is the Lord of them. And a friend will not say never for the welcome will not end."
Marianne Williamson because her following thoughts have greatly affected my outlook. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.â€
Luana Maria's Perspective
Time cannot be influenced by mankind. It gives each of us a beginning and an end. And this makes us question the significance of what comes between. But if you can create something time cannot erode, something which ignores the eccentricities of particular eras or moments, something truly timeless, this is the ultimate victory.
Those special moments, shared with friends and family, are the meaning in our lives. Those once-in-a-lifetime relationships with spark and chemistry and comfort define who we are. Those times shared in quite and solitude, over a calming cup of hot cocoa or tea or a dripping bowl of ice cream, are precious beyond compare. The spirit of a shared love pure withstands the tests of time. Emotions and feelings are only temporary. But memories, sweet memories, last forever. May you find comfort in your cherished memories. . . and may love be what you remember most of all.
I spent much of my childhood in a conservatory studying classic composers and their works so my first preference is Classical. Most of my time is spent listening to Praise & Worship selections. I also enjoy the Standards from the 30s and 40s - the sounds of my parents' era. Accompanying my love for movies is listening to epic instrumental masterpieces like Film Soundtracks. Over the years, I have cultivated my tastes to include Contemporary Christian, Old Time Gospel, Jazz, New Age, Alternative, and Country.
I love movies! I have Blockbuster Video and AMC Theatres MovieWatcher memberships which occupy my free nights.
The dvd was a wonderful invention. I studied film in college and appreciate the behind the scenes process. The special features on a dvd sometimes are more enjoyable than the actual feature itself. I enjoy various genres - documentaries, action/adventure, psychological thrillers, intellectual mysteries, foreign films, animation, comedy, romance, indies, chick flicks. Some of my favorite movies include "The Princess Bride" - for its laughs, "Facing the Giants" - for its testimony, and "It's a Wonderful Life" - for its message of hope.
I don't watch television. I own a television for the sole purpose of viewing movies on dvd.
I love books! I enjoy shopping at bookstores - those that sell new books as well as those that sell used books. Books are my weakness. I can spend hours in a bookstore. I have memberships with Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, and Amazon. I even like book paraphernalia like bookmarks, bookends, and bookshelves. I had to get rid of a huge portion of my collection when I moved into my little apartment. Those that remain include the genres of art, cuisine, gardening, history, non-fiction, religion, psychology, and children's sories. Someday I may even write my own book.
Those who let love guide them...
My ultimate hero is Jesus Christ. His unconditional love and abundant grace are beyond compare. And He died for me.
My mom was a wonderful woman of God before she suffered five strokes. Her post-stroke life is not as impressive in quantitative feats but compares qualitatively in the raw nature of survival.