About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Sunday, March 09, 2014

I is for IMAGINE


There has been so much bad news lately!  Russia and the Ukraine fight over Crimea with the Ukrainians trying to establish a new government and the loss of 239 people who went down in the South China Sea during a Malaysian flight.  Also, Oscar Pistorius is currently on trial for allegedly murdering his girlfriend by shooting her through his bathroom door.  And Syria is still at war, with a Canadian photographer being shot to death the other day. Activists sent his sister a photograph of his corpse!  And not even close to comparison, locals are astonished that Roberto Luongo (goalie of the Vancouver Canucks) was traded to the Florida Panthers. 

All of this horrible news had me thinking about the song written by John Lennon called IMAGINE.  The first two lines of the song, however, indicate his atheism, but overall it does make one stop and think. For myself, I prefer to believe that God's gift to us was peace, but our sinful nature won't stop. Is this God's plan?  Do we have to figure it out for ourselves? Perhaps we will only have peace in the next world.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

JUST IMAGINE 


32 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

Ukraine is SO complicated. The historic hold of Crimea by the Russians, the legitimate fear of the minority Tatars who live in Crimea, the disingenuous Putin "What Russian troops" while hosting the Paralympics. And that's just one storyline.

kalpana solsi said...

In the troubles times give peace a chance. Lovely song, Imagine.

Leovi said...

Yes, wonderful power to the imagination!

Carver said...

That important song is one I often think of. There is always so much bad news.

Lisa said...

I prefer to imagine the opposite of Lennon's stand on no religion. I imagine a life of peace through a restored earth. New in the world is certainly depressing. Sort of makes a person long for that day.

Indrani said...

Right now I am imagining the Malaysian flight is safely hijacked to some place and all passengers are safe. Problems can be sorted wit pen and paper and not with people's lives!

photowannabe said...

There definitely is a lot of bad and sorrowful news everyday. I can't begin to understand it.
If I didn't have my faith in the Lord it would all seem so hopeless.
We all want peace.

Beloo Mehra said...

Imagination when purified by noble inspiration and strengthened by keen intellect can do wonders! Thanks for reminding of this beautiful song, always liked it.

Obsessivemom said...

That's a lovely song.. Imagine no possessions, it's so true... that's what makes people fight.

Obsessivemom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ananya said...

Lovely post :)

Geraldine said...

Love that song, that message.

Great post!


http://mypoeticpath.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/i-is-for-inspired/

Photo Cache said...

love that song too.

with regards to the malaysian plane, i am hoping it just entered a different dimension so to speak and that everyone is safe. or am i watching too much tv (lost comes to mind) and stephen king (can't remember the name of the novel with the plane entering a parallel dimension).

frankly my dear

Trubes said...

I knew John Lennon Leslie, Brilliant musician but a total heathen and cynic,,,Anyone who used to make sick jokes about crippled people is not in my list of favourites... He was really mean to his first wife and son Julian, not a nice man...and as you know I'm a big Beatles fan...
I hope he has his Peace in the world he inhabits now,
Lovely post though Leslie, thought provoking,
love Di..xx
I've done ABC Wednesday but I fear I haven't done it correctly...maybe you could check it for me? Di..x

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

I love this song, even though I don't agree with the atheist verses about heaven and religion. I believe God gave us the freedom to choose right from wrong, and unfortunately many people choose the latter. However, I also believe what is written in Romans 14:11 - It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'"

Nonnie said...

Imagine that Russia is blaming the US for the near-war in the Ukraine. Reading and listening to the news sometimes makes me want to go to bed and stay there, but I don't.

Joy said...

Its a beautiful song, guess all we can do is imagine with him a world like that to live in unfortunately it appears that, as the expression goes, we are all going to hell in a handcart.

lotusleaf said...

Beautiful song, and a thoughtful post.

ellen b. said...

Great and timely choice for the letter I!

Richard Lawry said...

Great take on the song Imagine. I used it for in my post also. An Arkie's Musings

Shailaja V said...

Life can and would be much simpler if we can imagine all that the song says. Will we give life a chance though? That really is the question. Hard to imagine what life will be like as we move forward. But, we can always hope. Thanks for this, Leslie!

Powell River Books said...

I imagine a peaceful world, but the news seems to prove me wrong more times than not. - Margy

Reader Wil said...

À very beautiful song, but sad when there is no heaven. For me the. fact that there is à heaven , was à great comfort when my husband died. My faith inspires me to fight for à right cause.
Have à great week.
Wil, ABCW Team.

Beverley Baird said...

I have always loved that song and wished we could just have peace. I am reading 'The Lord is my Shepherd" (Psalm 23) by Rabbi Kushner. Excellent. It is up to us to fix our world tho.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

love this song, imagine there is no countries fighting each other. Imagine countries helping when a plane crashed.

AmitAag said...

Immense Imagination!
http://amitaag.blogspot.in/2014/03/infinity.html

Ann said...

We will have a world like this someday if we believe!!! This world however will never experience peace but it does not hurt to try. So sad John Lennon was an atheist. I really do love their music though.

Ann

Nabanita said...

That's such a lovely song with such wonderful Imagination!

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

Cool lyrics.

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Hazel said...

I remember Imagine as the song playing while a documentary was showing skulls in the Killing Fields of Cambodia.

I don't think it's God's plan that we are all in a mess these days. You're right it is our sinful nature. We're only getting peace in the world made new.

Nydia said...

The world has always been complicated, only now we have access to information the moment good and bad things are happening. It's a blessing and a curse, I guess.

And I always loved this song, it express how I feel.

Great post! :)

Liz Hinds said...

The Malaysian aeroplane story is so odd. But there is always bad news. So thank goodness we have our dogs!
By the way, I managed to completely ignore the Winter Olympics! But congratulations to Canada!