Tag: love

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These Incas are “Love Doves”

Inca Doves
My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica

This young couple will probably soon mate and will be partners for life. Read more about Inca Doves at Cornell University’s All About Birds. 


See my other bird photos in my Photo Gallery BIRDS

Cute love

Dove and sprinkle cling together
Searching warm and partner
In a pool splash
Kissed nature

Under a mirror image
Cute couple
Love together
~Rnayak

-o-


Thinking about moving to Costa Rica? Check out this article in Christopher’s “Living in Costa Rica” blog:  TAX RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EXPATS FROM THE U.S. 
And there is even a link there to an online booklet with more specific information, plus links to other helpful articles. 

Actually I still file my income tax report every year just like I did in the states (with TurboTax), but mine is quite simple with SS & pension income, no investments beyond a 401k and savings accounts, no business, no other investments, no property owned (neither house nor car) and no debt. But you who have more and more complicated finances might want to read up on it or even use a tax attorney here in Costa Rica who specializes in U.S. taxes. There are several here because so many rich Americans live here.  🙂  

Living here does not change the tax responsibilities of being a U.S. Citizen, even after becoming a legal resident here. I don’t know what would happen if you renounced U.S. Citizenship and don’t know anyone who has done that. But if your income still comes from the states . . .?
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“We’ve got to love loving and not love hating . . .”

The best response to the atrocity in Paris I have heard is an indirect quote supposedly said by a survivor of the massacre who said something like:

We’ve got to love loving and not love hating . . .

How like Jesus that sounds! Recently a friend told me she was terrified of anyone wearing middle eastern clothing, male or female. My response was that she desperately needs to make friends with someone who is a Muslim. They are not all terrorists! Some of the most wonderful people I have known are Muslim. I believe their theology is wrong and that they need to see Jesus in a new way, but they are still people God loves and Jesus told us to love them!

One American response to Paris will be to buy bigger and better guns and demand that they be allowed to carry them everywhere. Some will even store vast quantities of food in a basement or storm shelter. In my opinion, that is not the kind of hope a Christian has. Jesus told us that BEFORE end times, the world would be full of wars and rumors of war. And we’ve read the Bible; we know how it ends! Our hope is in Him, not guns, money, military, politics, or in hating.

So my simple response to the Paris terrorism is: We need to start loving people more, especially our enemies as Jesus taught, that is the only way our world will change. Possibly the biggest danger from events like this is that we begin to love hating people – bad people, people who did this, people who look like the ones who did it, who dress like them, who have middle eastern names, etc. When we love hating – we do as much harm to our world as the rascals who killed people in Paris. So my prayer is that all who call themselves Christian will react to the horrible events of Friday by “falling in love” with the act of loving people, all people!    -Charlie

Jesus in 1 John 3:15The Message (MSG)
The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.
–
Jesus in Matthew 5:21-22The Message (MSG)
“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. 

Disclaimer/credit for quote: I did not see/hear the interview in which a survivor supposedly said the above quote I am using, but heard it in the down-streaming sermon by Frank Lewis of First Baptist Nashville today, Sunday, 15 November 2015. He also used Scripture about the end times from Mark 13-14 and 2 Tim. 4:5.  I hope he approves of my giving further life to this one idea in his sermon, or as I interpreted it. 

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More School Relationships

They really get into decorating for these Spelling Bees! And they served me food and drink too!

I’ve been too busy to process 650 bird photos from the boat trip on Rio Tarcoles, thus that report will be delayed another day or more. So, a report on two more schools I’m relating to:

One of the Student Coordinators of the
Spelling Bee at Colegio Tecnico Professional

Wednesday I was asked at the last minute to help with the English Spelling Bee of a second High School, Colegio Tecnico Profesional de Atenas, more of a job & skills training school than Liceo, last week’s high school. It was wonderful and again the kids so friendly and helpful and hard working. I was “The Pronouncer” of words for this one. It hurt me every time a youth misspelled a word, as if I did not pronounce it clear enough, but we had to get down to one winner just like before. The winner was an extrovert 14 year old boy, one of the younger students, who was born in Dallas, Texas and moved here 7 years ago at age 7. He talks/acts like a real Tico, but did have an unfair advantage in the English Spelling Bee since his parents still speak English at home. But he won! He will go to the regional and maybe the national English Spelling Bee. I learned that the program was started here several years ago by a Peace Corps worker. And you wondered what they did?

Then today, I went with with Corinna, the wife of David Castillo and co-director of Su Espacio, to visit with the principal of Escuela Los Angeles (Los Angeles is a barrio of Atenas), received a tour of the school (as I got yesterday at high school) and she showed me their construction needs for and outdoor theater (to be their auditorium) and playground construction needs. They are going to have a Garage Sale, Venta Garaje, on October 3 that Su Espacio is co-sponsoring and I have been asked to help with marketing and promotion, especially to get expats to donate good clothing, etc. for the Garage Sale. Plus next week I will attend their arts festival!

I’m getting more involved with Ticos and local activities as opposed to just with expats like some. This has been my plan from the beginning and it feels good to participate in the local community. I love Atenas and the wonderful residents! Everybody helps me with my Spanish! And this evening I started a second Spanish Class, which emphasizes Costa Rica Spanish, which is unique in several ways. And I need all the help I can get to speak Spanish!   🙂   This is so much fun!

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop


Love your neighbor as yourself.   ~ Jesus, Matthew 22:39