Tag: love

School children remind people to be kind.

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

Children at a private school in San Diego applied chalk to a sidewalk, reminding people walking by of the importance of kindness.

This simple wisdom makes our lives much happier, and more meaningful.

Smile.
Smile.
Happy Kindness Week!
Happy Kindness Week!
Remember BHAK. Be Happy And Kind.
Remember BHAK. Be Happy And Kind.
Have a nice day!
Have a nice day!
BeYOUtiful.
BeYOUtiful.
If you are kind you will have a happy life!
Two statements of deep wisdom in one heart: If you are kind you will have a happy life! Smile every time, be kind.
Spread love.
Spread love.
Choose kind.
Choose kind.
I hope you have a day as nice as you!
I hope you have a day as nice as you!

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Seven blog memories that might touch your heart.

Here are seven posts from Cool San Diego Sights that might touch your heart. The following links contain powerful memories. You’ll find sadness, joy, hope, and much inspiration…

9/11 Firefighter’s legacy: Two Sons and Stickball.

A heartwarming Christmas tradition in San Diego.

Art by creative homeless provides purpose, hope.

Combat veterans create art to bring hope.

Quotes from the Tony Gwynn public memorial.

Students interview veterans for USS Midway exhibit.

Gratitude expressed by random people in a park.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Love and memory: Old Town’s Dia de los Muertos.

Names and a few loving words. Spiritual magic, linking the living with the dead during Dia del Los Muertos.
The names of loved ones. Spiritual bonds link the living with the dead during Dia de los Muertos.

Many generations came together in Old Town this evening during Dia de los Muertos.

Love and memory were written on so many smiling faces as people celebrated their departed loved ones. Chalk memorials and scattered marigolds lined San Diego Avenue. And the evening ended with a candlelight procession from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the small El Campo Santo cemetery. A walk of several blocks in the growing darkness . . . a short walk down a road brightly lit by love.

My poor camera failed to capture the candlelight procession as night descended. But your heart and mind might imagine it.

An abundance of music, humor and life on stage during the Dia de Los Muertos celebration in Old Town San Diego!
An abundance of music, humor and life on stage during the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Old Town San Diego!
People could pose for photos with two giant skeleton puppets!
People could pose for photos with two giant skeleton puppets!
An artist paints two large skulls--calaveras--in Old Town's Plaza de las Armas during Dia de los Muertos.
An artist paints two large skulls–calaveras–in Old Town’s Plaza de las Armas during Dia de los Muertos.
Children decorate traditional sugar skulls.
Children decorate traditional sugar skulls.
Some around the park wore fancy dresses and hats for the day, recreating the iconic Mexican image of La Calavera Catrina. There were many faces painted like fantastic skulls.
Some around the park wore fancy dresses and hats for the day, recreating the iconic Mexican image of La Calavera Catrina. I saw many faces painted like fantastic skulls.
Some of the shops in Old Town had a mix of decorations for both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.
Some of the shops in Old Town had a mix of decorations for both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.
A large, colorful calavera above a restaurant inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
A large, colorful calavera above a restaurant inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Face painting and a smile.
Face painting and a youthful smile.
Hundreds of tributes and sentiments for departed loved ones were written with chalk on a long stretch of San Diego Avenue inside the State Historic Park.
Hundreds of tributes and sentiments for departed loved ones were written in chalk on a long stretch of San Diego Avenue, inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Lanterns among the heartfelt Dia de los Muertos chalk memorials.
Lanterns among the many Dia de los Muertos chalk memorials.
Te amo--I love you--and a marigold.
Te amo–I love you–and a marigold.
Love and memory connect generations as the years roll on.
Love and memory connect many generations as the years roll on.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Give Love event adds kindness to San Diego!

Be encouraging. Smile. Give hugs.
Be encouraging. Smile. Give hugs.

A group called Give Love New York is in San Diego this weekend during 2017 Maker Faire. You can find them near the Old Globe in Balboa Park, passing out carnations and inviting passersby to dance and converse and smile and sing and play games and write messages containing kindness, positivity and wisdom!

This unique Give Love project is the brainchild of Alive Worldwide. Their mission is to use creativity to encourage and spread human compassion.

Very cool! Events such as this could be held in every corner of the world! It’s very easily done. Why not?

Two smiles and free carnations from Give Love San Diego, at 2017 Maker Faire in Balboa Park!
Two smiles and free carnations from Give Love San Diego, at 2017 Maker Faire in Balboa Park!
With the help of the Old Globe Theatre, spreading kindness worldwide @givelovenewyork
With the help of the Old Globe Theatre, spreading kindness worldwide @givelovenewyork
Giving words of wisdom. Share your thoughts on a written note, then come back later and retrieve new wisdom to take home.
Giving words of wisdom. Share your thoughts on a written note, then come back later and retrieve new wisdom to take home.
Try it!
Try it!
Challenge yourself daily.
Challenge yourself daily.
Freedom is found by sacrifice. Question the unknown.
Freedom is found by sacrifice. Question the unknown.
Love hard. Love strong. Love always.
Love hard. Love strong. Love always.
Give Love San Diego!
Be open. Treat others with understanding. Give Love San Diego!

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Are you a blogger? Do you want to help make the world a better place? You might want to join Bloggers Lifting Others Generously.

Stories glimpsed along a sidewalk in Little Italy.

Words in the story of Little Italy. Words that appear in untold human stories. Factory and first class Italian macaroni.
A chapter in the history of Little Italy. These few words also appear in untold human stories. Factory and first class Italian macaroni.

Sidewalks are crisscrossing pathways inside countless stories. Often elements from the stories linger in front of one’s eyes.

I recently walked down Kettner Boulevard in Little Italy. I moved slowly forward down the west sidewalk, from Kalmia Street to Fir Street.

Someone carefully laid these tiles in one small section of the sidewalk. Adding to many forward journeys a brief moment of beauty.
Someone carefully laid these tiles in one small section of the sidewalk. Adding to many forward journeys a brief moment of beauty.
Art, love, tears, humor . . . and croissants. Elements that are shared in many stories.
Art, love, tears, humor . . . and croissants. Elements that are shared in many stories.
Essential words underfoot. Many pass without noticing.
Essential words underfoot. Many might pass without noticing.
What thought or emotion caused someone to produce this image on a wall? Where is that person now?
What thought or emotion caused someone to produce this image on a wall? Where is that person now?
An airy vision of what might be. An enhancement of a wall that presently is.
A carefree vision of what might be. Dreams on another wall in the city.
Two stories intersect for a moment. The story of an artist and the story of a pedestrian.
Two stories intersect for a moment. The story of an artist and the story of a pedestrian.
Art on a sidewalk shows an imagined path into a promising future.
Art on a sidewalk shows an imagined garden path into an idyllic future.
Many in Little Italy have had their lives positively influenced by Vince Lombardi.
Many in Little Italy have had their paths influenced by legends.
This restaurant has been a dream ever since we were kids playing on the street of Little Italy...
This restaurant has been a dream ever since we were kids playing on the street of Little Italy…
A moment in memory captured, made magical, and shared.
A moment in memory captured, made magical, and shared.
Little Italy in San Diego, where countless moving feet and stories converge.
Little Italy in San Diego, where countless moving feet and stories converge.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

To read a few stories I’ve written, click Short Stories by Richard.

Remember Me Thursday love in Balboa Park.

A best friend.
A best friend.

Every year, the lives of almost 3 million shelter animals are terminated. It’s a colossal, heartbreaking tragedy that defies understanding–because it needn’t happen. Remember Me Thursday is a global event that shines a light on the plight of shelter animals, and on the positive choice of animal adoption.

Here are a few photos from the special Remember Me Thursday candlelight vigil held this evening in Balboa Park. Those who participated gathered near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street. The annual event was created five years ago by Mike Arms, President and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Remember Me Thursday has spread worldwide and now hundreds of animal welfare organizations participate.

This evening in Balboa Park, hearts were lit for innocent animals in San Diego and around the world waiting for adoption. Like you, they simply want to live and be loved.

Smiles from the Helen Woodward Animal Center during Remember Me Thursday in Balboa Park.
Smiles from the Helen Woodward Animal Center during Remember Me Thursday in Balboa Park.
People gather to remember animals waiting in shelters to be adopted--and those who lost their lives.
People gather to remember animals waiting in shelters to be adopted–and those who have lost their lives.
The deeply touching Remember Me Thursday poem by Mike Arms.
The deeply touching Remember Me Thursday poem by Mike Arms.
A gathering in Balboa Park and an urgent message. Millions of shelter animals around the world simply want to live and be loved.
A gathering in Balboa Park and an urgent message. Millions of shelter animals around the world simply want to live and be loved.
A banner invites messages of hope and love.
A banner invites messages of hope and gratitude.
A wish that pets know the selfless love that they provide us while on Earth.
A wish that pets know the selfless love that they provide us while on Earth.
A few loving words for the best hamster a boy could ever have.
A few powerful words for the best hamster a boy could ever have.
As the sun sets, people wait to watch a moving video and hear the reading of Mike Arms' poem.
As the sun sets, people wait to watch a thought-provoking video and hear the reading of Mike Arms’ poem.
Many candles were then lit.
Many candles were then lit.

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Are you a blogger? Do you want to help make the world a better place? You might want to join Bloggers Lifting Others Generously.

Support the House of Puerto Rico disaster relief effort.

Donations were collected during the House of Puerto Rico's lawn program in Balboa Park to assist with disaster relief.
Donations were collected during the House of Puerto Rico’s lawn program in Balboa Park to assist with disaster relief.

Here’s an opportunity to help the people of Puerto Rico who’ve been thrown into a terrible crisis by Hurricane Maria. The devastation brought by this natural disaster is unprecedented. Every bit of help is vitally important.

By sheer coincidence, the House of Puerto Rico had their International Cottages lawn program today in Balboa Park. A collection jar was there for donations, and proceeds from food sales went to hurricane relief.

I also learned that there’s a donation button on the House of Puerto Rico website, which you’ll find here.

Please consider providing these good people with a bit of support.

Puerto Rican food at the special event included Arroz con Gandules, Pastel de Masa and Alcapurrias.
Puerto Rican food at the special event included arroz con gandules, pastel de masa and alcapurrias.
If you missed the event, click the link I've included to visit the Hurricane Maria donation page.
If you missed the event, click the link I’ve included to visit the House of Puerto Rico website. There you will see a Hurricane Maria donation button.
Among the many displays inside the House of Puerto Rico cottage are panderetas, cencerros and other musical instruments.
Among the many displays inside the House of Puerto Rico cottage are panderetas, cencerros and other musical instruments.
Students inside the Balboa Park cottage learn about the special economic challenges of Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the Caribbean.
Students inside the Balboa Park cottage learn about the special economic challenges of Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the Caribbean.
Many people have loved ones in Puerto Rico. Heroic efforts are underway to help those affected by Hurricane Maria.
Many people have loved ones in Puerto Rico. Heroic efforts are underway to help those affected by Hurricane Maria.

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Are you a blogger? Do you want to help make the world a better place? You might want to join Bloggers Lifting Others Generously.

Support Veterans Village with a brick or paver.

Order a Veterans Village courtyard brick or paver and help Veterans who have been homeless, or at the risk of homelessness. Provide hope, love, compassion and understanding.
Order a Veterans Village courtyard brick or paver and help Veterans who are homeless, or at the risk of homelessness. Your donation provides real hope. The words you choose radiate compassion and understanding.

Veterans Village of San Diego provides a helping hand to those Veterans in our city who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness. This critically important organization provide housing, rehabilitation, education, job training and a safe place to regain hope and a sense of belonging.

Veterans Village also organizes the annual Stand Down, where homeless Veterans can receive a smile, a handshake, breakfast, clothing, showers, a hair cut, makeovers, plus free medical, dental and vision services. At Stand Down homeless Vets can also access court services, VA benefit and job counseling, and much more.

You can support the mission of Veterans Village by putting a special message on a brick or paver in their beautiful courtyard location. Messages of support, compassion and love will be read by many who might need a little inspiration. Your generosity makes the world better.

To learn more about Veterans Village, or if you have a question about purchasing a brick or paver, click here!

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Are you a blogger? Do you want to help make the world a better place? You might want to join Bloggers Lifting Others Generously.

A short, mysterious story about a dog’s tail.

Like a mysterious living battery, your dog stores up love. Its tail is powered by love.

A healing love that flows from hand, to hand.

If you’d like to read a bit of fiction I wrote over the weekend about this magical phenomenon, a very short story that I’ve simply titled A Dog’s Tail, then follow the link! If you enjoy reading Cool San Diego Sights, you might like it!

Along with a variety of other philosophical stories, A Dog’s Tail resides on my special writing blog, Short Stories by Richard.

Mysteries and wonders on a walk in Balboa Park.

I spied this wonder in Balboa Park's Desert Garden. Why yellow?
I spied this natural wonder in Balboa Park’s Desert Garden. Why yellow?

Most of my holiday was spent in Balboa Park. Reading, jotting a few words, walking.

As I turned corners, I encountered many mysteries and wonders.

Who placed a palm frond cross and hearts on a tree in the Desert Garden?
Who placed a palm frond cross and hearts on a bare tree?
What on earth produced this bizarre, hollow, bulging tree trunk?
What on earth produced this bizarre, hollow, bulging tree trunk?
What are those wonderfully odd wicker carts? Those are Electriquettes, which first appeared in Balboa Park during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
What are those wonderfully odd wicker carts? I know! Those are Electriquettes, which first appeared in Balboa Park during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
Why is this small sculpture of a child in the Japanese Friendship Garden? Nobody knows. Someone placed it here mysteriously many years ago.
Why is this small sculpture of a child in the Japanese Friendship Garden? Nobody knows. Someone placed it here mysteriously many years ago.
What mysterious turn of the wind arranged this, and why did I turn my eyes to see it?
What mysterious turn of the wind arranged this, and why did I turn my eyes to see it?
Should one exit stage left or stage right?
Should one exit stage left or stage right?
Will seeds planted in Balboa Park by Kate Sessions outlive us all?
Will seeds planted in Balboa Park by Kate Sessions outlive us all?
I spied this rose near a nation's closed cottage. Why is a small flower beautiful?
I happened upon this rose near a closed, locked door. Why is a flower beautiful?
When the Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture moves into the Federal Building in 2018, will visitors wear costumes?
When the Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture eventually moves into the Federal Building, will visitors wear costumes?
Do puppets ever tug their own strings?
Do puppets ever manipulate their own strings?
People gaze into the distance. What do they wonder?
People gaze into the green distance. What do they wonder?
In the courtyard of the House of Hospitality is a Time Capsule Dedicated to the Future of Balboa Park, to be opened in 2035. What waits inside?
In the courtyard of the House of Hospitality is a Time Capsule Dedicated to the Future of Balboa Park, to be opened in 2035. What waits hidden inside?
How many photographs does it take to satisfy a photographer?
How many photographs does it take to satisfy a photographer?
Who gets to open those windows and water those flowers?
Who gets to open those windows, and water those flowers?
Spring and summer vanish. What is in their future?
Spring and summer end. What is in their future?
Why does time move only forward?
Why does time move forward?

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!