Silly Saturday

Humor is one of the things I treasure most in life. I recently visited an old friend in California and we laughed so hard for 4 straight days. I came home and thought, "Man, if there were any cancer cells in my body, they are gone now!" Do you have any friends that you laugh with? If you do, I suggest you make some plans to spend time together. Thanks to my husband, my kids, and my friends for putting up with my quirky sense of humor and for sharing it with me!!! (hint: click on Silly Saturday and be prepared to laugh out loud! haha)

Windy Day

This is a picture of my boy running. This past spring, a freak wind
came up while he was playing at the reservoir and created chaos for
about 2 minutes. My son is now phobic about the wind - absolutely
terrified to be outside if it's gusty. Today he was in tears at
school and it broke my heart. He is only 5 and he is trying to be
'brave' and not cry, so he tells his teachers he needs to go inside
and get a drink of water, rather than admit his fear. A friend of
mine gave me the inspiration to have him draw about his fears. Wish
us luck. I love him so much and wish him freedom from his fears -
especially the ones that are based on the past and not the present.
I wish this for all of us. xoxo

kid's r cool

I just went on a field trip with a bunch of 3rd graders (and the bus
got stuck in a traffic jam for an hour and 45 minutes - while a bunch
of kids sang "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves..." oh
yeah!!!) But I have to tell you, these kids know where it's at.
They are the future. Spend some time with an 8 year old and prepare
to have your mind blown. I sat with an 8 year old boy who told me he
likes to have his hair long because it bends "gender identity."
Loved him! And the best part of the day is that I got to hang out
with my step-daughter and see her classmates, see her school, her
routine, etc. This kid is an inspiration for sure - she loves
animals and has such a bright light burning inside. Going on this
field trip got me out of myself and put me in the 'present' like
nothing else. I was in a lot of self pity earlier today and I
COMPLETELY forgot about it for over 5 hours. What a gift. I'm so
grateful for children on this planet right now. Peace.

An Invitation To Connect

If you click on the title above, you will here a live version of the Michael Franti song "I Know I'm Not Alone." Michael Franti is a musician who inspires me greatly and some day I will spend a whole day devoted to him and his music. But for today, I want to focus on our interconnectedness. I truly believe that we are all part of the same thing - the same energy - every living thing is part of this energy. I read somewhere that when we see a stranger, we should say to ourselves "Behold, God." Try this with somebody you don't care for (I can think of somebody right now!) It's powerful! When somebody seems frightening to me, or I am feeling really annoyed at someone in my family, I take a breath and say silently, "behold, god." My energy shifts immediately. I am god, you are god, they are god, this tree is god, etc. (switch out the word god if you are feeling blocked by this...) I am love, you are love, this is love... You're not alone, my love. xoxox

Dance Dance Revolution

So, I was lying in bed this morning thinking 'what would be really inspirational??' and a little voice said 'dancing.' Oh boy. I saw this special on TV about people who had cancer, and this one woman decided that she was going to start living each day to the fullest. She said that having a terminal diagnosis taught her how to live. So part of her daily therapy was to dance with abandon to one song each day (as well as drinking a lot of veggie concoctions and yoga, etc.) And the best part was that I was sitting on my couch, eating chips, and feeling like a slug while I watched this woman with terminal cancer shining like a ray of the sun in all her healthiness. Talk about inspirational. My favorite comedians are self deprecating - not the ones that make fun of other people. I think it's a lot more hilarious to make fun of yourself. So I offer this up with the sincere hope that it helps people take themselves less seriously and have a laugh on me. :) This is for Anne...
hint: click on Dance Dance Revolution

Inspirational

The first post - it's a lot of pressure - it needs to be inspirational right? but really, how many people are actually going to read the first post...that takes the pressure off. I looked up the word 'inspire' and it means: To breathe life into. So, to take that one step further, to infuse with spirit. This video link uplifts me and makes me believe in the world and cry. My 8 year old daughter sat with me while I was watching the video and she went from thinking this man was crazy to saying "He is a good man." Out of the mouth of babes...enjoy. xoxo (hint: click on the title: Inspriational - this took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out!)