Exciting New Upgrade

Thank you so much for following my blog; it’s been a while since I’ve written as we’ve been working on a new website. I’ve updated all the photos and revised some content so please come explore my new site and subscribe to continue to receive my weekly blogs. I have lots of information to share and look forward to connecting with you!

Wedded Bliss

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Lao Tzu

I attended a wedding in Hawaii this week. It was as beautiful as you can imagine. Set on the beach with waves crashing behind and a clear, blue sky above, a ring of flowers represented the altar.

The couple, dressed in white, has been together 15 years, deciding now is the time to make it official. Having been married and divorced, I’ve often wondered why some folks insist on getting married. Why not just live together?

But seeing these two exchange rings and say their vows, promising to love and grow as one, pledging that they’ll never be alone, tears of joy making their eyes shiny, made me see why. They’ve been through a lot together: losing family support, opening and closing businesses, encountering uncalled for hatred and bias. Their wedding was a victory, a testament to their commitment.

It’s clear to me that there were more than 25 people on the beach that day. God and all that is good was there too, enveloping us with love and blessings.

Weddings always make me cry, and this one was no different. Yes, the newlyweds are two men, and yes, their commitment can finally be formally recognized, but the significance of this day is as beautiful as any wedding that has ever taken place. Love truly does conquer all.

Friends Forever

 

 Yesterday was a gift of friendship. First, I went to lunch with a childhood friend and she gave me a birthday gift reminiscent of our youth. This small item plays a song that she and I shared in our world of make believe. It was a world filled with happiness and laughter. Opening and seeing this adorable instrument brought back a flood of cherished memories.

In the evening, another dear friend (this one from high school days) and her husband took my boyfriend and I to Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret for “The Songs of Sam Cooke & Stevie Wonder – Starring Soul Singer – De Thomas.” What a blast! The place was booming with excitement and catapulted us back to a time of musical genius.

When I got home, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I am to be so blessed. Good friends, the ones that stick by you through self doubt and broken hearts, are what make this sometimes crazy life fabulous. If we all do one thing today, it should be to call a friend and say, “Hey, I was just thinking about you…”

Ever the Student

I just celebrated another birthday and although some could panic at another year gone by, I’m learning that each year brings new opportunity to learn. I have many things on my list including learning how to:

• write children’s books and finish mine plus a few more
• get my newly minted book(s) published
• let go of things I cannot control
• be as good a friend as mine are
• relax
• meditate (for real, not just sitting and wishing those random thoughts would go away)
• be kinder and gentler

One thing I’ve learned so far: never say never and never say always, because absolutes simply don’t roll in this crazy little thing called life.

Meditate for Peace on August 8

I just learned about a world event taking place on August 8, 2014 at 10am (MDT). Deepak Chopra has organized a meditation event to promote peace:

“Studies have shown that setting an intention brings you tangibly closer to your goal. What would happen if we brought together a critical mass to set the shared intention for peace—within ourselves, and around the world? We need your help to find out.

Be at the epicenter of this historic event as we attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest group meditation in history…”

Won’t you join me?

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What Makes You Happy?

I’ve been on a happy kick lately. Everyone has their own source of happiness, and those sources change over time. So what makes YOU happy today?

How Lucky We Are

 

This morning, I heard the sound of a train and thought, “How lucky am I that this sound does not frighten me? Or that no sounds frighten me?”

Being in a Book Club for many years has enabled me to read books I wouldn’t otherwise read. Novels that take me back to times of slavery, the holocaust, or show me how, even now, there are places where freedom and happiness are unknown.

I am so thankful that, as a woman, I have the freedom to have an education, to own my own home, to travel, to choose my own partner and how I live. I hear someone complain about something here in the states and I wonder, “Do you know how lucky we are?”

What can I do?

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about giving back to my community (beyond the occasional donations). I’m especially drawn to children in need; they didn’t ask for their lots in life.

So today, having just listened to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” I’d like to commit to doing SOMETHING within the next 6 weeks. I know that sounds like a long time but I do have to find it first, y’know.

Excerpt from “Man In The Mirror”:

I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I Turn Up The Collar On My
Favorite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin’ My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer’s Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man’s Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya’ Know
‘Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That’s Why I Want You To
Know

I’m Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

I’ve Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It’s Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They’re Not
Alone?

He’s Just Not That Into You

 

The movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You” was on last week. I had seen it years ago, when it was first released, and thought, “Yes, of course!” and wished I’d learned that lesson when I was 16. How much anguish would that have saved?

If you haven’t seen the film, the message is that if a guy likes you, you’ll know it. I remember one guy I’d met at a bar sent me roses the next day. I hadn’t given him my phone number or address and this was long before the internet. He had found it through some other source. Scary? Maybe. Romantic? Absolutely. Ladies, my point is that you should not have to decipher his comments. If he likes you, you’ll know it.

Now that I’m in a good relationship, it seems so elementary. But I remember being single and wondering, “Did he lose my number?” or telling myself, “Oh, he’s probably just busy at work and that’s why he forgot to call when he said he would,” and other nauseous self talk.

If you’re waiting for the phone to ring, stop.

Gelato and Sunshine

 

I just returned from two weeks in Italy. We started in Venezia (Venice), then visited Firenze (Florence), Pisa, Roma (Rome), and lastly, Positano. That last stop was thanks to the movie, “Only You” and was well worth the train ride and subsequent boat ride, even if we did only get to spend one full day.

There’s a different pace in Italy that I’d like to bring home. It’s slower and more “present.” Or perhaps I was more present. I did consciously experience every moment: running down the platform to catch our first train with only 30 seconds to spare; eating gelato while strolling the streets of every city we visited; riding in a gondola under a full moon while families put their children to bed and chefs assembled dinners for hungry tourists; feeling lucky to be able to share this unbelievable experience with my beau and my boys.

Some tips I bring back: pack light, don’t hang your freshly washed clothes out on a line right before a rain storm, eat as much gelato as you can stand (believe me, you can stand heaps), and throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return. Arrivederci Italia!