Kids at a Crossroads

GeGe and "her" kids!!!

                                                                   

I have a friend who has an aunt who runs a non profit in Peru. It is called Kids at a Crossroads and I believe in their mission 100%. GeGe is doing everything she possibly can to help these children be educated and possibly get out of poverty. She works tirelessly year round to help these children!

Learning to Read and Write

                                                             

Now the holidays are upon us and she likes to give "her"  kids some Christmas cheer. Wont  you help? For just 5 dollars she can provide a toy, cup of hot chocolate, and a Christmas cake to these kids... not to mention all the SMILES!!!!

Look at that SMILE

                                                                                

   Now I know people who spend hundreds of dollars on their own kids and family. That is great. Holidays are for families! But I want to encourage each of you to take this time and think about what else is important to YOU and your family and kids. Take this time to educate your kids about other people/kids who are LESS FORTUNEate! Maybe spend just 5 dollars less on your own family and use it as a springboard for education of the world. I am just saying :0).

   If you can't donate or don't want to donate to something in another country, then do something on a local level! There are kids EVERYWHERE who need some kind of help, a boost of cheer, a hug or whatever!

 So please go to the link below and learn more and help if you can. Again, if you can't help I feel the very least you can do for these children is to share this link with your friends who might be able to help. I know you ALL have Facebook :0).

 

http://kids-at-the-crossroads.org/
 

http://kids-at-the-crossroads.org/christmas-cheer.html
 

http://files.ctctcdn.com/7e02f96f401/d09223e2-f317-4caf-9d09-674c90f440f8.pdf
 

           Now Go Out and Hug a Child Today!!!

You win some, You learn some

Pogo cellos. Mine looks a little bit different :0)

You win some, You learn some. My friend Danny Donuts said that to me this weekend as we made a few mistakes building my pogo cello. I had never heard that saying before. I am sure it has been used some, but I just had never heard it. And I must say... I like it!!

This is Danny risking "losing" by capturing a flag. He LEARNED it wasn't a flag, but a marker placed there on purpose. And he never fell in the lake, so all is well.

 

Personally I don't mind "losing" at something or even being told I lost or I am a loser at something. Losing is part of life and that is how we LEARN. However, by changing the wording around from You win some, You lose some... to You win some, You learn some implies you never really and truly lose. When you get something wrong or you "lose", then actually what you are doing is LEARNING! Interesting eh?

I like that wording a lot, especially with kids. Kids don't always understand the meanings of words like lose or loser and can mistake them for negativity. So by changing the wording to Learn some, it just might encourage more kids, and even some adults, to try a lot of different things without the fear of losing! It puts a positive spin on life. And you all know how I like to be positive! Whenever you play now, or try to make something, or just do a chore... then you can look at it as having 2 possible outcomes. Either you will win, which everyone likes to win! Or you can learn something. Again, everyone likes to learn, right?!

So, I am going to adapt that motto from now on so I am not afraid to do different things or try new stuff, etc. I will either win or I will learn, which really means no matter what I will WIN!


Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!

I want his gig

I can't believe I have never heard of this man. Raffi! I have never heard his music either, and that dumbfounds me. As much as I love music and children, you would think someone would have told me about him? Nope. Anyway, he sounds like a generous, incredible, talented man. I would LOVE to have his job! Not that I don't like my job, but just check out the faces of the kids in the video! They are priceless! And read the article/interview below. A man with integrity and morals and doing life right, in my opinion! I applaud you Raffi! Now go out and spread the word.

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/raffi-on-his-new-album-video-and-continued-090025016.html

I just LOVE the faces and reactions of the kids in the video below. Oh to get that kind of reaction from kids, golden! I recommend watching some other videos by Raffi if you have the time. The kids are adorable in every one of them!! Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oacQL7UQtlk


Now Go Out and Hug a Musician Today!!!

The French Connection

My friend Nigel runs a yoga retreat in the south of France. I met him in 2000 and every summer I told him I was coming to his retreat. But something else would inevitably come up and I didn't make it. Finally, I sold my condo in NH and had the money with no excuses. So I booked my trip a year in advance :0). And I am oh so glad I did!

                                                                   

Entrance to Nigel's place

I hadn't seen Nigel in 15 years, but it felt as if no time had passed. We had kept in touch with emails and Christmas greetings. I was still amazed at how comfortable it felt to be in his presence. I imagine it is like that with him and a lot of people!

Nigel enjoying a cup of coffee

The retreat was exactly what I expected and more! La Roane (pronounced La-RO-awn) is a peaceful, beautiful, serene hamlet to spend time in. I highly recommend it. Even though it is a hamlet, only Nigel lives there now apparently.

We started our mornings off with some fun exercises with Nigel. He is fun and playful even in the mornings. It was a mix of slow motion stretches, laughter yoga, and spiritual en"light"enment. We did one exercise where we imagined holding a large ball of light and then running that light up and down from our heads to our toes. It truly felt energizing, even if it might have just been my great imagination.

Morning yoga

After exercises we ate breakfast. Then we divided into 2 groups. One group did yoga and the other took a cooking class for vegetarian cooking. In the evenings the groups reversed. Enzo was our chef extraordinaire, and what a delight he was! To me he looked like a cross between Robert Downey Jr. and Danny Devito. Charming and sultry, with fun animated facial expressions. It was so much fun to watch and learn from him. He not only taught us about cooking, but about history of food. For instance he will not cook quinoa (keen-wa) because of political reasons. Apparently the people in Bolivia, where quinoa originated, have to pay outrageously high prices for it because it is exported at a high price. Gotta love a French speaking Italian who lives with passion!

                                                 

Enzo and his animation

Whatever the cooking class made in the morning, we ate for lunch. Whatever the class made in the afternoon we ate for dinner. The food was abundant and delicious! Pumpkin soup, eggplant parmesan, apple tarts, and much much more! Enzo says "the really good chefs use their hands a lot and "feel" all of the textures in the food. It is very sensual and that is what makes the food so good".

                                                                     

Sensual preparations

Between lunch and dinner we had 2 to 3 hours to ourselves. You could relax by the pool to read, nap or go for a walk or a bike ride. One afternoon my friend Nikki (who joined me on the trip) and I went on a bike ride.... through the south of France!! Now how many people can say that? Ha Ha.

Not a bad place for a bike ride

We also went for a few hikes around the area. La Roane is about  0.5 miles from the gorge. We walked around with amazing vista views, with the Aveyron River below and St. Antonin as well. St. Antonin is a semi famous medieval village that has an incredible Sunday market. Made a little more famous by the movie "The Hundred Foot Journey". Cute movie if you are looking for something to watch on a rainy, lazy day.




St. Antonin as viewed from the edge of the gorge. 

We went on a couple of excursions as well. Picnics by the river, and a trip to St. Antonin on market Sunday. We went to St. Antonin on Friday for an hour also, and the disparity from Friday to Sunday was incredible! Few people on Friday, to wall to wall people on Sunday! So much fun to see the difference and feel the energy of a Sunday afternoon there.

Friday

Sunday Market

The whole experience was wonderful. We met some incredibly interesting people as well. An opera singer, a writer for a wine magazine, computer genuises, artists, wiley Welsh women who travel the world solo, silly British men who travel all over to ski, and much much more.

Nikki and I stayed a couple of days after everyone left and got to enjoy Nigel's company when he didn't have guest to attend to. What a treat! We were giving a nice tour of the area, with castles on hillsides, walks thru small medieval villages, and we had coffee with some friends of his who live in an 11th century castle! Coffee was served with gold spoons. Not gold plated, but GOLD. We almost felt like royalty. Nigel has a way of making people feel that way! Thank You Nigel!

There is always so much more to tell than what I can put on paper, so you will just have to go see it all yourself if you can.  www.nigelshamash.com

Now Go Out and Hug Someone!!!

What CAN you Do?

What a stunning image eh? Well, check out the video to see the creativity used to make it! You might not believe it!

What CAN you do? what a great question with the emphasis on CAN! Below is an article and a 4 minute video shared with me by my brother Todd. It is SOOOOO worth the 4 minutes!

http://no-way.dailymegabyte.com/i-was-blown-image-really-was/

The man in the article is told that a lot of people wish they could do what he can do. So he asks the question "What CAN  you do?". I love that attitude. There are a lot of things that other people can do, but I can't. But there are a lot of things I can do that others can't. The point is to focus on the things YOU CAN do, and not things that others do that you can't or anything that you can't for that matter.

You all know my friend Susan. She has limitations, so there are plenty of things she can't do, but there are so many more things that she CAN do and she does them to fullest of her ABILITIES!!

Susan can't walk, but she CAN swim! 

I have said it before. We ALL have disabilities! Some are just more visible than others. AND we ALL have abilities! Some are just more visible than others. Use your ABILITIES in the best way you know how and all will be well.

I feel this is the perfect post as I hit the road on Friday to go to camp. Camp always teaches me so many things! It teaches me about my own abilities. It teaches me to never underestimate someone else's abilities. It teaches me patience... with others AND with myself. Yes, sometimes I need to have patience with myself as I get antsy to do certain things I am just not capable of. But I keep on learning. I hope you continue to learn about your own abilities and patience!

So tell ME... WHAT CAN YOU DO???

Now Go Out and Hug Someone, I know most of you CAN!!!

Mothers are special

She LOVED her grandkids!

My mother was as special as they come! Even in her last few days, as she was actively dying, she gave ME gifts of comfort. Grab a drink, maybe some tissues and read on to see what I mean.


Timing is everything they say. My mom had great timing, especially in the end. I am not sure if you can truly time your own death, but it sure seemed like my mom did it! First she waited til I got home from a wonderful trip to Russia and Holland. She was doing well when I left, so I didn't think she would have died while I was gone, but you never know. When I got back to America my brother had called to tell me she wasn't doing well. I drove home on Sunday April 19th. She was not doing well, but still coherent and could eat and drink and talk to me.


Over the next few days we had some beautiful moments together. On Monday I just sat next to her holding her hand. She looked at me with such LOVING eyes and a sweet smile. She said "I am so happy you are here. I love you so much".  I know my mother loved me throughout my life, but at that very moment I felt ALL the intensity a love can show. Her look burned in my soul that day and it will be there forever. I can never thank her enough for that gift!


My mom giggled and laughed quite a bit the last few days of her life. That really did my soul some good. My mom loved to laugh, but didn't seem to have laughed as much in the past year or so that I could remember. So to see her giggle and be at peace was wonderful. She would giggle at almost anything. She giggled at herself too. She would say something confusing, then say "I am a little confused aren't I?" and then giggle about it. She knows I love to hear people laugh and especially giggle, so I am sure it was just one of many gifts she would give to me.

Nathan, Barb, Kelly and Natalie. What a fun night full of laughs!

On Tuesday she seemed a little more confused than normal. She recognized me as I sat in front of her holding her hand some more. All of sudden she stared into space. Her eyes were wide open, but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking "beyond" me... as she did, this is what she said... "Oh, hi mommy hi daddy. Yes, I can see you. Oh I love you 2 so much! Hi daddy, oh I love you daddy, you were always my buddy. Oh you look so beautiful I want to come be with you. (pause).. Ok, I'll wait." after a couple of seconds she continued "Oh, hi Jesus, Praise Jesus. Thank you for forgiving me Jesus. I love you Jesus!". Her parents died many years ago.


Those may not be her exact words, but trust me when I say it was extremely close to that word for word! It was powerful for me to witness that and again just another gift my mom gave me I feel. I knew at that moment she was going to go be with her parents AND she was HAPPY about it. She wanted to go! She had suffered long enough on this earth and it was time to go. BUT, she also controlled her timing as she told her parents "Ok, I'll wait".


Wait for what you may ask? Well, Weds. was my brother's birthday. We certainly didn't want her to die on that day if possible. She waited til the day after his birthday! Also, she died on Apr. 23rd... the same day my pappa died 14 years ago!! Maybe she was waiting for both things?


On the day of her death, the "magic" continued. She was gradually getting more and more tired and confused. At 9 am I got her to the toilet to go to the bathroom. She could barely stand or respond to me. But she made it to the bed side toilet and did her business IN the toilet. Then I helped her back to her chair.


The Hospice nurse came at 1020 and she wasn't responding. Her breathing was easy and regular, she just didn't wake up. The hospice nurse offered to send someone out to be with me/us for the "last" 24 hrs. I refused, and I am glad I did. It was a moment to be shared alone with family and friends.


At noon, she hadn't changed much from 1030, but something told me she might not last much longer. So luckily I called my brother at work and told him he might want to come home. He got permission from his boss and got home at 1:25 PM. If he hadn't left work early, he would have been home around 2:45. She died at 2:25!


I also called her sister Shirley who was in town. She and my Uncle Tommy got there around 1 pm. It was very special to have them there as well.


My friend Karen had texted earlier to ask if I needed anything. I asked her if she could bring some bottled water over, not knowing the timing of it all of course.


So, with my Aunt and Uncle at her side. My brother Todd at her side. My friend Karen at her side, and I behind her wrapping my arms around her chest. She had her last moments on earth. And it got even better!!


After I called my brother and Aunt earlier, I got my mom's bible and placed it on her lap with her hand on it. It is a beautiful bible that she had been reading the past 6 months. She hadn't read the bible in years til then. Her sister Starla gave it to her as a gift, so I am sure that prompted her to read it. But I also know my mom has always had a strong faith and she probably felt this was the time to start reading again! Timing!!

My mom reading her bible. March 23rd, before I left for Russia. 

As she started having some irregular breathing, I sensed the time was getting close. So out of nowhere I just started reading the bible to her. She had 2 bookmarks in it. One for our neighbor Kathy's favorite verse and one for her sister Starla's favorite verse. Our Uncle Tommy had told me his favorite verse has always been Psalm 23.


So, I read Kathy's favorite verse to my mom. It was Proverbs 3:5-6. It talks about Trusting in the Lord. After reading it, I kissed her on the cheek and told her that was from Kathy. Kathy has been a huge help and dear friend the past few years. So I know that made my mom feel loved and happy. She took a couple of more steady breaths...

My mom and her sister Starla

Then I read Starla's favorite verse to her. It was Psalm 121. It talks about help from the Lord. After reading that verse, I kissed her on the cheek and told her that was from Aunt Starla. Again, I know that made her smile inside and feel loved and happy. She took a couple of more steady breaths...


Then I read Psalm 23. It is probably the most well known verse in the bible. It is the one that says "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" and so on... Well I got down to the last sentence, which I am not even sure I had ever noticed... but it reads...

"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"

I swear as God is my witness, as soon as I said the word forever my mom took ONE more deep breath and that was it. She died in that moment!

Now Go Out and Hug a Mother Today!!!

Part 3, Love

The other Arnella. She gave the BEST hug!!

To me there is nothing more warm and endearing than a great hug from a friend. A hug from a child is also extra special! The children of Russia hug openly and freely. I like that! I can't count the number of hugs I received in Russia, but EVERY single one of them was welcomed and full of LOVE!! The 6 year olds in Russia hug  you like they will never see you again. The teens hug you like you are family and very dear to them. Boys and girls hug alike. Men and women grab a hold. The world definitely needs more huggers and love in general.

My dear sweet Anya just oozes the essence of love in my opinion. She is wise beyond her 22 years. We had great conversations about life, meanings, love and more as we held hands and just enjoyed the presence of each other. When she was 8 we bonded! That bond is unbreakable, just like love! I love her as much as I love any other being on earth, and the thought of her and the way she shares herself and thoughts with others is so heartwarming!

Anya with Vika's grandpa. He is a sweet dear man!

At "camp" the English kids showed love to the orphans thru play. They also hid Chocolate Easter eggs for the orphans as a show of love I feel. The orphans in turn helped the English kids with their "homework". Journals they had to write in Russian. In essence, the orphans became teachers and that is a form of love really!

In Beslan I met a beautiful young lady named Arnella. She came on the last day to watch our show. I don't know if she is part of the school? A friend of a friend? I should have asked. Anyway, she has a radiant smile and contagious laugh. We talked for a few minutes, took some fun photos, and hugged. I could just feel the LOVE she sends out to the world! And I am sure she does it without even knowing it!!

The teachers of Beslan

The teachers of Beslan exhibit more love and ways to love than anyone else I know. They have suffered great loss and tragedy in their lives, yet they love unconditionally and continously. Guiding children AND clowns thru life and it's meanings. Everyone should be blessed with the love I feel from them and the children of Beslan!

Love can never be overstated or overused in my humble opinion. Love is boundless! Love triumphs over anything! It can not be extinguished, even by the cruelest of hateful acts! Love is ever growing and we must spread it freely!

Now Go Out and Hug Someone Lovingly Today!!