While I can, I will

“While I can, I will” is a very powerful mantra to me. I thought of it while training for my first “Triathlon” which is now less than two weeks away. This thought pattern occurred to me after rereading the “Five Remembrances of Buddha”. The Five Remembrances are: 1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. 2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health. 3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. 4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. 5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. (As found in “The Plum Village Chanting Book” by Thich Nhat Hahn - 1991)

When I first read this, years ago, I wasn’t ready for the information and found it very depressing. Something, however kept me going back to reread it because it just didn’t settle with me well. Eventually I had that “Aha!” moment and got it. Instead of it making me sad as it once did, it liberated me to truly understand the gifts that I have in this moment, to appreciate them and live in the moment with discipline, conscience and love.

Once I understood the concept that things will change in every aspect of life I started to make more effort in my life. It wasn’t with great leaps and bounds at first rather it was very methodical. I am like the tortoise from the story “The Tortoise and the Hare”, slow and steady and I keep on going.

In any event while training there have been times when I simply wanted to be lazy and blow it off and then I realized I may not always be able to do this and while I can I should. That has kept me going and often puts a great big smile on my face as I say a prayer of thanks. This philosophy has also spilled into other areas of my life especially with my children. They will only be this age once and I best enjoy it and I do taking time which is the biggest and best gift I can give my children!

Think and meditate on the above and put it into action. It will create a rich and thoughtful life.
Namaste.

"If"

The card I received from my dad this morning for my birthday had the most beautiful poem on it and I would like to share it with you all. It is called "If" by Emily Matthews.

"If you can value truth above approval, friendship over beauty, wealth or fame. If you can share your gifts and talents wisely, leaving someone better off than when you came. If you find happiness in simple pleasures and see the rainbow, not the falling rain. If you have faith to keep right on believing in miracles that no one can explain. If you look until you see the good in others and keep your spirit honest, true and free, then you'll be the happy and successful person you were meant to be."

"If you could see all the flowers in the world. If you could hear all the laughter in the universe. If you could make all the dreams that ever were wished come true, then you would know a little part of the joy of having and loving a daughter like you."

This has to be my favorite card!!!! Thanks Dad! You made me feel like a million dollars today!

Namaste.

Welcome to the Last Two Weeks of My Life!

Wow when I think back through the last two weeks I am thrilled to have had the experiences that I had. Some highlights: I met Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs, I received the autograph of another favorite artist Leigh Standley, I went to see Yanni perform, I went on a field trip with my younger son Timmy, I had a few custom orders that allowed my imagination to take flight, I went to a “Read-In” with my middle school son Nick, I went on my first bike ride with other tri-athletes, I was interviewed for a magazine article that will be featuring my artwork, I did the baseball thing for my boys and of course taught yoga – always a favorite.

As I sit back and reflect I see how blessed and lucky I am. I also recognize the effect these moments have had on my life. Some of the above items are very ordinary but for me have had extraordinary out comes. For instance when I was on the field trip, Timmy kept looking at me and would say “I am so glad you’re here!” Nick was the same way during the “Read-In” just a little less obviously. It is funny and heart satisfying to me because I always have done these things for them and they still appreciate it. They made me feel like a million dollars and smile a lot!

When I met Victoria and Richard, the original creators and owners of MacKenzie-Childs and now the creators and owners of “Victoria and Richard Emprise” I was thrilled. My sons were with me. Initially it wasn’t their thing to do but they went along with me. They ended up enjoying themselves and we all came away with this amazing sense of positive energy and hope. Like Walt Disney said “If you can dream, you can do it!” Victoria signed a plate I purchased and she signed my copy of “Where Women Create” the book that launched the magazine. What a fun person to be around very open, obviously immensely creative and very engaging with my son Timmy who really loves art. Here is their wed address http://www.victoriaandrichard.com/ .

Another favorite artist of mine is the creator of “Curly Girl Designs” Leigh Standley. With my purchase of cards and a water bottle she signed a copy of “Where Woman Create” the magazine. What a cool thing to do!!!!! Here is her web address check it out http://www.curlygirldesign.com/ . My favorite saying of Leigh’s is this: “I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara that I could save the world!”

I have been a fan of Yanni’s for about 14 years and this was the first time I was able to see him perform and WOW!!!! If you ever get the chance to see this show “Yanni Voices” do it, you will love it. The talent of these people words can not adequately describe, however the phrases “hard work pays off” and “practice make perfect!” sure do. I believe all the performers could be the poster people for these sayings! Talk about inspirational! My mother-in-law took as my birthday gift and treated me to his CD “Yanni Voices” which is beautiful. I have been playing it everywhere. I loaded the CD on my computer, IPOD and play the CD in the car. I have played it in my yoga classes too and students love it! Check out his website http://www.yanni.com/ .

As you know I have been training for a triathlon and as part of my training I have been riding outdoors but last week I got the opportunity to ride with a group and let me say how thankful I am to all of them especially Jamie and Andy. They helped me understand when to shift and watched my back! They where all very kind and inspiring! Now I am really excited about the race which is less than 3 weeks away! My friend Marcela and I went out yesterday for our ride and I was able to pay it forward and give her the information that was given to me and I know it helped her too. It was totally awesome yesterday as we rode, we felt like kids again racing around! What a feeling!

In a nutshell you now know where I have been these past two weeks. Try to make everyday extraordinary by doing the ordinary and sprinkle in some adventure from time to time too! Listen and follow your heart the magic ingredients are love and courage! Make that extra effort you will be glad you did!
Namaste.

PS I just started “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho – it is a beautiful book! More on that next week!

Shirley the woman who made the ordinary extraordinary

As I sit here sipping tea on this chilly and beautiful Mother’s Day Morning my thoughts naturally revolve around my mom. So let me introduce you all to my mom Shirley and what she has taught me over a lifetime.

Where to begin – hmm that is hard, I guess I could start by listing adjectives that fit her perfectly. Here we go…My mother was loving, kind, faith filled and faithful, caring, selfless, helpful, funny, a great listener, an amazing cook, made the best chocolate chip cookies ever, a friend, quick to smile, laughed a lot, my favorite teacher, knew I could and encouraged me to do things I would think were impossible, volunteer, patient, and beautiful inside and out. My list could go on and on for a few pages but I believe you got the idea.

Teacher seems to fit my mom perfectly. She was the best teacher I ever had and I know my brothers, cousins, and friends would agree. Everyone still talks about Shirley and how she taught them things from baking/cooking to being a great mom – parent - person. This in known as the “Shirley Factor.”

Now my mom didn’t teach in school or anything like that. My mom taught about life mostly through example. When I say my mom was kind, she truly was to everyone around her. It didn’t matter to my mom where you came from if you were rich or poor, if you needed her she simply was there.

Let me give you a few examples. My mom always helped her parents in what ever way she could, she never let her own brothers and sister down ever and was always there during their hard times in life and did so cheerfully. To my father (who is another light in my life that still shines brightly) she was as my father would say – “One of a kind” and their love was extraordinary – (My father dedicated a beautiful drawing of a train to my mom and titled it “One of a Kind”.) To my brother’s and I my mom was simply always there and never let us down, nor did she ever put us down but always offered us encouragement.

My mom taught me to volunteer. She did meals on wheels and Mt. Carmel House which is a hospice, for close to 30 years. She enjoyed helping, never complained and never bragged about the good she was doing for other, again if she was needed she was there.

Most of the lessons my mom taught me over a life time where lessons in humility, keeping life simple, appreciate what you have, family is number one and friends are precious. She taught me to be kind and helpful.

I learned the most or had the most “Ahaa” moments during my mother’s battle with cancer, her death and afterwards as I reflect on this beautiful person’s life that for some reason I was blessed enough call my mom!

Here are some examples. If you need to see love, hope and kindness in action spend an hour in a hospital’s lobby. You will see every expression of love from the elation of childbirth to the sadness to letting someone die, to the hope of good news, to the kindness of strangers helping strangers through simple gestures’ like opening a door. This would give me strength to go back upstairs and help my mom with a refreshed attitude. She taught me the proper progression of life by simply stating she would much rather it be her then any of us kids or our children. She taught me to be brave. Now let me tell you she was very human during all this and there were moments when she was scared and in great pain but always kept her faith.

We did hospice at my parents’ home and it was privileged that words can not describe. I was next to my mom on the bed when she went to heaven and felt her move through me like the wind. It was beautiful, and I am eternally grateful for that moment.

Now when I reflect on the person my mom was I am completely humbled and thankful. The lessons learned after my mom passed…… Live life to the fullest, tell those you love that you love them, smile often, take your time with your children, laugh and play, health is a gift and should be treated as such, and that our loved ones are still with us just is a different form.

As I wipe away my own tears, a smile has come across my face as I hear the excitement of my own children and husband doing the ordinary – making breakfast – and making my day extraordinary. I love and I am loved – how blessed I am – Thank you mom!!!!!
Namaste.

Life is a Journey

Every life is a journey with its own unique story. We often get caught up in own lives and assume too much about someone else’s life. When we sit back and really listen we will find lots of common ground with others. The key, listen without judgment and have the courage to share.

Today was a blessing as I got to rekindle friendships with my school mates. I got to tell you all that my girlfriends are such a blessing in my life and today I was reminded of that. We each have our own stories with life's natural highs and lows. We laughed, we cried, we hugged and we helped. As we parted ways it was bittersweet, I didn’t want our conversations to end however I know I am behind them 100% as they are behind me! It is comforting to have friends that even though the years have passed, our friendship doesn’t skip a beat once together again.

As usual everything brings me back to my New Year’s Resolution “make more effort”. I will make the effort to keep in better touch with my old friends as I continue to make new friends – knowing that both add to the richness of life and are priceless!

Take time for those we call friend and know it is time well spent!
Namaste.