Live

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”    Leonardo Da Vinci

It’s easy to wind up in Lazyville or Procrastination Land a lot. To get things done you need to take action. Things seldom happen on their own. Enjoy the journey.

Life 101

Food for Thought:

        “Things are temporary, relationships last forever.  Nothing can 

          replace the time we spend investing in the life of another.”

                                                ----Roy Lessin

The simplest things in life give me the most pleasure: I love spending time with friends and family. I always enjoy the company. Have a great weekend. 

Spirituality

Exploring the meaning of Spirituality. Spirituality means something different to everyone. For some, it's about participating in organized religion: going to church, synagogue, a mosque, etc. For others, it's more personal: Some people get in touch with their spiritual side through nature, private prayer, yoga, meditation, quiet reflection, music, art, a community or even long walks. Spirituality is different for everyone.  

• Spirituality is the wellspring of divinity that pulsates, dances, and flows as the source and essence of every soul. Spirituality relates more to your personal search, to finding greater meaning and purpose in your existence. Spirituality is seen as a path toward a higher state of awareness. Spirituality is an inner journey to know thyself.

• Religion is most often used to describe an organized group or culture. Religions usually act with a mission and intention of presenting specific teachings and doctrines while nurturing and propagating a particular way of life. 

I define spirituality by means of knowing one's self, having a sense of purpose in life, feeling connected with others and achieving one's full potential. For me, this means tapping into the wisdom within. 

Spirituality is being inspired by finding  joy in everyday things, cherishing life and feeling the interconnectedness of the universe. Ultimately the goal is about deepening your relationship with your true self and live life as consciously and aware as possible and striving to realize your fullest potential as a human being.

Spirituality is seen as a path toward a higher state of awareness. Know thyself – inner journey. To truly walk the spiritual path you must live it. It is a very personal and individualized experience. It is flowing, growing and ever changing and expanding.. 

I keep finding myself, a little more each day.. I am in constant search of learning. I am in constant search of learning about self with a sense of wonder and joy. 

Life happens through us. Life is to be lived—You are the author of everything that happens to you.

Endless Possibilities

Here’s one I wish I could persuade every person to believe and understand: 

        “Your future depends on many things, but mostly you.”

                                        ----Frank Tyger

Mothers

                      

This weekend you will see lots of commercials. There will probably be a tagline at the end about thanking moms on Mother’s Day, then they’ll show you their company logo.

That sounds cynical and There is nothing wrong with those commercials. Although they’ll clearly feed off the soccer mom stereotype. A lot of mom’s do drive their kids, and their kid’s friends, back and forth from practices.

But that’s definitely not what I think about when I think about my Mom in the role of sports mom.

I remember the meals she cooked. I remember her being home after school. But most of all, I remember that my mom taught me what true toughness and hard work was all about.

Her work ethic always amazes me. She was a single mom, and while it took me a long time to realize it, the amount of work she did to manage the house and raise two children was remarkable.

Heck, even now as I pull my hair out at times while home with three cats, I realize just how incredible this really was. Thank you mom for everything!

MOM --WOW (With Out Words)

No doubt about it, mom is a central figure in our world. So as we celebrate Mother's Day next Sunday (5/10/15) we ought to pause and think about mom's influence in our lives.  

She has taught me so much.  I think of all the lessons she has modeled for me throughout my life in topics from boys to academia to love in and of family to the meaning of true success.  I looked to her (even as a slightly rebellious child) for a standard of morals, I asked for her assistance in grammar when typing up an essay (even through college), and now I heed her lessons in balancing my life, work and passions (even if I think I can do it all myself.)  All the while, she is my teacher, one with the honored and sacred name of Mother.

My mom's classroom was her kitchen but she also taught me in the back yard and while washing windows during spring cleaning. She instructed me when we went to the grocery store and when we walked to the bus stop to go shopping downtown. In her school of life, she never picked up a piece of chalk, but there were hundreds of times she picked up my broken heart and helped me piece it together again.  Mom taught me more than just practical life skills.

My mom is probably like yours. Her picture never appeared on the front page of our hometown newspaper.  If your mom is like my mom, you've attended a similar school. Maybe you skipped class sometimes. Maybe your report card shows some ups and downs. But her classroom has been open to you and, at least at times, you have learned important lessons from her.

As she looks back on her years she sometimes wonders (as we all do) if she's made a difference in the world. She has. She has taught me. From sewing to baking to cleaning to laughing to praying, her class has gone on for years and I have been her student. Not a straight A student I'm afraid, but one who has fallen in love with the teacher.

This week, for Mother's Day, Thank your mom for being your first and best teacher.

There is a lot of talk at school about the importance the family has in relation to students’ success.  We also know how vital it is to create and sustain a positive collaboration between school and home.  As my students left me Friday afternoon, I couldn’t help but think about how much those boys and girls look up to the woman in their lives: mothers, grandmothers, even aunts and big sisters.  They are our students’ first teachers.

Next Sunday, I will celebrate Mother’s Day with my extended family. Through this busy time getting ready for this fun event, it’s important for me to stop and think about my mothers: my grandmothers, my aunts, and my one and only Mom.  They all play such a large role in who I am.  They help to shape me through what they have taught me and continue to teach me each day!

To all the Mothers – I wish you a wonderful week end!