Washing It Clean

Good day everyone! Today's quote was inspired by a feeling that settled over me like a cloak today as I was giving my grandson a bath for the very first time. It is amazing how such a simple chore such as that has the power to completely swell the heart when one takes notice of the joy of the moment. 

Today's Quote: "There is one armor that the world of men and women, as a world, has never yet put on.  The churches have long bungled with its fastenings, but the world has gone unfended, and few have been those in whose hands the mystical sword of the spirit has shone with daily use.  This armor, waiting to be worn, is the armor of brotherhood and sacrifice, the world of unselfishness, a conquering sword, with the power, where used, to unite the world in love.  And there are none who may not put it on."  ~M.A. DeWolfe Howe

I felt so at peace, even amongst the tiny little screeching lungs of my grandson, while I gave him his bath today. I was so happy to just have the opportunity to love him so much, to tend to such a simple task that helps to keep him healthy and just to be someone he is already, in his 3 days of life, beginning to recognize as someone who does love him and see's to his needs, someone he is safe with. I thought to myself how wonderful the world could really be if everyone would do as I was doing in that moment, enjoying such a simple pleasure and not letting the negative, such as his crying, outweigh the positive of the experience. I was bathing him not for myself but for him and his mom and dad, to help them out because I could, because I wanted to, because I was honored to.  It was a purely unselfish act carried out with such love and peace within me and the moment was so beautiful and magical that I just wanted every person in the world to have that in their lives the way I was having it in mine. I have not always been so giving, have not always been so affected by such simple things but none of that matters. Anyone, at any given point in time, can make the choice to be happy, to love deeply and share that love with everyone they meet, to take the moments like the one I had today and let it feed their soul. If instead of people hurting others for profit, revenge,  pride (or any of the other multitude of reasons why the human race can't just all get along) they were to embrace each other, celebrate the differences, the things we can all learn from one another to enrich our lives,  there would be such bliss amongst mankind. If everyone could just hold on to those moments of peace, like what I felt today, and chase after those feelings with as much vigor as they chase after their hatred, rage and feelings of negativity, this thing we call life would be so magical for everyone, not just some people. I hope everyone can have their moments of utter bliss and recognize them for what they are. We are truly blessed when we are able to get past everything else to savor the finer things in life.

Namaste

Christmas Treasures

Hello everyone! It has been a very emotional last few days. My daughter was induced on the the 22nd and at 3:13pm Christmas Day, I was blessed with the best gift one could possible ask for...my grandson! It has been a season of blessings, family and gratitude and so today's quote is a reflection of that. 

Today's quote: "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."  ~Thornton Wilder


I cannot believe my grandson is finally here! It seems almost surreal. Perhaps it is because he has yet to leave the hospital and come home. Perhaps it is because I just cannot believe I was lucky enough to receive such a treasure. I know that for myself, the giving of a new life, being there to be a part of it all, has a profound effect on how I view everything around me which was only magnified by watching my grandson come into this world. I went running down the halls, tears streaming my face, my heart full to near bursting to tell my awaiting loved ones that FINALLY, after almost 3 days of sitting on pins and needles, he was here. I believe those were my actual words...he's here. Even now, it brings tears to my eyes just to replay his birth and the time since in my mind. I am extremely grateful to the Gods and to my beautiful daughter and her boyfriend for making it possible for me to be feeling so incredibly blessed. I am so very proud of them all. My daughter, for her strength and courage, her boyfriend for sticking with her even when she got grumpy and my beautiful grandson Nesa for staying strong and changing all of our lives with his presence. There are really no words to express the depth of the emotions. I can say that I am truly alive in these moments, for I have more than recognized all the treasures I have been granted in my life. I hope that all of you reading this can stop and become aware of all the blessings you have been given and appreciate them all for the miracles they are. Life is as good as we want it to be, as precious and glorious as we allow it to be. Realize your treasures and LIVE to the fullest potential of your entire being because of them.
Namaste

A Yule Miracle

Merry Meet and Blessed Yule! I have had an emotional rollercoaster of a day but in the end, it was as it was meant to be. I found out today that my daughter will be induced on Friday morning, which means that I will have a brand new grandson this solstice! I have so many emotions running through me that it is hard for me to concentrate, so when I read the quote I have chosen for today and felt a little weepy over it, I knew it was the right quote at the right time. I knew, just like the arrival of my miracle grandson, that it was just meant to be.

Today's quote: "Soon I will be an old, white-haired lady, into whose lap someone places a baby, saying "Smile Grandma!" - I, who myself so recently was photographed on my grandmother's lap." Liv Ullmann

I chose this quote because it is completely relates to my life today. I have a picture of myself on my fourth birthday, sitting on my grandmother's lap with the doll she had gifted me in tow. That picture is full of memories for me, especially since I lost her 7 years after that birthday. I remember looking at that picture when it was housed in my mother's photo album and my mother saying to me "do you remember what you said to Grandma when that picture was taken?" I replied that I didn't and she told me that I had sat on my grandmother's knee and said to her, "Grandma, will you still love me now that I'm four?" My mother told me that it took everything in their power not to burst out in laughter at the seriousness with which I had asked the question. I can imagine it was a priceless moment for them, just as the memory of it still is for me thirty years later. Now, only a couple days away from being blessed with MY first grandchild, I am anxiously awaiting all the moments like that that him and I will create together. For those of you who do not know the backstory, my daughter was scheduled to have gynecological surgery a week after she found out she was pregnant. That surgery had the probability of making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for her to have a child. The news was a miracle to us and I know that I believe, with all my heart, that the Gods were smiling down on us. Now, with her going in for an induction just one day after Yule, I find myself thinking about the symbolism of the miracle grandson coming at a time when my belief is celebrating the birth of the Sun King. I know, without a doubt, that he is going to do wonderful things in life. He has been placed in our hands and hearts against all odds because he has an important purpose in this world. I can feel the truth of this with all my being. I cannot even express how completely blessed I am feeling at this moment. Tomorrow night, while I celebrate Yule, I will be making sure that I bestow my gratitude for the gift I am being granted in the form of my grandson, as well as the precious gifts I have already been given in the forms of my children, husband and the numerous other family members and friends that I have in my life. This is what utter and complete happiness feels like. I wish you all a very Blessed Yule/Merry Christmas/Season's Greetings/ Happy Kwanza, Joyful Hanukkah and any other celebration you may take part in this holiday season. May your lives be enriched with love and peace.

Namaste

Random Acts of Kindness

Merry Meet! I hope you have all enjoyed your weekend. Mine was spent getting the last of the Yule/Christmas preparations completed before the holidays next week. It is going to be a very busy few days! I have to admit, today's quote was inspired by a story I read about numerous good Samaritans paying off layaway accounts for family's struggling to make the payments. I was deeply touched by the random acts of kindness these people showed to their fellow man and so I wanted to pay that forward in my own little way by sharing a quote that I find particularly inspiring, especially when I am struggling to remember why I am doing things for other people.

Today's quote: "Give cheerfully and freely. It is the energy behind the giving that matters so do not give grudgingly. The law of cause and effect guarantees that you shall receive plenty for what you give."David Cameron Gikandi

I have to own that I sometimes have a very bad habit of doing things for people, especially family,  because I feel obligated to do so. I have a tendency to look upon these "favors" as something I have to do, instead of something I want to do. I am sure I am not the only person on the planet who feels this way at one time or another. An example of this would be that I sometimes do things for my father because I feel it is my duty as his daughter, because he has done so much for me. This is not a productive line of thought and is in fact in direct contrast with what my quote states. I am working very hard to correct this character flaw in myself but sometimes it is like pulling teeth to me. I sometimes feel it is easier to do something grudgingly rather than saying "no" to someone who has asked me to help them because then I always feel guilty or feel that they will think I am selfish. In my mind, this is unacceptable because what the people I am around think of me as a person is incredibly important to me. I want to be loved, needed and generally liked. I want to be the person they know will help them if they need me to.  In my mind, saying "no" to someone who has asked something of me will give them an automatic negative view of my character. I know that it is really not this way, that people realize that perhaps I just don't have the time or the answers or whatever it is they may require from me, but it feels this way to me.  This habitual reaction is really doing more harm than good because if the behavior continues, I am going to be known as the person who will help others, but will feel "put out" to do so. This is NOT what I want people to say about my character. I want to be known as someone who gives freely to others, who is always there to lend a helping hand, who loves everyone, judges no one and who can be confided in and trusted. If you give of yourself to others because you feel you have to, the energy of that also transfers with the deed and it creates a type of pollution within the intent. Those you are doing the deed for can feel  that you are only doing it because you feel like you have to and it makes them feel horrible for having asked it of you. This is not what helping and giving means by any definition. It is not suppose to make either the giver or the receiver feel badly about the exchange and that is exactly what happens if you are not giving of yourself purely because you desire to do so, because you want to. Along this same line of thinking comes the topic of giving with the expectation of getting something back. It is no good if you expect something other than to feel good about being able to help someone out. Gifts, no matter if they are purchased or just a piece of your time, are suppose to be just that, gifts. The definition of a gift, according to freedictionary.com is something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. Expecting something in return because you gave something, is not giving a gift.  I encourage you all to look at your motives the next time you decide to gift someone in some way, shape or form. Are you doing it for the right reasons? Are you both going to feel good about it before, during and afterwards? This is the season of giving and it doesn't have to cost anything in a monetary context to be able to reap the emotional and spiritual benefits that giving to others can provide. This reminder is MY gift to all of you just as surely as the story which inspired me to write this blog in the first place was a reminder, a gift, given to me.
Namaste, be blessed.

Music To My Ears

I know this blog is showing itself kind of late in the day but I just wasn't quite ready to write earlier. I have finally had that light bulb go on that told me I had the perfect topic to offer up for my perceptions of the moment and so now I will share them with you.

Today's quote: " I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world." Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)

I have had a pretty fantastic day. I have spent a lot of it laughing at the numerous people, influences and situations that have crossed my path. Today was just a good day to laugh and it felt really liberating to be able to let go of the stress that so often overtakes my life.
It all started when I was playing status tag on a networking site with my best friend in the entire world. Now, there is a woman who knows how to laugh! She has one of the best laughs I have ever heard and it actually comes in two parts. First there is the "Betty Rubble" giggle, which shows itself on a fairly regular basis as she seems to be able to find humor in almost anything! Then there is her "belly laugh", which is just what it sounds like. It comes straight from her belly, loud and booming, her mirth radiating out of her and effecting everyone around her. It is completely contagious and there is not a person, I don't think, who could refrain from sharing in her joy when she let's that one go. She is one of the few people in the world who can make me laugh so ridiculously hard that I actually burst into tears, my emotional floodgate being smashed to pieces by whatever incident has caused the laugh fest to begin. I have known her for 27 years and there are a million stories to be told and relived where this was the outcome of my time spent with her. After that, I started my quote hunt for this blog and I came across so many funny quotes that just had me in stitches. My daughter actually asked me if I was drunk because I was laughing so hard at what I was reading! Then her and I started in on a conversation where we once again, started laughing and joking around. Making dinner with my other two children loaned itself to still more silliness and laughter and then after dinner, a  little playing and teasing with my husband had us both giggling away like little school girls. Indeed, today has been a day to laugh and the ability to do so and the sheer sounds of it filling my home was a symphony to my ears. I can think of no better sound in the world. Whether it is the adorable first laugh of a baby, the toddler chasing the dog and laughing at the experience, friends laughing together or lovers sharing a funny memory to the sound of it, there is no such thing as laughing out of key and every note is beautiful and moving. I wish you all merriment and joy today and always. May your own personal magnum opus fill your hearts and homes.
Namaste

Beautiful

Good morning all. I must confess, I woke up this morning feeling a little mushy and so today's quote is a reflection of that. I don't know if it was just a beautiful morning, or if the energy of the season is taking me in it's grasp but regardless of the why, I know the how and that is what is most important to me.

Today's Quote: "I am so glad that you are here... It helps me realize how beautiful my world is." Goethe

As I stated earlier, I am not sure what has made me contemplate such things today but I find myself looking at the people in my life, the many roles they each play and just how those roles affect my world. There are some, of course, that are not the most pleasant to have to deal with at times but for the most part, the people I have chosen to surround myself with all add to my existence in some way, shape or form. There is my husband, whose love for me gives me strength and courage to be able to overcome any obstacle that may cross my path. His unshakable faith in me and my abilities to grow and become all that I desire are a constant beacon when I feel that I have lost my way. My children also have added to my life in more ways than I could possibly ever count. Sometimes, the role of being a parent can be exhausting and frustrating, but the unconditional love, the growth and learning together...those are experiences that I would never trade for anything in the world. There is my extended family; my dad and siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins, whose influence and support has helped to mold me into the person I am today and for which I will always be eternally grateful. There are the numerous friends and family that I have claimed as my own just because they are special people and lighten my heart when I think of them. So many wonderful people have come into my life and as the quote states, I am so glad you are all here making my world beautiful.
Namaste 

The Warmth of Winter

Good morning all! Today's quote is inspired by all this beautiful powdery white stuff we see on the ground right now! I know that some of you are despising it's presence but hopefully I can give you a new perspective on it's charms. 

Today's quote:  There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.  ~Ruth Stout

I am a winter baby. I was born in February and from what I have been told, it was a pretty cold day. Perhaps that is why I look forward to this season all year long to the dismay of most of the people around me. It seems that those who appreciate the cold, dark solitude of the season are few and far between. Most see the winter as a time of biting cold and icy roads, letting those downsides completely spoil all the beauty and wonder that winter has to offer. The ethereal  blanket of white that shrouds everything around us from the tree tops to the ground, sparkling like a million perfect diamonds under the light of the Sun and Moon is one of the most majestic sights I have ever seen. It is while enjoying this view, especially at night when the temperature drop has everyone hiding behind their heavy doors, that I seem to have some of the most profound thoughts. In the silence of the night I wrap myself in a blanket and venture out onto the step where I look, listen and learn so very much about myself and how I relate to the world around me. There is no one to distract me from these thoughts and the brisk air clears the mind in a natural manner that puts forced meditation practices to shame. Winter can be a time of solitude due to the constraints the weather puts on our activities and it is in those moments when we have the opportunity to really get in touch with the people we are on the inside as well as getting back to the basics of what family is. I love a snow-day when the roads are bad enough that no one is driving anywhere, the schools are closed and everyone is tucked away in the safety and warmth of the home, enjoying a hot cup of tea or cocoa together. There is nothing in this world quite as healing as time spent with loved ones, doing the things that our busy schedules rarely allow and I cherish the winter for the moments like this that it provides. I wish you all a blessed  and safe winter season and I hope I have been able to give you a reason to enjoy it as much as I do. It truly is a magical time of year!
Namaste

The Darker Side of Dreamscape

Good morning everyone. My husband and I were discussing this blog the other day and he had asked me why I was only writing the positive things that were relating to me. He wanted to know why I wasn't also writing about the harder things in life. I suppose the reason for this is because I had wanted to change the format of the blog to something that would inspire, give strength and help people to see a light through their own darker times. It occurs to me though that I cannot truly do that if I am not writing about my own, using quotes that pertain to those areas just as surely as I am writing about the ones that give me a new perspective. I had a somewhat troubling Saturday night and the unease of it still settles within me today and so the quote I have chosen is about how sometimes we do feel these darker emotions and struggle with them. After all, life is a balance of the positive and negative and so too, should my blog be. So without further fan fare, here is today's quote.
" I drag myself out of nightmares each morning and find there's no relief in waking. Something in my expression stops him. Better not give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself together as it does to fall apart.” Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay
This quote, although I do not wake each morning with nightmares, still speaks to me on the occasions that I do. We can all be haunted by the images that plague our dreaming minds. For some of us, the dreams start to fade as soon as we wipe the cobwebs from our eyes. We are able to wake and shake them off as nothing more than an over-active imagination or the result of some horror film we watched before we went to bed. Others of us have reoccurring nightmares that chill us to the bone and take days before they finally start to release the hold they have on our minds. Theses dreams are sometimes not so much a psyche by-product as they are actual memories of trauma's we have suffered in our lives. When this is the case,  the influence they have on us upon waking can alter our perceptions to such a degree that for a time, we are stuck right back in those moments. We become frightened or desperate, whatever the situation that we are reliving calls for us to be. Reactions to outside stimuli; such as the people we are around, the circumstances we find ourselves in, even the environment around us, can become completely out of character for us. Perhaps someone who loves animals would have a hard time being around them for a couple days if the trauma they had just relived in the dreaming realm had something to do with a vicious dog attack.  Likewise, someone who was raped may find it incredibly difficult to be around a certain gender of person until the nightmare of the occurrence has loosened it's grip. It can take but a moment in our sleeping minds to shatter us, but it can take days to put those nightmare-effected pieces back together again. Everyone has nightmares and no one is exempt for it is all a part of how our minds process information. For those whose nightmares are really more like bad memories, I share in your suffering and know the struggles such traumas can have on our daily lives long after the haze of dreamscape has left us. It is not easy to have to live with such things but it is possible if you make the choice to be a survivor instead of a victim. I wish you all strength as you fight your personal demons, in dreamland and in reality. May your healing be swift and your mind be strong.
Namaste

The Continuance of the Generations

Good morning and Merry Meet everyone! I have had so much going on recently that I have just not had the time to sit and write and for that I apologize. The holidays are only a couple weeks away and as you may or may not be aware, I am expecting my first grandchild any time now. I am constantly on pins and needles, waiting to hear the words" Mom, I think I'm in labor"! It won't be long now. So with a host of emotions filtering through my mind at the moment, I have decided to choose a quote on this life altering experience.

Today's Quote: "Because they've either conveniently forgotten with time or they're trying to be supportive, most mothers won't tell you how hard pregnancy (and then childbirth) can be. Let me tell you, it is. It's brutal sometimes! But, if I did it, ANYONE can do it. I mean, I always knew I was meant to do something really BIG in life, and now I know that this was it. Screw winning an Academy Award someday....I GAVE BIRTH!" Jenny McCarthy, Belly Laughs


When I read this quote I can't help but smile at it because it reminds me so much of when I was expecting my first child. I was very young and so I remember asking my mother all sorts of things! I mean let's face it, who would be better to ask than the woman who brought you into this world?  She would look at me with such patience, her eyes would light up and a smile would cross her face.  Now I understand what that look really means. It's the look that says " I am so proud of you.  I am honored that you are coming to me with your questions and grateful that I have the answers you need." As a parent to an adult child, it can, at times, feel like our time to influence them has come to pass. When the opportunity to once again be their fountains of knowledge presents itself, we can't help but feel that sense of wonder at it all. Now, when my daughter comes to me with her legion of inquiries, I find myself giving her that same bright-eyed smiling look. I answer all her questions and just like my mother never lied to me about all the ups and downs of pregnancy, birth and everything that is to come afterward, I try my best to be as forthcoming with her. Creating life and being the one to bring it into this world is a beautiful, magical experience full of joy and wonder, but it is also a very trying time on the body, mind and soul. It causes you to change as a person and your relationships with other people change as well. You are never again the person you used to be. Designer jeans are traded in for comfortable sweat pants. The freedom to just go out whenever you want is replaced with tending a sick child who only wants to be cuddled and soothed when you have plans to be somewhere else. The stress of wanting only the best for them and fearing you are not able to give them that is a constant part of your mind. It is a 24/7/365 commitment and let me tell you, it does not end when they reach adulthood. It just changes.  I remember my mother telling me, "it is the hardest, most grueling and under appreciated job in the world, but the most important tasks of life usually are this way". My mother had the right of it all those years ago and now I sit on the brink of a new chapter in my life, one I get to share with my daughter as she faces the challenges and rewards of being a mom. All I can hope for is that the lessons I have tried to instill in her have taken root and that I will see them bloom and flourish in the life of my grandson. I am a mother of three beautiful girls who are all but grown now and while they sometimes frustrate and stress me out to no end..I wouldn't change it for the world.
Namaste

Choosing to Forgive

Good morning everyone! Today's quote comes from one of the most thought provoking books I have ever had  the pleasure of reading, "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. Although it was a struggle to choose just one, it was also incredibly rewarding to be able to go back and read some of the lines and paragraphs that had touched me so deeply. I think it is time for me to re-read this story again! I would highly recommend it to any and all who love to be inspired.
" It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when its all you have got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life." Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram

I know that the topic of choices has been somewhat of a running theme as of late, but I think that it is important enough to explore as often as needed so that any who should require the little pieces of wisdom I try to include in these writings has the opportunity to read and understand them in a context that relates to their personal struggles or successes.This topic in particular is about making the choice to forgive. 
Although it may be violent, I love the visual I get reading this passage. A man chained to a wall, being tortured, his body is covered in blood and wounds; a physical representation of the malice of his captors. By all logic, he should feel trapped and helpless, broken and in despair, yet he has discovered a secret power that lay within him. The power to make a choice. I am sure the men torturing him think they have the upper hand in this situation, that he is nothing more to them than a victim of their brutality. I am positive that they believe themselves to be superior in all ways as he is chained to a wall and subjected to their cruelty. However, it is a false illusion. While they do their worst to shatter his body, his mind is finding strength in the freedom of a choice. He refuses to let them harm his soul and so he makes the conscious decision, even through the haze of rage and pain, to forgive them for what they are doing to him. That is an incredibly powerful moment. To be able to forgive someone of something so heinous is liberating in a way that simply removing the chains that bind him can never compare to. He has freed his very being by not allowing his core to become stained with the violent and hurtful deeds of others. Had his captors known the power he wielded, I am sure they would have found even more painful ways to try and shatter him. If someone in this position can find it within himself to forgive, then why can't those whose lives have been relatively unblemished do the same, even if it is themselves they have to forgive? What is the purpose in making the choice to stay angry, to continue to allow an act of hurt to take away from your own happiness? There is no point in holding onto that type of negative energy. It will just eat away at the soul and taint everything good that life has to offer. What's done is done and time cannot be turned back to take a different path. Forgiveness is not easy but it is a freedom unlike any other because we no longer carry the weight of the deed on our shoulders. Make the choice to live your life in happiness, the choice to love and be loved, the choice to grow and change, to be nurtured and influenced by all the beauty that surrounds us. Make the choice to forgive others and to forgive yourself, so that you may live your life to its fullest potential, so that you may be free.
Namaste

Walking the Tightrope

Good morning everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! We are getting very close to the holiday season and the stresses of it can, at times, unbalance us. The quote for today was chosen with exactly that in mind.

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves". Fracis J. Braceland 
How many times have you wanted to pull out your hair, have a stiff drink or even a cigarette when faced with stressful situation? I know that I have been in that predicament numerous times myself. I was letting things that I couldn't control, effect the way I was reacting. As my husband so cleverly stated, I have a reactive personality by nature and because of that,  I need to take charge of those reactions instead of just letting circumstances, people and their choices, effect me. It is easier said than done. My reactions are now somewhat habitual. They are definitely comfortable and the norm for me and so stepping outside of that sphere can be very difficult, but it is worth it. Just like I can't control the weather, there are a lot of other things I can't control either. I can't control how the woman in the check out line is arguing with the cashier, making it take much longer for me to get out of the store. All I can do is choose a new line up to enter into. I can't control how some people drive with careless abandon, making unsafe decisions, other than to be watchful that their choices don't cause me to have an accident. I can't control how the holidays sometime bring out the Grinch's of the season other than to wish those people joy and love. I definitely can't control the circumstances that have molded others into the people they have become but I can choose how I react to them all. This is the realm of inner balance that this quote is talking about. This is that magical place inside each of us that finds calm within our own personal storms, that has a clear perspective of everything we are facing and allows us to make calculated decisions about how to proceed. This is the place unaffected by the actions, choices and opinions of others unless we decide to become affected by them. If we are balanced here, then we can become balanced everywhere, no matter what life is throwing at us. I hope that everyone can keep this truth in mind the next time they are faced with a stressful situation. It really is our choice how we react to any given circumstance. 
Namaste, walk in balance.

Un-dying Love

Good morning everyone. While searching for just the right quote to share and discuss with all you fine people, I came across this little story. It touched me deeply and I wanted to share it with you today.

An eight-year-old boy had a younger sister who was dying of leukemia, and he was told that without a blood transfusion she would die. His parents explained to him that his blood was probably compatible with hers, and if so, he could be the blood doner. They asked him if they could test his blood. He said sure. So they did and it was a good match. Then they asked if he would give his sister a pint of blood, that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight.

The next day he went to his parents and said he was willing to donate the blood. So they took him to the hospital where he was put on a gurney beside his six-year-old sister. Both of them were hooked up to IVs. A nurse withdrew a pint of blood from the boy, which was then put in the girl's IV. The boy lay on his gurney in silence while the blood dripped into his sister, until the doctor came over to see how he was doing. Then the boy opened his eyes and asked, "How soon until I start to die?"Jack Kornfield

I do not know if this event actually happened or if it is a part of a story meant to teach some lessons on giving without the expectation of receiving. What I do know, is that it has struck a chord with me. I remember when I was  not much older than the boy in the story, having a conversation similar to this with my younger brother who was about 7 at the time. The discussion happened after we watched a  made-for-TV movie about a set of twins. In the movie, one of the twins was really sick and needed a kidney transplant.  I asked him "If I needed your blood, would you give it to me?" He said that he would. I then asked him "What if I needed a kidney?" to which he flat out replied "No". I asked him why he would be willing to give me his blood and not his kidney and he answered that it was because his body would always make more blood but that he couldn't just grow another kidney. He said " I was born with two because I need two. It is not a spare part". To this day I don't really know if he was kidding or not back then, but I do know that if I ever needed it today, my brother would be more than willing to give anything he could to save my life, including giving his own. 

In the story, the little boy, a mere 8 years old, was expecting to do just that. He thought that by donating his blood to his sister, he was sacrificing his own life. He had accepted his own death just as he had accepted that it was his blood that was going to allow her to live. He wasn't afraid. His love for his sister and his desire for her to live outweighed any reservations he had, any thoughts that could have been percolating in his young but determined mind. This story is a reminder to me of the power of love. Usually, when people think of undying love, they automatically associate it with the romantic kind. It was a nice change to read something that was talking about the love between siblings and how that too, can be just as fierce and loyal. I hope this story has inspired you and maybe even been that gentle reminder to tell your siblings how much they mean to you. My brothers and sisters, I love you all. 

Namaste