Meditation

Mira and Macy took this picture over the weekend. I found it on the computer. I love the quote below....kinda how meditation is for me...helps me get out of the ego and just be with what is. I don't think I have to go in search for the answers.....just being in one place and staying still in the moment ......helps me find the answer.
read below.
Namaste,
Michele


Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing
There is a field I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
The world is too full to talk about.
—Rumi

On being a freak

Hello!! Above is a picture of Marko practicing for the school talent show audition.
He is playing the song "Imagine" by the John Lennon. That is my very favorite song and it must be Marko's too because he asked his guitar teacher to teach him the song.
It is sounding pretty good.
This has kinda been a stressful week, besides getting assaulted at work by a patient, we have had to decide if we are sending Mira to this workshop in New York city. I don't want to say any names here because I don't want to sway other people in their decisions or hurt the guy's business, but something in my gut did not feel right about this workshop. Although, I think the workshop focuses on a lot of positive things such as: no serious boyfriend until age of 25, healthy self image, nutrition, and the opportunity to learn from a bunch of professional actors. However there were other things bothered me.
Number one was that they would take her cell phone and not allow any contact with her family during the 8 days she is in New York. To me that is UNACCEPTABLE. Nobody is going to tell me that I can't have any contact with my daughter while she is out of state!!
The other red flag was that some of the questions the scout asked the girls were crossing boundaries. I don't think need he needed to ask the personal questions which were brought up in the interview process (with no parents in the room....only the peer dancers aloud in the room.) (Nobody else from the studio thinks that is odd.....maybe I am a freak.)
I know everyone wants to hear how special their kids are.......and
He only chose a handful of kids whom he thought had high self esteem to work with.....but he never even watched them dance....just asked them questions.
weird.....maybe I am a freak........but I stand by my gut decision.
hope you like the quotes below.
Namaste,
Michele


I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people.
-John Lennon

On the ego

This is a picture that I took this morning. It is such a beautiful day!! I got to walk Marko to school....well he rode his scooter. I love being outside.
Namaste,
Michele

You need your ego to survive in the three-dimensional world, but you need only that part of the ego which processes information. The rest - pride, arrogance, defensiveness, fear - is worse than useless. The rest of the ego separates you from wisdom, joy, and God. Brian L. Weiss, M.D. Only Love Is Real

On Miracles

Mira took this picture on Saturday.......such a beautiful weekend.

Sometimes I get frustrated when I have to work on the weekend....but when I get there....I always see small miracles....and know why I needed to go. I hope you enjoy the words below.

Namaste,

Michele

Real moments of holiness happen when we experience moments of wholeness with ourselves, our environment, or another person. As you go through your day, look for holy moments and everyday miracles - the hug your child gives you for no reason at all; a flock of birds flying past a cloud; the beautiful array of fruits and vegetables the earth has produced that are awaiting you at the supermarket; the song on the radio that gives you just the message you've been needing to hear; the lone yellow dandelion bursting through the crack in the concrete sidewalk.

Barbara De Angelis

From the article "Connecting Moment by Moment"

Grief work

Mira took this picture yesterday. Dusty loves to go for a ride!!!

Talking to grief

Ah, grief, I should not treat you

like a homeless dog

who comes to the back door

for a crust, for a meatless bone.

I should trust you.

I should coax you

into the house and give you

your own corner,

a worn mat to lie on,

your own water dish.

You think I don't know

you've been living under my porch.

You long for your real place

to be readied before winter comes.

You need your name, your collar and tag.

You need the right to warn off intruders,

to consider my house your own

and me your person and yourself my own dog.

-- Denise Levertov

Liberation

If we want liberation, we must rewrite the Sleeping Beauty myth. No one is coming and no one else is to blame. -Elizabeth Lesser

Letting go

Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness.
-Myss

Life

I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings - it's all a miracle.
-Arthur Rubinstein

Fearlessness

Going beyond fear begins when we examine our fear: our anxiety, nervousness, concern and restlessness. If we look into our fear, if we look beneath the veneer, the first thing we find is sadness, beneath the nervousness. Nervousness is cranking up, vibrating all the time. When we slow down, when we relax with our fear, we find sadness, which is calm and gentle. Sadness hits you in your heart, and your body produces a tear. Before you cry, there is a feeling in your chest and then, after that, you produce tears in your eyes. You are about to produce rain or a waterfall in your eyes. You are about to produce rain or a waterfall in your eyes and your feel sad and lonely and perhaps romantic at the same time. That is the first tip of fearlessness, and the first sign of real warriorship. You might think that, when you experience fearlessness, you will hear the opening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or see a great explosion in the sky, but it doesn’t happen that way. Discovering fearlessness comes from working with the softness of the human heart.

-The Pocket Chögyam Trungpa

By Chögyam Trungpa, Carolyn Rose Gimian

Life

when we got there, the hotel lounge was full of dead heads....this dude was really good on the piano....He was playing Terrapin Station when I took this picture.



Paul, Mark and I





Bozos on the bus





Neon/blinking hula-hoops on Shakedown Street after the show






Orange van!!!





above are pictures from the Grateful Dead Show yesterday....the hotel lobby/lounge was filled with deadheads.... also, before and after in the lot (Shakedown Street) so much fun.......and good vibes. Have a great day!!!
I love Bobby Weir....the dead sounded great!!!
I hope you enjoy the words below!!!

Namaste,
Michele


Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.

How do you know this is the experience you need?

Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.

-Eckhart Tolle

Sometimes we live no particular way but our own

Hey Now!!
Here is the set list from the show last night.
What a beautiful thing!!


Set 1

Promised Land

They Love Each Other

Mama Tried

Loser

Smokestack Lightning>

Stella Blue>

It’s All Over Now

Big River

Set 2

Playing In The Band>

Me And Bobby Mcgee>

Loose Lucy

Ramble On Rose>

Rhythm Devils>

Space>

Maggie's Farm

Eyes Of The World>

Playing In The Band

Encore:

Truckin'

Love

This is a picture of my lunch box. Do you like it?? We are Truckin' up to Buffalo to see the Grateful Dead today. I am sooooooooo excited. Bobby Weir is waiting for me there.
I loved the quote below.....have a grateful day!!!!!
Namaste,
Michele

Work is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

- Kahlil Gibran

Trusting the universe

Macy took this picture....a mama duck sitting on her nest....12 eggs in that nest!!! This is at my parent's house.....I can't wait to see the babies!!
hope you like the quote below!!!
Peace,
Michele


Things do fall apart. It is in their nature to do so. When we try to protect ourselves from the inevitability of change, we are not listening to the soul. We are listening to our fear of life and death, our lack of faith, our smaller ego's will to prevail. To listen to your soul is to stop fighting with life--to stop fighting when things fall apart; when they don't go our away, when we get sick, when we are betrayed or mistreated or misunderstood. To listen to the soul is to slow down, to feel deeply, to see ourselves clearly, to surrender to discomfort and uncertainty and to wait." -Elizabeth Lesser

On being Happy

I have always been drawn to this tree. It is a grandmother tree.....at my friend Laveena's house.
I snapped a picture of it the other night when we were there for dinner.
hope you enjoy the words below!!!
Namaste,
Michele

We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without. --Henry David Thoreau

Holy Land

I took this picture at Niagara Falls.......a wonderous place.
but holy land is not just here............




The holy land is everywhere.
-Black Elk

Godsmacked!!!

Logan Robertson's amazing photography again!!!...I think he is an indigo!!!


watch the clip below...it explains the amazing Susan Boyles reason for wanting to audition.
It was a promise she made to her "Mum" two years ago before she died.
Very beautiful story. and below the link, is a letter that I found on the Oprah web page about her performance...which explains how I feel everytime I watch the clip of her audition....and explains it way better than I ever could.
Namaste,
Michele

http://entertainment.stv.tv/home/88339-britains-got-talent-star-susan-boyles-promise-to-mum/

Apr 16, 2009 7:00 AM

How bad did I feel? I am English, 47, male. I live in London, and on Saturday I watched Britain's Got Talent. I wasn't interested in the program, but because my wife wanted to watch it I thought I'd suffer it. I sat there watching what I thought was going to be untalented people having a few moments of fame and some talented people; it passed the time whilst I was reading a book. Then this Scottish lady with badly applied make-up, bushy eyebrows, hair that looked like she cut it herself and washed it using soap, wearing her best frock, with a slightly off-the-wall personality, entered the stage. I thought she would either be complete rubbish, like so many before her, or brilliant. But what I experienced was simply phenomenal. Trying to watch the TV through the tears streaming down my face was not easy. The tears were not for laughter, but rather pure emotion. This stunning and emotionally charged voice delivered a song that blew me away. Susan Boyle built herself up to fail, but in hindsight it was me, and no doubt millions of other viewers who built her up to fail. We all too often judge others far too quickly. As a child my parents taught me not to judge others, but business and life tells us we should judge people. It is said we make a judgment about a person within 30 seconds, and I fell into that trap with Susan Boyle. I was so wrong! Very few singers cause me to have tears in my eyes, even fewer singers and songs can drive me to shedding a tear. But, Susan Boyle, probably through an element of guilt on my part, made me sob. Both the song, the woman and the voice are wonderful. I truly hope that Susan Boyle finds love and happiness.
Thank you, Susan.
Gary Bland

diversions

This photo was taken by Logan Robertson (posted here with his permission) who is a junior in highschool and a very awesome photographer.

He is an amazing artist, guitar player and photographer as you can see.

We are going to the beach with their family this summer. I look forward to seeing more of his photography.

wow...I love this quote below!!! I think sometimes that I find a lot of diversions and keep myself from more creative endeavors like Logan participates in. I need to create more...ooops I said that out loud....gotta act on it now!!!

Namaste,

Michele

"I do not know what I may appear to the world;

but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore,

and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble

or a prettier shell than ordinary,

whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

Isaac Newton

More on Growth

The above pictures are from the Pink Ribbon Showcase a few weeks ago at Baldwin Wallace College that the girls performed in. Macy's group of dancers dedicated a dance (In Better Hands Now) in memory of my friend Sue Rudo. Hard to believe that a year ago, she was at this showcase watching a dance in honor of her instead of in memory of her.
I miss my friend Sue.
Hope you enjoy the words below.
Namaste,
Michele




“Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.” - Carl Gustav Jung

On Growth

This is a picture of a very old friend/neighbor and I. Darrin and I have known each other since preschool days. He lived across the street from me growing up and we used to walk to school together in the first grade. Later on in life, he would drive me home from Ohio State during holiday breaks. Anyway, he stopped by to say "hello" last week when he and his boys were visiting his parents. It was good to see him.

hope you like the words below!!!

Namaste,

Michele

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.

`Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, `I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'

-from Alice's adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Thank You!!

This is a picture of our sweet little next door neighbor, Brooke



"if the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice."

Meister Eckhart

More on Love

I took this picture at Omega Institute last year. I hope you enjoy the words below.....I think they are beautiful!!!
Namaste,
Michele




I am inspired by the story of Rose Nelson, told in Arnold and Barry
Fox's book Making Miracles (Emmaus, PA: The Good Spirits Press, 1989). One can usually find a cheery smile on the face of the wheelchair-bound woman. Which is remarkable, given what happened. You see, Rose was brutally beaten by two drunk teenage boys who left her unable to walk. She was forced to sell her home after medical bills devoured her modest savings.
If anyone had reason to be resentful, it was Rose Nelson. But she would smile and say that she never even thought of being bitter as long as her brain was working and she could think of love.
"How can you be so loving after what happened to you?" she was asked.
"Oh, my," she considered. "I could have dried up after the boys beat me. I was afraid I would. That's why I decided to be full of love and to give my love to everyone. The more I love everyone else, the better I feel. And the better I feel, the more I love the world. Love cured my fear."
Rose worked at love and happiness. It had to become a high priority if she was not to be consumed by her horrific experience. Anyone who wants peace or happiness or joy can learn from Rose. We must do more than just try and forget the past. We must love and love and love some more. Rose learned to fill her mind with as much love as it would hold, and then gave it away at every opportunity.
-By Robert Clements

Love

An aged grandmother, who never attended school, once gave her grand daughter a slip of paper with all the advice she would ever need to lead a good life. What she wrote is valuable for all of us: Wash what is dirty. Water what is dry. Heal what is wounded. Warm what is cold. Guide what goes off the road. And, love people who are the least lovable, because they need it the most.”
~Unknown

Love

"I don't want to have written on my tombstone, when finally people struggle through the weeds, pull back the moss, and read the inscription there: 'He made his car payments."
-David Whyte

Lost and Found

This is a book that my dear friend, Kate, wrote.......(which I get to play a supporting role in!!)
please read below and come to the book signing or buy a book online!!!
Namaste,
Michele



Please join Kate St. Vincent Vogl for her first book signing on Friday, April 24th at 7:30 pm at the Borders in Medina, Ohio.

Kate will be will be doing a chat / signing / Q & A session / reading from her book, 'lost and found' ..a memoir of mothers.

Her birthmother, Val, will be there, too.
Kate has received recognition in international competition for her writing.
Come see what Lorian Hemingway considers "a beautiful find."

You can read more about the memoir and purchase the book on the site below.
http://www.katevogl.com/katevogl.com/Memoir.html

Lifebook 2009

My dad took this picture today. Feels like winter break instead of spring break!!
Hope you like the words below....My friend Roberta sent me this.
Have a great day!!!
Namaste,
Michele


LIFEBOOK 2009



Health:

1. Drink plenty of water
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy
5. Make time for prayer/meditation
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2008
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day ---- and while you walk, smile

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do ; keep your limits
14. Don't take yourself so seriously ; no one else does
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:

25. Call your family often
26. Each day give something good to others
27. Forgive everyone for everything
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day
30. What other people think of you is none of your business
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right things
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
34. GOD heals everything
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
37. The best is yet to come
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Play ball!!!

This is a picture of my dad and Dusty. I just found out that I get to go to Opening day for the Indians on Friday!!! My dad is taking me!!! Go Tribe!!!
hope you like the words below!!
love,
Michele




Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.


--Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola (1994)

Life

got to see some old friends yesterday. It was great to see them.
Sherri Lennon, me, John Lennon, and Leslie Conder........longtime friends!!
hope you like the words below!!
Namaste,
Michele

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. --Henry Van Dyke

Smile!!!!

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
Oscar Wilde

Happy Birthday Marko

Today is Marko's birthday.
Happy Birthday Marko.....we love you very much!!!
Hope you like the lyrics below....one of my favorite songs!!!
Namaste,
Michele

Kooks Lyrics Artist(Band):David Bowie Kooks Lyrics Will you stay in our Lovers' Story If you stay you won't be sorry 'Cause we believe in you Soon you'll grow so take a chance With a couple of Kooks Hung up on romancing Will you stay in our Lovers' Story If you stay you won't be sorry 'Cause we believe in you Soon you'll grow so take a chance With a couple of Kooks Hung up on romancing We bought a lot of things to keep you warm and dry And a funny old crib on which the paint won't dry I bought you a pair of shoes A trumpet you can blow And a book of rules On what to say to people when they pick on you 'Cause if you stay with us you're gonna be pretty Kookie too Will you stay in my Lovers' Story If you stay you won't be sorry 'Cause we believe in you Soon you'll grow so take a chance With a couple of Kooks Hung up on romancing And if you ever have to go to school Remember how they messed up this old fool Don't pick fights with the bullies or the cads 'Cause I'm not much cop at punching Other people's Dads And if the homework brings you down Then we'll throw it on the fire And take the car downtown Will you stay in our Lovers' Story If you stay you won't be sorry 'Cause we believe in you Soon you'll grow so take a chance With a couple of Kooks Hung up on romancing Will you stay in our Lovers' Story If you stay you won't be sorry 'Cause we believe in you Soon you'll grow so take a chance With a couple of Kooks Hung up on romancing Will you stay

Love it all!!!

Macy took this picture at wilderness school a few weeks ago.

Or you could be the one who takes the long way home
Roll down your window, turn off your phone
See our life as a gift from the great unknown
And your task is to receive it
Tell your kid a story, hold your lover tight
Make a joyful noise, swim naked at night
Read a poem a day, call in well sometimes and
Laugh when they believe it

—Mary Chapin Carpenter, "The Long Way Home,"
excerpted in Art as a Way of Life

Light!

sometimes....I am convinced that the stuff behind stage is where the fun is at!!!!
Yes...that is my daughter in the neon green.
Read the note below!!!
Namaste,
Michele



"Light! More light!" howled Goethe before he died.
Dear Loved Ones,
You have been called to be who you are -- the whole luminous light. No one can dim your light when you are fully present to the depth and breadth of it. No one can say no to a light so bright. No one can deny who you are unless you are, in some way, minimizing the power and the force of your divine substance. Don't go to sleep now for you have been awakened. Don't shut your eyes or you will put out the light. Stay awake to the power and force that guides and protects your divine essence. Look for the light. Look for it in everything. Look for it in yourself, in your children, in your job, and in your dreams. Look for it in the food you eat and in the people you surround yourself with. Look for it in the music you listen to and in the words that you read. Look for it in your communication and in your heart. Find the light of God in your past, in your struggles, and in your missed opportunities. Find it right now wherever you are and whomever you're with. For until you can find the light, there will be darkness -- the very darkness that you have given the power to put out your light.
Sending you love and light,
Debbie Ford

Letting go.....

Above is a picture of our Easter egg adventures. Yesterday was early release day...and lots of fun. Mira and I went to this yoga/world peace meditation after the Easter egg dying last night...and I felt so centered. .....way more than meditating alone.......I guess it is the whole "where two or more are gathered thing.".....anyway.....I love the quote below..and I hope you do too. so true...so true....and something I tell Mira a lot. have a great day. Namaste, Michele

Learn to watch your drama unfold while at the same time knowing you are more than your drama.
- Ram Dass

Optimism

My dad took Marko and his friend, Matthew to meet Dick Goddard at the Medina home and garden show. Marko is has a mad obsession with becoming a weather man and watches the weather channel whenever he watches television. Everyone in our family asks Marko for the daily weather report so they know how to dress for the day.
have a great day!!! Enjoy the quote below!!!
love,
Michele


"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you
believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take
responsibility for making it so. If you assume there is no hope, you
guarantee there will be no hope."
- Noam Chomsky