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