Long Time No Post!

You know, I kind of forgot I had this blog.  I used to write in it while I worked the early morning weather shows at Channel 6.  I would write between weather updates.  And then, I became the production manager at the station and got off of that duty.  Hence, I got out of the habit of posting to this blog.

So, I'm here to say that it shall begin again!

I currently work at the University, which came about this past June.  I loved what I did at the station but the hours were long and varied and I wanted something a little more 8-5 with no weekends.  What I'd previously had was 8 to 6:30 m-f, some weekends and basically 24/7 on call for engineering problems.  Not very conducive to family, friends and life outside of work.  Now that's all changed!  I do miss my channel 6 crew very much, and the challenge of solving technical problems, but I don't miss the hours.

I got married in September!  Stephanie is an amazing woman who I'm blessed to be walking through life with!

I'll be writing about our life together with our awesome kids in the future.  For now, its back to work for me.

Spring is in the air

Don't you just love the smell of the earth as it warms?

The loamy scent, stimulated by Spring rains, heated by the sun,
release delicate molecules that tickle the senses.

Flowers such as pansies, crocuses, daffodils and such release
their bouquets through breezes to float gossamer like in the air.

Detritus of last fall's leaves, decay and release odors, reminiscent
of years gone by, walking the shortcut through heavy woods.

And as rains fall yet again, hitting warm pavement, cleansing
streets of winter's sand, rushing rushing down culverts to the Kaw.

Spring's scents burn eternal year after year. Oh I love it so.

Happy Valentines day

Today is cool and blustery, and it feels like my love of life feels. Full of clarity, focus and sense of purpose.

What is love? When I went out to get the paper this morning, I saw a woman walking two happy, eager dogs. They sniffed and rushed, their eyes glittering with excitement as their pack progressed through the mysterious world. They brought ideas and instincts to their life together that were utterly different from hers, but their feelings for her, and hers for them, were the same. I have a friend who has a dog. They have been together for many years, and even though they are entirely different creatures, she (the dog) displays feelings, jealousies and joys that are familiar between any two lovers.

A friend of mine often says that all we take with us when we go is our love, that everything else slips away and is forgotten. I think that love is the same among all creatures, that it is the hidden essence of reality itself, and that everything that does not contain it is a sort of illusion. Love is reality.

Something like that inspires great love, because you know that you must find her needs just as she will certainly find yours. Otherwise, her love would be alone, and love like that must not be alone, it deserves the best you can bring and, believe me, you want to bring it.

This is such a mysterious journey we are taking. What is love? What is loss? Certainly, it is part of love, part of the lavish richness of being that God has granted us.

I like to let my gratitude float free, to let it belong to all of life and all the world. And when I do that, I realize something. I am still falling in love. I will always be what I was at the first moment I laid eyes on my first pet, my first love,my only son, a person just beginning, his heart full of the wonder of the mystery.

Now I bring to mind those who gave me their love and accepted mine and have gone on, and those around me who are just beginning, the children in my life. I invoke my gratitude for those who put up with me and give their time and thought to the mysteries we are all struggling with together.

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends.

Happiness is a Journey

I was running up the trail feverishly determined. I had to get to the top of the mountain. I was slapped time and again in the face by branches trying to waylay me, slow me down but I pressed on. It was there at the top, I knew it was. The pine scented trail did not distract me, the cold rushing stream was forded effortlessly, it was at the top and I needed it and I wouldn't be distracted. I got to the top, breathless, panicked, in total fear of having lost what I was looking for. All that was there was an old man laughing at me and telling me to go back and walk this time. (A recent dream)

Getting that first car, first big job, first girlfriend, first child, first, first, first. It all has been fun but I get more and more that the fun is in what it takes to get there and not the getting. When my focus lies outside of the journey and is targeted on the acquisition of something, then the journey is diminished or more accurately put, obscured. The journey is still full of lessons, joy, pain, and teachings but with the eye on the prize its importance becomes secondary.

I really believe that all around us, every single day, the journey is teaching us and we are adding to the teaching of others. That teaching is happiness, it is love and sometimes pain. I can think back on all the moments of my life I was centered in the journey and that is when I was happiest, that is when I knew I was on the path to growth. When you are centered in the moment of the journey, squeezing out all the wonder it imparts, then life becomes crystal clear.

Life isn't full of obstacles blocking the way to the real thing. The obstacles are your life and part of your journey and something that should be embraced and considered. Like the branches in my dream they are often telling you to slow down and look around you, take in all that this life is teaching you.

The journeys in life that have moved me the most, touched me, made me grow, have always been with people. A deep conversation, a warmly held hand, an obstacle surmounted with a friends help, even a simple smile from a stranger, have all changed me deeply as a person. Thanks for being a part of each others journey. May our paths cross often.

25 things about me

I recently filled out the 25 Things about me meme on Facebook. Here's what I came up with.

1. An older friend of mine got me my first fake ID. It was an ID for an Art College in Boston. I looked like I was 14 on the ID but a liquor store a couple towns over didn't care. I was 16, I thought I was a stud.

2. I got carded on a first date. Problem was I was 25 and we were going in to an R rated movie. The movie was 9 1/2 weeks. I didn't get a second date. I definitely wasn't a stud.

3. The best thing that has ever happened to me is being blessed to be in life with my incredible son Eli

4. I went to Michael Jordan’s house in Chicago and was part of a crew interviewing him for a recruiting video. He was awesome and let us stay awhile afterward and talk/tour his house.

5. I absolutely love to cook but sometimes a can of cold spaghettios will do.

6. I once almost drowned in the ocean as a kid and was saved by a woman I didn’t really know.

7. I lost my nerve to play trumpet when I failed a tryout for Jazz Band in High School. The song still reverberates in my head sometimes. It was Stevie Wonder’s My Cheri Amore.

8. I rode the perfect wave on a boogie board, in the fog off of Nauset beach on Cape Cod. The distance I rode was close to 100 yards. What was inspiring about it was the visibility was about 50ft in the fog and I glided through the fog on this awesome wave and suddenly the shore appears with my vacationing family and friends unaware of what just happened.

9. I secretly love when technology goes awry because I love the challenge of making things right again.

10. I have a few select friends who I allow to call me Neilsy.

11. The first concert I went to was Linda Ronstadt. I had a vanload of friends whom I almost killed on the way home.

12. Bob Hope once gave me a wink and a finger point.

13. I used to make money during college as a magician. I was giving this one show to a group of 8 year old kids and my grand finale illusion messed up and I said shit. I chose to never do a paid gig again, I felt so bad. However, I’ll show you a few tricks if you give me a beer or two.

14. I love to camp and sleep under the stars by a fire in cold weather.

15. One of my favorite shows that I produced was about a missile silo that had been converted into a home. It cost $20 million to build in the early 60s but was purchased in the late 80s for $45,000. It was only in operation for 2 years. That's the government for ya!

16. I accepted an award on C-span once and had the temerity to use proliferation in my speech.

17. I think I love working on my Son’s Pinewood Derby car more than he does. I’m still a kid at heart.

18. If I had to choose a career all over again I’d be a Meteorologist.

19. I am outwardly in love with my IPhone

20. I have traveled out of body many times. I do not fear death because of this.

21. I believe life is just a game we play to confront the things we are unwilling to look at.

22. I’ve never been more at peace in this lifetime than when I’m sailing in a stiff breeze.

23. I’m a really good listener. People tell me they like me for this.

24. I am a fan of all things Google but secretly fear they have inched ahead of Microsoft, vying for the position of Global Digital Overlord.

25. I used to produce the University of Kansas Football / Basketball shows. I went to virtually every game from 1982 to 1990. I’d rather watch it at home now in HD.

An old soul in a new body

Sometimes life just happens and we're not ready for the downpour
Sometimes pain rises up from the depths of the soul, discharging lives of agony.
When the glass shatters and hits the floor best watch for the shards cause they're many.

Cause this soul is an old soul, this soul is an old soul in a new body. But this body feels old
sometimes cause it's carrying many loads.

Taking on the pain, taking on the challenge, cause I didn't listen to you soul, I didn't listen yet again. To learn the same thing over and over, to fail over and over, to need the slap over and over till I get what you want to tell me.

Cause this soul is an old soul, this soul is an old soul in a new body. But this body feels old
sometimes cause it's carrying many loads.


There is no fear, there is no darkness, life happens and love just is. Embrace the fear, open hearts to the setting sun, the moonlit sky, the eyes that shine, the smile that beckons.

I love, I'm loved. I heard you this time soul. :)

The spiritual Divorce

giggle giggle, the following is genius I just happened upon it.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Divorce
It is important to know that the breakdown of your relationship is for a greater purpose. Understanding some of the basic spiritual laws of the Universe will help you to discover that there is a reason you're going through this pain. These laws will guide you through the process of healing and bring you back to a place deep inside that is filled with wisdom, knowledge, and compassion for the human experience.

1) The Law of Acceptance: The first and possibly the most important spiritual law is that everything is as it should be. Nothing occurs by accident, and there are no coincidences. We are always evolving, whether we are aware of it or not. And our lives are divinely designed for each one of us to get exactly what we need to support our own unique evolutionary process.

2) The Law of Surrender: When we stop resisting and surrender to the situation exactly as it is, things begin to change. Resistance is the number one culprit in denying us our right to heal. We resist out of fear that if we let go, if we surrender, our lives will go out of control or we will be faced with circumstances that we can't handle. When we are willing to look at our situation and admit that we don't know how to fix it, we are ready to get the help we need.

3) The Law of Divine Guidance: God will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. When you get out of your own way and let go of your defenses, you become humble. Humility is the doorway through which the Divine can walk into your life. Without humility, we believe we can do it ourselves. Without humility, our false sense of pride, or ego, prohibits us from seeing the entire situation with clear eyes. Our egos remain in charge until we step outside our righteous belief that we are independent and separate beings. As long as this myth is intact, we keep the door closed to our higher wisdom.

4) The Law of Responsibility: With divine guidance, we can look at exactly how we participated in and co-created our divorce drama. We can begin to take responsibility for our entire situation and make peace with our past. We can see how we have chosen the perfect partner to teach us the perfect lessons. Once we have asked God to come into our lives and guide us, we begin to heal.

5) The Law of Choice: Having taken responsibility, we can choose new interpretations that empower us. We become responsible for and the designer of our own new reality. We can separate from our partner and cut the karmic cords by taking back the aspects of ourselves that we've projected onto our mate. We can distinguish what our self-defeating behaviors have been and learn how to act instead of react in difficult situations.

6) The Law of Forgiveness: After we have cut the karmic cord, we will be able to ask God to forgive us. Asking for forgiveness allows us to let go of our judgments and beliefs about what is right and what is wrong and find compassion for our entire self. Compassion unfolds when we are in the presence of the perfection of the Universe, when we can experience ourselves in another. It comes with the great understanding of the difficulties and ambiguity of being a human being. Compassion is God's grace for those who ask. Once we have received compassion for ourselves, we will be able to find compassion and forgiveness for our mate.

7) The Law of Creation: Experiencing the freedom of forgiveness opens up the gates to new realities. Forgiveness breaks all the cords that keep us tied to the past. It allows us to experience an innocent heart filled with love and excitement for life. This is the time to create a new future, one grounded in your divine truth.

Free will enables us to choose the direction in which we will take our lives. To choose a spiritual divorce is to choose to use your divorce to heal yourself. You can choose to work hard and heal yourself on the deepest level, or you can choose to be a victim of life and other people's problems. In other words, you can choose to use your divorce, or you can let your divorce use you. Until you seek to find and embrace the gift of any situation or problem, it continues to use you. It holds you prisoner, and you carry it around as an open wound wherever you go.

LOVE IT!!!

Reprinted from “Spiritual Divorce: Divorce as a Catalyst for an Extraordinary Life” (Harper San Francisco, 2001)

Divine intervention

A big lesson learned today.

"Divine detachment is when the lower self steps away from the drama it has created and allows the higher self to observe and comment upon it, clearly and without emotion; honestly and without hesitation; completely and without reservation"

"You will know when this process is working for you because there will be no negativity, no judgment, no anger, no shame, no guilt, no fear, no recrimination or sense of being made wrong-just a simple statement of what is SO. And that statement may be very illuminating"

Wow,

Those quotes came from Neale Donald Walsh in Conversations with God. Today the portal to my higher self is once again thrown wide. Inspiration comes from everything when you are open to receiving it. Today at the incredible church I attend the message in meditation, in music and in the "sermon" spoke deeply to me. My interpretation of it was to embrace the unknown and trust in God.

I know this deeply, but the wounds I created on my heart cut deeply and had me wallow in self pity and anger. She is easily to blame for stepping outside our bond of trust but so am I for creating the conditions to foment the actions. Neither of us is right. There really, in the big picture, is no right and wrong in such a situation. It's all an opportunity for the growth of the soul. I've been operating from the Id, my base human response.

Today because of sparks of divine inspiration in human form I could see and feel and touch my humanity, accept it and reembrace my divine self. Thank you all that is, thanks to all you angels on earth. Love ya all :)

Neil

Life

It's easy to feel you are alone. You are not. You are part of bigger things.

So lost and cutoff alone, you are not. The only thing that makes the eventual emptiness of life bearable is each other. Reach out and touch someone. Take small moves and big things happen.

Todays news

What is it about my industry, television, that has to pander and gravitate to the lowest common denominator in our society? We have crap on tv, crap on the radio, crap in the paper. What has me worked up is the fear, the pain, the envy, the jealousy that the media seeks to instill in the viewer

Why can't we bring about change through reporting the truth. Why can't we have shows that lift up all that it is to be human. Why can't we do more to lend a hand to one another. I was in a place of disgust until I read a couple random bloggers whose writing made a difference and lifted me up. Go out and lift someone up today. I'll join you. . . . .

Gel Wristbands make a difference

Greetings.

I've been wearing that rubber wristband. You know . . you've seen various shades of the rainbow on peoples wrists. Some yellow, some blue, some pink and the one I wear is purple. They're meant to support or keep you mindful of different things.

The pink wristband is made by the Breast Cancer Society.

They provide information, care and advice to anyone in the US who is affected by breast cancer. They help more than one million people every year.

The pink band has the words 'support, knowledge, strength' written on it, which reflects what the charity is about.

The yellow Livestrong wristband was set up by American cyclist Lance Armstrong to increase awareness of cancer.

The cyclist was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain when he was 25.

After chemotherapy he went on to win the 1999 Tour de France and has won it six years in a row.

Profits from the sales of the yellow bands go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation that helps young people with cancer and their families cope with the illness.

The white band comes in a variety of different rubber and fabric designs and is about bringing an end to world poverty.

The band's message says 'Make Poverty History' and the idea is that by wearing a white band, either round your wrist, arm or as a shoelace, you're supporting the campaign.

The bands can be bought from various charities, but they also suggest people make their own, as it is more about encouraging rich governments to drop the debt poor countries owe them, rather than raising money.

There are many others but the one that I've been wearing is purple.

The basic idea is to go 21 days without complaining. It takes 21 days to create new neuro-pathways in our brain and through holding back gossip, sarcasm, and criticism it is possible to shift our outlook onto only the positive. When you catch yourself doing any of the above you are to shift your wristband to the other wrist and start over on your walk to 21 days.

The longest I've gone is 3 days. I'm definitely becoming a lot more mindful and less reactionary.This movement began with a front page article that ran in the Kansas City Star and was then published in newspapers all over the nation. Participants in the "Complaint-Free" movement wear purple bracelets that say spirit. Rev. Will Bowen, the leading proponent of the "Complaint-Free" Movement has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007. Over 2 million purple bracelets have been distributed to people so inspired by this idea.

If you're interested in finding more go to the link below.

Unity church

Enjoy the journey

I've never seen a better Dad

If you're able to watch videos on your computer you NEED to see the one below. It brought me to tears at the immense love a parent can have for a child. I pray I'm half the Father this man below is for his son.

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

And the video is below...

Rain memories

Rain travels time
bringing memories of bus stops
staring in bored fascination as trails slide down panes

bundled papers in the rain
clapboardtree street taken one step at a time
the poignant smell of wet paper pulls me through the portal

walking the streets to the steady drum on my slicker
each step an affirmation of worth, dedication and money
the paper thrown, slides along gravel resting til coffee scents envelope

waiting patiently as the surface swirls and recedes, the cane woven seat
pressing in to my flesh as I cast again,
rain often chases the bites but sometimes encourages,
my Dad teaches patience and I cast again

laying on my back the must of canvas around me, Greenfield, wet pine
trails taken by bike, both wet and dry, it matters not
two weeks one Summer, of bliss, abandon, no worries just life

the rain reminds, releases the scents which release the memories

I love the rain

Choosing Inner Peace

I was maniacally driving down the road when it struck me. . . There is no meaning of life, there is no place to get to, you are just where you are and where you are is perfect.

These thoughts hit me in the beginning of a crazy day.

It had started with my lovely wife choosing to let me sleep in, but on a day when I could ill afford the extra winks. She had gone on to work and I was rising up from deep dreams to the oh so familiar, "Mom, Dad, is it morning-time?" I glanced at the clock and it was 7:40. Sh#*, I was running late, I had to get my son dressed, fed, to school and me to work, in time to be at a video shoot by 9am. This is not good.

I frantically jumped out of bed running to my son Eli's room, tripping over his container of hot wheels and like a whirling dervish flew around his room grabbing underwear, pants, t-shirts, socks, and his oh so important Converse Hi-tops. My patience was at an all-time low and the looming deadline was driving me, making me short-tempered.

"Dad, these socks feel funny, I'm hungry, I want the Spiderman shirt."

Coming rapid fire his protests and assertions thwarted my every effort to make him go faster.

Isn't it funny our cute little bundles of love, our angels who could do no wrong, know exactly when we need them to pick up the pace, and at these times they occur to us as purposefully thwarting our every move?

I try to be a good person, to elevate my emotions and take the higher path yet I judge, evaluate, denigrate, instigate, and spend a lot of time not being who I say I am. I say I am a spiritual, considerate human being, but I catch myself cussing at people who seemingly cut me off. I lose my temper just because my son dare have an opinion on what t-shirt he wants to wear. I have no patience.

However, today I caught myself and shifted the mood to one of understanding. I allowed myself to let go, be late, lose my agenda and just go with the flow. When someone cut me off and I had to hit the brakes I just waved them onward understanding, knowing that that is what was supposed to be. Why allow it to alter my body chemistry, filling me with adrenaline as I yell or cuss inwardly.

As we drove toward school my son in the backseat, staring intently out the window at passing interests, looked so smart, so old, no longer the little baby I rocked and dipped only 4 years ago. He caught me looking at him in the rearview mirror and flashed me a warm smile. I smiled back and then said, "Buddy, I'm sorry I was so grumpy and impatient with you this morning." He looked straight at me and replied, "That's ok Dad, I wasn't being very good either." "Let's make a deal," I said, "If either of us is grumpy in the morning again, let's remind each other that there is no hurry and there's really nowhere to get to." He kind of looked at me with the kind of look only a 5 year old can produce. A little puzzled but all-knowing at the same time. "OK Dad, let's do that." Another round of warm smiles and on with our trip to school.

Today is the moment, the moment to appreciate, the moment to act. So give up the agenda, smile and realize that our place on earth is one to show love, patience and understanding but most of all love.

Finding Peace of Mind

THE PARABLE OF THE ROPE

We are like a person holding on to a piece of rope.

He holds on for dear life, knowing that if he were to let go he would fall to his death. His parents, his teachers, and many others have told him this is so; and when he looks around he can see everyone else doing the same.

Nothing would induce him to let go.

Along comes a wise person. She knows that holding on is unnecessary, that the security it offers is illusory, and only holds you where you are. So she looks for a way to dispel his illusions and help him to be free.

She talks of real security, of deeper joy, of true happiness, of peace of mind. She tells him that he can taste this if he will just release one fi
nger from the rope.

"One finger," thinks the man; "that"s not too much to risk for a taste of bliss." So he agrees to take this first initiation.

And he does taste greater joy, happiness, and peace of mind.

But not enough to bring lasting fulfillment.

"Even greater joy, happiness and peace can be yours," she tells him, "if you will just release a second finger."

"This," he tells himself, "is going to be more difficult. Can I do it? Will it be safe? Do I have the courage?" He hesitates, then, flexing his finger, feels how it would be to let go a little more . . . and takes the risk.

He is relieved to find he does not fall; instead he discovers greater happiness and inner peace.

But could more be possible?

"Trust me," she says. "Have I failed you so far? I know your fears, I know what your mind is telling you -- that this is crazy, that it goes against everything you have ever learnt -- but please, trust me. Look at me, am I not free? I promise you will be safe, and you will know even greater happiness and contentment."

"Do I really want happiness and inner peace so much," he wonders, "that I am prepared to risk all that I hold dear? In principle, yes; but can I be sure that I will be safe, that I will not fall?" With a little coaxing he begins to look at his fears, to consider their basis, and to explore what it is he really wants. Slowly he feels his fingers soften and relax. He knows he can do it. And he knows he must do it. It is only a matter of time until he releases his grip.

And as he does an even greater sense of peace flows through him.

He is now hanging by one finger. Reason tells him he should have fallen a finger or two ago, but he hasn"t. "Is there something wrong with holding on itself?" he asks himself. "Have I been wrong all the time?"

"This one is up to you," she says. "I can help you no further. Just remember that all your fears are groundless."

Trusting his quiet inner voice, he gradually releases the last finger.

And nothing happens.

He stays exactly where he is.

Then he realizes why. He has been standing on the ground all along.

And as he looks at the ground, knowing he need never hold on again, he finds true peace of mind.

Breathe and Live

Look at the sky and see your future
Look at the ground and see the everpresent now
Look to the water and see the peace that shall envelope you

What is your focus today, right now, this very breath?
Take that breath and let it out, let your body drive you forward
to now.

And now what have you decided to do. Take that breath, feel it course
your veins, fill your brain with life giving energy, a vehicle for your
very soul.

Your soul.
Your soul residing in that gift of life. A chance to narrow the
incredible, broad swath of vision. An opportunity to ride the wave of life
through the narrows. The narrows, the rapids, the challenge of working on
what you don't want to work on.

The funny thing is it isn't really work, it's just letting go.

Let go, breathe, think, create and act.

What do You live for?

I sat outside my sons school waiting to pick him up. It gave me time to wonder on just what I live for. What do I do in life that will add to the legacy of humankind?

It's simple . . .

It's a smile at anyone who looks up.

It's a pat on the back to a friend or coworker.

My twice weekly 3am walks to my son's bedroom to assure him all is right with the world.

It's a sincere thanks to the kind folks at the drive-through who handle my order.

It's a quarter in the toy machine as we exit the grocery store.

It's a backrub for my love even when I want to sleep.

I will never be president, I most likely won't personally instigate peace in the middle east. However I can create a ripple that will rise like a tsunami and touch people all over the world. I will and I do, each day make a difference in the lives of the people I touch. You do the same. Let's make waves together.

My son's 1st day at Kindergarten

The day comes and off he goes. Though he's been in preschool for 2 1/2 years he's a mix of excitement and apprehension. Clinging alternately to Dad's leg, then Mom's, he lets go and joins a new classmate to build with legos. Moments earlier wiping his eyes to hide the tears, he gives nary a glance and jumps in to life. I love my Son!

Mainstream is questioning 9/11

Lou Dobbs Wakes Up to 9/11 Lies


See how the mainstream is beginning to question the story of 911. This is very surprising to me.
The fact that this kind of information is rising to the surface makes me wonder what lies below the murky waters.

Cost of War in Iraq - Thanks George and Company!

Death,
Hatred,
Worldwide Animosity,
Trauma,
Anger,
Sadness,
Pain,
Injury,
Least of All, A lot of Money