Man I LOVE the holidays! Especially when it involves time off work, snowed in days, warm fireplaces, holiday parties with friends, wrapping presents and baking cookies! The thing I remember most about the Christmas holiday when I was growing up was baking cookies...and LOTS of them. My grandmother used to make at least 20 different kinds of cookies and then give them all away to seriously, everyone in the neighborhood. Not only that, but all her Italian lady friends would do the same thing! Josephina and Lydia are the two I remember. And "L'il Francis", the lady who lived across the street from us, well she would do the same thing! Up until she died two years ago, she would send me the largest box of amazing, homemade Italian cookies for Christmas. I so cherished every last bite.

Times are different now. For some of us families are very spread out geographically. I know for me, coming from now divorced parents, my kids aren't offered the same amazing "tribal" upbringing as I was. With relatives around all the time, grandma babysitting and holiday cheer with tons of family members....It's not a bad thing, it's just different.

And what does this offer them and us as a family? An opportunity to make our own memories based on the lovely ones I had. So every year we break out the mini-lighted houses and adorn the fireplace with fake snow and a little city, we put lights up inside and outside the house and we bake cookies! Up until this year, I was basically doing the entire thing by myself. I would put the kids in their high chairs, or bouncy seats on the counter when they were really little and they would just watch me. Then recently they would "help" by tossing flour and sugar all over the place and eating the sprinkles for the sugar cookies. This year was different. We made 8 different kinds of cookies and the girls actually helped! We had so much fun!

It made me think of how quickly time flies. Don't wait to make memories. Think back to what was super fun for you at this time of the year and do it! Do it alone or with someone you love! But do it!

I would love to hear your story .... what did you love to do during the holidays? And how do you celebrate now?

Peace all!

100th Birthday Speech

On a recent yoga retreat, I assigned Omwork to the ladies and just this past weekend we got together and shared it with each other. The assignment was to write their 100th birthday speech. What would we say at our 100th birthday? Sounds like an easy enough question right? But the task was all about visualization; visualizing who you would be on your 100th birthday. I was very impressed with one of the participant's speech. She compared life to a swing. It was so incredible I thought I would share it with you - with her permission of course. Thank YOU Julie for being an inspiration to me.

As we arrive, we come into the world and the light shines, a blanket is wrapped around us and somehow we manage to begin our journey from our little world from where we started.
Think about this for a minute, and realize that it is a bit like being wrapped in the arms of a loved one who holds you fast, as they sit on a swing. The next swing you might know would be the kind that holds only you with some type of support around you that wraps around you and supports you.

For a time in the unfamiliar world – you are held, rocked, and cared for before you begin to stretch out on your own, and you are provided with experiences for your life and your time to explore begins.
When the chair swing supports you and allows you to feel the air and one can begin to feel the wind on your face, smell the freshness, see the sky and you might wonder what else is there beyond the swing?

As we grow and stir allowing us the freedom to move about – support comes from your family and people you meet along your journey, as they nurture your growing needs. In time, this support brings each of us to a time when we can step forth on our own. We can meet people along the way who enter our world and some even become our friends.
We can now graduate to a flatter swing that can hold us, and we are moving into a space that does not surround us – we are allowed to move and yet hang on. By this time, we still have the gentle pushing of the people who love and care for us, but still allow us the freedoms we have to have in order to keep moving forward.

Our growth is happening – we are walking and running. We are growing and changing as our body and our minds develop and get stronger. We have been allowed to develop in our own way and to make choices about our own directions.
Are you still in your swing? Yes. I would imagine that you are trying different things in that swing and making choices about the things that you would like to do. How high to go, when to slow down, what to do if you stop – hanging on tightly, holding on with one hand, reaching for your friends who swing next to you, jumping out of the swing while it is moving – like decisions we make - all about life’s choices as we grow.

THEN finally - we are mostly on our own – looking forward to what might be ahead, searching for answers to our many questions - basically we are
Swinging free – feeling – looking out and beyond and sometimes when you pump while on the swing you may look behind…

During our development, each of us had many highs and lows but between those extremes of happiness and despair or heartbreaks, we have found that as we slow down, there is a life that does not need to be all or nothing and we continue to search for that balance between the swings.
That time, when you are slowing down, is when you can pay attention to the wind in your hair, the warmth of the sun on your face, enjoy the raindrops dropping from the sky – a moment in time, a balance to feel and to be suspended. A time to just be. The swing has allowed you motion, support, and given you the sense of freedom and suspension all at the same time. Your world is around you. You have grown and the peace and awareness is now your support as you begin to think about leaving the swing behind when we reach the point where there is no more movement.

We have searched and continued on our journey. Some of you have realized your goals – maybe looked for new ones and always continued to scan the horizon of opportunity. There is always movement.
As we grow older, we can still sit on the swing, but by now because of the passing of time, the movement is not so great – there might still be some highs and lows – always there is the continuing motion, constant change but it is so in life. Life continues in the time between the swings – always moving, searching, growing – constant change.

So, as I celebrate with family and friends and you have listened to my reflection about life and our individual swings, I hope to continue to sit in my swing or just be where ever I am and find the peace that I have found over the years during the time between the swings. At the same time, I hope to maintain the feeling of the support of the swing and of those around me who give me a gentle push to continue forward – and know that the time between the ups and downs is life and we are always where we are meant to be. Enjoy the ride. When the swing does slow down and that motion ceases I can let go and it will be OK.

And, when we are gone, someone else will know the feeling of being on a special swing and another journey will begin anew as each new life begins.

No truer words have been spoken Julie. To everyone ..... live life on a swing and let the wind blow in your hair!

It always humbles me when people in the community come together for a greater cause. This past Sunday we had our First Annual Yoga Day at the Vancouver Yoga Center. All proceeds went to Evergreen4kids and what a fabulous time we had.

I had a friend from Estacada, Oregon come out and teach a class. Another friend from Ridgefield teach another class. All for what - to remind ourselves that we are One. That when we work together we really can make change!

The best time, by far, was the kids yoga class. WOW - what a hoot kids are! They just move, breathe and roar like lions without inhibition! In fact, one little 3 year old decided she was hot and took her pants off during class and finished yoga in her undies! It was a crack up!

I want to thank all the staff from Dentus for coming out to support our cause. You ALL are such an amazing bunch. If I am ever looking for a job, I will come knocking on your door!

And to Melonie at the Vancouver Yoga Center. Thank you for your graciousness by allowing us to use your space. It was perfect and so incredibly delightful.

To Brenda - what an inspiration you are to me. You passion and love for those kids just inspires me to alwasy be my best. And your presence with everyone you meet is something to emulate. Thank you for allowing me into your world.

You can see all of our photos on Facebook - I had to take photos of those kids! They are just incredible, natural yogis!

If you didn't get a chance to attend and you want to help Brenda and I with her school and her "kids" in the Dominican you can choose from one of the following:

Bring items such as large, chubby crayons, construction paper, educational color books in Spanish and copy paper to the Vancouver Yoga Center. Dana will get it to Brenda immediately! Or you could send a check, made out to Evergreen4kids, to 7102 NE 157th Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98682.

Thanks everyon for all that you are and all that you are becoming. Thank you for being a part of my world.

Peace,

Motherhood = Yoga

Motherhood certainly brings out the yogi in me! How conscious can one person be! I awoke this morning to two little angels sleeping in my bed. They must have fallen from the sky because I know I told my children that they were old enough to stay in their own bed.

Nevertheless I laid there for quite some time thinking, "They really should be in their own beds." And "I should get up and put them in their beds." And then wondering, why are they in here anyway? What's going on in their little minds and hearts that all of a sudden, they want to sleep with me. And I'm not talking about them laying in their own spots on my bed. No, they were both basically on top of me. And when I moved, even an inch, one of them would throw their arms around me and continue to snore; deep in sleep.

And then I realized that my only intention at that moment was to seize that moment. I heard the "shoulds" loud and clear and realized the only thing I was meant to do was love this moment. One day they won't come waddling in my room at 3:00am - instead they will be coming home at 3:00am. And they won't want to come and cuddle with me that's for sure.

The sound of their little "snoring" and methodical breath lulled me back to sleep.

I guess the point of the story is to again, and as always, be present. Notice when you hear the word should pop into your mind. That's not the voice of your heart - your heart never says should. It just says do.

Peace,