on the bridge of love...

as i reached for her hand

i felt her spirit clutch mine

and i was so humbled

to be here, in this moment

simply holding her hand

on the bridge of love

~ ~ ~

open up

like a flower

and receive love

~ ~ ~

Earlier this week, I invited you all to join me in building a bridge of love around the world by doing a random act of kindness on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 (in celebration of the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday). My heart skipped a beat when I read your responses. you inspire me...I really do have the best blog friends eva! So, you can tell me. Have you been thinking about what you will do? Whose life you might change on that day? Oh, I wonder...

~ ~ ~

thanks so much for joining me, on the bridge of love:

m. heart, Secret Notebooks.Wild Pages

Kim Mailot, Queen of Arts

Kass, The "K" is No Longer Silent

Wanda, What Would Wanda Do?

Cinner, Me, My Four Chins and I

Gail, Know Your "It's"

Diana, Welcome to My World

Joanna Jenkins, The Fifty Factor

Kathryn Grace, Building Ordinary

Kim Living Life, A Box of Chocolates

Sarah, Writing

Together We Save

Tracy, Pink Purl

Chris, An Inch of Time

Darcel, The Mahogany Way

Relyn, Come Sit By My Fire

Gayle, Planet M Files

Lisa, Lisa's Chaos

Marilyn, Delights of the Heart

Anupama, Sincerely Yours

Anali, Anali's First Amendment

iasa, Blissfully Unaware Lounge Singer

Elizabeth, Retinal Perspectives

Christina, Soul Aperture

Tracey, Quietly Kicking and Screamin

ELK, Red or Gray

Elizabeth, Landanna

Teresha, Marlie and Me

Cathie, Melbourne Epicure

flwrjane, Small but Charming

julochka, Moments of Perfect Clarity

Connie, Loose Lemons

Amelia, Notes from the Edge

Fragrant Liar

Patty, Finding Serendipity

Sharon, Happenings on Chaos Ranch

Libby, The Art of Starting Over

Birdie, Simple Ways

Sunnymama, Sunny Day Today Mama

Aeleen, Prairie Girl Studios

Sharlene T., Solar Cooking for Mainstream Cooks

Susanna, Susanna's Sketchbook

would you care to join us?

~ ~ ~

one love.

if there was a bridge...

i drove through windy country roads

the beauty of nature enveloping me

and in that moment, i was happy

so i smiled.

The depth of suffering endured by people all around the world simply breaks my heart. It is of such an unimaginable proportion that at times, I can literally feel their pain. Today is one of those days. I am thinking of those who will continue to suffer daily, and remain neglected, because their story is no longer of interest to the media networks and their ratings. I thought to myself...

if there was a bridge

connecting the world,

what would you do?

May I become at all times

Both now and for ever

A protector for the helpless,

A guide for the lost ones,

A ship for those to cross oceans,

And a bridge to cross rivers,

A sanctuary for those in danger,

A lamp for those in darkness,

A refuge for those who need shelter,

A servant to all in need.

(Dalai Lama)

* * *

July 6, 2010 will be the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday - he will be 3/4 of a century old. So I started to think...what on earth could I do to celebrate such a wonderful day? Aha! - how about making a little contribution to help build a bridge of love around the world?

would you like to join me in doing a random act of kindness on Tuesday, July 6, 2010?

have a conscious friday and a divine weekend. one love.

*Twitter hashtag: #bridgeoflove

on a walking meditation...

Breathing in, I calm my body

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment,

I know this is a wonderful moment!

(Thich Nhat Hanh)

Here I go again. I have gotten lost on my walking meditation. Today, you can find me over at An Inch of Time. It would mean the world to me if you'd stop by and say hi. one love.

in the details...

So, I'm going to quote one of my dearest friends when I say, this photo doesn't really have anything to do with this post. ;)

What's on my mind? you may ask - that has gotten me to the point of not coordinating photos with theme of post. Well, have a seat and reason with me for a moment.

My daughter's school sent home a link to an educational website. We decided to test drive a few of the videos for fun. Of course we started with Harriet Tubman. A fairly historically accurate account followed. (check). Feeling confident, we cruised along to Susan B. Anthony when a seemingly insurmountable obstacle appeared in the midst of our educational path. It sounded something like this, Many African-Americans worked as slaves.

I slammed on the brakes.

Excuse me? Lemme think about this one for a minute..you know, see if I got this right: Soooo...I can be kidnapped and forever separated from my family; my lineal offspring will not recognise, or even know of each other's existence, as they will be indiscriminately spread across the globe. I will be raped with impunity...Oh, and my children will be too. Beaten severely when I simply want to take a break from toiling in the hot scorching sun or to give my weary body much needed rest. I cannot learn to read either because seeking literacy skills is against the law. I cannot run away from my self-appointed "master" because I risk that my family and I will be hanged or otherwise murdered. I will be treated as if I am less than a human being all day long, and sold when I no longer am needed by my oppressors. Damn, that sounds like a fantastic job. Where do I sign up?

I took a few deep breaths. (Ok, I admit it was more than a few.) After all, I had a child watching me and believe me, she can be quite the effective self-monitor. I meditated on this issue for a few days. I sat with it, and examined it deeply, but it still did not change. So I called the school and diplomatically explained the issue and how offensive it was to my family and more importantly, how utterly disrespectful that misinformation was to my ancestors. I notified the administration that I would be contacting the website directly to voice my humble opinion...and I sure did.

Within a day, I received an email from the company assuring me that they will re-write and re-record that line in the video. They thanked me for bringing this issue to their attention.

It is important to relay historically accurate facts in the education of our children. Therefore, when the new textbooks coming out of Texas are published, changing the term "slave trade" to the "atlantic triangular trade", I shall raise my voice once again. I refuse to let others denigrate my ancestors' existence, their very being, and the countless inhumane experiences they were forced to endure, with a play on words. So once again, I shall speak up because it is all in the details.

one love.

summer is here...

i'm counting down the days to summer fun

and even more importantly, no more school!

(c'mon say it with me) NO MORE SCHOOL!

it's time for fishing, swimming pools

double dutch, icecream trucks

hopscotch and riding bikes

giggling and having fun

now you tell me

why isn't life

always

like

this

?

it can be. one love.

i do hope you have a wonderful summer

(and to all the dads, Happy Father's Day!)

conscious friday: for me...

All is well, when Buju is singing my name. I was almost upset about how a certain series turned out tonight (bite your tongue) but then I buck up into Buju and he reminded me about what is really important in this world.

have a conscious friday and a divine weekend

one love.

we are one...

Only when the last tree has died

and the last river been poisoned

and the last fish been caught

will we realize we cannot eat money

(based on Cree saying)

Even as I daydream about the most welcome respite, my heart breaks for those who will enter this summer facing dramatic lifestyle changes due to the catastrophic unnatural disaster along the Gulf Coast. To Mother Earth, and all sentient beings living in the oceans and surrounding ecosystems, prayers sent up.

We are all connected. one love.