And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom~Anaïs Nin

While I’m saddened by the loss of life in Kyrgyzstan, I am so grateful that my son’s girlfriend is safe.

Gratitude

Now watch the video of my son, Michael, picking up Brandie, his girlfriend from the airport~Happy Ending out of Kyrgyzstan

What is it inside of us that makes us instinctively do some of the things we do? If we, for instance, see a small child fall off their bike or drowning in a swimming pool, we automatically, without taking the time to think “Is it worth it?” move to help or save the child in need. I would say that we are born “wired” this way. If we do not naturally react in this way, we have somehow “unlearned” the innate compassion of Oneness, Unity and Connection that is born within every one of us.

There is much talk today about Oneness, Unity, Connection, Coexisting, Being Spiritual, Loving Everyone, etc. For some these are just words that are generally understood, or seen as an almost ethereal “out there” concept that is just “out of our reach.” If we have forgotten our connection to one another there is a way to remember.

And I promise you that there is only ONE thing that changes when you shift the way you think about everyone on the planet and that is EVERYthing. You will be amazed how your life seems to flow, how you seem to move with the flow, and how without even knowing it, you will change the lives of others around you.

When you begin to live from a place of Oneness, Unity, Connection, etc., (leaving behind patterns of living in a “me” world of “it’s only about me and my life” to a “we” world that really understands our connection to each other, and the pebble in the water metaphor) it will be quite natural for you to open the door for someone else, to pick up something that someone has dropped, to stop and help someone change a tire. In fact, it will become quite unnatural for you to simply walk by without the thought of helping, just as unnatural as ignoring a child in need.

Just the other day I was in the grocery store when a young college student knocked over an entire grocery display. The young man’s face was as red as a tomato as he stooped down to begin picking up the dozens and dozens of packages off the floor. Immediately, my son and I began to help him put the display back together. I told the young man about the time I pulled a lemon out of display and hundreds of lemons collapsed and rolled into 45 different directions. He smiled instantly.

We so often feel alone in benign circumstances such as these and even though we know intellectually that we are NOT the only person that has ever experienced such a blunder, at that moment, it feels like we are the ONLY one. The minute I shared my story with this college student, you could tell a difference in the way he felt, the way he looked. There is a quote I love ~ Friendship doubles our joys and divides our sorrows (unknown). In this moment, the college student and I became friends. This is living in Oneness ~

It did not cross my mind to NOT help in this situation. It was automatic. Another appropriate quote comes to mind, one that is in every religious philosophy on the planet ~ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The trick is to REMEMBER this golden rule. And trust me, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Stick a note with this rule on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your computer and even make a bumper sticker ~ get the word out to help remind others.

I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Well, what if cannot help? What if my daughter is waiting for me to pick her up? What if I’m not feeling well? What if the problem is happening half way across the world, like the recent earthquakes?” I love what Wayne Dyer says about this: “Everything is perfect in the universe – even your desire to improve it.” This implies that even your desire to want to help, though you may be unable to physically help for whatever reason, is a positive action and will raise not only your own energy, but the energy of those around you.  And there is always the power of prayer and meditation.

If you are questioning the entire concept of Oneness, Unity, Connection, etc., because you aren’t sure you believe that we are all inextricably connected, then you must visit National Geographic’s The Human Family Tree (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/human-family-tree ). National Geographic’s study called The Genographic Project (https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/lan/en/index.html ). A National Geographic Team took hundreds and hundreds of DNA samples to create their study showing how we really are all connected. “Where do you really come from? And how did you get to where you live today? DNA studies suggest that all humans today descend from a group of African ancestors who—about 60,000 years ago—began a remarkable journey.” You cannot get to the end of this movie without a sense of awe and seeds of remembering and awakening.

Is this about God, Buddha, Allah, The Source of all that is, Christ, a higher power? That is up to you. It matters not what you call it. It only matters that you re-awaken to the idea that we are all of the same infinite life source. An ancient Hindu proverb says: There are many paths to the mountain top. It matters not which path you take, so long as you take one. This implies there is only One destination, and for me and many, many others, that destination is the realization that we are all One.

Show that you have hope and faith that we, as a planet, can and will make it. If you have not signed the petition, please sign Humanity’s Team Oneness Day Petition (http://www.humanitysteam.org/sai/oneness-petition/what-is-it) stating that we are all connected. In May 2010, Humanity’s Team Global Council will present this petition to the United Nations so that an official day of Oneness will be recognized the world over.

We, at Humanity’s Team have set three days aside to increase our number of signatures. If you would like to participate, you can gather friends and family on these days and do a number of different activities to boost our signature count well over the 50,000 desired number. Go to http://www.humanitysteam.org/resources/leadership for resources to help make this happen. The dates for global participation are March 30, April 20, and May 11.

Make Oneness, Unity, Connection, The Human Family, INSTINCT.

Is it worth it?

Yes.

Nannette Kennedy
nannette.kennedy@humanitysteam.org

A curve ball came my way about three weeks ago.  I share this not to hang out the family laundry, but in hopes that this story will help teenagers and parents understand that there are other dangerous risks of text messaging besides driving and texting.

In mid January I had this instant intuitive mom flash of my 15 year old son skipping school.  With this “vision” in my head, I decided to drive over to his high school.  About a block from the school, off campus, I saw my son playing hacky sack with some other kids.  Playing hacky sack is not such a big deal, but my son was supposed to be in class and he is behind in school.

Of course he saw my car, with the words “LOVE” and “BE THE CHANGE” on the windows and he cringed.  His shoulders dropped as he approached my car.  I put the window down.  “What class are you missing?” I asked.  “You know how embarrassing this is?” he asked.  “Go to class and I won’t ‘embarrass’ you.”  He turned and headed for the school.

Jumping ahead to just after dinner that evening~my son sat in his room doing his homework.  I popped my head in to see how the homework was coming along.  It wasn’t.  He sat as his desk, text messaging.  I put my hand out and said, “The phone is mine until the homework is finished.”  He handed me the phone and I turned it off.

At 10:30pm someone rang our doorbell.  My husband and I had just gotten into bed.  We both looked at each other as we NEVER have visitors this late.  My husband went downstairs.  All I could hear was: Yes sir.  No problem sir.  Then I heard my husband come up the stairs and enter my son’s bedroom.  “Wake up.  The police are here and want to speak with you.”

I flew out of bed and followed my son and husband downstairs.  Two policemen stood in my dining room.  They asked my son if he’d sent any text messages to his girlfriend that might cause concern.  My son said no.  The police asked for the cell phone, which I quickly handed over to them.  They found a text message from my son to his girlfriend that said he was going to end his life.

From there, the police did an on the spot check to see if my son needed to be taken to the hospital.  After a half hour or so, the police determined that he was not a threat to himself, and asked that we make an appointment with a therapist.

After the police left, my son and I spoke at some length.  He felt that he was so far behind in school that failure was inevitable.  Immediately I let him know how much I love him and that ending his life wasn’t the answer.  I allowed my son to try and reach his girlfriend as it was clear that she had called the police.  It was late and he received no answer.

The following morning, I offered to my son that he could stay home from school given we’d been up so late the night before.  He declined the offer.  I drove him to school and returned home.  Within twenty minutes my son text messaged me to please come get him from school, that he couldn’t handle it.  There were three back to back messages that sounded panicked.  I called the dean of students and asked that they locate my son and that I was coming to the school.

My son sat in the office of the dean of students.  The dean and he were talking about the anxiety he was feeling.  And the dean recommended that we go to the hospital to get my son checked out.   At first my son agreed and then he changed his mind.  The dean left the office, saying she’d be right back.  My son burst into tears.  I held him, told him I loved him and that everything would be all right.  The dean returned with the school social worker who asked my son several pointed questions and then she left the room.  Within a few minutes the social worker returned saying that either I take my son to the hospital or an ambulance would come to take him to the hospital.  I would take my son to the hospital.

As my son and I were leaving the school, my son received a text message from his girlfriend’s mother.  His girlfriend  slit her wrists, was in the hospital, and she was going to be all right.  Because I’d taken my son’s phone the previous night and turned it off, my son was unable to respond to his girlfriend’s text messages that followed his threat.  So she thought he had ended his life and then attempted to end hers.

There are no words to describe the feeling that both my son and I felt.  As we drove to the hospital, another text message arrived, saying that the girlfriend’s father had canceled a long awaited visit with her just prior to my son’s text message of wanting to end his life.

There are a multitude of lessons here, not the least of which is that nothing is worth taking one’s life.  Another lesson for me is that the next time I confiscate my son’s phone, is that he tells his friends with whom he is texting that his mean old mom has taken his phone for the rest of the evening.  Also our children’s friends need to have our land line phone numbers and our cell phone numbers.  And our children need to have land line numbers and cell numbers of their friends’ parents.

Very importantly, text messaging is NOT the way to communicate serious issues.  This is not the way to break up with someone, to let someone know that someone has died, or any other news that can cause someone distress.  Face to face or eye to eye communication is ideal; ear to ear via the telephone/cell phone live talking communication would come next.  Unless one’s life is in danger and there is NO other way to communicate, save text messaging for the short notes like “See you tomorrow” or “Don’t forget your homework” or “I love you.”

In my home and my son’s girlfriend’s home, we are all counting our blessings and getting our children the help they need.

nannette

What’s with those of who hesitate, drag our feet, nearly refuse to “put away” Christmas?

I’m a member of this group.  And as I drove up to the store last night, I saw several homes remaining in ornamental light mode.  Some with just a tree or two in the yard lit, others “loudly” announcing Christmas with nativity scenes, Santa, reindeer, snowmen.  We don’t want the holiday feeling to go away.

My Christmas tree still holds all of its regalia in its branches.  A couple of days ago a friend let me know that she had just “unplugged” the lights on her tree ~ a start, she said.  Promptly, I walked into my dining room and took down the wreath.  I put away a wintry holiday snow globe yesterday.  Today I will begin to box up the ornaments. This got me to thinking that “dedecorating” might feel better as a process for people like us.

When most of us decorate, we set aside one day and transform our homes with not only nativity scenes, the tree, and endless stands of lights, but also with wreathes, mistletoe, garland, red ribbons, candles and gingerbread houses.  Within a matter of hours our homes change into our own personal magical kingdoms.  The air is different, the energy dances, sweet smells waft from our kitchens and smiles grow broader across our faces.

Of course if we leave up all the décor year round, then we would get used to it and the “magic” would fade.  But what if we systematically took down the decorations a little bit at a time so as to reacclimate into non holiday mode?  Well, I’ll keep you posted, because that is what we are doing this year.  The family has decided to do a little putting away each day instead of seeing the dramatic stark disappearance of the season.

The question remains though: How do we stay living in the season throughout the year?  Hark! I think the herald angels continue to sing.  Don’t store away your kindness, your sense of giving, love and gratitude with the décor in plastic tubs until next year.  I do, and have for the past several years left white lights (year round) outlining the large front window in my house~happy lights~happy reminder.

nannette

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day~heath practitioners everywhere

2. All happiness depends on a [leisurely] breakfast~John Gunther

3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away~anon

4. If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough~Meister Eckhart

6. It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes~St. Thomas Aquinas

7. The more that you read, the more things you will know~Dr. Seuss

8. If you are doing mindfulness meditation, you are doing it with your ability to attend to the moment~Daniel Goleman

9. If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.  Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk~Raymond Inmon

10.Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together~Thomas Dekker

Personal Growth

11. Be grateful for what you have~not envious for what you want~anon

12. If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought~Mildred Lisette Norman

13. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened~Dr.Seuss

14. Twelve laughs a day keep the doc away~Mary-Anne Reed

15. If you have nothing kind to say, don’t say it at all~all moms

16. Dream more while you are awake~anon

17. Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to~Unknown

18. Find something to love in everyone~anon

19. No one is in charge of your happiness except you~anon

20. Realize there is a gift in every moment ~ even the obstacles~anon

21. Whether you say you can or you can’t, you are right ~unknown

22. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you can agree to see things differently~anon

Your human family

23. Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born~Anais Nin

24. Each day do something good for another~anon.

25. Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die~Unknown

26. What other people think of you is none of your business~W.Dyer

Life

27. And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years~Abraham Lincoln

28. Declutter~anon.

29. Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’~Yoda

30. Allow the best days of your past to be the worst days of your future~anon

31. We Are all One ~ me and many, many many others ~

nannette

New Year’s eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

With great gratitude to all my friends and family for being part of my life this year, years before and years to come ~ for each one of you have brought me gifts that without, I would not be who I am.

Let this be the year that marks the beginning of real peace. Begin at home, then to take it to your neighbors and friends ~ if each us does this all the circles will overlap and we will see change in 2010 ~ every day is a holiday; every day is a new start. Get out of bed in the morning and greet the world with hope, love and peace ~ and every night be grateful for all that you have ~ and the hours in between learn to forgive ~ it is a double gift.

Happy New Year ~ love, nannette

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. Meister Eckhart

The journey of the holidays, the season of love, the start of a new year, the path of life is now. No matter what your particular tradition is, the energy is undeniable. If you are wrapping gifts, preparing a meal, building a fire, playing a game with your children, holding your partner’s hand, remember to open your heart and prepare to give and receive. As Yoda says, “Do or do not… there is no try.” Choose to do. These are the things of which memories are made. Make the memories good ones.

Pay attention to each precious moment, love all who come your way, live with purpose. Remember you are sacred and unique~ just as when Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life, wishes he’d never born and Clarence the Angel grants him his wish, everything changes. Each moment is extraordinary. Savor these small increments of your wonderful life. Without you in the mix, nothing remains the same.

Remember, you are always on the journey of the holidays, the season of love, the path of life. It is always now ~Live in the season~

I am grateful for my followers on twitter, my friends on facebook, and all my family & friends.

Love & peace, nannette

I wish I would have had a camera to see my own face for this next part. “Well, you’ll need to fill out this piece of paper requesting no black spots.” Honestly, I looked around to see if I was on Candid Camera. I said, “You’re kidding, right?” As she put an X where I was to write my request, I asked, “What am I supposed to say?” Put out, she said, “That you don’t want black spots on your copies.”

So I wrote “No black spots on the copies” and then the employee said, “Make sure you sign your name.” Which I did. She asked me if I wanted to pay right then…I don’t think so…

I returned today to pick up the copies and the manager of the store waited on me. I asked, “Is it customary to have to ask that the copies not have black spots?” He said, “No.” I said, “I had to make a written request yesterday that I didn’t want black spots.” He said, “That’s just the instructions you are giving to the person who runs the copies.” Okay, I’m losing my last marble and this guy simply doesn’t get it.

Whatever ~ I guess next time I go out to eat, I’ll make a written request that my food be uncontaminated ~ Is it me?