My husband received this via email:
AT 120 DEGREES IN AUSTRALIA , IT WAS SO HOT FOR A WEEK THAT KOALAS WERE ASKING PEOPLE FOR WATER. IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
One went to a house to try to hide from
the heat and get a bit of shade and here’s
what happened when the owner gave him
something to drink. It’s really cute.
“Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened.”
Brambleclaw-If You Are Going Through Hell
http://www.youtube.com/user/DarciSwifteyes
If an old friend is “gold”, then a “silver” friend, Heidi Carr, sent me this video. I’m hoping I’m not the only “old” girl scout out there that remembers the gold and silver reference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rooyt3ptNco
http://www.youtube.com/user/saks61
When I was watching this, I stopped it to go outside and look at my cats and feed the deer.
My cat, Sunrise, loves watching the deer. He will run and sit close to them, when he hears them out behind our house. Here’s a picture of him watching the deer:
Sunrise has been acting distant and skittish since the death of his best friend, January 31.
It’s happening–we’ve started a book relating to grief issues. “We” refers to Jim Leonard, Christine Taylor and Debra Davis Hinkle.
Here’s the working “TABLE OF CONTENTS” for part one of THE BROKEN CHAIN:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE – “… we do the same.”
Unknown Author ……………….…The Broken Chain …1
Debra Davis Hinkle ………………………Grief is Loss …. 2 – 4
James Leonard ……………………… Sofie’s New Job … 5 – 12
Christine Taylor ……………….…………… Drawing …13
Debra Davis Hinkle ……Calculus Explains Grief, Too …14 – 16
Christine Taylor …………………… ……… Drawing …17
Debra Davis Hinkle .…… ..……………. Helping Hand …18 – 19
Christine Taylor ………… ………………… Drawing …20
James Leonard ……………………….… The Journey …21 – 22
Christine Taylor ………………….………… Drawing …23
Debra Davis Hinkle …………….…..……… The Box … 24 – 25
Debra Davis Hinkle …………….……………. Photos …25 – 26
James Leonard ………..……..… Step Into the Mirror …27 – 28
Christine Taylor …………….……………… Drawing …29
Debra Davis Hinkle …………..……. You Come Too …30
Christine Taylor ……………….…………… Drawing …31
Jim Leonard ………………….…… The Perfect Place …32 – 39
Christine Taylor …………………………… Drawing …40
To finally see this come to fruition makes me excited and very happy. I will be in Heaven (not literally) when this is published.
I lost my mother almost seven years ago and there were three things that helped me make it through the grief process: first, my husband; second, my sister; and third, the San Luis Obispo Hospice. I want to pay Hospice back for their great work and this is my way of saying “thank-you.” I also hope the book is helpful to other people going through the grief process.
James Taylor said, “Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way you feel. Things are going to work out right if you only will.”
I think that we should shower all the people who make a difference in our lives with grace. If someone comes into my life, if only for a moment and lets me in on the freeway or throws that extra nickel my way at the cashier how do I show my gratitude? Smile, wave, do the same thing for another. If someone at work helps me navigate through cyberspace or gives me words of encouragement when I feel like a failure how do I honor that? Do the same for the newbie. If a friend gives me a hug when I’m hurting or helps me start my finicky lawn mower where do I begin to say thank you? I hug back or grab the other end of that heavy couch they are lifting.
All these people truly rock. I wonder if any of them realize the difference they were making in that moment. To all of you out there who have done these and other beautiful things for others listen to James Taylor’s song and know that someone is showering you with the love of gratitude in this moment.
Maybe it’s your best friend, a family member, a stranger remembering your kindness, or this sentimental teacher who feels so blessed to have experienced moments like these in her life.
A funny thing happened to me today. I was out to dinner with my husband and a friend came by our table and asked if she could have an “old bra” of mine. I guess I looked at her strangely because she began to talk about her third radiation treatment and needing a bigger bra. I don’t know where I was when she was talking, but I didn’t understand anything after “old bra.”
Earlier this year my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. She was an old pro at this, but I just “wasn’t there” when she talked about her treatments. Later, I thought about why I “spaced out”—it was my own fear of breast CANCER and the loss of my mother six years ago to pancreatic CANCER. If my mother had seen a doctor for regular exams, would her CANCER have been caught in time to save her life—maybe, maybe not—I’ll never know.
I do know one thing and that is that all of us have been touched by CANCER. Breast CANCER is different than pancreatic CANCER and they can find the smallest speck of CANCER. I just had my annual breast exam and I have my mammogram scheduled. I’ve only missed one breast exam since in the last thirty-eight years and I’ve never missed an annual mammogram since I turned forty. Please do everything you can to detect breast cancer early for yourself and for everyone who loves you.
Back to my friend’s story: after she left the pizza restaurant, I spent some time thinking about my reaction to her request. At first, I thought it was an odd request and then I felt privileged that she would ask me. After careful consideration, I think a lacy “BLACK BRA” would be perfect. There’s no rule that says you can’t be sexy when you’re having radiation treatments.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BREAST CANCER GO TO:
I
miss you, mom!
In order to succeed in this world, there’s one thing a writer needs more than anything else. It’s not talent. It’s not skill. And, no, it’s not an agent.
It’s a thing called CONFIDENCE.
It takes confidence to bare your inner soul in print. It takes confidence to let others see what you’ve written. You certainly need it to make the decision to publish, and definitely when you act on that decision. You need confidence to withstand rejection notices, and to handle success when it comes.
Which leads us to an obvious question: Where does one get confidence?
Easy answer: It’s been inside you all along. The embers of confidence are there. You just need to fan them into a flame. One awesome way to do this is through music—but not just any music.
You need a soundtrack.
You need a song that you can plug into your headphones when you sit down to work for the day, one that plays in your mind when you walk. Boom, boom, boom, step to the beat, walk with an attitude. Make people wonder whatcha got, want to know what you’re so interested in. “Who, me? I gotta dream, and I’m gonna rock the world!” That kind of music.
You can follow the example of Bre Pettis. He’s enthusiastic about history, a subject which just might put the average viewer to sleep. But not the way Bre delivers it. He’s excited about what he does, and his music video lets us share that energy. And I say “energy”…literally.
“Ready, steady, GO!”
And what about Angelina Jolie as legendary archaeologist Lara Croft? That lady walks with an attitude—confident in her ability to lay the smack down.
“Time to save the universe again, is it?” “Absolutely.”
Confidence isn’t reserved for geniuses and fictional heroes. It’s a free gift, accessible at any time. All you have to do is follow the example of Bre Pettis and Lara Croft.
Live up to the amazing potential that’s inside of you. Be smart. Be cool.
And walk like you got a soundtrack.
~ mousewords
I’ve been so busy writing and working lately that I hadn’t taken time out to watch the Olympics. But the other night, I figured I had to make an exception for Michael Phelps’ last race.
He had already made a stunning performance at this year’s games, tying Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in one Olympics. Now he was going for eight. When I came in to watch it, I was expecting to see one great athlete on his quest to make history.
What I didn’t expect was that he would not do it alone.
Phelps’ final race was a relay…and he wasn’t even the last one to swim. His contribution mattered immensely, of course; but his record-setting gold medal depended upon the collective victory of his team. I tried to imagine how he felt, as he watched Cullen Jones, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Jason Lezak compete; and I thought I could understand what might be going through the minds of the others. Especially the one who swam last.
If I had been in Jason Lezak’s place—coming from behind in the final leg of the race—I would have wanted to do everything in my power to succeed.
Which is exactly what he did.
With the help of his team, Michael Phelps got his eighth gold medal. Together, the team set a world record.
Welcome to our blog
Coincidentally, I’m the fourth member of the writing team that is behind this brand-new version of the Kritique Kritics blog. I’m coming from behind—I don’t have anything in print yet, and am way behind my team members in knowledge of writing and publishing. I have so much admiration for Jim, Debra, and Laurie. They are amazing writers, and valued friends.
Each one of us is in a quest for our own “gold medal.” For me, that means the publication of my novel this year. I’m coming from behind—carbon monoxide poisoning set my career back by several years. So when this novel hits print, it will be a personal victory beyond words for me.
Yet, I know one thing for sure:
I won’t do it alone.
Photo: “Golden Rope, a Gleam in the Night” by cobalt123
Ten days ago a foal was born at La Lomita Ranch, in San Luis Obispo and last Monday I visit her in her pasture. I sat down and let her come to me. I didn’t try to control the moment—I let it happen. I just sat in the dirt and let her smell, taste, explore, nibble and nudge me. I stopped thinking about how soon it would be over, or what I should be doing, or how it would be better if this were being video taped, etc. And, I just lived it!
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