The Swing

I had a great aunt that I really loved. 

Her name was Carmela. My childhood memories of her are more about the sounds, the smell of her perfume, the feel of her hug, than actual days and even now, years after her death, I still hold fast to the tenderness of her.

One night, I had a dream of a day spend with her on the swings outside my apartment building, perhaps I was three or four years old. 

As always, I felt the anticipation of the first push. I could sense her behind me getting ready and then she shoved me propelling the swing into the air.

I threw my head back and the wind moved through my hair swirling it about. My dress lifted. I kicked my feet.

The laughter erupted from deep inside my belly.

I turned to look at her cherubic face and she smiled. 

And then I woke up wanting very much to see her again.

At that time she was in her eighties and I had not seen her in almost 20 years.

She lived for the most part in Boston and Italy.

The phone rang and I scurried to the kitchen. It was my mother.

How wonderful I thought now I can tell her about my dream.

"Aunt Carmela died last night," she said.

I hesitated, "Do you remember when she used to visit us and take me out to the play on the swings?"

"Yes," she answered, "Why?"

"I saw her in my dreams last night. She came to say goodbye!"

The Storm

Sometimes a storm comes our way. An unexpected downpour that leaves us gasping for air.

We feel like we are drowning, lost at sea. 

Eventually we surface because it is in our very nature to weather storms. 

We have no choice but to meet them head on and hope that by some miracle or leap of faith everything will work out in the end or at the very least that we will survive. 

There is no doubt that storms leave scars.

They define us, mold us, temper us, humble us but do not break us.

Some of us are led in new directions while others suffer great losses. 

In the end we are all on the same road called life.

Safe journey!

One Perfect Day

What makes a perfect day? 

Is it the weather, the people you encounter, or an event?

My perfect day comes when I live in the moment. When I don't linger in the past or fret about the future. It comes when I am totally present in the moment.

I think many people spend too much time dwelling on what happened yesterday, last week, last year, ten years ago. They carry grudges and are burdened with resentment.

Others live for all the tomorrows. 

 We should set a course for ourselves but we should always be open to the probability that not everything happens as we plan because life happens.

I often think of life this way. 

You can be the person who spends all their time taking photographs of your life, so much so that you miss it as it unfolds never enjoying the moment until you revisit the photograph or 

you can have a perfect day and live in the moment. 
Tell me about your perfect day?

Give Me Wings to Fly!

What would be the best gift we could receive from the people we love or better yet what would be the best gift we could give to them.

I would say this,

"Give me wings to fly! Be the wind that lifts me and watch me soar!"

We share ourselves with many people, in many different contexts. We are mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, mentors, girlfriends, daughters....

And in being all these things, we sometimes loose sight of our true selves because we are too busy doing instead of being.

We all have dreams and aspirations but the mechanics of life anchor us.

When a loved when asks you what would you like for your birthday, Christmas or any other special day, offer this response.

Love me but do not ground  me.
Hold me but do not anchor me.
Lift me but do not carry me.
And when the gentle breeze blows release me and I will always remember to fly home.

A life lived without dreams is no life lived at all.

Time is a Delicate Master

http://www.redbubble.com/people/squarepeg/works/3820774-father-time

Time is a delicate master for he rules all things.

Seconds, minutes, hours, years, the changing of the seasons, these are his tools.

He plays favorite to none and does not yield.

So serve him well and he may grant you longevity.
Enjoy each moment for you will never have it again; breathe and notice, touch, smell, taste, laugh often, be joyful and pay attention.
You just grew a little older!

Save the Last Dance for Me

Save The Last Dance for Me

Think of all the people you've met and how they have touched your life or how you have touched theirs.  Even brief encounters, which may have seemed insignificant helped to shape you and them in some way.

Now imagine that today is your last day and God says to you,

"Look at the line of people that stand before you. From this line choose one person with whom you would share your last dance."

Who would that be? Don't be concerned with male or female. 

Pick one.

Can you do it?

Now God says, "Don't pick a family member or dear friend for you have shared many dances together."

Now who would you pick?

Here is my answer.

Years ago, when my daughter turned 16, I chaperoned her birthday weekend in downtown Toronto. On a cold December night, at the stroke of midnight, I found myself sitting on a bench in Nathan Phillip Square watching the girls skate.

As I conversed with my friend, who was brave enough to join me, a young man approached us.

Handsome, warmly dressed and well spoken he said,

"Do you think you can help me out. I'm a little down on my luck right now."

Immediately I thought of my own two sons who would be close to his age.

I reached for a twenty dollar bill and handed it to him.

He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you. I want you to know that this will really help. I promise.One day, I'll finish up at UFT and get my degree and I'll never forget you."

This would be my last dance partner.

Set Your Life on Fire

Herein lies the key to our success, to surround ourselves with people who fan our flames.

This is not to say that we need to glorified or validated every waking hour but it does affirm that we should walk with people who appreciate us for who we are and not what we can give them.

It is not how many friends we have but how much we are loved by the few who we share ourselves with.
 Being encircled by like minded people in both our personal and professional lives keeps us true to our life's purpose.

At the end of the day life is a leap of faith. Let's make sure we stoke the right flames.

Let's Talk about Love

Isn't love an amazing word; all it encompasses, the feelings it transmits, the commitments it implies, the devotion, adoration, longevity or brevity of it.

Four letters, one word and a universal understanding of all it implies.

We fall into it, fall out of it, we search for it, we find it, we cherish it, we squander it.

Undoubtedly we cannot live without it.