Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.
-Thomas S. Monson
Abraham has never been at a loss for words, yet when it comes to Santa, crickets. Not a single word spoken until prodded by Dad, he finally asked Santa for Granny to have flowers for Christmas.
Peace, love, and joy…
“The heart that gives, gathers.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.
Taking care of ourself should be a priority. Our body, mind, and spirit grow strongest with proper use.
So, eat well.
Read more.
Listen.
Give.
We gather a love only as plentiful as the seeds of compassion we share.
I wish you all big love.
-Jac
Change the way you view your surroundings, and you create a space for change.
Peace, love, and hope…
Same World
Dividing lines are forming fast.
The rift remains the same:
A crooked, selfish, hellish blaze
Where hatred fans the flames.
Water, peace, and Mother Earth
Were challenged then and now.
What needs to change
Is scope and range
Till tolerance abounds.
May native lands grow calm again.
May the water run free and pure.
May individual freedom reign,
And humanity endure.
We are one.
Peace, love, and hope…
If only we could
Listen a moment sooner,
Push a little gentler,
Hug a second longer,
Love a smidgen wider, and
Forgive a minute quicker,
What a kinder day would rise.
Peace and hope…
Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel. -Gilbert K. Chesterton
Freeing ourselves from our burdens is not always possible. That does not mean we are doomed to break under the pressures of family, occupation, or self.
Today, my sister and I brought Abraham to the hospital to flush the port in his chest, to be examined by the radiation oncologist for side effects or signs of regression, and to confirm the route we will take to amplify his decreased hearing due to the ototoxicity of chemotherapy.
All of those things are difficult.
Yet, all of those things are who we are.
Here is Abraham in the Chicago Sports Room waiting for the nurse to come with her tray full of needles and syringes. With all the pains and discomforts and inconveniences and exclusions that cancer has thrown at my little boy, needle pokes are the toughest part for him.
Yet, there he stands proud of his hat, and although he was definitely afraid, when the time came, he took his seat and allowed Nurse Jessica to do what she needed to do – because that’s just who he is.
Sometimes, recognizing our responsibilities as part of what makes us whole and unique shifts the weight of what we must carry to what we are made of; thereby adding substance to our sense of self and reducing the pressure from our sense of duty.
Peace, love, and shifting perspectives…
We can be the image we wish to see.
It begins within.
It begins with me.
Peace.
Looking outward at a skewed society changes nothing. Blaming the world for atrocities it can no longer bear changes nothing.
Finding balance in a shifting world is only possible if we continue seeking the resources of our own peaceful center of truth.
It starts within.
It starts with me.
(Kankakee River, November 2016)
Love, and hope…
Tomorrow, as Americans vote in the 2016 elections, it would be easy to do nothing and wallow in the unrest and division of our nation.
Instead, vote with an informed mind, and be a voice for peace and unity.
Hope and love…
It doesn’t matter what you believe just so long as you’re sincere. -Charles M. Schulz
Not everyone celebrates Halloween.
Not everyone eats candy.
And that’s ok.
Us? We have two young sons who enjoyed both yesterday.
In the last two years, Abraham’s health has made conventional Halloween fun a challenge. In 2014, he was recovering on October 31st from brain surgery the day before at the age of six.
He, Tommy, and their cousins celebrated early that year at a trunk-or-treat. Our little Minion didn’t feel well, but he made it through.
Two years ago today, I updated friends and family post-craniotomy:
‘Intense day yesterday, but turned a little corner last night. Ate a tiny bit; talking more. Doctor very pleased with the surgery results.
Line of the day:
Nurse: That was a good idea, Abraham!
Abe: You can call me smarty pants if you want to, even though I got no pants on!’
Always a jokester, even when he is recovering from brain surgery and hooked up to monitors galore.
In 2015, Abram was seven and battling infection and the effects of chemotherapy. He and I celebrated together quietly in the hospital.
This year, we are eating up every aspect of the season together as a family.
Abraham has to be one of the biggest eight-year-old Charles M. Schulz fans around. He has vintage Peanuts books, memorabilia, encyclopedias; you name it. It is also his dream to be a comedian or cartoonist one day.
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown started our family weekend rolling. Like the Peanuts gang, his old soul is straight out of the past where kids were kids and the world was a welcome playground. To be hospitalized on a sweet, spooky and silly holiday two-years in-a-row was unfortunate. So this year on Halloween, Abraham and his brother Tom were able to just be together and have some fun.
Times have changed and so has trick-or-treating. We only went to houses we knew, but we made the rounds, because this pup needed to ring some doorbells!
With each achievement, we celebrate. We celebrate childhood. We celebrate mobility and stamina. We celebrate family and friends. We celebrate happiness.
We celebrate life.
Peace.
Directions Wellness 