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What Kind of Flower are You ?

April 18, 2008

A Message Today ~ From Nature


Today as I walked out to watch Kevin get on the bus,
I glanced down at my flowerbed.   With our location in
Northern Ohio Spring arrives later than most places.

My hyacinths just popped through the soil not all that long ago.
They have yet to open in full bloom, but this is a picture of one
of them that I snapped this morning.....

As the hyacinth popped up and grew, it uplifted that which
was around it.    It almost looks like it's holding the leaves.

It was just a beautiful lesson that I wanted to share.


Img_30211_2


Hyacinth's
Check out this link to see some in full bloom.   
I think I'll post another picture after this little one
opens up and blooms. 


April 05, 2008

"Bless Everyone You Meet"

Plant_3

Yesterday I was listening to an audio book by Gary Zukov,

Soul Stories.

Gary was talking about a presentation he had heard.
The person giving the talk was a Hawaiian Kahuna.

The Kahuna was saying that you should 'bless everyone you meet'.
'You can not bless and judge a person at the same time'.

The Kahuna went on to say.....  IF you think you can't find
at least one thing nice to think about a person..... send them
a blessing saying  ........


"Thank you for this person, they are feeding
the plants when they exhale"


"Bless Everyone You Meet"


 Photo taken May 23, 2007 - Tinker's Creek Park Bedford Ohio

April 03, 2008

Thursdays Tag

Deb over at Gitten it Out of My Head... has

TAGGED ME....   

I'm breaking the rules and not tagging
anyone else...   hee hee.... but here's
my response......


Four Films I'd Watch Again:

  • The Wizard of Oz - (my all time fav movie)
  • The Polar Express
  • Indigo
  • A Christmas Carol -(with George C. Scott)

Four Places I've Lived:

  • Cleveland, OH
  • Bedford, OH
  • Maple Heights, OH
  • Reminderville, OH

Four TV Shows I Watch:

  • The Weather Channel
  • HGTV
  • NASCAR Racing - ('Boogity, Boogity, Boogity' Darrell Waltrip )
  • That's Life - Local AM TV

Four Things To Eat:

  • Seafood
  • Seafood
  • Did I mention seafood  ;)
  • DanDee Cheese Twists

Four Places I'd Rather Be:

  • By the ocean
  • A cabin in the woods
  • Visiting an art museum
  • Any park

Hey play along in the comments...........

March 26, 2008

Remembering Our Fallen U.S. Military Heroes

March 21, 2008

Please Help Support Former Army Captain Sargent Binkley

Sargent is the son of Jane Ellen and Ed Binkley.   I know Jane Ellen
from a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder web site of which we are both
members.   

Being the Mom of a United States Air Force Staff Sergent, I know very
well that this could be my son Vincent in this picture.   

I've pulled some info about Sargent from his web site.   Please read this
or go to this web site and read more.
Sarge Binkley needs OUR HELP !!!!!

There are addresses listed at the site help out in a letter writing
effort and also phone numbers to call.   

If this were my Vinny, I would be pleading for your support....
and you know what, once you are a military Mom, they ALL FEEL like
my kids....    SO I AM PLEADING !!!!!!!!

If you can't find the time, or don't wish to write a letter, prayers are most
welcome, not only for this young man, but for all who live with the horror
of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

THANK YOU SARGE for your service and I pledge to support you !!!!

 

Sgt 

 

 

Sgtmom

Sargent & his Mom Jane Ellen

 

.

Under California's strict mandatory minimum sentencing laws, US Army Captain Sargent Binkley is facing at least 12 years in state prison. If you know Sargent and/or are opposed to mandatory minimum sentencing, please read the following. You can help.

Update 3/18 Sargent's Santa Clara court date has been postponed until mid-July, with the San Mateo court date likely to change as well. This delay gives us more time to push the county DAs to take a settlement. Your letters and phone calls are helping - keep them coming!

Sargent Binkley committed two robberies in 2006. These crimes were desperate attempts to obtain the painkillers he became addicted to after sustaining injuries while serving abroad. These injuries were repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated by the military medical system, resulting in Sargent’s downward spiral of addiction. He harmed no-one, took no money, and turned himself in. Under California’s minimum sentencing law, no judge can commute his sentence to one more in proportion to his crime. Sargent has been in jail for over a year and a half and faces final sentencing soon in Santa Clara County.

We support the elimination of California's excessive mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which give the power usually reserved to judges over to District Attorneys. But changing the law takes time that Sargent Binkley doesn't have. Public pressure is the only thing that may cause the respective District Attorneys to reconsider; please help us in this fight by writing a letter or making a phone call as soon as you can. Two minutes of your time can help persuade District Attorneys Deborah Medved and Steve Wagstaffe to apply a more equitable and appropriate sentence, and obtain justice for Sargent Binkley.

About Sargent

Sargent Binkley was born and raised in Los Altos, California. He attended Los Altos High School, where he excelled in school while playing on the football and rugby teams and becoming an Eagle Scout. Binkley’s goal as a teenager was to work hard enough to enroll at the US Military Academy in West Point, NY. He succeeded, and matriculated there in 1993. After graduation in 1997 he entered the US Army, completing the airborne jump course and the notoriously difficult Ranger training.

Sargent was sent to Bosnia after his graduation, where he served as a peacekeeper by guarding the mass graves of genocide victims. From there he was sent to Central America, where he participated in drug interdiction operations. At one point he was ordered to open fire on a truck that contained a civilian teenage boy, an act that haunts him to this day. While on duty in Honduras, he fractured his pelvis and dislocated a hip. This injury was consistently misdiagnosed by Army physicians over the next several years, resulting in chronic pain and an addiction to prescription painkillers.

Sargent was honorably discharged out of the Army in 2002 and returned to civilian life. He worked for a time until his chronic pain and addiction destroyed his ability to be productive. He moved back home with his parents, who paid for a diagnosis by a private sports physician. The private doctor used a high-resolution MRI and found tears in the cartilage of his left hip, injuries that the military medical system had been unable to find. Surgery finally fixed the problem. After this his prescriptions from the VA were discontinued but his addiction remained, compounded by a psychiatric diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sargent held up two Walgreens pharmacies in 2006 – one in Mountain View on the twentieth of January, the second in San Carlos on the third of March. He used an unloaded gun, harmed no one, and left only with bags full of painkillers. Shortly after the second robbery he turned himself in. After a year and a half in custody, he is working his way through a drug rehabilitation program as he awaits trial.

administrator – September 8, 2007  –  7:58pm

March 18, 2008

Medical Appt - Update

HI Family and Friends,
After a very thorough appointment with the cardiologist, he
does not think there is anything seriously wrong.
 
He did schedule a stress test and echocardiogram on April 29.
(That will be done there in his office)
(echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart.
The picture is much more detailed than x-ray image and involves no radiation exposure.)
 
He went over my medical history, listened to my heart ALL over my
front and back.   Had me sit to listen, had me lay down to listen.   Listened to
the pulse in my neck, and feet and in the tummy area.   
He is running the tests just to be certain.   
As he was leaving he said......... 'Well, I'll see you when you schedule those
appointments, and I'm glad there was nothing seriously wrong'. 
SO............  GREAT NEWS...
Thanks everyone for your prayers and keep saying just
a few until I have the final word.   :))))))))
Love
Deb

Split Second Change of Emotion

Kevin is our youngest child.   He will be 12 this summer.
He arrived as an old soul.    Not even minutes old in his
Daddy's arms, he was quiet as a mouse and literally
studying the features on his Dad's face. 
I commented to Michael right away about how intently
he was looking at Michael's features, in a slow deliberate
motion.

I usually say that NOTHING this child does surprises me.
But......... I was surprised last week.     Did I just say surprised,
a better word would be SHOCKED.   

It was Thursday of last week and I had walked in Kevin's
room to put some clothes away.   As I turned to walk out
of the room, I noticed he had written on his wall.....

I SUCKED AIR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Michael just painted Kevin's room
about 6 months ago. 

In a SPLIT SECOND.....   I went from SHOCK....  to Awwwwwwww

Hero1

I went downstairs, grabbed my camera and paper towels
and cleaning solution.   Castrol Super Clean - dissolves
grease on contact AND a little elbow grease and the
message was gone from his wall.....
But not from my heart.   

It's every parent's dream to be a 'hero' to your child. 
 
Kevin and I had a conversation about the 'artwork'.
I told him although the message was quite special to me,
it was NOT appropriate to express himself  in
such a way on the wall of his bedroom, but I would prefer
he used paper, which he has all over the place because he
is quite artistic.    

What a balance it all is being a parent. !!!    

March 12, 2008

Try A Little Kindness

M


Last week I had to place a call to a medical insurance
claim office.   This was the medical carrier that we had for
last years health insurance and was calling about a claim
for Kevin's knee injury of last year. 

Ohhhhhhh how I really dreaded this call. !!!
More often than not, the customer service person is not
all that pleasant just hurrying you along for the next call.

When you dial in, naturally it's an automated computer
until you put in enough information and then hopefully
you get to a human being.

So I had entered some info, and was looking around in a
daze when I thought I heard another automated voice.
The voice sounded so sweet and nice I thought I still had
the machine.....

Then I heard a .....'Hello, are you there,  how can I help you' ?

From the VERY moment that Vanessa came on the line,
she was amazing.   After taking care of what I needed to,
I thanked her profusely for her great style and manner on the phone.
We chatted for a second and here she was located in the major city
not all that far from me.   Sometimes, a person can be quite far
away.   

After hanging up, I decided almost immediately to phone back
and ask for her supervisor to relay what a pleasant experience my
call in had been.   I got a gal on the line and explained that I wanted
to talk to a supervisor of the call center.    She hesitated for a second,
and I said.........'Ohhhhhh this is a GOOD call'.     And then I said to her
you know what, how about you give me the mailing information instead
and I will write the supervisor a letter.    I just felt a letter would be more
appropriate to express my thanks on the superior customer service.

I composed a letter right away, and  went to print it out on white paper.
For Christmas, my daughter Kerri had given me some beautiful  and colorful
stationary.    I grabbed that and thought...... What the heck, it's not so
professional looking, but it SURE IS FUN. !!!
I mailed the letter out that afternoon.

The very next day I had a call from Vanessa.   She was floored that I
took the time to write a letter on her behalf.    She said that morning,
her supervisor approached her desk and said.....
"I have something to share with you"..........

Vanessa said at first she thought to herself......
"Ohhhhhh no, what could this be".   

The supervisor handed her the original letter, and then said, 
"That is yours to keep, I've made a copy of it for your files."

Vanessa said to me....  "Mrs Estep, you have no idea how you
have MADE MY DAY....... no, make that my whole week, or make
that for a long time to come.    Anytime I am feeling down, I am going
to pull out this beautiful letter and remember your kindness."

Awwwwwwww I was in tears. !!!!     The picture above is a piece of that
FUN paper that I scanned in and made smaller.    I just added the word
smile in there so it would not look blank.   LOL
Just picture that paper full size 81/2 x 11 and turned the other way,
and you get the idea. 

It's amazing how easy it is to uplift another human being.   All it takes
is just a little time, and effort.   But honestly, the goodness came right back
to me when Vanessa took the time to personally call me and thank me
for writing the letter that I did.

March 07, 2008

Medical -

To my dear friends........

A part of me just hates sharing medical news about myself,
BUT....... IF ANY one of you had medical stuff going on, I would
want to know. !!!!      So...... with that in mind, I am sharing.

If you could say a few prayers.   ;)

XO XO
Deb   


Yesterday I had attempted to donate blood at a local Red Cross drive. 
I've been a donor since I was 17 and have never been turned away before.   
BUT........ the nurse detected an irregular heartbeat.   
She did it twice and called another person over to
confirm it.    They said my pulse was 66 and I had 16 irregular
beats in a minute.   You can donate if the number is 10 in a minutes time.
They did the finger prick to test for iron and my iron is good. 

It could be caffeine or even the meds I take for an
under active thyroid.   I am hopeful that it's these EASY type things.   
Trying to take this in stride without getting too stressed about it.


I had an appointment with my family doc today............
I am home and wearing a heart monitor for the next 24 hours.   
The family doctor did about 5 EKG's.    Sometimes it would show irregular
and sometimes not.    Her first instinct was to call an ambulance and have
me transported to the hospital.    She then consulted with an internist who said.....
IF you send her to the hospital I would just sit there all weekend.   Since I was
not experiencing any chest pains, it was the internist recommendation to run
the monitor.

 
On Monday I am to return the monitor to the doctors's office and after
reading it, further determination will be made about what to do.
Apparently my blood pressure was pretty low too.   The internist said,
if we were to put her on meds, she might just pass out.   


They took about 3 vials of blood too.   Guess I would know by now IF I had
a heart attack from the blood work.


I am just way tired from being fussed with and I was at the office
about 3 hours.

February 29, 2008

Military Angel Of Protection - Angel Rubber Stamp

Angel1



Last year I offered my Angel of Protection drawing
to a rubber stamp designer Pamela.
(She's from Ohio too)

She tweaked the image just a bit,
but you can still tell it's my design.

I am really thrilled about this, as it
will mean more exposure for the angel
and soldier. I am not making any sort of
profit on this, that was not my intent.
Pamela is sending me a stamp sheet.

Please share this info with anyone you know
who is a rubber stamper who might be
interested.

This is NOT only a holiday stamp, it can be used
all through the year. 

The Red Rubber sheet, Untrimmed, Unmounted.
There is lots of info on the web about mounting stamps
and Pamela has info on her site too.


Angel Stamp Set - Pamela's site
http://tinyurl.com/28kubq


Link to My Drawing
http://tinyurl.com/mxc9o


From Pamela's web site:
Firecracker Designs By Pamela

This wonderful angel was inspired by a sketch sent to me by
Air Force Mom Deb! I loved her idea so much, I turned it into
this stamp plate, versatile enough for military cards at any
time of the year!! Or use the Christmas trees in 3 sizes as accents
on your Christmas Cards too!! Thanks again,
Deb for such a great Angel image to work with!
 

After reading several heart breaking emails from/about
military families, and the constant sacrifices they make for our country,
and because I grew up an Army Brat...I've decided to LEAVE
the price of this set at 20% off permanently.
It's my small way of saying THANK YOU.


Red Rubber sheet, Untrimmed, Unmounted, 4.5 x 5.25


Link to gallery of Stamped Angel pictures


Pamela's Blog

http://www.pamelasgallery.com/

Categories at Pamela's blog

 

February 28, 2008

The Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These




The Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These

by Christina Baldwin 

    

"If every day the Divine is attempting to communicate its larger wisdom, then one of the most important things we can do is find a way to listen to spirit.

Reciting these seven whispers is a very simple practice.
It doesn’t require physical training or stamina.
We don’t have to travel to exotic and holy sites.
We don’t even have to get out of bed.
This is the practice — recite and see what happens.
Call and see what responds.
Notice how help comes."

 

The Seven Whispers

 

Maintain peace of mind

Move at the pace of guidance

Practice certainty of purpose

Surrender to Surprise

Ask for what you need and offer what you can

Love the folks in front of you

Return to the world


I had the above words saved in a document on my computer.   
Today I went to Amazon and ordered the book.     The description
says the book follows the above Whispers in full chapters.

What a simple, yet very powerful message.

February 25, 2008

Illusions ~ The Adventures Of A Reluctant Messiah - Quote 2

Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull  came out in 1977 with
Illusions ~ The Adventures Of A Reluctant Messiah.

Snipped the following from an
Amazon.com editorial...

"Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves."

The 192 page paper back edition opens with this line...

"There was a Master come unto the earth, born in the holy land of Indiana,
raised in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne...."

What I am planning on doing is blogging, in no particular order,
a few quotes every now and then
from the book ....


'Imagine the universe beautiful and just and perfect,

the handbook said to me once. 

Then be sure of one thing: 

the....       Is has imagined it quite a bit better than you have."


Rb

February 24, 2008

Stephen Hopson - Amazing Person !

First off........    Jump over to YouTube and watch this
2 minute video of Stephen.   :)      

YEAH........... go NOW and then come back.    


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqlVivegXg

Sh

Stephen J. Hopson ~ 'Turn Adversity Into A University
 
Stephen, deaf since birth, has gone where no deaf man had ever gone before. 
Stephen the pilot made aviation history on February 24, 2006 when
the FAA gave Hopson an instrument rating.
His instrument rating requires that he flies with a qualified copilot
to handle the radios for him.
 
Hopson left a very successful Wall Street career to follow his inner
voice and passion of becoming an inspirational speaker and author. 
 
He has a successful and interactive blog site named: Adversity University.
http://www.adversityuniversityblog.com/
 
I met Stephen at Phil - MAKE IT GREAT - Gerbyshak's blog.
Stephen had written a guest post about the value of sending snail mail
Thank you notes.  I am a HUGE fan of snail mail myself and in ending the
comment, I asked him for his mailing address.   It turned out we live in
the very same county in Ohio.   What a pleasant shock.
 
To explain Stephen, I've grabbed a little bit from his own web site.
I believe you can FEEL his enthusiasm and ZEST from his own words.
 
Stephen's life example encourages me everyday to be thankful and
grateful for my own hearing.  His living beyond what might hold someone
else back, is just pure inspiration. !!!
 
(from his web site)
 
Imagine with Stephen. . .
 
Let’s go on a little trip, if you will.
Open the stairwell to your imagination for a moment.
 
Imagine…think in your mind what it would be like in your life to
never heard a sound…any sound. You’re completely deaf and have
been since birth. You’ve never heard a baby’s cry, a bird chirp, an
airplane’s roar or worst yet, your mother’s reassuring words of comfort in
a time of pain, need or sorrow. You are in effect, virtually alone
in a world of your own.
 
Now go deeper in your imagination. If you’ve never heard a sound,
that also means you’ve never heard a word articulated. Think about
that for a second. If you’ve never heard a word articulated, how would
you know or better yet, how would you even learn how to
pronounce a word…any word?
 
How would you distinguish between similar sounding words that were
spelled the same or slightly different? For example, “The solider decided
to desert his dessert in the desert”; “They were too close to the door to
close it”; “Upon seeing a tear in the painting, I shed a tear.”
 
Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Do you think a totally deaf person
could do it? Do you think you could master the language if
you were deaf yourself?
 
Stephen Hopson was born completely deaf. He’s never in his life
heard a grunt, a groan or a peep. Yet he not only mastered the English
language and become an accomplished professional speaker but he’s
also been a successful Wall Street stockbroker and recently made
aviation history by becoming the first deaf person ever to earn an instrument
rating, a rating that actually requires hearing – something so-called experts
considered would never happen in a million years. Stephen proved them wrong.
 
If Stephen can master the spoken language and achieve the impossible,
what’s stopping you from achieving your goals? Goals that don’t require
nearly the work, the effort, the time and the discouragement that he’s encountered?
 
ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE. You just have to set your goals and they must be high.
Donald Trump thinks in multiple BILLIONS not just enough to pay
next month’s rent. You have to develop a plan, muster your resources and
then most importantly, take action.
 
Stephen is not here to tell you what to do. As a motivational speaker
and author, he shows you, no better than that, he gives you a roadmap…
that will not only get you started in demolishing the obstacles that you are
holding back but help you accomplish your dreams, your goals and your aspirations.
 
But wait, there’s more…much more. The question isn’t whether the
content of his speeches works. There’s no question that it does.
He’s living proof. The real question is, Are you going to work what he
shares with you from the platform?
 
When you hire Stephen as keynote/meeting speaker, your audience
will not only overcome the demons, obstacles, and stumbling blocks
that are holding them back from achieving their goals, they will also be
inspired and motivated to take action. They will begin to maximize the
God-given talents they’ve been blessed with and start capitalizing on the
wonderful and abundant rewards that are lying in wait for them to claim!


http://www.sjhopson.com/
 
 
Stephen has entered a video contest that is taking place at the
BeTheNextBestSellingAuthor.com website.
 
Stephen chose his video on his most life changing moment. 
 
For this contest, they are picking 3 winners.
Two will be chosen outright and a 3rd will be from
the most views on YouTube.   

I believe that Stephen's entry will be chosen outright,
but just in case..........   The most viewed would help too. 
 
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW and
it counts as a view.  Stephen's video is 2 minutes long.
 
Most Life Changing Moment That Led to a Dream Coming True
 

February 23, 2008

What Are YOU Reading ?

My UK blogging friend, CQ “tagged” me to do a “meme”.

Here are the rules of the game …  (except I'm breaking # 5 and not tagging anyone else) 

But.... you are more than welcome to pick this up and run it at your site. 

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

My closest book with the required pages is .......

Unlock Your Intuition - How to Accurately And Reliably
Access Your Most Valuable Resource

By Andrea Hess

Is all information coming from my Higher Self, and is the information
100% in alignment with Truth?"

These are always the questions to start with should you receive confusing
or conflicting information.

If you are disconnected from your Higher Self, repeat the process outlined
in Chapter Two to re-establish the connection.

Un  

I'm thrilled that this book was the closest to my computer !!!
Her writing style is quite welcoming and uncomplicated. 

Andrea has an amazing web site and blog.

http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/

xo xo

Deb

February 22, 2008

A Man Dying Shares HOW TO LIVE ~ AMAZING

This morning, my dear friend Carey sent me a link to this video....
~ THANK YOU - THANK YOU Carey ~

In her words.......

"Very humbling"


I say - absolutely AMAZING. !!!!!!!!!!!

From the Carnegie Mellon Web site, I snagged the following description:

"Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals."

This is a comment a viewer left on the YouTube site after viewing Randy....

I could not have said it better, that is way I am quoting this viewer....

"
Have you ever met someone who's eyes sparkled? When they smiled their entire faces lit up and a twinkle appears in their eyes. I have always believed people like that are Angels. Beings that walk amongst us, blending in and living life among us. Randy is an Angel. He is that special being that walks among us. And I truly believe this, when he is gone, there will be a twinkle in his kids eyes that his wife will see and this will be her realization that he is still with them."



The link below will take you to an 11 minute video.  On my site here, I
have popped in the longer 70 some minute version.    I know that not everyone
has 70 minutes to sit and watch, but PLEASE consider bookmarking this
and come back to the long version later on.


Link to Video of Randy reprising his 'Last Lecture' on the Oprah show.

Randy's September 2007 - Last Lecture - Longer Version.

 

This link will take you to a PDF  transcript of the lecture.   
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/Randy/pauschlastlecturetranscript.pdf

Randy Pausch's Web Site

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

Absolutely AMAZING. !!!!!!!!!!!

February 16, 2008

The Garden Of Life


Garden5555

'To know someone here or there with
whom you can feel there is understanding
in spite of distances or thoughts expressed,
that can make life a garden.'

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
(1749-1832)



'Just remember, every now and then an ass
might wander into your garden.
That's ok too..... just take it in stride'

(Deb Estep)



February 15, 2008

A Gem From My 11 Year Old Kevin

Kevin has the day off today due to teacher's meetings
and he just turned to me and said.......

"Mom, you have to pay taxes when you work, right?"

I said..........  "Yes"

Then he said...............

"You and Dad will be paying my taxes, right?"

I said....................


"NO"....  "When you work they take the taxes out of your pay"

He said...........

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh"

February 14, 2008

My Valentine's Flower

Feb1401



Okay......... I hear ya,  "What is that Deb?"

It might not look like much of a flower to you, but it's a dried rose petal.

On a family web site today, I posted this Valentine's picture,
Wishing the family a ~Happy Valentine's Day~

Valentines2_3

After the message I wrote this.....

Michael and I don't really DO Valentine's day, so this is as close to flowers as I will see today.............    LOL    LOL   

xo xo
Deb


After writing that message I was sitting at my desk reading
a book I had picked up in the free-be section of our public library.   It's called The Power of Positive Students.   Yesterday I had a parent conference with both of Kevin's teachers.   I had started reading the book late last year and had not finished it.   Ever since returning from the holiday break, Kevin's attitude about school has just taken a huge nose dive...  "I don't care" is what I hear way too often from him.    As I was reading and turned the page, there was the pressed rose petal.    I ABOUT GASPED !!!!!!!! 

I then heard..........
'So, you thought that was was the closest thing to a flower you were going to see....  THE UNIVERSE had other plans'.   

WELL, indeed it DID.  The paperback book was published in 1985 so there is no telling how long ago that was dropped in this book.

My Grandmother, was known for saving roses in this way, my Dad does it too and SO DO I.    I only use one specific large book when I want to save roses, so I know it was not something I did and forgot about it.   

The neat thing was the page that the rose came from talked about how important a parent's positive input is to the over all process of creating a positive student.   Overall, I would say I am quite positive, but I do believe this is a NUDGE telling me I can do more. 

What a blessing this rose has been to me today.......

Come to think of it, maybe this is another of those signs of what comes around goes around.    If you are a regular reader you recall me saying that I bumped into my neighbor a day after my birthday and we found out that we both shared a birthday on February 5th.    Nora told me that February 13th would have been her husband's birthday.   Yesterday I stopped at the store and picked her up a single yellow rose.   Her daughter answered the door and I explained the story of seeing her Mom on 2-6 and this rose was just a little something for her Mom to remember her Dad. 

So......... I gave a rose and got a rose.    ~* I LOVE IT *~


Happy Valentine's Day to all !!!   

Love
Deb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thanks to a comment by Debbie, on the Power Of Positive
Thinking... POPT -   I created online and ordered this
wristband today (2-15) for Kevin. 
The little engine that could....   I think I can, I know I can,
I can, I can, I can .... has always been a mantra for my kids.
So know I have incorporated Debbie's idea and this into
a visual reminder for Kevin.     It was under $8 with shipping.
HEY..........  I am feeling VERY positive that this will be a
huge help.  :)


Popt1

February 11, 2008

Blessing Shared ~ #1

Bless

A few days ago I had written a post,  May You Be Blessed.

I was speaking about Kate, who started a Blessing Movement. 

On Saturday, Kevin had a Saturday detention.   Kev is in 5th grade and  unfortunately he got into some trouble at school.   He left gym class without the teacher's permission and he also kicked a classmate in the ankle.   He tells me that he barely touched her foot.   There was another kid who saw this, but 'did not want to get involved' in telling what he saw.   As I discussed with Kevin, the rules of school are that you keep your hands and feet to yourself, so he broke the rules there and also leaving the classroom was breaking the rules.   The assistant principal called me, and Kevin was going to have a 2 hour after school detention.   This was the 2nd time he had gotten in trouble, and I asked the Mr H. IF there was stiffer consequence.    That turned into a 4 hour Saturday detention where the students are to have work, or reading material as they sit quietly in the class.   From 8am until 12.    Hopefully he will be more inclined to follow the rules.

On Saturday morning, I was thinking, I wonder who has the nearly thankless job of sitting in a classroom for 4 hours with these kids.    I then said a prayer blessing that person.

At 8, I walked Kevin into the classroom to sign him in and leave an ER contact number.   I also quietly explained to the teacher, Mrs A.,  that due to a medical condition, he might not be able to make the 4 hours with only one bathroom break.    I am guessing that Mrs A. is maybe in her very early 30's.    She had a very caring and serene way about her.   Her eyes really spoke with me.   I thanked her and left.   

After getting home, I got to thinking this would be a good time to pass out my first 'Bless You' card.    http://www.bettertobless.com/BlessingCards.pdf    This link will take you to a PDF printable page of Bless You cards.    I did write out the web link on the backside of the card, because it did not print out so clearly.      I wrote a short note to the teacher explaining how I had said a prayer for her even before I met her, and thanking her for what she does.

At noon, when I went to pick up Kevin, I handed her the note and card in an envelope.    Explaining that it was a note I wrote her today.   I then went down a hall to look for a friend I had seen earlier.   I saw Mrs A as we were walking out the door, she said to me......  'Thank you so very much for the beautiful note'.   She went on to say .... "Kevin drew me a picture today".

On the way home, we discussed his time in the detention.   Of course he does not know that the Saturday detention was more Mom's idea than the assistant principal, but that's okay for now.   He also told me he was the only one to give Mrs A a picture, and he drew her a flower. 

Kevin is a good and caring kid.   His actions today showed that.   :)

I have a little hesitation sharing entries under my Grow a Kindness Garden category, because it's NOT meant to be...  look at what I am doing, it's meant to be .... see what I am doing and please join me. !    I am grateful to Kate for starting the Bless You movement.   

Can you imagine how a stranger's day could be changed by passing out these Bless You cards to them ?    IF you do follow me on this path, I hope you will check back and let me know.... and might I add.............   


BLESS  YOU ~ Dear Reader


Bless_2  

February 09, 2008

Why He Blogs ? - (He sure has some 'HOODSPA')

Slade Roberson of Shift Your Spirits shares ......
Why He Blogs.   

OKAY..... so after a Google check I found out it was ......Chutzpah

Please..... take just a moment to laugh WITH ME.  Hoodspa.
I have a hard enough time spelling English, let alone the Jewish
language. !   LOL - LOL  A couple of more giggles there.

Smile35jp   
Smile35jp one for Debbie's Mom and me ~ wink 

Chutzpah (balls) is exactly what Slade has in order to
share the reason he blogs is because Ascended
Masters told him to.    And he also adds this.....
"
I blog in service to Ascended Master Mother Mary."

You just have to read Slade's site for yourself to embrace
his open and very authentic writing style.   He shares what he is
and what he does....... and encourages ALL to walk this path of
enlightenment right along side of him.

This post is a must read into the world of Slade.   Like opening up
a clock to see where that
 tick tick