Saturday, December 26, 2009

Not fade away...


This has been a year of many realizations and discoveries. Of letting go and moving on. Of finding joy and for once, reveling in it. Completely.

In these last few days of this decade let us hope for better things; for peace, for positive change and happiness. Simple gestures... make it better.

Love is real, not fade away...

Saturday, December 12, 2009

To build a home...


This photo brings back memories... it was taken at my aunt and uncle's mountain house in North Carolina following my mother's death, in December 2000.

We spent Christmas week there, and although the mood was not festive, it was still joyful. We had snow, we had a great hill, a couple of sleds and each other. A warm fireplace at night, no interruptions from TV, internet, phones... just peace. A chance to reflect and remember.

I recently wrote of the cloud of witnesses on CaringBridge.com... the people who participated and shared their thoughts during Alice's father's journey. The love and support expressed was open, loving and honest. For me, it was reliving my mother's journey, but it also gave me a lot of perspective and, after nine years, has allowed me to find my own inner peace.

There has been a lot of building, and rebuilding, in these past few months. One such project is a new website that Alice and I are pleased to announce: LetsBounceBack.com, an online community for members to share their experiences of coping with and overcoming adversity.

Adversity can come at you in many ways... job loss, depression, the loss of a loved one... Sharing the experience can be a healing process, and others, in turn, can gain insight and lend support.

Sometimes, all it takes is a kind word to see you through... sometimes, that kind word leads to friendship, and isn't the world a better place when you are among friends?

This is a place where I feel at home...

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Give a little bit...


My resolution at the beginning of this year was to "make it better"... whatever it was or in whatever small way that I could. I'm not sure how well I stuck to that resolution, but I'd like to introduce you to some folks who are "making it better" right now.

A little bit of history; the above photo was taken in Sri Lanka, I was there in November 2007 for a work related project. We had the opportunity to see the island and spent an amazing 12 days there. This photo was taken at Kotdoowa Raja Maha Vihara, Madu Ganga, an island temple located in the middle of a lagoon in southern Sri Lanka. This day changed my life forever. We arrived at about noon... we were given a tour and took quite a lot of photos... the boys were very interested in all that we were doing. It was wonderful to see their joy as we showed them the images...

I recently met someone through Twitter who is doing something I can only dream of for the moment. His name is Jeff Speigner, he is a graphic designer and the founder of Design4Kids.org, "...an opportunity for creative professionals to experience international travel and make a real difference in the fight to end the cycle of poverty. Design4Kids helps talented but underprivileged teens in developing countries learn the technical and business skills needed to establish and operate successful design studios."

Right now, they are beginning their third workshop in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. You can learn more and follow their progress by visiting the Design4Kids.org website. You can also follow Jeff on Twitter at http://twitter.com/inspiritu.

As this year comes to a close, I am wondering where next year will take me. I do know there will be changes, that is inevitable. It is my hope that I will be in a situation to be able to give something back and "make it better"...

Now's the time that we need to share...