To One and All

Wishing you a blessed and beautiful holiday!

Time for a Career Change?

I've been a medical transcriptionist more than half my life -- in other words A LONG TIME! Now that my son is almost grown I'm considering making a career change and looking into different fields. I've often thought about going back to school to become a teacher, and now this quiz has pretty much confirmed this may be a good career choice for me.

22

That's right -- I can take on 22! Nearly a whole class! Now anyone who knows me knows I adore children but I do believe this would look better on my resume than a degree right?

My Christmas Project

When I was a kid everybody in our neighborhood knew each other, for better or worse. Of course I grew up in the 60s and 70s when you saw more kids out playing and all of them went to the same school. My parents knew all the other parents in the neighborhood and although not all were considered friends we did all stick together and were there for each other. I don't know if people were just friendlier back then but I do know it made a huge difference knowing the community.

Now the town I live in is very unfriendly. I've lived here almost 19 years and I still know few people. I'm very nice and approachable but most of the people here aren't. And it bothers me that we have lived in our very small complex (only 23 apartments) for over a year and still know only two of our neighbors.

So here's my project this Christmas. I've sent out holiday cards to all our neighbors. I didn't sign our names -- I don't believe in doing something just for praise -- in hopes that it will open the door to all our neighbors to be friendlier and get to know each other. Now if you knew the community I live in you would see that this is not a small task -- people just aren't friendly here -- but we shall see.

Feng Shui This

Feng shui literally translates as "wind-water." In ancient times it was known as "Kan-Yu," which means "The Law of Heaven and Earth," and is an old Chinese belief that the environment in which you live can influence your life. Thousands of years ago the shamans of the Orient believed the elements, water, rain, wind, fog and sun were the energy of heaven and earth and today Feng Shui schools teach the practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment.

Every day I receive a Feng Shui Tip from Astrology.Com. Each one is a delightful little message on how to make a small difference in your immediate world with simple actions and deeds. Today's tip was about an ancient tradition of burning old shoes during the holiday season to prevent misfortunes and attract luck in the coming year, like spring cleaning only before the New Year begins. Now I don't like the smell of burning rubber -- and I'm pretty sure it's illegal to have a shoe burning in this town -- but I did manage to gather up the shoes and clothes I had and would never wear again (all in exceptional condition I might add, when I wear things out they go in the garbage), boxed them up and took them to the Goodwill, where hopefully they will brighten someone else's life. The idea of the Feng Shui tip was also to get rid of your old things to make room for new positive energies coming in the next year. What a wonderful way to welcome new light but also share it with someone else!

True Joy of Christmas

Last night we picked up our Christmas tree. We usually have a big one but this year Jason picked it out. He wanted one of those really little ones but we ended up with a 6 foot tree, just right for our small livingroom. Every year we put the tree up together but I decided this year we would do it the way he wanted it. Instead of getting out all the boxes of ornaments (it's amazing how many you accumulate over the years!) he wanted just the big lights, the crystal garland, the red star that goes on the top and his new Spiderman ornament, which we picked up during the week, a tradition we have shared since he was a little guy.

I'm really surprised with our little tree and amazed by my son. The time of season when it seems so many people lose sight of what the holidays are really about -- spending time with the people we love -- my son has reminded me once again what is truly important. He is happy with our pathetic little tree and that makes me happy. A few nights ago we drove around town looking at all the lights and then came home and put ours up. They are not neat and perfectly stretched across the front of our home but drooping and looped, carefree and rebellious like us! My anal retentive brother would have a fit!

This time of year it's so easy to be distracted by making everything just right -- the huge tree sparkling with millions of lights, the perfect gifts you run all over town to find and develop an ulcer at the same time, the lights stretched perfectly along the edge of your roof. Moments of joy can be replaced by anxiety for making one day perfect, when the perfect gift is being with someone you love. Every moment you share with someone special is a moment to celebrate and cherish and to be grateful for. It's a gift that outshines all others!

The Golden Compass

The Catholic League is urging a boycott of "The Golden Compass," a film based on a series of books the League claims was "written to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism."

OK, I'm sorry, but I get so tired of these calls to boycott films and books. Remember Harry Potter? How about "The DaVinci Code?" These were all boycotted by one church or another, including the church a friend of mine goes to, the friend who told me I was going to Hell for reading the books and seeing the films let alone allowing my 15 year old son to do the same.

Let's just say, because I have the divine right to free will, as we all do, I took my son to see this wonderful film over the weekend. It was beautiful and magical, an adventurous film of wonder -- and yes we enjoyed it very much and are looking forward to the sequels. It is a gorgeous epic and amazing in its imagination, far better than the Harry Potter movies and "Chronicles of Narnia," which for an avid reader of the books was a huge letdown for me. "The Golden Compass" is the story of a fiery, rebellious young girl who finds herself on a journey of self-discovery, love and adventure, the kind of story that, yes, fuels your imagination and relishes the divine spirit that lives in each of us, reminding us we are each on a spiritual journey that must be our own. To see is to believe!

Polar Bear Attack

These are pictures of an actual polar bear attack in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. These pictures were taken while people watched and could do nothing to stop the attack! Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery. Warning: Not for the squeamish!



I'm happy to know the victim is expected to recover -- I can see how a vicious attack like this could traumatize someone! Ha!

This story was shared with me by my friend Michael, and looking into it I learned that each October the remote Canadian town of Churchill in Manitoba, which is smack in the middle of the polar bears' migration route, plays host to more than 1,000 hungry polar bears that gather there to await the refreezing of Hudson Bay and then move out on the ice in pursuit of their traditional winter diet of seal. Read more here.

Sing Me a Rainbow

The rainbow has been called by some the "Gateway to Heaven." An ancient heraldic sign of peace, safe travel, and good luck a rainbow symbolizes heavenly glory and celestial wonder and serves as a bridge between earth and paradise. The colors of the rainbow reflect its divine qualities.

The rainbow is an ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. The rainbow represents the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.

Yesterday thinking about the upcoming holidays I thought about my father and how much I miss him. The more I tried not to think about him the more I thought about him. This is my first Christmas without him and yesterday it especially hit me hard that he is gone now. It rained all night into this morning and cleared by the time I took my son to school. When we arrived there we noticed in the sky the most beautiful double rainbows I've ever seen, sisters standing next to each other and extending over the entire school. They were magical and dreamy and seemed so close you could touch them. And that's when I thought of all I had learned about rainbows, and even though they could be shared by everyone who saw those beautiful masterpieces this morning I thought of my father and smiled, because for me it was a sign from him that he is still here watching over me and bringing me my own personal sunshine after the rain.

A Lesson in Diversity

Debby Cantlon, who plans to release Finnegan, the young squirrel, back into the wild, bottle-fed the infant squirrel after it was brought to her house.





When Cantlon took in the tiny creature and began caring for him, she found herself with an unlikely nurse's aide -- her pregnant Papillion, Mademoiselle Giselle. Finnegan was resting in a nest in a cage just days before Giselle was due to deliver her puppies. Cantlon and her husband watched as the dog dragged the squirrel's cage twice to her own bedside before she gave birth. Cantlon was concerned, yet ultimately decided to allow the squirrel out and the inter-species bonding began.





Finnegan rides a puppy mosh pit of sorts, burrowing in for warmth after feeding, and eventually working his way beneath his new litter mates. Two days after giving birth, mama dog Giselle allowed Finnegan to nurse; family photos and a videotape show her encouraging him to suckle alongside her litter of five pups.





Now, Finnegan mostly uses a bottle, but still snuggles with his "siblings" in a mosh pit of puppies, rolling atop their bodies and sinking in deeply for a nap. Finnegan and his new litter mates, five Papillion puppies, get along together as if they were meant to.

I wish people could be as accepting of each other. ((BIG HUGS)) to Holly for sharing this story with me!