Winter 2007

Simplify

Return to Essentials

Ah, Winter! This is the season to come inside, both externally and internally. Now is the traditional time to focus on reflection... what's going on in the big picture of our lives? Are the choices we make in line with the goals and beliefs that we hold as most important to ourselves? Nature helps us focus by being quiet herself, the trees are simplified to their basic sculptural forms, the animals are quietly hidden in their homes, even the snow helps bring a crisp quietness to the scene.

So take some time cuddled under a warm blanket with a favorite steaming beverage and spend time thinking. What is important to you now? What was important in the past? How do you picture your life in the future? By staying true to our personal mission in every choice we make, we will be able to be the person we see ourselves as in the future. Our choices today are our gifts to our future self (for good or bad). We should also remember to honor the dreams of childhood, we owe consideration and respect to the free spirit of our youth.

Inspire

Angel in the Snow
lyrics to the song by Peter Mayer   www.petermayer.net

You cannot make one in the sky
Where the careless creatures fly
You cannot make one in your home
Where your heart is safe and dry

Only down on the ground in the cold
Can you make, make an angel in the snow

You cannot on a summer day
It will only melt away
You cannot when you’re standing tall
But only lowly as you lay

Only down on the ground in the cold
Can you make, make an angel in the snow

So get your coat and venture out
Find a place upon the ground
And when you think that you were better off inside
Is when you should be falling down

Share

What did you enjoy as a child? Is it possible to volunteer to help a child (or adult) today have the same experiences? If you loved to read, help at a tutoring center or school. If you loved building kites, start the wheels of motion turning to hold a workshop at the library or recreation department as spring draws closer. Loved playing boardgames? Host a monthly get together for families at the community center or library. Use your imagination and discover ways to help pass on heartwarming traditions while still participating in the joy yourself!

One thing I loved as a child (and still do!) was reading and learning new words. Check out this site: FreeRice.com, to help build your vocabulary and make donations of rice possible for the world's hungry through the United Nations World Food Program.