December 26: Inspire Peace

John called me on Friday and suggested that we make our extra bedroom into a healing room. John's mom was coming for Christmas. She is currently being treated for cancer. Friday evening we hung photographs and arranged flowers so that the room would be inviting and calming.

The next morning, the sun was shining and we went into to check on the room.

For Christmas, we gave John's mom a couple of hats to keep her head warm. We hope they will also inspire laughter.

White is the color of purity. Simple white roses and tulips were my favorite bouquet.

December 6: Inspire Peace

For a long time, I have wanted to grow my hair out and then cut off the length and donate for a real hair wig. Well, my hair has been getting longer and longer. Recently, all I could think about was cutting it off. I didn't want to do what I have done so many times. Just cut it off to get it off my neck. I wanted my hair to be used for something good.

Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program only requires 8" of hair. They make and donate wigs for women with cancer. Right now there are two very special people in my life who have cancer.

Toni and Marilyn, this is for you.

At 1:30 today, I took my lunch break at the hair salon.

Kim pulled into pony tail sections so that we would get as much hair as possible.

It took a little while, but . . .

And what goes into the mail tomorrow . . .

Sometimes you feel completely helpless when those you love are suffering. There is very little that we can do to make that person feel better. This won't fix anything, but I hope that my hair will be a part of a wig, that will give a woman back a sense of herself as she goes through treatment and finds healing.

I am thankful that I am able to give in this way. I thinks it's going to be a while before I can do it again.

If you would like more information about Pantene Beautiful Lengths, click away.

December 5: Inspire Peace

WORDS

Words are so very powerful.

Words have vibrations and impact; positive or negative.

The first words of "A Christmas Carol"

Our words have the ability to inspire peace and kindness if we choose.

"Life is in speech, death is in speech." ~ Mary Kawena Pukui

December 4: Inspire Peace

Imagine
by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above is only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Enjoy the song and video of Imagine

This is a crystal formed from this song.

December 3: Inspire Peace

It rained today. And then the sun came out. Rain gives life. Water gives life.

Today's rain: Stars and reflections. 

 Within one drop there is a whole other world.

This morning, while it rained,  I read "Love Thyself: The Message from Water III" by Masaru Emoto. He has experimented with water and vibrations and how those positive or negative vibrations affect water. He freezes the water and photographs the crystals.

This is from water that was exposed to the words Love and Gratitude.

In this book, Emoto says that to heal ourselves and the earth, we must first love ourselves.

Three simple phrases that can lead to peace. Peace within. Peace throughout the world.

"I Love you. I thank you. I respect you."

December 2: Inspire Peace

"A lifetime is not what is between
the moments of birth and death.

A lifetime is one moment
Between my two little breaths.
The present, the here, the now,
That's all the life I get.
I live each moment in full,
In kindness, in peace, without regret."

Chade Meng, Taoist poet

Today, I needed most to be reminded to breathe. Driving in heavy traffic, moving lots of chairs, working through tough issues at a meeting. For all of these things, I needed to breathe. To be in the moment, conscious and thoughtful.

I turned off and took the country roads home, I took more trips with the chairs to lighten my load, and I spoke my mind.

It was a good day.

Breathe. Peace. Breathe. Namaste. Aloha.

December 1: Inspire Peace

I grew up in Evanston not very far form the Baha'i House of Worship. I remember going there with my church youth group and again on other occasions as the building was incredibly beautiful and inspired such a sense of peace within me.

I was back in Evanston yesterday and had this urge to stop and visit once again. As you can see the sky was a brilliant blue and I knew that the building would be a beautiful as ever. I took time to walk all the way around the building and spent time in the visitor center that is below.

"Bahá'ís believe: the purpose of life is to know and worship God, to acquire virtues, to promote the oneness of humankind and to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization all humanity was created by one God and is part of one human race work performed in the spirit of service is a form of worship."

Inside I found this display rack:

In the rack are literature about the building and the religion in many different languages. How many places do you visit that are this inclusive?

I walked into the meeting area in the visitor center, it is a big round room with a tall domed ceiling below ground. There was a very strong scent of flowers and when I looked by the podium I saw a large vase if Day Lily's.

On the upper floor they ask that no one take photographs. Oh, how I wished I could take just a few images of the domes ceiling. It is beautiful and intricate and no one was there to stop me. As I sat wishing, I realized that taking that photograph and posting it here about inspiring peace would be very hypocritical, so I just sat for a while and took in the quiet, the space, and the light coming through all of the windows.

There is beauty, peace and serenity throughout the world. My goal this month is to notice and photograph those moments when I am peacefully inspired and share them here.