Today I have decided to put on paper my word for the new year and it is "Sparkle"  My intention for this year is that I add sparkle to my life in many different ways.  Yesterday at yoga I shared my word and throughout the session our very gifted yoga teacher added the word sparkle to the poses that we did. It reminded me to stand taller or open my poses wider or to be there just a little more intently as we went through the wonderful series of poses.  As I write this, I realize that this is what I want to do this year, I want to experience life standing taller, opening my heart and arms to new and exciting experiences and to sparkle through each experience!  As I was quick to point out to my yoga class yesterday, when I chose my word for the year I didn't mean sparkle in the way of jewelry or diamonds and our gifted and talented yoga instructor said, "But it could!"   And since I have chosen this word to expand my thinking, I am going to look for sparkle in all things that can brighten my day,  my world, and the day and world of those around me.  So here's to lots of sparkle in our lives this year. 

I want to thank everyone who has stopped by and left comments on my blog.  It is so much fun reading what you say and it means alot that people will take the time to read what I have written.  I hope that everyone has a Christmas that is filled with love, peace, and joy.  Merry Christmas to all!!

It is Wednesday and at Jamie Ridler's Studio it is Wishcasting Wednesday.  This Wednesday the question was, "What do you wish for this holiday season?"  My main wish is that all the children of the world experience the love and joy they so deserve not only this holiday season but all the days of the year.
I also wish that this holiday season will be filled with laughter and smiles for everyone that I know. For some, the holidays are very hard and for those people I wish with all my heart that they could truly experience the light heartedness and joy that can be Christmas.
Happy Holidays to everyone!

Sometimes you have a day or an hour or a moment that is just perfect.  Today I had the most special morning with my son and his family.  We decided that this year we would exchange gifts early since there would be lots of extended family members at his house throughout the days before and after Christmas.  This was the first time we did this but it was so much fun to spend the morning having breakfast and slowly opening presents and enjoying the time together.  Several years ago we had to postpone Christmas for a week because I was really sick with the flu and it was then that I realized that Christmas can be any day that I am with my family celebrating all the wonders of life and all of the blessings that we are so fortunate to be able to share with one another.  I hope that everyone will have a wonderful week leading up to Christmas.

When Jamie Ridler asked today, "What do you wish to give?"  I thought that this should be an easy question  to answer but I really had to think about the question for awhile.  I realized that my answer is exactly what I talked about in my post yesterday.  I want to give people (primarily women because that is who I work with) the gift of recognizing their own unique gifts and talents.  I want to help them find and celebrate their own creativity,  Last week in the writing class I attend,  there were tears of sadness and tears of joy which came from two different students.  One because she finally was able to say out loud, "I am a writer!" and the other because she was mourning all of the writing she had thrown away because at the time she felt it was not good enough.  I want to help people claim their talents and celebrate all of the creativity they so uniquely possess.

If someone asked you to create a flyer or a business card advertising something that you are good at doing, would have you have a difficult time identifying your talent?  Today I was working with a group of talented people yet it was difficult for them to identify the things they were good at doing. As I walked around the room and talked with different people, it was obvious that if someone loved something and loved doing it they became excited and animated when they talked to me about it.  I think it is important for all of us to recognize our unique and special talents not only to ourselves but to the world.  We all have so much to give to each other but first we have to realize that we have something important that we can share with others. What do you get excited about?  What do love to do?  What do you love to learn about and talk about?  What gifts and talents do you have that you would be willing to share with the world?

Recently when talking to a group of teachers the question was asked, "What gives you energy?"  People started listing the normal things we all think of:  coffee, coke, etc.. Then there was a quiet whisper, "A compliment gives me energy."  As everyone stopped to think about this, they all agreed a compliment not only makes you feel good but it can give you lots of energy.  So during this holiday season when people often feel tired, why not give the people you see a simple but energizing gift?  Give a compliment that comes from the heart and see what happens!

Today I was thinking about happiness as well as reading about creativity which seems to go hand in hand at this point in my life.  One of the things I realized was that it is important for me to surround myself with people who support what I am trying to do.  I get a great feeling of happiness when someone is interested in the things that I am learning about even though they themselves may never become involved in what I am doing.  In my writing classes everyone is so supportive  of each other.  People share real feelings and emotions.  They laugh and they cry with people they did not know just a few weeks before.  It has been amazing to see how easily people connect through their stories.  I have had not had the same experience in my art classes and I am not sure why.  Maybe I am not as confident.  Maybe I don't share enough of myself through my art as I do through my writing.  It is something that I will need to think about.  I do know that I want to continue both but I am looking for an art class where I can create art that doesn't have to look like anything but what it turns out to be.  I want to create pictures that don't have to be perfect for people to enjoy them.  I just want my pictures to make people smile and feel happy.  So here's to finding a class where people may come in looking very traditional but  leave feeling joyful and happy.  Here's to choosing to be happy through meeting creative people everywhere.

Last night was the last session of the writing class that I have been taking for the past six weeks.  One of the students asked if she could share a poem that she had written just that afternoon.  In the poem she explained that she now felt that she could call herself a writer and after a long search she realized that this was who she was and what she was meant to do with her life.  She was very emotional as she shared this poem as was another woman in the class.  The second woman had been writing all of her life but she never felt  that her work was good enough so she would throw her stories away.  Now, at this point in her   life she was finally accepting the fact that she has real talent and she was mourning the loss of her work.  It was a very emotional class for everyone but I am
sure one that will make a difference in the lives of everyone that shared those two hours.
This morning I woke up thinking about how I would answer the question, "Who am I?"  There are many answers to that question but the first answer that came to mind was - "I am a teacher!"  Not a teacher in the same way as when I was in the classroom.  Now, through my writing, workshops, or just conversations I hope I can teach about living life through the experiences I have had and will continue to have.  It is a different type of teaching but one that I enjoy very much.  So if someone asks me what do you do, it will be wonderful to still be able to answer, "I am a teacher!"  What would you answer if someone asked, "Who are you?"

This is the first time that I will be participating in Jamie Ridler's Wishcasting Wednesday.  My wish is for a feeling of lightness and  the ability to sit back and laugh at life.  I have been working on this since reading the chapter on laughter in Martha Beck's book The Joy Diet.  So this week I am going to bring back the loud music, watch every funny show I can, and laugh!!  And in honor of Jamie I will even add in a few happy dances.