Let's Talk About Words

"...true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."                                                             -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross    My interpretation of this quote would be once again referring to a person's soul . I believe that we are all powerful souls that take the form of a human body to learn and experience life. While we are living our life here on Earth, we encounter different situations and circumstances. It is quite easy to be happy and positive when we are confronted with pleasant or joyful people and experiences. What about difficult ones like illness, abuse, or even just a mean person? Can we keep our inner light , or our soul , shining brightly or does it waver and dim? My light definitely weakens  since I often struggle to see the positive in negative situations a...

      Guillaume Apollinaire  was a french poet and writer who was born in 1880. He  was quoted as saying, "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy ." What do I need and want in the 21st century to be happy ? Quite often, I think to myself that my life would be much better if I could just win the lottery and have more money. More money to  travel, to have money in the bank, to wear the latest styles and buy the latest technological gadgets and gizmos.   Would all of that  make me happy? Perhaps, or perhaps I would just keep wanting more and more, never quite feeling that elusive feeling of happiness that I am seeking. I can justify that having more money would give me security in the future, but there is no guarantee that I will be here "in the future". Or I could explain that then I can give my children more, but sometimes those given money without working for it, never feel the pride and sense of self t...

      Norman Cousins said, "The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference." When I started volunteering at WINGS years ago, I attended a two hour training to understand the women and children staying in the home that I would be volunteering at. As I saw the slide show and listened to the woman speak, I realized that if it had not been for my mother's help, I could have found myself homeless and without a job when I got divorced in 2001. Even though I had a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, I had not worked in 9 years plus my daughters were only 5, 7 and 9 at the time. I had no money saved and received very little child support. I learned that these women were not on drugs or trying to get free food and shelter. They did not have anyone to help them watch their children; they did not have the money to buy a car to be able to drive to a job. It was a vicious cycle of lacking causing more lacking. In a world where we hear story after story ...

       "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."                                                                      -Albert Camus      What does Albert Camus mean by this quote? Flowers are perceived to be beautiful, therefore my simplified interpretation would be that the color changes of the leaves in the fall are as the flowers are in the spring. Spring is thought of as a renewal and rebirth of nature; whereas Autumn is a breaking down and preparation for the dark, cold winter.  To look deeper into the comparisons to life,  t here are different seasons in one's lives as there are changes of seasons in weather, although not near as predictable. There are the wonderful times in life when everything is new and fresh and life is pa...

         My quote , "Get lost in doing what you love to do" couldn't be more fitting for me when I am being creative. There are times when all of the babies are healthy and happy that time flies by in my work playing, teaching and taking care of them, but usually my days at work go by more slowly.   I love to draw and paint, and reading books has always been a time thief, but I enjoy writing more than I ever thought possible.   Writing is when I get lost.  Many of you know that I started a fiction book more than 10 years ago, but that I put that one  aside to begin a new book called Riding Waves last year. So far, I don't lack for ideas but instead there is not enough time in my days to write.  When I had the idea to write every day for a year in this blog, I never imagined the joy that it would bring to me. I am continually looking for pictures that I could take for  my quotes,  taking and editing the pictures and thinking ...

     Babe Ruth was quoted as saying, "You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." I have been at Chicago Cubs games where one player had hit after hit, yet never scored. He needed the other players to bring him home. My daughters all played on their Homecoming Powder Puff games where each team had over 200 players. Each group took the field for only 4 downs; obviously those wins took a team effort . In addition, d uring their years in the Barrington School district, they have had many assignments where they had to work together in a group to receive a good grade. At times they complained when one person did not do their share, but I thought that it was a great skill for the school to teach. Most careers in their future will entail working with others often, if not all of the time.  I, myself, have been working with my co-teacher, Jenny, for over 12 years in an Infant class...

      "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers . You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions ," as said by Nagie Manfouz. I enjoy talking to other people; I even love sharing my words , thoughts and ideas, as you can tell by my blogs and books. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college with a Bachelor's Degree, so I have always placed a high value on receiving an Education.    Reading fiction books as well as non-fiction books aid in my fondness for continual learning about myself and others.  I pride myself on being a good listener, yet I have never thought of the value of asking questions nor the importance of the type of questions to ask . Coincidentally, my daughter, Sydney, was working on an assignment Tuesday night for her Honors English Class that entailed writing two-three questions that could be offered on an AP test. As we were discussing how this assignment aids in the development of a persons criti...

     Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying, "Earth laughs in flowers." My sister, Amy, and I went hiking yesterday at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills. As we walked, I took picture after picture of all of the beauty that I saw. I have lived in this area for 12 years and never even knew that this place was nearby. I am grateful that others before me had the wisdom to preserve these parts of our planet for us and for future generations to enjoy. People blame others for the destructive of our planet. They accuse construction companies for all of the new buildings and the clearing away of the trees or condemn big businesses for the destruction of our ozone layer with pollution. It is easy to cast blame on others, but what is our role in taking care of our planet Earth? We can be involved in our government if we choose, but we can also use these forest preserves and nature centers that were kept for us. It was a beautiful day, and many schools had the...