Friday, June 17, 2005

Birth Day

Six years
Have the last three been harder than the first three?
Easier?
Better to know, or not to know?

To Know.
To address the issues.
Learn.
Support the strengths.
Build on them.
Use visual supports.
Address the deficits.
Clarify expectations.
Don't blame -- them or me.
Calm down.
Breathe deeply.

Six years.
Time to celebrate the progress.
Celebrate them, celebrate us.
Be grateful for our resources, our knowledge, our support networks.
Don't fear the future.
Embrace the present.
Calm down.
Breathe deeply.
Be.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

assessment soundbites

diagnosis of autism and mental retardation
moderate, communication deficits are more severe
focus on functional skills
self-help skills for daily living
sorting silverware, putting away laundry, setting the table
mental equivalent of a 23 month old
will never catch up to his peers

they're not even talking about cutting with fiscars
or coloring in a picture
or recognizing his name in print

By not accepting this bleak assessment of my son's current and future abilities
Am I being in denial
Or is the ongoing search for a cure my responsibility and obligation as his mama?
Why was I blessed with this double challenge if not to do everything humanly possible to help my children and other children who have been poisoned, possibly genetically altered, by the toxic environment in which we breathe, grow our food, conceive our babies, contaminate our vaccines, and allow our government to continue to hide the facts?

Monday, June 06, 2005

Imagine ... And you will be ...

Imagine a woman who balances her life as mother, worker, lover, friend, self.
A woman who devotes precious time and energy to develop her full being.
Who is always true to her own self.

Imagine a woman who defines her own priorities.
A woman who understands the importance of taking care of her mind, her body, her spirit.
Who lives in the present moment.

Imagine a woman who sometimes chooses the more difficult path.
A woman who is willing to give of herself in order to benefit others.
Who is able to give and to receive unconditional love.

Imagine a woman who believes in herself.
A woman who trusts her instincts and her intuition.
Who reflects on the messages received from dreams and visions.

Imagine a woman who loves her children.
A woman who protects her loved ones with the fierceness of a lioness.
Who releases her precious ones so they can soar with wings of an eagle.

Imagine a woman who has the wisdom to forgive.
A woman who is able to let go of the little things that don't matter.
Who focusses her energy on what is truly relevant.

Imagine a woman who is whole.
A woman who nutures others and is open to receive support for herself.
Who is grateful for the gift of life.

Imagine... and you will be...

Imagine a Woman

by Patricia Lynn Reilly

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good.
A woman who trusts and respects herself.
Who listens to her needs and desires, and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imgaine a woman who honors the face of the Goddess in her changing face.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Daily Reflection

Every day, think as you wake up, today
I am fortunate to have woken up.
I am alive.
I have a precious human life,
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself.
To expand my heart out to others,
To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others.
I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others.
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

- H.H. The XIVth Dalai Lama