Recently my son had an interesting history assignment: Design your own land and put elements of it in a box to share with the class. The whole class considered all kinds of variables, like transportation, government, systems, food, fun, family activities and more. You were allowed to choose a favorite land and enhance it. My son Jonathan chose Tomorrowland, like in the Disney movie. But he stepped it up a notch. Junk food became healthy. People invented things for the betterment of everyone’s life, nothing bad happened. Music had lots of applications. It made me think, what if I could…
Three Steps To Create An Elegant Bridge To Summer
With wisps of scented trees, bees at work in the gardens, and projects due at school, I realized it was time to really think through what we want out of this summer. When one boy left behind kids’ shoe sizes for good, and the other sprouted whiskers, I suddenly felt the slippery slope of time racing forward a bit too fast. Can you relate? So how do you put on the brakes, without hampering your family’s progress or running up a hefty tab for summer camps? Here are three key steps to create a more satisfying and meaningful summer plan….
The Hidden Hearts
On a wonderful vacation recently I started seeing things. No, really. First, after swimming with the turtles, I was resting and taking photos when I felt one in particular might be special. Get it this direction, a little voice whispered. After I peeked at the frame, I saw why. As you gaze into the pool of water as it reflects the sky, you’ll see a shape. A heart. And its twin smiled at me through the windswept clouds as a slight drizzle began. Two hearts. The next day, on a boat tour around the island, a lush landscape came into…
Seven Ways To Put More Magic In Your Life
Are mundane tasks dominating your life and stressing your outlook? Here’s seven ways to add more magic into the everyday mixture for you and your family. Light a fire – Whether it’s a candle or a fire in the fireplace, the flickering light seems to signal something special is coming. Usually it leads to more laughter at our dinner table and loosening up for the parents, too. Turn on magical music – We often listen to a station from London broadcasting amazing classical music. Not the kind that makes you snore, but the elegant, heart-lift, gaze sparkling kind….
Press Through The Net
Part Five in the New Beginnings Series Crisis hits! Just when you’re making progress on your dream project, the one you’ve secretly carried in your heart for years, something nasty happens. Maybe it’s a car crash, a great loss, illness, or an accident. Or it’s just an overwhelming amount of good things all calling out as a higher priority like sports and family commitments. Phew! It’s almost enough to make you quit all together. I’m afraid it’s also a sign you’re doing something great and need to consider putting your plans on temporary hold for a while if necessary. This…
Find Your Updraft
Part four of the New Beginnings Series. And How I Became A Gemologist! So you’ve been working diligently to understand your deepest desire, gotten infrastructure in place to support a move, and watched for open doors. Perhaps you’ve just stepped through one and aren’t sure what to do next. That’s the key moment to look for an updraft, a shift coming your way to accelerate your change in direction. What is an updraft? Have you every watched a hot air balloon suddenly go very high in the air, as an invisible current of air brought it to new heights? That’s…
Adapt to Open Doors
Part Three in the New Beginnings Series One of the special moments in pursuing your dream is when unexpected opportunities land on your doorstep. Sometimes they come at the craziest moment, when you’re tending a sick one, or mid-stream in another project on an entirely different subject. Has this ever happened to you? How did you respond? Were you rigid in sticking to your schedule or flexible enough to let yourself be open to possibilities? I’ve learned it’s important to pause and give special attention to the moment. Okay, the laundry may back up. And perhaps some other commitment has…
Understand Your Dreams
Part One of the New Beginnings Series My son told me first thing he’d had a wonderful dream where his favorite story came alive, and he was able to fly and get special powers. You should have seen his ear-to-ear smile. I love watching a dream come true. And really, I’m so grateful for your support here too. For you’ve been watching my dream come true. There’s a popular song about turning ashes to beauty. I’ve been having memories of a photo I wish I’d taken, of helpers after the fires that found my manuscript with crispy, burnt edges and…
A present: Five Tips For A Resilient Fall
People keep asking, what can we do to make a difference with our kids, find our dreams, or make plans that actually help? Recently I visited the Dallas Museum of Art and saw this intricate painting by Gerald Murphy, with all the gears and perfect angles. It reminds me of how delicate and tremendous it can be to wind up new goals during a busy season of life. So to celebrate our one-year anniversary next week, I’m giving you Tips For A Resilient Fall. Here’s a five part, New Beginnings Series, just for you: Understand your dreams Have new dreams…
Casting The Vision
How Do You Inspire Children To Reach For More? I sat on my son’s bed, dismayed once more with the piles of laundry “put away” by stuffing into the closet, in one huge pile. I felt like a failure, looking at cluttered toys, hardly ever used. How did we get this way? We used to have nothing. Literally, nothing, after the wildfires years ago. Yet here we are once more, with such abundance. How can I help my son become the young man he was created to be if “stuff” stands in the way? I uttered a prayer, “Please, Lord,…
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