The Gift of Time

Our school has an after-school Chess Club run by one of the dads, Philip Beanblossom (wearing the green shirt in the first photo). Philip started the program last school year and volunteered his time on Monday afternoons to teach the children the game of chess. The program was a huge success and we are grateful that he plans to continue it next school year.

Philip sent out an email to the parents last week announcing a chess get together/reunion this afternoon. It was an opportunity for the children to refresh their skills and connect with each other after a few months of summer break. Many families took him up on his offer!

I love that my girls are learning the game of chess. I love that they are learning the etiquette and sportsmanship of the game as well. I love that they see themselves as powerful thinkers. And I love the reminder that giving your time to enrich the lives of children is a beautiful gift.

Vulnerability and Its Connection to Joy

One of my friends posted this on her Facebook page. I took the time to watch the video and I am so glad that I did. The speaker's name is Brene Brown (http://www.brenebrown.com) and her message really touched me. She speaks from personal experience as well as from her experience as both a social worker and a researcher.

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

One of her main messages is that in taking the risk to be vulnerable, you allow yourself to be deeply seen. You live wholeheartedly. You have the courage to be imperfect, the compassion to be kind to yourself, and as a result of your authenticity, you feel connected to others and loved.

She goes on to say that when we numb our vulnerability, we also numb the opportunity to feel true gratitude, happiness, and joy. We try to make everything that is uncertain, certain. We strive for perfection and we pretend that what we do doesn't have an effect on people.

It takes much courage to be vulnerable and put yourself out there....be the first one to apologize, breathe through the nervousness, say what you truly think, lovingly accept all parts of yourself. At this point in my life, I cannot think of any other way I want to live.

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” 

― Brené Brown

Nature Detectives

Looking for skinks

Found one!

Locust shells

       

Dragonfly that wouldn't let go!



Kids are amazing bug detectives! Today I saw love in the eyes of the children searching under bushes, among the trees, in the dirt, and in the air for bugs. They were gentle and caring when they handled the bugs and made sure that the bugs were kept in the shade for the short time that they were in captivity. They worked together to share the nets and bug boxes and their delight in their finds was contagious. A wonderful reminder to me of how to do my work (and my play) with joy!

The Littlest Guest

We went to my niece's college graduation party today (Congratulations Jen!). One of the guests at the party was Carlie, a precious little two month old! I, of course, asked to hold her and loved every minute of it. Just the sight of those tiny little fingers and toes reminded me of the special moments when my girls were infants. Seems so long ago!

Today I am grateful for the gift of being a parent. I love that I am a beginner at every new stage and I love that they teach me as much if not more than I teach them.

What Makes You Smile?

 There are LOTS of things that I love about this guy. One of my favorites is that he makes me smile!

Perfectionism Be Gone...A Lesson in Painting My Front Door

One of my biggest life lessons is in letting go of the desire for perfection. In my earlier years, I was very much a Type A type of person.....always scheduling things, always on time, always planning my next project. In my mid-30's (and after having children), I started experimenting with being a Type B type of person.....going with the flow, arriving late to a party every now and then, and seeing how plans developed naturally. I am enjoying this new way of being.... so much so that I am now even experimenting with being a Type C type of person, particularly when it comes to cleaning my house.  :)

I am happy that I am now better able to be whatever type I need to be in any given situation. At the same time, I realize that procrastination can set in if I lean too far to the Type B side of my personality. And this is compounded when my desire for perfection sneaks in. Case in point....my front door.

I have been planning to paint our front door for a month now. The supplies have been sitting in our basement since then. I have been telling myself the story that I want the door to look amazing because, of course, it is the first thing that our guests will see. There are a bunch of imperfections in the door and so "fixing those up" seemed really important to me.

Last week, I finally jumped in and painted the first coat. I liked how it looked but it was obvious that it needed a second and final coat. Days went by without me going near the paintbrush. "What if it doesn't look the way I want it to? What if people can see all the imperfections? What if I don't like the final color? I don't really feel like taking the time to paint it again if it doesn't look right." So many stories in my head that led me to avoid finishing the project.

Today, I let go of the drama and began trusting the process. I picked up the paintbrush and finished the job. And I love it (imperfections and all)!

The door used to be the color of the blue in the Welcome sign.

My Furry Children

Our furry children have been with us for over 13 years now. Even though they play second fiddle to our human children now, they are a special part of our family. 

Tomas is a bit of a scaredy cat. He spends his day sleeping on the towels in linen closet or, when he is feeling more confident, laying across our bed. It has taken him 9 years to trust the girls enough to let them pet him (as long as they do so in silence and without sudden movements). When the girls go to bed, he comes out of hiding and snuggles in between Tony and I. He fixes his body and stretches out his paws so he is touching one of us at all times. All the snuggling he does at night just about makes up for the shenanigans he pulls in regards to the non-use of his litter box!

Picabo is the queen. She thinks the people who come to our house are coming to visit her, the board games we set up require her to sit in the middle, and the puzzle pieces we have on the table are meant for knocking off. She is feisty and lovable and knows how to relax. I often say that she is my stress management role model. 

Today I am grateful to have furry children in my life. They bring so much love into our home!

I love summertime harvest.......tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers, peaches, zucchini, cherries. 

I love it all! 

We have yet to make it to our favorite farmer's market in the city under the Jones Falls Expressway. 

We will get there soon! In the meantime, we are lucky to have several farms in the nearby area. Not much beats a summertime dinner that includes tomatoes with mozzarella and basil and corn on the cob (unless of course it comes with a side of steamed crabs)!

Dance Like a Butterfly

On my run this morning, I saw about 100 butterflies (no I did not count them and yes they may have been the same 10 butterflies following me the whole time!). They were amazing.....flitting in and out of my path, flying solo and in groups, resting on the ground and in the grass and then bursting into movement.

I took some pictures of them. Unfortunately, the pictures don't do the visual any justice, but at least you get the idea.  :)  

When I got home, I looked up the animal totem for butterfly. Could the symbolism be more perfect?

You need to look really closely on this one (some in the grass and two on the right side of the photo, one top and one bottom and some on the pavement that didn't show up in the picture)!

BUTTERFLY
Transmutation, Dance of Joy The butterfly is s symbol of change, joy, and color. It is the symbol of the soul. They remind us that life is a dance, not to take things quite so seriously. They also remind us to get up and move. Dance brings the sweetness of life. Butterflies bring color and joy to your life. Look at them and remember what joy is in your life, if its a lot or a little, it is still joy. They teach us that growth and transformation does not have to be traumatic; it can occur gently, sweetly, joyfully. If a butterfly totem has shown up in your life, make note of the most important issues in your life, and see what needs to be changed.

Puzzle Time

When I was a kid, I used to love heading over to my grandparent's house. After dinner, they would pull out the games and we would spend hours playing "War", "Life", "Monopoly", and more. My grandfather also was a huge puzzle fan and we would spend hours working on all different kinds of puzzles together.

I feel lucky because my girls love puzzles as much as I do! Tonight we started a new puzzle (thank you Memere for sharing with us). As we worked together to find the pieces, we chatted and sang and when we found that one elusive piece that we had been looking for, we celebrated our cleverness with a huge "YES!" Oh, how I cherish these moments.

Getting My Move On

One of the themes that will surely come up again for me this year is the theme of self-love. Ever since I was a baby, I was in the "90%" taller and 90% heavier" category. I was taller than 90% of the boys in my 8th grade class and always the biggest of my friends.

As I got older, I vacillated between moments of loving my body and moments of agonizing over specific body parts that I thought weren't beautiful. It wasn't until after I had my first daughter that I learned to truly love the power, grace, and beauty of my body. I also started to let go of those old body stories that weren't serving me anymore. To be honest, I still have moments of looking at the cellulite on the backs of my legs or the roundness of my belly with judgment and a scrunched up nose. But, those moments become farther apart and shorter in duration the more I look at myself with loving and gentle eyes. And the more I listen to my body to hear what it needs.

Last week was full of wonderful birthday celebrations---lots of food, drink, and well wishes. Sleep, exercise........not so much! Today, my body was asking for some movement so I listened and went for a very hot and inspiring run.

Along the way, I found another thing that I love.......the stream that runs along my street. For me, this was one of the selling points of my house. I love that people come to the stream to play, tube, and flip open the trunk of their cars to relax. Just today, I saw a family of four park their car and head down to the water to get a quick break from the heat. I love that they stopped, even if just for a minute, to appreciate the beauty that was right along side of them. May we all do the same!

Girlfriends

So many things I can say about what I love in these pictures. For today, I will say that I am so grateful that my girls and I have AMAZING girlfriends! Not only do they stand beside us through life's challenges, they also know how to have a good time!!! Thank you all.

From the Mouth of Babes

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook a few days ago and I have been thinking about it ever since. Please take the 9 minutes to watch the full video. Believe me, it is worth it.

http://www.dailydot.com/lol/kids-react-cheerios-commercial-race/

The basic gist is this: A recent Cheerios commercial featured a bi-racial family. The commercial became a video on Youtube and a wave of racial slurs and other hateful comments followed. The Fine Bros. (as part of their video series which asks kids and teens their opinions of viral videos and other trends) recorded a group of children to get their reaction to both the commercial and the idea that people would find it offensive. Their comments were amazing!

When asked  "Is it OK for people to be mad about a mixed family?" they responded "What is this country for.....equality? OK so why do you do that?..... It their path so it really doesn't matter."  

When asked "Would you ever think not to marry someone because of the color of their skin?" they responded  "I think that is offensive......It really does depend on their heart and if they really love me...... Underneath it, literally, you are the same people. You have organs and a heart....."

When asked for advice to people of biracial families they responded  "Guys, do not care what they say. You are you. Stand proud for yourself. Be happy for your family. Tell them 'I don't care what you say. I am the way I am'...........I am really sorry that you guys have to deal with this because it is really hard .....Just know that there are people who are out there trying to stop the hate."

Our world's children are our teachers. This will be a theme for my posts, I am sure! For today, I know that love is here when we pay attention and listen to their words.

Let's Do This.........Day One of Finding the Love

So today is the big day........the day that I start my 365 day awakening to the love all around me. Let me begin by giving myself props for starting this adventure on a day that love is flowing out to me from all over the country. At least I know I can "find the love" on 1 of these 365 days!


I awoke to hugs from my 7 year old daughter Brooke and a table filled with surprises including flowers from my yard arranged lovingly by my hubby, Tony. My 9 year old daughter, Maya, got up early and made breakfast and lunches for the day. She also gave me a handmade card with a gift of $20.50 in it. The money was from her saved up allowance. To be honest, at first it was hard for me to accept such a generous gift. But when she told me with tears in her eyes "Mommy, it is now yours. I want you to have it", I knew that there was no other option than for me to happily accept it (so I did with tears streaming down my face!!). In the striped box was the portable hammock that I have been wanting. I can't wait to tie it between two trees, grab my book, and get to relaxing!

Later in the day, I had a wonderful lunch with my mother. She let the waiter know that it was my 

birthday and he added a little something to our dessert.

Today, my girls were in camp at the school where I also work. I came early to pick them up and was serenaded by some of my students who also made a cupcake for me complete with a sparkler candle! So very sweet. Later tonight, I will be having a birthday dinner of sushi while relaxing with my family.

I have gotten many phone calls, texts, Facebook posts, and cards for my birthday this year. As I mentioned before, today has been quite an easy day to feel the love. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday special. Now if only the rest of the year is this easy.........

Where is the love?

I have been wanting to start a blog for some time now (years actually).  Lots of ideas have crossed my mind as to what the topic of my blog could be: parenting, teaching, connection to nature, family life, etc. etc. etc. All these are passions of mine, yet none of these specifically "spoke" to me when I listened within for a theme of my blog to emerge.

Then one day last week, I got my idea. My 43rd birthday is approaching.....this Thursday, July 18th to be exact. On this day, I plan to start my 365-day campaign to recognize love and all its forms in my life. Each day, I will look for (and document) "proof" that love is always there. All that is needed is for me  wake up and pay attention.

I hope you follow along with me on my journey and I hope in some way this inspires you to awaken to the love that is all around you as well.                    

With Love,
Gina Andreone Strauss