Go Play

The work of being a loving parent is to create a safe, stable, and loving environment for our children to grow. Our children will be different. Different than their parents and different from each other. 

We, as parents, must embrace these differences and nurture them to the best of our ability. We don’t have to tell them how or what to think. We just need to be a decent, kind, and loving role model. 

We need to allow our children to explore all the rich and diverse possibilities that life and learning can provide. We don’t need to tell our children how to play, but we must provide time and opportunity for them to play. 

Play is essential for brain and social and emotional development. We don’t need to tell them what and how to learn, we just need to make all learning available. 

As we watch them play, they will learn, and they will reveal what they will become. 

The Geography of the Soul

"The same stream of life that runs through the world runs through my veins."

- Rabindranath Tagore

The essence of life is within us. Our interior landscape must be nurtured with the sun of our soul, the water of our emotions, and the earth of our mind. Allow the essential energies of life to integrate and swirl within you.

Suspend your criticism.

Awaken!

Open to the geography of your soul.

Peace

I was raised on a corn farm in South Jersey. Not just any farm, a silver queen corn farm. The best eating corn in the world. It was a very small family farm. My mom was the youngest of 6 and each time one of her siblings married, my grandfather gave them a piece of the land. Four different families shared the responsibility for the corn. We all grew our own tomatoes, beans, carrots, onions, potatoes, and asparagus. I did not like asparagus because as a little boy, it was my job to weed the asparagus patch. It seemed to me that asparagus was just attracted to weeds.

My favorite time, as a boy, was to sit on my grandparent's wrap around porch. It wrapped two thirds of the way around the house. It had large wooden rocking chairs and I could rock for hours. I loved it when it rained. Safely tucked into the warmth of the roofed porch, I was fascinated watching rain drops plop into wide-mouthed empty milk bottles. In those days, the milk man delivered your milk. We would set the empty bottles on the big back porch for pick-up.

I loved the peace of that plop, plop, plop. The sound of steady rain outside the safety of the porch, interspersed with the base notes of plop, plop, plop and my violin like rocking chair accompanied by my humming. That was peace. Even the memory bring me peace.

Uniqueness

I have always thought of myself as pretty average. I am not the brightest bulb in the box. I am not particularly attractive, and I don't feel gifted in any way. I do love that I work hard. I also love that I have an open and growing heart. I am also very resilient. I have faced death in open-heart surgery, and I have experienced the crushing loss of our angel daughter, Ashley.

What has always fascinated me is how unique we all are. There has never been, and will never be, anyone like you. You are unique in all the world. I believe we are all here to develop and share our unique gifts.

I know God has created each of us for a unique purpose. No one else can share the light of your purpose. 

Shine on!

The meaning of life

The meaning of life is meaning. When our life has meaning, we inoculate ourselves from despair and negativity. When our life is without meaning, we fall into the abyss of depression. 

A meaningful life motivates us to continue to live, to love, to laugh, to serve. When we are dedicated to serve the greater good, to serve humanity and enhance the wellness of everyone, our lives will always have meaning. 

A Loving Universe

My spirituality is simple and humble. Throughout my life, I focus on awareness. The awareness that the sacred surrounds me and is within me. I have an intimate relationship with the Divine. I am human. I have fragilities and I sometimes feel broken, but I am never alone. 

When my beloved daughter, Ashley, passed two years ago, I became even more intensely engaged with the spiritual. Our daughters body, with her beautiful little nose and her delicate fingers were no longer in her wheel chair. And I felt, I knew she was not gone. Her angelic spirit was now even more intimately connected to the universe. She was now in communion with God.

Our God is unconditional love, deeply caring and always with us.

My faith brings me a sense of assurance that we are all part of an unconditional loving universe.

Humility

At 73, I am working to release the belief that my life has some grand purpose. I still continue to be dedicated and passionate towards my Work. I continue to love to teach, support, mentor, motivate, and I hope, sometimes inspire. I have stopped striving to be important. 

I truly believe that we are all essential. Each one of us is a link in the chain, a piece of the puzzle. 

I have gathered

I have gathered many things in my travels. Not clothes, jewels, or treasure.

I have gathered the starlight in your eyes and sprinkled it in the stories I told strangers so they could know what love looked like. 

I have gathered the heartbreak of loss, and the fear of dying, and shared it with strangers and friends so we all could remember how close we really are. 

I have gathered laughter, because I am not funny, and in sharing that I am not funny, people laughed. 

I have gathered life, and I have found it precious. 

Everything calls her name

How can it be that in our world, so busy and full of life, that the loss of one little special needs child makes an empty space in hundreds of hearts. The loss is so wide and deep that only the unconditional love of our universal God can fill it up.

Sandra and I were privileged to spend 39 of our years with Ashley. We could feel her presence, we bathed her in unconditional love, we sat in silence and heard the voice of God. Now that she is physically gone, every drop of creation recognizes her absence. There is no place that does not ask for her. The nature path, the summer breeze, the warm sandy beach, the pillowy clouds, the morning doves, the front pew in church where her wheelchair rested. Everything calls her name.

She is now part of the universe. She is in the stars. She visits the sun, moon, and planets. She is as small as a nano particle and as large as the embrace of God. 

She is everywhere.

My Beacon

"I have found it is the small things. Everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love." - Gandalf, from The Hobbit

My life has been blessed to be interwoven with Sandra's these past 46 years. She is the unifying force in our family. Her faith and love transcends distance and differences.

Generosity and giving is not something Sandra does, giving is who she is. She is humble and does not need to be celebrated or in the spotlight. She prefers to be behind the scenes. It is her loving presence that ripples out in waves of joy. She is unaware of her power. Her humility and sacrifice is not always understood. Sandra is the beacon that guides my life.

Education benefits everyone

Education benefits everyone. Public education was originally structured to create well informed citizens. Throughout my lifetime (73 years) it has created our society. 

We have evolved as humans to experience the great benefits of an educated population. Children, parents, non-parents, and all citizens benefit from education.

Every new innovation is connected to education. The conveniences of our homes originated in education. Even the shoes you walk in were created in education. 

I love to pay my fair share for education because I love well-informed, thinking, and compassionate human beings.

Love is timeless

What I have come to learn in the grief process these past few months, is that my tears, my grief, are sourced from love.

My grief originated in love. Without love there would be no grief. So when I cry, or my beautiful wife apologizes for her tears, I simply smile and say ''it's love.''

Love consumes my grief. 

Love encompasses all my feelings. 

Love endures.

Love even crosses the boundary called death.

Love is timeless.

Follow what fills you

Unfollow the feeds that make you feel unworthy or inferior. 

Follow the feeds that fill your heart and soul. 

Follow what is real, transparent, authentic, and vulnerable. 

When we follow what brings us joy and connection, we are flooded with joy and connection. 

These flood waters feed our heart and soul. 

In your daily life, unfollow what brings you down. Follow what lifts you up. 

The universe will send you all you need to thrive. 

Diversity is a biological fact and a fundamental aspect of life

We are all different. Different shapes, different sizes, different colors, different ethnicities, different faiths, different beliefs, different behaviors, and different thought patterns. Some of us are aggressive, some assertive, some passive, some passionate, some compassionate, and some are creative and innovative.

Some of us are scientists, some artists, some farmers, some mechanics, some teachers, counselors, bankers, doctors, and lawyers. Some of us are extraverts, risk-takers that boldly go for what we want. Some of us are introverts, deep and quiet thinkers that ponder intently before we act. 

We are all beautifully different.

and

We are all human.

Live in Integrity

Having gone through the transformation of life-altering heart surgery, my passion for life is growing stronger. My authenticity, transparency, and vulnerability are building the courage to face the upcoming challenges of life. I will not retreat back to the old patterns of approval-seeking and staying quiet to appease the louder voices. I seek to live in integrity. 

I live a life of meaning. Meaning is experienced when we are connected to spirit and live our truth. No matter the challenge, we know we are supported from within. Even when uncertain, we live our life on purpose. 

I have learned to trust my inner voice. I am learning the difference between my spirit voice and my ego's desires and fears. 

My ego searches for happiness. My spirit knows life is about finding meaning. I have been through hard times, and I have learned that meaning is found by going through the hard times. 

The meaning brings me to the spiritual. My spirituality teaches me how to grow. Growing deeper and further.