Welcome Indonesia!

We are so glad to see you!  Please come back!

Shout out!

As you know, I celebrate all companies who are making a difference in the world.  Dove is one of these companies.  They are calling attention to the importance of dads.  There is even a short movie on u-tube about dads and their involvement with their children.  We all need parents.  It is great if they are our biological ones, but there are also many other's who can and would stand in for them. Thank you Dove, for shining the light on Dads. They are making a ripple and I honor them for that because we know what will happen. 

Walking in the woods..

Yesterday, I got to do one of my favorite things, taking a walk in the woods.  It was a warm day with a slight breeze.  I am still amazed at the things which grow in this very dry area and seem to thrive.  What I have noticed is that all sorts of plants live in this environment together.  The beauty is unbelievable, but still, the fact that they all thrive, is amazing to me.  It makes me wish that our world could be the same, no judgement, no greed, just living together in beauty and harmony.  This may sound sappy, but after hearing of war and death in all the news, I wish we could take a page from their book.  Make a ripple, seek peace and harmony, see what happens.

What was I thinking?!

It's a fact.  Whatever I think about the most happens.  Sometimes this is the best thing in the world, but, sometimes, I create the "L" I never want to see.  I don't know about you, but my thoughts get stuck in a loop sometimes, and it is usually when I am down.  It feels as if I can't stop these thoughts at times.  Lately, and for a while, I am doing something about that by replacing them with something lovely.  It truly works. Old habits are frequently hard to break, and somewhat painful, but breaking this one and replacing it with thoughts of what I really want in my life, has made a huge difference.  Think about what you really want.  Then tenaciously hold THAT thought.  If something else comes into your mind, say "cancel" and replace it.  Make a ripple, clear your mind, see what happens. 

Taylor

This young lady chose to "tweet" positivity by students in her high school. She named them and told everyone how wonderful they were.  In this age of "mean girls" and "gossip girls", and so much bullying, I salute her.  She is graduating, but she is passing on her work to another student.  What a great idea for all schools!  Make a ripple, take a page, see what happens.

"If I don't stand for something...

I will fall for anything."  This is one of my favorite quotes, and yes, I sort of personalized it. Today, I was watching the mind-numbing news.  I watch several stations, looking closely for the truth.  I get commercials talking about "safe fracturing technology."  When is using high powered machinery to push poison into the ground safe?  When is it ever o k to give up your position in the government to work for a company that sells a product people die from? And in the mean time causing 400,000 people in your state to lose the chance of having medical insurance.  It all makes me sick.  This is one more plea, as our family of this blog grows, to make sure we are first: becoming the best human we can be, and second, finding a way to seek the truth and make life better for other's.  I know we are all busy and life gets pretty muddled, but there has to be a way for us to make the changes we know we have to make.  Many of the things we can do take little effort or time.  I know I say that a lot, but it is true.  If we could just dedicate a small amount of time each day to put in the effort, think of what an impact this would make.  Make a ripple, find your cause, see what happens.

Today is

"International give away smiles and compliments day!" I think I just made that up, but we have 18 countries and the United States participating in our blog.  So, all I ask of you today, is to give away as many smiles and compliments as you can.  If you end up with sore cheeks, all the better because that is a great facial exercise.  Sometimes I go to the store for a few things, and just wander around for an extra few minutes doing this and I can't tell you how great I feel when I leave.  Think about how great other's feel. There are so many things we can do that take little time and effort to lift people up, including ourselves. Make a ripple, give it a try, see what happens.