CELEBRATE!!!

Merry Christmas!! Happy Hanukkah!! Happy Kwanzaa!! Be it the Winter Solstice or any other holiday that finds your heart this December 2008.....all the more reason to CELEBRATE!!!

CELEBRATE all those special little moments that we tend to take for granted......

the food we eat today......savor, don't scarf.....who made it? Thank them...

the joy and magic in a child's eyes....try and remember what that felt like for you.....do you still have moments of childlike wonder? Share it....

the time we have together as family and friends......no matter how unpleasant some conversations or uncomfortable some relationships.....today, just be present.......one day people will learn how to share....one day people will learn how to be grateful....one day......so today, no criticism of others or self - no judgements of others or self - lift that burden by smiling - no negativity today.....

the quiet, peaceful moments......for some, those are few and far between.....but when you find them, meditate on them.....spend some time reflecting on the year and your goals.......you might be energized by the midnight hours and ready to face the Holidays head on....bring on the new year.......or, you might be just plain tired.....wiped out.....too many hours working, shopping, cooking, cleaning.....too much time and money spent on people who don't seem to appreciate your efforts and as usual not enough time spent on you......treasure even these moments.....every moment is a teachable moment.....

LOVE YOURSELF IN EVERY MOMENT.......

YOU ARE LOVED.....

So, the little girl proudly displaying her Christmas tree in the picture is me......this of course is many years ago, when it was just my sister Vanessa and I......as you can tell I love to CELEBRATE......I will take every opportunity to smile, dress up, sing, dance, hug, give, receive, give some more, you name it....

Our family grew and grew......I have seen large trees, small Charlie Brown trees and sometimes even no tree at all......but Christmas still comes.....

I have seen the whole family together, the family separated, the family opening many gifts and the family all pitching in for that one special gift for the youngest among us......Christmas still comes....

Money to spend and sometimes no money at all.....Christmas still comes...

A house to call a home, or an eviction notice on rented space....Christmas still comes.....

It is important to have a spiritual connection with life......no matter what your religious background, the light of your universe is inside you......you just have to shift your focus to see it clearly....and once you can see it you can believe in it....that light, that spark, is waiting for you to turn it into an inferno of inspiring power......

If you feel like the holidays let you down......or that they don't live up to the dreams or expectations you had of what they ought to be.....that's okay...shift your focus...find the light....the card from a friend...a newborn baby....the time a loved one spent cooking/baking for you.....the homemade ornament made in school....the holiday songs on the radio....the sparkle in a child's eyes opening a present...find the light....where there is light, there is hope....and you have the light....

CELEBRATE YOUR LIGHT!!!

Two suggested books for quality holiday reading (both given to me by special people in my life)...

1. Thinking Body, Dancing Mind (Tao Sports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business, and Life) - Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch / a must read for anyone, but college athletes will find it most helpful; I did......my SFSU coach, Kristi Lansford let me borrow it from her library and it made the difference during some key "speed bumps" (i prefer "speed bumps" to "slumps"....)

2. Empowering Women (Every Woman's Guide to Successful Living) - Louise L. Hay / a recent Christmas present from a childhood friend.....he knew exactly what I wanted.....

Thank you for allowing me to spend my quiet, peaceful, early Christmas Morning Moment with you!

Use the holidays as a time of CELEBRATION, LOVE AND SUPPORT!!

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

YOU ARE A GIFT TO THE UNIVERSE!

OOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO (gotta love mistletoe) ;)