PERSIST AND ENDURE

Saturday morning I woke feeling the aches and pains of aging.  My first thought was, "It's Saturday.  I''m gonna drink some tea and go back to bed."  But I had a busy day planned.  So I popped some anti-inflammatory and proceeded with the day.

My morning was all about being a mom - fix breakfast, start the laundry, clean the house, get other people to help me clean the house, go to Hamilton's soccer game.  I persisted through all of this while the anti-inflammatory did it's job.

Half way through Hamilton's game I had to go to a HOBY conference.  A few weeks ago I was asked to be on a service panel and present opportunities for service to the youth at this conference.  There were five other people on the panel all representing service organizations.  My responsibility was to represent Rotary International and it's youth programs.  I arrived as the youth were just coming back in from lunch.  The room filled with happy energy as they entered the room.  An hour was spent on talking about local service opportunities and the global connection rotary has to offer.  When we were finished the youth were given an opportunity to sign up for service.  I think they signed up for everything.  They have 'service fever'.  

While I was sitting on the panel looking out into the faces of these young people it occurred to me that if I had given into the aches and pains of aging I would've missed this moment.  We are in charge of us, I am in charge of me.  As we conquer our tired and selfish nature we open the door to amazing things.

MIGRAINE MENU

I do not remember the last time I felt this kind of pain from a migraine.  I want to enjoy the light from this beautiful Sunday morning but closing my eyes feels so much better.  My Migraine Menu for this Sabbath morning...  

Lavender Ice Pack
Sandlewood Oil
Green Tea
Reflexology
All of that and a little bit of Lucid Dreaming and I should be good as new by tomorrow.    

RADIATION - DAVID O MCKAY

I found this quote while shuffling through boxes.  I LOVE IT!  David O McKay was the 9th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He was liberal in his thinking and held respect for all opinions be they right or wrong.  

This dissertation on radiation speaks to my soul the true nature of the light that illuminates from our beings.  We are born with the light of Christ and it is how we live that will determine the brightness of that light and the size of the aura that surrounds each person.

Radiation

There is one responsibility which no man can evade, that responsibility is his personal influence.  Man's unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of his personality--the affect his words and action have on others.  This radiation is tremendous!  Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world.

Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man.  He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others.  Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence.

Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated.  He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and these qualities he will constantly affect the world.

This radiation to which I refer comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be.  Every man, by his mere living, is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any of the hundred other qualities.

Life is a state of radiation and absorption.  To exist is to be the recipient of radiation.  To exist is to radiate.    

LOVE FROM GOD

IS FALLING ALL AROUND

WHAT'S GOIN' ON

Since my blog is supposed to be a journal sort of thing I should probably do more than post the most entertaining pieces of my life. In between visiting mom for her birthday and attending docutah I work...professionally and domestically.  I am also a philanthropical freak, involved in way to many service projects and volunteer opportunities.

Work

Every day I spend as the Director of Public Relations for CMI is an adventure.  My three fold mission is to benefit the students in all that we do, to connect with the community and to generate partnerships that will in turn generate revenue for the CMI and the Communication Degree Program at DSC.  I enjoy this very much.  I grow with every challenge and I am continually enlightened by the energy of the students.  The down side is that I have to interact with people that must be tolerated instead of respected.  

In every working environment we must cross paths with people who lack self esteem and as a result behave in unethical ways.  The people I speak of are supposed to be experienced professionals who should have learned by now to act with respect.  Instead they see only their personal agendas and will do their best to undermine and bulldoze the goodness in others.  In these instances I must hold to my integrity and breath deep.  I must remind myself that God is watching and that karma will always prevail.  

Home

If I say that for the 6th time in the last 10 years I am immersed in a move will you understand?  Yes, once again we move our household from one location to another.  I am mentally, physically and emotionally spent.  I am now determined to stay in this new home or move abroad.  One more move to another St. George location will cause me to completely collapse.  I'm sure that daily meditation and prayer has pulled me through and kept me going.  My forward vision is for 2 weeks from now when I will detox for 2 days with Karamea in Salt Lake.   

Philanthropy - I'll just make a list

• Chair of the International Festival
• Chair of the Lions Roundup Rodeo Breakfast
• Event Coordinator for the Washington County School District Foundation
• VP of Club Services for Red Rock Rotary Club
• PR for Leadership Academy
• PR for DocUtah
• PR for Washington County Fair (thank God we are on hiatus)
• Member of the Dixie Sunshiners who are ambassadors for the St. George Chamber of Commerce

That is currently my life.  And I can still see that it is a beautiful Sunday morning and feel joy in my soul.   

DOCUTAH STIRS MY SOUL

The first installment of DocUtah has come to an end.  DocUtah was the brainchild of Phil Tucket, my boss at work.  He had this idea a little over three years ago to create an International Documentary Film Festival.  It finally launched on September 16.  I attended gala event where Helen Whitney's film on Forgiveness was premiered.  This was incredibly moving.  Helen is a master film maker and I was privileged to spend some time with her over the last ten days. But for me, Friday was the highlight of my festival experience.

We drove to Kanab to arrive for the first film of the day showing at 10:00a in the Crescent Moon Theatre.  The films took us all over the globe.  Through the magic of film we were introduced to some people who were passionate about the Glen Canyon and not at all happy when it was destroyed by the dam that created Lake Powell.  Then we traveled to Ireland to see the destruction of phone boxes.  Someone decided they were an eyesore and needed to be removed and many people did not like the decision.  They protested the removal so there are a few remaining boxes.  Then to the Canyonlands of Southern Utah where we were introduced to 90 year old Kent Frost.  Kent spent his life exploring and touring people through the red rocks and open lands.  He said he was privileged to live a frontier life in modern times.  Then we met Kazaih the goat woman.  She lives in Manti and raises goats.  But the amazing thing about Kazaih is that she paints portraits of fallen soldiers. A family will send her a picture and she will paint a beautiful portrait.  She says she starts with the eyes because they are the window to the soul and they talk to her while she paints.  This film was highly inspiring.  After Kazaih we journeyed to Thailand and screened a very moving film titled, The Last Elephants in Thailand.  Terrible things are happening to the elephants but there are wonderful people who have created elephant hospitals.  I learned that there are volunteer opportunities at these hospitals.  I can go on vacation and help the elephants.  Then to China because it is believed that this country will soon take over the world.  During the film we saw glimpses of India, Nepal, Tibet, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  When that film ended Phil inserted a disgusting film about an Oklahoma Snake Festival.  Oh my!  I will never go to this event.  So gross!  I am sometimes amazed at the crazy things people do.  We stepped out of the theatre and into the light around 4:00p.  It was a bright sunshiny day and I had been completely inspired by the films of the day.  But I was starving.

We found Grandma Bears or something like that.  Amazing sandwiches and an almond rocha milkshake.  So divinely delicious!  And a wonderful snack before heading to the closing gala event which was held at Angels Landing on the property of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  We listened to the Canyon Symphony and watching Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club.

This was an absolutely spectacular day.  I am so excited for next year!  

VISITING MOM

Labor day always brings the celebration of my mom's birthday.  This year she turned 84.  We spent last weekend in Salt Lake.  

About a month ago I checked the RSL Soccer schedule and realized they had a home game on September 4.  We went!  It was a fun game and the boys loved being there. I wrote the play by play to Isaac just like I always do for the boys games.  Earlier in the morning Rakai, Ammon, Karamea and I strolled the Farmers Market.  I love that place!  Fresh produce, fun merchandise and hanging out with my kids.  It's just so great!

But the real reason we were there was for Sunday and to celebrate mom/grandma.  Moana was up from Arizona so she and I prepared a delicious dinner.  Mark and Garry and their families came and we enjoyed spending time together in Mom and Dad's backyard.  Good thing Asa mowed the lawn the on Saturday.  Before everyone arrived Grandma came out back to watch the boys play on the swings and do flips off the mini tramp.  The weather was beautiful.  

We drove back on Monday and stopped at the One Man Band in Nephi for lunch.  It was a wonderful weekend of family and fun.

SUPER WHAT?

Oh my aching arm.  Driving up North last weekend I began to realize that I could not hold the steering wheel with my left arm without feeling excruciating pain.  Further into the weekend I could not close the car door with my left hand and I could not lift my arm to fix my hair and put deodorant on my left armpit.  I managed through the weekend and made it home with calming moments of mediation and balancing my energy fields.  But this kind of pain called for drastic measures.  Dr. Bentley...HELP!

When it comes to joint and muscle pain Dr. Mark Bentley is my best friend.  He did the initial diagnosis on Wednesday.  "Your SUPRASPINATUS MUSCLE is inflamed."  My super what?  It's one of the 4 muscles that makes up the rotator cuff.  And it didn't just happen by trauma to the muscle.  It happened over time.

Glorious news!  Anything that happens over time means it will take more time to recover.  

Understand this about me...I would rather prevent pain and illness than endure the process of recovery.  I eat well, I exercise (well sometimes), I take vitamins and minerals.  Basically, I am a health freak.  Low sugar, low salt, low fat.  That's me.  Actually, I don't really like food.  I eat to live and definitely do not live to eat.  Fresh fruit and vegies, honey instead of sugar, water, lots and lots of water...and I love herbal teas sweetened with stevia.  

Enough of that...check this out...

The day I was diagnosed was also the first day of the Washington County Fair.  I was supposed to take it easy and ice my shoulder 3 or 4 times a day.  Really?  K...well that's not happening until Sunday.  

The Fair was exhausting in a satisfying sort of way.  My involvement includes parking with my Red Rock Rotary Club, Representing the Washington County School District Foundation as a board member and doing whatever Wendy, my leader, tells me to do as a member of the Washington County Fair Board.  Hamilton and Asa helped me on Wednesday in the foundation booth.  Ra joined me for parking on Thursday and he did it every night after that while I worked the fair.  The fair parade was so much fun on Saturday morning then Pam Graf and I got the prizes for the baby contest all taken care of.  The highlight of the fair is always the Demolition Derby but that's a-whole-nother blog post and my arm is hurting from all this typing.  

I think it would be best to follow doctors orders and ice my supraspinatus.         

CATCHING UP

So many blogs and so little time leaves my own personal blog in the dust of my hurried existence.  On this beautiful peaceful Sunday morning I am taking time to catch up.

Family

All is well.  After a summer of sickness (colds and coughs turning to pneumonia), ankle sprains, wart removal, wisdom teeth extraction (or soon to be), soccer parties, picnics and movies - we are down to the final 10 days of summer.  This weekend I am looking forward to the Park City Soccer Tournament where I will spend 3 glorious days on the sidelines of the soccer fields, enjoying the majestic beauty of the surrounding mountains.  

Updates from Isaac are the best part of my week.  His missionary enthusiasm is contagious.  I am motivated by his attitude and his passion to succeed.  His letters are long, although not long enough for his mother, and his blog is updated regularly.  Click HERE if you want to know how he is.  

WORK 

Wow, I don't even know where to begin.  My work as the PR/Promotions Manager at CMI is overwhelming in a positive sort of way.  Not only am I promoting and branding 6 divisions of media but I am now a radio DJ!  

When I was young and really into music and the radio, friends and family would tell me I had a future in radio.  I would look at them with this perplexed sort of look.  Now, here I am.  Working at CMI, connected to Classical 91.3 and accepting the opportunity to host a show M-F from 8p - 10p.

My show is called Peaceful Relaxation.  The format is New Age.  I learned how to track on Friday.  It will air for the first time tomorrow night.  I have big plans for the show so future updates can be expected.

Service  

Over the next 3 months I will be buried in the Washington County Fair, The Lions Club Roundup Rodeo, events associated with the Washington County School District Foundation and the HWSG International Festival.  I will also be serving the community through Red Rock Rotary and Leadership Academy.  I hold a place as a committee/board member for each of these organizations.  I am a philanthropist at heart and haven't quite figured out how to say no.

Sometime around the beginning of November I should've dug my way out...just in time to be overwhelmed by the holidays.  Maybe I will find some time to exhale in January.

Spiritual 

After all is said and done, the reason I can do all that I do and not completely breakdown is because I start every day with prayer and meditation.  My testimony of the LDS faith I belong to continues to govern my life and my study of chakra and Human Energy Flow (HEF) brings all things into balance.  In September (among all that I am doing) I will stop my world for a few short days and begin the HEF certification process.  I am so excited for this.

When I study chakra and the art of balancing human energy, the spirit speaks truth to me.  The light of Christ flows through each of us and radiates from our being in a rainbow of colors.  The more I learn about this the more I connect to my foundation.

My peaceful morning is not so peaceful anymore so this blog update will have to end here.

  

WORDS TO MELT MY HEART

THE FAIR SINGER
by: Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)

O make a final conquest of all me,

Love did compose so sweet an enemy,

In whom both beauties to my death agree,

Joining themselves in fatal harmony;

That while she with her eyes my heart does bind,

She with her voice might captivate my mind.

 

I could have fled from one but singly fair,

My disentangled soul itself might save,

Breaking the curled trammels of her hair.

But how should I avoid to be her slave,

Whose subtle art invisibly can wreath

My fetters of the very air I breathe?