We are dust and to dust return.
In the end we’re
neither air, nor fire, nor water,
just dirt,
neither more nor less,
just dirt,
and maybe
some yellow flowers.
~ Pablo Neruda
loving fiercely | teaching audaciously | thinking deeply
Posted on April 19, 2013 by Jennifer Wolfe
We are dust and to dust return.
In the end we’re
neither air, nor fire, nor water,
just dirt,
neither more nor less,
just dirt,
and maybe
some yellow flowers.
~ Pablo Neruda
Posted on April 13, 2013 by Jennifer Wolfe
Whoever is present are the right people. Whenever it begins is the right time. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. And when it’s over, it’s over.
Anne Lamott- one of my favorites. I’m a picky reader, and it’s rare for me to find someone who can keep my interest through every publication while simultaneously helping me realize things I never knew about myself, my children, or life in general. Anne Lamott is right up there with Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou in her ability to rock my world.
And while I can’t call Anne, Toni or Maya on the phone when I need advice or want to hang out, I’m lucky to have equally powerful women within reach in my life. The power of women to comfort, challenge, and change my world – I’m picky for a reason. Thank you, all, – you know who you are.
Who are the women you look up to? When they write, call or challenge you, do you listen?
Posted on April 8, 2013 by Jennifer Wolfe
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see.
Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.
The question is whether or not we are in touch with it.
We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.
Being in touch with the moment is something I strive for. Sometimes I feel it – that deep exhale as the soft breezes caress me, the warm covers enfold me, or the child’s arms envelop me. But more often than not, lately, I’m over-caffeinated, under rested and way too hyped out to simply sit and be present.
I need a Zen Master to come find me.
Zen Master, please help me.
Posted on April 3, 2013 by Jennifer Wolfe
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
Be honest, now. Wouldn’t your life more meaningful if you just stood up for…
your self?
your child?
your job?
your beliefs?
for something?
for someone?
So why don’t you? Why are you indifferent?
Apathetic?
Scared?
Worried about what someone might think of you?
What if that’s what Elie Weisel thought?
Or Helen Bamber,
Founder of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International, the Helen Bamber Foundation and campaigner for human rights?
The founder of Kid’s Company, which offers practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children?
Or Margaret Chan,
Director of the World Health Organisation, battling international viruses, and championing improvements in all of our most pressing diseases?
Or Shirin Ebadi,
Iran‘s first female judge, founder of the Human Rights Defenders Centre and the first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
Sudanese writer and women’s rights campaigner, who asked to go to trial after being arrested for wearing trousers?
Never heard of them, you say?
Well, the world had never heard of them, either,
until
they fought for
love
peace
faith
and made a
DIFFERENCE.
Now it’s our turn.
Posted on March 4, 2013 by Jennifer Wolfe
In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you is an original. Each of you has a distinctive voice.
When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard.
My kids spend a lot of early mornings on the ski hill. They often must roll out of bed, stumble to the car in the pre-dawn night, and ride for several hours to make it to early training on time. My thirteen-year-old son used to grumble about it, but this season, he goes willingly.
Ski racing is not an easy sport – there’s a huge amount of equipment to keep track of, travel at hours when most people are sleeping, dealing with weather conditions that soak you to the skin or make you feel like you’ll never be warm again, and, most difficult for me, frequent days when we’re separated as a family.
Last weekend the four of us were on two different mountains, one parent with each kid. As I was waiting for my daughter’s ski race to start, a text came through. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, hoping for an update from my son, this image popped up. I knew exactly what he was doing and feeling, and I smiled. A sense of calm settled over me, and I knew he was safe and happy doing what he loves.
When I see the world through his eyes, it frequently stops me in my tracks. So often teenagers struggle to communicate, but not this one – he is finding his voice and creating his own story.
I hear it loud and clear.
How does your child create his or her own story and find their voice?