All Better

So, for various reasons that I shant go into, up until now I've been having a somewhat crappy day. I won't bother you with the specifics, not because I'm *not* a whiner and complainer, but because I feel you readers should not be exposed to it. I would hate for my bad mood to rub off on anyone. Let me just say that it has been trying (and the problems were all self-induced, which somehow makes it worse).

However, as it usually does, something happened to move my self-absorbed focus from my own problems, to something greater than myself. And it is that experience that I would like to share. And I do hope that my current feelings of goodwill and happiness will rub off.



Thich Nhat Hanh, is one of the kindest, gentlest human beings on the earth, and also happens to have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. I think he gives excellent advice.

He believes that when it is difficult to feel your own happiness, it can be helpful to reach out to others. It is good to empathize with others, to touch their happiness, to also touch their sadness. I believe this is one secret to a life well lived. You can move out from yourself and appreciate that we're all in this together. Each one of us has the same desire for happiness and peace. Your life doesn't seem so small somehow.

I was reminded of how true this is, when I received an email from Cindy at Skip To My Lou this morning containing the picture above.


Earlier in the summer, Cindy asked her blog readers to make and send her 12" square blankets so that her nephew could bring them to orphanages in China with a group called Hope's Heart. They needed to be small, not to provide warmth so much as comfort. So, on a Thursday 'Craft Day' in June, we put together at least 5 or 6 of them and sent them off. The kids were excited to do most of the work themselves. And I was glad to see them do it. When they were finished, we held onto the blankets and sent a little bit of extra love into them. My mom was a Reiki practitioner and I believe that the energy of love is real, it's tangible and it can help heal the world.

The little guy above is wearing one of the blankies that we made. Cindy's email said that he wore it on his head like a hat. The picture below is of Cindy's nephew with some of the many blankets that people sent in. I was so excited to spot our blankets in this bunch back in July. I can't even tell you how thrilled I was to see the picture of the blankie's actual recipient today.


It was so great to see these pictures and read Cindy's words. Each post she has done has literally made me cry. We made the blue stripy blankets with fabric that I inherited when my mom passed away. That, in itself, made it somewhat emotional. This morning, when I looked at that kiddo wearing a blanket made from that fabric, I just started to blubber. Joey went to get my sister, telling her that something was wrong with me.

I don't know why she thought something was wrong; she sees me cry all the time. And, if I'm crying, it's most likely because of something extremely happy. I'm silly that way.

So, in case any of you are reading... I would just like to say Thank You to Jaden, Joey, Raven, Aurora, Beccy and Jenny. Thank you for doing this with me. I hope you enjoy the picture as much as I did.

Namaste