Enjoy some holiday musical cheer with the Twelve Days of Christmas a la the a cappella group, Straight No Chaser from Indiana University. Very creative performance with over 18 million views. Get ready to smile!

Last December, the day after Christmas, we said goodbye to our nearly 20-year-old wise kitty, Misty. We were bereft, since she was the last of the six cats who were such a beloved part of our family through the years and she had been with us since birth. Luckily, we did not allow ourselves to be "catless" for very long, since the house was so empty we couldn't stand it. We found these two simply amazing kittens at our local Humane Society and have been enjoying their lively, energetic kitten comics ever since. In a quirk of serendipity, they were each named and had the same coloring as two of our kitties who were gone over the Rainbow Bridge. We knew immediately upon seeing them piled together sleeping in the window, that they were ours.

They are without a doubt the most intelligent, inventive, playful, athletic and adventurous cats who have ever owned us! Our breakable plates, glasses and knickknacks have taken a pretty big hit, (six glasses, four cereal bowls, two cat food dishes, and a crystal basket so far) but we are so grateful that these furry felines have chosen to be with us for their life's adventure. Below, please enjoy their romp through the cushions. They can entertain themselves endlessly with pretty much anything: paper bags, boxes, a crack in the tile floor, their tails, each other. Here's to feline fun!

This new video features Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and many others singing a heartfelt love song to our Mother Earth. Beautiful!

I admit it. I'm a serial reader. An unapologetic bookworm and one who revels in discovering new ideas and insights through the elegant expressions of the written word. My home is strewn with books in various stages of consumption and deciding which books to carry with me on vacations has always been a dilemma. Thankfully, in our world of digitally available books and reading devices such as Kindle, I can carry a vast array of reading material with me wherever I go. My back is very grateful for this miracle of technology!

And, yes, like Desiderius Erasmus as quoted above, books can be considered a form of addiction. However, if one must be addicted to anything, I think being a book-a-holic is one of the more benign and beneficial ones.

Recently, a friend asked me for some recommendations of books that focus on creating optimal wellness and using various techniques of positive affirmation and creative visualization to bring about desired life changes. In other words, to learn how our past experience, current frame of mind, intentions and words come together to create the reality in which we sense our world. Well, it took me a week to narrow the list so I wouldn't overwhelm my friend!

Here are some of the books that have guided and changed me, enriched my life, deepened my understanding of my own empowering choices, and helped me to create a rewarding and fulfilled life. I share them with you in hopes they may bring any who are seeking wisdom and direction closer to creating a beautiful, abundant and optimally healthy physical and spiritual life.

The first is a book that introduced me to the concepts of creating optimal wellness in all areas of life: self-responsibility, breathing, sensing, eating, moving, feeling, thinking, playing & working, communicating, sex, finding meaning, and transcending. It is the Wellness Workbook: How to Achieve Enduring Health and Vitality by John W. Travis, M.D. and Regina Sara Ryan. This book came into my life at a time when I was poised on the precipice of a major life change. It allowed me to truly understand where much of my thinking about health and wellness originated, how to make balance and optimal wellness in all areas of life a priority, how to analyze what was not working and why. It empowered me with tools by which to affect the changes I so desired. Looking back, I can see that it was nothing short of miraculous in the impact it had on my life. When I say this is a life-changing book, I mean it! Now in its third edition, it packs a great deal of information and help into this interactive, workbook design in a way that leads to self-discovery and balance in all aspects of life. You can explore it using the link above at Amazon.

Another book that made a significant difference in my life is Alan Cohen's Daily Dose of Sanity: A Five-Minute Soul Recharge for Every Day of the Year. This book has a magical way of bringing clarity and insight, with humor, warmth, personal anecdotes and stories, as well as inspiring quotes and questions which prod the reader into taking action. It distills so much wisdom into one-page daily readings that one can use it year after year, finding new meaning, depth and application to our ever-changing lives. Alan is a gifted teacher, with an engaging style, bringing his wisdom and insight as a nationally-known author, speaker, and life coach to uplift, encourage and empower readers to become their best selves.

One of my favorite authors is Oriah Mountain Dreamer, whose poem, The Invitation, went viral and inspired the augmentation of her beautiful prose into a book, then a series of books, with breathtaking honesty, integrity and eloquence. She paints the inner workings of our hearts with her stories and embodies gentle wisdom and vision to cut through the outer trappings of life to the core of our emotions. It's difficult to choose one of her books as my favorite because they have all been dependable, well-loved companions on the journey, but I think The Dance is the one that speaks most directly to me now. From the cover: "What if the question is not why am i so infrequently the person i really want to be, but why do i so infrequently want to be the person i really am?" And, the back cover brings it even closer to home: "Don't tell me how wonderful things will be...someday. Show me you can risk being completely at peace, truly okay with the way things are right now in this moment, and again in the next and the next and the next..."

So, there you have it. Three of my most trusted companions on life's journey. What books have you found completely captivating, that speak to your heart and open the eyes of your soul? Please share in the comments. We can all use some inspiration!

I lost a very beloved friend this week. She had a loving, compassionate heart, gentle kindness, and a witty sense of humor that had everyone within a large radius of her laughing. She also had a deep abiding faith that shone through her actions, as well as her words. 
Though I am very grateful she is free of the pain and ravages of cancer, it is still hard to let go of the friendship we shared--even though I know love never ends. The many childhood and teen memories keep flooding in and filling my eyes with tears and my heart with sadness at her loss. The world is dimmer without her shining presence of love.

I release her into God's loving arms with such a grateful heart to have had a wonderful friend like Becky King. And I believe I can hear heaven laughing to greet her. Go with God, Becky. You will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who love you!

Today, I came upon a 1 minute video (created by Louie Schwartzberg, narrated by Morgan Freeman) that will be the opening for the United Nations climate talks on September 23. It is one powerful minute of truth. Please spend one minute of your time to view it and see how it affects you. I, personally, believe that we are all powerful elements of change, according to our own inner integrity. We can spend our energy, like that of the waves, in affecting change for our planet and for the future generations to inhabit it. Use your ever-renewing, ever-unfolding expression of life to be the wave of change and make a difference!

Stand on the shore at night. You can hear the sound of the waves. You can see them break and whiten on the rocks. But the sea itself, vast and imponderable and strange and deep, you cannot see. A wave breaks on the rocks and then is gone, and all that is left behind is a fading line of foam. Yet the sea is more than the foam that fades on the rock. The sea is more than the wave into which it shaped itself for a moment. When wave and foam are gone, the sea abides to shape itself into another wave and fling itself in foam on the rocks again. You are like a sea that shapes itself into a wave. The wave will expend itself, but you will not expend yourself. You will shape yourself into an infinity of waves. You are the ever-renewing, ever-unfolding expression of infinite life. You are the spirit of the Infinite moving across infinity.
~Mahatma Gandhi

This piece is an homage to the awe-inspiring friends who make a difference every day by choosing the path of love and service. They are ordinary, everyday people doing extraordinary, miraculous things. They look fear and loss in the eye and spit in it, choosing instead to use their creative talents and gifts to perform a sort of spiritual alchemy that has incredible power to transmute despairing into caring, and chaos into peace. They do this by choosing the expansive path of love and service over the contracting one of fear and limitation. They do this every day. So can we all.

The friends I'm speaking of come from all walks of life: a nurse, a poet, a fiction writer/yoga teacher, a spiritual healer, a retired teacher, a singer, a flight attendant. They are the unsung heroes (or sheroes) who know the secret of life -- choosing love one moment at a time. 

The news of Robin Williams' death hit me with the impact of a double-hoofed kick in the solar plexus. I felt such a depth of sadness at his bright, incredible talent being silenced by the demon of depression. It's incomprehensible. As the shock waves washed over me, I thought about the duality of the human spirit: its vulnerable frailties and its equally amazing strengths. We are all caught in a raging sea of human need brought to us each day by the media in a vast array of war, poverty, hatred, intolerance and greed. If one focused only on the horrible news of the day, it would be easy to surrender to fear and curl up into a shivering little ball of misery. But the human spirit has this deep innate resilience. And hope is hard to kill. Thankfully!

For all the tragedies and human suffering that are on display seemingly everywhere you look, there are also tender-hearted, generous, breathtaking instances of people who are moving through the impacts of life circumstances to bring forth their own miraculous talents in service to the screaming need of others. Let me give you a few examples of several inspiring friends who are doing just that:

First, there's Wendy, a nurse who has lived through numerous challenges including losing almost everything in a house fire, and surviving some very tough health issues. Yet she is not only surviving, but thriving. She is leaving on a mission trip to Arua, Uganda today to bring her medical knowledge and her compassionate heart, along with 5-gallon buckets filled with hospice supplies to teach those caring for the dying how to practice good hygiene and comfort care. Wendy is one shining example of someone who has transformed the pain of loss into the path of service. She rocks as a shero in my book! If you would like more information about the Bucket Project Hospice Kits, as part of the Baptist Global Relief program, you can find it here:
  https://www.gobgr.org/projects/project_detail/hospice-kits

Another friend who is answering the creative call is Pamela. She is currently sharing the amusing and inspiring story of her spiritual journey through her multimedia one-woman theatrical presentation, called "Confessions of a Spiritually Promiscuous Woman", and her new book, Confessions of a Passionate Seeker: Bridging the Gap from Ego to Essence, and in her speaking engagements around the country. Pamela is a whirlwind of creative talent and energy who has shared her gifts with many through establishing empowering women's groups called Women of Wisdom, her two Higher Tea books and the Blueprint for the Human Spirit. Her journey continues to touch lives and inspire. Her website can be found here: www.PamelaGerali.com

Yet another friend, Shannon Danford, brings lightness and wickedly funny humor to others through her Blues series of books set in SW Florida. She creates totally outrageous characters and places them in hilarious situations which could, or might still, happen and releases her own inimitable witty/ironic style in the process. She actually offers a laughter dare/guarantee for her work. I couldn't read them without laughing out loud so often my husband came to check and see what I was doing! Yup, another shero! So if you need some laughter in your life, check out her books here: http://www.mamasluckymojo.com/ or here: http://www.sandmanbooks.com/florida-authors/danford-shannon-florida-author.html

Heather McHugh is a friend of a friend whom I originally met at the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers, in North Carolina years ago where I was working and she was teaching. Heather is a poet, a translator, an educator and a shero who has touched countless lives through her deeply insightful and inspiring poetry. She has won awards too numerous to list (You can visit her Wikipedia page here).  In 2009, Heather was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant for her dazzling body of work. Yet rather than simply basking in the honor and accolades, Heather chose to take the award money and use it along with her own resources to launch the non-profit Caregifted.org which provides respite getaways for weary long-term caregivers. But Heather's generosity and vision didn't stop there. She also is spearheading the fund-raising campaign to keep the Caregifted program going and growing, and she is dedicated to producing a documentary called Undersung, which tells the stories of awe-inspiring love that carries these long-term caregivers on their mission of service. This vitally important visual vehicle for sharing the stories of people (the Undersung heroes and sheroes who represent the 90 million unpaid family caregivers in the U.S.) is so necessary to raising our collective consciousness about this crucial but mostly unacknowledged role. What a marvelous mission Heather has accepted, to bring the spotlight of awareness to these caregivers who are unselfishly, quietly and courageously giving every day, year after year, in service to others. If there is some title beyond shero, (supershero?) Heather certainly deserves it!

Friends Lois and Ken Werner visited Guatemala and were so strongly impacted by the depth of poverty, malnutrition and disease there that they were moved to found the non-profit People for Guatemala to raise awareness and funds to help. They have now moved permanently to Guatemala and are establishing assistance programs to bring clean water/sanitation, education and computers, medical assistance and safe, non-polluting cooking stoves to the people there. Last year, their campaign at one local church paid for installation of 800 vented cooking stoves in small huts where the families had previously been exposed to disease-producing smoke from open fires. They are also offering instruction and materials to Guatemalan teachers, introducing reading skills to young children and technology to older children to assist in their education. They are literally changing thousands of lives, bringing healthier conditions and hope to those who were being crushed by poverty.

Another angel who felt impassioned about helping the people living in such poverty in Guatemala is Penny Rambacher. She founded Miracles in Action  which seeks out under-served pockets of need in rural Guatemala and researches projects that focus on education, vocational training, and sustainable development. These projects achieve long-term results, improve quality of life, and allow truly impoverished people to help themselves-- by working in partnership with poor Guatemalan people, giving them a hand up, instead of a hand-out. Miracles in Action is currently collecting items to fill five shipping containers with goods for Christmas gifts for Guatemalan children. I love the fact that Penny has developed a plan that allows the Guatemalans to use their own talents to make products that bring them good, which is truly a hand "up", and a win-win for all.


In my own career as a singer, I seek to make a difference by singing programs for those with Alzheimer's or other dementia, allowing the music to soothe and uplift, bringing light to dimmed eyes, and smiling, toe-tapping, clapping, joyful moments to those whose memories have been stolen by disease. It's incredibly beautiful to watch the awakening and transformation that so often happens with music -- familiar songs, eye contact and a gentle pat on the shoulder can work miracles. Music is the magic agent of alchemy here, and I'm the one lucky enough to be observing and participating in the miracle. Singing is what I can do to make a difference. It's one way I choose the path of love and service over fear.

There are times in all lives that things feel out of control. We all face uncertainty. We may not be able to control what happens, but we can always control our response to what happens. Love is the path out of fear and we can consciously choose it every single day. What will you choose today? How will you make a difference in your life or that of another? We all have gifts, we have power to make a difference. I'd love to hear your choice!

Misty is my 19-year-old kitty, who likes to share her vast experience of life from a feline perspective, here on my blog. I am just the conduit for her "whisker wisdom". Hope you enjoy her insights and musings!

1. Follow your inner feline curiosity. There's a big wide world on the other side of the window. You can decide whether to view it with fear and uncertainty or with curiosity and delight. Choose delight!

2. Groom yourself to look your best. Good grooming is very important. Wash your face and ears often and keep your fur in place. Getting all ruffled is not attractive. Neither is getting puffed up to twice your size unless the neighborhood bully is bothering you. In that case, it's perfectly acceptable. Claws can even be unsheathed when there is something crucial to defend. Like your food bowl, or your mousie toy.

3. Be vulnerable. Misty has mastered the art of vulnerability. She turns on her back with feet up in the air exposing her belly, inviting a rub. We can all find our individual way to express that trust and vulnerability to those we love. It's a sign of great strength to be open and invite others to metaphorically rub your tummy.

4. Be peaceful. Sometimes the very best thing to do is curl up on a cushion and meditate. Or take a nap. If we want peace, we must be peace-full. Cats know this. You can't "fight" for peace, you simply live it!

5. Creaky doesn't equal cranky necessarily. At the advance feline age of 19, Misty knows all about being creaky. But creakiness doesn't give you the right to be cranky. We all have days when it's hard to get motivated or we are moving slowly due to pain or injury. Go ahead and lick your wounds, but don't let grumpiness cause you to snarl at others or bite the hand that feeds you. Life isn't perfect, and at times it can be downright messy. But remember, misery is optional. You can always choose your response to life.

6. Stay active and engaged with life. Stretch yourself, mentally and physically (cats are good at the physical part!) I often observe Misty doing her morning yoga and try to follow her example. She sometimes assists me with mine, also, usually by rubbing against me or dragging her tail by my mouth. Do yoga, chase birds or geckos, be alert for mice and other interesting creatures crossing your path (or whatever your human equivalent of these activities may be). Have fun, play, learn new things, stretch your life to new dimensions! Hiding under the bed is not an option! Be brave and have an adventure today!

7. Practice looking cute. If you find yourself drawn into any problem or communication issue, such as putting your paw (foot) in your mouth, simply looking cute can prevent escalation. Misty is the absolute master of looking cute. She does it pretty much all the time, to varying degrees, making it very difficult to be angry or upset with her at all. Try it. Hint: it helps to practice with a mirror so you can experiment with various expressions and gestures. Too bad we humans don't have whiskers and multidirectional ears to generate extra cuteness, like cats do. I love Misty's "Yoda" ear position, which indicates relaxation and her whiskers-forward move, which means she is intensely interested or curious or about to pounce on something. If humans had feline type ears and whiskers, I'll bet we'd have far less miscommunication!