Words from the Heart

I just finished watching the documentary, I AM .  To say that it touched me would be putting it mildly!  Tom Shadyac , the creator of this documentary, shares the wisdom gained when he went in search for the answers to two questions. 1. What is wrong with the world? 2. What can we do about it? Here is the trailer for the movie.       What resonated with me, almost immediately, was the idea that our hearts give off an electromagnetic charge that is picked up by others around us.  This is the reason why when some people come into our space we begin to feel uneasy or stressed, while others give us feelings of peace and love.  We do this on an unconscious level.  Imagine if we consciously promoted love and cooperation, even in the face of difficulties?   I would like to challenge my readers to an experiment.  For one week, begin every day with consciously focusing on loving, thankful and cooperative thoughts.  T...

Today, I am delighted to have one of my favorite fellow writers, who has been a guest here before, join us.  Please welcome back, Melissa Foster ! Award-winning, bestselling author Melissa Foster is a touchstone for the indie publishing community and a tireless advocate for women. She is the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success, and The Women’s Nest. Melissa writes emotionally-driven contemporary fiction and suspense with passionate characters that remain with the reader long after they’ve read the last words. Melissa is a friend, mentor, brownie connoisseur, and book fiend. In addition, Melissa is a dynamo of literary energy.  She, like many women today, has her hat in multiple arenas, which is why she is sharing her thoughts on controlling the chaos of life.  Her post is part of her summer blog tour . As always, Melissa, I am delighted to have you visit!   Linda, I am honored to be sharing your blog space today, thank you....

Today, I am pleased to introduce writer, Steena Holmes, to Words from the Heart as promised in an early post this month.  Steena has just released her new book, Finding Emma , the story of how a parent who has lost a child lives with that loss and never gives up hope. Before you read Steena's post, however, come along with Emma on a scavenger hunt! We're going to the Carnival!  At each stop along Steena's tour there is a hidden word--something you would find at a fair or carnival. Find the word and enter it at the Scavenger Hunt page on Steena's website -  ( http://www.steenaholmes.com/wow-scavenger-hunt/ ).     Each entry is an extra ticket to win! Need more clues? Join us at the Carnival Board on Pinterest ( http://pinterest.com/steenah/summer-carnivals-childhood-memories/ ) where we will post images of the clues. Join in the fun by leaving your own favorite carnival pics!  Read about prizes and additional details on The Muffin.( http://m...

Reflected Sunset. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When I was asked, "What makes your life poetic?" I was taken back.  Hmmm...what a wonderful question.  As I started pondering, I realized that there were many answers to this question. As a mature, active, curious, mindful and compassionate person, I find that life is filled with joy, beauty and awe, if we but take the time to experience these wonderful gifts.  Each morning as I rise, I face the East and give thanks for another day.  I know that no matter what, this day is unique and offers me more opportunities to love and be loved. My children and grandchildren are certainly muses in my life.  They challenge, inspire and bless me in ways they will never know. My love - Roger - makes my life poetic as well as filled with song.  How wonderful is it to wake every morning to someone who cherishes you, brings you tea, plays music for you to wake to so that your day begins well?  To ...

education (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee ) This week, I learned about a situation that is so frightening to me that I have to share it with all of you.  A faculty member of the School of Education at UMass Amherst has lost her position after standing up to Pearson, Inc., a corporate giant that creates standardize testing, when she and her students were asked to take part in a pilot for a new testing program for student teachers.   The basis of this program was that student teachers would no longer be reviewed by the supervising teacher.  Instead, they would be filmed teaching (as a parent, I have all kinds of issues with this!) and their video sent to a person, somewhere, who would review it and make recommendations yea or nay as to the ability of the student teacher. Are we in OZ?  I thought the man behind the curtain had been found out?  Why are we going backwards instead of forwards?? Barbara Madeloni is a colleague and friend.  She...

I just finished the latest round of collaborative work with the "Get Sparked" initiative. I have to say, this project is a wonderful means of getting the creative juice flowing.  For those who have not heard of the Spark collaborations, they were started by Amy Souza, who is a freelance writer and editor in Arlington, Virginia. She founded SPARK in 2008. The project began with 20 participants—10 artists and 10 writers—and June 2012 marked the completion of its sixteenth round. Learn more about Spark and Amy, visit a previous post at: http://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/2011/03/challenging-creativity.html This time round, I participated as both a writer and an artist.  I never thought of myself as an artist, but, I am.  I love to create. Producing a work of art using digital photography has been a joy. The following are my artistic creations for SPARK 16. I am sharing both the works that didn't make it to the final cut and the final offering.  The process is ...