Finishing Unfinished Business

Yesterday, I read a story of Troy Aikman, former QB of the Dallas Cowboys, who finally made good on a promise he made to his mother over 20 years ago. He finished his last two college courses and will graduate from UCLA in June of this year.

When he left college, he was two classes shy of graduation and vowed to his mother at that time that he would return and complete the degree requirements. He finally did it!

I can imagine how good he must feel to have this commitment finally complete. It must give him much personal satisfaction as he proudly annouced his upcoming graduation on February 7, 2009, at a halftime ceremony honoring his induction into the College Hall of Fame at the UCLA-Notre Dame basketball game.

Living a life with integrity, doing what you say will do, allows one to sleep well at night. I imagine Troy is sleeping better than ever these days!

Do you have unfinished business? What promises have you made and not kept? Do these old promises weigh you down? If old promises are weighing you down, what steps can you take to either fulfill the promise or discard it. If it is no longer meaningful, how can you bring it to closure and move forward with ease? Will it take you 20 years to fulfill your promise or are you willing to begin taking action today?

10 Questions Designed to Get You Over the Hump and Into a Divine 2009!

The year is well under-way; it is now February 11, 2009. Many of us made resolutions and promises to ourselves at the beginning of the New Year. Have you kept your New Year Resolutions, Proclamations or Promises?

If you did, I bet you are feeling like 2009 is indeed divine. If not, you are like many others who have discarded resolutions and are feeling unfulfilled and out of integrity just about now.

If you are looking for a way to get over the hump, I suggest you respond to the following questions. Now is the time to review our promises and remember what led us to make this commitment. If it is still important and weighing you down….

1. What is holding you hostage or stuck?

2. Do you believe that you can fulfill this resolution, proclamation or promise?

3. What support do you need to get over the hump and make this a divine 2009?

4. What strengths do you have that will help you to accomplish this resolution?

5. What weaknesses are keeping you stuck?

6. What practices or routines can you put into place to strengthen your resolve?

7. Are you out of alignment with your values, interests, and purpose?

8. How can you connect your desires, dreams and visions at home, work and play?

9. How can you keep your resolutions, proclamations and in clear focus?

10. What small action can you take today to get started?

In Every Crisis, See Promises of Hope and Expect Pleasant Surprises!

As a mom, I want my children to listen to me, to learn from my mistakes, to make good choices and to sail smoothly into adulthood. I am sure my parents wanted the same for me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, life is never smooth and we can expect to meet with obstacles and challenges, failures, successes, and lots of zigs and zags in between.

My desires and my life experience have not always been in sync. Despite my best efforts, I have failed, been misunderstood, and made mistakes. At such times I have wailed, lamented and grieved.

When given time and support to regroup, I have managed to stand back up and to renew my efforts and to move forward. With greater knowledge and empathy, I have experienced many blessings and have had delightful experiences. I nonetheless, have much to learn and I continue to encounter opportunities for growth. While I would prefer to sail easily myself, I must admit that my failures, more than my successes have made me who I am today.

I sometimes forget that my children must make their own mistakes and face the consequences of their own actions. I sometimes forget that personal experience is the best teacher and that every crisis is a blessing in disguise. When we are negatively impacted, the lessons learned stick with us and we are less likely to make the same mistake again.

In my 56 years on this earth, I have experienced my share of disappointment, loss, failure and despair. I have been terminated, passed over for promotion, have lost loved ones and cried out for understanding. In the past, I have pointed fingers, blamed others for their mistakes and became angry and bitter.

Looking back, I see that fault finding and name calling kept me stuck in a very uncomfortable position. I was no better off and in fact I made more enemies in the process.

Somewhere on the road, I realized that my journey was easier when I traveled with friends. When I reached out to another in kindness, my own worries disappeared and my mood improved. I learned that I could sleep easier, feel better, and be at greater peace when I actively sought to make the lives of others better.

Going forward, I will make a renewed effort to remember that my children are here to live their own lives, to make their own mistakes and to learn their own lessons. I am a fellow traveler and a work in progress myself. If I can be there to encourage them to try again, to remind them of past successess and love them unconditionally, I serve my highest purpose as a parent.

What mistakes have you made? What lessons have you learned? What pleasant surprises have surfaced in your times of crisis?

Miracles Happen...We are never alone!

Look at this picture and you can see where this driver broke through the guardrail, on the right side of the culver.

You can see people are standing on the road, pointing. The pick-up was traveling about 75 mph, from right to left, when it crashed through the guardrail.

It flipped end-over-end, bounced off and across the culvert outlet, and landed right-side-up on the left side of the culvert, facing t he opposite direction from which the driver was traveling.

The 22-year-old driver and his 18-year-old passenger were unhurt, except for minor cuts and bruises. This happened just outside Flagstaff , AZ on U.S. Hwy 100.

Now, look at the second picture below . . .

If these young people didn't believe in God before, do you suppose they believe in him now?

Will they live life more fully, more grateful, more loving? What lesson will they learn and what lesson can they teach?

Doing Our Part - Giving At-Risk Youth an Opportunity for a Better Life!

January is Mentoring Month and we are being asked to help our youth! Youth with challenges and disabilities need our help to ensure that they are given opportunities to serve and to contribute. They need help in taking the next step, in exploring interests, and in transitioning from school to work or to higher education.

At the beginning of the year, I reflected on my blessings and the good people who have mentored me along the way. I remember being a High School Senior with a dream of attending college. My parents encouraged me to dream and wanted me to have opportunities that they did not enjoy. Neither had finished high school and they knew that I would need special guidance to get there myself.

I remember my Mom made a special effort to connect me with Mary Lu, a college student with whom she worked. She orchestrated a meeting time and brought us together to work on my college application. Mary Lu, just a junior herself, helped me to pull my goals, hopes and aspirations together and write my college essay.

I am convinced that I would not have been admitted to college without Mary Lu's help. With her support and suggestions, my college application was completed, and a couple of months later I received my letter of acceptance! I jumped with joy and thanked God for bringing me the help I needed. My life took on a new direction and was forever changed thanks to my first mentor, Mary Lu.

In the intervening years, I have been mentored and mentored others in my career. Along the way, I have shared dreams, received encouragement and learned lessons that have made a positive difference in my life and in the lives of others.

President Obama urges every American to stand up and take action. Together we can to help our youth and help our country. Michelle Obama has a message waiting for you here ...

Do you have a Mary Lu in your life? Do you remember a mentor who made all the difference in your life? Will you join me in taking action to support our youth and country? Will you consider becoming a Mentor and opening up opportunities for our at-risk youth?goals, plans, hopes

Last Day to Vote - Ideas for Change in America

I am starting off 2009 with Wellness on my Mind. It will be the overarching theme and the foundation of all I undertake this year. I had two medical appointments today (my preventive maintenance plan) and am reminded daily of how fortunate I am to be able to afford medical care for myself and family. I know others are not so lucky and need support in this arena and I am committed to devoting efforts toward this end.

I see the future as bright and I am choosing to voice my opinion on areas that I believe need more attention going forward. We will soon have a new President and a new Administration and they will have many issues to consider. Why not help them to focus on issues that are important to you? Consider voting today for the ideas you would like to support going into 2009.

My focus is on health and education. Your areas of interest may differ. Below, you will see a listing that details how I voted. You can also see where each issue stood in terms of popularity earlier today.

Voting will continue throughout the day. If you have not already voted in this round, you can do so now. Today is the last day to vote on this Change.Org forum. The Top Ten Ideas will be presented to the Obama Administration tomorrow at the National Press Club. The Change.org team will then connect the winning ideas with leading non-profit organizations and launch a series of national advocacy campaigns designed to turn each idea into public policy.

To read more about each issue, I chose to support, you can click the link below. You can choose to vote for these issues or find other issues that are important to you and vote for them. The point is to take action and to be heard and counted. It is easy to do!


I have voted for the following 10 ideas:
Free Single Payer Health Care (3rd Place)
Pass the DREAM Act - Support Higher Education for All Students (7th Place)
Bridging the Empathy Gap - Yes We Can! (12th Place)
Healthful school lunch options (13th Place)
Fully Fund Medicaid Waivers for the Developmentally Disabled (18th Place)
Mobilize Mentors, Tutors, and Citizen Teachers to Help Kids Succeed (28th Place)
End Childhood Hunger in America (38th Place)
"The Autism Reform Act of 2009" (40th Place)
Take Care of Disabled Veterans (44th Place)
Give Homeless Children a Chance (49th Place)

You can help support ideas for change by forwarding this information to friends or posting links to your favorite ideas on sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or any blog you might write. The Ideas for Change in America initiative was begun with the hope that they could translate the energy behind the Obama election into a citizen-led movement for change around the major issues we face. Over 500,000 votes have been cast thus far. With each vote that is cast, you help to deliver a clear message to the Obama administration that the American people want to participate in their own government again.

Have a Great Day and Divine 2009!

A Call for Action - Mentor and Make a Difference while Serving Your Community

GET INVOLVED NOW!

FIND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.

It is time for ordinary citizens, like you and me, to make a difference. It is time to get involved and become a mentor. We have much to share and it is time we passed on the lessons learned. It is time to voice your concerns and to take action on matters that are important to you. If your passion lies in helping young people to navigate the road to self sufficiency and satisfaction, please consider mentoring a youth with special needs while serving your community.

Youth with disabilities face significant challenges. Compared to other youth, they are:

• Twice as likely to drop out of high school and half as likely to attend or finish college. Those who do finish high school are more likely to have taken a less rigorous course load than their non-disabled peers.
• More likely to develop mental health impairments.
• More likely to have unintended pregnancies.
• Four times more likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system. (National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, 2005)

Research shows that without adequate supports, youth in transition who have disabilities are more likely than their peers to:

• Live in poverty and be dependent on public assistance.
• Have chronic health problems, and lack comprehensive health insurance.
• Be unemployed or underemployed.
• Be dependent on family members for housing and finances.

Mentoring youth with disabilities while serving your community can serve multiple needs. In the relationship, you will engage them in community works, support them in their transition into adulthood, and give them an opportunity to explore their career interests. As a mentor, you will be making a difference in the life of the young adult and in the wellness of your community.

In the process of voicing your concerns, sharing your desires for change, you will also be modeling civic involvement and action. Your mentorship will encourage youth to also speak out, to be heard and to make a contribution in their communities. You will connect with the energy and idealism of our youth and offer your knowledge and experience.

I encourage you to take the call to action, to find opportunities to volunteer and to begin your search by typing in your zip code above. Please contact me if you need help in locating a mentee who shares your passion.

In 2009,

Will you:

• Connect with your passion?
• Share your love of learning?
• Connect with youth to make a difference?