C.C. and I went to a movie last night. Our intent had been to go see, the Best Marigold Hotel but I got the time wrong for that theatre and we were too late.

I suggested not worrying about the first 15 minutes but C.C. is a purist. It won’t make sense, he said.

Then, let’s start it now and stay for the beginning of the next show, I suggested. I like to read the endings of books first so I don’t mind what order the story is told in.

Again, the purist in C.C. demurred. How about Marvel’s Avengers. It’s in 3D.

Which is why fifteen minutes later, as the movie began, C.C. and I were sitting in a darkened theatre (that was very crowded I  might add) looking like we were hiding out from paparazzi in our dark glasses, munching popcorn and watching a movie I never thought I’d see. (I’m not terribly into action adventure heroes and blow ’em ups and on the edge of your seat dramatic turns at every pop! dazzle! wham!)

It was fun, though at the end, I had to admit I was exhausted. I thought I’d fall off my seat with every frame, I told him. And seriously… When you sit with every muscle of your body clenched for two hours in anticipation of having to dodge something flying out the screen at you as silvery objects flew around the air above your head, you’re going to be tired!

But that’s actually not what this post is about. It’s about what happened after the movie. What I did to disturb my peace of mind.

As we got up from our seats to leave (and yes, we did stay until that final snickering smile in the ending credits) I thought about picking up the empty popcorn bag, the candy wrapper and the water bottles. My mind wanted to, but I was sluggish.

Nah, I told myself. They’ve got young cleaner uppers who come and clean the aisles and seats between showings. I’ll just leave it.

And I did.

And that’s where my peace of mind became disturbed.

I don’t like leaving mess for others to have to clean up.

I don’t like being inconsiderate.

Now, I know it’s not a big thing, but it’s the little things that add up to big things that create the problems with my peace of mind.

So, yesterday I chose not to clean up my mess in the theatre. What if that one slip leads to another today. Like I decide not to pick up after my dog. Or I choose not to pick up the piece of paper I threw at the garbage can at the gas station and leave it lying on the ground…. What then?

See, it’s not the ‘doing’ that is eating at my peace of mind. It’s the post doing thinking about how I could have and chose not to that disturbs me. And, because I don’t want to be ‘that’ woman who didn’t carry her garbage out at the end of the movie, I need to be vigilante in ensuring I don’t fall into believing, this one time, is not a precursor of a next time.

Yes, I am being dramatic. You might even say I’m blowing it out of proportion like an action hero blowing up an alien mid-air. ‘Don’t be ridiculous! That’s not possible!’

Anything is possible. Just look at the movie last night. Portals opening up in the sky, Aliens streaming down set on destroying earth — anything is possible….

It is possible for me to let go of my principles. It is possible for me to lose ground, to lose my peace of mind by not doing the right thing.

‘Fessing up. Coming clean. Making a commitment to always take out  my garbage (whether in a movie theatre, a gas station or the back-country) are all part of living with integrity and creating value in a world where my difference is something that creates peace of mind within me and all around me.

It’s the small things that build a path to big things. To be great, I need to do small things with great spirit. To live in peace, love and harmony, I need to take out the garbage.

Namaste.

Dr. Isabel Ries Ferrari is one of the most intuitive and insightful people I know. She is also one of the best friends anyone could have. Kind. Caring. Brilliant. She always gives her best, and always works to bring out the best in others. Isabel and I worked together for almost six years at the Calgary Drop-In and throughout that time I was in awe of her ability to see into the heart of what is on people’s minds, and to guide them to clarity with compassion, grace and humility.

Since leaving the Drop-In, Isabel, who continues to be the Director, Education and Best Practices at the shelter, and I have continued to explore ways to work together as we both value our friendship and its many gifts. Today, here at A Year of Making a Difference, Isabel shares her insights and learning on how living our values makes a difference in every area of our life. When we make a difference through living with integrity, it spills over into the lives of those with whom we live, work and play in radiant ripples of love, peace and joy.

Thank you Isabel for sharing your difference here!

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Thank God for Heated Car Seats!

by Isabel Ries Ferrari, Ed.D

Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting a seminar on values and how they are a part of leadership and one’ life. Values, I explained, are our beliefs and philosophies; they are what we promote and defend, and they guide us in our decision-making and in the way we behave. To demonstrate this, I asked participants to choose one of two values that I presented. No fence sitting or straddling the line – pick one value that is very important to you.

Health …… or  …….. Wealth

Our values were acquired from our parents, grand-parents, friends, employers, and the many life experiences and situations we’ve encountered. Through the years they have been shaped or modified to meet our needs.

Loyalty ……. or …….  Relationship

Daily habits are a good indicator of what we value. Arriving an hour earlier at work to get ready for the day, may be the value of preparedness or reputation. Singing in the shower (a great stress reliever, so my doctor says) may be the value of personal health and well-being.

Innovation  …… or ..….  Dependability

Within ourselves we have many values. Depending on the situation you’re in, they will shift in importance to meet your needs at that time. If driving on a busy highway, the value of personal safety will rise to the top and you will drive with heightened awareness  until you reach your destination.

Sometimes, your values may compete with each other. For example, the value of becoming healthier versus the value of rewarding yourself for a job well done – the diet and exercise regime versus the glazed cinnamon roll. Let the competition begin!  “I’ve lost five pounds and one inch. I’m on a roll” versus “It’s only one doughnut. No problem”.

Throughout the course of the day, many of our values compete with each other. This is how decisions are made.

Loyalty ….. or ……. Professionalism

Let’s not forget the emotions and feelings attached to the values. Choosing the cinnamon roll will bring forth the emotions of guilt or shame or determination. The strength of the value will not only determine the strength of the emotion, it will also determine what value is truly important to you.

Daring …… or  …. Dependability

Now ….. About those heated car seats.

Golfing is an activity I truly enjoy. I value the opportunity to go outside and walk nine holes, the unwritten rule of “no shop talk”, the spoken rule of “play your best and most of all have fun” and meeting of new people, building relationships.  The challenge I have with golfing is my golf swing. I don’t have the “Phil Michelson” swing. So I take a golf lesson.

New golf grip …. New stance …. New body posture …. New shoulder rotation …. New golf swing.  New pain… In the hips, in the lower back, in the upper back, in the shoulders. I even had a muscle cramp in the right foot!  My value of golfing in the great outdoors and having fun (not to mention doing it to the best of my ability through my commitment to living a life of continuous learning)  is competing with the value of being able to walk the next day to go to work.

Achievement …… or  …… Acknowledgement

The gift we bring to the world is each other. We make a positive and lasting difference when we are in integrity with our values, our most powerful self is brought forth and is present for all to see and experience. When we are out of alignment with our values, we are uncomfortable and unsettled. Staying in alignment with our values is like the new golf swing – it takes regular conscious practice. It’s like a muscle that needs to be worked to build strength and stamina. When your muscles are tired and need some relief, sit back in your car, turn on the seat heater and enjoy.

Yup!  Thank God for Heated Car Seats!

There are heroes in our lives. People, and organizations, who make a difference everyday. This past week, I was immersed in heroes. People telling their stories. People sharing their ‘strength, courage and experience’ as they say at Al-Anon. People making a difference through simple acts that create connection.

The committed and talented ’20 -40 something generationals’ who are members of The Urban Exposure Project — part of the United Way of Calgary’s BeCause Initiative: Uniting the next generation – are heroes. They are opening hearts and minds and making a difference with their photo-journalism work on the meaning of ‘family’.  (and yes, I know I wrote about them Thursday — but they deserve being part of Heroes In Our Midst!)  And if you’re in Calgary — check out their exhibition on July 4  (details will be posted on their website soon!)

The team at Urban Exposure Project are heroes.

 Horizon Housing Society (HH) ensures people with mental health illnesses and physical disabilities and those living on the margins have a place to come home to.  HH provides the physical space (they buy and build apartments and manage them) and then, working and collaborating with other agencies, ensures each individual or family has the support they need to successfully sustain themselves in community. In all the interviews I’ve conducted in the past two weeks, one thing came out loud and clear — The work they do is vital to creating caring and compassionate communities. Horizon Housing rocks!

Everyone at Horizon Housing Society is a hero.

Sometimes you meet someone who oozes inspiration from the very core of their being. While I have met with Kerry Parsons several times in the past, last weekend I had lunch with Kerry and in our conversation about the co-creative power of making a difference in the world, I felt connected on a deep, vibrant level. In the glow of her light, I felt my inherent, birthright of  ‘greatness’ reflected in the beauty of her spirit. Kerry is the visionary behind Summer of Peace Calgary 2012. Kerry’s generosity of spirit and her gentle, respectful way of moving through the world never cease to amaze and inspire me.  In Kerry’s willingness to give back to community and individuals, I am inspired to keep giving, keep doing, keep being who I am in a world of difference, making each moment, each act, each word resonate in the light of peace, love and joy.

Kerry Parsons and the circle of committed Peace Builders working on Summer of Peace Calgary 2012 are heroes.

Two weeks ago I interviewed a woman who found affordable and accessible housing (she is in a wheelchair) because of a newspaper article about a man who, having lost a leg due to a transit train accident, was clean and sober and living in community. The article by Calgary Herald reporter, Sean Meyers, mentioned the agency that helped that man find housing, Accessible Housing Society. When I interviewed her, she proudly showed me the article and the phone number she’d written down that day, almost a year ago, when she awoke in Detox and decided to turn her life around.

There are a lot of heroes in this story — from Sean Meyers (it was Sean Meyers Calgary Herald article about Terry Pettigrew that connected two brothers and gave hearts ease  during Terry’s final days) to, Horizon Housing and Accessible Housing Society and everyone there. There are the case managers, the HomeCare workers and the social workers committed to helping people like this woman thrive in community.  You are all heroes. 

We need heroes to remind us, to inspire us, to ignite our own heroic natures. Thank you heroes for all you do to make a world of difference.

I am working with an organization that provides counselling services to the broadest range of society, from no income to high net worth. The centre is a place of compassionate healing for everyone who walks through their doors. In the sacred space the therapist creates to allow clients to share their hurts and pains and wounds, in that space where they explore the possibility for more of what they want in their lives, healing becomes reality.

As therapists, there is a natural and a learned hesitation in asking clients to ‘tell their story’ beyond the safety of the therapist-client circle. Privacy concerns, fears of being labelled, stigmatized, re-wounded are all natural and real concerns.

Yesterday, the CEO invited me to come into their regular staff meeting to talk about story. I am working with them on ideas for their 50th anniversary celebrations and have suggested it would be beneficial to build a database of client stories that speak from the heart to the heart.

This is work I love — Story gathering. Story telling.

This is ground I know well. Listening, probing, hearing, inquiring. Being open and compassionate. Being present and receptive. I have learned through telling my own story what a difference it makes — within me and in the world around me. There is power in our stories. 

Telling our stories makes a difference. In our telling we have the capacity to touch hearts and open minds. In our sharing we create space to heal, to renew, to open the door to a new story beyond the threshold of the past.

Honouring another’s story by listening with a gentle heart and open mind is vital. So is inviting someone to share.

Later in the day one of the counsellors came up to me to tell me she had asked someone if they would be willing to share. They were on their last session and the counsellor extended the invitation.

It was all it took.

One invitation.

And the client immediately responded with ‘yes’.

What a gift. To know you’ve helped someone move far enough along their healing journey that they are willing and able to share that journey with another.

And, as I told the counsellor, what a gift to the client to know they have healed enough to have been invited to share their journey and have the courage to say, yes. To know, their story makes a difference.

Giving is receiving.

Yesterday, an invitation to tell story rippled out into the world and continued to resonate and to draw out the beauty of our human condition through one person’s willingness to say, ‘yes’.

If we don’t ask, the answer is always no, I told the counsellors (I’d told the group at the Urban Exposure Project the same thing the night before — it was one of my father’s favourite sayings. Thanks dad!) When we ask, the possibility of ‘yes’ opens up.

We never know when one question  will touch another nor when one story will ignite imagination. Like extending an invitation, sharing our stories opens up the possibility of more than we can ever imagine.

And when we listen to each other’s stories with gentle hearts and open minds, we create a world of difference. A world where we are not measured by the story of the past, but rather, by our courage and capacity to create powerful meaning in our lives today.

We all have stories of falling down. We all have stories of getting back up. Like a baby who falls when learning to walk, we encourage each other to get stand up and try again when we share the steps we took to transform the pain of falling down into the joy of flying free.

I gave a presentation last night to a group of 20-something up and coming leaders of Calgary who are part of the United Way initiative, BeCause and the Urban Exposure Project. My youngest daughter, who works for United Way, is the coordinator for the project and had asked me some time ago to chat with the group about story-telling, and in particular, the art of finding the focus for your story in a photograph.

These are young, committed philanthropists who see value in understanding social issues that affect our city through exploring social issues through the lens of a camera and the stories they tell.

At the end of the presentation, several of the participants told me how inspiring I was. How much they’d learned. How much they appreciated what I’d shared.

It is wonderful and heart-warming to receive such praise. It is important to honour their feedback as it is a reflection of their openness and willingness to hear and to give. And, I believe any opportunity we have to feel good about ourselves, the work we’ve done, what we’ve created is important!  I believe we have an opportunity to shine in everything we do and it’s important to celebrate those moments that we are told we do! Because when I shine, you shine and when you shine, I shine and in that illumination, we create a brilliant world all around us.

And… here’s the secret. I was inspired by them. I was inspired by their commitment to make a difference, their willingness to be ‘out there’ doing what it takes to understand their world. I was touched by the beauty of their hearts, the wisdom of their souls and the depth of their perceptions. They inspired me.

In giving I receive. 

And what better way to spend an evening than by being inspired?

Someone asked me awhile ago if I got nervous before giving a presentation. Sure, I replied. But nervousness is just my egos fear of not being good enough. My ego likes to keep me believing I can’t do it. I’m not good enough.

I give enough. I do enough. I am enough.

In whatever I do, I want to give my best. I want to create a world of difference. To let my ego hold me back is to undermine my capacity to create what I want more of in my life, and the world.

Think about it. We each have talents and gifts to share with the world. In your sharing — do you want to be self-conscious, nervous, scared? Do you want to go out and crash and burn, or do you want to inspire, motivate, challenge, create better, create more, create connection, create a world of difference?

Focusing on your nervousness, focusing on your fear undermines your ability and capacity to shine.

As I told the group last night, there are two really key elements to story-telling. Intention and fearlessness. Know your intention — in essence, know your heart and let the world around you share in its beauty. Be fearless — don’t let the story in your head hold you back from connecting to the stories of your heart and the stories all around you. Don’t let, “But they won’t…” keep you from asking, “Will you…”  “Can I…” “What if I could/did/do…”

 When we are clear on our intention, when we focus on our capacity to create ‘more’ and step fearlessly into the light of our own brilliance, we shine!

I connected with an inspiring group of young, committed philanthropists last night. I’m excited. In their hearts, in their willingness to give back, to share their time, talents and treasures, I am confident for our future. They are making a world of difference.

Thank you Ross and Jason for spearheading such an amazing group. Thank you Liseanne for organizing and coordinating with such grace and thank you to all who shared and listened and let their presence create such a stellar evening for our brilliance to shine together!

It was a simple request, “Hold the door please!” a voice called out from behind me as I entered the building. I held the door and a woman rushed through, her arms filled with folders and binders, a large satchel purse swinging from one shoulder.

“Thanks,” she said as we walked towards the elevator.

“No problem,” I replied, before asking. “Can I carry anything for you?”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I’m kinda balanced like this.” And she went on to explain she was giving a course, running late, a child sick, a lost shoe…

We rode the elevator upwards and when I got off before her, she thanked me again for holding the door.

Later, I walked to the coffee shop around the corner and she was there, standing in line in front of me, chatting with a co-worker. When she placed her order, she turned, asked what I was having and insisted on buying it for me. “You were so nice to hold the door,” she repeated.

I was surprised. A bit taken aback.

All I did was hold the door. Something that happens countless times throughout the day for and with people throughout the city.

“I know,” the woman said when I told her it wasn’t necessary to buy me coffee. “But you’ve no idea how having that door held open really helped me. I was feeling really flustered and my morning was not going well. Having an open door just sort of changed everything around.”

It is so easy to hold a door open for someone and in the process, who knows what might happen to their day, or yours.

I left the coffee shop, carrying my coffee, a big smile on my face. As I walked down the street, my step was light, my feelings uplifted. Through the simple act of  holding a door open,  I had received the gift of connection, of knowing I’d made a difference simply by being polite.

As you travel through your day, are there opportunities for simple acts that make a difference?

In each act we take that creates open doors for others to feel seen, heard, acknowledged, we create a ripple of well-being in the world around us. And who knows, with each ripple of well-being we send out, we could create a tsunami of peace, love and joy throughout the world.

Now wouldn’t that be something!

Let’s all hold doors for strangers today and open up a world of possibility. Let’s all create openings for peace, love and joy with every act we take.

Namaste.

It is time.

Time to awaken, to rise up, to celebrate.

Time to open our hearts, shift our minds and lift our spirits up!

It is time to put down arms without fearing for our lives and hold out our arms in love for every life on this planet called Earth.

It is time to move away from discord and unease into harmony and joy.

To move beyond self-righteousness into acceptance.

To let go of fearing our differences and embrace what makes our uniqueness in love.

To step beyond fear into the courage to act. In Peace.

It is time.

To think peace. Be peace. Know peace. In our hearts and minds, in our families and communities, in our cities and provinces, states and countries. It is time for peace in our world.

It is time.

We’re making time for PEACE here in Calgary. June 22. We’ll be pounding the drums. Feeling the beat and heeding the call of Peace.

Inspired by the brilliance of Kerry Parsons whose Centre for Inspired Living has helped thousands of people move beyond conflict, discord and unease into living within harmony, peace and joy, a team of co-creators has woven together a plan to unleash PEACE in Calgary.

“Drumming Up Peace!” will take place Friday, June 22 at 7pm at the Inglewood Community Centre as part of Calgary Community Drum Circles‘ Friday night meet-up. “Drumming Up Peace” will launch  Summer of Peace Calgary 2012 — with song and dance and drumming and a Declaration of Peace for all to sign and commit to.

Summer of Peace Calgary 2012 is a grassroots movement embedded in the global SHIFT Network that, along with Barbara Marx Hubbard and other evolutionary leaders, is preparing for Birth 2012 — the conscious evolution of our human species that will unleash our natural creative potential to live cooperatively with peace, sustainability, health and prosperity.

And we’re excited.

Peace is possible.

Peace is necessary.

Peace is in the air and our hearts!

Peace is within all of us to give, to make, to extend, to hold onto and hold out.

It only takes one act, one choice, one decision to give peace a chance.

It only takes one move, one shift, one action to set in motion a ripple of peace throughout the world.

What’s your ripple?

Will you be an agent of peace?

Will you make your difference be counted in moments of strife, or will you make your difference count in moments of joy?

Will you put down anger to take up harmony?

Will you let go of fear to embrace change?

Will you be a peace destroyer or, a Peace Builder?

We can all make a difference in how we create peace in our lives. Moment by moment we can choose to build every action  we take upon our conscious decision to Choose Peace.

Peace is possible when we let go of believing it’s impossible.

Peace begins now when we let go of believing it will happen at some distant time when the stars and planets align to make room for peace.

There is room for peace in all our hearts. There is a place for peace, everywhere in the world.

It is time. To make peace, right here, right now.

It is time to shift our planet out of the way of war and turbulence and self-destruction.

It is time to make peace, today, so that we can create harmony for our world tomorrow.

It is time.

Will you act in peace today?

Will you raise your consciousness up to become aware of every step, every word, every action you take and it’s ability to destroy, or create peace, love and harmony in your world?

You can. I can. We can. Make peace happen. Now.

Let’s do it!

The sun was warm and inviting as Ellie and I set out on our walk yesterday. We were at a different park than our norm. She had joined ‘the family’ at my sister’s for Mother’s Day brunch at their house in the south end of the city.

Jackie and her husband live on the edge of a large wilderness area, Fish Creek Park. Over 20 kilometres in length, Fish Creek Park is one of the largest urban parks in Canada. And it’s beautiful.

The Park follows the Bow River which serpentine’s along the valley bottom from east to west. Poplar and pine and birch trees line the shore. Ducks paddle in the river. Fisherman steer their boats or stand on the shore casting their lines.

When I left their house my brother-in-law had told me to ‘turn left’ at the bottom of the hill and just follow the trail. “It loops back to where you began.”

Right.

Except, I’m not very good at following directions. I turned left, but not until I took the bridge across a tributary of the river. Ellie and I walked along the paved path until eventually, we headed to the riverside to walk the dry grasses of winter turning green. She splashed in the river. I sat in the sun and smiled at her antics.

We kept walking and came to another bridge. “I must need to get to the other side to get back to my car,” I told myself. And Ellie and I crossed.

We walked for another half hour, the sun danced on the river”s surface, the heat soaked into my skin. Nothing seemed familiar. We were walking along a golf course that shouldn’t have been on my left.

We kept walking. Eventually, a young exuberant Doodle Retriever bounced towards us, eager to play with Ellie. After an hour and a half of walking, Ellie was tired. She didn’t want to play, she wanted to sleep. The Doodle kept persisting. Ellie growled. The owner who was seated on a lawn chair some distance away,called her dog. The Doodle ignored her.

I pulled on Ellie’s leash. She wanted to ignore the Doodle, but the Doodle was too young to get the message. Ellie growled more intensely. The owner called her dog. Nothing happened.

Finally, I dragged Ellie away, the Doodle looking after us with a confused look on his face. ‘I just wanted to play!’

I wanted to tell the owner to take better care of her dog. I wanted to give my piece of mind on the difference between sitting in your lawnchair versus getting up and taking action.

I breathed. No sense in expending my energy negatively. And negative thoughts about her were definitely going to ruin my peace of mind! Bless her. Forgive me.

We kept walking until eventually, we came to a fork in the path. I had to choose — the river path or the bridge crossing. I pondered my route. I was pretty sure the straight path along the river would take me back to where I thought my car was parked. But I wasn’t sure.

I asked for directions. “Oh no,” a friendly passerby told me. “If you’re parked at Sikomie, you need to take the bridge and follow the path in the opposite direction.”

How did I get so turned around?

It didn’t really matter, how it happened. What  mattered was I found my way. Two and a half hours after setting out for an hour-long walk, Ellie and I were back at the car, tired and content.

Sometimes in life we get turned around. Sometimes, we go in the wrong direction. Sometimes we sit by the river and let life pass us by. It doesn’t matter how far down the trail we’ve gone or how much time we spend sitting out. What matters most is that we get back on the path. And when unsure of where we’re going, what makes the difference between being lost and finding our way is asking for directions.

When lost, asking for directions makes a difference.

It is Mother’s Day. A time to celebrate.  A time to give thanks. A time to say, I love you mom.

I was the final note in a quartet of children. The ‘baby’ of the family, I had my way. I was spoiled, rotten, my siblings would tell you. My mother despaired for me. “How will you ever get by in life if you always do it your way?” she would ask. “Why can’t you just listen to me?” she would plead. “Why can’t you be like the others?”

My mother and I often fought. We argued about hair and make-up, the shortness of my skirts, the length and colour of my fingernails. We disagreed on most things from the boys I liked to the dreams I held dear. We saw the world through different eyes, from how safe it was, to how beautiful it is. We seldom saw the same colour. She saw blue. I saw cerulean. She saw red. I saw crimson. We seldom heard the same song. She heard a lark singing. I heard an eagle calling.

When I was a little girl, I remember my mother fussing with my hair, straightening my blouse, insisting I dress the same as my older by 2 and a half years sister. I didn’t want to dress the same. I didn’t care if my blouse was straight. I just wanted to get on with life. To get out into the world and explore.

And my mother feared for me.

I used to think it was because she didn’t trust me. Didn’t believe I knew how to be, out there, out beyond the ties that bound me to the umbilical cord of her love. I thought she didn’t want me to grow, to achieve, to become all I wanted to be.

It wasn’t until I became a mother that I understood. It wasn’t until I struggled to achieve my impossible dream of being there for my daughters in every way they needed me that I saw the truth. It wasn’t because my mother didn’t trust me or  love me that she worried about me so. It was because she never wanted me to be hurt. She never wanted me to fall down. She never wanted me to know the pain she felt, out there, in the world.

My mother wanted to keep me safe. Always. And in her fear she could not hold me forever in her arms, in her fear she would not be able to stop the inevitability of my falls, she knew she had to let me go so that I could fly free.

And she did.

Motherhood is an act of courage. Of faith. Of letting go when all you want to do is hold on as tightly as you can to the one you love.

I had no intention of becoming a mother. In fact, according to the doctors, after two ruptured ectopic pregnancies, it wasn’t supposed to be physically possible.

And then, the miracle of Alexis arrived and eighteen months later, Liseanne followed along, a laughing, squirming bundle of joy and life became a never-ending story of Love unfolding with every breath they took and every moment of their lives that took my breath away.

I am grateful to my mother. She taught me well to love and let go. To be and let become.

My mother is almost 90 now. Frail. Delicate. A tiny sparrow of a woman, my mother still hears larks singing. She still sees the beauty of a red sunset and she still knows the gifts of love. Her life has not been easy. She has lost her husband and her only son, been distanced from two of her granddaughters through the grief that followed. My mother sits quietly now. She no longer fights back. She no longer cries out for me to ‘be careful’, ‘slow down’. She no longer cautions me to be like the others, to stop doing it my way, to quit making waves.

And now, despite our differences, despite the distance between our perspectives, my mother and I share the same heart. It is kind and caring, soft and gentle. My heart is founded in my mother’s love, and I am grateful.

For in her heart I have learned to give and receive. In her ways, I have embraced the joy of being kind and caring, soft and gentle. In her love, I have discovered what it means to be a mother.

A mother loves the tiny seed within her womb, nurturing the possibility of life with all her being. A mother gives birth to a child’s dreams and schemes, breathing as her child breathes, crying as her child cries, falling as her child falls. A mother watches over her child, holding on with all her heart to their dreams of flight, fearing with all her being the inevitability of their falling, and letting go of holding on in the certainty of their flying free.

In the constant presence of my mother’s love, I have learned to fly free, learned to soar high knowing, no matter where I go, my mother’s heart will always be the tie that binds me back into the circle of love that connects us.

Mothers are the difference in a world of Love.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Without our mothers, the Circle Game would never unfold. Enjoy one of my favourite songs Joni Mitchell’s Circle Game.

It is Saturday and time to celebrate heroes in our midst. I feel very blessed. It has been a week filled with encounters with everyday heroes doing whatever they can to make a difference in the world. I was inspired by their courage and humility. I was deeply touched by their stories.

I am writing the Annual Report for an agency that provides affordable housing to Calgarians. In the course of my writing I have had the privilege to meet several individuals who exemplify what it means to be a hero. They soldier on in the face of life’s adversity. No matter what hardships life has delivered up they, speak from grateful hearts and continually give back. Chris, Sasha, Julie, Ed, Rose and John each touched my heart with their humility, their courage and their willingness to share their stories.

Chris, Sasha, Julie, Ed, Rose, John are heroes.

There are several agencies that provide affordable housing in our city who fulfill on their mission everyday to ensure people with disabilities and disadvantages have the opportunity to live in a safe, stable and supported environment. Without these groups whose commitment to taking care of their ‘brothers and sister’, there would be many more people lost to the streets, many more people living in fear.

Horizon Housing, Accessible Housing Society, and all those who take care of those who need support in taking care of themselves, you are heroes.

Craig Lester is committed to ensuring depression comes into the light. He wants people to know they don’t have to suffer in the darkness, there is hope. This week, Craig ran a five-part series about depression on 660 News and he organized a two-hour online chat to provide people with the opportunity to learn more. In sharing his story of moving out from under the cloak of depression, and making it possible for others to find the courage to share theirs, he is changing the world, one mind at a time.

Craig Lester is a hero.

At 28, John Christensen’s world changed forever when the plane he was piloting crashed and burned. Locked in his seatbelt, unable to escape until a man came to his rescue, John feared for his life. Since the accident, John has been in a wheelchair, but it hasn’t stopped him from making a difference. Today, the 72-year-old is a beacon of hope for disabled people all over the world. In 2003, a trip to Vietnam opened John’s eyes to the plight of individuals for whom lack of government support amidst the ravages of disease, insufficient medical services and the after-effects of war have left people of limited mobility struggling to get around. Inspired by his journey, John created, Global Disability Foundation (GDF) a not-for-profit committed to ‘distributing mobility devices globally to those in need’. GDF rebuilds and refurbishes wheelchairs destined for the junk heap and delivers them to third world and emerging countries whose governments to not have the social services necessary to serve people in need. Thousands of individuals whose mobility was determined by the willingness of  someone to carry them, or their strength to drag their bodies across the ground by use of their hands and arms, are now able to regain dignity and mobility through the use of a functioning and comfortable wheelchair from GDF.

John has also written a book, The 13th Rope,  about his life journey. I started reading it last night when I returned from an evening at the symphony, and I quickly became engrossed. What an amazing human being.

John Christensen and Global Disability Foundation are heroes.

Who are the heroes in your world? Have you celebrated their brilliance today?