I am crushed....

I read this today on MSN..... This is one place I have always wanted to go!

Fans of these mouthwatering chocolate kisses can nibble on the story of Milton Hershey and his candy empire at the Hershey Museum just outside of Harrisburg, Pa. Chocoholics of every stripe need to hurry though, because the Hershey Museum will close forever on Sept. 1 and be replaced in December by The Hershey Story, a more elaborate museum with a hands-on chocolate “lab.”

Maybe after we got the munchkin home, this will be one of her first U.S. excursions. I have every intention of teaching her all about the love of chocolate and what good it does for the soul. Nothing makes me happier than a a good old fashioned chocolate bar, at least a small square a day. Luscious goodness!

This Caught My Eye Today... maybe a sign?

"However Motherhood Comes to You, It is a Miracle"
Valerie Harper

The Prickly Pear, check it out!

My best friend began her first entrepreneurial endeavor, an embroidery business. She is a a stay at home mom with two beautiful children who went out on a limb and purchased an embroidery machine. Self-taught, she is really making a name for herself. I wanted to introduce the Prickly Pear to all my "adoption" friends. The best thing we can do is support those in our life especially those doing it on their own.

By the way, we passed another milestone...

Yesterday was day nintey under the Orphans First program. It has been three months since we received our acknowledgment or receipt. The status of our investigation is that it is being "blocked". Mattine also passes another milestone next week, another month older. I am very hopeful for good news in the next couple of weeks. I know I keep saying that but seriously- one of these times it has to happen, right!

Sign of the Times

April, 2008 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the peace sign. It is the one sign recognized around the globe regardless of one’s race or religion transcending all differences. The symbol unites us all. Interestingly enough, each passing decade adopts the power of the sign and the appeal continue to grow. The cultural phenomenon’s golden birthday is commerated by National Geographic who is publishing a tribute to the world-famous pictogram.

Peace activists began using the symbol in 1958 while protesting the testing and stockpiling of nuclear weapons. Gerald Holtorn, a textile designer, created the symbol by combining the semaphore letters of N and D, referencing nuclear disarmament. To this day, the symbol has been easy to remember and reproduce. It is an icon which appears on clothing, flags and the armband of many different cultural movements such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, various environmental causes, women’s and gay rights movements, and two Iraqi wars. If one is challenging the need for social change then what better universal sign to use?

In a day and age where religion is a loaded subject, it is refreshing to see volatile conversations tempered by a secular symbol. The answer, the simple sign of peace, stands for good. It reminds one to be kind to their neighbors. It teaches one to care for animals. The sign explains that there are no answers in violence and fighting; only more questions. Ultimately, the cultural representation has allowed citizens of the world to march under one sign, to wear one easily recognizable symbol, and to even display commentary during times of war and combat. What beauty queen when asked what she would want for the world hasn’t responded,”world peace”. And can one really blame her? Perhaps, she had it more together than one gave her credit for. Do something peaceful today and watch the wave of goodness return to you.

The Glass Half Full

A friend passed this along to me recently. It was an e-mail about a man named John. And I think the story resonates with us all, especially those going through trying times.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!” He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be this positive all the time. How do you do it?” He replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or… or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.” I protested, “Yeah, right, it’s not that easy.” He replied, “Yes, it is. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how to react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be a good mood or a bad mood. The bottom line is that it’s your choice how you live your life.” I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the tower business.

We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communication tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. He replied, “the first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon- to be- daughter. Then, as I lay on the ground I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could live to die. I chose to live.” I asked, “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” He continued, “…. The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’ and I knew I needed to take action.” I responded by asking, “What did you do?” John answered, “Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me. She asked if I was allergic to anything and I replied ‘Yes’. The doctors and nurse stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled ‘gravity’. Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead’.”

He lived and thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude is everything, after all. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Choose to live today.