A Week in the Life of Livfully "meeting" Queen Victoria of yesteryear, meeting old friends and new

In the last week, I've met folks from Japan (twin boys and their little sis and parents, grands, and family) at an agricultural fair where we all oohed and awed over cows that go, "Moo" in English but apparently go, "Moe" in Japanese. Ohsi means cow while Oosi means delicious (from memory and my own spelling, but may intrigue others to learn a word or two in another language.

Instead of saying 'Holy Cow' we can now say "Holy Ohsi" but google in case that actually means "holy delicious". Hay bales were climbed over by little folks and frying pans, yes cast iron ones, were flung in a contest. Likely that will have to be reviewed for liability sense, but again, captures the spirit of the good (and hard) ol' days. Eggs tossed between two lines of kids faired well enough and I believe were hard-boiled.

Definitely fun to do a raw egg toss sometime to appreciate how tough those little ovalesque,riddle-inspirers are. After having my photo taken as a big ear of corn, I got a photo op with a wonderful lad enjoying his icecream next to his grandma on the grass. I helped a friend visit her elderly relative while caring for another little one and getting us all to the fair.

From there, I managed to get to help someone else whose nearing 100 (and have helped someone another five years beyond that, so likely more of us will be hitting triple digits than in the past with miracle saves and healthier living rounding up the odds.) Their advice would include 'move it or lose it..and to lose weight so you can move your body better but don't over do it.

Cherish childhood, fresh air and good friends and eat moderately (that last one is a challenge when attending three potlucks in as many hours..all loaded with treats and good eats. That was after a two-day visit to NYC, Brooklyn (which I noticed really only is spelled with one L, who knew?).

A tribute here to the lives of lovely young people whose lives were ended in MN by their biological father..the girls named Brooklyn and Madison and their brother and mothers, as well as their father taking his own life, sadly without many clear warning signs. What can we do in their honor? Reach out to those near you and farther afield with a caing hello and learn to reading warning signs that may be intermittent or shared through the grapevine. \

Don't keep your blinders on to the ongoing challenge of male abuse and violence against women. Even when times are 'good' and women are up for having relationships and  bearing and caringfor children, ideally their would be wisdom and support (such as to space children three years apart, to have a buddy system of women helping women and guys helping guys to cope with the challenges of new responsibilities, feelings and even practical help or small loans or setting up a support network to have diapers, used clothing or other basics.

The hustle and bustle of subways and museums in the Big Apple aka Manhattan or Humanhattan (as I share in other posts) is a wake up call every time to me that 'we are not alone' and 'time is of the essence to find ways to enjoy and maintain healthy living for the masses in our country'.

The train ride back was graced by the lovely presence of a former Broadway dancer whose neck is in need of healing. Likely surgery will do the trick for the deteriorating discs, but for those with that healing touch and prayer type outreach keep her in your circuit. I shared a lot of my life story with her (and contact info, so hello if you are tuning in Cynthia and all the best to your circle of family and friends).

I told her about my lovely kids and sadly about my son in heaven..such as on the Remembering Kaelan piece. She summed it up that I had gone through a lot of difficulty for years and then had trauma befall me. Basically that was it, but as she and I shared, few get to their 40s and 50s without some uphill struggles coping with the fragility of relationships if not life itself. I was feeling 'close to my son who is in spirit' being able to share with her and hear a new one's heart beat recently'.

Since it was a Tuesday which correlated with the day Kaelan tried to save someone from rushing waters but lost his life even though his friend was rescued by a rope rescuer moments later, I said I felt I was 'reliving that day' but in reverse. This became more the case when I saw a dancer friend from my college days named Liz who happened to get off the train right in my car.

What are the odds, I wondered after filling in Cynthia on these turn of events. She and I were friends with Emily who I'd seen on the day my son passed away. We had a mutual friend Colin who has since crossed over from cancer but again made me think 'we are likely still connected'. With the new possibilities I've learned about spiritually I wondered if Kaelan or Colin were riding along with me on this next segment of my life, where I am caring for more people and helping those with little ones, including expectant moms.

Maybe the idea of 'being born' is about seeing the connections in one's life, the new soul helping people 'join forces' to have their team ready. I shared with some in recent years that the newer beings coming to the planet (or plan-it heart as I like to think of us hatching out nowadays into more heart-centererd beings) are 'older' than we are since it may take generations for people to be born and grow accordingly to be ready to have a child and be able to care for offspring. Who chooses whom--parents Choose to become parents but likely their child has the final say about incarnating as their offspring.

The new beings arriving are ready to teach us a lot, but are we willing or able to consider learning from them or have we all been brainwashed by some corporate program that disempowers our handy caring teachers? They won't set us down to learn algebra first thing, no they patiently let us begin with counting the minutes and hours of the day (or even of their time of forming and becoming curious over the decades that they grow as they do physically..we hardly have considered what is happening with them or US spiritually.)

Great teachers allow us to become curious and interested, and not to rush to answer a student's questions right away. If a child 'cannot talk and reason' for a few years maybe that could help us find time to ponder the possibilities, even to emulate their sense of patience on a grand scale which demonstrates their willingness to evolve slowly to give us a chance to catch up (and catch our breath and learn to relax should we brave the challenge of Slowing Down.

In America that might mean not going to a few cities in a week, not venturing more than a couple of hours from the nest if pregnant for special events and really acting as though one were holding an infant in one's arms not only one's belly where it's conveniently and supposedly safely tucked away. Learning to be tender with one's living and taking the time to tune into the quieter side of life can seem like a daunting task. How does one slow down a speeding train or find ways to 'switch tracks and head uphill to let nature help slow the train down?"

By Tuesday night, returned to the foothills (or toenails of the Berkshires, in northwest CT, which I share playfully and realize plenty of folks take time to do their nails.)

 One kindergartener got her big sis to give her a rainbow pattern on her nails when she got to choose 'which color'. That could inspire us to think about diversity and blessings coming in many forms whether in small towns or the cities. I'll be heading up to the Walk a Mile in her Shoes event in Pittsfield MA to support the domestic abuse outreach in that area (donations to those would be really hip in October which is DV Awareness Month.)

By Wednesday I was dining with Sally Mummey who portrays Queen Victoria of yesteryear England at a tea to raise scholarship funds through the Egremont MA Garden Club. They shared a lovely array of delectable treats along with the tea poured from silver tea pots. The Queen entered in royal garb, a stylish full black dress with jewelry. She relayed the highlights of the Victoria's life particularly in her marrying her cousin Albert from Germany and bearing nine children.

While she said that made her feel more like a royal cow than mother, she shared as well the doctor said the more children could cause her to suffer if not die. We all would do well now I'd say to honor all women as queens whether mothers or not, but to respect in royal ways the gift of being able to have a child grow in one's body and are. Hopefully more women can show pregnant mothers more consideration and even practical support for a few years. Getting small efforts together is great way to start good programs and friendship circles.

Later that day I learned from the parents of Peter Alderman who died at age 25 in the World Trade Center attack of 9-11-01 that they have set up a foundation in his memory to prevent maternal deaths. Women who have many children in those countries (and possibly anywhere) lose levels of hemoglobin which can cause bleeding that does not occur as much in the earlier births.

Their foundation was the focus of the Dining for Women (to support women's needs in third world countries and has chapters around the world so look one up if interested or perhaps start one with friends.) Beware the potluck piece can provide more rich foods than one's diet may really benefit from, so bring a little will power along (or see if you can take a bit home if you can't resist..)

A happy social time at a local school in MA welcomed parents and families of young students. Another festive food offering and a hoe-down dance time brightened the spirits of the kids and eased some parents into the school environs as well.

Even some social play dates on the play ground for each grade following a school day may be a nice way for parents (through PTO) or the school (maybe through a fundraiser or community service project) to enhance a welcoming meet and greet time for parents in each grade.

That's plenty for now to ponder..the idea of new beings and young children being our teachers and maybe spiritual beings help us meet and greet each other in timely and caring ways to foster a greater sense of living fully. The hopes for the Peter Alderman Foundation are to bring people back to a level of functioning to live amicably and work after their country (Uganda among others) have suffered a major conflict and violence.

The horrors people live through are 'unspeakable' yet must be shared so others may assist those who are understandably 'at a stand-still, or using drugs or depressed'. A short number of group counseling sessions among those who have gone through similar traumas with a local facilitator can make a great impact.

Often people can join working groups to make a livelihood and reshape their lives to a new normal. There are many efforts that strive to bring healing and hope after loss. A local advocate for health and kind family man, Steve Meyerwitz, who died in a car accident not far from my home last week is being remembered by many far and wide.

Sudden loss is hard to accept and takes time to process, but the mystery of the unknown can also be a gateway to opening up one's heart and mind to the possibilities of a greater sense of connection whether with one another, the divine, one's life story as connecting with others over one's life time and as a legacy. When we realize the suffering from natural  challenges or political conflicts, we realize knowing something or someone is the first step to sensing whether one cares or fears that situation. Then one may have a mix of love and hate for someone if they did harm to others yet also did good.

The biological father who took the lives of his family and his own was clearly a troubled man. The evil that seemed to win his mindset is sadly an option for all who live..to be vulnerable to fear and despair. The downward spiral leads to dark places yet can in time help others realize why one could or should avoid a similar path of harm or neglect of symptoms.

Finding ways to intervene early on in any crisis or unfolding pattern of harm, control, violence and violation is a shared task that needs some consideration from all types of people, male, female, every stage of life person and skill set and bigger groups. Queen Victoria wrote 2500 words a day, so I will take her measure and put this in park for now so I can join in the next set of events offered in the Berkshires of MA.

These will include the Latin Festival in Lee MA on Saturday, Sept. 19th and in Sharon CT, Wine Tasting on the Green and in Cornwall the Bridge Dance on 9-19-15 as well from 5p on. A Horse Show at Riga Meadows in Salisbury CT not far from Sage's Ravine on Rt 41 takes place on 9-20..may all the good horse from the four directions and the divine find ways to bring us blessings and may we be open to receiving them with gratitude.