Dear Earth,

    I love you! I think you need to hear it more often. You’re constantly taken for granted, treated badly, and ignored. You give us everything we need, whether or not we return your love. You don’t place expectations on us. You hold us up. You keep us warm. You feed us. You give us life and water. Without you we wouldn’t exist.

We are surrounded by your everlasting beauty, yet we overlook it far too often. You create the best show on earth for us twice daily, yet we rarely watch. You provide music, soothing sounds, although the noise in our heads is so loud we rarely hear. You bring love into our lives, and when we’re lucky we treat that most precious gift with respect and kindness.

We hoard your precious gems when you’ve provided plenty for all. We worry when peace is all around and within. We rush, when you get everything done without the pressure of time.

You continue to be there for us, no matter what we do or how we treat you. Your love is truly the definition of unconditional.

One day too, we will return that unconditional love. I know it is inside of us.
That we are capable. Thank you for waiting so patiently.

I’m hoping sooner rather than later…

Love,
Wendy Irene

Running your hands through crystal clean water. Drinking it. Nourishing your children without worry. Doesn’t everyone deserve that?

It breaks my heart to think that any mother is forced to give their thirsty child dirty water, because they don’t have any other options. For these Mothers giving their children this water is like rolling the dice. The water can make them very sick, and even kill.

We have so much, and sadly we often take it for granted, but we don’t have to! We are here for a reason, and with all that we have, even and especially the small things comes a responsibility to give back. We are responsible for the future evolution of our planet!

 I want a world where clean water is available to everyone, no matter where in the world you are born, or who your family is. Every person deserves that! I never want to hear of another child or person getting ill or even worse dying because they don’t have clean water to drink.  The next time you fill up your bathtub with ease and climb in to relax remember…

We are blessed with everything we have so that we can help others. Give back to the exquisite universe that has given so much to you!

Water.org is an organization very close to my heart. I first found out about Water.org through friends on Facebook, and am forever grateful. You can help spread their life saving work too!

·  Donate your voice on Facebook or Twitter. Get the word out amongst your social circle. Your voice is invaluable!

 ·  Purchase products as gifts, or for yourself.

 ·  Make a Donation

 ·  Stay informed

The next time you gaze at the sparkling clean water coming from your faucet, smile knowing you have the opportunity to give what you have been
given. Giving is the truest, most pure way I know to be happy.

“If you get, give. If you learn, teach.” ~ Maya Angelou

Put yourself in the giving energy cycle and you’ll never want to turn back!

Thank you, Water.org for giving us the ability to help give water to those who need it, and for moving us forward towards the evolution of a more loving planet! In fact, thank you isn’t big enough at all, but I somehow think you already know and feel in your hearts how tremendous your impact is!

The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents by Deepak Chopra has inspired my family to make Mondays the day of giving.

Combat the Monday back to work blues by finding the source of true happiness through giving. Start your week out right by entering a positive energy cycle. On this day focus on one way you can give.

*In addition, you can also give by joining the Meatless Monday movement and help our planet!



If you start your week off with a day devoted to giving, you are putting yourself in a positive energy cycle, empowering both you and those you help to have a more positive week.

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"What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you. "  ~Oprah Winfrey

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” ~Maya Angelou

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt


Help us give- We need more ideas! What simple ideas can you think of for giving on Mondays?

Make this New Year your biggest year of giving yet! Give of yourself. Give your time. Give your help. Give your attention. Give your love freely without conditions.

If you give more of yourself this year than you ever have before, be prepared to receive graciously. For when you give you start the cycle. What you give, you will surely receive, often in greater volumes.

There have been times when I didn’t offer my help to someone who may have needed it. Usually because I felt awkward, or I didn’t know how they would feel about it. On a drive home last year I saw an elderly man attempting to shovel his walkway while using a walker. I did not know him and felt strange about stopping to offer my help, because I had no idea how he would receive it. This year I vow to offer my help and let go of fears of what others might think, and allow them to decide if my help is wanted.

There is so much we can do to make this world a more loving, beautiful place, but it takes courage. Courage to ACT!

This is the year to give and to act!

Many blessing will follow.

Trying to sum up what I learned from Oprah at O You! feels like an overwhelming task. Oprah has taught me and continues to teach me so much it is hard to know where to begin. What I know for sure it the world is blessed to have Oprah in it, and as Gayle King so nicely said once in an interview; as Oprah rises to the top she reaches out her hand to help others up. Just a few minutes of listening to Oprah and you feel like you can change the world, and most importantly yourself!

The main topic of Oprah’s speech at O You! was What I Know For Sure. I encourage you to read The Top 20 Things Oprah Knows For Sure here:  http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Top-20-Things-Oprah-Knows-for-Sure

There you will find great wisdom and inspiration that come from a place of truth.

What I’d like to share with you today is a compilation of notes I took during Oprah’s O You! 2011 speech; both words and ideas that deeply moved me. Not everything you will read here is an exact quote, some things are a direct quote and some of it is paraphrased. What I hope is that you will be able to take this celebrated knowledge and wisdom and apply it to your own life, so that you can live your best life!

“In God I live, I move, I breathe, I am.”

“Know who you are. Stand in the truth of who you are. That knowingness disrupts everyone else’s stuff.”

“Knowing who you are is the difference between going up and staying where you are.”

“In spirit we are all the same.”

“Let go, and step out of this. Start right now to continue to grow. Living is about growth!”

A confirmation – Get still, Be Still, and know that I am God

Daily Meditation

Oprah’s office now takes 2 – 20minute breaks every day at 9:00am and 5:30pm to meditate. “It has changed the way we relate to each other.” This quiet and stillness gives them room to come to the true space within.

Me Time

To a busy Mom who struggles finding Me Time, Oprah suggested she get up 30 minutes earlier than her normal 6:15 at 5:45. She said to “Get out of bed and go sit somewhere alone with yourself.” This time says, “I care enough about connecting with you (God or source energy) to get up and do that.”

Busy Moms start out your day doing this because at the end of the day you are exhausted!

“Feel the presence that is within you.”

In regards to a question from a young girl in television who aspires to reach millions of people to make a difference. Oprah asked her,

“Do you want the millions or do you want the work?”

This moved me and reminded me of the importance of coming from a space of truth, and the real importance behind your life’s work, and your purpose.

Your job is to get into the flow of your life’s purpose. You must love the work.

How can you make a difference?

Oprah says, “Start making a difference in your own home!” ß A beautiful line of wisdom and a crucial piece of advice we so often overlook. It reminds me of how often our focus is outside of the home, when we have the power to change the lives of those most important to us with our love and attention.

“How you choose to live. How you move forward in grace.”

Oprah also calls A-ha moments God winks. Love that!!!

Oprah’s Biggest A-ha Moment

“That I always was worthy.”

“You are worthy because you are born.”

When Oprah found herself being treated badly, in past relationships and experience, she asked herself (&God)

“What is it I’m not getting?”

Oprah explained, being treated badly- that’s on you, that’s all about you.

There is a lesson needing to be learned- the lesson of your self-worth, the lesson that YOU ARE WORTHY!

God is waiting on you.

“Forgiveness for yourself is the way to move forward.”

It is “holy and sacred.”

Seeing Oprah live was a dream come true, a bucket list, and it doesn’t end here...

Be sure to catch Oprah Monday – Friday 8/7c on OWN for Lifeclass where she shares more of her many great life lessons from 25 years of the Oprah Show! She goes live online for one more hour every Friday night after Lifeclass at 9/8c.

Thank you, Oprah from the bottom of my heart, from my soul! ♥

Thank you, friends for both supporting and teaching me!

Last month, I received a wonderful birthday gift from Traveling Pat.  A gift that not only touched my heart, but hopefully the heart of another woman as well.  A gift with double the love power, and one with the potential to keep on giving.

The gift Traveling Pat gave me was a Kiva gift card. 

From the Kiva website:

"We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world."

"We envision a world where all people - even in the most remote areas of the globe - hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others.”

“We believe providing safe, affordable access to capital to those in need helps people create better lives for themselves and their families.”“

With the Kiva gift card I received from Traveling Pat I was able to help a 24 year old woman, Betty from Sierra Leone buy clothing for her business in order to earn more income to support her family.  Betty is a mother of 2 children- five and three.

One of the things about Betty’s bio that really struck me was her expressed desire to educate her children to the university level.  In that sentence I felt a strong sense of hope for change, and it moved me to my core.  My education is something I have taken for granted, and that one sentence changed my whole perspective.  I felt blessed with the opportunity to be able help play a small part in order to help Betty create a blessed life for her and her family.

One of the great aspects of Kiva is that the intention is for the loans to be paid back, therefore in time the same $25 has the potential to help many people, over and over again.  The gift that keeps on giving.  That is a powerful circle of love energy to be a part of!

Thank you, Traveling Pat for the beautiful gift of heart!

Thank you, friends for the opportunity to be able to share Kiva with you!  I appreciate the love you give me each and every time you come here ♥

If I were to write about the tremendous impact Oprah has had on the world so far, it would surely take me 25 years.  Oprah’s journey has truly been about becoming more and more of who she is- an incredible light in the world and a magnificent teacher of love!  In my heart, I know that the end of the Oprah Show is a new beginning.  One in which Oprah will share more of her message of love with the world.

Today I celebrate Oprah and the difference she has made in my life.  She paved the way for teaching love and consciousness.  Without her many people would not be as open and accepting of the message of love, or willing to pass that message on as a teacher.  Her work has truly inspired and touched me on the deepest level of my soul.  When I think of Oprah I feel incredibly grateful to be alive on this beautiful earth at the same time as her.  To be able to listen to, hear and absorb her message of love.

Oprah has created a beautiful life that has profoundly impacted the masses, as she is a shining example of how your thoughts create your reality.  She has encouraged us to give and to have our own positive impact on the world.  When I hear Oprah’s name I feel gratitude, love, and enlightenment.  It doesn’t get more powerful and meaningful than that.

In a few short minutes, I will happily wrap myself in my cozy red Oprah sweatshirt and listen with true joy as she speaks to us from her heart, closing the door on the Oprah show and starting a new beginning.

 
"The ultimate in being healthy is to operate at full throttle—physically, emotionally and spiritually." ~Oprah

"When your to-do list has you coming undone, you have to step back and come back to center. Without a connection to something that is real, you will lose your way."  ~Oprah

"Every challenge can make you stronger if you allow it. Strength multiplied equals power." ~Oprah

"What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)" ~Oprah

"You define your own life. Don't let other people write your script." ~Oprah

"There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born. And how you become most truly alive." ~Oprah

"Your life's journey is about becoming more of who you are." ~Oprah

“Every ending brings with it a brand-new beginning.” ~Oprah

Months ago I read an article that changed me.  Looking back I wish I had saved it, or written down the name of the person who changed my view and motivated me to give MORE.  This inspirational woman said she was going to give until it didn’t hurt any more.

What does that mean- give until it doesn’t hurt anymore?  To me it means when you are at the register in the store and someone asks if you want to make a donation to a particular cause you don’t get annoyed by yet another donation request.  You embrace opportunities to give.  When you walk by the door and are asked for a donation, instead of avoiding you embrace how blessed your life is that you have the means to help another in need.

Balance in nature means taking only what you need, not the extreme amounts of excess we so easily get carried away with today.  To me this does not mean giving everything away and living a life of poverty, it means consciously and continuously taking action to give away excess that you don’t need back to the world, and to the people and causes that do. We are a part of nature.  Our well being depends on the well being of the world around us.  Interestingly enough the more you give, the more you are blessed with, especially in terms of inner peace and happiness. 

If you could buy inner peace and happiness would you?  What price would you pay for it?  What if you can?  What if you can buy inner peace and happiness by giving- giving your time, giving your love, and giving money?

Although I don’t remember names as well as I would like to, I do remember the energy and feelings I receive from inspirational people.  As they have gifted me with their life inspiration I hope to pass it on.  One woman said “When I think about making a purchase I ask myself- Do I need this material thing as much as someone else could use the money if I donated it?  Often times the answer is no.”

If you can pay your bills, feed your family, and are left with excess, consider giving back.  In giving back you are giving to yourself.  You are giving yourself love, peace and happiness because you recognize and are conscious of your blessings.   Make a choice.  Is it another toy or food for someone without?  Another pair of shoes for you or a pair for a child without?  All I am saying is- choose love as much as you possibly can!

If you have $25 excess, today on the 25th of April consider participating in the Invisible Children 25 movement by donating $25. 
Let your $25 help end 25 years of war!

From the Invisible Children Website:

“We are story tellers. We make documentaries about war-affected children in east Africa and tour them around the world.”

“We use the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa.”

“The war in northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today. For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians caught in the middle. The GoU's attempt to protect its citizens from this rebel militia has largely failed, resulting in an entire generation of youth that has never known peace.”

“We are supporting and equipping a generation ravaged by war so that they can finally know peace.”