A holiday gift to my colleagues in product management and product marketing.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the firm,
Every dev team member was struck by the germ.
The code had to be finished right away and with care,
In hopes that on Xmas Day, they would not still be there.

The product managers were dreaming about their soft beds,
While visions of market requirements danced in their heads.
Personas, pcamps, pricing and analysis,
Makes you think – get to work and stop the paralysis

The sales team calls with just one more request,
It’s the demo again, something we just detest.
Of course it was something needed real bad.
To delay would only make sales really mad.

When on the conference call there arose such a clatter,
I shot from my chair, fearful of what was the matter.
The PowerPoint preso was up in a flash,
But the network was down – get the helpdesk on the dash.

Marketing was staring outside at the new-fallen snow
Wondering when they could join their friends down below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the CEO dressed in full Santa gear.

He carried a sack, all red, big and bright
It was just one more diversion from this long night.
He put his hand in, drew out envelopes that were hard,
No bonuses this year, just a “thanks” and $5 coffee gift card.

“So thank you, thank you” he called to one and all.
As our AV geek put the projection on the wall.
A last review of test cases was finally to occur
(And, to be honest, this last hour was one big blur.)

So the meetings were done, and code put to rest
Customers were happy and said we’re the best.
Another release met the deadline, got out the door,
We took a moment to lift our jaws from the floor.

The release may be out, and the dev team said good day
But the product management team knew there was more to say.
Positioning and material left to write,
With fears still that this could turn into another long night.

But, sales expected the PowerPoint today
It didn’t matter to them if it was a holiday.
To avoid their calls and emails during tomorrow’s time,
Working on these tools now was worth the dime.

I write the requirements and create the tools
I’m in product management, I’m no one’s fool!
The rest of my company may have left hours ago,
But the work never stops for me, this much I know.

My present will be waiting when the sales numbers are met,
And I meet the big forecast, and win the company bet.
I then get to use the frequent flier miles I have earned,
As I head to a sun-drenched beach (with no cell service) to get burned.

So, no matter what celebration of the holiday you observe,
There is enough credit, accolades and attention you deserve.
And if you’re a colleague in this product management land,
Stand up now… join me and give yourself a hand!

[And, If you’re thinking this is a career for you,
Think twice then again, before you do.
For while it is exciting and rewarding, full of joy, and fragile
Get ready for next year, for then we tackle Agile!]

Ugh, gratitude. I was reading a coaching newsletter the other day and the word “gratitude” leapt out at me. Haven’t we heard enough about gratitude? It’s the “Have a nice day” of the new millennium, a cliché that’s lost all meaning. The word’s been so overexposed that it’s become a mindless platitude.

However, when I dig a little deeper I have to acknowledge that the concept of gratitude, overused or not, has become more important than ever. When we consider what it takes to thrive in today’s world, gratitude is one of the powerhouse concepts that provide the foundation for living a rich and rewarding life. It’s the antidote to resentment and entitlement, serving as an “enough” valve in this environment where everyone around us seems to have something we don’t.

No matter how bad off we might think we are, there’s always something to be grateful for. My friend Ginnon has suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) for the last 25 years, she was diagnosed with it when she was 30 years old. In her youth she was an avid athlete and over the years she’s had to give up the sports she loved one by one. But when she talks about her arthritis what I hear about most often is the kids she sees in her doctor’s office who were struck young with Juvenile RA, and how lucky she is to have had 30 good years to enjoy the sports she loved.

Gratitude is a choice – we choose either the pleasure of appreciating what we have or the pain of longing for what we don’t have. And no matter how over-used the word gratitude may be, it’s what enables us to find the value in what’s before us and accept it as enough. Gratitude keeps us connected to the pleasure of our lives and helps us enjoy all that we have right here, right now.

***

What about you?  What are you grateful for, right now?

İznik Tiles is the type of ceramics developed and generally created in a town named (obviously) İznik in Turkey. It has a significant place in Turkish art, since it decorates many of Turkey’s famous landmarks and finest artifacts. This is especially apparent when 1989 was proclaimed İznik Year because of the ceramics contribution to Turkish (specifically art) History.

History of the Iznik, its Ceramics and Pottery.

İznik is a town in Turkey that sits near the Lake İznik. The site of this town is formerly known as Nicaea, famous for the Councils of Nicaea. It is founded by one of Alexander The Great’s successor, Lysimakhos, who named the town after his wife. As it is one of a crossroad for a trade route, it became a great important trading city. Greek, Roman and Byzantine traders frequent the city and also settled there as well – this can be seen from the remnants of Roman theatre. It is a significant site for Christianity as well, for it held Councils of Nicaea. In 325AD, during the reign of Constantine, the first Council of Nicaea was held against the Arian Heresy, which in turn decides one of the most fundamental part of Christian theology – the argument of whether Jesus is a divinity or a mere mortal. The doctrine of the Trinity was then decided in 381AD, where it consists of Jesus, The Father and the Holy Spirit. The second Council of Nicaea met in 787AD held in the Church of Hagia Sophia (modeled after the one in Constantinople) where it decides the issue of Iconography in Christian belief. It was briefly ruled by the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century, but was again under the rule of the Second Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Orhan Gazi I in 1331.

The city of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) fell in 1453, and with that the importance of İznik also dwindle. However, it later became famous for its pottery making in the 17th century, called İznik Çini (Çini basically means Chinese in Turkish) copying the Chinese porcelain preferred by the Turkish Sultans. It was used to decorate many buildings, for example mosques (for example the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul) and palaces (Topkapi Palace). It remained the place for quality İznik Çini, however, soon after the industry went to Istanbul.

Plate with blue and white spiral decoration. Earthenware with painted decoration on slip, under lead glaze, İznik ceramic, ca. 1530–1540. photographer – Marie-Lan Nguyen. Courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

The Designs and its Origins -
Chinese porcelain was very popular and sought after by the wealthy by the 14th Century, so İznik potters was to compete with the fine imported porcelains. They copied Chinese Porcelains from  the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. they can easily copy them because the motifs already influenced early Timurid art. It gained the favours of not only local patrons but also their European counterpart. The style of blue designs with floral and vegetal motifs characteristic of the İznik tiles are called Baba Nakkas, a popular style during the rule of Sultan Mehmet II. However the style gradually changes during the reign of Sultan Bayezid with the incorporation of interlaced designs and Chinese cloud bands. During the reign of Sultan Selim I, the industry moved to Istanbul in which the Saz design was introduced, pioneered by one of the sixteen painters named Sah Kulu. His designs include spiral scrolls – the so-called Golden Horn – derived from Tughras (Royal Seals) of the Sultans, particularly the Tughra of Suleyman the Magnificent.

the colours are traditionally blue and white, but turquoise was added in the 1530s. In the 1540s, more colours in the shades of  mauve, purples and greens were added. The designs, as noted above, mostly derived from the Chinese motifs, but soon after, motifs such as human or animal representations are introduced. Perhaps the most popular representations and motifs used by the İznik potters are extensive designs of flowers, trees, pomegranates and artichokes as well as hyacinths, lilies, tulips, carnations, roses, scrollwork and geometric designs. The craftsmen created many items from decorations for buildings to daily items such as plates, bowls, ewer, lamps, candlesticks, vases and the like. The best ones are produced during the reign of  Suleyman the Magnificent up till the 17th Century.

Tile panel with flowers. Earthenware, transparent glaze, painted underglaze on slip. Turkey: Iznik, second half of the 16th century

26/11 Mumbai Attack

Film Based On Mumbai Attack

Appreciation Mails after the Making of 1Hour 10 Minutes Film On Mumbai Attack

Producer: – Piyush Padmaker

Direction: - Tanuj Bohra

Cameraman: - Rajkumar Sharma, Anil Mishra, Sishir Mondal

Location: - Reconstructed Pakistan Control Room Scene / Reconstructed Nariman House Scene / Reconstructed Taj Hotel Scene/ Oberoi Hotel.

Conversation : – Between Handlers and Terrorists.

===================================================

1st Mail : –

Samandar ki puri team ko bahut bahut badhai. Itne sms sachin ke waqt bhi nahi aaye they. Saaf hai ki hum ek kadam aur aage bade hain. Mere pas aap logo k liye shabd nahi hain  26 nov ki hamari har pehal shandar hai.  Samandar ko jo response mila hai wo avishvashniya hai. Aao sab par hame fakhra hai. Ek sms yahan quote kar raha hun. India tv ke samandar ne aaj sabhi chnls ko sukhi nadi bana dala.  Congrats friends.

Vinod Kapri, Managing Editor, India Tv

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2nd Mail: – 1 ghante 10 min kab aur kaise guzar gaye pata hi nahi chala… very grand show… sply reconstruction to aisa lag raha tha jaise koi tv serial ho… aur iske sath jis tarah se news ka istemal kiya gaya vo ise aur pace de raha tha… hats off to samandar team…

Prakhar, Senior Editor, India Tv

=====================================================

3rd Mail: –

समंदर
इस फिल्म ने एक बार फिर साबित कर दिया है की इंडिया टीवी सिर्फ न्यूज़ ही नहीं बल्कि भारतीय और भारतीयता के संवेदनाओ से लबरेज़ है ! इस फिल्म के लिए मै बधाई देता हूँ अपने जाबांज दोस्तों को जिन्होंने इसके कथानांक से लेकर नाट्यरूपांतरण तक में अपने को पिरो कर रखा और जब स्क्रीन पर लोंगो ने देखा तो उनकी आँखों में वह मंज़र घूम गया और आँखों से  वीर शहीदों के लिए आंसू निकल पड़े !
बधाई ………बधाई ……बधाई
Prashant Jha, Senior Correspondent, Patna

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4th Mail : –

Dear All,

Since I watched the Samandar and received so many SMSes, trying to find the appropriate words to appreciate the efforts and hard work of whole team of Samandar, but failed. In fact everything failed in front of the Samandar as it was the ultimate programme made by any channel on 26/11. Every channel failed, there programme failed and their efforts failed as I know for sure that they were watching Samandar on India TV as I received many smses from them.

Let’s appreciate the hard work and congratulate the whole team behind the making of Samandar.

Regards,

Ravi Kant Mittal, Executive Editor, India Tv

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5th Mail: –

Realy ultimate show…RONGTE KHADE HO GAYE…GREAT

Sachin Khare, Producer, India Tv

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6th Mail: –

Simply marvellous sir, Beyond imagination. Nothing could be a better presentation to pay tribute to the fighters n victims.

aaj is pehel ne aankhen nam kar di.

ye aisa gehra SAMANDAR tha jiske paani mein mithaas thi

Regards,

Sakshi Joshi, Reporter Cum Anchor, India Tv

I woke up yesterday at 10am, an hour before my first class (at Lincoln Christian College). I ate lunch at noon and finished up my classes by 3pm. I walked back to my dorm room and spent about an hour on the Internet: Facebook, finding Photoshop brushes, YouTube, and CNN.com. After that I played about an hour of Halo 2. Then I walked to dinner, checked my mail and sat in The Warehouse for a bit. Afterward I worked on some homework and watched a couple episodes of The Office. By this time I was very tired, so I went to bed.

Many times I feel like I’m wasting my life away, sitting through lectures that are structured by a flawed system of education, playing virtual games, and constantly looking towards the future, thinking things will get better. A lot of times we think about our past, when we were younger, and want our lives to be like that again.
I remember how much fun I used to have with my friends at recess, Chuck E. Cheese’s, and DZ- Discovery Zone. I remember watching cartoons before having to stand outside for the bus.

It’s almost as if I am starting to think that the best parts of life are in the past, when I was younger. How much time do we spend in frustration due to responsibilities, deadlines, monetary issues and personal lives? We feel all these things and then long for the way things used to be.

If we are all hung up on the past, and desiring for that rather than what we have now, how does that reflect our understanding and appreciation of our present lives?
We are longing for something else, a different lifestyle, an easier lifestyle, the lifestyle that we had when we were younger.

Maybe instead of desiring this, we should learn to embrace our past for what it was, and start living our present lives to the fullest- now!

We need to learn that our current lifestyles can be just as appreciated and desired as the lifestyle we used to have. How does God see us when we desire our past more than what he is giving us right now in the present?

We have around 12 hours in our day to spend doing whatever we want to do. How are you spending your 12 hours? When I looked at the way I spent my 12 hours, I was disappointed.
We could be doing blessed things for God in the twelve hours, as well as having a God-centered attitude while doing them.

When was the last time we sat in silence? When was the last time we reflectively wrote in a journal or diary for longer than 20 minutes? When was the last time we actually prayed a list of prayers that has been piling up? We should live our lives to the fullest in complete appreciation for the present.

Guest Author

Negativity wastes time and resources. If not careful it can affect your physical and mental health. We can more easily avoid negativity coming from people we only meet occasionally. But what if that ‘circle of negativity’ was at home or had embedded at your work place and you’ve had to face it every day? How easily can you avoid it then? Read more and learn how to develop a positive mental attitude to live a fulfilled life!  Read more

Stop Negative Thinking Now!

Negative thinking can make all sorts of things incredibly difficult.

It is like a leak in your confidence bucket – constantly drip-drip-dripping away your confidence and self esteem.

We all know that we should think more positively, or avoid too many negative thoughts, but it is notoriously difficult to stop. Negative thinking can be useful to help assess the possible pitfalls in a potential plan of action, but you need to be able to turn it on and off at will.

Otherwise, negative thoughts will sabotage your self belief, your confidence and your achievements.

Stop Negative Thinking teaches you a model for assessing the effects of your thoughts and changing them, plus it helps you on an unconscious level by showing you how to let negative thoughts drift by without taking any notice.

After all – you can think anything as long as it doesn’t have an emotional impact on you.

An effective way to ensure an abundance of happiness in your life is to create deliberate progress in your personal growth.

Each one of us has an innate desire for progress in our lives. We want to know that our lives are going somewhere: that our lives are moving forward in line with our best efforts.

Inevitably, we encounter obstacles. Sometimes, these are events that create problems over which we do not have any control of the outcome. If we allow ourselves to be deeply affected by them, then it makes it difficult to find a solution.

In times like this, you need to recognise that even though you are not in control over the event or the outcome, you are in control of your response.

Accept that you can’t do anything about the event, and decide to move forward in spite of the event. Often, there are important lessons and opportunities that will come out of these times of adversity. Read more

Why Harmony Is Required To Attract Money and All Dreams

When our energy is in alignment with what we intend to attract into our lives, we do.  If we are in a state of jealously, anger, resentment or a whole host of other less than positive energetic states then we are attracting situations in alignment with that energy. There is more but this is the essence of the Law of Attraction.

Let’s look at money. What is the one thing most of us do when it comes to money?  Nope, saying we want more is number 2.  The first thing most everyone does is to compare. If you feel you have a lot of  money or nearly none at all, you arrive at that feeling based on a comparison. When we compare especially with judgment, we are out of harmony.

We we judge ourselves in comparison to another, including wealth, we are saying we are not perfect. You see “T AM  That, I AM”

Sending you  an Unconditional Love Hug

Steve Pohlit, Founder
Manifest Mastermind

Deliberate Creation on Facebook

Money and The Law of Attraction on Facebook

PS. Power is the topic a Manifest Mastermind Guidance Process normally not available until a person has been a member for almost 9 months.  However this information is so vitally important I am making this available to all member including new ones.  Click Here to take advantage of the 30 day trial for $1.00 and receive this bonus Guidance Process.

So today I spent time with Mike and my essay in the library at university, and it was nice.  The library was eerily quiet, I made up some stuff about my vocational development to date, and we had conversations.  Things are more or less back to normal now, with the easy camaraderie, jokes and giving me a lift home (which ended up in him finally meeting – waving to her from the car, anyway – my mother).  I’m seeing him tomorrow night to watch The Last Broadcast with his wife and sister-in-law, and I feel so blessed to have a friend who makes effort to include me and feels that he can do these things.

We spoke about the love triangle, or about aspects of it.  He said that he is past his obsession now, because nothing can ever happen, we’ve had some space (although it’s only been 5 days) and because she seems to be ruled by her husband.  Mike and I agree that we would never want to be in a relationship where we feel we have to answer to the other person, that we are sometimes subservient and that the other person is the boss.  It’s all a bit strange, because our friend doesn’t seem particularly subservient and is quite a sparky person, and yet she seems to actively toe the line when it comes to her husband’s paranoia (albeit maybe correct) about her new male friends at university.  She has been forbidden from coming to my house party at the beginning of January, because “she’s not a student” (although technically, she is), and yesterday when I was in Cabot Circus with Davina and Deena, I found out she was popping down so I would have liked to say hello, but as she was with her husband it wasn’t going to happen.  I’m glad that Mike says he is doing better – I’m not sure I believe him completely as it seems a bit premature to me, but it’s nice to hear him sound positive about it.

I wish I could say the same about me.  It’s been 5 years since I really fell in love hard for someone like this, and I feel like I’ve come so far since then, I’m a completely different person… and yet, I’m obviously not. Okay, I’m handling things again, and I’m not doing any worse than I was before either – our friendship is more or less back to normal, I’m more happy than I am sad (well, I get more wistful and wanting than really sad) because I made such a good friend, but sometimes I wish that I had a confidant like he does (which is me).  A lot of my friends I know don’t quite understand how I could want someone who is married, nor how the three of us ended up in this tangle of feelings – they just see it as entirely inappropriate, and while they aren’t necessarily wrong, it’s too simplistic a view. Mike, V and I – we’re all people with hearts and feelings and responsibilities to our own families, and just because they may be married doesn’t change the fact that they are still humans full of emotions.  Out of my friends who do understand this, I don’t get the opportunity to see them very often (maybe once every couple of weeks for an hour or so).  It’s difficult.

Mike can tell me about his infatuation (or as of today, conquering of) and explain his feelings to me. He knows that he can trust me, that I won’t judge him and that I will be his friend no matter what.  I know that I can tell Mike about my feelings for him, and that he won’t run away and he will try to understand. But it’s different – apart from the fact that it still twinges that Mike would never want me in that way, I feel like I am humbling or almost humiliating myself to explain the way that I feel and the feelings that I have to him.  It’s brave of us to cope with this, and sometimes I think we overestimate our own strength, but ultimately he’s not confessing his feelings to the person he’s feeling them for (although the three of us are all clear about who likes who – again, it’s messy).  I’m his best friend and his shoulder, and I feel privileged.  I think we’ll always be close, but it’s slightly different for me.  I wish there was someone (and by that I mean a physical someone here, I appreciate all of you guys taking the time to read this and your comments and encouragement on twitter etc.!) to whom I could pour this all out and not feel judged or told that I should move on or get over it, because they are married and have children.  I already know this, and I think I am more or less strong enough not to act on my feelings – that’s the saving grace of being able to talk to Mike about my feelings for him and he is able to listen and support me as a best friend.  But sometimes, just to have someone a little less in the thick of it than the direct object of my crush would be nice!  A confidant.

Looking for love, fun, and connection this holiday season? If so, I have a game for you: a holiday treasure hunt. What is the treasure? Interesting, cool nuggets about the people you are celebrating the holidays with.

Your mission is to discover:

• one interesting thing about each person you come across at your holiday parties
• two interesting things about each person you spend a day with
• ten interesting things about each person you spend the whole holiday with

You goal really becomes to write the book on why the people around you are seriously amazing and awesome. Everyone has interesting, cool things about them, so why not focus on and cultivate those? It’s seems kinda silly that we even need to set this as a goal for ourselves… these people are our loved ones, after all. So let’s love them!

I’m spending a week with my partner Anthony’s family, so I’m going to have a motherload once the holidays are all said and done. Come join me in the quest for gold.

Other than what you have learned thus far
there is not much more you need focus on
the most of what we have explained is essential for you to actually practice and embody before moving on to greater things
yes it is important for you to practice consistent alignment with source
consistent thoughts and feelings of love and that journey will lead you to all you need for now
yes
what you seek is self-mastery
that is the salvation you need
that is the heaven the kingdom the power
you desire
self-mastery
yes
mastering your mind, thoughts feelings and actions
so that they align with what is best and highest for all concerned
so that they align with love
so that they align with source
yes that is where your focus on thoughts and feelings of love leads
that is where your focus on gratitude
peace and relief lead
that is exactly what source desires to experience within you through you as you
and that again is why you exist
as an extension of source
let go of all thought to the contrary
let go of all conditioned thinking telling you anything that does not coincide with freedom
enjoyment
love
peace gratitude appreciation
and all these things that love is
let go of anything to the contrary
and know that source in you as you through you
is always moving to expand your experience in the best way possible
the more you allow
the more you go with source
the more you allow
the more you let your true nature
unfold
yes
and so it is

- Morning stream of consciousness writing from John Stringer
Find out more about this blog by reading the BACKGROUND STORY.

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“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

Albert Schweitzer

In beginning to write my book and, in doing so, trudging through the worlds, aches, and muck of my life within my traumatic experience and posttrauma self I am finding myself exhausted daily by the memories of eight of my nine lives.  I am also finding myself mourning for the prior selves of “me” in a way that has been truly unexpected.  I didn’t realize how sad it would be to remember myself in my past and to watch and recreate the worlds in which I survived but never quite thrived inside of. 

In fighting my way, literarily, through all that has past–in a hopes of illuminating the past, present, and futures of others on similar journeys I am finding a persistent need for finding moments of gratitude and light in my present-day existence.  I find myself needing to really enjoy the moments of beauty and laughter, revel in every minute spent outside the pages of my old prisons and keep my insight into the past just that–the sight of an observer recording experience anthropoligically.  And save my living and reliving for those things of pleasure. 

I am rediscovering the importance of present-centered living, and consciously affording myself moments of appreciation and gratitude.  And for that I am very grateful for this exercise in rising old ghosts from the grave to the page.  It has given me perspective and reverence for the present.  I love the life I am, the family I am in,the state of place and state of mind I sit snugly inside of as I type out on my spastic laptop with 50 degree Florida chill whipping around my tiny cottage on the end of a discreet dirt road. 

I am grateful for life, and even more so for MY life right now.  I urge tomorrow to come but not too quickly and I hope to distill this appreciation through the next 10 chapters of this book and into my future.  In visiting old ghosts I am meeting ghosts of Christmas present and learning to treasure today as if it were the first, last, and only moment.

Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope for everyone this joy of today and gratitude for what IS in your life.

Blessings!

I’ve been told and have read that successful positive reinforcement training (or attraction-based work or clicker training) is both an art and a science. It certainly helps to observe, as an artist with a trained eye would, the subtle nuances of your horse’s behavior. And the knowledge of science can shed light on the ins-and-outs of operant conditioning. I’d like to add a third category that compliments both the art and the science: appreciation.

Merriam Webster defines appreciation as an expression of admiration, approval or gratitude.

It seems like my training completely transformed when I began to practice appreciation with my horses, especially DaVinci.

DaVinci, my gelding recovering from Post Traumatic Stress, is one of those horses that can easily bring out the worst in people. He used to make everyday horse handling a major event. He couldn’t be touched, or haltered or led. Once he could be haltered, I couldn’t groom him. He was convinced grooming tools were of the devil and I was Satan’s servant.

It wasn’t like he was a wild mustang experiencing touch for the first time. He had plenty of touch, obviously the wrong kind, and had concluded that a world full of humans was a world full of pain.

One moment I could feel such extreme anger at his un-manageability and then seconds later I’d be filled with compassion because God only knows what happened to him to cause such a violent reaction. I was angry he was so difficult, yet understanding of the reasons why he acted as he did. Then, adding insult to injury, his nervous behavior caused me to feel seriously incompetent. Even though I was the source of all good things and had great timing with my click-treat and I understood operant conditioning, I still was a human. In his mind that was a very bad thing.

In retrospect, when I’d work with him I’d carry vivid thoughts and feelings about him. I could be angry, confused or heartbroken and pleading. I’m ashamed to admit that my main thought was, “You are broken, and I will fix you.” I was so certain of my abilities, prior to him. After all, I had the technology, the practice and the understanding.

Three enlightening years later, I think I’ve found the missing link. I viewed DaVinci as an object, a project, a way to measure the success of my positive reinforcement training methods. I sit here typing in tears realizing how, despite my best intentions, I totally missed the mark.

I never authentically viewed him as a sentient being capable of feeling emotion, forming thoughts, having opinions or needing validation. Slowly, patiently he led me down this path showing me where he likes to be scratched, how he likes me to simply sit with him and what treats he likes the best.

Our relationship started to resemble more human-to-human than human-to-horse. I began to admire his courage in the face of fly spray. I would sit in awe of his finely crafted head, his beautiful markings, his energetic nicker when he’d see me. The Herculean turning point occurred when I could express my approval of him.

Before this point, I always viewed him as flawed, imperfect, lacking. If this were a human, how would that person feel if they knew this was how I viewed them, especially if I was claiming to be a friend? How could I have any kind of friendship based on equality if I viewed myself as superior and him as inferior.

I certainly would not want to be my friend, let alone have any kind of conversation with me. No doubt that conversation would have an agenda and my view would be incredibly biased. I had created a world for DaVinci orbiting around an axis of judgment. Clearly not a solid foundation for expression or growth or just plain old fun.

My pasture became a very different place when I began to communicate thoughts of approval. I actively set about to appreciate him for who and where he was right now without thinking about what I wanted him to become. Suddenly I felt liberated. I could stand next to DaVinci without the need to get somewhere, or accomplish something. I could just be. I could relax. And presto chango, he began to relax.

Maybe because I wasn’t judging him, I didn’t feel like he was judging me.

To say this is easy, I can’t. It’s not. I’m undoing a lifetime of thought patterns that have not served me or the sentient beings in my path. To let go of my inclination to brand or judge something as imperfect has been a foreign sensation. At first I felt empty without my platform to judge, but the instant I began flowing thoughts of appreciation towards DaVinci, I was able to be completely present with him and myself.

It’s said that perfect love casts out fear. I finally understand what that means. My judgmental thoughts were based in fear. Fear that I made a mistake in acquiring DaVinci. Fear that I wasn’t skilled enough. Fear that positive reinforcement training wouldn’t be powerful enough. Fear that DaVinci was damaged beyond repair. I was less fearful when I could judge or make an assessment.

When I began to appreciate (love) DaVinci for who he was, not for what I wanted him to be, the judgment vanished. It was like fear couldn’t exist in a place of where loving thoughts flowed.

It’s as if these powerful thoughts of appreciation become visual pictures that appear in my brain. I’m getting the feeling that my animals have a sophisticated way to read my thoughts and are really enjoying the new pictures of them that I’m creating.

When I imagine these beautiful portraits of my animals in my mind, I love the way they look at me. Who knows, maybe they’re creating beautiful portraits of me in their head too.

Clearly, something wonderful is afoot. Adding this extra category of appreciation on to the art and science of positive reinforcement training is having a very powerful yet effortless effect of my relationship with my herd and pack.

Alas, I must go. I’m being called to a “mutual appreciation meeting” in my backyard. So far our group has 16 hooves, 16 paws, and my 2 feet. Light hors d’oeuvres will be artistically served, accompanied by a click.

Every Christmas when we are enjoying the holidays and being with family and loved ones my heart always goes out to all the ones that are serving in the military and cannot be with their families.

An average group of Americans gathered to publicly thank their United Stated Military for the freedom they provide. If you want to thank your military, pass this video on to every person you know so it will eventually reach every present and former military person across the globe. We want the military to know we appreciate their service and sacrifice!

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

THAT ARE SERVING IN THE MILITARY

AND TO YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

THAT ARE MISSING YOU SO MUCH!

“Home is Where You Hang Your Heart”

and our Christmas prayer for you is that you will be able to

“hang your heart” at HOME very soon!

God Bless and Keep You Safe!

These words were written on my tea bag this morning and really caught my attention. I have been noticing lately how I feel the minute I wake up in the morning before I dial in to this time/space reality. I remember many mornings waking up with a general excitement; about nothing in particular but just an excitement towards life. Today I woke up with that familiar sense of subtle anxiety. I could describe it as a thin film of discontent or worry about nothing in particular: free-floating anxiety lite. Where does that come from? Why do I have it on some mornings and not on others?
“Happiness is total relaxation” implies that all is well within our world. So how do we get to that state as quickly as possible? As I drink my tea steeping in this wisdom, I remember.
It is through gratitude. I cannot be grateful without at least some things being well. So I am going to do what I have done so many times before and that is to make a list of 100 things I am grateful for. I know through experience that it is impossible to get to the bottom of the list without the fog of discontent lifting. Here I go…

Author and Astrologer, Donna Cunningham, has gifted me with the honor of guest blogger, on her site:  Sky Writer.

I am elated to be acknowledged in this manner by Donna whom has served so many with a genuine devotion to assisting the well-being of others.

I have admired Donna Cunningham’s work for quite some time, and she has been an inspiration for me many times when my journey was difficult.

I will honestly admit that when she extended the invite for guest blogger, I was like a little kid that just found out they are going to Disneyland, dancing gleefully around my kitchen and high-fiving my dog.

Thank you, Donna, I am deeply honored..you most definitely made my day!

(J. R. Miller, “Miller’s Year Book–a Year’s Daily Readings”)

“About that time she became sick and died. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other garments Dorcas had made for them.” Acts 9:37,39

A good many people have to die–to be appreciated. They go through the world living quietly, devoted to the interests of those who are dear to them, seeking no recognition. They are merely commonplace people, and so are allowed to love and serve without appreciation.

But one day they are missed from their accustomed place–their work on earth is done–and they are gone! Then the empty place reveals the value of the blessing they have been. In their absence, people learn for the first time–the value of the services they had been accustomed to receive from them.

On 18 Dec Friday, it was the last day of company visits in China for iLEAD. We had a discussion session at 7pm with pizza dinner, and sharing about our experiences and lessons learnt from the two-week OSM, and how it impacted our entrepreneurial aspirations. Listening to all my friends in i4 as well as the Alumni share their experiences helped me recall and reaffirm the lessons learnt throughout this trip as well. I’m glad we all pulled through together despite how tiring it was and how rushed we were from one company to another.

After the sharing, we had the CEOS join us and the Alumni screened the i4 OSM video which they put together for us. It was full of funny shots and wonderful memories; I know friendships have been forged in this group that will last for a long time to come. Right after the video, we presented the CEOS with the token of appreciation that we got for them: Paper cuttings of their faces with a message from us. Sharon was so touched that she cried.. I’m glad we had the opportunity to work with them. They have done an amazingly wonderful job of coordinating all the visits and every detail for the entire trip, even to sacrificing sleep just to ensure that things are in order, and being flexible when there were changes to be made. ^.^ Thank you CEOS!

Then it was time for the Christmas Gift Exchange which many of us were busy shopping for in the afternoon. =) We had to guess who was the giver of our gifts and those who couldnt had to do the chicken dance thingy. o.0 Good thing I could guess that the person who gave me a gift was Hussein (He Ze Dong)!~ Lol. Thanks for the hairband and earring rack, Hussein! ^.^ Finally when all the gifts were unwrapped and thanks were exchanged, we took group photos to wrap up the night.

Thank you for the wonderful memories iLead!~

Nat (^.^)

the shifting nature of clarity
Originally uploaded by kamphora

With every heart beat, may I give and receive love fully
With every cycle of breath, may I trust Spirit
With every conclusion, may I notice the end of the discovery
With every claim I stake, may I see what owns me
With every desire, may I sense the illusion of lack in my yearning
With every wrong I make, may I notice the absence of compassion
With every song, may I celebrate freedom of expression
With every dance, may I fully appreciate and accept my body
With every hurt I feel, may I understand I’ve given away my power
With every penny I spend, may I feel gratitude for its provision
With every fear, may I relax deeper into my body
With every action I take, may I be the change I want to see in the world
With every word I communicate, may I witness when it is any voice other than my higher self
With every drop of water, may I feel connected to all life
With every bite I take, may I listen to my body
With every moment, may there be a space for the witness
With every step, may I feel connected to the earth
With every instant, may I experience its rightness
With every challenge, may I learn its lesson
With every ailment, may I forgive
With every doing, may I notice the proving
With every embrace, may I feel all sensations
With every resistance, may I yield to the flow of grace
With every breeze, may I acknowledge my ancestors
With every comparison, may I practice acceptance and understanding
With every animal, may I celebrate unconditional love
With every photograph, may I release the past
With every immersion, may I notice the illusion of separation
With every bit of trash, may I reduce my waste
With every purchase, may I notice any emptiness I’m attempting to fill
With every stretch, may I experience inner spaciousness
With every yes, may I honor my boundaries
With every no, may I notice how I limit myself
With every performance, may I see my need to please
With every opinion I solicit, may I acknowledge my yearning for approval
With every passing day, may I embrace every aspect of myself
With every occasion I experience defeat, may I have the courage to keep going

“Are you busy?” This is the standard work question I hear people asking one another. Or, to reverse it, the standard work answer to the question “How’s it going?” is “Busy”.

But it’s not enough to be busy. So are ants, bees, and snails. The important questions are: What are you busy about? Who are you busy being?

- Richard Sauerman

December 9, 2009

Dear Friends,

 I’m still rejoicing in the good news from last week! Thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging words.

Christmas is so exciting this year. I finished my shopping before the time at Duke last week, just in case. So, we were able to enjoy the snow Saturday and not stress over any need to start shopping. My strength is really good now and I was able to sleigh ride and throw snowballs with Shayley and Charlie. We also listened to Christmas music and put up the tree Saturday as the snow was coming down!

 The great thing about playing in the snow Saturday is I also felt no overwhelming urge to get pictures of us. We were able to enjoy it entirely in the moment without thoughts pressing on me about the need to capture it in case it were the last time.

 Sunday morning our pastor had emailed that we should feel free to have service at home if we were worried in the least about the safety of getting out. He also said that if anyone in the house plays the piano, to ask them to play! SO, we decided to do that. Shayley thought I was making that part up about the piano, so I had to show it to her! So, she sounded out a couple hymns for us on the piano. She also caught us up on what her Sunday School class has been studying recently. They are studying Acts and had just finished reading about Stephen (Acts 6 and 7). What incredibly rich chapters! Stephen was a person of great faith in Christ, but people spread lies about him, saying that he had cursed God and Moses. In the end, they stoned him to death, based on the lies of others. Stephen’s final words were to God on behalf of the people murdering him with words and stones, asking that He “not blame them for this sin.” What incredible faith, what amazing grace.

 We talked about how his words echoed Jesus’ words on the cross, both dying words from men probably bleeding to death. We also talked about how Stephen was a martyr that spurred the spreading of Good News. We talked about how it reminded us of Joseph and how his brothers lied about him, but he ended up rising up to help his brothers; and Joseph noted in the end that what other people intend for evil, God used for good.

 Saul of Tarsus was watching on as Stephen was murdered. Saul was the master prosecutor of Christians.  But he was struck down one day, and woke up with a different vision. Being knocked down was terrifying at first, I’m sure, but it changed his life forever as he came to know Christ himself. And he went on, now called Paul, to pen much of the New Testament.

 It was a good study for us. We seldom understand why bad things happen, but we can trust that God can use it for good.

 Yesterday I was back at Duke for the day so they could get two skin biopsies and 10 vials of blood for their research purposes for the clinical trial I just completed. Another patient and I are the last two in the study—done on 72 people at 5 cancer centers around the country. The doctor told me that they may not have final stats on the study for another year or two, but that it looks encouraging that the vaccines may delay cancer recurrences for some people. I was chatting with the phlebotomist who was drawing my blood and she mentioned that she had donated blood cells a while back for a clinical trial. She had to lay still for 4 hours as they withdraw her blood, she said. The more we talked, I began to realize that it was my clinical trial that she had donated blood for. It was a great moment, being face to face with the person who had voluntarily shed 4 hours of blood to help other people she didn’t even know.

 It reminded me of Stephen, and, moreover, Jesus.

 Christmas is so exciting.

 Thank you all for your prayers.

 Love,

Lydeana

December 1, 2009

Dear Friends,

 Today was a 10 hour day and was well worth it.  Everything in the CT scan was clear!  Now Lydeana is laying in bed moaning dreadfully and I’m barely holding on due to an acute case of Golden Corralitis.   Celebration over health can be devastating in the short term and not great for the big picture either.

 A little more detail about the days events were as follows:

1) Blood work was taken, a port access needle installed and Tiger wasn’t talking.

2) The oncologist was somewhat baffled about the meaning of a white circle that appeared on Lydeana’s leg and had some theories about it though it wasn’t worth the effort and time to check into.  Meanwhile Tiger’s wife was using a golf club to save him from a fire hydrant due to his rumored affair.

3) Radioactive contrast was injected and Lydeana went bravely through the scan while the tree trashed Tiger’s right front quarter panel out of jealousy from getting too close to the fire hydrant.

4) Waited several hours in hall way to speak to surgeon about results as the Florida state police investigated the situation further with the possibility of a great scandal unfolding.

5) Got to see surgeon and found out all looked good and could come back for the next scan April 6, 2010 and that Tiger would be charged with careless driving the same as you and I without legally having to give any bigger down payment with a chunk of his soul than the news dogs already took.

 The moral of the day is that you can still occasionally receive good news from hospitals and CNN.   It’s still exasperating to have to go through it over and over to get to that point.

We want to thank you all for your prayers because they mean so much to us and are the biggest reason for this outcome.

 Love, 

Charlie