“Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more….” 
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” 
― Calvin Coolidge

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” 
― Bob Hope

“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.” 
~ (1912-1992), American newscaster. ” 
― Eric Sevareid

Recently, I saw a blog post from one of the sites that I follow and a mother asked the question: “What can I get my children for Christmas since we have very little money?” She went on to say that there had been some  issue with their truck being stolen with some money that they had saved up inside of the truck. This mother was worried that she had nothing to give her children.

I’m a mother of four children ranging in age from 8-14. Since they have been born I have raised them to understand what I believe the meaning of Christmas to be: giving luv and giving gifts from the heart. I have only ever bought my children three gifts (no electronics) each and there have been some years when they didn’t even get that many.

When we were going through our divorce a few years ago, there were times when all we could do in our house was give luv: we created family traditions and thought of creative ways to show each other how much we luv’d them and the people in our lives. This year for Christmas, my children baked cookies and gave them as gifts to all of their friends and teachers along with holiday cards and hand written notes about how much their friends mean to them.

The above quote about Christmas being a state of mind, I think, is perfect to drive home the point that Christmas really isn’t about how much money we need to spend on people to show them that we luv and value them. It’s sad to me that we have made what should be a time of celebrating the value and luv that we have for each other into a time of superficiality and commercialism. It amazes me how much stress we create in our lives because we don’t have the money to buy friends and family lavish gifts. Parents go into debt each year trying to buy their kids everything that their kids ask for including expensive electronic gadgets that cost more than some families utility bills. In tough economic times like the ones we’re in who can afford to do that?

I do hope that for those of us who celebrate Christmas, we will make this a time of simply giving that part of ourselves that money can’t buy and spreading kindness. The world is hurting right now and this is the perfect time of year to heal yourself and thus do your part to heal the world. No matter what religion you are or what your faith is, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you can still be a part of the celebration of luv. Take time to encourage someone you know has been having a tough time. Kind words are often so much more valuable than material things. Tell someone how beautiful, amazing, and talented they are. If you have a particular skill, offer to share your skill and help someone for free who could use your services.

There are so many things that we can give to uplift someone and encourage them in the name of luv. My advice to the mother who asked what to get her children for Christmas is to instill in them a sense of worth. Tell them how amazing they are. Write them a note and tell them how much you luv and value them. Bake some cookies, pop some popcorn and watch movies. One thing I have learned on this journey of motherhood is that once the toys are all broken and the electronics no longer work children will always remember the time they spent with you and how you made them feel! So will everyone else!

In luv,
Leisa

“As the earth dies your spirit will bloom; as the world fades your soul will rise and glisten. Amongst the dehydrated crevices of a desert earth you will stumble upon your diamonds; in between the dry skulls and cracked bones you will find your sapphires.” 
― C. JoyBell C.

“Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing moment of birth. And more than anything it can spur you to action. Have a burning day.” 
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

I believe the Mayans were on to something when they predicted that the world would end today! What an awesome coincidence that the end of the world CO-INCIDES (that’s another post) with the Winter Solstice. As one season is ending another is beginning. Of course it’s not the end of the physical world that we live in but the end of the world that YOU live in…the one that you have created within yourself and the one that is no longer serving you or your life’s purpose!

It’s easy sometimes to get caught up in the things that are ending in our life and to try and hold on. Relationships, jobs, material things…we tend to get attached to these things and want to hold on to them for life. I guess there is a fear of being without these things so we try to hold on even when we know that they are no longer serving us.

I encourage you to ask the question of yourself “What am I holding on to that is ending in my life?” If there is something in your life that is ending (and we always know when something is ending) I encourage you to let it end for in its ending there is a new beginning for something else. Even when the ending brings pain allow it to end because holding on only prolongs the pain. And even when the experience of letting go is painful we have the option of whether we suffer or not.

Don’t worry that you are giving up on someone or something whose time has come to an end in your life. Everything that we experience has come to help us grow and once its purpose has been served it goes back to being whatever it was so let it return. Cherish the experience and the memories that it created but don’t hold on to what is ending. Allow the new beginning to unfold without fear of the unknown and trust the the Divine is there guiding you every step of the way and that you are growing and evolving at precisely the rate that is right for you on your journey!

And as always, remember to begin each day with your daily “dessert” of gratitude, meditation, music or whatever it is that brings joy to your life and make every day a “new beginning” for yourself!

Every year nearly 2,500 children die from child abuse. U.S reporting tracks only about 1,800 deaths from abuse and mistreatment because these stats are based on the numbers of deaths that have been reported by child welfare agencies.  But the number is estimated to be much closer to the stated 2,500 because not all children who die from abuse or mistreatment have had contact with these agencies and therefore are not reported by these agencies. Recently, here in Las Vegas, a 7 year old boy was beaten to death by his mother and step-father for reportedly failing to read the bible and do his homework.

When I first heard this story all I could do was cry and it haunted me for days and continues to haunt me as I allow my mind to think about what this baby must have been going through at the hands of those who were charged with luving and taking care of him. This child will never get to live out the dreams that he had for his life. He will never grow up to experience having his first kiss, graduate from high school, getting accepted to the college of his dreams, fall in luv or to have children of his own. He, like many other children who have lost their lives at the hands of abuse, has been robbed of his future.

The child pornography business is big business. Peruse just about any porn site and you will see haunting images of girls that appear to be no more than my own daughters’ ages of 14, 12 and 9. As a parent I’m sickened by the fact that even though our country has some of the strictest laws against child pornography it’s still a business-one that is thriving.

The child sex trafficking business is another one. Every day young girls are forced into the business of prostitution. One story I recently read details what happened to a young girl in Los Angeles who was brutally murdered, set on fire and burned to death in the middle of a Los Angeles street. She was only 17 years old. There was barely a word about it in the media which highlights some of the attitudes that we share in this country when it comes to our children and abuse.

Child sex trafficking has become one of the most common forms of organized crime  yet we continue to turn a blind eye to it in this country. The U.S Department of Justice reports that 12 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution in the U.S. 12! A most impressionable age where young girls are beginning to grow into who they are becoming. An age where they are wanting to go to the mall and hang out with their friends, exchange hair, make-up and homework tips, talk about choir performances and what boy is cute. It’s also an age where their self-worth and self-esteem is most vulnerable; a time when they are most vulnerable to the advances of an unsuspecting pimp telling them how pretty they are.

A recent report by UNICEF found that of the 35 worlds richest countries the U.S ranked second on a scale of what economists referred to as “relative child poverty”–second only to Romania. According to the report 23.1 percent of America’s children live in poverty. The report states that:

 “failure to protect children from poverty is one of the most costly mistakes a society can make. The heaviest cost of all is borne by the children themselves. But their nations must also pay a very significant price – in reduced skills and productivity, in lower levels of health and educational achievement, in increased likelihood of unemployment and welfare dependence, in the higher costs of judicial and social protection systems, and in the loss of social cohesion.” 

I agree.

And what about these children? How do you dream the “American Dream” when you are going to bed hungry at night or being beaten on a daily basis or having to sell your body for money? What about these children’s dreams? What about the loss of these precious lives?

In this country we are all too willing to turn a blind eye to these epidemics and as a result throw away our children at the hands of abuse and neglect. And the entire nation is guilty!  We all read the stories and cringe…for a moment. We cry, light candles and say a prayer for the families and victims of these heinous crimes. We post on social media about how outraged we are. We post prayers and quotes and for a brief moment hug our children a little closer and shower them with luv. But do we think about the children who have no one to hug them but instead deprive them of life? We begin to blame everyone who we believe blame should be placed with…except ourselves. We look at the laws on the books and insist that “someone” do “something” to prevent these crimes from every happening again but rarely do we address the societal problem of how we treat people in this country.

Of the top 5 wealthiest nations the U.S is the only one that does not provide for it’s citizen’s well being through a universal healthcare system. Those most affected by this is, of course, our children. The U.S has the highest infant mortality rate of any of these nations and the lowest life expectancy at birth. Says a lot about what we really think of our children.

So when a gunman goes to an elementary school and opens fire killing 20 of our nations most precious citizens and the country is outraged and demanding that gun laws be changed to prevent this from ever happening again, I wonder. I wonder where our priorities as a country really are when it comes to our children. I wonder why it is that we are so outraged that these children will never grow up to live their dreams but not so outraged at the thousands upon thousands whose dreams die each year because their young lives have been snuffed out by child abuse, prostitution, neglect, and hunger. Will somebody please, please tell me the difference!

Like the rest of the country I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that happened this morning in Connecticut.  There are, of course, no words to express the sadness and grief that grips our country right now nor to comfort those that mourn. I ask that you join me in sending prayers of luv and peace to those affected by this tragedy and that is all of us.

Leisa

It’s Monday; my favorite day of the week. A day most people dread with a passion. A day most people wish would never come. But not YOU! You look forward to Monday with the same passion that others express in their dislike of Monday. YOU look forward to Monday because you know that it’s a day of new beginnings; a day to set the tone for the rest of your week!

What will you do with this day? What will you make of it? Here’s a thought: why not use today to launch! Launch what you ask? That business that you have in your head! That book, that blog, that website, that education, that career, that volunteer work that you want to do but don’t think you have time for. Why not take today to launch and go live!

Don’t think you have everything you need to launch? I didn’t either. You do and so did I! You already have everything you need to do exactly what you want to do. What you need you already have and what you don’t have you don’t need. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead…launch! #EMDF

Leisa