What a night!

I will try my best to not get all cliche' on  all of you this morning...The damn Hallmark card sayings are oozing right out of my pores.

Wow- what a night.

Amazing.
Magical.
Moving.
Neighborhood.
Lasting.
Changing.
Friends.
Acceptance.
Gratitude.
Spiritual.
Loving.
Giving.
Emotional.

You know there is more...So much more.

Moments are embedding so deep-
I know the moments were not all shared. I wish they could be.  So you would all know just how amazing moments were last night.

Since we don't wear badges or letters on our foreheads you would not know all the parents of 'Special' children that stopped by.

They were the ones grinning from ear to ear. Taking in deep breaths filled with great pride and astonishment.

Our community rallied.

Not for me.

But for them.

EVERY ONE OF THEM.

They knew it- they felt it. They saw it and it was inspiring.

We know our road is a different one.

We know that times are tough, difficult and at times, painful.

But in between all those layers, lies pure radiant lasting love.

I have been touched.

I have been changed.
Forever.

The amazing food you had last night was made with awareness.
 By an amazing chef by the name of Alvin whose son has Autism. 
He is OBama's caterer...

But that means nothing to me.
Alvin is a dad.  A 'special' dad.

Now THAT speaks volumes.

His kindness and generosity poured out from his soul.
 He gets it. 
He lives it.
And he shared that with me.
He shared that with everyone.

Did you notice the beautiful ladies that sold you your t-shirts? 
The owner of Sweet Freaks and our State Rep....Yep- you heard me.
 Our STATE REPRESENTITIVE:~)

Donating their time, their moments to be shared with us.

We had Doctors and lawyers and company execs...but they had no business agenda.
 Not last night.

They did something so much more that operate or file taxes.
They filled the room with CELEBRATION.

Celebrating acceptance through awareness.

You were apart of something big last night.
Not just a party with fantastic Martini's.
 But the beginning to greatness.
A new way to celebrate differences.

I am not here to educate you on chromosomes or low muscle tone.
I am hear to say that "It is what it is" and its time to accept.

Celebrate the moments that we are given.

Tangible,
 Bright,
 friggen technicolor moments that we all receive from these kids.

OUR kids.
Kids of the community.
Kids of the world.

I am merely a mom.

Walking the walk and talking the talk.

I am humbled and grateful as I sit here today.
Wishing maybe that I had one less beer (OK, maybe 4 less)...

Glowing from the warmth.

Tickled from the friends that came from near and far. (Yes- that was me, speechless as a long lost friend from 30 years ago came..and yes I am still smiling.)

There wasn't enough time to talk, to say thank you , to hug and embrace.

But you all know me.
You know how I roll.
Honest,
Raw,
Heartfelt
Greatful
Peace
Love
Loud
Glittering~
understanding.
Happiness.

From the very friggen bottom of my bursting over with pride heart.



                         
                                                                      Thank you

kindness-nice and short!

Random acts of kindness.

Does anyone remember the Oprah episode where she gave some audience members $100.00 and asked them to pay it forward?

I do.
Vividly.

I loved that episode.
I thought about it for a long time.
A very long time.

One person took the $100.00 and  paid for strangers coffee all day.
I tried that- I have paid the toll for someone behind me.

It felt good for 30 seconds.
Nothing lasting.




 Then there was someone who took the $100.00 and merely 'asked' her community to do the same. To dig as deep into their pockets as they could, comfortably.

Or give a service.

She knew of a  family facing gigantic struggles.  I  believe the sole bread winner of their household was deteriorating from a deadly Cancer.

She just reached out.

She just asked.

I met a women like her recently.
Actually I have met hundreds of people like that.

Someone that understands that they have been blessed.
Blessed  with more.
More than their fair share.
Yes-
They worked very hard to get  where they are.
But they are aware of their blessings.
In a moment it could all be gone.

They get that.

So to truly enjoy their great wealth they pass it on.  Giving pieces of it away.
Maybe not with money but with  moments.

This one audience member used her $100.00 to contact the neighborhood, make flyer's and have them sent out.
Thank God I was sitting.

That one women raised $50,000.00 in the one week.
Yep you heard me.

Couldn't erase the pain from the struggling family.

But damn it sure did lift 5o thousand dollars of burden that they were facing.

As I sit here thinking about Easter ~
I am reminded of the Easter eggs , the new clothes bought for church and the expensive brunch..

It has me thinking.

What if,

Come on,

What if,

my beautiful friend that always donates
 her voice and her guitar to my events!

We ALL took a little bit of something we had extra.

Time,

Money,

Knowledge,

Kindness,


Some of my friends who donate their
time to work my I AM WHO I AM events!

Ability,

Words,

Love,

And payed it forward.

What if......

Oprah's gone.

But we're not.

We are still here.

We can pay it forward.

Seriously,
    take a minute,

and
just
IMAGINE.

Now~ after you have imagined the GREATNESS.
Stand up and make a difference.
We can,

we will.

Now.

new directions

New directions

I remember reading years ago about women changing paths.
It was in every magazine I picked up. From Lady's Home Journal to Cosmopolitan. Women with influential jobs changing directions.
Changing careers in a blink of an eye. Jumping off the edge into uncharted territory.

Kinda like me.

I AM WHO I AM


I am trying to keep my eyes open. It feels as though I am sky diving naked with my eyes glued shut. Scared of falling, of failing and of public humiliation (That's if the naked part is actually real).

I remember thinking "Wow- that could be me" ~"these women are nuts" and "how would you know what road to take"?

These were high powered women, Doctors, lawyers , bankers, movers and shakers. One day they just threw caution to the wind, walked out of their costume and did something that they had passion for. (Damn I love that word "PASSION")

Okay, some went into crazy directions....Hmmm, crazy?

Not to them.

There was the millionaire that became a soybean farmer. She used her crops to feed the hungry. A doctor that left her practice to quilt. She sent her blankets to 3rd world countries.
Crazy?
Maybe not at all.

I have a friend that claims he has no real passion. Yuck, I would rather sleep all day. A life without passion is a life without raw joy. Passion has so many meanings, so many directions, so many ways to bend.

I am actually passionate about others passion.
Imagine that.
Think about that.

What brings more pleasure to your soul than seeing and feeling someone doing something that they live for. It pours out of their being. When passion hits the heart it explodes like dynamite. It brings life and great dimension to everything you see, touch and taste.

Seems like yesterday,

Ugh-30 years ago when I stepped foot into the Beauty field I was a reckless teen unaware of my true passion. I loved fashion, hair, make up and glitter. It kept my batteries charged for years. I was enjoying my 15 minutes of fame. Standing tall on platforms across the country. Telling people that wanted to hear, how to achieve "IT"...
Hahaha,
But what was "IT"?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Beauty from the outside can be robbed in an instant. At a young age, beauty can be destroyed my something as simple as acne. Beautiful hair, can be cut. Beautiful clothing goes out of style.

But a beautiful heart will last a lifetime.

My persona as many of you believe is covered in glitter.
Yes it certainly is.
That is the daily make up I choose to wear. But if you take a second and chisel the top layer off you will see someone that is exactly like you.

I am changing.
Changing my path.
The beauty world is a lovely place...
Just not as lasting as I had hoped 30 years ago.

This new path has been set before me. It was a teeny tiny fork in the road. Thank God my eyes were open so I could see the direction.

I don't think I even had a choice this time.
I don't think I even gave it much thought. I just rolled into this.
Morphed into "HER".

All I know today is that I like "Her"....She truly is a work in progress.
I believe that 'she' will do great things.
'She' will change lives and change minds.


I will always have my doubters. ( I live among many)..But that just fuels my fire.

Tell me I can't.
Oh, I WILL.
Tell me "I won't.
Oh, I HAVE.
Tell me that you don't BELIEVE.

See ya'.

Monday at 2:20 p.m. Chicago time I will be interviewed live on the Family Balancing Act Radio show.
I have been allotted 20 minutes. Good luck containing me.
I see a regular spot in my future.

Maybe I'm not in Good House Keeping yet-
But keep your subscriptions renewed.
I am on my way.

Bam.