Show Me The Love

As I read through my notes from “The Happiness Project” this quote jumped out at me.

“There is no love; there are only proofs of love.  

Whatever love I might feel in my heart, others will see only my actions.”

-Pierre Reverdy

It is so important to align our actions with our feelings.  That is the only way others will truly understand how we feel.  Our inner feelings must be translated outwardly through our interactions with others and the way we choose to conduct ourselves in our day to day lives.

Throughout my lifetime I have looked into people’s eyes and listened to them pour there heart out, or at least what they claimed was in their heart, only to turn around and act in a way that clearly conflicted with their words.

 

This leaves me with many questions.  Does that person love me?  Does that person just say they love me?  What do their actions say about how they feel?  These are hard questions to answer.

Alignment is key to our happiness.  We must align our life with our faith, morals and values.  We must align our actions with our feelings.  To be misaligned hurts others, especially the ones you love.  But more importantly it hurts yourself, because if you can’t be true to yourself you will never be true to someone else, and you will rob yourself of the deepest, truest emotions and connections.

I wrote a post, "To Thine Own Self Be True", which is the foundation of being true to others.  I will do my best to make sure the ones I love know just how much.  I will hope that the ones that love me show me just how much.

As you live your life, think about the fact that nobody else can truly know how you feel, unless you show them.  Shape your actions, interactions, and words around your heart.

Much Love,

Megan  

Super Mom

Just call me Super Mom.  I totally earned the title this weekend.  The boys and I bought a rubber band bracelet loom and made enough bracelets to cut off the circulation of 100 small children or 1 large elephant, we attended a birthday party at The Little Gym, we had a dinner date with the BFF, we made Christmas cookies, we attended a night in Bethleham, we shopped for and made goodie bags for the boys classes and SO MUCH MORE.

This is a shout out to all of you moms (and dads):

• Spending countless hours and dollars creating the perfect Christmas for your kids
• Bravely lunging across the room with a shoe to kill the spider threatening your family
• Coming up with the most creative Elf on the Shelf locations
• Packing the most edible lunches for school
• Creating an awesome advent calendar
• Planning amazing birthday parties
• Sitting on the front row of the Christmas sing-a-long
• Wrestling in the living room
• Instilling confidence in your children
• Chaufering your children to and from all of there many extracurricular activities.

Obviously this was a random, very random, sampling of what you do.  But the most important thing is just to be present and be you.

If you are still reading this – my guess is you are a great parent.  I am in awe of you every single day for the time/energy/love you put into the lives of your children.  I hope, and in most circumstances believe, that what you put in will be a reflection of what comes out.  Give yourself a pat on the back and remind yourself that there is no one more important than you to your children.  Your role makes a difference, some would say it makes all the difference.  Here’s to all of you Super Moms and Super Dads in the world!  

XOXO,

Megan

To Thine Own Self Be True

Yesterday I read a sentence that resonated with me, “Dream, speak and act in congruency and anything is possible.”  I jotted it down on an index card and put it in my handy dandy index card box full of totally insightful and totally useless bits of information that make up my life.

Today I was reading an article on tinybuddha.com and came across a similar message.  The article began with the following quote:

“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world.” ~Marcus Aurelius

It went on to say, “When you are alone, spend some time considering whether you are happy and if you are acting congruently with your values.”

These thoughts left me with a few takeaways.

The first is that life is full of possibilities and your choices are endless.  Shoot for the stars, but remember that your own inner compass it what will guide you to that star.  You must talk the talk AND you must walk the talk.

The second and, in my opinion, more important takeaway is about our inner harmony.  It doesn’t matter if we reach the stars if we are not happy and content with ourselves and our lives.  I think a good example of this is a celebrity such as Britney Spears.  From the outside she has fame, fortune, beauty, talent and is a star.  From the inside, at least at times, she is broken, lost and not living in harmony with herself and the world.

Ask yourself:

Who am I?

Am I the person I want to be?

What do I believe in?

Do I stand up for what I believe in?

What do I want out of MY life?

Am I happy?

What makes me happy?

Be the person you want to be.  Live the life you want to live.  Fill your life with the things that make you happy. To thine own self be true.

XOXO,
Meg

No One is Born Racist!

I started this post several weeks ago, but I did not finish it.  In honor of Nelson Mandela, in honor of the season I think this piece is timely.

No one is born racist, homophobic, liberal, conservative or full of hate.  Each and every one of us is a blank slate.  However our beliefs are quickly influenced by the people around us, specifically the people closest to us.

 

Some of the most sad, frustrating and infuriating experiences for me are seeing the beautiful, open and loving minds of children being taught to hate.  The hate being taught is not a gift – it is a burden.  These children are not being saved from future hurt by some faceless “bad person”, they are simply learning that entire groups of people are bad and should be categorized as such.  Children’s worlds are narrowed with the thoughts that certain people are innately bad or good, based solely on the color or their skin, their sexual preference or their political or religious beliefs.

 

It is so important to teach our children to love.  They will be happier if they see the good in people.  They will be stronger if they can connect with people.  They will be healthier if they are full of love, not hate.

Be love.  Be kindness.  Be understanding.  Be compassionate.  Be generous.  Be thoughtful.  Be the person you hope your children to become.  That is the greatest gift you could possibly give them.

XOXO,

Megs

Laughter, Suspicion and Deerbras!

We’ve all heard or read about the importance of smiling and laughing, something like laughter is the best medicine or a smile a day keeps the doctor away…or maybe that’s an apple.

 

Today I want to talk about something EVEN BETTER!  Oh my word I just love what I’m getting ready to talk about!  You know those thoughts, those sights, that just *BAM* instantly make you break out into a cheesy grin or a laugh out loud moment ALONE!  Everyone around you is staring or they become paranoid and suspicious!  HAHAHA!  Or maybe the thoughts that just turn one side of your mouth up in a little knowing grin, or they make you pee in your pants, or they make you cry from laughing so hard, or they make your face hurt, or they make your stomach hurt, or they make you snort.  Man oh man – those are the best moments!

 

Oh, oh, oh or how about the times when you ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY should not be laughing, like at church, in class, during an intense argument, when someone hurts themselves or dies or any other awkward situation where it’s completely inappropriate.  So maybe, it’s totally wrong and maybe in the moment I feel awful about it, but not too awful I suppose…because WHY DO I KEEP LAUGHING, but right now I am here to tell you that it is a blessing and something to be thankful for.  To be able to feel that genuine happiness, even if for a fleeting and wrong timed moment, is a gift.

I love to laugh, I love to make people laugh and I am not afraid to make a complete fool of myself in the process.

 

This skit makes me laugh, I just can’t help myself!  Kevin Hart is a genius.  Be forewarned it has bad language, but sit back, relax and get ready to pee in your pants!

I hope you all get one extra smile and laugh today from reading this blog then spread the love!

XOXO,

Megan

Trailer Park Trash (or Treasure)

As my youngest son Gavin and I come to a stop sign on the way to daycare he looks out the window and says, “those houses are nice.”  I look out the car window to where he is pointing and I see Shady Grove Trailer Park. 

My thoughts…

We are taught and we learn to see value in some things and not others.  As the years go by it seems that we are putting more and more value into material possessions.  Children my boys ages (4 & 6) have cell phones, tablets and toys that take over the entire house.  (You know what I’m talking about.)

The expectations of children are changing – they are higher – they want the latest and greatest of everything and they are quick to tell us how Johnny Doe at daycare has one and it’s just not fair.

On the other hand, we have all spent entirely too much money on a certain toy that is rarely used, while the kids are totally enthralled and spend hours playing with a cardboard box. 

I give my boys some great toys, but it is more important to me that I give them great experiences, great morals, great characters and a great foundation for them to be successful in life.

Value is in the eyes of the beholder and it is all relative, I hope my boys always find value in the things that bring them true happiness.  

XOXO,

Meg

Children - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Today my post is about children.  I have lots of thoughts going through my head.  It’s likely this is going to take several different tangents.

Last night my 6 year old son, Dallas’, first tooth fell out.  We put it in a Ziploc bag and he wrote, “Dallasis 1^st Tooth.”  He was concerned the tooth fairy might not be able to find it under his pillow so he wanted to put it on the bookshelf.  (I’m not sure if he was actually worried she wouldn’t find it, or worried about her being right there under his pillow.)  Then he was worried she might run into the wood part of the bed and hurt herself.  After I assured him he was not in a position to question the tooth fairies ability to do her job, he finally put it under his pillow, but asked if he could sleep on my pillow with me (which he did).  A child’s sense of wonder, ability to live in the present and unharnessed excitement inspires me, humbles me and encourages me to make the most of this life for myself and others.

Today I had lunch with Dallas at school.  As I looked around the cafeteria full of first and second graders I saw a room buzzing with excitement, full of conversation, laughter, smiles, kids following the rules, eating healthy foods and loving life.  This made me think of the innate goodness of children.  When I think of their goodness, their naïve nature, their innocence, I also think of what it takes to help them successfully bridge the gap between childhood, adolescence, adulthood and parenthood.  What do I need to do to be the most rockin’ trail guide on the path of life?

I read an article today.  Warning – this is a terrible news story about the treatment of children.  Here’s the link - http://m.nydailynews.com/1.140154.  If you are like me you will hardly be able to comprehend what you just read and you will not stop thinking about it.  It reminds me how different all of our stories are; can you imagine being this girl in her adult life telling her story?  How does she get from where she is now to where she is destined to go?  Does she survive and thrive and go on to make the world a better place because of her own horrifying experiences?  Does she never overcome the mental and physical strain she has endured during her first 6 years of life?  None of us know the answer to these questions, but we do know she has started on a completely different playing field than we did or that our own children have.

My thoughts:

• Allow yourself to get lost in the magical world of a child
• Take parenting seriously and make it your first priority
• Help others less fortunate than yourself
• Remember that we all come from very different walks of life

Your thoughts?

XOXO,

Meg