There's No Such Thing as Too Much Love

On this Mother’s Day I am grateful for my children and my mother, yet I am thinking of others.  The women who have not biologically birthed children but wanted to.  The women who have had their children taken away from them far too soon.  This one’s for all those who mother us.

I never lived near either set of my grandparents.  They were distant figures whom we visited during some holidays and summers.  Today there is distance due to death.  One grandfather died before I was born, a grandmother when I was 5, and another grandmother when I was in my 30s.  My maternal grandfather is in his 90s, in ill health, and lives several states away.  Thankfully, I do have precious memories from these visits, but I wasn’t as emotionally close to them as I’ve seen some grandchildren can be who have had more frequent contact with their grandparents.

Given these physical, geographical, and emotional distances, I was determined not to have the same experience for my own children.  And yet, here we are in Kentucky with both sets of grandparents in Texas.  My children have also not grown up near their aunts, uncles, and cousins as was my experience.

Still, the need for extended family does not go away.  Yes, we love them dearly and have as much physical and electronic contact as we can.  They are frequently in our thoughts, and it is comforting to know that we are in theirs.

A beautiful thing has happened along the way.  My children have “adopted” some women as important family members.  These women have played with and prayed for my children.  They have given hugs, kisses, advice, and gifts and cheered them on.  I am so grateful to them for the love and care they have given my children.  They may not be biologically related but they hold a special place in my children’s hearts and my own.

So I encourage you, whether or not you have children of your own, to become an “adopted” relative of a child such as my own children and the child I was.  Look around.  Ask around.  With our geographically pulled society, there are children and youth everywhere that are in need of your special gifts.

Because there’s no such thing as too much love.

On Spontaneity, Play, and Purple Hair

 

You'll have to read along or scroll down to read about the purple hair.

On the Myers-Briggs Type Indictator, a popular personality test, I am a "J."  That means that I am often organized, planful, and scheduled.  Spontaneous is not a word that most people would use to describe me.  This past Sunday on the Twitter chat called Spiritchat the topic was Spontaneity.  I didn't realize it until the chat began that Spontaneity and Play have a lot in common.

Here are some tweets from that chat and the person who tweeted them in parentheses.  You could substitute the word play or playful and the meaning would often still be the same. 

Characteristics of spontaneity:

Spontaneity is the purest expression of authenticity. (@KateNasser)

Spontaneity is the nature of spirit. Always in the moment, allowing the flow, decisions based on feeling. (@alexisdaria)

“The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.” ~Germaine Greer (@EmeliaSam)

Spontaneity Is Like A River: IT Tells You To Be Open In Life And Go With The Flow (@MaureenAOpene)

Nature is spontaneous. Not to be spontaneous is to be unnatural. (@Jon_Lap)

Babies and children are spontaneous by nature...indicating our natural state (@JanetNestor)

Being spontaneous means being aligned with our true spirit. (@carryitforward)

Spontaneity seems like a process of cultivating re-discovery of the kid within me (@AjmaniK)

This advice on being more spontaneous:

If we stifle spontaneity, we tend to block the flow ~ of love and blessings (@AjmaniK)

We can leave room for spontaneity by NOT over packing our schedules (@alexisdaria)

At first, we may have to pencil it in. Think back to recess...lots of spontaneity during those 15 min (@JoanneGuidoccio)

It's a lot easier to be spontaneous if we are present in the moment! (@carryitforward)

Cultivate our spontaneity by practicing open mind, open heart... open to receive, open to try positive things (@ThinDifference)

To be spontaneous, one must say: bring me whatever I need in my life - and then be willing to go with it (@healingmuse)

Cultivating a playful attitude. Releasing shoulds and oughts. Even for just a moment. (@playcrane)  Yes, that's me!

Stories of Spontaneity

My favorite part of the chat was when @EmeliaSam, who facilitated that week, asked participants to share what the last spontaneous thing was they had done.  Here they are.

Danced in Whole Foods with two bags of chia seeds using them as maracas (@KdK3_Love)

I sing out loud as often as possible, even though I'm not a good singer...it makes me feel awesome (@CoachRims)

Spontaneous dance party in my apartment, one attendee- me, but I always have fun (@merryb923)

Yesterday bought the kid in front of me at Dairy Queen his cone. Had my wallet out anyways. You should have seen his face (@mscator)

Gave myself purple streaks in my hair last night. feels fun, creative, playful, youthful, freeing = alive (@playcrane)

So I'm wondering, why NOT be more spontaneous more often?

Chutes & Ladders as Metaphor for Life and Creative Practice

Find me over here today.

I'll be posting about once a month as part of Creative Dream Journals, a blog written by alums of Circe's Circle.

In the Name of Love

Today is the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.  Each April 4th I am reminded of his legacy.  (One of which I believe lives on in the modern push for gay rights.)  Each April 4th I think of the song Pride, by one of my favorite bands of all time, U2.

Watch and listen to Pride in this video.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Crane family!

Here's some pics from an Easter egg hunt and signs of Spring in my yard.  My daughter Meredith is in the bunny costume.  Her brother didn't want his picture taken with her so she snuck up behind him.