Later today ...

we'll reveal what we've been working on! Hope you're not underwhelmed, but we think it's a pretty important step. Stay tuned!

Gifts of the spirit.

One day I said to God --
I'm going to search
For the meaning to my existence
I'm going to find the talent within me
Then develop it to the best of my ability
And I'm going to make the most of this Life
That I have been given
And I'm going to do this
Without infringing upon anyone else's
Opportunity to do the same
And God replied
'I couldn't ask for anything more'"

Javan

So love, love, love this. You are created unique and special regardless of the circumstances & relationships into which you were born. You have, at least one, probably many gifts embedded into your soul, your psyche and your body for which you are responsible to cultivate and use. Using your gifts is your assignment here.

Some have the gift of song, and despite self-consciousness, if you have the gift of song, please us it every day. Song can soothe a baby, relax the mind, inspire a jig, send a message and bring joy to all those who are able to hear.

Some have the gift of comfort, and despite difficult situations, if you have the gift of comfort, please use it every day. Comfort can soothe the scared, reassure the sick, bolster the spirit and create unforgettable friendships.

Some have the gift of organization, and despite the world's excuses, if you have the gift of organization, please use it every day. Organization can unclutter the soul, re-energize a home, can create more time and can get things done, like curing pediatric brain cancer.

Some have the gift of creativity, and despite what others say, if you have the gift of creativity, please use it every day. Creativity can spawn ideas that solve problems, express beauty, can rid the world of utilitarian blahs and can add life to our days.

Some have the gift of strength, and despite the ego, if you have the gift of strength, please use it every day. Strength can move what seems like mountains, can build a house into a home, can lift the weak and push the world in the right direction.

Thousands and thousands of gifts we could explore here. For me, the gift is words. When I write, I know that I'm doing what I was put here to do, and anything that keeps me from it makes me feel rotten, like I'm committing a deadly sin. Crazy, huh? Writing is my prayer for the world.

What is your gift?

Last call.

Okay, for those of you who meant to send recipes but didn't or couldn't or would have, here's your last chance. We're still in need of a few more side dishes, and remember, if you have a recipe made with a super-food (anti-oxident, phytochemical, cancer-fighting food), we'd love for you to share. Send your side to the ever-popular Jan Munroe, at kyriesnana@kyriefoundation.org.

p.s.
The exciting announcement for the foundation will likely happen this week. Apologies for the pins & needles, but we're just working out a few kinks.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for pluck, that summoning of courage, that rising of the spirit, that chutzpah in a good way. I'm thankful for the imperfect perfection of True Grit (1969 with John Wayne), when the least of us acts with pluck. I'm thankful for Patton's somewhat vulgar yet dauntless opening speech. (Remember courage isn't pretty.) I'm grateful for those of you who watch Kyrie's video even though it's difficult. I'm thankful for those of you who keep reading through the tough posts.

I'm thankful for might & heart & fortitude & moxie. That's how good gets done.

What are you thankful for today?

A note about courage.

It isn't pretty. We have this image of a clean, handsome soldier being decorated on a stage with a polished piece of gleaming metal. We'll hear about someone else's bout with courage from the comfort of our own living room or from the convenience of our computer. Sometimes we forget that courage is in the smoke-filled, downward-spiraling cockpit. Or it's on the sidewalk when you're walking toward the last person on earth that you wanted to see. Or it's in the middle of the night with a crying, vomiting child. Or it's in a remote village watching machine guns take down your family. Or it's in a stark, beeping hospital room, far from anything comfortable or pleasing.

And that's just in the midst of your choice to be courageous. What you end up looking like on the other side is likely a tattered shell of your former self, like a starfish with only three arms. The gray hairs & wrinkles from stress & tears. Stretch marks from labor. Scars from accidents, surgeries and devastation.

Thank goodness it's what's on the inside that counts. The inside. Full of imperishable substance: every piece of development, every forgiveness, every instance of generosity, every wrong we've righted, every ounce of courage, every good thought and good deed added like a hand-crafted piece of Venetian glass to the work of art known as your soul, through which the sun shines in a million different hues. Astoundingly beautiful.

All of nature offers lessons on living, free of charge. One morning I noticed a dead tree supporting many living things--fungus, vines, lichen--which taught me that even after death we can continue to support those who live on. Living trees on our property teach other lessons.

One tree has grown around a barbed wire fence. Another has grown around a nail, and a third through a chain link fence. These trees teach me how to accept irritation, absorb the pain and grow around problems. Nature teaches me how to find my place, grow toward the sunlight and bypass obstacles.

To survive, we must be able to change in response to whatever is required by the challenge of the moment. Our bodies know this, but our minds often rebel when change is necessary.

Bernie S. Siegel

Chicken Little.

Some days, more often now than ever, it seems like trouble is lurking around every corner.

From April 1, 2007 through April 1, 2008, this past year has been chock-full of personal and public stories of harrowing paths. Whether it's our own family that has suffered, a friend who suffered loss, a story of California parents that lose all of their young children in a car wreck, Virginia Tech, deadly tornadoes, poisonous Chinese-made toys, the mortgage crisis, global warming, termites—ugh—the list goes on. So many threats that are entirely out of our control. Things that are impossible to predict or prevent.

For us, I've been waiting a year for the other shoe to drop. What next? What more? I've half-looked above me as I've stepped out of the house in the mornings thinking there might be a falling piano, because, indeed, it can feel like the sky is falling.

Have courage.

Make no mistake, courage is not something we're born with. We are simply born with the potential to develop it. We develop it, or rather, circumstances develop it in us, like a photograph, like acid poured all over us to make something marvelous appear. And courage is much, much, much more than hope or positive thinking. Courage is action, even if it's just the act of deciding. Courage is the ability to proceed knowing that the path is not easy. The path is likely fraught with menacing, talking trees that throw fruit at you. The path may lead you in a direction that you never imagined, throw you into the fire, bash you against the rocks and leave you with barely a breath, ragged and scarred. The path will test your mettle, test your body and test your faith.

Have courage.

Because it isn't your fault. Because life isn't fair. Because not everyone gets to have everything. Because in the very, very end it will all be okay. Because we're in better hands now.

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

Howard Zinn

In the wings ...

The foundation is working on something really exciting! Stay tuned next week for more info!