The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain - mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes, without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day.

And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon...“Yes!”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,

weary and bruised to the bone,

and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Lessons for Charlie

I was recently talking with someone about the lessons I hope to teach my children and thought that this might be a good forum for putting a lesson plan together. Although all children will learn life lessons from their parents, as well as others in their lives, I hope to share wisdom, insight and talents in unique ways with each of my kids. In the spirit of honoring the eldest, I'll start with Sir Charles (AKA Chachi, Little Chuck, Charles Edward, Charlie Eddie, Cha Cha)....

1. Have animals in your life, preferably dogs.
2. Read - books, newspaper articles, comic books, love letters, magazines, directions and labels.
3. Listen to music every day, and don't be afraid to sing along!
4. Say hello to strangers as you meet them in passing, and hold doors open for the elderly.
5. Blow bubbles.
6. Mow the lawn in straight lines whenever possible.
7. Return phone calls.
8. Give to charity.
9. Use your turn signal.
10. Better to be early than late.
11. Eat meat.
12. Put the toilet seat down when you're done.
13. Learn how to fly a stunt kite.
14. Send your mothers a birthday card every year.
15. Know how to drive a stick shift.
16. Learn how to swim.
17. Turn the lights off when you leave the room.
18. Learn how to talk about what you feel as much as what you think.
19. Travel and explore your world.
20. Live, love and laugh like nobody's watching.

All I Want for Christmas Is....

Peace.