Remembering 9/11 With a New Generation

For the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, I found a craft to share with my friend’s third grade class, kids not even born yet on 9/11/2001. The “Remembrance Pin” project provided the perfect backdrop to teach about the three places (New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania) where disaster struck that fateful, awful day.

We (age appropriately) explained what happened as best one can explain an indescribable tragedy.  The teacher told her class that we all need to be sensitive to other people’s feeling and emotions especially regarding 9/11.  It was very sad thing that happened and sometimes people cry when they talk about it, my own voice quivering when I spoke.

The teacher shared that September 11 is a day of service to honor all who died, explaining that service was doing something for someone else and expecting nothing in return.

The kids listened intently and then hands started flying up. One child saw news footage on TV of the burning buildings and people jumping out of windows. Another child raised her hand saying that her grandfather died in the twin towers but not her grandma.

Their tiny fingers worked diligently to feed the strings through the beads and letters that would become their remembrance pins. It proved a bit of a challenge but when completed they smiled proudly saying it was hard and easy all at the same time. They pinned their new treasures to their shirts and carried the lesson out in the world. I felt so blessed and grateful to share this with them.

At the grocery store on my way home, the checkout clerk admired my remembrance pin. I told her it was a craft project I had done with a class of third graders today. Her eyes filled with tears as she told me she planned to wear her American flag pin this weekend. I quickly unhooked my remembrance pin and gave it to her. She asked my name and thanked me with tears spilling from her eyes as she pinned it on her work smock next to her name tag.  9/11 tugs on all our heartstrings and plays a song none of us will ever forget.

I have ten extra pins made up and ready to share. If you would like one be one of the first ten people to email me at caren.albers@gmail.com and I will mail it to you, my treat. Kit is available at http://www.makingfriends.com/911_crafts.htm.

Go for it! – LIVE YOUR DREAM

Certified Organic Dream Creatrix -  Caren Albers is a writer, blogger, writing coach, and personal growth enthusiast who still colors outside the lines. While learning to live her own dream she learned ways to inspire others to live theirs. Her eCourses based on Radmacher Focus Phrase™ use guided writing to explore, discover, and LIVE YOUR DREAM. http://carenalbersinspirations.com

Finding Your Life Purpose in 4 Easy Steps

Finding your life’s purpose is no easy task. Years ago, I came across a great tool on Steve Pavlina’s blog “How to Discover Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes.” It offers a simple four step process to answer that age old question “Why am I here, what’s my purpose?” It’s really more of a two step process if you don’t count step 1 getting out the paper and step 2 writing at the top “What is my true purpose in life.”☺

The reason I recommend doing this is because I’ve done the exercise three times and it worked every time. Why I’ve done it three times involves my lack of file management skills. I’ll write more about that another day. Let’s get back to you and finding YOUR purpose.

Steve says “If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught (including the idea that you may have no purpose at all).”  (I’m adding WOW here!)

Basically, you brainstorm writing down every thought that comes into your mind when you ask yourself the question “What is my true purpose in life?”

Keep writing and listing everything that comes to you no matter how impractical or applicable it seems.  Steve contends that if you keep doing this you will eventually write something that brings you to tears.  THAT’S YOUR LIFE PURPOSE.  If it only gives you the sniffles he says to underline it and keep writing.  He wants actual tears/real crying. 

Okay, yes, when I did this I was very receptive and believed it would work and yes at times I can be a bit of a crier, but the truth is the truth and it comes out if you’ll let it.

Steve Pavlina’s  4 Step Process to find your life purpose

Steve writes: Here’s what to do:

1.      Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster)

2.      Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”

3.      Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.

4.      Repeat Step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. That is your purpose.

Here’s a link to the original blog post http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/ .

Today when I did the exercise AGAIN, I started more than misting up when I wrote “Honestly represent who I am, not be afraid to tell my stories.” Then a funny thing happened. When I no longer needed it, I found the file containing my previous exercise. The result then was (cue creepy Twilight Zone music do do do do do do do do do do) “Tell the truth about who I am and what I see.”

Give it a try. See what happens. I’d love to hear your results.

Go for it! – LIVE YOUR DREAM

Certified Organic Dream Creatrix -  Caren Albers is a writer, blogger, writing coach, and personal growth enthusiast who still colors outside of the lines. While learning to live her own dream she learned ways to inspire others to live theirs. Her eCourses based on Radmacher Focus Phrase™ use guided writing to explore, discover, and LIVE YOUR DREAM. http://carenalbersinspirations.com

WIGGLE ROOM

I don’t know about you, but I like to have a comfortable amount of wiggle room in my life. I define wiggle room as the space in between what’s supposed to happen and what actually happens. Pinning myself down to exact dates and times puts grimaces on my face and I really don’t any new wrinkles right now.

I’m discovering that wiggle room might be one of those loves that is bad for you. When exposed to the harsh light of day, wiggle room like comfort food tastes great going down, but in the weeks and months to come as our seams stretch and our muffin tops bulge, we regret eating so much of it.

I do enjoy my aimless wandering, but it doesn’t always get me where I want to go. Perhaps a little structure, a few hard and fast commitments, dare I say a deadline of two might be just what the doctor ordered.

I’m not sayin’ change WHO I am. I’m just sayin’ make a stronger commitment to WHO I am. Yeah, that’s it! I’m definitely, maybe gonna try that!

What new thing do you definitely, maybe wanna try? Let’s commit to doing it together. NO WIGGLE ROOM!

Go for it! – LIVE YOUR DREAM

Certified Organic Dream Creatrix -  Caren Albers is a writer, blogger, writing coach, and personal growth enthusiast who still colors outside of the lines. While learning to live her own dream she learned ways to inspire others to live theirs. Her eCourses based on Radmacher Focus Phrase™ use guided writing to explore, discover, and LIVE YOUR DREAM. http://carenalbersinspirations.com

TICKLE ME PINK!

I’m not your standard issue Crayola pack with only primary colors. I’m more of A rainbow, a color cornucopia, a 64 assortment box.

I want my today’s life filled with today’s Crayola colors like JAZZBERRY JAM, MACARONI AND CHEESE, OUTER SPACE, PURPLE MOUNTAIN’S MAJESTY, WILD BLUE YONDER, AND RAZZLE DAZZLE ROSE.  Maybe not MACARONI AND CHEESE, it’s kind of an ugly light orange color.

I remember when I first started coloring way back in the “brown age” as my son used to call it. The adult people insisted that we color inside the lines and gave us mostly red, yellow, blue crayons. It was exciting to get an orange or purple.

Per Wikipedia - in 1905 Crayola’s product line had reached 30 colors, in 1958 sixty-four, in 1972 seventy-two (how appropriate), today’s number is 120. I guess as the complexities of life increased so did the number of Crayola color choices needed to portray them.

Good news for today’s kids, they get applauded for coloring no matter where it lands inside or outside the lines. They’re also encouraged to have opinions and to think outside the box. LUCKY!

I was born way too early! I’m a 2011’er trapped in a 1950’s childhood. I can’t go back and fix the past. Not without a really great time machine and so far I haven't found one of those. I don’t mean to go all SCREAMIN’ GREEN OR BANAMA MANIA on you, but can I maybe, maybe just fix the future?

How ‘bout I take out my granddaughter’s PURPLE PIZZAZZ and color me a RAZZMATAZ future? Would that be too OUTRAGEOUS ORANGE to hope for? What would  TICKLE YOU PINK?

Go for it! – LIVE YOUR DREAM

((The colors (in all CAPS above) are the real ones being used today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors)

Certified Organic Dream Creatrix -  Caren Albers is a writer, blogger, writing coach, and personal growth enthusiast who still colors outside of the lines. While learning to live her own dream she learned ways to inspire others to live theirs. Her eCourses based on Radmacher Focus Phrase™ use guided writing to explore, discover, and LIVE YOUR DREAM. http://carenalbersinspirations.com