Happiness

Everyone everywhere seeks happiness its true, but finding it and keeping it seems difficult to do.  Open your mind to new opportunities and possibilities will abound.  Like a child trick or treating for the first time...remember you don't know what treats you might receive until you step up to a new door. 

Don't Forgive Your Enemies For Their Sake...Do It For You!

When you're angry how do you feel?  The answer is you feel awful.  We all have people in our life that make us angry, disappoint us and let us down.  We can't control their behavior, but we can control how we respond.  You can't allow negative people the ability to make you a negative person too.  When you can..... walk away and separate negative people from your life.  When you can't walk away or choose not to walk away you have no choice....you must forgive them for your sake.  If you want true happiness you can't think and act like a victim.  You have the right to be happy....embrace happiness.

Turn your wounds into wisdom.

           -Oprah Winfrey

Barbie Gets To Go The Kentucky Derby!

I don't remember when I didn't want to go the Kentucky Derby.  I've always been intrigued by "The Run For The Roses".  I like the horses,  the mint juleps, the thrill of the greatest two minutes in sports and of course the hats!  This year is the debut of Derby Barbie....it just doesn't seem right that even Barbie is going to the Derby and I again have to settle for just watching the event on TV.  I'm sure that when Barbie and I started playing together as kids (the year she made her first debut anywhere) the Derby was never on her mind.  However, it was on my mind even then....I come from a family that horsed around a little, so it's always been on my wish list to actually be there..to take it all in and now it sits on my bucket list.  This year to somewhat satisfy my yearning I decided to window shop for the perfect Derby Day Hat, but after looking all around I concluded that Barbie already had the perfect hat.  She's got the dress, the syle, the figure, the ticket to the Derby and the Hat.  Okay, Barbie play fair...when do I get a turn?

What Does Easter Mean To You?

Many people are wondering what Easter actually means. It isn’t about cute little fluffy chickens, nor does it have anything to do with Easter bunnies. It isn’t even about Easter eggs. Although an egg can represent ‘new life’ because new life hatches from the egg, and Jesus was resurrected on the third day – giving us new life in Him. But just like Christmas, the real meaning has been forgotten.  

Jesus' resurrection was a true miracle that changed the world then, and continues to transform lives now.  Easter is the celebration of rebirth. 

The first time I held each of my sons and more recently each of my grandchildren....I was assured that miracles happen every single day.  The beating you feel in your heart might be biology, but the warmth you feel in your soul is purely and simply God's grace.

May God hold you in the palm of his hand and grace you with pure and simple grace.   Happy Easter! 

Chutes and Ladders

Recently, my 4 year old grandson discovered that it's not a good thing when you have to slide down the chutes in the game "Chutes and Ladders".  I played this game as a child, my children played this game and now my grandson is playing the game.  I suggested that it's okay if you have to slide down a chute, because on your next turn you can spin again.  My message being that if you fall...on your next turn you get to spin again and you'll still have a chance to get ahead.  A family member thought I was focusing on spinning?  What?  No, I was focusing on it doesn't matter how many times you slide down...what matters is how many times you climb up and you might not win the game today, but if you keep spinning and stay in the game you will win sometimes! 

Congratulations To Slumdog Millionaire!

I loved this movie and as a dance teacher the dance at the end of the movie is inspiring adults and kids alike to get up and dance! 

 Visit YouTube to see a video remix I like the pne posted by KKSandy71.  Great Job!

All Aboard...To Change The World!

 I know together we can make a difference.

My name is Ms. Beth and  I write about all things important to me  i.e. Little Dancers, children, family, finding happiness/success, relationships, wellness, arts and entertainment.  I'm proud to be a grandma and dancing grandma would be the best description of who I am. I've been teaching, inspiring and nurturing for over 30 years.  I am a grandma, I am vibrant, I like to have fun, I have a lot more life to live, when I get the chance to sit it out or dance...I choose to dance. I choose to make a difference. 

Once upon a time elders were looked highly upon for wisdom, direction and to help nurture and care fo the young.  Through time families have scattered and technology has taken the place of elders. We go to google or yahoo to find wisdom, we mapquest for direction and all too often instead of being nurtured by a caring adult many of our children are spending too much time playing video games, watching TV, left to fend for themselves or they're warehoused.  I'm concerned is our society getting enough nurturing?  Are we seeing more violent criminal acts on the nightly news, because of a lack of nurturing?  We need to care about our neighbors, all of our children need to be nurtured, we need to listen to the crys for help, we need to share our wisdom, we need to do more nurturing.  "Pay it Forward" is not just the name of a movie it is a way we can change the world.  If we...you and me start facilitating random acts of kindness on a regular basis who knows how many lives we will positively impact. One becomes two and two becomes four and four becomes eight, eight becomes sixteen, etc....."Paying it Forward" can rapidly touch a large number of people. I want everyone to get involved and help make a difference men, women, young and old.  I especially want grandparents to step up.  We are the fastest growing demographic in our society.  We are a strong force and we're going to live longer lives than our ancestors did.  How will we use our time?  We have wisdom to help guide new generations, we're experienced travelers with the ability to help the lost find their way back to a safe path and we have enough loving hearts and arms to hug and nurture all the children if we ban together.  As Dr. Suess said "Oh The Places You'll go--- you have a brain in your head, feet in your shoes, you're off to great places, today is your day"!   We all need to stop waiting for the world to change.....we need to start changing the world.  A child is waiting, time is passing by, another unnurtured child becomes an angry adult....we need to get going and on our way.  Today is the day!

Something to Think About

Live a full and beautiful life

The music continues to play. We don't stop dancing, because  we're growing old. We grow old, because we stop dancing.

                  -Ms. Beth

"Do it big, do it right and do it with style"!

                     -Fred Astaire

"Shoot for the moon....even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars"!

                    -unknown author

Finding Happiness

I can't remember a time when I wasn't singing, dancing, whirling and twirling.  I believe that my life was choreographed before I was five, but I didn't always follow the choreography that was mine.  Everyone seeks happiness, but finding it and keeping it seems difficult to do.  I believe we are born with a gift and it is only when we share that gift that true happiness is found.  I always knew that dance was central in my life.  It didn't matter what else might be going on a divorce, a life threatening illness or financial stress when the music started and the dance began I would be happy.  The music and the dance have always faithfully been there ready to pick me up, brush me off and put me back in the studio again.  The signs have always been everywhere that dance and teaching was my one true thing my gift, but I thought I needed to do more as a career versus just dance and teach so, I was an accountant with a CPA Firm, I was a stock broker with a major Wall Street brokerage firm, I've been an investor in several different  businesses but, regardless of how lucrative these positions were or were not they didn't bring me the happiness I always easily and naturally found in a studio.  My life works best when I dance just as it was choreographed way back before I was five.  I do what I love and I love what I do.  I nurture the body, minds and hearts of children.  I no longer see this as just dance it is, so much more I help some children who dream of being dancers find their own gift of dance,  I provide dance as a recreational fitness program for others and finally I work with children who struggle with autism, mental or a physical disabilities and I help these children find new pathways to learn. Regardless, if dance is a child's dream, their gift, a recreational outlet or a therapy to develop new learning pathways all of my little dancers are building self esteem and confidence as they dance, sing, wiggle & giggle and I get to share in the joy that the music and the dance brings.  The joy of dance I give away returns and shines on me.  I hope when you get the chance to sit out or dance... you dance and I hope you have the opportunity to see the world through a child's eyes.  Be happy &  be blessed. 

"Dance, Sing, Wiggle & Giggle"!

Relationships Are Fragile

Relationships are fragile....easily broken.  When mean words are spoke...I turn a deaf ear.  When you verbally lash out....I bite my tongue.  The greatest pain comes when you care about someone who'll never care. 

It's Time To Sit By The Water & Sip Some Wine!

After many winter months indoors, April feels like a welcome break.  Even though it was a week day evening and about 50 degrees outside when my honey came by....I simply stated we should go sit by the lake, sip some wine, take in this glorious day and watch the sunset.  He asked what about dinner?  I didn't reply....I just got out the wine. 

Yes We Can!

The words are strong, the message is as it always has been....if we want something different we must be the solution.  We must be the change.  Stop waiting for the world to change and start changing your world today.

"Serve in some way today.  Be the first in love.  Be the first in moral excellence.  Be the first in generosity.  Be the change."                               

 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and quoted by Barack Obama

To Have a Friend You Must Be a Friend!

When we get backed into a corner, when we have to deal with a difficult situation, when we're suffering with grief, dealing with an illness or we're desperate due to the loss of a job or finanacial hardship this is when we find out who we are and who our friends are.  I wish that no one ever had to suffer, but as strange as it sounds it is only through suffering that we find out what we are made of and who are true friends are.  The statement "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger"  is true.  I know that personally I'm a more understanding, compassionate, caring, stronger and a better person due to circumstances that I've had to deal with.  My advice is to always be true to yourself...be authentic, spend time with people who are authentic and if you find youself spending too much time with a person who doesn't make your life better....stop. Also, remember to have a friend you must be a friend and that requires the ability to enhance someone else's life. 

Have a Little Faith!

When you've traveled difficult paths, you come to understand that your faith is the most valuable thing you have.  With faith you can overcome the most challenging circumstances, with faith you can rebuild a new life, with faith the ill become healthy, with faith you can love again, with faith the poor become rich, with faith anything can be accomplished.  If you can dream it, you can achieve it.  Oh you, of little faith I'm sorry... for you are stuck wherever you might be.  The faithful, the dreamers, the believers those are the ones who achieve. You gotta have a little faith if you want to see who you might be!

I Evicted The Raccoon In My Attic

All winter long I told my friends and family that I heard a large animal in the attic.  Well, here he is.  As it turned it he had ripped the louvers off the attic vent and moved himself right in.  I finally saw him one evening as he came down a downspout and then I waited to see him return.  The next day I had someone from animal control come out.  They set a live trap and caught a raccoon the very first night, but not this one.  Instead we caught one that I didn't know existed. They set another live trap and we got our guy.  I thought the raccoon episode was done, but no not yet.  As it turns out my attice had been subdivided by my hairy attic visitors and I had two males living in one section and a mama and her pups in another.  Animal control said they'd never seen that before, because normally a mama racoon will move her puppies if males are around.  The males will kill the babies, but no not in my attic it seems they were all living quite happily.  Well, I do have a lake view.  They had a tough job getting the puppies out.  Mama raccoon had dropped them in a tight spot, but the critter guy determined to get the little bandits out.... he worked until he pulled all three puppies out.

I didn't know that raccoons were part of the bear family, but they are and that is a good thing.  Our insurance covered damage caused by members of the bear family, so everything has been repaired, sanitized new insulation has been blown in and the loud sounds that went bump in the night....well, there all gone to my delight!

A new puppy

My grown son Brian just got a new puppy.  If you've never seen the movie "My Dog Skip" it is a must see.   It is a love story between a boy and his dog.  This was a favorite movie at our house, so there is no surprise here that both of my grown sons have dogs.  Brian and his girlfirend Anne hosted a backyard gathering and picnic at their home today to introduce "Hunter" their new 7 week old Black British Labrador puppy.  The immediate family all came including; myself, my friend Bill, Brian's older brother Brent, his sister-in-law Sarah, his 3 yr. old nephew Caleb, his 11 month old niece Taylor and his friends Scott & Tisha too.  The guest of honor "Hunter" was very cute, playful and still had that wonderful puppy smell (I think little puppies smell like cookies).  We played with the puppy, we kicked a new red soccer ball with Caleb and we celebrated each of Taylor's first steps that she triumphantly took on her own.  If  playing with the kids and a new puppy wasn't enough my friend Bill (a lawyer by occupation) and Brian's friend Scott (a war & history buff) provided entertainment with a heated ongoing political debate that just barely stayed within the boundaries of friendly conversation.  Brian and Anne's backyard was perfecty manicured.  Brian has definetly done a lot of work in the yard and his landscape and gardening skills show. We all marveled at how picture perfect his gardens were.  Caleb especially liked picking the ripe raspberries.  For dinner Brian made Kabobs on the grill for everyone.  The Kabobs were great and so was the homemade potatoe salad.  Taylor loved Uncle Brian's homemade potatoe salad too.  Besides the raspberries Caleb loved Anne's brownies.  When it was time to leave I echoed my grandson Caleb's sentiment "but I'm not ready to go yet".  I told Caleb not to worry we all would be together again next Sunday at Grandma's house on the lake including "Hunter" the new puppy, because next Sunday we're all going to celebrate Caleb's dad Brent's birthday.  I love family gatherings.  Celebrate lfe whenever you get the chance.  These are the precious moments that become the good old days and you don't want to miss a thing.  More is more!

A Family Blessed With Grace

My mother's name was Grace.  She lived a quiet life.  She was a shy woman, she was uncomfortable in social situations, she didn't drive a car and she never expected anything.  She married my father and they raised five children four boys and me.  We were all good kids, we were active in school activities, in sports, in the community and I was a dancer and active in Musical Theatre Productions, but our mom never cheered us on at games and she never sat in the audience with pride.  It wasn't that she didn't love us...she just wasn't comfortable in social situations and she didn't know how to express.  We were not hugged, tucked in at night nor were the words "I love you" spoken. The first day I went to kindergarten I saw a classmate running toward her mom both of their arms open wide.  When they reached each other the mom picked her up and held her tight to her chest as she spun her daughter around. At that moment I knew that was the kind of mom I wanted to be.  My mom never meant to miss so much of her children's life.  She never meant any harm.  She had a sweet disposition and I believe she did the best she was capable of.  My mom never went anywhere far and for sure she never went anywhere without dad.  When she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer hospice was brought in to help.  She held on far beyond the doctor's expectations.  I always believed she held on, because she was too afraid to leave alone.  Remember, this is a woman who barely left the house and never left alone.  Her fraile body could no longer get out of bed, morphine was no longer able to stop the pain and she was fading before our eyes, but she was too shy...too afraid to go...to leave her home alone.  My sweet niece was 2 yrs. old at the time and one of my brothers (her dad a doctor) were at the house checking in on mom.  My brother holding his little Grace (named after mom) leaned down to kiss mom goodnight when the sweet 2 year old without prompting told her grandmother to go be with the angels now.  We don't know where that came from, at 2 years old she was too young to understand death, no one had ever talked to her about angels and no one had talked with her about grandma leaving, but soon after she spoke those words our mother left.  When I was a child growing up I thought I'd like to pick a different kind of mom....someone outgoing and demonstrative.  When I became a mom by my nature I did become the kind of mom wiho bent down with open arms picking my kids up and holding them tight to my chest as we spun around.  I did become the mom who cheered with pride at every event, but my mom's unspoken words taught me important things too.  My mother Grace never spoke an unkind word, there was never any anger in our home, balanced meals were on the table everyday, we always ate together, what each of us had to say was important, we celebrated simple things like homemade apple pie or fresh flowers in the garden, our home life was always peaceful, she had great concern for our safety everytime we went out the door and when we returned she always was interested in how our day had gone.  Life teaches us lessons and without speaking about it my mother Grace taught me that there are many differect ways to express love, that the sweet things in life come in all kinds of packages, that when you're loved you know it, that love for family is unconditional and angels are all around. 

In honor of our mother we now have a new generation of Grace in our family.  Mom has two granddaughters and one great granddaughter all with the middle name Grace.  Greek legend states that the "Three Graces" represent youth & beauty, mirth and elegance.  Our family has been blessed with Grace.