Happy New Year to all of me online peeps! On this second day of the new year and new decade I’m still feeling giddy with the excitement of the newness of it all. I know that it’s really just another day, but I’m loving the good energy that I’m feeling in the air. It’s a time when I talk to my friends and loved ones and wish them a happy and prosperous new year. We had a nice, quiet celebration at home and I actually dozed off before midnight and my girls had to wake me up as the ball was dropping. We toasted with sparkling cider and hugs and kisses all around.

I’ve been feeling quite prolific lately writing up a bunch of blog posts for my other blogs and social networking sites. I’ve also been using Facebook a lot lately. It’s funny, but when I started using Facebook, I had mainly business contacts as friends because no one that I knew in ‘real life’ was on Facebook. Well, something happened towards the end of this year and it seems like *everyone* I know is now on Facebook. I mean, even my mommy has Facebook profile. (Although she still has not posted a photo yet.) I’ve created a Fan Page for my Freelance writing business and I’m trying to think of a diplomatic way to ‘un-friend’ my business and random friends and encourage them to follow my Fan Page.

So, what are your exciting 2010 plans? I’ve got a bunch of exciting plans for my business that I’m cooking up. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to experience so much positive growth in my business over the past year that saw a lot of businesses fold due to the ‘down’ economy. By the grace of God I created my own economic stimulus package and bailed myself out after I experienced a lay-off at the end of 2008. God is good and He has blessed me with the energy and strength to persevere and to work every day on my business so that now I have something that I can be proud of and that will glorify Him.

I’ll end by encouraging you to pick a challenge and go for it in 2010. Do something that will stretch you and inspire you and those around you. But also do something that you will enjoy. Find a way to factor more fun into your life and it will feel more rewarding.

My memories of Michael Jackson go all the way back to when I was a little girl. My sisters and brother and I loved the music of the Jackson Five, and I remember watching their variety show that came on Saturday nights in the 70’s. ABC is my favorite song of his from those early days when he was young and adorable.

I was so sad when I heard about his death yesterday afternoon. In fact, at first when I saw the tweets about it on twitter I didn’t think that it could possibly be true, so I kept working.

All throughout my growing up years I enjoyed Michael’s music. I danced to his music at the club and it was part of the soundtrack of my life. When Thriller came out we watched in non-stop on Mtv. I think that I largely took his gifts and his talents for granted, and because he had always been there he would continue to be there.

When he was having all of his legal troubles I was embarrassed for him and I wondered why he kept making such poor choices. He was clearly plagued by many demons and he never seemed to be happy.

His death points out the fact that we as human beings often don’t show each other how much we appreciate each other until after someone dies. He was a fabulously talented man whose talents utterly transformed the world. His death is being mourned all over the world. Yes, he was troubled, but he had a huge, generous heart and his gifts to us will be his lasting legacy.

Godspeed, Michael.

Technorati Profile

For the past few days we have been enjoying much warmer than normal temperatures here in the D.C. Metro area. On Sunday and yesterday it was above 90 degrees–quite rare for the month of April. I had to drag out the AC several weeks if not a month earlier than usual because it’s been just too hot to sleep. Today we are forecast to see a break in this pattern as we are expecting thunderstorms and rain starting this afternoon and into tomorrow, which is only forecast to reach the mid 60’s–closer to normal late-April temps.

I took full advantage of this beautiful morning and did my morning devotional outside in the park. We live just steps away from a lovely National Park, which has lush, green rolling hills and beautiful trees. I found a grassy spot at the top of a hill and sat there and read a little bit from Michael Beckwith’s new book, Spiritual Liberation, and then a bit from the Bhagavad Gita. Just last week I finished reading a verse a day from the Tao, and the Gita was the next spiritual text on my list. I meditated for awhile and then did my morning pages.

The park rangers on duty all waved friendly ‘”Hellos” and a then man showed up with his dogs that he was running off-leash on the fields. One of them was a miniature poodle who came bounding up to me and then stopped short. He checked me out, but was too shy to let me pat him. He turned on his heels and went tearing back across the field to his owner. Soon that cool breeze was beginning to die down and the sun was growing hotter and hotter, so I decided to head back home.

I am grateful for the time I was able to spend out among the trees and just enjoying this beautiful earth that we have been blessed with. I am grateful for the words of wisdom written down thousands of years ago and some more recently that shed light on the spiritual path that I have embarked upon. I am grateful for the faithfulness of Holy Spirit who has kept the promise never to leave me nor forsake me. He is teaching me and guiding me and inspiring me and comforting me as I slowly wake up from the dream.

I am writing this on my long (7 1/2 hours) train ride home from my visit to Massachusetts to attend the homegoing service for my paternal grandfather. He lived a wonderfully long, full, rich 93 years on this earth, and I feel even more blessed to have had him in my life for this long. I now know that I had a very private, selfish view of my grandfather–he was mine and I had a limited view of the grandness of who he was on this earth. I think it was mainly because I came into his life when he was an older man. I was not a witness to his larger life in the church and in the community. During his funeral when I caught a glimpse of the seemingly never-ending line of mourners who came to pay their respects, my eyes became open to the fact that he was even more wonderful a man than I had imagined.

His service was held in the sanctuary of the church that he loved and served for more than 50 years of his life through ten different pastors and many triumphs, trials and tribulations. As all of the beautiful words were spoken over his body, the feeling welled up within me that I had not known this man as they had, but I knew him in a special way that they knew not of–as my own grandpa. I remember the sparkling eyes, the crackling laughter that made hid belly shake and tears come to the corners of his eyes. The smell of tobacco mingled with old leather that emanated from him as he sat in his big chair and spoke with a pipe clenched between his teeth. I’d always get beard burn on my face when I kissed his stubbly cheek and got caught in one of his bear hugs.

Grandpa always seemed fascinated by how quickly were were growing up. On the door frame in the dining room he would keep track of our growth. When we visited, we would be required to stand against the wall and he would squint one eye and with a pen held to the top of our heads and a quick check to make sure that we weren’t on tippy toes, he would mark our new height on wall. He always seemed amazed at this evidence of time passing and it became a fun ritual.

My grandpa was a warm, smart, funny man who was a joy to be around. His tremendous faith was as a mantle about him and yet, he still had an infectious sense of humour and a very quick (and sometimes naughty) wit. At his homegoing service, my cousin Lois, who is of my dad’s generation, told of his love for offering very thorough, long-winded blessings over the food at family gatherings. Grandpa Joe could pray as if his prayers could bring Jesus back. at the time we would stand impatiently shifting our weight, hands growing a bit sweaty from holding your neighbors hands. You could sense the food getting cold and despite grandma’s not-too-subtle throat clearing, grandpa would pray on. Now when I look back on having had the honor of having been prayed over by such a man, I pray that the power of his prayers will yet linger in my life now that he is no longer with us. I pray that the blessing of having enjoyed so many years in his presence would serve as a healing and protective balm that will cover me and fortify me for what is to come in my life.

When we stood around his casket in that bright, cold morning sunshine at his burial at Mount Auburn Cemetery, I knew that he was not gone from us. He decided that it was time to lay his body down and to take his place in the arms of Jesus in heaven with the saints and all of those who have fallen asleep in Christ. I patted the shiny mahogany casket as we turned to leave so that they could tuck him into the ground for his body’s eternal rest. He loved good and well and was loved by many. What other accomplishment in life really matters?

And so I say, Godspeed, Grandpa Joe. You will always be in my heart as my beloved grandpa and a shining example of all that I ever hope to be.