Be inspired.. to inspire others :)
May 9, 2012 Leave a comment
The hemoncology floor of Seattle Children’s Hospital performs Kelly Clarkson’s song “Stronger” NEW! Check out a quick behind the scenes clip of how the video was made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4w1beZg8mM
May 2, 2012 Leave a comment
Did you miss it? Here you go: http://averycan.blogspot.com/
<3
April 10, 2012 Leave a comment
A 9 year old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store is about to have the best day of his life. Help Caine’s Scholarship Fund: http://CainesArcade.com
April 5, 2012 Leave a comment
This sequel addresses criticisms from the original video in which people jumped immediately on the band wagon. Note, there’s no narrative from Jason Russell this time. That’s because he’s still in recovery mode after his arrest for vandalizing cars and masturbating in public. It saddens me because the reality of this issue brings out the best and the worse in people. Talk is cheap. Propaganda is BS. Educate yourself fully and take action if you really cared.
March 30, 2012 Leave a comment
Being a parent and saving a strange child’s life and dying for it. Food for humbling thoughts.
Last Christmas, a news station captured Sgt. Dennis Weichel surprising his kids at school when he came home.
Last week, the Sgt died saving an Afghanistan little girl.
January 31, 2012 Leave a comment
Hi friends. I will be adding more content as this year rolls out. It has been a busy start and a long hiatus. Thanks for all your love and support. Instead of full articles, I will making more casual inspiration posts.
Wow:
Definitely one of the top art installations of all time… simply amazing.
“Head On”
by artist Cai Guo-Qiang
Deutsche Guggenheim
Berlin,Germany 2006
August 31, 2011 Leave a comment
How do you forgive an enemy?
Imagine coming face to face with the mother of the person who murdered your child. Is it her fault? Are you vengeful against her? What do you say to someone who gave life to someone who (in turn) took away the life you gave?
Phyllis Rodriguez lost her son Greg in the attack on the World Trade Center. In the years since that terrible loss, she has formed what many consider to be an unusual friendship with Aicha el-Wafi, the mother of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted of playing a large role in the attacks. He is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes.
Read more here.
Aicha asked to be put in touch with the victim’s parents, after finding out about what her son did.
She was introduced to five families, and met Phyllis; the only mother in the group of grievers (the others were brothers and sisters). They both were nervous and questions why the other wanted to meet them. However, when they were first introduced, they immediately embraced and cried, without speaking a single word to each other yet. The human connection of being mothers brought them together generously with tolerance to one another. They formed an unlikely friendship that embodies the possibility of forgiving an enemy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKQA6I4BA7o
These are incredible mothers who found forgiveness and friendship through the tragedies of 9/11. As we approach the 10 year reunion of this day, please be generous and open to forgiveness. Let’s make love. Not repeat war.
July 12, 2011 Leave a comment
How do you tell your stories???
Are you a writer? A singer? A dancer? A photographer? Or just someone who likes to talk a lot?
How about if you were an artist.. an animator? How do you find ways to use your skills to say something?
Meet one of my favorite artist of all time… Pascal Campion
The Artist
Day In. Day Out.
Team work
It will be alright.
Saturday nights.
Check out more of his incredible work HERE.
He tells the most beautiful stories with his drawings. Many scenes include his wife and his kids. Sometimes random strangers. His family is his inspiration. The emotions that are captivated in his art work are recreated for himself and for others. Pascal relives the emotions when he animates and hopes the people who view his work feel just the same. It’s amazing that he lives his life appreciating and acknowledging moments worth sharing. Story telling is a talent in and of itself.
It doesn’t matter how talented you are as an artist in your own life, it’s all about how you make others feel with the work you produce.
Pascal has thousands of fans following his “Sketch of the day” [SOTD], but if you ask him, he’ll tell you that they are not fans, they are all his friends. That is just the type of person he is.
This video is a glimpse into his process and his insight. Watch as he translates emotion into art. – Onyx Cinema, Inc.
Cherish the small moments in life that make you smile and cry.. whenever you feel the human love. Life is beautiful. Share it.
…
He is a really incredible individual as he is inspired by the fact that his fans are inspired. He directly replied to my Facebook comment about his work and how he inspired me!
Face book comment reply to me 
June 4, 2011 Leave a comment
What is the most universal good thing in this world???
I would strongly argue SMILES, LOVE, but above all… MUSIC.
All smiles, love, and music can sometimes derive from an intention we may not all agree upon.. but they do mainly bring all of us together with good intentions.
Anybody you know decided to pack up and move excitedly to Grand Rapids, Michigan recently?? Anyone? Probably not huh? Earlier this year, Grand Rapids was listed 10th on the list of America’s “dying cities” by Mainstreet.com, an online source for saving money and money management. Given this was no surprise; nearby stricken cities of Detroit and Flint having massive unemployment and raising home foreclosures. The mid-west in the heart of the U S of A has been hit the hardest with more and more “dying cities” as companies (jobs) move on to bigger and better alternatives leaving residents giving up on themselves and their homes and especially their fellow neighbors.
Some 5,000 residents of Grand Rapids however, did NOT accept this “dying city” title kindly and decided not to solemnly walk away with their heads hung low.
Instead, they did decided to do something so crazy, creative, and GENIUS to prove that their city, Grand Rapids, was indeed thriving and pushing forward to a better future and tomorrow without giving up HOPE. This video below really restored my faith in humanity and our ability to turn a negative situation into a positive one! Cheers to the THE HUMAN LOVE <3
Rob Bliss, the film’s director and executive producer stated: “We felt Don McLean’s ‘American Pie,’ a song about death, was in the end, triumphant and filled to the brim with life and hope.”
It indeed brought the community together and showed a huge display of pride in itself with the people actively “singing along” with lots of SMILES & LOVE.
More on the story HERE
May 12, 2011 Leave a comment
A lot has happened in world history within these past few weeks..
It’s really interesting to see how quick the public world could swift focus from one matter to another — Let’s not forget Japan. Donate.
Rather than highlight the negative and bad things that need attention in this world, this project is intended to expose positivity that came from it to inspire us.
With that said.. The bad guy is dead.
So is it morally right to celebrate his death? Check out this article from CNN. The positive thing that came out of this perspective on America’s responds is the evolution of us here in America to really take a step back and take a good hard look at ourselves and how WE treat people in return. It really touched me, because I looked at my very own personal responds to the situation. I’m American, so of course I felt happy that to hear there’s one less enemy of ours out there. But I didn’t feel the need to march out to the street yelling “EFF YEAH!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!!” and fist pumping my American flag around town and “celebrating” with the mentality that “They got him. That bastard is finally dead. Let’s cheers to that!”… It actually saddened me to see how easy it was for the rest of us to so. Really? We were wasting our time and energy celebrating a death of a man. I could rant but I’d rather not. I just wanted to put it out there.
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.”- A verse from Proverbs that rabbis often remind people that rejoice in the downfall of an enemy
On a better note.. The average girl married her prince!!! <3
If you were invited to the wedding of the year (some may argue decade or century even).. What would you get a couple who already has the BEST of everything???
I was really touched to hear what Prince William and Catherine Middleton did to celebrate their wedding.. In lieu of receiving actually wedding gifts like fancy fondue sets or expensive silverware, they asked the world and their wedding guests to donate funds to different world charities.
Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have created a charitable gift fund to help celebrate their wedding. The fund will focus on assisting charities which support the five causes chosen by the couple. These causes are close to their hearts and reflect the experiences, passions and values of their lives so far. Having been touched by the goodwill shown to them since their engagement, they have asked that anyone wishing to send them a wedding gift consider doing so in the form of a donation to the fund.. Check out the official site: http://www.royalweddingcharityfund.org/
This Huffpost Style article really nailed my initial reaction as to what Prince Charles and Princess Diana had on their wedding gift registry:
Their decision to forego toasters, gravy boats and candlesticks sets William and Middleton apart from other soon-to-be newlyweds and even the prince’s parents, whose use of a wedding gift registry, replete with items such as a gourmet barbecue set and pair of Cockatoos, was slammed by the press as “a vulgar, middle-class custom.”
While Charles and Diana did get some gifts in the form of charitable donations, William and his bride-to-be are said to be determined to make sure their April 29 wedding is not seen as overly ostentatious at a time when the British economy is hurting.
The charities they have selected – including some based in Canada, Australia and New Zealand – represent a range of issues, from support for army widows to local community foundations and the arts.
I love Princess Diana and if asked who I would like to meet in person throughout our history.. it would definitely be her. She is the one person that really inspired me to be a great person and a great mom. She was outspoken and really had no fear in showing what she believed in. I give her so much credit, and don’t want to discount her in anyway by mentioning the article above.
It’s great that the one couple that whole world was watching, Prince William and Catherine Middleton was INSPIRING US ALL with such a simple and generous gesture.
I hope many new brides and grooms out there will also follow in their foot steps.. even just a little bit <3
