GottaLoveMom

My neighborhood in Cranford , NJ has been slowly getting our power back after Sandy , despite a brief setback from the recent Nor’easter.  Luckily we have a very strong support system that others don’t have. I have family and friends in the Gerritson Beach section of Brooklyn who feel like they have been completely forgotten.  Not only are they not yet on Con Edison’s priority list, they feel like they have dropped off every list on which you could be listed. They have no electricity, no gas, no heat, no telephone, no police protection, NOTHING!  All of the elements which create that reality we call normalcy have been removed from their lives in one day, and the safety net that they have paid for through their bills and taxes have evaporated into thin air without so much as a mention. So they are asking me to ask for your help. They have called their media, their congressman, their senator, their mayor, and their governor, but they have gotten NOTHING...

by Cecilia R. Mejia Career Choice: Is it a child's or parent's decision? “You want to go to cartoon school!?” says the father who’s just been told that his son wants to go to art school. I’ll never forget that line from the movie, “The Debut”. I’m sure every Filipino-American can relate to the premise leading up to that insensitive line. It’s your typical story of immigrant parents not understanding why their child doesn't want to be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, basically anything that can provide them “stability.” I know this story all too well. It is the story of my life.

“My life just got busier” is an understatement. I haven’t stopped “working” since the book was published and the paperwork for my third child's college applications and scholarships just kept growing. Although I enjoyed every new opportunity the book has opened up, there’s one thing I missed the most – creative writing. It was fall of 2009 when I got inspired into writing about my “zenwalks” . I don’t know about you but being outdoors is just magical for me. I could be totally exhausted but just a few minutes with nature and I feel invigorated. The WEGO Health Team reminded me something this week: We all need to live a healthy life, and it’s even more fun if we get to share a few tips to others. ( By the way, thank you for nominating us for the WEGO Health Activist Award: Best Show in Blog ) I believe that fitness comes in various categories: Mind, Body and Soul. If we are not "at peace", it would be difficult to get yourself motivated into work...

Last Thursday was open house (our school calls it Back to School Night) for the elementary classes.  My son has the great fortune of having the same wonderful third grade teacher that my daughter had.  As I sit there listening to her presentation and marveling at the Smart Board, I noticed a poster above the front bulletin board.  It read: I consider myself to be erudite and wise, but this fact never occurred to me!  Looking beyond the facts, this statement infers so much more. It is so powerful and relevant. Lately, it seems like there is much talking, very little listening. Listening is a very important skill that everyone should master.  It is through listening that we learn, that we show interest, and demonstrate that we care.

“Peace begins with a smile. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  ~ Mother Theresa   I believe that every time you share a part of yourself to someone, be it as small of a gesture like a smile, you are extending your love. LOVE is what living is all about, and Sunday’s Global Mala NJ in Newark was all about love.