Inspiration of "Les Fleurs" by 4 hope!!!

The song is by 4 hero and is a cover version of Minnie Riperton who is best known for “Lovin’ You.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uU6aYNXnUk YouTube also has Minnie’s original version. I first saw this on GO! Smell the Flowers, which is a great site...I am one of the writers. If you want to see a different side of me, GO! there.

Anyway, Minnie had an amazing vocal range. In 1977 Riperton became the first black female to serve as spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and to receive the Society’s Courage Award from President Jimmy Carter.

I didn’t expect it, but between the song and the video, I teared up and felt inspired. It reminds me of what I want for my life and others. The song takes the metaphor of a flower growing for seemingly simple purposes that make people unique and happy. Then, that it spreads love, joy, faith and hope to forlorn which to me is inspiration. And, if you look within yourself, every person has that flower seed of beauty and power. Then, it talks about being free, be yourself, darkness is gone, and throw off your fears for a new time is born. It reminds me of what God is doing in my life and that I want to spread that to others.

Will somebody wear me to the fair?

Will a lady pin me in her hair?

Will a child find me by a stream?

Kiss my petals and weave me through a dream

For all of these simple things and much more a flower was born

It blooms to spread love and joy faith and hope to people forlorn

Inside every man lives the seed of a flower

If he looks within he finds beauty and power

Ring all the bells sing and tell the people everywhere that the flower has come

Light up the sky with your prayers of gladness and rejoice for the darkness is gone

Throw off your fears let your heart beat freely at the sign that a new time is born

Be Very Afraid...I'm B-A-C-K!!!

Well, I am going to start blogging again before I lose all my readers. Just kidding. First, I want to thank everyone for such an over-whelming display of support, prayers and thoughts. I have been very peaceful throughout the process since I met the surgeon. Unusually, so. My Christian faith has a big roll in it, but I know it is also what you guys did. I really felt good to have so many people thinking about me.

The surgery went smoothly. I don’t have the pathology report yet, but will find out what it is on Wednesday afternoon and I will let you know. Pain yes…Vicodin good, but last dose was on Friday. So a bit more pain, but tolerable. The most difficult part is that I am allergic to bandage adhesive, even the paper type. So, all around the perimeter of my underarm is this horrible redness with small blisters that opened and it itches like crazy!! I’ve never had such a bad reaction. It looks worse than the incision. I guess, the underarm skin is much more sensitive than the rest of the body, duh!!

My husband stayed home from Wednesday (surgery) through Friday, so today is the first day I’m at home alone. I let my husband pamper me. Surgery and my husband being home was a good distraction from my therapist being gone. I really miss him and that is normal and not bad. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow and then my therapist on Wednesday.

Over the weekend, I had my hair cut while I almost fell asleep due to medications. I’m not sure I like my haircut. I like it, but I keep wondering if I look like a boy. It is one of those boy-chic for girls look. My husband thinks I look cute with it…but he is biased!!

Other exciting things, I won flowers at the GO! Smell the Flowers site for my words of inspiration about the world heading into a recession. In case, you missed it I am a guest writer there and having a great time. So far, I’ve written two articles, one is GO! Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and the second is GO! Ask for Support . I’ll start writing at least one time per week beginning Wednesday. Please take a look because you will see a different side of me. Plus, it is a really, really good site, but you just have to jump in with your comments.

Surprise!!! GO! Smell the flowers!!

Please click image below!!!

Bloggers Launch TrainforHumanity.org ~ Humanitarian Initiative

Yesterday, GO! Smell the Flowers, had a post about Humanitarianism and this Train for Humanity organization written by AngesBiz who has her own great blog, Buzzing with Ange where you "will find the buzz on Emotional and Financial Intelligence as well as Personal Development, Wealth Creation, and inspiration to Live the life YOU Love." This article post was provided by the site Train for Humanity. Helping others is good for our mental well being too, so since I don't have money to assist I would start by just posting the blog post they provided and the icon link in my side bar. This is actually the beginning of suddenly going oh, I can put some of my favorite non-profit causes there. So, they are the first.

Over the past five years, 200,000 civilians have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease in Darfur and an additional 2.2 million people have been displaced. We want to do something about it.

Fed up with watching humanitarian crises on the evening news and not doing anything to help, a group of bloggers (most notably, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits) have created and founded the non-profit Train for Humanity, which is an online humanitarian awareness and fundraising organization.

Over 150,000 new blogs are added to the internet everday. Train for Humanity’s mission is to utilize the web, social media, and blogging, in tandem with athletes in training, to support organizations that help prevent suffering and alleviate the pain of children, orphans, and refugees who have been displaced due to genocide or internal strife and war within their country.

Quite simply, they believe - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

The three pilot project athlete-bloggers, Mark Hayward, Dan Clements, and Leo Babauta are hoping to raise awareness for the current crisis in Darfur and funds for the organization Darfur Peace and Development. All three are training for endurance events of varying distances ranging from a triathlon to a marathon.

They hope to show people that with a little creativity and innovation, anyone can assist and make a difference in the world. If you would like to learn more, have a look at the Train for Humanity website and please consider sponsoring one of them or spreading the word.