Change Your Mind

Thousands of people had to change their holiday plans... maybe millions worldwide. We were supposed to go to the Buffalo area. We were going to leave on Friday morning but by Wednesday, family was urging me NOT to come. The expected storm would be dangerous and would hit right while we would be driving. I considered leaving a day early. The boy would have to miss his holiday party at school though, and I hated to do that to him. So with all the craziness of tree decorating, present wrapping and last minute shopping I moved "packing" to the bottom of the priority list. It looked like we would have to wait until AFTER Christmas to travel.

It was a bitter pill to swallow and I tried to console myself by remembering to be grateful. We would be safe and warm, while many would not be so lucky. I thought of a story a friend once told me. She had been complaining about a hopeless situation until the listener said quietly, "Are you done?" (She was.) Then he told her, "Change your mind." 

I knew I had to change my mind. I had to tell myself it was best NOT to travel for Christmas this year. Then came a series of events leading to an emotional rollercoaster.

First, on Thursday evening, school was cancelled for Friday but we had not planned to leave early. We were not packed and it was unlikely we would be able to get it together without the danger of being up all night and falling asleep at the wheel. It would be chaos and we would still run the risk of getting stuck along the route with road closures. The pill got more bitter. If I had only packed as planned, we could've made it. It was so disappointing. "Change your mind" echoed in my head. I had to try harder.

The next plot twist occurred Friday night. The hot water went out. We had just done the dishes and run the washing machine, but it still seemed odd. I waited to let the hot water replenish. It never did. "Something is wrong" I said to Russ. Then the furnace started blowing cool air and the temperature inside the house started to drop. It was only 8 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside. The boy was asleep.

A sort of frenzy ensued as we tried to understand what was happening. With calls in to emergency technicians, faucets trickling, and a relative degree of confidence that we could stay warm enough with alternate heat sources, we finally called it a night. 

We woke up on Christmas Eve day with a mission to stay warm and safe, while fixing the problem (after figuring out what the problem even WAS) and proceed with Christmas and Hanukkah plans. After over 24 hours of trying and countless calls and technicians, we thought the immediate problem was fixed, but then the technician left and the heat went out again. Russ said something I will never forget: "If we were not here, we would've come back to find burst pipes."

There it was. I knew I had to change my mind about the disappointment of canceling Christmas with family, but this made things crystal clear. I KNEW it was best that we did not travel. 

We got through Christmas and by the end of the night we had heat and hot water. It appears a pin sized hole in a casing was to blame for letting air into lines, disrupting the whole system. Had we not been here, it is likely pipes would have frozen and possibly ruptured.

There is so much to be grateful for. We are safe. Our friends and family in Buffalo are safe. I was given a gift in receiving a rare glimpse of proof, where faith alone would usually have to suffice. Also, from a place of safety, I was shown what it is like to lose heat. I'm reminded of all those (especially in Ukraine right now) without a warm place to live. We have so much work to do. No one should suffer in the cold. Circumstances can change very quickly, and we have to be better at helping each other.

Click here for: neighbortoneighborfund.org

Click Herę for a foundation helping in Ukraine who accepts PayPal: hliniszcze.wordpress.com/help-for-ukraine/

Heartfelt condolences to all who have suffered loss due to this terrible storm and through the many horrors of war.

May we all remember how Blessed we are to be here.

Wishing you peace, safety and warmth this holiday season.

Love,

T

Meowy Christmas

Graceful I was not. I sprawled out on the curb of W 65th and Broadway almost smacking my chin on the pavement. I hobbled into the theater at Lincoln Center shivering uncontrollably, bleeding, holding back tears, and picking gravel and rock salt out of my coat and my hand. Thanks to the kindness and calming spirit of a most wonderful man who worked there (and who called for first aid), I slowly thawed, got bandaged up and regained my composure. #theglamorouslife

But then there was this:

Congratulations to Nile Rodgers, Russell, and The Chic Organization for their musical contributions to the the new Cats film!

Suddenly, it was a whirlwind of winter wonderland (try saying THAT three times fast).

Now (hopefully) we can settle into a nice cozy holiday.

Here's wishing us all a warm and beautiful holiday filled with Love and the Magic of Christmas.

Merry Christmas,
T

Joyous

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Remember the magic of a really big Christmas tree? (They're all big when you're little.)

The LEGO Store, Rockefeller Center

Even a small one is magical, especially if it's made of Legos.

How about the first snowfall of the season, your first train ride, gingerbread, blueberry pancakes on a snow day, or your mom's fresh baked cookies that are still warm from the oven?

I get to see life through the lens of that enchanting time when you're a kid and everything is brand new. Just riding up and down the escalator is a thrill and sometimes merely a goofy sound can summon up fits of giggles.

One of the readings at church instructed the congregation, "Do not complain..." and it's easy for us all to remember the last time we did THAT. Do we remember the last time we got lost in a moment of pure happiness?

With Rob of the Dancin' Machine disco band

Many Christians celebrate this third week of Advent by recognizing the spirit of Joy. I am so down with that! Let's find things to be joyous about and have a fabulous time this week! There's time for everything else later.

With Gregory K Lathan of the Dancin' Machine disco band

We had a great disco gig on Friday and this week is going to be SO MUCH FUN! I insist.

Love,
T

Focus!

Daddy played at Madison Square Garden.

Nile Rodgers and Chic at MSG

There was the matter of Christmas decorations.

Mommy played in Atlantic City.

Alright. Now that THAT'S done, let's get to work. With so much happening, I really have to make a focused effort to make any progress on my own projects this week. That's the plan.

I'll make a list. I'll check it twice.

Because when you cut out all the noise and lights, and focus on one thing at a time...

You can really accomplish a lot.

Fa la la la la... la la la la...

Here's to making happy moments through this crazy, hectic and often stressful holiday season!

Love,
T

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Happy Christmas to all,

and to all a good night!

Click here for "A Visit from St. Nicholas" on poetryfoundation.org

Merry Christmas everyone!

xoxo,

T

HO! HO! HO!

I think I was talking to myself out loud as I searched the muddy ground below the deck, in the freezing rain, looking for the little cloth squares that had fallen down:

I’m soaking wet... I think I have bird poop all over my hands... If I ever see one more Command strip I might cry... I wonder if these alcohol wipes are biodegradable... These lights are staying up until summer, dammit! My fingers are so cold they don’t work anymore... If those hooks don’t stick because they’re wet, I’ll have to just wrap the damn lights around the deck railing like I might’ve done in the first place. Why didn’t I? It was probably just because THAT would’ve been too easy... No, they would’ve been covered in snow that way... Fine. I need one more of those outdoor plug covers, that it took five Home Depot workers to figure out how to open, and one longer extension cord before I can actually hang the outdoor lights. Maybe tomorrow. I might’ve had it done yesterday, but the toilet clogged and Roto-Rooter had to come because Zach was napping and I threw out the plunger the last time it happened! Actually, come to think of it, I might not have done this at all if I hadn’t needed to go buy a plunger so THAT doesn’t happen again ($255 bucks later). I only managed to get Zach off his bike and into the car yesterday by getting him excited about going out to buy Christmas decorations! Maybe I’ll find that last alcohol wipe in the spring... “So what’s the number? Stomp! Stomp! What’s the number? Stomp! Stomp! What is the numberrr-er-er… ” 

I was intermittently singing because despite all the Christmas carols swirling around in the air, THIS is the song stuck in my head:

Argh! I just realized that if I post this, I will wreck the surprise, that the outdoor lights were going to be, for Russ when he comes home. Oh well.

Zachary woke up, got changed, ate a snack, and “helped” me put batteries in the animated plush toys as my conversation with myself went internal:

I can’t drink any more milk. If we run out, I can’t get to the store before my coat comes out of the dryer. Meanwhile, I hope this gig dress survives the washing machine. (It was supposed to be dry-cleaned). Where’d that nutcracker figurine go? If it’s on the floor, Bentley might eat it. There it is on the trampoline! (It had been on the piano).

“Uh oh. MOMMY! COME!” (OMG What!!??)

It’s ok. It was just that his monster trucks were stuck under the bed where no one can reach them and I had to get the “grabber” to fetch them.

Welcome to my life. 

I really don’t have long. He’s finished with his Cheerios now and has hung up on Daddy, who was FaceTiming, live from the stage, at the show in… (I don’t even know what country). Well, I did manage to eat a couple of cookies before he woke up from his nap anyway – and the hooks are up outside. That’s some accomplishment. 

HO! HO! HO! Here we are at Christmas time again! I have about five minutes at any given point in time to do ANYTHING – as do moms everywhere this week. Here’s wishing you all survival and laughter in this homestretch before Christmas. 

#HereWeGo

Argh!!! He is dumping water all over the couch from his sippy cup. 

Ok Bye. Xoxo

Xoxo (I said that already, didn't I?)

Namaste,

T

Merry Christmas 2017

Regardless of your spiritual practice, cultural tradition, or religious belief...

Here's to celebrating a day when a story is told about The Divine incarnating here on Earth, to symbolize the Divine in all of Us, uniting Us all as Family and inspiring Us to respect and cherish each other as such.

Merry Christmas! Blessings for a joyous New Year, that We might be refreshed in that Spirit.

Namaste,
T

Believe in Miracles

I had forgotten about this Angel that I got last Christmas.

Now when I look at it, in this season of miracles, I'm reminded of all the Blessings that came my way in 2016. It's as if my last-year self was given a message to keep the faith - good things were about to come.

Here's to believing in all the Miracles that are still to come, to keeping the faith.

Christmas and Hanukkah at our house

Continued Blessings to all in the new year...

"There can be miracles when you believe"

- Stephen Schwartz and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds

Namaste,
T

Yes, Virginia...

A timeless classic, I just adore reading this at this time of year...

Click here for "Yes, Virginia..." from NYSun.com

This week, and throughout the Holiday Season this year, I'll remember the gifts of spending time with those I love, speaking kind words, the simple touch of a handshake or a hug, little gifts that show you've been thinking of someone, and acts of kindness.

As we all bustle through crowded stores, search for parking spots, wrap, cook and travel around trying to get everything done, I pray we all have those peaceful moments. May we all pause and take in some seasonal magic. Maybe we'll see a beautifully decorated house or shimmering tree. Maybe we'll notice childlike innocence with a great sense of adoration. We'll celebrate family and love. We'll enjoy delicious home-cooked meals and marvel at the abundance we've worked hard to create all year. Then hopefully, we'll share that feeling of warmth by reaching out to one another. Little things can mean so much. I'll do my best to think of others and what would make them happy.

Click here for 5lovelanguages.com

May we all spread Love and Good Cheer this year.

Here's wishing you a Blessed and Happy Holiday...

Namaste,
T

Yes There IS...

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary.  

For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."

- Stuart Chase

As for me?  I believe.

This week, I am reminded of the Truth - that all things are possible, that magic exists, and that we can.  "We can" what?  We can - anything.

The following is from The New York Sun, 1897.  I've always loved this Christmas editorial:

"WE TAKE PLEASURE IN ANSWERING THUS PROMINENTLY THE

communication below, expressing at the same time our great

gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the

friends of The Sun:

        Dear Editor - 

        I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there

        is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The

        Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a

        Santa Claus?

        Virginia O'Hanlon

         115 West Ninety Fifth Street

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected

by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except

they see. They think that nothing can be which is not

comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia,

whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great

universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as

compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by

the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and

knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as 

love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they

abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas!

how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It

would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be

no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable

this existence.

We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The 

external light with which childhood fills the world would be

extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in

fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the

chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you

did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?

Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no

Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that

neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies

dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they

are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders

there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise

inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not

the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the

strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith,

poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and

picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it real? Ah,

Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A

thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years

from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

- "Is There a Santa Claus?" reprinted from the September 21, 

1897, number of The New York Sun.

This year, I was moved by the writing of a nine year old little girl, Basya Fogelman, who read her winning essay aloud at the National Menorah Lighting in Washington, DC.  I was also inspired and encouraged by Rabbi Levi Shemtov's comments, which immediately followed:

“Chanukah means different things to different people.  To little kids, Chanukah means presents.  To adults, Chanukah means spending time with family.  To me, Chanukah means going up.  You might ask, ‘What does that mean?’ The second night of Chanukah is symbolic of elevation or ‘going up’ because every night you add more light by lighting another candle.  So too does a Jew by doing this important mitzvah.  This mitzvah will lead to more.  As our sages say, ‘One good deed leads to another.’  We should try to do more good deeds every day.  It’s important to me to add more light in honor of my grandmother who passed away on the second night of Chanukah many years ago.  My favorite way to add light is to visit old and sick people and light the menorah and sing Chanukah songs with them.  When I do this, I know I am not only elevating myself but my grandmother’s soul too.”  - Basya Fogelman

“In your homes or via the live broadcast, know that you can light a candle too.  Even if you’re not celebrating Chanukah, go warm up somebody’s life.  Go do another good deed.  Go make the world brighter than it would be without you and in that way, you’re celebrating Chanukah too.  Obviously, in the Jewish community we light menorahs, but spreading light, good, and warmth in the world is a universal opportunity and message.”  - Rabbi Levi Shemtov

While the children are teaching us, here is another good find from Sesame Street, about Kwanzaa.  I fondly remember learning all about Kwanzaa when my (then five year old) little sister came home from school and excitedly shared her entire lesson on the holiday with the whole family.

More on Kwanzaa from The History Channel:

Click here for direct link to the above video on History.com (instead of YouTube)

“Just as millions celebrate Irish culture on St. Patty's Day 
and Mexican culture on Cinco de Mayo, 
Kwanzaa has grown to fulfill Dr. Karenga's vision.  
The vision that people of all stripes celebrate the 
African culture and spirit.”
- History.com

This holiday season, I'll keep in mind what the children have taught me.  I will be warmed by the purity of love in their hearts and by the magic and spirit of family that fills the air.  I will be reminded:

Life is simple.  Choose Love.  Choose Joy.  Follow the Magic.  Follow the Light.  

Be Love.  Be Joy.  Be Magic.  Be Light.

May we all have a joyous holiday season.  May we love and appreciate each other for our uniqueness, for the variations and different traditions within our brotherhood and for the common bond which connects and unites all of us. 

Happy Holidays!

Namaste, 

T