Do you remember your earliest Valentine’s Day celebration and how it made you feel? At 7 years old, I recall decorating a brown paper bag with my name, surrounded by colorful hearts and flowers to be hung along the base of the classroom blackboard with the hopes that it would soon be filled with little Valentine cards from classmates. I felt lucky, but unless the teacher asked students to put cards in each bag, it wasn’t everyone’s experience to feel special or that they ‘fit in’. … [Read more...]
Kindness Starts With Me
Posted by on January 29, 2014 Leave a Comment
Thanks to the support, Kindness Starts With Me is launched! The objective couldn’t be more timely when so much attention in the news has been focused on the effects of bullying, teaching a kindness lifestyle reinforces and inspires children to be kinder, more loving and accepting. I realized the importance of involving children directly in the development of the kindness project – and I decided to design and test the program with a group of students at a Sarasota's Alta Vista Elementary … [Read more...]
Are we connecting in ways that matter?
Posted by on November 14, 2013 Leave a Comment
Global Neighborhood "To love one’s country is natural, but why must it end at that border?" Pablo Cassals Have you ever heard these words as a child: “Finish your vegetables, because poor people are starving”? It didn’t mean much to me then because I had never seen someone starving in China or India or anywhere. Today, because of cable television, we regularly see the hungry faces of people in other countries in our living rooms, kitchens, and classrooms. It makes the plight of others more … [Read more...]
What Are You Noticing?
Posted by on August 19, 2013 Leave a Comment
What Are You Noticing? “We drop feathers, coins, and other signs upon your path to remind you that you’re loved and never alone.” - from Doreen Virtue’s Angel Oracle Cards. The signs are everywhere! I’ve found feathers in the most unlikely places – in the ladies room of a local bookstore, in the aisle of the supermarket, or the entry to my home. And the coins, along with the feathers, always bring a smile as I look down to find a token of hope and encouragement. Once a friend and I … [Read more...]
Love Is the New Currency – What does it take to feel hopeful and inspired in uncertain times?
Posted by on August 18, 2013 2 Comments
Staff Reports Redstone Review Lyons, Colorado August 14th/September 18, 2013 edition No matter where we turn, we hear stories about how bad it is “out there.” Linda Commito’s award winning Love Is the New Currency is a book about how good it is “in here” – inside the circle of love, compassion, and human connection that is created when we open our hearts to each other. The author has been on a passionate quest for the past three years to document stories of people who are making positive … [Read more...]
Measure of Happiness
Posted by on December 20, 2010 Leave a Comment
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. -Albert Schweitzer If you knew that your happiness could positively affect not only your friends and those around you, but their friends … and even friends of friends … would you not want to be contagious for a good cause? In December 2008, the findings of a happiness study conducted by Harvard Medical School’s Professor Christakis, and James Fowler of the … [Read more...]
Sneak Peek Chapter – Jump Start
Posted by on December 19, 2010 13 Comments
Jump Start Why wait? Life is not a dress rehearsal. Quit practicing what you are going to do, and just do it. In one bold stroke you can transform today! - Phillip Markens Several months ago, I was surprised to learn that my godfather, Uncle Fred, had another godchild, who owned a vintage clothing store in a college town in Massachusetts. “Would I be interested in selling my prom dress?” my mom asked – not so subtly trying to clear her attic of the sentimental things stored by her three … [Read more...]
Sneak Peek Chapter – Same Cafe
Posted by on December 17, 2010 1 Comment
The “pay-as-you-can concept” is a slowly expanding trend led by people like Libby and Brad Birky, who opened their non-profit restaurant in a transitional neighborhood in Denver, Colorado four years ago. Thanks to their numerous volunteers and patrons, they have been self-sufficient during a time when many restaurants and businesses are failing. Their concept is being emulated by others who envision a world where all may be nourished. Following is an excerpt from their story: SAME Café … [Read more...]
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