Move number “36″… hmmm “Double Chai”.  Chai is the Hebrew word for Life and, as each Hebrew letter has a numerical value, the two letters that spell the word Chai (ח י) add up to the total of 18.  The number 36 is extra-special as it represents a double blessing of Life.  (This is why many Jews have a custom of giving gifts in multiples of 18)

At this time of year, during the time between Rosh Hashana (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Judgement), we reflect on our actions of the past year, make commitments to improve, ask for forgiveness for past misdeeds, and request that The Creator seal a favorable judgement for us with the blessings of health, peace, prosperity, and, most of all, LIFE.  How fitting that this posting carries the number 36 – Double Chai.  May this be a spark towards a doubly blessed life for all those who benefit from the HoneyTreeBuzz blog.

One of the goals I wrote for myself a couple years ago was to be more mindful in my interactions with others.  My previous self of constantly running from one task to another left me disconnected from putting time or focus into what I was doing or who I was interacting with.  I still have a long way to go, but am happy to see that I am being more and more involved with Life.  And, with it, I am now improving in my relationships with the people closest to me – family and friends.  One result of this is my improved ability to understand my daughter’s needs and encourage her in her own personal journey.  As she is thoroughly enjoying the Creative Writing class I encouraged her to take, she suggested I share her new poem with you here.

With the wish that your journeys take you to greater inner strength, deeper happiness, brighter futures and meaningful Life, here is a poem of my DD’s journey… by Shoshana

Where am I From?

Where am I from?

I am from the sky.

I follow the rays of the sun.

Who am I?

I am a bird who soars in the sky.

I paint the sunset,

as I glide through the air.

I rise with the sunrise,

and when my days have come and gone,

I slip to sleep with the sunset.

From where do I come?

Breaking free of the dark shell around me,

I came to light.

From a bed of twigs to a bed of clouds.

I ventured beyond the protective wing of my mother.

To where am I going?

I am going wherever the wind takes me.

I am going to fly high.

I will say “look how high I have gone.”

My wings are like that of an eagle,

strongest,

carrying me higher than all others.

I will say “look at my strength.”

Built upon generations of strong birds before me.

Whom do I wish to be?

I will add to those wings.

So that my baby can do as I have.

So she can say “look at my strength.”

Built upon generations of strong birds before me.

Where am I from?

I am from a line of great ones.

Who paved the path on which I walk.

Who am I?

I am one amongst many.

I rise with the call of the rooster,

and when my days have come and gone,

I ease into an eternal sleep with the hoot of the owl.

From where do I come?

Breaking free of the dark forces in eastern lands.

I sailed west, to the promise of light.

From a bed of hay, to a bead of feathers.

I ventured beyond the safety of my mother’s house.

To where am I going?

I am going wherever my heart takes me.

I am going to go far.

I will say “look at what I achieved.”

My wings are like that of an eagle,

strongest,

carrying me farther than all others.

I will say “look at my strength.”

Built upon my generations of strong forefathers.

Whom do I wish to be?

I will add to those wings.

So that my child can do as I have.

So she can say “look at my strength.”

Built upon my generations of strong forefathers.

I am all this when I spread my wings and fly.

My sons love Legos.  I amazes me that with the quantity they have they are continually looking to buy more sets.  Few things can bring excitement to their eyes like their grandmother landing a great deal on masses of Legos from a rummage sale.

So, when LegoFest came to our area the same week as DS #1′s Birthday, buying tickets was pretty much a necessity (though I did try to keep it a surprise until he saw the tickets hanging in my bedroom – carefully placed so I wouldn’t forget where I put them).  As the tickets were pricey, I only purchased enough for 1 adult and 2 kids.  Being Father’s Day, I figured it was best making it a father-son outing.  So, my move for this week was sending my husband out with healthy food for the road and healthy advice – to set aside all of the the things that weigh on his mind continuously and, instead, focus on having fun with his sons on Father’s Day.

He took my advice and did.  His reflection on the experience is dominated by the extreme happiness and smiles he observed on his sons’ faces.

From seeing incredible displays… to getting up close to incredible Lego structures… to tromping through calf-high piled Legos… to building and racing vehicles down a ramp… to observing a Lego bridge endurance test… to building Wisconsin-themed creations (beer mug and bowling lane) to include in a floor “map” of the United States… to purchasing Lego sets at a great price (with their own $!), they had a great time.  Together!

My DH was sure to have a picture to show that he took my advice to heart:

Being Father’s Day, I did my part of the day back home – I made home-made pizza to have ready for their return and I told our 4 y/o DS it was Father’s Day – to which news he promptly made gifts for his “Abba” – complete with lots of hearts.

Small actions on my part were a catalyst for such wonderful positive experiences for my family!  The results were topped off by the special hug I got from DS #1 before he went to bed.

How beautiful the flowers grow with a gentle wind to blow away the clouds and let the sun shine through!

My move for this week – with the guidance and help of my family, was connecting to and celebrating “Momness” on Mother’s Day.  Taking a step away from even thinking about the long list of would-should-could to-do’s, to instead focus on my place in my family.

As I went out of my room to wake my daughter for a lesson, I discovered that she was not only up but busy getting ready for surprising me.  I quickly got dressed and came out of my room to the greeting of this:

Which was soon followed by:

Instead of dining in my room I opted to go down to be with my family.

My oldest son cleaned up the living room and dining room and presented me with a hand-made gift of his own to go with the hand made gifts of his brothers.  Such was the start to a beautiful Mother’s day.  After taking my youngest DD to her morning lesson, I came home to a plateful of delicious snickerdoodle cookies and beautiful card from my middle DD:

No to-do’s were going to interrupt this day!

Of course a very important part of ‘Momness‘ is supporting the interests of the kids – which included going to a grand opening of a LEGO store, but with the added bonus of going with MY mom (who kindly hung out with the kids in the store while I went to sit a few minutes with my DH).

Shopping malls are NOT my thing!  One of my teen DDs was very happy for the rare opportunity to go to her favorite stores while the boys were happily surrounded by Legos

Next stop, in being immersed in the ‘Momness day‘, was to take my mom to a plant nursery to pick out a fun new flowering plant for her yard while my DH picked out hanging flowering plants for his mom.  After a quick stop to pick up my other 2 DDs and BBQ supplies, we went to my DH’s brother’s house to wish Happy Mother’s Day to his mom and hang out a bit at their house on a lake.  I finished the day off with helping one teen DD feel better from a major sinus attack that was making her miserable and trying to reassure the other teen DD of her ability to complete overwhelming homework. (Not that I actually succeeded in reassuring her, but I tried.)

My “Momness” celebrations carried into the week as I joined my youngest son Monday morning in the Mother’s Day events that his class planned of a bagel snack, personally made gifts, and planting flowers in their play-yard before I jumped into the workday of making lunches for his school.

Beautiful flowers bloom and abound around our Honey Tree!  It is so good to take the time to notice and appreciate them!  Wishing you personal growth as well as much beauty blooming around your efforts… and the ability to take time to notice and appreciate them.  Please feel free to share them in the comments to this blog.

The wind.  That is what I strive to be in so many ways – the wind beneath the wings of others to help them soar.  That is when I feel like I am soaring – carried on the wings of the people around me that I help in some way.  That’s the common denominator in the wide variety of things I have done since the middle of high school – from being a youth group board member, a care attendant, an occupational therapist, a wife and mother, a sewing teacher, a start-up company administrator, a preschool cook involving kids in the kitchen…

My move for this week was to further develop and add pictures to a web site my DH set up for my oldest daughter.

Friends very kindly commissioned my DD to make painted glass plates that were to be sent out as part of a gift package to many people and included a bio card (with her new web address) to help promote her artistic talents.  To that end, I learned how to upload pictures of her work and combed through my picture directories to create a growing online portfolio for her.

The wind beneath their wings.  Seeing the YouTube posting of that song from Beaches makes me hold back tears, but the song is so me.  I want to be a strong wind that helps and encourages others to ever higher heights.

Wind Beneath My Wings lyrics
Songwriters: Jeff Alan Silbar;Larry Henley

It must have been cold there in my shadow
To never have sunlight on your face
You were content to let me shine, that’s your way
You always walked a step behind

So I was the one with all the glory
While you were the one with all the strength
A beautiful face without a name for so long
A beautiful smile to hide the pain

Did you ever know that you’re my hero
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings

It might have appeared to go unnoticed
But I’ve got it all here in my heart
I want you to know, I know the truth, of course I know it
I would be nothing without you

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be
I could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?
You’re everything, everything I wish I could be
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings

Oh, the wind beneath my wings
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings
Fly, fly, fly away, you let me fly so high
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings

Fly, fly, so high against the sky
So high I almost touch the sky
Thank you, thank you
Thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings

(adapted from: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/bette-midler-lyrics/wind-beneath-my-wings-lyrics.html)

Come fly with me!

- DebBee

Oops – I was so excited about my oldest son coming home from a 2 week long trip to Israel on Monday that I forgot to post my move for last week… cakes.

In putting together a happy birthday sign for my middle son I came across pictures of how determined he was to make his own cake last year. So after school, the day of his birthday, I helped him make his own cake and decorate it his own way.

Strawberry - Yum! Who cares if its pink?!

Sunday was my turn to decorate cakes my way for a special event at the preschool of my youngest son, where I work.
Making and decorating cakes can bring so much happiness to so many people!

More moves to come.

Let’s keep moving – doing things that we enjoy and that give us a sense of success in what we accomplish!