Can you smell the air?

Oh, I am really enjoying this time of year. We are experiencing a real Spring. The air is fragrant and not too hot. The evenings are still cool. There was just a evening shower, and I can smell the moist earth. I never noticed this stuff before. I love that I have learned to take time, even with all the stresses out there, to smell the air.

I sat at the ball field and watched my oldest son play baseball. It was great. Tom was on his game. I not only was able to take in the game, but think about a new product/offering I am putting together for my business. I put it out to the universe; what I wanted to accomplish and sat there with a pad, and waited for Divine inspiration. Every time an idea came, I jotted it down. I know in no time I will have my ideas all put together so I can create something awesome. And still I had time to watch Tom hit a double, tag someone out at third and come home on an RBI. How cool is that?

Make Time for Dinner with Kids

I just read an article that confirmed what I already knew. Taking time to eat dinner with your kids in important. In fact, it may be one of the main factors in preventing addictive behavior. The information is so important I am including it in it's entirety here. So take time and dine.

Study Shows Dining With Family Reduces Teens' Risk of Addictions Back By Ed Thomas June 16, 2006 (AgapePress) - According to one national organization's research, eating dinner together as a family is not only good for bonding between family members but also cuts down on teens' risks of alcohol and drug addiction. The Columbia University-based National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has made the link between eating dinner as a family and teens' alcohol and drug addiction risk through analysis of eight years of results from an annual survey of teens. Center president Joseph Califano says the questions on the yearly survey of 12- to 17-year-olds have pointed to a clear pattern since the initial year of the study. "One of the things we've noticed in our surveys, beginning in 1996, was that the more often kids have dinner with their parents, the less likely those kids are to smoke, drink, or use drugs," Califano explains. Meanwhile, he notes, the survey has shown that "kids who have dinner with their parents less than three times a week are much likelier to smoke, to drink, or to use drugs than kids who have dinner with their parents five to seven times a week." Those teens who ate with their families five to seven times a week received the maximum benefit, the Center spokesman points out. He says this group enjoyed relief from the primary risk factors of stress, boredom, and pressure from academic demands in school. "And we find that the family dinner is on the wholesome side of every one of those pressures," Califano emphasizes. Eating together as a family, he asserts, "helps to reduce stress, it helps reduce boredom, and it certainly relates to a kid's academic performance." Because of the these findings, members of a supermarket industry group called the Food Marketing Institute are helping to promote the Center's "Family Day" on September 25. This initiative will encourage parents across the nation to eat dinner with their children on that date and to be aware of the benefits of dining as a family on a regular basis. © 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.

Spring has Sprung

I am sitting at my computer next to the window which is open. I can feel a gentle breeze and smell the freshness of the cool evening. We just came home from a great baseball game. My boys love baseball, which is great because so do I. I find myself content in this place. Yes, there are challenges; and yet, in the quietness of this moment, they are but a grain of sand on the beach. For I am blessed with opportunities and abundance. As I breathe deeply, I meditate on my blessings.