Greet everyone you meet with a warm smile.

No matter how busy you are, 
don't rush enounters with co-workers, family and friends.
Speak softly. Listen attentively. 
Act as if every conversation you have 
is the most important thing on your mind today.
 Look your children and your partner in the eyes when they talk to you.
 Stroke the cat, caress the dog.
 Lavish love on every living being you meet. 
See how different you feel at the end of the day.

 ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach 



I love this so much. It's the perfect message.

An Evening of Art. Shanti Uganda's 4th Annual Dinner & Art Auction.

Join me at Shanti Uganda's An Evening of Art! 
Tuesday September 25th
7pm start/730pm Dinner
Tickets $50 prepay only
Click here!

Its an evening of Art and delicious Indian food.
Dinner includes a Buffet Meal featuring a salad bar, three Meat dishes, three Vegetarian dishes, Papadum and fresh Naan and two desserts. 

It will be a great night out and the Art auction will be amazing! And of course the cause couldn't be better!

Come see why I am such a proud Ambassador for the second year in a row! 

This truly promises to be an exciting event to raise funds for Shanti Uganda's Solar Powered Maternity Center in Nsaasi Village, Uganda. Funds raised will go towards the life saving maternal and infant health programs carried out at the Shanti Uganda Birth House. Hope to see you there! 

Truer words were never spoken. A wonderful reminder.

Ever practice Tonglen meditation? I often do. Especially lately. It's powerful stuff..

Changing pain to compassion.

Loving kindness. Community. Practice.

"It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the earth." --Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist now based in France.

Sympathetic Joy

"To help us bring benefit to others through our words and actions, it is useful to cultivate an attitude of sympathetic joy in others’ achievements and good fortune. This attitude is a powerful antidote against envy, which is not only a source of unnecessary suffering on the individual level but also an obstacle to our ability to reach out and engage with others."

~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama

See these kids? I know them all as well as their incredible parents.

They are all some of the bravest and coolest (and most fun) people I know! They are local brain tumour fighter/survivors and their parents and I am really fond of each and every one of them (and they are all doing well right now too I am happy to add).

The are part of an program I love called BrainWAVE. BrainWAVE is a support program for families with a child (19 years old or younger) with a brain tumour and it is comprised of four separate but related components: events, parent support, information sharing and education. If you are looking for a way to provide fun and support for your child and family as you face the journey with a pediatric brain tumour, consider joining BrainWAVE.

Several times a year, BrainWAVE families have the opportunity to meet and relax through fun activities such as trips to sports events, historical sites and other family attractions. These FREE events give all members of the immediate family a welcome break from treatments and doctors' visits. Our next event is March 4 and I can't wait!

For more information on BrainWAVE and Brain Tumour Foundation click the links. If you have been affected by a brain tumour you are NEVER alone and there is ALWAYS hope and Brain Tumour Foundation is a wonderful resource with Education days, Support and Loads of information whether you are a child or an adult, have a brain tumour, or love somebody with one.

The 2012 Spring Sprint is coming up as well on May 27 click here for more info on that. Its a wonderful time for everybody. Namaste.

Do you drip dry your sloths before you blot them with a towel?

Awwwww.....extreme cuteness!

We are shaped by our thoughts

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

~ Buddha Quote ~

If you had one wish for Christmas what would it be?

John Lennon answers in the video below:

Peace on Earth.

That implies no violence.

No starving children.

No violent minds.

No violent households.

No frustration.

No fear.

"We think the future is made in your mind"

I love the ripple effect.

It takes very little to create real change. Love this little video. Glad I came across it this morning. Goes perfect with that morning coffee :)

Every Dec 1st two things come to mind when I awaken...

The AIDS crisis and the Montreal Massacre (Dec 6 '89) and I just can't help it.

And I believe its a good thing as neither one should ever be forgotten.

Its world AIDS Day and HIV/AIDS Awareness week in Canada.

I remember the years before this horrible disease was discovered and changed our lives forever. I was just reading that there are 34 million people in the world living with HIV and that 80% do not have access to treatment.Thats so tragic.The numbers of people here in Canada (and everywhere else) continues to rise.

Apparently most teens believe that there is a cure for HIV...and of course there is not. More reason to educate our children is that: According to the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (“CANFAR”): “A quarter of Canadians with HIV are not aware of their infection and young adults (aged 15-29) account for approximately 26 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV in Canada."

**Don't forget The Shanti Uganda Society **and all they do in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Shanti's Mission statement is:

"The Shanti Uganda Society improves infant and maternal health, provides safe women-centred care and supports the well-being of birthing mothers and women living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda." and helping is so easy and the ways are countless.

click here for more info.

One last note is that ALL Vancouver Whole Foods locations will be donating 5% of their net sales today to Aids Vancouver Grocery! Click here for more info on that.

Have a FAB day friends and Happy December! Hard to believe its here already.

Hey look. It's all of our lives.

A really beautiful ad for marriage equality.

Let everyone that you meet on this day be blessed by you.

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and this was exactly what I needed to watch. If you watch only one thing all day, let it be this.

This is beautiful. Occupy love.

Love this.

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” ~Buddha

Love and Shadow at OCCUPY Vancouver-with Michael Stone

Two days ago Michael Stone took a stroll down to Occupy Vancouver and had this to say.

A monk asks Tozan "When the cold and heat come how should one avoid them?"

Michael Stone Dharma Talk: Let the Heat Kill You from Centre of Gravity on Vimeo.

Tozan says: "When its cold, let the cold kill you. When its hot, let the heat kill you."

Let it kill the Storyteller. In every moment you have a choice. Love or fear.

I love Michael Stone. This is one of my favourite talks of his. Its time to post it again.

This is HUGE! Birthing from Within Prenatal Class - by donation in support of Shanti Uganda

If you know me you know ALL about the Shanti Uganda Society and why I am so proud to be a 2011 Ambassador!

And if you are into birth and live in Vancouver you know all about my fellow Ambassador Sarah juliusson and Dancing Star Birth!

Dancing Star Birth is doing a donation prenatal education class with ALL of the funds going to Shanti Uganda!

Its a great way for those who might not be able to afford the regular $260 to pay what they can. Suggested donation is

$100 - $500 (but whatever amount you are able to donate is fine!) They recognize that each of you is making a real and important contribution to global maternal-child health. All contributions of $280 or more will receive a tax receipt from Shanti Uganda.

This is just such an amazing thing.

if you haven't been on Shanti's site lately I really can't encourage you enough to go and read up on the latest happenings. Get ready to be really, REALLY inspired. Click here for more info on Shanti Uganda and here for Dancing Star Birth and all they do! Namaste xo