26 Tuesday Jan 2010
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I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible. To loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as a seed goes to the next as a blossom.” ~Dawna Markova
23 Saturday Jan 2010
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Aladdin Theater, Haiti, Holcombe Waller, Let it Be, Mercy Corps, Stephen Marc Beaudoin, the Beatles, Tom Sessa
Thursday night the Aladdin Theater hosted the Songs for Haiti benefit concert. The vision of Stephen Marc Beaudoin who collaborated with Aladdin owner Tom Sessa to bring this important event to life. And that they did. It was the most beautifully moving concert I have attended. 600 people filled the Aladdin Theater … listening to music that varied in genre from pop, classical, gospel, indie, rock … and all of it was poignant. We sang along … we danced … we cried. And then we gave. It was an outpouring of generosity clearly coming straight from a desperate desire to help. In any way we can. All to support Mercy Corps as they focus on humanitarian needs in Haiti – clean water/sanitation, food and temporary shelter supplies … now and ongoing.
This event. This moment. Made a difference.
Holcombe Waller, started the evening, with an amazing version of the Beatles classic, “Let it Be” (he says it was his first time singing it and that song came straight out of his heart).
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it beI wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
We pray for the light to shine on the people of Haiti. Please let it be.
20 Wednesday Jan 2010
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I continue to be captivated by the images of the Haiti earthquake. This disaster that struck so far away from our community, and yet feels as though it was in our own neighborhood. This invisible, but very palpable, thread of compassion is connecting us to the people in Haiti. Their pain has come into our homes and we are reaching out … to hug them … to offer aid … to be there when their world has truly crumbled down around them.
The fundraising efforts, big & small, take my breath away. The radio-thons, concerts, children donating their allowance … reaching out to people far away … people we’ve never met … without hesitation. It is the best in the human spirit. It is what … when the sadness, in time, begins to fade … will bring hope. Hope.
18 Monday Jan 2010
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An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~Martin Luther King Jr
16 Saturday Jan 2010
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They came to watch the Portland Trail Blazers play basketball. But when they saw the Mercy Corps volunteers … with their buckets … collecting money for the people of Haiti, basketball took a backseat for a moment. Instead .. men, women and children … reached into their wallets/purses/pockets and dropped change and bills into the buckets. One after the next. After the next. And by the time this good deed was done, $65,000 was raised. $65,000 that will help Mercy Corps as they focus their attention on providing vital clean water to survivors of the earthquake.
The Blazers won the game. But this night belonged to the fans.
14 Thursday Jan 2010
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Compassion provides the basis for human survival.” ~ the Dalai Lama
Though our spot in the world may be tiny, we have the power collectively to bring hope, to hear the cries for help and gather our families, neighbors and communities together and do what we can … do everything we can … to help the people in Haiti get through this horrific moment.
11 Monday Jan 2010
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Today is my birthday. And during my quiet time tonight, I’ve been reminiscing about my loved ones … my heroes … and the ways they’ve influenced my life, and deepened the meaning in it.
My dad, who always says, “if you truly believe in something .. a person, project, cause … and you can help in some way, there should be no hesitation.” My sister who is the absolute definition of nurturing. My mom, who led by example, volunteering her time when we were children. We saw it … we learned it … and we followed it.
They have taught me to go through each day with my eyes and ears fully open. Seeing more clearly. Listening more closely. To lend a helping hand. To walk in someone else’s shoes. To live compassionately.
To risk my significance.
Gratitude.
09 Saturday Jan 2010
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We cannot deny the existence of the helpless as their presence grows. It is impossible to insulate ourselves against what is at our very doorstep. I don’t believe that one is born compassionate. Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our windows, coming through the gates of our yards, the walls of our towns, adversity that becomes so familiar that we begin to identify and empathize with it.” ~ Barbara Lazear Ascher, in her essay On Compassion
06 Wednesday Jan 2010
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I spent time recently with my friend Lionel Hollins. Most people know Lionel as a member of the 1977 champion Portland Trail Blazers and the current head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. But to me, his life beyond the basketball court is where his true success lies. Lionel is committed to making a difference in his community, and improving the lives of others. He started “Lionel Hollins Charities” to expand the reach of his efforts … from feeding the hungry to Bowling for Backpacks, a fundraiser he hosts to raise school supplies and uniforms for less fortunate children in Memphis.
Why?
He certainly could be doing a lot of other things with his limited free time, but he replies with the simple answer, “That’s the way we’re supposed to be. Receiving and giving. Helping each to have a better life.”
He points to a number of people who influenced him throughout his life … his parents, family, teachers, coaches, neighbors. People that believed in him, were patient with him, and put their trust and faith in him. And he’s regifting those intangible gifts. To children and families in his community, and to his players. I believe a big reason for his on-court success this season is because Lionel coaches from the inside out. His players come to him with tremendous physical talent. Lionel injects a heavy dose of patience, discipline, trust and respect. Under his leadership they are becoming physically stronger, and more unified as a team. Simple. Selfless. Powerful.
It really is that basic isn’t it. If we trust and believe in others … they’ll pass it on. Let’s test it.
02 Saturday Jan 2010
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Twenty Ten gently walks in the door. It’s a year that I have no expectations of, but tremendous hope for. My resolutions/goals are set; listen closely, be more present, complete the NYC marathon, take filmmaking classes, quality over quantity, live compassionately. And write more ……
So … what is “My Spot in the World”?? It’s a glimpse into my journey and the amazingly compassionate people I encounter each day. People that are making a difference. In their community. In the life of another. For the environment. For the next generation. They inspire me. They have helped me grow and put more life in my days. Enlightenment.
This is but my spot in the world. But it is my spot.
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us” ~Hal Borland
My Spot in the World 
