Anticipation of life yet to come...

When she was a little girl she loved shoes, red ones in particular. Aunt Gayle used to always buy her red shoes every Christmas... But I remember those black and white saddle shoes too, they all three had them, but Alexandra liked her shoes the most.

She rarely played in the doll house and never played with barbies, she would rather color, read and play games with her brother Nicholas. But she loved her shoes. I can still see her in that battery operated pink convertible barbie jeep, and those red pattened leather Mary Jane's.  She wasn't a dancer although I think she did have one pair of ballet shoes when she was 3.

Now she wears stilettos and will be soon walking across the stage draped in a black gown. Her grown up shoes will be taking her on a new adventure forward.

So much of life ahead.  Graduation, dating, new career, moving to a new location, traveling on fresh new territory. All on her very own. Wow growing up ~ really growing up. I know as her Mother I tried to always give her space to be herself, now she will be giving me mine. Living and working in spots that I am not familiar with. I know I might not be there anymore, but she always has someone with her to lean on, her faith, and I am going to count on that.

As I contemplate my number three, free from the chains of college and ready to fly like a butterfly once again into this thing we call life, I can't help but be so proud of the amazing woman she has become.

As her new journey begins, I hope and pray Alexandra will walk into her new world with confidence and be so brave to conquer everything that is set before her with grace and dignity, 

and cute red pumps.

I am passionate about Heart Shaped Rocks...

Although I have written about this in the past, maybe even twice or more, I feel it deserves another spotlight moment...  Who would have thought some old hardened dirt would create so much joy for so many?

I have recently received special heart rock gifts and found the ultimate heart rock at the Dead Sea in Jordan and I must share it's glory...   Notice Chris is holding it!!! It now rests on my desk... Every now and then I rub it on my face to get the Dead Sea youthful mud magic, so far no changes... Still old.

Heart Stones, Shells or Heart Shaped Rocks are natures finest gift... Each one expresses a universal feeling of love... They can give you inspiration and great pleasure to find one anywhere in nature.. It's an almost magical reaction to see one on the ground, it makes my heart skip a beat and get all giddy inside. 

It is God's simple gesture of sending love to earth...   

(and the angels that placed them there for you...)
It is a gift...

Thanks God!!!

Some are just too big to carry home!!!

I have discovered I am not the only person on earth that notices and collects these amazing worldly creations... Many people have blogs, stories, and even books about them.

Recently my daughter Ashlynn had a few of our collection of years of saving heart shaped rocks made into very creative necklaces and gave me 2 for Christmas. One of them has Mom written on the back. It is an awesome gift. I can wear true nature around my neck...I like that a lot.

We used to write things on them that made us feel good or where we were when we found them. I have a few favorites: The Creek, Chocolate, Naked Swimming in Cassis, Morning Baths, Friendship and My Children to name a few...

My collection is sprinkled across continents, in almost every room... I find them in drawers of old dressers, and they have been found all over the world...
In my eyes, it is one of the best natural treasures ever found.

 I sometimes get iphone pictures from random places my kids are, with images of heart shaped rocks,
with no words..  

It makes my heart sing...

I found a beautiful bunch of stark white shells in The Maldives and a few of the broken coral pieces were of course heart shaped, super cool.. They sit beside me to bring me a sense of peace sometimes when I am busy and frustrated, I will drift off to that beach where I wondered, head down feet in the water in a peaceful paradise... It is a very nice reflection.

I hope for all of you, a place you can go in your head without leaving your desk, a reminder of places so serine and tranquil it makes you calm within.

Where ever you live in the world you can find them.

They are not all rocks, some are formations made in the desert called desert roses. Here is one that is extra special... 

The globe is full of them in every color, shape and size... When you bring these home and display them in your bathroom, or on your desk it creates great chi, being one with the world. OHMMMMMMM!!! (sitting Indian style, eyes closed with fingers touching)
I feel rich in goodness when I surround myself with natural things from the earth. Not only rocks and shells, but sticks and wood and pieces of flowers and plants.

When you find one and share it,  then it magnifies the intensity of the meaning it brings to that person, representing  

love, strength, courage, hope and confidence.  

It is an intimate gift... All the imperfections, with cracks and blemishes and being lopsided is a representation of 

imperfect us, in a beautiful way. 

Two or more together are a family... Years and years of forming from yet one grain of sand into what we recognize as the ultimate Valentine. Something that speaks to us so clearly though our own heart and soul that is way more valuable just just an ordinary stone.

If you are a lover of heart shaped rocks, I admire your simplicity in finding the supreme souvenir...

The affection of Mother nature is out there waiting to be discovered...
Smiles, Sher

Driving in Doha...

What a topic.... The title should be "MAD Reckless Racing in Doha", or "Defensive Driving at it's finest", or "Supreme Craziness on the road" is more like it... I will probably get deported for this one...

I have never been to a place like this before, and we have been around the globe... Cairo Egypt I thought had to be the worst, until I moved here, but DOHA takes the cake. This is a subject talked about daily in every group and organization, newspaper, online, but still NOTHING has changed... Bottom line...
NO RULES for the LOCALS!!! They own the road... and the country and everything else... So move out of their way... That is their Motto!!!

1. The shoulder is a LANE, even if it has stripes painted on the road, or even curbs, It's a lane. The bike path, it's a lane too, sidewalk, you guessed it - A LANE!!!
2. There is not a such of thing as courtesy, everyone just pushes their way into the lanes in the front of the light. Queue, or waiting in line is not an option here. Not even a word they know.

3. Smash your car, leave it there,  go buy a new one tomorrow.

4. A right turn from the left lane is completely OK if you are driving a white Landcruiser  or even better, visa versa, a left turn from a 6 lane road at a red light from the right lane is just normal. Get use to it!!!
5. They have to build fences between the medians to keep them from jumping curbs. Curbs are not a big enough deterrent.
6. Qatar has the #1 pedestrian deaths in the world. At the mall NO ONE lets you walk to the door, they speed up when they see you to scare you. It's super rude. Even the taxi drivers have not learned that pedestrians have the right of way. My country taught us better manners!
7. If you driving down the street and a Qatari gets 2 inches behind you and flashes his lights no matter what, you are supposed to move over, even if there are wall to wall cars and traffic, or you are about to turn, it's the law... Remember they own the law and the road...
8. Seat belts? WHAT IS A SEATBELT? This has to be my worst issue here. Never a child buckled in!!! They sit in the laps of the drivers while they are on the phone! Yes, and it is a law, but only for others... How can you not want to protect your baby? This my friends, I do not understand. Allah or no Allah, I love my babies and will do whatever it takes to protect them.
9. Oh and the phone, you got it... Law: you can not use any devices while driving, if you are not local.
10. If you haven't seen a young Qatari trying to show off by getting his car up on two wheels at a round about - you will. Or a motorcyclist guy doing a wheelie for an entire block at a super high rate of speed, don't fret, you will.
Here are some rules the Qataris follow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Solution:
BE ARAB!!! Turn up your Van Halen as loud as it goes, be BEYOND aggressive and pretend you have a white landcruiser, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ROUND-A-BOUTS, JUST GO, everyone will stop for you. It is amazing how much fun this is... Even if you are just going to the grocery store, buckle up... and put your PEDAL to the METAL all the way to the floor and BUST A MOVE!!!
Trust me, it is way more fun that being in a bad mood... If you can't beat them, Join em!!!

Life is like a carpet...

We spend our whole life worrying about the details. 

Working with the knots like the carpet weavers...

Is your hair combed, legs shaved, makeup on, shirt tucked in properly. 

Is your dinner warm, steak cooked to perfection, is there too much salt in the sauce?

Did you make the best grades, is the yard mowed, flower beds weeded? 

Did you read enough news, pay attention to the presidential election, stay that extra hour at work, know enough of world issues? Are you smart enough, religious enough, happy enough? 

Oh my gosh so many details. 

Look at a carpet... LOOK really close....When you go to buy one, the carpet man always turns it over so you can see the details of the work. If you work harder on the details the carpet is much more beautiful and exquisite.  

We spend more than half our life on the wrong side of the carpet. 

Staring at the backside, the knots and issues without stepping to the other side to admire the beauty of all your hard work!

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Award yourself with praise, don't wait until someone else does it for you.

Be proud of you.

Let's step to the other side of life... 

Let us all gander at the wonderful world amongst us. 

Let's like our face, body and family. Let's love yourself, friends and neighbors. 

Let's stop nit picking our lives to death because we didn't hit the ball as far as we should have or made an A+, didn't loose that 5 pounds, lifted that weight one more time.

 Although you work really hard on that final exam, redecorating your livingroom, peeling the garlic, took extra time on that spread sheet, relax. 

Marvel at the majestic finished product with admiration of a fine job you have done.

Stare at the pretty side. Get past the knots.

We all have flaws, that is what makes us unique and special as well as irritating sometimes. 

Some of us talk too much and don't listen to others, snore, fart, are too loud or too meek, too much of a goodie two shoes, or too obnoxious, some of us are too prejudice, think you are better than others, bossy, or too skinny or zit faced, crooked teeth, wrinkles, not very nice, whine all the time, talk about others, judge people, negative or fat. 

I am the first to admit, I am all of these things combined at times, well never too skinny!

If only!

Flaws make the carpet a sign of authenticity, to be handmade is way better than perfect. People seek out the ones that are special...

It means you are real, normal, authentic, unique. Our flaws make us OK to be yourself. 

No one is expecting perfection, except in our own minds.

Tolerate your human side without putting yourself down.

Accept you just the way you are.

Let your knots show.

:)

Presentation

What is in a presentation? Making something look pretty! 

Believe me, I am into presentation. It's my job, first of all. I spend hours and hours a day making people look good. But what is in a presentation if the inside is not as pretty as the outside?  

If you go to a fancy restaurant and the food is served with freshly cut vegetables cut in a rose with little drops of 1932 Modena balsamic vinegar in a Mona Lisa pattern, but the food itself taste like crap, does the presentation stand for anything? It does if you are a visual person. But if you are a foodie, then maybe not.

People can be the same way. Pretty on the outside, seemingly flawless ~ but on the inside not so much. And the opposite applies as well. Some people are not into "curb appeal". Some folks are deeper than that, go beyond the package wrapping... deep in the depths of your soul and then that is where the real presentation comes in. Remember, beauty is only skin deep! The really beautiful person speaks from within.  The presentation of your heart... My momma always said "Don't judge a book by it's cover"! She is right. You have got to read it first before you decide if you like it or not.

I know some of each. Pretty people that are hard to take, and not so pretty people that are absolutely beautiful once you get to know them. Their insides make the outside gorgeous and visa versa! God sprinkles our lives with both kinds... 

How can we present ourselves from the inside out? This is VERY hard for most. By not putting up walls, and opening up your heart and emotions outwardly without restrictions or worries about what people think! A problem I always had, so worried about what people think! So stupid. I'm getting better with that with age... But it is a fact of life, we want people to like us and not judge us for how we look, what we wear, if we cuss or drink too much or go to church. Most of us want to look good, have our kids behave and be well mannered, dress appropriately, and put forth a first impression that stays and means well. We teach them this. We teach them way more than we know we do. Especially the inside part.

There is always a time and place we have to watch our P's and Q's... (What are P's and Q's anyway?) Our actions speak louder than words or appearances. Who we are starts with how we act. How we love, and how we react... The presentation comes later... The inner speaks first whether we like it or not. No words necessary... Our children are spitting images of what we have taught them though our actions. Everyone knows that. Good and not so good... :(

Homes relate to this as well. "Keeping up with the Jones'" type mentality. All the most current furnishings and then there is depression and abuse on the inside. No matter how pretty things seem, there is always pain and suffering of some degree. Everyone has it. Some just hide it better than others. And some of us share it. I still love a fancy table setting and pretty houses. Not sure that will change.

We recently visited the shanty town called Langa Township in Cape Town, South Africa. 50,000 people live here in poverty. We were privileged to walk through this place with a guide that was born there, lived there still and he was educated and adorable. He was devoted to his land and his people. He had a passion for life there. Hard to swallow or understand once you saw this place... Trash and broken glass covered the dirt ground, dirty huge black Aunt Jermima type ladies fried sheep guts and brains to sell for 70 cents, (Yes, the Patrizi's all tried it), barely standing cardboard huts housed three families in one small room, dirty kids played in the streets, not many of them had shoes. But they had smiles. Although they had precious messy faces, their beauty was within. Love in their hearts... The presentation - well not so good.

All my life we have given to the needy, worked at the SOS food bank, walked 20 miles for Muscular Dystrophy, supported cancer, and bought gifts for families not so fortunate. This year we walked in the streets of poverty, experienced the real life of the African children, saw the minimal simplicities and filth of the living conditions... It was good and bad. At the end of our tour, my son, now 27 opened up his wallet and gave all his money to the driver and hugged him real hard. 

He was taught that. We have succeeded. I had tears.

 Frying sheep inards!

In 2012 I am going to try and be more open to things that aren't appealing on the outside. I am a visual person, pretty houses and pretty people and yummy food all mean something to me. Without tasting the meal, I can see if I like it already. That is not right. Same with life. When everything isn't perfect on the outside, there is goodness on the inside... if you would only give yourself the chance to find it. But first you have to look for it.

Give love.

Sher