inspiration: Degage...Rebuilding the Heartside Community with the Mortar of Love & Dignity!
- 10/11/08 02:56 AM
I am arrested by this poignant pictorial post about a home that once knew Love. A home whose lovely bones bear witness to better times; moments when it's grandeur was acknowledged and admired. C-Tann's simple statement says it all...'Someone once loved this home.' To love a thing or someone is to proffer one of life's greatest gifts. Love clothes life with dignity and respect. Love grants us the courage to face life. When we loose the ability to give love to ourselves and others, our dwelling places also begin to reflect the winter of our despair. Abandoned homes and abandoned people are … (30 comments)
inspiration: 5 Reasons Why the Financial Crisis of 2008 will Force Us to Grow Up
- 09/29/08 03:42 PM
Sometimes it's easy to forget how young America really is. Our nation is so vibrant and full of promise that optimism sometimes hinders a mature grasp of reality. America is the land of the Free and the Brave, the nation in which cowboys ride into the sun speckled range and Rocky Balboa, though bruised and bloodied, always manages to win the sparring match in the end. It is that irrepressible enthusiasm that gives us the strength to recover in spite of horrifying setbacks and defeats and to will things to go our way even when the deck of cards is stacked against us. The fact that … (27 comments)
inspiration: Out of the Clouds...Inspiration from Phil Aud's New CD...'Come May'
- 09/18/08 03:24 PM
Sky gazing has always fascinated me. As a kid, I'd sometimes just sit outside and imagine different shapes within the clouds. My favorite clouds were the large puff balls that our science teacher told us were cumulus clouds. They usually accompanied bright, sunny days without a hint of rain. Rain storm clouds were another entity altogether and I was drawn to them for different reasons. For one thing, the air smelled different. Rain clouds had a way of changing the atmosphere; darkening the sky and pushing the sun's brilliance out of sight. Rain clouds sometimes formed a grayish sea of density which made it … (16 comments)
The ground pulsates with rythmic energy. Shrill cries announce it's advancing. Frightened children peek from within the folds of their mothers' skirts.It is here... The Masquerade has arrived. Heralded with a colorful flurry of raffia costuming and a foreboding mask, the dancing form weaves it's way through the crowd. A dervish in motion... every swirl a freakish invocation.In traditional African culture, the arrival of the Masked Dancer carries a message. A tradition so potent that some masks are only revealed under very special circumstances.The identity of the masked figure is a carefully guarded secret. But there is another … (14 comments)
inspiration: NOISE (Part 2)...What to Do When What You Hear Doesn't Make Sense...
- 08/13/08 02:09 PM
PLEASE READ PART 1 BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE REMAINDER OF THIS BLOG POST. Dealing effectively with NOISE pollution requires on thing above all else. It's actually an obvious solution, but one which we miss in the confusion of the moment. It's a quality called Stillness. And, it's the most challenging element of sanity to maintain in the midst of a hullabaloo. Stillness requires having the ability to turn OFF the most incessant elements of NOISE...the elements that are clamoring for the most attention. It entails being able to step back, breathe, and take the time to figure out what is … (11 comments)
inspiration: NOISE...What to Do When What You Hear Doesn't Make Sense...
- 08/13/08 01:56 PM
NOISE Pollution. There's so much of it. And...I'm not just talking about blaring horns, construction traffic or loud music booming with subterranean intensity from stereo sets. While these annoyances are disconcerting, we all have learned to live with them. The Noise that we'll be exploring in this short series is more insidious. It's the kind of Noise which has the ability to impact your well being in a fashion that physical Noise cannot. There are two types of NOISE that I've been reflecting on for the past couple of days. They are Financial Noise and Emotional Noise. I recently bought the book, 'When Markets Collide.' The bestselling … (13 comments)
inspiration: Minding Your Realty P's & Q's...3 Secrets For Continued Success!
- 07/30/08 09:49 AM
A familiar ritual at the dining table as a youngster involved being reminded time and time and again to mind my P's and Q's. What was commonly referred to as Table Manners were a set a rules that adults felt we needed to know to avoid embarrassing them in polite company. Thank God their persistence helped to ensure that we didn't become little hellions. Rules of engagement are a necessary part of social interaction as well as business. As real estate professionals explore the online world, it is often difficult to clearly understand what the rules are because the context changes so … (55 comments)
inspiration: Radio In Black & White and... Jazz Wings it's Steps in Time with the Blues...
- 07/26/08 06:58 AM
I'm reading "When Wynton Met Willie." Wynton...as in Wynton Marsalis and Willie as in Willie Nelson. A most engaging odd couple musical pairing. The interview is about their latest project; coupling the two in remarkable synthesis of the blues and jazz during a live recording of two concerts played at Lincoln Center last year..."Two Men With the Blues." At first glance, you wouldn't put these two legends together. In all sorts of ways, they are different. Wynton is 46, Willie 75. Their onstage presence is also an eclectic compilation. Wynton in stylish elegant suits, a classically trained artist who plays his jazz from sheet music. And Willie, … (10 comments)
inspiration: What it Means to...Holla' for REcognition
- 07/21/08 12:29 PM
Most of us emerge on planet earth with all the stridency that our 8 to 9 pounds of flesh can muster. So much so that the infant who emerges without a lusty yell is promptly spanked on the rump to produce one. After all...one has arrived. Say so! Sideline living is against the grain of human ego. A newborn baby in a household quickly demands just about everyones' waking and non-waking moments. Babies need to be fed at regular intervals, burped, changed, bathed, soothed, entertained...in short, paid attention to at all times. While we relish the joy of observing the expansion of … (17 comments)
inspiration: What It Means to Live in Congruity
- 07/08/08 12:06 PM
"I am not bound to win but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed but I am bound to live up to what light I have" By Abraham Lincoln.
In his deeply insightful allegorical tale, 'The Laws of Spirit' author Dan Millman initiates the chapter on 'Integrity...Living Our Truth' with the above statement by Abraham Lincoln. In this section Millman explores how humans live outside their true being. And how at odds this artifice remains within the norms of nature. "Unlike the creatures of the natural world, humans are surrounded by social artifice, cut off from their own true … (15 comments)
Like the venerable broadcaster Paul Harvey likes to say..."And now for the rest of the story..."
Today, I picked up the phone to call Stahl's Bakery. By, a stroke of amazing coincidence, the bakery line was busy, so I decided to try the alternate office line. The phone was answered by a gentleman and I inquired about if I could order some cookies. In the course of the conversation, I told him how I had discovered his cookies at Papa Joe's Market and was going to write … (20 comments)
inspiration: Forgiveness is not human...it's Divine
- 06/18/08 04:24 AM
This video arrested my attention today. The courage of the people of Rawanda continues to inspire the world. The image of the acid eating through the container is one which is unforgettable. It puts the work of forgiveness into an entirely different light. We forgive for ourselves as much as for the sake of others. … (12 comments)
inspiration: RE-Framing...This Thing Called Motherhood
- 06/13/08 02:13 AM
Many of you are aware that I am a writer for the Mothers Fighting for Others Blog; a charity dedicated to helping women and children in need across the world. I've admired Rocky Turner's dedication and commitment to this cause & recently had the privilege of joining the Board of her organization. This post shares my thoughts on the state of 'mothering' in our world. Click on the link to finish reading & visit Rocky's site. We're doing some really inspiring things! *Originally posts June 4, 2008 It feels a little ‘unstylish' for lack of a better word to be writing about motherhood … (6 comments)
Sometimes the profound emerges from the most unlikely places in ordinary life. Like a phrase distilled from the shroud of a mist...Simplicity is what happens when the details are stripped down to their bare essence. The photo of the wedding scene above is taken at the Cobblestone Manor. The lawn has been set with lawn chairs. The entire stage has one simple purpose...the uniting of the bride and groom. The gatherings purpose to witness the love they share. It's Memorial Day weekend, a time for remembrance and the creation of romantic memories. Simplicity distilled to it's core...unfettered and free.
The … (15 comments)
inspiration: What I Know To Be True...
- 06/03/08 09:51 AM
It's almost 3 years since Audu Real Estate set out an independent shingle. As I was going through an old notebook, I came upon a letter which I had written to people in my circle of friends celebrating the one year company anniversary that had just been completed a few months earlier. As I re-read this letter, which I had all but forgotten, I was struck by some of the thoughts that I shared. In addition to giving a brief update on the business and my family, here's an excerpt which I wrote about "What I Know to Be True..."
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inspiration: Why Real Estate Blogging is Like A Peanut Butter Sandwich...
- 05/20/08 11:54 AM
Just about every kid loves a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They were certainly my favorite . In fact, I don't remember ever tasting a peanut butter sandwich and not thinking it was good. Even when the bread was not fresh...something about the combo of buttery tasting peanut spread and the sweet strawberry jam or jelly made everything go down easy. It was also really, really sticky... Invariably, the jelly would slide over the slippery peanut butter and ooze onto my fingers, sometimes drizzling down my chin. So, there was always the doubly delicious task of cleaning off my fingers after … (17 comments)
inspiration: Sometimes the Wind Kisses a Wisp of Dandelion...
- 05/15/08 04:03 PM
Have you ever blown dandelions? As a kid, this was a game of endless fascination...watching those little puffs of white seed float away ever so effortlessly with the slightest whistle of one's breath. I remember being surprised when an adult told us that those little powder clouds were chock full of seeds which would land miles away, depending on where the wind took them and flourish and grow more seeds weeds. Sometimes, I'd blow on those seeds and try to follow their path, but I never could. They seemed to vanish like a wisp of smoke. Seeds landing in places which I would … (45 comments)
inspiration: What It Means to Avoid Placing Pearls on Pigs...
- 05/03/08 03:12 PM
One day, several years ago, I arrived early for a meeting. Now, this is not typical. I think I thrive on the adrenaline rush of being where I'm supposed to be 'just in time.' Anyway, on this particular day I was so early that I had about a half an hour to sit in the parking lot. It was sunny and pleasant. However, my mind was not enjoying the beauty of the day. I was deeply immersed in another activity...worrying. As I rehashed the troublesome scenario, my attention was distracted by a little play that was happening just outside my car. On the sidewalk, two … (29 comments)
inspiration: On Sisterhood, Being A Daughter & What It Means to "Keep A Mother"
- 04/24/08 02:18 PM
There's nothing quite like a festive African party. For an African woman, the preparation of the food is more than a labor of love...it is hard work requiring skillful handcrafting and hours of preparation. It is within this arduous process that my adolescent memories of entertaining linger, mostly because of the women who surround my mother to assist in the cooking. I vividly remember their arrivals. Some are wearing their "good" clothes...others carry fancy bags brimming with colorful lapas, lace blouses, high heeled shoes and headdresses. Throughout the morning, a chorus of greetings welcomes each new entrant. This intimate gathering of sisters...Click to continue reading... Picture courtesy of OziAfricana's photostream on flikr.com
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inspiration: Sometimes This Happens...
- 04/16/08 12:49 PM
This is not the picture I set out to take today. In fact, it's the sort of picture that captures you on the way to do something else...like setting out to snap a quick shot of a potential listing from across the street. I'm in the parking lot of the Church of St. Johns on Bridge St. in Grand Rapids, Michigan and as I turn to get back into my car, I'm struck by the simple elegance of this structure. I am reminded of the simplicity and clarity that faith can bring to life and community.
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I am arrested by this poignant pictorial post about a home that once knew Love. A home whose lovely bones bear witness to better times; moments when it's grandeur was acknowledged and admired. C-Tann's simple statement says it all...'Someone once loved this home.'
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