EWWW! Blood!

Do you hear the birds chirping again where you live?

I love the sound of their songs because where I live, it means spring is right around the corner!

What is your favorite season?

I have to say that spring and summer are a close tie for me with summer pulling out ahead.

The main reason for summer pulling out ahead is because I am tired of the rain!

Where I live, it has been raining or snowing since August!

I do not live in Seattle where rain is expected every day. I live in the Midwest!

We have had so many rainy and/or cloudy days I am desperate for the sun!

This is the reason one of my goals is to move to the south!

Just as the song stated,”Who’ll stop the rain?” apparently no one!  (If you take the song literally:)

If you take the song figuratively, as I tend to do being a word lover, it means who will stop the sadness.

I have been where it seems like there is only sadness.

When I lost my job, I thought I had lost my smile forever.

Each day was a desperately unhappy time to think about how awful things had gotten.

I was stuck in the vicious cycle of negative thoughts having no idea how to pull out of it.

It took me 3 months to come out of that mindset and get myself back. During that time I was someone I didn’t know or like.

It took a daily routine of self talk, positive quote searches, and a deep encounter with myself.

I was checking my Twitter account and found a positive saying that I wanted to retweet.

I also decided to follow this young man who had blessed me that day with something positive.

And that led me to the company that saved my life!

And now I am myself again only better! 

I have stopped telling myself anything that is negative.

I have stopped listening to anything that does not serve me as a positive light unto this world.

So, just as I myself have grown into a more beautiful reflection of my spirit, so the world begins to move into a season of rebirth and change.

Each year at school, I would teach my students about the life cycle of a butterfly. I began this unit 40 days before Easter as a preparation for Jesus’ return to life.

We would begin with painting a wooden clothespin brown. We then added two eyes with a black marker.

I also ordered caterpillars to put into a net house for the children to watch as they built their cocoons and then came out as butterflies.

We would have a behavior that the class was working on all week.

We were talking about making ourselves better and changing into a more loving and helpful person.

The words we focused on were virtues such as: compassion, respect, kindness, perseverance etc.

I would incorporate these words all day long in whatever we were doing. These were especially helpful with daily social challenges.

When the live caterpillars spun their cocoons and hung from the top of the container, we would wrap our clothespins in cotton balls pulled and stretched.

I would then introduce the inner journey. I had them close their eyes and think about what was inside their cotton balls.

Then, while their eyes were closed, I would ask them to think about how love is inside of them.

I talked to them about how the love in their hearts was getting stronger every time they were helpful, caring, or kind to someone.

I asked them to picture their hearts getting bigger with all of the love they felt when they did something nice for someone else.

I had them open their eyes and tell me how it made them feel.

It was really amazing how they got into this activity and could tell me how great they felt and what they wanted to do at home that evening for their family.

We continued these discussions, virtues, and thoughts about love for the whole time their clothespins were wrapped in cotton.

I also read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

When the butterflies began shaking, the children’s eyes almost popped out of their heads:)

It was a very exciting time watching the cocoons hanging upside down and actually shaking back and forth!

This went on for a few days. Not all of the cocoons were shaking at the same time, but they all began within a day of each other.

When the butterflies began to appear, sometimes there was liquid that looked like blood.

Well, you can imagine what 5-7 year olds do when they see that!

It was all, “EWWW” , “YUK”, “UGH”, covering of mouths and so on. And there was always one who said, “COOL”!

But there was pure fascination along with whatever expletive they chose.

We colored large paper wings into designs so that we could use for the wings on our clothes pins.

When we unwrapped our clothespins, we talked about our own hearts becoming kinder and gentler.

There was always one child(usually a boy:) who would color with his red marker on the cotton to make the girls squeal!

We attached the paper wings to our caterpillar bodies and I hung them up so they looked like they were flying.

We kept the butterflies in their house for a week and then had a letting go mini ceremony outside.

It was interesting to see that some children were really excited to watch them fly off while others were a bit sad that they would be gone.

We would then end the unit talking about different times when we have to say good bye to people, animals, or other things that come into our lives.

We also talked about how one day when they are grown up, they will not be living at home anymore and their mommy and daddy will have to let them go!

Most kids say, “I am never leaving my mom and dad”! (And we all know they will probably be racing out the door:)

And I look at them and say, “That is so wonderful to love your mommy and daddy so much”!

“And now you can show them what you learned from the butterflies by always listening to them and doing what they ask of you!”

I always loved teaching this unit.

Butterflies are always high on the interest curve of students. It is one of those miracles they love to watch.

It also gives them an activity to go with how they can transform themselves too!

This unit reaches all children at all levels and uses all of the senses! And that is a process where learning always happens!

We can transform our lives whenever we need to.

I transformed my life from the lowest point I had ever been to the best place I have been in my life so far!

It takes daily action, perseverance, love, and knowledge.

But anyone can do it. We all posses what we need right inside of ourselves.

The knowledge is provided through many sources if we just look for it.

The company that saved my life and helped me to transform has everything I need to work on myself as well as my business.

They put everything else that you need at your fingertips to accomplish any transformation you desire.

As the birds sing of new life in our world, join me in bringing new life to your world.

Say good bye to the job that no longer serves your desires.

Say good bye to the job that keeps you away from your family.

Join the company that has the products, skills, and abilities to transform your life into the dreams you hold in your heart.

Click on the link to the right or enter your information below and begin your life’s transformation!

PEACE