We have a new baby girl!

Tallulah (LuLu) Rose Bradach III

06.17.17.

I remember having human babies. 

When they came home from the hospital to get accustomed to their new surroundings with all their blankies and baby gear.

And time stops.

It goes slow. And we stay up late to watch them sleep, burp, yawn, coo, poop, look around, and breast feed (don't worry, I'm not breast feeding my dog, LOL!).

Those first few weeks feel holy--like slow, time-stop motion, moment-to-moment presence.

And that's what last night felt like. 

Even though LuLu slept most of the time, our whole family--Me, Keith, my two stepdaughters Emily and Katie, and my own two kids, Max and Chloe--plus Teddy, our 2-year old Cavapoo--gathered in the living room and hung out with our new family member. 

Awe-inspiring, to say the least.

What an honor, and so exciting.

Life is so, so Go(o)d.

aCCePt it! (pOOp & ) aLL . . .

dEar fUnFrEE pEE(ps) and poOp(S) and pUps!

I played with two of the yummiest sdoG:Gods one summer! Cody--a super chunky monkey Golden Retriever--and his little sister, Ginger--a spunky thang who was gnawing on my hands (and Cody's tail and ears!) throughout the night! What was so interesting was that when Ginger was "playing" with Cody, it was super clear when Cody'd had enough--he put the total squash on her and pawed her in the face (then it would start over, of course. . .)!

I totally believe that dogs are in our lives for a reason--they are SUCH a metaphor for life! Well, I suppose all animals are, but dog is god spelled backwards, SO THERE!

AnY-hOo---the Pooper Scooper Factor reminds us that with the yummy, amazing stuff of life . . . comes, well, the SH!+ ! You know, the total cRaP-oLalalalala!?

And it's really okay . . . cuz without the dark, we wouldn't know the light (and vice-versa). And we can't appreciate awesome stuff, if we never experience hardship or pain. It's all part of the jOurNeY, yO.

aNd . . . it's part of the great balance of life and growth. 

And really, sometimes, when we are in the total depths of the crap-ola---we know it can only get better . . . (and ain't that a relief?)

LeSsOn LeArNed: pOoP is pArT of LiFe . . . & everyone dOeS it! Why fight it?

HeArTs!--
d-to-the-D-dog

Trust the Timing of the Universe

“Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, 

things happen that shape your destiny

in ways you might never have imagined. ”

― Deepak Chopra

hEy aLL!

One thing that has been getting my attention lately is the fact that THINGS ARE NOT ON MY TIMELINE . . . (huh? I thought I was in cOnTrOL . . . not). I mean, I can have the best plans for any particular day, and then shIzzLe happens and what I thought my day was going to look like tOtaLLy changes@!!$%^

But that’s okay . . . I’ve learned to go with it . . . well, most of the time . . .

What’s nOt oKaY and what makes me absolutely mIserAbLe, is when I can’t go with the flow. In other words, I can’t be mAd at LiFe for not happening MY WAY (or the highway . . .) —which brings me back to . . .

LeTTinG Go . . .

gOiNg with tHe fLoW of mY beAutY-FULL LiFe

and LeTTinG Go(d)

(or the Universe)

be in charge

sToRy oPPorTunitY: One day two summers ago was going to be pretty complicated. I was supposed to have a meeting, pay bills, go to the doctor, bLaH.BlAH. bLaH! --and when I started feeling overwhelmed, I cancelled an appointment at 1:00 at my school so I could get some breathing room and hang with my kids. Well, in the morning my kids reminded me that they were going to help me set up my classroom anyway, (I teach 8th grade English - - -YeaH!). So, we headed to school.

Well, about a mile from my school, my engine light went on and my car jerked suddenly. My kids were freaking out, (and so was I . . . but they didn't know it, 'cuz I'm the grown up, right? and I can fake it . . .). I know that my oil change light started going on a couple of days ago, but I was secretly kind of ignoring it until my kids were with their dad (I don't like to run errands when I have my kids). Another thing that mad me anxious is that I didn't want to be late for dropping off my kids at their dad's (I hAte being Late!).

A few blocks away was an oil change station, and it happened to be three blocks from my school also, so I drove (heart beating . . . well, POUNDING!) into the station and told the guys that my light went on, and I needed an oil change.

Guess what! They were super nice, told me they would change the oil and do a diagnostic on my car and call me when they were done. Meanwhile, we walked to my school, set up my classroom, and I even got to meet my teaching partner for a few minutes!

So, here's what I was reminded of: The timing of the Universe is much better than mine. Here's why (note secret gratitude list that I actually said out loud in front of my kids):

• My light went on at the perfect time--
• not when I was traveling hundreds of miles last weekend
• not on the highway this morning
• but thankfully 1/2 mile from my school-
• I could take care of the oil change and get my schoolwork done
• I could walk to school with my kids
• I was able to meet with my teaching partner--aWeSomE!
• I was able to role model gratitude with my kids!
• My kiddos got to their dad's in time for lunch! Yeah! 

Funny thing--I actually would have been SUPER SMART to plan it JUST THE WAY IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED . . . but guess what? The timing still worked out perfectly without me being in charge of it! Thanks Universe!

WheW! I'm gonna stop working so hard . . .

HeArts to yOu!
SuPer LuCky giRl (aka dana)

heLLo . . . & gO(o)d . . . bYe . . .

Whether obvious or not, and usually it's not,

everyone in your life is there to help you,

AND, they're actually doing so right now.

We call this the

Everyone In Your Life Is There To Help You Rule.

Tallyho,

The Universe

Which, incidentally, doesn't mean you have to keep them there.

In fact, their offering may simply be to teach you to say "adios."

Hello!

Looking back at my life, I can see how every person I've met and each relationship in my life has taught me very much--and, if I trust the Universe, I know these relationships were sent to me intentionally for my benefit. For me, this means feeling gratitude for the amazing people I know and (and this is harder for me to wrap my brain around) for the difficult people and relationships in my life, too.

Just like my message from the Universe says--sometimes, people are sent to us in relationship to help us learn what we don't want, what we will no longer tolerate, or what no longer serves our highest good. In other words, sometimes characters arrive for us so we can learn boundaries, . . . and eventually how to detach with love and say Go(o)dbye, or adios. 

Sometimes it doesn't take too long to say hello & goodbye . . . and sometimes, we may hang on trying to make things work for years, while on the inside we are already saying goodbye 'cuz we're so lonely . . . we grieve alone quietly while we are still physically in the relationship . . . in which case our goodbyes can take years, even decades.

But that's okay, too. We say goodbye when we are ready. It's all perfect timing.

Thankfully, we can turn away from those relationships that no longer fit, and continue on our journey with gratitude, knowing that even the tough ones have been our best teachers. 

Saying goodbye takes courage, and faith, and and a deep inner knowing that all is well and will continue to be well. When we say goodbye, we open up an amazing space of possibilities for all the great stuff to arrive! We can continue to do our best and stay in our integrity--with the help of our faithful friends, and the Universe behind us.

Go(o)dbye! 

Lots of Love ;)

Dana

yOu hAve 3 cHoiCes . . .

You have three choices: 

keep on fighting,

ignore each other,

or make up and be friends.
--John Knoblauch

Once there were four sixth-graders - two boys and two girls - who started to fight even though they'd been friends for years. One morning at the bus stop, the boys started playing keep-away with the girls' shoes and wouldn't give them back. One of the mothers called the school.

Later that day, the counselor called them in and asked them what the fight was all about. They said they didn't really know.

"Well," said the counselor, "it doesn't really matter why you started fighting. Right now, you've got three choices: keep on fighting, ignore each other, or make up."

The group chose to ignore each other after discussing it among themselves. They were happy to be able to stop fighting. About the time of winter vacation, they decided to be friends again.

What conflicts can I resolve by letting them be? 

Today's Gift © 1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 

I stumbled upon this story a few weeks back, and it really caught my attention for a couple of reasons. Since I'm a teacher, one of the things it reminded me of is how so many kids actually love drama! I mean, they pick fights and bug each other to keep the drama going, even when they really don't know what they're fighting about anymore.

Which reminds me, of, well . . . me (of course). I've done the same thing. I keep allowing others to bug me (in the past or the present), even when they're not really doing anything to bug me anymore. Or, I interpret their actions based on their past actions, and assume they're trying to bug me just because they have irritated me in the past.

How often do you keep fighting, even though there isn't anything to fight about anymore? What "fight" no longer serves you? What "fight" can you ignore, or simply let go of today?

Just sayin'--
Lots of love!
Dana