Category Archives: relationships

Steeped in Easter Tradition

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“Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals.” ~ Charles M. Crowe

It is only two weeks away from Easter. The other day I walked into the drugstore, and just seeing Easter candy lined up on shelves, set off a fulfilling range of nostalgic Easter memories harkening back to my childhood days of growing up in the mid-Atlantic part of the United States. 

Before Easter, on Palm Sunday weekend, my grandmother would take my two brothers, my twin sister and me shopping for new Easter outfits to wear to church. She would deck us out from head to toe with new spring dress-up clothes for Easter morn – including Easter bonnet, of course. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, people really “dressed” when they went to church! Easter was the one Sunday of the year that my grandparents would come to our church, the church my Dad built, and not their own. http://www.mpchurch.org/. They wanted to see their four grandkids all decked out in our new Easter finest. After church, we all went back to our house for a big Easter mid-day dinner (in the dining room- of course.) The icing of the day was the Easter bunny cake that my Mom made for us, each year, covered with fresh grated coconut for it’s fur. We always looked forward to a repeat the next Easter. Traditions reigned in our house! 

There is one more fulfilling memory that is ever so clear in my mind of my childhood days of going to church and Sunday School. Having grown up in Maryland, where dogwood trees were plentiful, we learned about the symbolism of the dogwood tree, and it’s blossoms likeness to Jesus dying on the cross. The four petals of the flower form and represent the cross, the brown stains at the tips represent the blood of Jesus and at the center of the blossom, there is a likeness of the thorny crown. I wonder if this story of Easter is still taught to children in Sunday Schools in this day? 

These memories evoke some of the most beautiful times in my childhood. If there was one wish that I could make for our world today, it would be a return to the wholesome basics of life –strong families, deep faith, truly meaningful friendships and businesses built by families together,  lasting generations deep. 

There is a store, steeped in family tradition, where all kinds of things golden and olden can be re-discovered. Track down nostalgic merchandise from your treasure trove of beautiful memories from your childhood, by visiting www.vermontcountrystore.com.

A Film Sweet-Treat for Kids

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“…all the choicest of things and all that your heart holds dear Have A Fun- Filled Day.”  

Looking for a fulfilling way to treat your kids to something different during this Easter season? According to box office sales, families in communities everywhere are going to the Hop! Ticket sales of this animated “Easter theme” film brought in $37.5 million over the weekend of April 4th alone. This fun, family-friendly movie will be playing in theatres all month long. By all indicators, Hop, has done better in sales than the film industry expected and it’s widespread marketing is paying off. 

Other newly-released films worthy of considering taking in this weekend: 

  • Hanna
  • Soul Surfer
  • Arthur
  • Your Highness 

For more information the ratings of these films and whether these films will be playing at a theatre near you, please visit: www.reelzchannel.com. You can also see film trailers on Reelz Channel, the TV station about movies! 

Rebuild your family life after a long work week.  Have a fulfilling weekend with your children , at the movies – see  Hop!  Easter entertainment for kids and parents.

Books as “Calling Cards”

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“Ink surrounds me all  the time, on my bed sheets recorded in rhyme, quills ‘ever scribbling in my head….” ~ Terry Guillemets 

Do you know what I like about authors? You don’t have to ask them to become a “friend”, to “like” you, or become their fan before you have a chance to learn all about them. You can also meet-up with them at anytime. http://bit.ly/7EpmRj.  They leave their “calling cards” on bookshelves, in retail stores, in libraries, in schools and all over the place. Authors “calling cards” can be found on the world-wide web, too.

 Pick up a publication of any author and you will shortly know whether you like their style and whether you share interests with them or not. Fulfill your curiosity about an author, their personality traits and who they keep company with, just by reading their “calling card.” 

  • A fiction writer is apt to be an animated or dramatic kind of person, crafty, dreamy, playful, skillful and probably creative, too.
  • You know from a “calling card” of a mystery writer that challenges, suspense, danger, spooks and sleuths bring out the best in them.
  •  A sense of no nonsense, organization of time and place, facts and references are what “non-fiction” writers are all about.
  • Introspection, concern with one’s own relationship to others and self-importance is what you might find when you meet-up with the scribe of a biography.
  • A poet’s “calling card” often reflects a person who has had unusual experiences, is a divergent and innovative thinker and demonstrates skill in the use of prosaic language. 

What kind of “calling card” do you have in mind of creating? Where will you put your calling card to be discovered by others who want to learn more about you as an author?

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Glassworks Inspired by Nature

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 “I will be the gladdest thing under the sun. I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.” ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay 

 

Tiffany glass is a remarkable example of artists being inspired by elements of nature. Lamps, vases, stained glass designed and created by Louis Comfort Tiffany incorporate birds, flora and fauna into the composition of the piece.

Huge installations of stained glass windows, depicting the life of Christ, are incorporated in the architecture of many churches. In the city where I was born and raised, Baltimore, Maryland, there is a church, the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, which is noted for its 12 outstanding Tiffany stained glass windows. It is also the place where in 1887, the church’s minister, Maltbie Babcock wrote the beautiful hymn “This is My Father’s World.” 

Today, the church still honors the creator of the magnificent stained glass windows that grace the church’s walls, with “The Tiffany Series.” The series of stellar classical concerts and lectures draw distinguished speakers and avid followers. For more information on this church, exceptionally rich in culture both in its programs and its architecture, please visit http://bit.ly/eTDFtF. 

“Clara and Mr. Tiffany” written by Susan Vreeland, and newly published in 2011, is a book of historical art fiction. This book,  has been of great interest to me. It  gives insight into the artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the development of the process of stained glass- making and how nature inspired Mr. Tiffany’s work. 

“New age thought” does not include drawing inspiration from nature. Artists from the beginning of time, in places all over the world, have been motivated and illuminated by the natural world. 

There is an issue, brought to light by one of the characters of the book, that brings conflict to many Artists. Artists have faced this dilemma for decades and it is carried throughout the main theme of the book “Clara and Mr. Tiffany.” We will explore this theme later in the week on All Things Fulfilling. Come on back!

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A Gift in Perpetuity from Japan

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“The government of the United States is a device for maintaining in perpetuity the rights of the people….”  ~ Calvin Coolidge 

It is April 4th, and as I sat inside yesterday, in the middle of yet another snowstorm, I wondered where springtime went. On Friday, it was a balmy 66 degrees in the mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. www.steamboat.com.  The warmth felt delicious and I was finally able to shed some of my winter wraps for lighter-weight garb. The reprieve from winter, albeit much appreciated, lasted only one day. I am sure Old Man Winter returned again yesterday, to make sure he was fulfilling his duty of giving us plenty of snow. 

Right now, in other parts of the country, springtime has really arrived, no fooling around. There are no more lapses of lingering snowstorms and cold temperatures to contend with in many places. 

In Washington, DC the Cherry Blossom Festival is underway. Thanks to the kindness of the Japanese people, the United States Capitol is at its most beautiful, every spring. Millions of people, from all over the globe, visit our National Museums http://bit.ly/hdiuth  and our governmental center, in April, and  witness the magnificent blooming of the “sakura.” http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/. 

The trees, planted in 1912, grow more beautiful with each passing year. The blossoms provide a wealth of natural beauty to our country, and are a gift from Japan in perpetuity. We anticipate, with optimism, that  friendship with Japan, will be everlasting, too. 

Our prayers remain with the Japanese people during this difficult time. We harbor hope that our country’s financial assistance and our shipments of gifts in kind will provide a glimmer of brightness and light to the Japanese people in their time of need.

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Living with Art and Soul

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“A fellow who does things that count, doesn’t usually stop to count them.”  ~Variation of a saying by Albert Einstein

The Japanese people have been in the hearts and minds of so many of us in past weeks. The aftermath of a tsumani, an earthquake and fears of radiation contamination are what the people of Japan are coping with right now.  Despite catastrophic events that are enough to turn any country into chaos and confusion, it has been widely reported that the Japanese people are calm and have a cooperative demeanor. 

Traumatic occurrences in our lives leave us feeling helpless, out of control and at a loss. Coming to light are heart-warming stories of Artists and others who are raising funds, in their own creative ways, for the victims of the devastated country of Japan. It is fulfilling to hear of instances of people, communities and countries coming to the assistance of each other. It gives us faith that there are, indeed, compassionate individuals who are leaders in this world. When communities of people and individuals have benevolence and generosity of spirit, rebuilding of lives and healing can begin. 

In era of independent publishing, many non-profit organizations are sharing their missions of building a better world through the power of documentary films. Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, a project of a Tribe of Heart, a non-profit documentary filmmaking organization, brings awareness to the interconnectedness of life all over the globe. Living by commitment to kindness and respect for others and this earth, we can become agents for change. For more information on this award-winning film, please visit http://bit.ly/hQtDEi.

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Have we Met Before?

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“Books are the best of things if well used; if abused, among the worst. They are good for nothing but to inspire.”    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Increasingly businesses are stepping into the arena of e-marketing. It is a whole new tactic of promoting products, services, individuals and companies in the business world. Knowing how to use internet marketing effectively is key. 

I read something the other day that made me think there may a fulfilling reason to communicate with people on-line,  that I had never considered before.  According to a study in the journal Cognition, http://bit.ly/hRtWxK our ability to remember faces peaks between ages 30 and 34. People 35 years and older are now finding there are ways to put faces and names together over the internet.   Maybe that explains why kids are no longer the only ones connecting on the world-wide-web. Am I over-thinking it by saying “the younger generation is compassionate and are developing ways of connecting faces and names, on-line, to help out their forgetful elders ?”  Perhaps! 

The viral world is helping to connect people around the world through meet-up groups, too.  People with similar business interests can now get together on-line or arrange “face to face” meetings. 

 Denver is home to the nation’s largest meet-up group in the country. The group is comprised of creative professionals www.meetup.com/creative-connections. It has a growing membership of over 1,000 strong. So large is this group, they meet at the Colorado Community Church http://www.coloradocommunity.org/ , a facility that can accommodate all. Creative Connections draws Artists (all forms), writers, photographers,  marketing and advertising creatives. Professionals who make their living through TV, the internet, radio and video production also attend the twice weekly meetings. 

If you have a specific career interest, and are looking for opportunities to meet up with like-minded people, connect through www.meetup.com.    

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Feeding Minds through Film

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“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.” ~ Henri Frederic Amiel

As predicted, the LunaFest,® on Friday night at the Bud Werner Library, www.steamboatlibrary.org had a fulfilling line-up of short films that were screened. Once I arrived at the film festival, I became aware that the LunaFest® is sponsored by LunaBars® –snack bars that are power-packed with vitamins and minerals that meet the needs of all women, and especially women on the go. “What woman is not on the go,” may I ask? 

Out of the 10 “shorts” that were shown, it is difficult to say which was my favorite. Each film had it’s own merits and an important issue that was brought to the fore. The producers and directors of the films were women from a diversity of countries and cultures. Americans, Brits, Israelis and Canadians were among the mix. The following is a list of films that were screened, and my interpretation of the issue that was highlighted in each film: 

  • The Translator – Communication between men & women.
  • Getting A Grip – Women competing in what is thought to be a man’s world.
  • Touch –  Guardian angels that appear in women’s lives.
  • Tightly Knit – Building community around common interests.
  • Top Spin – Women finding balance in their lives.
  • Thembi’s Diary – Global health issues (this film was artistically creative in how it incorporated textures and patterns with animation).
  • Mother of Many – Women’s health and parenting.
  • Irene – Adult children caring for aging parents.
  • Miracle Lady – Hope, life’s journey, enduring love
  • Love on the Line – Relationships and attraction. 

Each screenwriter, producer and director deserves to be recognized for having created a high-quality film that was chosen to be included in this festival. LunaBars®, a division of Clif Bar and Company http://bit.ly/fCXGKW is to be congratulated for their healthy alternative snack products and for the company’s vision of  raising money for breast cancer, through the power of film. This union between the corporate world and artistic expression, through filmmaking,  is an excellent example of bringing creative, effective marketing to the public and adding value to lives.

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It is a LunaFest Film Friday!

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It is Film Friday! And it is going to be a fulfilling evening for film-lovers in Steamboat Springs, CO. Tonight the Luna Fest® will be at the Bud Werner Library. This film festival will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the Yampa Valley Breast Cancer Awareness Project/Bust of Steamboat. 

LunaFest® films are short films which highlight women’s issues such as aging, motherhood, women’s health and cultural diversity. The ten short films being shown will range from documentary to animation to fictional drama. Celebrating women, their stories and their talents through the power of film is the mission of the Luna Fest®. 

All of the films are produced by women filmmakers, some of whom are independent filmmakers, and have won industry awards for their ability to start dialogues and bring understanding to the women’s issues that they involve. 

For more information on the event, please visit: www.steamboatlibrary.org 

For more information on how to host a LunaFest® in your community: http://bit.ly/8u4QrA 

To learn more about the fund-raising cause that the LunaFest® will support: http://thebustofsteamboat.org/ 

This film festival, The LunaFest® is a great representation of how the power of film brings education, awareness and important story-telling to communities of people.

We look forward to sharing with you on All Things Fulfilling, more information on our favorite films of the LunaFest® evening, at a later date!

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See you tonight!

Drawing New Patrons of the Arts

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“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” ~ Albert Einstein 

There is a project on the horizon that will bring two synergistic forces together to create a groundbreaking model for museums across the country. The New Young at Art Museum and Broward County Children’s Reading Center is aimed at providing a fulfilling experience that will develop a “new generation of patrons, supporters and patrons of the Arts.” 

This 21.5 million dollar complex in Broward County, Florida is currently under construction. The funding for the project comes from a mix of private investment, public and governmental funds and a $500,000 Knight Arts Initiative Challenge Grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. http://www.knightfoundation.org/. The building will be a silver-LEED certified structure of award winning design. 

All enclosed under one roof will be exhibition space of WonderScapes, GreenScapes, ArtScapes and CultureScapes which will enhance learning about our diverse world, the environment, creativity and imagination. Multi-media studio art space is all in the design, too. 

The experience will be both creative and educationally stimulating for children and adults, alike. The mission is to shape the community and the way that families share reading and art. For more information on this exciting new cultural center, please visit http://bit.ly/grUfJc.

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