peace and warriors

The Give Back Yoga
Foundation website

Received a note today…

From the founders of The Give Back Yoga Foundation, we gratefully acknowledge your generous 2012 donation of XX, which will be used to support the Veterans Yoga Program. Your support enables veterans to receive our range of multi-media yoga and meditation products donated by leading yoga masters for their practice.
For your information, we are currently sending to veterans two new products: Karen Soltes’ iRest Yoga Nidra: Easing into Stillness (she teaches at the Washington, DC, VA hospital as part of the War Related Illnesses and Injuries Study Center), and Suzanne Manafort’s "Breathe In, Breathe Out: Quick and Easy Breathing Practices to Help Balance the Nervous System,” designed for the Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans Coping with Trauma Program, a component of the PTSD Rehabilitation Residential Program (PRRP) in Newington, CT. PTSD VA info

No comments from the skeptics..

If these warriors are finding peace – that is peace in my book.

Yoga for me serves two purposes – makes me stronger and allows me to set aside uninterrupted time with hopefully not a lot of mind chatter – some call that peace.

winning with women

catchy ring...
This morning I attended my first Winning with Women meeting.
Observations

Organized and thoughtful but not stuffy or "agenda" driven.

This was not a women's GOP "luncheon" it was an active conversation relaying information and ideas that will lead to direct action. The kind of meetings I prefer.

Gathered together were like minded ladies asking tough questions... putting together pieces and ideas to bridge change in the future.
Many of the women in the room had facts in which in some ways harder to work with rather than emotions. But the facts are good. My emotions will not stand up in a heated discussion but proven evidence of cronyism and out of control power hunger (rather representation of the people) will stand.
I will keep these ladies in the radar and I am sure I will bumping into them along the way.

[free-them] 2011 PSA

I skipped my hand at guessing NH - but I probably would have gotten pretty close.
My classes started on Monday so I am weaning my self a bit from C-SPAN. It is too early in the process to get overloaded on that.
I have to thank the current administration for recognizing today as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. We had over 60 people at the task force meeting last night and many more people at the GOP open house. It is the season of busyiness. I am enjoying it.

one off for Iowa

But I am sure I will not be that luck for NH and SC.

1. Romney – most stable of the pack.
2. Paul – most unstable of the pack, but he is likeable in that crazy uncle kind of way. came in 3rd
3. Santorum - solid on the social issues, but right now that is not the issue came in 2nd
4. Gingrich – I know…. -
5. Perry - a Texan, AF Veteran
6. Bachman – solid -
7. Huntsman – like him – but they say he is a wolf in sheeps clothing.

They are now headed to New Hampshire - I wish I could head that way for the chaos.
The Caucus here is Feb 7th, My daughter's 21st birthday.
21 years ago I did not even understand the caucus process and I am not sure I even completely understand it now.

How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm by Mei-Ling Hopgood

Suraya Sadeed = someone I would like to buy chai some day

Wow - Just finished reading Forbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse.

from her website

about Suraya:

Few people reach the stage in their lives that Suraya did in 1993 – one wherein a secure lifestyle in the USA is abandoned in preference for a knife-edge existence running bundles of cash dollars, aid and, most crucially of all, hope, into some of the most remote and war-ravaged villages on earth – in Afghanistan. Suraya Sadeed reached that point in her life by accident; she was propelled to take on her life mission by circumstances beyond her control. Yet at the same time her education, business acumen, rebellious nature, and her innate generosity of spirit meant that she was uniquely qualified to take on the punishing, yet extraordinary fulfilling humanitarian work. In her words: “I had never received the kind of welcome as I did in the craggy mountains and wind-blasted plains of Afghanistan, from people who had so little to share with me. It took my very breath away, and humbled me beyond words.”
Suraya was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan and immigrated to the United States after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. In the US she became a successful business woman. During the height of the Afghan Civil War (1993), Suraya returned to Afghanistan and was shocked by the horrific conditions of children and the destruction of her homeland. That same year, she established a non-profit organization; Help the Afghan Children, Inc. Since then, Suraya's courageous efforts in providing humanitarian aid, medical care, education, and hope against seemingly insurmountable odds in some of the most inhospitable conditions imaginable, have directly benefited an estimated 1.7 million Afghan children and their families.

aaa

Excited to be volunteering on several campaigns this season.
I will use this location to post about them soon... Love the idea of volunteering for the sake of change.

I am watching a fair amount of cspan and I love it.

Learning more about social media and twitter - improving more each day.

Excited to start school again.

Looking to travel by April.

2012

Happy New Year.
No official resolutions.
I have so many bouncing in my heart and head = just better left unsaid.

Read more, give more, be more, do more, learn more


Just started reading
Forbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse
By Suraya Sadeed

I have five books waiting to be read - but my text books should be here tomorrow so - assuming those will be set aside.