In Honor of Jack

Today, I learned something very sad. The homeless man that caught my attention for a couple of years passed away. I learned that he actually lived right by my house. I had been hoping to run into him by the shopping mall so I could offer to buy him some warmer clothes. Last winter I was very upset to see him without socks. My husband did not want me to approach him especially with the kids in the car. This was so hard for me but I understood his concern. I was hoping to run into him with people around. It never happened. Even today, I went to Target and kept my eyes open for him. When I got home, I got the news via Facebook post of an article about him. I was very upset. Jack Mason was the person who inspired me the day I met Victor the homeless man at the Library that I wrote a Flip Side Story about. I bought Victor some food that day thinking, if I can't help the other man, I can help Victor. I felt comfort in that but continued looking for Jack.  In the article, its seems many people have helped him over the years but many times he gave away the donations to his fellow homeless. Here is his article:
Homeless Bloomfield Hill Man


I would also like to share my story Victor with you in honor of Jack. Mind you, it has not been edited professionally.


                                                                                                          

                                                                            

   

Flip Side has a Face

Well my friends, I finally decided to give Flip Side Stories a face. I launched on facebook, shared with everyone, took a deep breath and hoped it would take off. In a day and half, Flip Side Stories has 81 fans. Thank you for your support. I hope everyone begins to really understand what my goal is as I start sharing and feel a need to share it with everyone they know. Anyone who is involved with children will see the importance and value it has. Your children will learn about empathy for others and respecting different points of view. While I am teaching children through my books, the adults who are reading them will be inspired by the messages they are reading about.
Even though I have a passion for "looking at the Flip Side", I still struggle with it. I want to share those experiences an I hope you will too.

Please take time to read my past posts which take you through the publishing process.

Homeless with a Voice

Another story hit me today. There was a homeless who carried a sign that said that he was down on his luck but he had a God given gift of voice. When this man opened his mouth, it was astounding. He was discovered and now he has been given a chance to share his voice with everyone. I wrote story about Victor, a homeless man I met at the library. I wanted to also give him a voice. He is a human being who is just down on his luck. We all don't have the same opportunities nor do we always make the right decisions or choices but everyone deserves love and respect. We can even help if possible. This homeless man's gift gave him a voice. He had to find the right person to listen.

Happy New Year!

Well, it has been a long while since I have posted. Since my last posting, we had Thanksgiving, Building Bridges Holiday gifting program that I lead and Christmas. All of which were great.  All the while, the book is still in progress. I am waiting patiently and excitedly. I get little tidbits of the illustrations which satisfy my anxiousness for a while. Denise is doing a fabulous job. The illustrations are beautiful. I think she will steal the show with her talent. I am great with that of course. She will be done within the next month or so.

It is quite a process publishing a book. I would have never thought.  It has been over a year since I had my first meeting with Nelson Publishing. Patience is the key. Now that I have been through it, I have a much better understanding of what it takes and how loooonnnng it takes. I have a lifetime to share all of my stories with you. I look forward to it.

Meanwhile I have been working on my website. I tell you, I have redone it, literally, 6 times and I am in the process of revamping and fine tuning it again. it is crazy. It is consuming. It is fun. I am not perfect and my website will be the best it can be. I mean no harm, only good. Hopefully everyone understands that and appreciates my need to share my hope and dream to make the world a little better place.

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

What Have We Done

Last night, on the spur of the moment, we added another furry animal to our clan. We bought another Cockapoo puppy at our School's Auction. The fact that the money goes to the school helped us in our decision. She is all black with a white beard and bib. She is so sweet. I must say, when we got home, a bit of panic set in. The kids didn't even know about it. I had a moment of "What have we done?" Our other dog Mango, is so great and I wondered if adding another would change the dynamics too much. I slept on it and felt better in the morning. I truly enjoy training dogs. I am a HUGE Dog Whisperer fan and find satisfaction in forming a well adjusted happy dog. Am I perfect? By no means, but for the most part, I do ok. Our kids came home and went crazy for the puppy and also made Mango feel loved too. We are all very empathetic people so we all seem to feel for our animals too. I love seeing my kids that way. So we will see how this story turns out. I think I have to write a story for "Hurshey" now because I have a Flip Side story about Mango.

"From the dog's point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog. " ~Mabel Louise Robinson

A Call to the Flip Side

A friend of mine called me the other day. After a brief "catching up", she proceeded to say, "I need your help looking at the flip side." The mere fact that she thought about looking at the flip side is what I am trying to accomplish. She was at a volleyball game for her daughter with her family. Some kids and parents at the game were being very unsportsman like and later downright inappropriate at a children's game. Without going into details, the whole event bothered my friend. How could parents let their kids act that way and sit back and watch? How could a mother act so hostile at a children's volleyball game? She didn't understand it and she was letting it affect her own emotions when there is nothing she could do about it now. She called me to try to work it out, understand it and feel better about it. We talked for a bit. I gave her my take, i sympathized and I let her talk it through herself.  Maybe the woman got so mad because she felt attacked in a public place. Maybe she felt guilty that she might not be doing a great job parenting and someone called her out on it. Whatever the reasoning for the woman's behavior or the kids' behavior, we have to see it from another viewpoint and realize we don't have to waste our emotions on something we have no control over. Now is the time to think about what might you do next time. There will be a next time. How can you resolve the problem in an effective way by understanding where the woman might be coming from?  By the end of our conversation, I think she felt better about it. It didn't change what happened and she probably has residual sore feelings about what happened but she took control of experience by looking at the flip side. And.. she asked a friend to help her do it. Her sharing will help me in the future to think about what I'd do in that situation.

Seeing it Work

There is nothing more rewarding then seeing a light bulb go off when someone begins to realize my mission to spread the Flip Side. I love it when someone comes to me and says, "I tried to look at the Flip Side today." That's it! Today, my friend wrote me an email to say that she had a really rough day. A number of bad things happened, one being a situation with another person who accused her of something.  She was very disappointed by the situation but at the end of email, she said that she had tried to look at the Flip Side and that maybe he was just protecting his hard work. It doesn't fix the situation but it brings an understanding as to why someone might be doing something. It probably kept her calmer and more rational. Our first instinct is to get upset and emotional instead of realizing someone's actual intent or reason for acting that way.

I am still struggling on the flip side with a person who is causing me distress. I have a hard time understanding "Mean" people or people who are blatantly rude. In an attempt to understand this person, I have inquired about them to a close friend who is close to her.  He gave me some important insight that I was already suspecting about her personality.  I used this information to help me understand her and gauge my interaction with her. Over and over she disappoints me with her rudeness. It causes me such distress that I have almost given up.  Then, she gives me a glimpse of her true personality that she protecting so well. She's a  little like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.  This is a person that I have to interact with often so this is why I am trying so hard. It is very exhausting and I am not sure how long I can feel abused and attacked. I will do my best to continue to try.

Share your stories with me about how you have had to deal with the Flip Side.

One of my favorite quotes:
"Do not repeat anything you will not sign your name to."  ~Author Unknown