But as you’ll see in this TED video, researcher/storyteller Brene Brown explains that vulnerability is the essential ingredient to living a beautiful life….wholeheartedly.

So when you have 20 minutes or so, watch this. It is so worth it. May it help you Make Every Day A Holiday.

xoxo,

Kelley

Source: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Greg Wyshinski, writer for Yahoo Sports, reported:

Elizabeth Hughes, 8, made her debut signing the national anthem at an AHL Norfolk Admirals (the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s affiliate) game against the Connecticut Whale (New York Rangers‘ affiliate). Angelic voice, bundle of nerves … and then after the words “gave proof,” her microphone abruptly cut out.

What happened next might be something we’ve seen before at a sporting event, but that never lacks for inspiration (and maybe a misty eye or two). There’s a moment around 1:30 into this clip that gives us hope for humanity:

Source: Yahoo Sports

Much love and peace to you,

Kelley

“Love and closeness have nothing to do with geography. No matter how far away you are, roots go with you.”

- Henriette Anne Klauser, Put Your Heart On Paper

But devotion in and of itself is more than some romantic notion. It’s love personified in many forms: A mother or father devoted to their child, a child devoted to his education, sport or hobby, a person devoted to their religion or political party. Devotion shows up not because it’s convenient or beautiful, it’s there because there is no other way.

Devotion is unassuming, it’s quiet, it just appears. Where loyalty demands decision and sometimes action, being utterly devoted seems almost involuntary at times.

It’s a commitment.

It’s about showing up.
It’s holding someone’s head over a toilet when sick or getting the cold washcloth for a feverish forehead.
It’s doing the right thing.
It’s making sure the bills are paid or that the family is eating healthy.
It’s making the call.
It’s honoring commitments.
It’s stick-to-itiveness
It’s perseverance in the face of adversity.
It’s about sacrifice of self for the greater good – for the family, for a cause, for society.

It’s a knowing of some sort. A knowing that at the end of the day, you will continue to choose to be right where you are, constantly giving, consistently being there. What’s more important is that when you show how devoted you are, people come to know you and your values without you ever having to say a word.

Who or what cause earns your devotion? What do you do and whom do you do it for when you don’t even feel like it? Make sure your devotion isn’t squandered or misplaced. There are so many who could use your selfless love.

Devotion is love, after all. It’s a worthy adventure for anyone who yearns to know what being true is all about. And if you look for it in your own life, you will see this love in many forms.

Cherish it. Practice it. Love it.

I wish for you…

…Fall foliage beyond compare
…Crunchy leaves under your feet (instead of in your gutters)
…Hot cocoa in red plaid thermoses
…Football games
…Warm blankets
…Crackling fires to keep you cozy
…And skies as clear and blue as you’ve ever seen.

I wish you fun raking days where you can pile leaves waist high and run and jump in them just like you did when you were a kid.

I wish you air, fresh and cool, to clear your stuffy head from anything troubling you. I wish you that first cold night the temperature drops so low you can see white clouds of breath puff before your very eyes.

It’s great to be alive, isn’t it?

In every season, for many reasons, I wish you love, happiness, and as much good stuff as your heart can stand.

All my love,

Kelley Taylor

While life flies by, it’s easy to get caught up in the to do lists, the schedules, the hectic lives we all lead.

We text while we talk, we surf while we watch TV, and we talk while we drive. We have videos playing in cars, we have iPods for planes, and we have books for trains while music plays in our ears. Our laptops keep us company while in a coffee shop alone. And before we know it, our minds don’t ever have to wonder what shape the clouds morphed into or see that a new flower just bloomed in season. We’re busy. We are busy, busy people!

So much of our time is spent zoning out, chilling out, getting things done. And listen, it’s not just because of technology. It’s really always been this way.

One of my all-time favorite plays (and honestly one of the reasons for creating this site) is Our Town by Thorton Wilder. It’s set in a quiet rural town from 1901 to 1913 – long before technology ever had an effect on life. The play has this expressive scene where the main character Emily, after passing away, is granted one more day to revisit. She’s warned not to pick too special of a day, that would just be too painful to bear, but just pick an ordinary day.

After reliving a part of her 12th birthday, she really can’t take it anymore. She is heartbroken after reliving ordinary moments like waking and coming down for breakfast. She says in this all important monologue,
“Oh, Mama, just look at me one minute as though you really saw me!”

Suddenly, she turns and says, “I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. ”

Among her saying goodbye to earth, she bids farewell to ticking clocks, sunflowers, food and coffee, new ironed dresses, hot baths, sleeping and waking and finally sobs saying, “Oh earth, you’re just too wonderful for anyone to realize you!”

We spend our days not really looking at one another – seeing one another. Sure we have moments where we can focus and not multi-task, but, are we really paying attention? Do we pay attention to the clerk who bags our groceries, or the person who seats us at our table? Do we pay attention to those we love…to the things we love? Do we really focus on our conversations with one another or let small ordinary moments, and things, and people pass us by?

Love.
Pay attention.

Because hey, as Matthew Broderick says in Ferris Buehler’s Day Off (1986), “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

For you? Well, I hope you find at least one of your soulmates. No. I don’t believe soulmates have to be the one undying romance or love interest of your life. Soulmates come in many packages.

Author Ilana Simons wrote, “Soulmate means a friend who understands something about you and so live flexibly in this relationship, in which you can both risk a little, and insult a little, and dare a little, and stray a little, while something solid connects you at the center.”

So, I wish for you THAT kind of friend! A soul sistah or brothah! One you can laugh with, cry with…the one you don’t mind if they see you sick as a dog.

I wish for you a friend that happily competes with you in things like sports or hobbies, but would never even think to compete with you on a love interest or with other friends.

I wish for you a friend you can do nothing with. Nothing is hard to do with others if you don’t connect on a deep level.

I wish for you a friend where silence is always an option. One where private jokes make you want to pee in your pants, and where stupid words or quoted phrases from movies make total sense to you and no one else. I wish for you a friend that when you get together, at least one person in the room rolls their eyes at you two.

I wish for you a friend that can pick up a conversation with you right where you left off no matter if it’s been years since you’ve seen them last.

And if after reading all of these things, and that someone is in the back of your mind, I wish for you time to pick up the phone and call them, pick up a pen and write, or shoot them a quick email to say hello.

Friends like that don’t come along every day. Celebrate them. And in that, you’ll make today a special holiday.

My best wishes to you,

Kelley

Everyone has a home, be it the place they grew up, a new home just built or bought, or a love they have known.

Today I wish for you to remember that place. Return to it. Whether physically visiting your old stomping grounds or closing your eyes and remembering every corner or crevice of a tree, or the lines of his or her face….return to it.

I wish you many warm and wonderful memories of what you know to be home. Keep it sacred in your heart. Never forget. Remember the laughter, the tears, the pain, the good times, the silent moments. And always remember it will remain forever.

Today I wish for you to return to the home of your heart…and may you breathe in all that made you….you.

All my love,

Kelley Taylor

I wish for you the knowledge and security of knowing where you are going, and the stamina to make it there.

I wish for you everything you need to make your ride comfortable – whether it’s cool air conditioning or warm heat at your feet, a fresh bottle of water, and goodies for a long drive or a quick pick me up.

I wish for you great background music to keep you company. I hope you can find a great radio station or better yet, that you packed your iPod or your favorite CD’s.

I wish for you a freshly charged battery in your cell phone in case of emergency or just when you need to reach out to a friend because you thought of them.

I wish for you safety. I want you to get safely where it is you need to go.

And should anything happen, I wish for you calmness and surety that you will meet any obstacle that comes your way. You’ll get through it. Just breathe.

I wish for you good drive time. May your heart and soul hum as the rubber meets the road. Take in all the sights and sounds. This is your one and wonderful life. Navigate it. Drive it. It’s all open road from here.

All my love,