100 Posts - 100 Attempts at Change

This is my 100th post on LifePrints. 100 posts ago I knew next to nothing about blogging or the blogging community. I did a days worth of research on launching a blog, picked a template on Blogspot and dove right in. I hoped my love for writing would carry me along until I figured out what the heck I'd gotten myself into.

Back in the spring, my husband looked at me and said, "You know I read a great article about blogging. You should start your own instead of all that writing you're doing on myspace." I remember rolling my eyes then quickly thinking that he was right. I expected an adventure but what I've gotten is an education.

Because of LifePrints I search high and low for the best humanity has to offer. When I find a topic of importance that is normally reported on in a negative way, I find the positive spin. It gives me hope and I pray that I pass some of that on to my readers.

My readers - I wish you could see my big smile - they are a loyal bunch and I love them. They never fail to let me know that what I'm doing matters in some small way. They are my friends, family, and strangers that I now love and long to meet someday. They are the best, the ones who see the glass half full. They are the ones seeking out confirmation that we are NOT going to hell in a hand basket as quickly as mass media wants us to believe.

That is my mission with LifePrints - to give hope, to shine a light into the darkness, to pull from the crowd those who clearly rise above the fray, holding them out as examples to follow through the fog.

For myself and my family I hold onto these dreams of the future:


Peace, equality and stability for the sake of all. With that I believe will come an awareness about our impact on the planet and a reversal of our selfishness with natural resources. When we truly GET that everything is connected - all life - we will stop abusing our world and each other.





Crowded book signings where people line up around the block to allow me the privilege of signing my books that they've so thoughtfully purchased. Television and media appearances that allow me not only to speak about my writing but larger issues that face humanity.



My family living in THIS small community nestled in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. My husband and I running a successful retreat center where great minds from all over the world come to share their ideas and knowledge with others. I want to sit by my bend in the Chamita river and write best sellers that touch peoples hearts and cause them to think outside the box.



Who knows if the things I long for will come to pass? I'll keep seeing them right around the corner. As for LifePrints I will keep going, keep learning, keep expressing, keep hoping.

Here are a few of my favorite posts I found buried in my archives. Read and enjoy if you wish:


Free Hugs Campaign Hits Las Vegas


Billy Jonas - Industrial Re-percussionist Extraordinaire


The Forgotten Children of Sierra Leone


Laughter - The Universal Language


Miracles are Happening


For the Incredible Fathers I Know and Love


Stoves from Berkeley Scientists Saving Lives in Darfur


My sincere thanks to everyone who has supported my efforts with LifePrints. If I could reach you I'd give you a great big hug...so please accept my virtual efforts at passing on some of my gratitude.

Photos - Dramatic Images Changing Attitudes and Lives

There is power in photographic images. Think about your favorite family photos. Why are they so special? Think about Life Magazine or National Geographic and the dramatic images sandwiched between the covers. Photos move us to laughter and joy, tears and despair, anger and action.


The Pulitzer Prize winning photo of a young boy’s heroic struggle against cancer can move us to tears and remind us of the simple joys in life. He died eleven days later but look at his face and body language. He knew how to live every day to the fullest, no moment wasted on anger, hurt or revenge – just pure excitement over a wheelchair race down the hospital hallway.


The famous image of the kiss at the end of World War II is one of the most recognizable photos in recent history. To this day, the unidentified couple is a symbol of victory and the end of a terrible time for our country. Looking at them makes me want to cheer and share in the jubilation of the day.

The Vietnam War came home to us in a very personal way through the efforts of brave photojournalists who risked their lives to show Americans the many faces of war. The photos are credited with turning the tide and galvanizing a nation against a war with no clear objective or end. The photos of burned children, executions, soldiers and citizens placed in unspeakable circumstances brought Americans to their knees – some in anger, some in tears – but they all rose up determined to act on their emotions, for better or worse.

Blue Earth Alliance believes in the power of a photo to change the world and move people to action. Blue Earth Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about endangered cultures, threatened environments, and social concerns through photography—with the ultimate goal of motivating society to create positive change. The group funds photographic projects with grants and support.

Founded in 1996, the Alliance hand-selects photographers to sponsor and works closely with them to provide fiscal sponsorship, grant-writing consultation, contacts with media and publishers, and marketing assistance. The goal is to get the word out, get the photographers vision to the masses, and share with the public the world through the eyes of talented photojournalists.

I found this exciting project through Earth & Economy, a blog well worth a reader’s time and attention. Thanks to them for compiling a comprehensive resource for Greenies like me.

Based out of Seattle, Washington, Blue Earth Alliance lists on their website current exhibitions that patrons can attend and photologs of current projects. My favorite is Shadow Lives USA by Jon Lowenstein. Check it out.

Lu Zijian

Most everyone wants to live as long as possible but only with the caveat of good health and sound mind until the end.

Watch and learn from Kung Fu Master, Lu Zijian. He was 93 years old when this was filmed during a competition. He is still thriving at 114. He has the agility and mind of someone ¼ his age. I find this so amazing and as I watched him gracefully moving across the floor as sense of peace came over me. What he does is absolutely beautiful. To what does he credit his longevity?

Mr. Lu said, "The key to a long and healthy life is a combination of movement and stillness—cultivating life by guiding the qi, the vital energy in the body, and moving the hands and feet through practicing Chinese boxing."

Simply that means, he gets up at 7 a.m. every day, practices kung fu in the morning, meditates, paints, reads, and visits friends in the afternoon. He is as alive, alert, and as amusing as any young man. He is a vegetarian refraining from eating meat or fish. His favorite food is tomatoes. He meditates for an hour and a half starting at 2 p.m., goes to bed at 11 p.m., and lives at his grandson's home. He told others a secret: eat raw tomatoes every day.

I grew up in a family where most of my relatives were of advanced age by the time I was born. My paternal grandmother lived until she was 95. Up until the last year of her life, she gardened, cleaned house, worked in her yard, and hung all of her laundry out to dry on a line. Her eyesight had failed her but she continued to do everything she loved that didn’t require reading. She ate mostly fresh vegetables from her garden and sweetened her food with honey from my father’s bees. She prayed daily as her form of meditation and loved to visit with friends.

I’d say she and Lu Zijian understand the secrets to a long life – natural living, meditative thought, abstinence from abusive substances, and a happy disposition. In watching and honoring the vital elderly in our society, we have a clear roadmap to healthy older years. Follow it and greatly increase your chances of never seeing the living inside the walls of a nursing home and making your own amazing video at your 100th birthday party!