It is interesting to me personally how our thoughts on a holiday change as we grow older, and have more experience and wisdom of the world we live in. As a child, the Fourth of July was simply the real diving in point for summer vacation, with tons of swimming and cook outs and ice cream and sparklers.
It was one of the best days of the summer because we could stay our late as our parents enjoyed a few cocktails with friends and watched the fireworks going off illegally in the neighborhood.
As I grew up, I learned the history of Independence Day, and what began as pride has, over the years, through experience and observation changed to a longing for freedom. The truth is, we know not where we are going, but we trust that it is going to be better than it has been.
The second truth is, inside, we are all divine sovereign free will creator beings and beloved children of the universe. We deserve to be free, loved, supported, healthy, happy and abundant, simply because we exist.
So, this weekend, I bless you all as free will creator beings. I know you join with me to send blessing of freedom, compassion, love, unity and prosperity for all beings, and that alone is enough to set off some fireworks of joy in our universe!
How could we love Lego’s even more?
As a child, some of my fondest memories are the times when all my brothers and sisters decided to build Lego cities on rainy days. We would all design and build our own homes and roads, and the construction would go on and on until dinner time. It sometimes even overlapped into the next day, and for my brothers, the best part was destroying the whole city with their plastic Godzilla monsters!
Lego’s are a part of most of my generation’s childhood, and many younger kids adore them too. In fact, they are so popular that the Lego company uses over 6,000 tons of plastic to create new blocks every year.
In an effort to make these almost indestructible blocks more environmentally friendly, the company has decided to invest about $150 Million US in the Lego Sustainable Materials Center. This group of researchers will look at every possible way to reduce the carbon footprint of creating Lego’s, including decreasing the amount of cardboard in packaging, finding a more sustainable and environmentally friendly plastic, and using renewable energy at the factory.
I believe that companies who look at sustainable practices and align with environmentally friendly alternatives, are the companies that will move to the head of the pack in consumer confidence in the future. Consumers most certainly have been tending towards supporting companies that care, and I believe this will strengthen as we move forward.
The brightest ideas keep coming through the youngest minds.
Alex Deans is a very smart young man. He just graduated as the valedictorian from his Ontario, Canada high school and he will be attending McGill University in the fall.
Alex is also compassionate and inventive. After helping a blind woman to cross the street when he was 12, he has been dedicated to creating a new way to help blind people get around.
Using GPS technology and sonar type waves, he is close to revolutionizing the way blind people can relate to their environment. Canes and guide dogs can only help with objects that are right in front of the visually impaired, and they do not help the person to know where they are, in relation to were they want to go.
Alex is in the process of finalizing his iAid, which is worn like a belt around the waist. The iAid won the 2015 Weston Youth Innovation Award through the Ontario Science Centre, which provided Alex with a $2,000 scholarship and the ability to present his project to business innovators and community members.
Again, a young person has shown that issues can be overcome using outside-the-box thinking. GPS technology has been around for at least 15 years, and it took a young man walking across the street with a blind person to realize the technology could change their worlds forever.
The ability of young people to see past the false idea, that things will always remain the same gives me a huge amount of hope for our future. They are truly demonstrating that we can create a world that works for everyone, one inspirational problem solver at a time.
Declaration of Interdependence.
Yes, you read that right. This is an older film project that uses the US Declaration of Independence as the jumping off point for explaining our global interdependence. The thoughts expressed here are more important than ever, as they show that we are indeed one collective of humanity woven together by our common traits.
Declaration of Interdependence by Tiffany Schlain on KarmaTube
A tattoo artist helps a girl with cerebral palsy feel wicked awesome about her leg braces.
Most folks think all little girls would want to feel like a princess, but Hope Laliberte wants to be tough, so her role models are Disney villains. In a childhood world where the only powerful women are villains, Hope is drawn to them for their strength.
Hope is 8 years old, and she and her twin sister were born premature. Hope was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and so she has to wear leg braces. Recently she needed new braces, and her parents reached out to Aaron Guillemette, a local tattoo artist, to create custom art for the braces.
Guillemette was happy to help and give back to the community. He created individual caricatures of Cruella De’Ville, from 101 Dalmatians and Ursula from the Little Mermaid. He also incorporated her name into the braces.
When she received the new braces, she screamed with joy! I adore this story because it is a lovely thing to empower a child who is living with a disability. The more support they can get the better.
Reclaiming the image of powerful women in the media and childhood stories is also an important thing. As kids grow up, they absorb the concepts of womanhood from the world around them, and having powerful images for young beings of both sexes will help inspire more balance in society.
And finally…
Some animal fun to brighten your day.
I love sharing the silly antics of animals. The truth is that animals, in their natural state, enjoy playing and feel deeply into life, and they remind us of our own child-like nature and desire for play. Enjoy!
The Best Funny Animal Video on YouTube
That’s the good news for today. Have a joyful day. See you all next Sunday as we explore more good news together.
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex