After talking with my family, the story flowed. In fact, it was too long, so I had to edit it. The shorter version follows:

Maeja, the Medicine Woman, came from a long line of healers. Her mother, her sisters, her daughters all had healing powers within them. Maeja travelled from village to village, now that her children were grown and helped the mothers prepare for the birth of her babies. All around the villages, people sent word to make sure that Maeja would be able to help them prepare a ward, inviting place for their babies as they entered the world.

Those who visited in Maeja’s home always felt loved and invited. She brought with her a spirit of acceptance and peace. Maeja loved the idea of new life. She surrounded her home with the most beautiful flowers, orchids, calla lilies, iris, roses, sunflowers, carnations and daisies. She loved the color and feel of the earth and showed this is the furnishings in her home. She felt that the most important gift to give is oneself.

For years and years, Maeja travelled to help the new mothers with their babies. She brought cool water for them to sip as they labored to bring a new life into the world. She always brought a homemade blanket for the new one. She would choose red and oranges, vibrant and bright to celebrate the birth. As the baby was born, Maeja lovingly wrapped the baby in a warm blanket.

Maeja knew that the gods watched over her. They helped her as she helped the mothers bring their babies into the world. They saw the loving care she brought. They also saw the conviction within her to make sure that the world welcomed the new child. As Maeja breathed her last breath, the gods made her the fire goddess so that she could bring warmth into the world.

Now, Maeja travels the world over. She sends hot lava like fireworks spewing in colors of red and orange to celebrate new life. This is why a volcano erupts.

It was so fun to work together! It was interesting to hear each person’s contribution. In the end, it was my story inspired by my family.

What a blessing to have families. Perhaps, you can write a short story or poem, or song or paint a picture or another creative project with your family this week.

The power of story is strong. The power of family is strong. The power of unity and support are strong. Empower yourself by empowering your family members.

How many times has your “knowledge” stopped you from achieving your dreams? I have felt for a very long time that it is our dreams which have been sacrificed in the name of reality.

Take just a moment, close your eyes and go back in your memory to your childhood. What were the things you were going to do with your life? How were you going to conquer the world, not to rule, but to change something that needed to be changed? Remember how it felt as you stood victorious and the world was a better place? What did it look like? What were the sounds all around you?

What happened?…

It is important that we remember our dreams and that we set goals and make a plan to achieve them. We need to have rewards to mark the moments of achievement. (See Marta’s blog later this week for an experience in following through on a reward when the goal was accomplished.)

Rewards do not have to be expensive. In fact, they can be as simple as a feeling of accomplishment. We have spoken before about listing each day the things we have accomplished and why we accomplished them.

Why we do what we do is so powerful! The “why” allows us to push beyond what we thought we could do and achieve all we can be.

I am currently in a pain cycle. By evening, I can hardly move because of pain. But, I still keep moving. I may need help to get out of bed; I may need my husband and son to make dinner on my night; I may need to rest and give my body a chance to heal. And I still keep moving. The next morning, I get up and start again. It is not easy. There are days when I absolutely want to give up and never get out of bed again. I push those thoughts aside as I struggle to accomplish the dreams of my life. And the rewards for accomplishing those dreams motivates me to move to the next dream or the next level.

Sometimes, we forget our dreams. Sometimes, we get drawn into all the “have to” lists that we forget that we are human beings. Human beings need to make dreams come true. Some of those dreams are our own.

Empower yourself each day by closing your eyes and visualizing your dreams coming true. Then make your plan. Take action and follow it. You just might be surprised how it lifts you up. You are wonderful. You have the power within you to accomplish and live your dreams. I’d love to hear how you do it. Have an MPowered Day!

I noted a plaque recently in a store which said, in pretty brown swirly writing, something like:  ”Dance as if no one is watching, Love like you’ll never get hurt, Sing as if no one is listening, Live like it’s heaven on earth.”  I liked that statement.  Last week’s blog talked about worrying through life, and I suppose writing it has helped me focus on how my life really does work out, and how I am ready to stop stressing, be myself, and really “Live!” (Thus this week’s title…)

Have you seen any of these movies lately in the romantic sci-fi life-altering genre like “The Adjustment Bureau” or “Source Code?”  I ClearPlayed “Source Code” last week, and the message I took from it was to live life to its fullest–sort of a carpe diem type of theme–you never know when your life will change…so make the most of every moment to laugh, love, live, dance, sing.

Yesterday, I sat in church kind of nonchalantly singing a hymn when I noticed the woman next to me didn’t even crack open her hymn book.  Well, those of you who know me know that I LOVE to sing…but yesterday I guess I was distracted and wasn’t really feeling the desire to sing.  But, looking at this lady, who I know cannot now sing because she experienced some type of cancer in her throat, moved me.  She can talk, faintly, which I am sure she counts as a blessing, but singing is not an option for her anymore.  Suddenly I felt the urge to sing out, to sing strong, to sing as if no one was listening–open, uninhibited, ready to shout praises in music to the rafters.

Well, I’m gonna leave you this happy Monday with one of my MPowering songs and send you to go out into the world and LIVE!!!!!  You can do it.  I believe in you.  And the world needs you.  I need you.  Hugs till next week…and happy listening.  Your life is unwritten.  Pick up your pen.  Put on your dancing shoes. (Or go barefoot, like I do!)  Raise your voice.  Open your heart.  Together we can make heaven on earth.

I’ve always known in my life that whatever I end up doing, I want it
to help other people. I’ve always wanted to be able to use my stories
and my life experiences to help others. So starting a blog was a big
deal for me. Displaying my life to the world is serious! Everyone can
see it. Which is exactly why I tell my stories. Being asked to write
for this blog is a great privilege and I am extremely grateful for
this opportunity. In this restricted amount of time and space I have
to spend on this post, I hope you find something that can touch you
and empower you.

Throughout my life so many things have happened to me, both incredible
and terrible. But so far, one specific event truly changed my life
forever, thanks to a girl named Baylee.

Through my skating so many wonderful things happened to me, one of
which was a sponsorship by Global Brands McDonalds. And because of
this came more opportunities. My most memorable event happened when I
was about 12 or 13, when McDonalds asked my sister and me to skate for
the patients at the Ronald McDonald House of Manhattan. They brought
us out to New York and we got to put on an entire Christmas show of
just the two of us. Afterwards, the patients and their families were
allowed on the ice for games and socializing. I remember coming out
as everyone was skating and my eye was immediately drawn to one little
girl: Baylee. She was against the wall with her mom holding her hand
for balance. She was so tiny and appeared so frail with her several
layers of clothing, face mask, and a pink hat covering her bald head.
Something told me I needed to talk to her. So I skated over and
introduced myself.

I later found out from her mom that she had been diagnosed with
Leukemia when she was little and had gone through several bone marrow
transplants. After we skated, and I talked more with Baylee off the
ice, I realized this little eight-year-old girl had so much more to
teach me than I did her. She told me so much about her life, and how
hard things have been, but that she knows it was all part of a greater
plan for her. She had faith that no matter where life took her or how
hard things got, everything was going to be okay. She had more love
and more light than any person I have ever met. From that day on, I
knew that I wanted to find that kind of spirit inside myself.

Since then, Baylee has passed into another world, but her spirit has
always been with me as I strive to find the meaning in my life and
find my own light.

This story has served as a reminder throughout my life since then,
giving me hope in any hard situation. Now I live my life always
putting things in a greater perspective. This has given me so much
purpose and light in my life. I had no idea one person can bring so
much joy and enlightenment in someone’s life, and I know that as much
as I helped Baylee that day, she forever changed me. I live and write
everyday because of her. She’s my little inspiration! I only hope that
I can use my life to affect others, as she did to change me.

“Most folks are happy as they make their minds up to be.”
-Abraham Lincoln

Cosette H.
Follow my blog at gettingcozie.blogspot.com

We are giving away cool MPowergen bags for summer (black with pink logo as seen on our site), MPower shirts (also shown in pink on this link) in various colors (pink, black, blue, green, brown…to name a few), and also–& I’m REALLY excited about this one–an MPOWER MUSIC CD!!!!!  (We all like to rock out to MPowering music, don’t we?!?!?!?!)  So–I know you are wondering what I am wondering…what do I have to do to get one of these sweet giveaway items?  Well, scroll on down to the numbered section for entry instructions…!

Hooray! You did it!!!  Here’s a list of ways to enter your name in the drawing:

1.  Comment.  Comment.  Comment.  And then comment.  Some.  More.  Every time you comment on one of the blog posts, your name will be entered.

2.  So, you already comment regularly.  What then?  Well–you can “like” us on Facebook.  That’s an easy entry.  Just make sure you go to our page and write on our wall to let us know you did that.

3.  Still not enough entry opportunities, huh?  Well, if you post about this giveaway on your Facebook wall or blog, you get three–yes, you read that right–three entries each time you post.  If people post on our wall about you sending them, we’ll even throw your name in one more time! (Do the math, my friends.  That’s four entries just for posting about us and sending your friends on over to check us out!!!!)

So–there you go!  Go comment!  Go like!!  Go post!!!  You’ll empower others by sharing the power of our site with them!!!!  (& we will send thank you messages in the form of cool presents!)

Hurry…time is running out as fast as the summer sweat is dripping down your face!!!!  And, as always, feel MPowered!!!!

Karen is a dear friend, writer, and all-around amazing lady. She has guest blogged for us before here at MPower, and we are delighted with her most recent post, “Crocheting.” Enjoy!

I was crocheting a lap blanket for a friend today and started thinking about the message I want to deliver with it. I began thinking of a number of other things including the following.

Good instructions, videos and the right tools are a must. So too with life. We may not have a video, but we do have a clear example of how we should live in our brother, Jesus. We have an excellent set of instructions and tools in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and through the words of a living prophet.

There are variations in crocheting just as in life – the ebb and flow, the tightness or looseness of the stitches. There are parallels to life.

In using a whole skein of yarn things may go smoothly. Occasionally there will be a knot that has to be fixed or worked through. This may leave a physical reminder of what has been overcome.

Usually, when looking at the work of another, I tend to be forgiving of what they see as flaws. I tend to be less so of my own works, even though the work as a whole is good and functional, if not perfect. I can not think of a person, who if given the chance to embrace peace or bitterness, would chose the latter. That is what we do though when we close the door on forgiveness. A repentant humble heart and the grace and mercy of God make for an excellent combination.

A helping hand is sometimes needed. A skein is finished, not the project and so yarn must be connected from one to another. It reminds me of charity in service. What is given and received may be simple or not. Charity is a gift to both parties. It may be priceless, and a person may never realize in this life just how much it meant to the person on the receiving end.

A finished project is a wonderful thing. How much more so for those who endure to the end.

I live in a different time with different customs, but nonetheless, I live among women of courage.  I see them stand boldly against adversity, health challenges, struggles within marriages or with children, or fighting their own personal Goliaths.  I see them work through surgeries, burying husbands, caring for children with special needs, or even trying to fight the demons of self-deprecation or depression.  I see them lift their heads high through morning sickness, loneliness, single-parenting, and supporting extended family.

For some of us, we muster courage to get out of bed each morning to face another day; for some of us, we gather courage to enter an empty bed each night…and many of us have opportunities to show courage during all the time in between as we seek to uplift, inspire and achieve peace in our world.

So–be courageous!  This blessed virtue is within you…you are noble, and you can do it!!!!

My sister and her family came to visit recently. She is an amazing Interior Designer (I must include “award winning” because this has become a family joke. Award winning is true.) Anyway, have you noticed how easily I become sidetracked? Back to my sister’s visit-We had a wonderful dinner and then we were talking about some furniture that I wanted to clean up, but not totally refinish. She gave me a suggestion and my dear, sweet husband added in some more information. I mulled over the idea for a few days and Saturday, I had my courage up to try. I knew the worst disaster possible was that I would have to refinish the whole piece of furniture.

So, trusty daughter by my side and fine sand paper in hand, we started to remove the stains and smooth the table. It was so fun to work together! We talked, we sang, and we laughed. We also were surprised how well the process worked and it was easy. I wondered why we had put it off for so long. When we finished, it had worked so well and looked so good, I was brave enough to tackle the piano. In the end, I wondered why I had hesitated at all. My daughter has already decided on our next refinishing project (the easy kind) for this weekend.

We became empowered to change our lives “for the better” by trying something new. Neither of us felt we had the skill set, but we gave it our best shot and voila, we were able to make a difference in our lives.

So, what have you been putting off doing because you weren’t sure it was in your capacity to do it. Try. You might just find that you have wonderful results and empower yourself to try something else. Have an MPowered Day and week and life!

In this past month, so much has happened. I wanted to keep it all to myself and not bother anyone with my worries. But the past couple of days I have been on the edge of tears. Literally. I finally broke down last night and I realized something. I am human. And it’s okay for a human to cry. It doesn’t make me weak if something happens in my life that makes me upset or sad.

Sometimes things happen in our lives that we can’t deal with on our own. And that is why we have our family in friends. Heavenly Father did not intend for us to go through this life alone. So why should we try to deal with our trials and worries on our own? Loved ones are there for us to lean on and Vice versa.

Friendship is not something to take for granted though. Yes, friends normally are more than willing to help see you through an obstacle in life, but we shouldn’t use our friends just for a shoulder. We should not only offer ours as well, but we must also remember that our friends and loved ones want to hear the good things in our lives.

One day, not too long ago, I was online talking to a good friend that I have known since I was 12. And I told her some somewhat good news and she was so excited that even though I was having a hard time at that particular moment, I was able to smile and I felt so good to be able to confide in someone. I am so blessed to have such good friends in my life. My friends are such an inspiration and good influence on my life

Saying goodbye is often difficult. I was talking with my dear friend tonight about our children leaving for college. We decided that we want our children to grow up, but we don’t want the pain of growing with them. As I considered this, these thoughts followed:

I love my children, every one of them. I know that the best thing for them, and eventually for me, is for my children to grow up and be on their own. The growth that takes place from being in a new place, making new friends, setting up your own support systems, and taking care of yourself enlivens the soul. These growth experiences rarely come by staying in the same place.

I must say that the hardest part has been missing my child. I think about him every time I fold laundry. I feel like something is missing. I looked for some vegetables for dinner in my freezer and I found his favorite ice cream that no one is here to eat now. The most interesting loss to me, though, was to listen to someone play the piano at church. Life has been so busy preparing that there was little piano playing. Yet, when I sat waiting for church to start and was listening to the music, my eyes filled with tears because I missed my child.

It sounds very ominous and lonely. I just have been surprised by it all. After all, I have always wanted my children to be independent and self-sufficient. Haven’t I? Yes, that really was me.

So, I will share the joys of life since college. Every day, right now, I get a telephone call with some new exciting adventure. I hear about wanting to make new friends, but not crossing boundaries and being thought of as “weird” (my word). I also get the excitement of learning, learning much differently than before. Harder work, but more rewarding. I get to experience with my child the joy of knowing the right school was chosen. Today, he said that he was sure that he was making good friends.

Life is new and exciting for him, but I come home to his empty room and no one to eat his favorite ice cream. Though I feel an emptiness, this change brings joy to my heart to know that everything is going to be all right for both of us.