Dr. Seuss: the king of character, the pillar of playfulness., the leader in laughter. That's how I would describe him. We all know his name, we've all read his books, we all spoon feed our children his words of wisdom.
 |
| Dr. Seuss |
Of the endless coined phrases spoken by this lyrical giant, the following are among my favorite:
Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.
Adults are just outdated children.
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
A person's a person, no matter how small.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.
How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see, now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant.
Hollywood is not suited for me, and I am not suited for it.
Whenever things go a bit sour in a job I'm doing, I always tell myself, 'You can do better than this'.
Right before reaching Holyoke, MA for our visit, we stopped by the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Sringfield. This should tell you how beloved Dr. Seuss is to our family as we chose to see this over the Basketball Hall of Fame.
 |
| Juliann and Ryder |
I will premise our stop by the Dr. Seuss Memorial by talking about Rebellion. Somehow just hearing that word can get us a little on edge, but I'd like to take this moment to reframe the positivity that can be found within rebellion, in standing up for something you believe in and going against the flow. Rising to the occasion doesn't have to take physical violence or harsh words. And proving a point doesn't have to get ugly. How will you rebel for good? What will you teach others and yourself by standing strong, doing the unexpected and facing your fears? Go against the norm, do the things that scare you and stay true to who you really are,
I'm afraid this concept of positive rebellion would've been more applicable when referring to the Boston Tea Party, however, I am going to try and spin it in this instance to justify the way in which I turned all my kids into little rebels tonight.
By the time we arrived at Dr Seuss' memorial, it was closed and the gates were shut for the evening. We had come all this way and were so excited to see it. I looked over both my shoulders. Seemingly in the clear, I pushed open the closed gates and we made our way inside. It was dark inside the sculpture garden but we attempted to snap some photos despite the poor lighting.
 |
| Ryder, Tate, Shiloh, and Choice with the Lorax |
Right after the Lorax, before we could make it over to the Grinch, we were stopped by security. Roger was his name. He was such a part of this museum I imagine they'll sculpt a bronze of him there when he passes. Along with that came a great sense of duty and pride in his job. You could see the daggers he was throwing our direction with his piercing glances. It was evident that he was less than amused that someone would break into his museum after hours. There we stood, no permission, no admission fees paid, no hope for a positive outcome.
Roger was a diamond in the rough. The kids told him where we are from and what our trip was about and he melted. On that note he not only allowed us to stay in the park but he offered to take photos for us and answer any questions we may have. He gave us a personal tour with insight about the man we know as Dr. Seuss as well as the artist, Dr. Seuss' daughter.
We saw a sculpture of my favorite Dr. Seuss book, Oh The Places You'll Go!, as well as The Grinch and his dog. Roger said this is a hugely popular location for families to take their Christmas Card Photo. We made an attempt but it was far too dark outside. :-)
 |
| Shiloh, Ryder, Choice, Tate, and Juliann |
 |
| Shiloh, Ryder, Choice, Tate, and Juliann |
 |
Shiloh and Mary Lou Who
|
and Yertle the Turtle...
 |
| Ryder, Tate, Choice, and Shiloh |
 |
| Choice, Tate, and Shiloh |
It is safe to say that a little rebellion paid off in this instance. Thank you Roger for allowing us a wonderful trip down Dr. Seuss lane.
 |
Jason, Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, Choice, and Juliann
After learning about a man who resonated with children, we were blessed to meet up with two women who possess that same divine quality. Karen and Kim are exceptional! They reached out to our family immediately after the tragedy and blessed us with their thoughtfulness and their talent. Supplemental to their full-time careers, they started a side business making custom tiles. After hearing about the crew dying in Yarnell, they got to work creating the most beautiful tile for our family and we have had it proudly displayed ever sense. It has four photos of Andrew and in large letters, they wrote out a few of the titles held by Andrew at the time of his passing:
HUSBAND, FATHER, FRIEND, HERO.
I will include a photo of the tile once I get home. Words just simply can not do it justice.
|
 |
| Juliann, Choice, Kim, Shiloh, Tate, Jason, Ryder, and Karen |
Meeting them felt more like a reunion...a feeling that we'd known each other for years. They both radiated with light, kindness, and genuine compassion. The kids took to them immediately and stuck right at their side until it was time for them to go to bed.
 |
| Juliann, Choice, Kim, Shiloh, Tate, Jason, Ryder, and Karen |
We met them for dinner at the 99 Restaurant. It was the perfect end to the day; laid back, delicious good, and great company.
 |
| Ryder, Karen, Shiloh, Tate, Kim, and Juliann |
Well, except for one little hellion...aye aye aye.
 |
| Juliann and Choice |
 |
| Kin and Juliann |
Beautiful bonds were formed from the onset. Ryder gravitated to Ms. Karen. Turns out he felt they had a lot in common. Knowing that she'd created the tile that we have in our home, he concluded that they both enjoy being artistic and crafty. They conversed about that for awhile and Karen taught Ryder, step by step, how to make a tile like the one they'd made for us. She challenged him to make her a tile and she'll cover the shipping charge if he'll promise to send it to her. He happily agreed.
 |
| Kin, Shiloh, Tate, Ryder, and Juliann |
 |
| Karen and Ryder |
 |
| Ryder and Karen |
Ms. Km was surrounded by the other three. With each apology I'd make for her lack of space, (that would have put me into a bout of claustrophobia) she said she enjoyed it. It is refreshing to see adults who open up so genuinely and freely to children; creating a safe, comfortable, and fun environment for them.
 |
| Kim, Shiloh, Tate, and Ryder |
|
Kim and Karen looked at each picture the kids had drawn and complimented them on their up and coming artistic abilities. Ryder took this very seriously. :-)
 |
| Choice, Kim, and Tate |
Be Better bands were placed on both their wrists and Kim said she was going to share the message with her employees at work next week. She is spreading the better!!!!
 |
| Choice, Kim, Shiloh, Tate,and Ryder |
Be Better Bands all around...
 |
| Choice, Karen, Kim, Tate, and Ryder |
 |
| Choice, Karen, Kim, Tate, and Ryder |
Karen pulled a small gift out of her bag for us. They had already done so much to bless our family, they certainly didn't need to do anything else. The gift was another brilliant tile, handmade by them making reference to their hometown, Holyoke, where we'd met them tonight.
 |
| Shiloh, Tate, Ryder, and Juliann |
 |
| Juliann |
If you love their work as much as I do, check them out online...
The kids wanted Ms. Karen and Ms. Kim to see the bus. They were happy to do so.
 |
| Karen, Kim, Tate, Jason, and Shiloh |
Ryder showed Karen his rock collection and she told him all about the rocks she's collected over the years. Tate was anxious to show Kim his roller skates and his Halloween costume. The ladies were like instant aunts to them. It was so beautiful to witness.
 |
| Choice, Juliann, Shiloh Kim, Tate, Ryder, and Karen |
The evening had gone by far too quickly and it was time for the kiddos to go to bed. We said goodbye to our new friends.
 |
| Shiloh, Kim, Tate, Ryder, and Karen |
The kids were so hyped up and excited about the new friendships they'd made, I wanted to hear their thoughts about the visit. In their own words...
RYDER:
"Ms. Karen is one of the best friends I've ever met. I love that she is a rock collector and a lot like me. I hope we can see each other again and we will be able someday to see them again for longer. I loved how Ms. Kim was super nice and playful with everyone. They have been amazing to our family. I love that they are into crafts like I am. I hope we can do arts and crafts together someday. For now, I am going to make a tile to send to her to remember me by. I want them to be my pen-pals because I loved them so much."
 |
| Ryder and Juliann |
|
 |
| Ryder and Juliann |
 |
| Ryder |
SHILOH:
"They were awesome! Both of them. I loved them. I want to say thank you for dinner. They were dressed very good. They looked very pretty. I loved giving Ms. Kim and Ms. Karen high-fives. And I liked that we had so much fun with them and I loved their shoes. They made me feel good because they were so nice. I loved their hair-dos. And I loved the 99 Restaurant."
 |
| Shiloh and Juliann |
 |
| Shiloh and Juliann |
TATE:
"I loved that they let me play magic tricks with them. I loved that they loved me so much. I had fun showing them our bus and my Halloween costume and my roller skates. Ms. Kim made me feel special. I have two new friends now. I thank them for the hugs and for the ice-cream sandwiches. They loved our crazy stuff."
 |
| Tate and Juliann |
 |
| Tate and Juliann |
CHOICE:
"I liked their hair. I liked their clothes. I liked their smiles. I loved the chicken wings. I liked that guy who made the food. I loved ice-cream. I loved playing with those girls. I was naughty sometimes. I really love these girls. I want to thank you to them."
 |
| Choice and Juliann |
 |
| Choice and Juliann |
As for me, I feel such a sense of peace and joy. They brought a calming and powerful presence into the bus tonight. It validated further that this trip was placed on my heart for a bigger purpose. Meetings such as these teach the greatest lessons in life. Lessons of the heart. Lessons from soul to soul. Lessons that are taught without words. Small Acts Change The World. No one is exempt from this charge. It is part of the calling as a human being...Love One Another. If you find yourself in a place where you recognize the need of another, there is a reason that you were placed there at that time. This is your call to act. Do not look down on another unless you are helping them up. Do not turn a blind eye but embrace the opportunity to change someone else's life for the better. They will be forever grateful and that grateful heart will help to heal them on a daily basis from there on out.
Be the Change you Wish to See in the World. -Ghandi
Excellent article...
ReplyDeletequickbooks enterprise support phone number