The Little Leaf (Repost)

It has been said that the “little things” in life are really the big things. A smile, a kind word, a handwritten note, a wagging tail, a hug from an old friend, rocking a sleeping baby, a sunset, laughter, a compliment, the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings, a helping hand, a gentle touch…

The collective energy of these little things makes our universe sing! We must remind ourselves, in this exaggerated world, to tune-in and experience the small day-to-day happenings. We have been programmed to believe we have to cram as much as possible into our every day to be successful. Experiencing the little things, the giving & the receiving, as we pause for that moment in time, is a huge success and is much more beautiful & significant than we could ever imagine!

On a recent grocery store trip, I noticed a little brown leaf on a lovely speckled pear. The leaf, incredibly dainty, yet still in tact even after the growing, picking, washing, transporting, displaying, bagging, buying and then the transporting again…to my kitchen. I just know that this little leaf made it through that journey to remind me to pay attention to the little things in life and that a successful day may be as simple as a smile. Thank you, little pear leaf, I am grateful for the sweet reminder!

♥️Jana

Ode To The Skirt

“Power to the skirt!”, I hear from across the desert hiking trail. I see a woman and a man making their way toward me.  Looking down at my hiking skirt I respond, “Yes, power to the skirt”, then looking up with a smile, wondering to myself if she meant what I meant.

I have always embraced my femininity, not by just what I wear but how I feel inside about being a woman. But, there is something about a skirt: A-line, Pencil, Pleated, Maxi, Mini, Tennis… in cotton, denim, leather, linen, wool, tweed, silk or dry wicking poly …whatever the style or type of fabric, I feel even stronger in my femininity while wearing one. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I do love a great pair of jeans worn with a great pair of boots, but there is just something about the softness and beauty of this flowy type garment.  In a skirt, I feel pretty, soft, lovely, strong…

Growing-up, I was perhaps, one would call a “feminine tomboy”, wearing tennis dresses or skirts often with ribbons in my hair while hitting killer forehands. My grandmother would sew tennis dresses for me adorned with eyelet lace trim on her Singer, pedal driven, sewing machine.  I was often underestimated in my athletic skill due to my ladylike look and modest build, maybe that was my secret strategy!  In all of my athletic endeavors, the tender would shine, making it feel awesome to be a female first with a side of athleticism.

While I am not exactly sure what “power to the skirt” meant to the hiker that day, I hold on to what it means to me…..I celebrate my femininity by humbly and confidently embracing it. I am proud to be female & let my womanhood shine!  I am proud to wear a skirt and sing praises to this true symbol of femininity.  So maybe instead of ‘power to the skirt’ I could have responded, “Ode to the skirt”… where would women’s  beautiful legs be without them!  :).
♥️, Jana

“Shazam!”

I have always loved our Phoenix Suns!  Win or lose, season to season, our purple & orange is a class act and has always had my heart.  I must admit though, that over the years, I have lost interest in professional basketball, and honestly, all professional sports.  Something has been missing.

Right about now, we all could use something special to cheer on and get excited about!  That something special has been brewing here in the Valley of the Sun over the past few years, with arrival of the Suns head coach, Monty Williams. He has breathed new life into the game of professional basketball and our team.  He has humanized the sport again, proving that a coach in the professional arena can care so deeply about his players, bring a level of professionalism, encourage  team camaraderie, leave politics out, win games, and give really big hugs all at the same time!  “I am here to serve” …Wow…he knows the true meaning of success…. the importance of coaching a group of talented athletes as first, a group of humans who happen to have the gift of sport. He understands that this group of gifted men are not solely here on this planet to entertain us… it goes much, much deeper than that.

I have been blasted back to the 1970’s, when the excitement began.  I would watch our Suns play, at that time in the Madhouse on McDowell (Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum), led by coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons & player and coach, Paul Westphal …two of the greats in the basketball world! And “Shazam”, there is Al McCoy’s legendary “Voice of the Suns“  always bringing such great spirit and spunk with his clever announcing! My family would be huddled around our small orange box TV, strategically placed on our kitchen counter for the antenna to receive optimal reception….cheering & screaming at the top of our lungs for our team, our Phoenix Suns!  Through the years,  our TV’s grew and so did our passion for the team!  The feelings came flooding back to me, watching our Suns play these past few weeks, with all their hearts, while being coached with heart. And it is not just because they are winning,  there is something else in the air too…something special.

Soft spoken, humble, kind… Coach Williams leads with respect for humankind, expecting that respect in return from his team and for that respect to be projected when the team steps on to the court … the way competition should be! And then there is the incredible team chemistry … it just oozes off the court!  So refreshing to witness, so fun for our city and so absolutely incredible for the Phoenix Suns players … to have a coach of such wisdom & poise to lead and such an outstanding group of teammates to go to work with every day. Thank you Coach Williams and all of the Suns coaches for bringing such goodness & fun to the sport of professional basketball. Thank you to all of the Phoenix Suns players for your show of athleticism & playing your hearts out and thank you to the entire Suns organization for supporting this goodness! You have already won the championship in my book! We will look back at this time one day and remember this good feeling swirling around the arena and exactly where we were as we cheered on our basketball team, our purple & orange, our Phoenix Suns!

“Shazam” …”Let’s Rally the Valley”….GO SUNS!!!