G is for Gift

(Excerpt from my book, “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance”)

Each and every person on this Earth is unique, and holds a gift to share with the World . . . our true selves. This includes those in our society who have a handicap, disabilities, and those with special needs. Many of us keep our true selves buried deep within, as I did, for fear that we will be considered different and unaccepted. Some of us just need a little extra help in the form of guidance to nurture and grow our special gifts. Okay, maybe a lot of extra help! Everyone benefits when we let our differences and gifts radiate and glow.

Our differently-abled children simply process the world, information, and life, differently than we do; but they are in good company. There have been many throughout history who also processed differently; like Albert Einstein; Michelangelo; Thomas Edison; Amelia Earhart; and Steve Jobs, to name a few. They had amazing, life changing, life improving gifts, and were successful in spite of their label as freaks and kooks. Today the labels may have changed, but the thoughts still remain.

Lillian is a young lady who shines like no other, and has a beautiful inspiring energy about her. She and children like her teach us lessons about acceptance and change. This is one of their gifts. As an integral spoke in the wheel they can turn around societal and stereotypical views that they don’t have anything to offer; are a drain on our country’s resources; or views that they, and their family are unhappy and should be pitied.

Another one of Lillian’s gifts is showing us the benefits of embracing technological innovation, and the shift in the way we communicate. Technology can be life changing and life improving for some amongst us, and should be approached with an open mind. We no longer solely communicate with our mouths and voices as a society. A great majority of us use technology and social networking sites to stay connected, communicate, and conduct business.

On a beautiful summer day in 2009, I visited Lillian at school. Her class was at recess. As I stood chatting with Lillian’s teacher, I was scanning for Lillian among the sea of kids. My eyes landed on a petite young lady pulling a cart behind her. Yes, that was my Lillian, pulling a cart loaded with her DynaVox unit. Tears welled in my eyes, a lump formed in my throat, and my knees got weak. I thought, “There has to be something better.” I made a firm commitment to myself and to Lillian in that moment that I would find something more mobile and compact for her to use to communicate, something that did not make her stand out. I began monitoring the use of keywords and phrases like speech impaired, nonverbal, and AAC on Twitter and Google Alerts. Almost immediately I came across Twitter mentions of an application for the iPhone and iPod touch by the name of Proloquo2Go that had just been released four months earlier. Proloquo2Go is a communication solution with natural sounding text-to-speech voices for people who have difficulty speaking. I researched a bit more, went to the Apple store, and bought Lillian an iPhone. With Proloquo2Go installed, I gave it to her that day when I picked her up at the bus stop. A meeting with the school followed that same week to inform them she would no longer be using the DynaVox and would be using the iPhone instead. Lillian figured out the iPhone and Proloquo2Go within a week. This was technological innovation at its absolute best! Turning Views Foundation’s Gift-a-Voice Project was birthed from this experience (Learn more at www.TurningViewsFoundation.org).

Today, our communication methods have shifted and are literally evolving to include more of our society than ever before. When a mother of a speech impaired, or nonverbal child “hears” “I Love You” or “Mom” for the first time, it touches their heart like nothing else can. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 7.5 million people in the United States have trouble using their voices for one reason or another. This includes people who are nonverbal, speech impaired, autistic, hearing impaired or who have dysarthria, apraxia, or aphasia due to chromosome abnormalities, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Cerebral Palsy, brain injury and many other conditions.

To fully grasp the impact technology has in your daily life, take note throughout your day just how often you communicate using technology via email, text or social networking sites. If you still conduct many of your conversations over the phone, or face to face, stop and think, “How would I be having this conversation if I did not have the use of my voice, or if I could not articulate what I’m trying to say?” There are options now that weren’t available years ago. One of Lillian’s gifts is using my voice to show how technological innovation is benefiting society.

Our children with special needs are not broken, and do not need to be fixed. When we use negative words like “problems”, “cannot”, and “deficits” to define disability it is difficult to see the positive gift our child possesses. Focusing on what our child cannot do, is a barrier to seeing their gifts. When we accept that it is their “normal” to have special needs; our eyes can be opened to see our child’s gift that probably has been right there all the time.

Some will continue to only view those differently-abled as having something wrong with them and being limited. These same people won’t take the time, nor would have the patience to connect with those who are differently-abled. Unfortunately, they miss the experience of being on the receiving end of a unique heartfelt gift, a gift that only those with patience and peace can receive.

Until we have moved past the guilt stage and are well on our way to acceptance of ourselves and our children, it will be impossible to see the gift in situations, and the gift of our children, with and without special needs. No matter what, guilt gives power to the wrong thoughts and is a barrier to acceptance. Even in our most painful lessons there are hidden gifts whether we see them as such or not. The process requires patience with ourselves and not forcing the process to get over the guilt and “why” questions quickly. Guilt is a stage we simply must make our way through. Rest assured, when you arrive on the other side of guilt, you will realize the gift you hold, the gift your child holds and the gifts revealed through situations.

Tip for the Journey:

Identify and embrace your child’s strengths, needs, interests, fears and motivators. Focus on your child’s strengths and be open to providing opportunities for them to express themselves and their thoughts. Remember; don’t discount qualities that you or others find odd, irritating, or annoying. That just may be the wrapping paper around the gift they hold. Provide opportunities for them to paint, play an instrument, make crafts, dance, practice yoga, swim, play sports, write and use their hands to create.

Heartfuly Inspired,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Latest “Special Needs Parenting” Articles:
[catlist name=children-with-special-needs-2]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Z is for Zigzag

(Excerpt from my book, “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance”)

Conventional wisdom says “do it this way, this is the way it’s always been done.” I am the type of person who questions conventional wisdom. I pause to think about whether the way it’s always been done is really the right way for me and my family.

Conventional wisdom says that the best path for Lillian is to attend traditional public school to benefit from what she’s entitled to according to federal laws and what’s established in her IEP. Well, that worked for us through fourth grade, but it doesn’t work now. You see, I simply believe with all my being that this little lady will not follow any conventional route in her life, or in her career. I believe she will be self-employed, and I don’t believe she will reach her full potential staying in a traditional public school. Of course, I will accept whatever career path she chooses, but for now, I choose us to zag instead of zig.

I’m not saying that we should always zag when others zig. But, that we pay attention when something inside us is saying, “not so fast there, find a different way,” or “don’t keep doing that.” We may hear these messages, but dismiss them due to doubt, fear, or laziness. As these messages bounce around in our mind, we find that we have invited another person’s voice telling us we are crazy for thinking that way.

Happy and successful people didn’t get where they are today by making the same choices as the masses. If you take time to study them, you will find there’s something different in the way they think, their attitude, and how they make choices.

One of my kids made a statement once that we are poor. I explained that I don’t agree and here’s why. We may be broke at the moment, but we are not poor. I consider us to be rich because of our relationships with one another, our adventures, and the joy we experience. I believe there’s a fundamental difference between being poor and being broke. Poor vs. rich is all in how you look at it. Being broke is temporarily having no money. Being rich depends on how our attitude and thoughts perceive our reality. How do we measure “rich”?

It is most important to me that I try to not take myself so darn seriously. I fully understand that we have some serious situations to deal with, especially as parents of children with special needs. I’m not advocating that we ignore serious medical conditions. I’m only suggesting that we become aware of our attitudes and thoughts concerning serious matters. Do your best not to dwell in the past, or get stuck in the “why” questions. Accept the present moment for what it is. Really and truly listen to your gut. Listen even if you don’t understand why it’s pushing you in a certain direction.

The bold overriding theme of this entire book is the ability to accept ourselves, listen to our intuition, and live in the present moment. That’s why it is repeated throughout this book. I know I need to be continually reminded of this. I forget. Acceptance, courage, flexibility, and our view of life all comes back to how we think. Our emotions are an expression of our thoughts. Take it slow and have patience with yourself.

Tip for the Journey:

Awake each morning and realize with awe that you have been given a very special, unique gift. You have been given a precious gift of another full twenty four hours to make your own. Twenty-four hours to do with as you choose, to experience joy and happiness, and to share with those around you. I truly believe the more we share joy and happiness, the more it will spread. Every day you get another twenty four hours to work toward your dreams and goals, and another day to enjoy the heck out of while you’re on your journey. I like to refer to this as a Sunrise Gift and no two Sunrise Gifts are the same. You choose the nature of the gift and what you will do with it. Make the most of your Sunrise Gifts.

Heartfuly Inspired,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Latest Articles:
[catlist name=blog]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

 

Book Musings: Fans and Mediums and Strange Creatures

The Painted Fan (amazon affiliate link)

Beautifully illustrated story about a time of prophecy, magic and bravery. Great illustrations too. We really enjoyed this one!

Medical Medium (amazon affiliate link) – I literally could not stop reading this book! For me, it lined up perfectly reading this directly after Super Genes (amazon affiliate link). Goes beyond inflammation being at the root of our health problems. Loved it!

Strange Creatures – The Story of Walter Rothschild and His Museum (amazon affiliate link)

Beautifully illustrated biography of a young man who followed his passion while surrounded by those who had chosen a different path for him. We LOVED it!!!! xoxo

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Did you know I wrote a book? It’s titled “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance” and you can read more about it here.

Latest “Book and Movie Musings”:
[catlist name=book-and-movie-musings]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Your Intuition Knows What To Write

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” – Ray Bradbury

I was given the wonderful opportunity to guest post on 2 Dream Productions’ blog about why I write and what led to the writing of my first book, “D iz for Different”.

Here’s an excerpt:

How Purging the Garage Led to Writing a Book

Call it intuition. Call it my gut. Whatever it’s called, there is something inside of me compelling me to write. Sometimes gently, other times strongly, it nudges me saying, “You’ve just got to share that.” I fought this feeling for a long time, thinking I had nothing meaningful to contribute. At this point in my life, I know that the treasure lying within me, the one I am to share with humanity, is my view of everyday life. I most often share this through writing.

Sometimes I question myself with thoughts of, “What are you doing? Why are you wasting time on this? Who cares what you think? Who cares what happened with you today?” These thoughts can be very discouraging and cause me to doubt myself. However, time and time again, I magically and miraculously receive confirmation that what I’m doing and the path I have chosen is inspiring and helpful to others. These powerful, undeniable moments cause my fears and hesitation to disappear.

My writing journey started …. ” (Go here to read more.)

Head on over and check out 2 Dream Productions if you are an author or aspiring author!

2 Dream Productions, Inc. is a book publicist company that specializes in working with authors and publishers to get more publicity for their books, brands and products. 

Blessings,

Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Latest Articles:
[catlist name=blog]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Happy Birthday to Me 2016

It’s my birthday month! February 26th will mark the beginning of my 46th year of living, learning, and loving in our beautiful paradise of a world.

I feel moved to celebrate in a different way this month. I am moved to share, give, and to allow myself to receive. Although I’m not in a position to give financially; I do want to honor this inner urge. I can give my time. I can spread loving-kindness and I can show my gratitude for BEing alive!

I have books! During the month of February, I’m offering 2 for the price of 1 for “D iz for Different”. You can email to CamillaDowns (@) gmail (dot) com if you’re interested.

“Sometimes we don’t need advice. Sometimes we don’t even need to talk. Sometimes we just need an authentic and loving hug.” -Me

I’m also planning to give free hugs on Friday, February 26th. I’m not sure of the location or exact time yet. I’ll be accepting hugs too! If you don’t need a hug, you can stop by and give me one! Stay tuned to facebook. I’ll post the time and location as it gets closer. If you don’t use facebook, you can email at the address above.

Lastly, I open my arms wide and face the big, beautiful sky. I say, “I welcome the blessings and answered prayers being sent ……. And, I allow myself to receive with grateful wholeheartedness.”

Happy Birthday to ME!

Blessings,

Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Latest Articles:
[catlist name=blog]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Book Musings: Sacred Circle and Super Genes and Ink Gardens

Dance of the Sacred Circle (amazon affiliate link) – A tale of bravery and magic based on a Blackfeet legend …. “The old ones spoke of the Great Chief in the Sky, whose breath gave life all the world. They said he lived in a wonderful land far above the stars …. ” Another one we really enjoyed …

Super Genes (amazon affiliate link) – I first read about epigenetics several years ago in Bruce Lipton’s, “Biology of Belief”  (amazon affiliate link). This takes it even further with great information about the microbiome and inflammation. GREAT book. I’ll be buying this one!

Another book we really enjoyed … “The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane(amazon affiliate link)

A wonderful fiction based on the monks of the Middle Ages from Ireland who established monasteries throughout much of Europe and parts of the Middle East. The monasteries were the place where books were made. The monks carefully translated and copied the great written works of antiquity.

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Did you know I wrote a book? It’s titled “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance” and you can read more about it here.

Latest “Book and Movie Musings”:
[catlist name=book-and-movie-musings]

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Living in a Tiny Home Adventures – Week Seven

If you are new to this blog or the tiny-home-adventures blog series, go here to read the first post titled, Living in a Tiny Home Adventures. It’s been several weeks since the last update. I’ve been busy writing, subbing, and getting us more settled and there’s still unpacking to be finished. This update is all about improvising and using what I already have on hand. I love being able to use whatever I’ve got and creating exactly what I want, exactly when I want it. FUN!

(I spy a heart directly in the middle of the curtain! Just saw this as I was posting it!)

I like to open the windows and door to feel the breeze and circulate fresh air. However, leaving the front door open was inviting flies, moths, and other little flying critters into our tiny place. I was looking into buying an instant screen door that affixes with hooks and velcro (this: Bug-Off Instant Screen (amazon affiliate link)).

While I was considering the instant screen, I used thumb tacks and hung a lace curtain in the doorway so we could enjoy it being open. I like it so much, I decided to leave it. It’s now hanging from a curtain rod that I already had on hand.

I installed two eyelet hooks (already on hand), then used leather cord (already on hand) to tie the curtain rod to the eyelet hooks. I used one thumb tack to ensure the curtain fully covered the door. The thumb tack is in the corner just under and to the right of the curtain rod. If I had hung it above the door as you would typically use a curtain rod, there would have been a gap; which would defeat the purpose of having it there. I used pins to secure the valance as it hangs too low (still need to perfect this). Lastly, I used a command hook so that I could pull it back when the door is closed.

Another change I made is to remove the closet door in the bedroom as I needed the space behind it for Lillian. Thankfully, the lovely maintenance guy took it and put in their storage as I had no where to put it! I hung a curtain in the door’s place and it’s working great!

I’ve also been working on figuring out “the wall” for Thomas’ “room”. Finally have it almost complete. I bought an inexpensive lightweight curtain rod (amazon affiliate link), hung from the ceiling using picture hanging wire and the hooks that came with it. I also ordered a set of 14 curtain rings with clips (amazon affiliate link). I have an abundance of hand made quilts from my Mammaw Downs and Frank’s Mom, Marge Romano. They are so pretty and the one bedroom closet is overflowing. So I decided to use one of the quilts for Thomas’ wall. This one is a bit too small. I believe it’s a full size quilt. I’ll look through better in the next week and see if I can find a larger quilt to give him a “bigger” wall.

I decided to talk with Thomas about switching to a Japanese style floor bed to give him more room. I told him the decision is completely up to him and then I made him a make-shift floor bed using a down comforter and the homemade quilts mentioned above. He absolutely loves it! He says he sleeps much better on it than the couch bed. We’ve decided to get rid of the couch bed to give him even more room.

View for the Lakeside Dinner Picnic

We’ve gone on dozens more walks, swims, and even had a picnic dinner by the lake one night. Thomas and I had lunch on the patio as part of our October date day and so did Lillian and I. Also, Lillian and I had a dessert picnic in the garden area next to the lodge.

I’ve made several more trips to Goodwill donating items. In the last post I mentioned that it’s my goal to empty the storage unit and have everything we own here with us. I’ve been able to make one trip to storage. I donated 2 lamps and our Christmas tree to Goodwill and as soon as I get to it, I’ll have the couch picked up by an organization.

And, now, for some of the un-lovely aspects. I opened the blinds in the bedroom one morning and spotted a cute little mouse on the patio. Yes, cute, yet, no thank you for hanging out on the patio. I let management know about it and that afternoon a pest control person came over. He explained to me the options and that this area has a huge mouse “problem” (this area was formerly a ranch).

I kept thinking, “I don’t want to kill them, I’d just like to repel them so they don’t want to hang out on our patio”. I even told him this. I literally almost threw up when he told me how the glue trap killed them. I couldn’t make sense why you would purposely use yummy smelling traps to lure them to the area and then kill them (as this is an outdoor area and not inside a home). Why not make it so they aren’t interested in visiting?

I began searching online for natural repellants. I found suggestions of mothballs; which I had already bought as we kept getting visits from a bee or two when trying to eat on the patio. However, mothballs are horrid smelling and powerful. I put some out anyway in containers with holes punched so no other animals could get ahold of them.

I also ordered Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent (amazon affiliate link). Before it arrived, Lillian saw another little mouse visitor. So, I don’t think the mothballs were working. I put more mothballs around the patio and the Cab product arrived a couple of days ago. It smells great! Smells like a Christmas tree. The reviews were almost all 100% positive and they offer a money back guarantee. We haven’t seen any visitors since Lillian saw the last little fellow several weeks ago.

I’m still struggling with the road noise from South Meadows. I so much enjoy quiet. There are days when it seems to bother me more than others. Most likely, those are the days I’m focusing on it and not on how grateful and happy we are living here. I did let management know that as soon as another similar unit is available in an acceptable location, I’d like to transfer. One of the reasons I was so impressed with this place is that they are happy to transfer you to another unit at any time without charging you extra fees.

Another aspect I’m still trying to figure out is a dedicated meditation space. At our last house, I used a corner of my bedroom. For now, I keep my meditation blanket and pillow folded together on top of the dryer. I take it out every morning and usually sit in the living room against the love seat. It works for now and I should eventually have space in the closet to store the blanket and pillow.

I always like to end on a lovely note. Last week, we picked out some fun pumpkins for our patio. As I was rearranging things on the patio, I found a little plastic pumpkin. I thought to myself, “It’s time to pass you on.” I’ve been toting two of these around in the Halloween decorations for at least 4 years and have not used them. It opens so to put candy goodies inside.

A few minutes later, little 6 year old Sophia Lee from upstairs walked by with her mom and grandma. I could hear her saying with such longing how much she wanted a pumpkin. Little pumpkin now has a new home with Ms. Sophia Lee. I love when solutions in the form of loving kindness say, “Here I am.”

Later in the week, I bought a mini pumpkin and anonymously left it at Sophia Lee’s door without a note. Last night, she presented us with this cute little pumpkin! LOVE the hat!!!

That’s all for now … The adventure continues …. Thanks for being a part of it!

The adventure has begun …. Thanks for being a part of it! Go here to read about the fourth month!

Heartfuly Inspired™,

Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Go here to subscribe to my blog to ensure you receive new posts delivered straight to your inbox! Right here!

Latest News: Update On Team TLC Christmas Miracle

It’s been just over a month since posting and sharing “Help Team TLC With a Christmas Miracle”. It has been overwhelming to keep up with friends wanting to know how things are going so I thought I’d share an update.

In just two weeks $8,400 was raised! Your sharing and donations came from and traveled the world. Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, Utah, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Missouri, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Wyoming, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.

I thank you from the depths of my soul and cannot wait until I have the opportunity to pay your acts of kindness forward! Thank you to my Jr High School friends, my Mississippi friends, my Chromosome 18 family, my Mississippi family, Nevada friends, facebook friends and people I don’t even know … Oceans of love and hugs to all y’all!!

This house was supposed to be sold on December 26th and we found out a few days later that it got postponed for two weeks. The sale did happen on January 7th. That gave me more time to get the house packed and to search for a new place for us. The plan is to move the second weekend in February.

I have no idea why the sale of this house got postponed for two weeks but it has allowed for perfect timing with another factor. We have been gifted a few raffle tickets for a “Dream Home” that’s being raffled by Builder’s Association of Northern Nevada on February 6th.

Starting on January 6th I began teaching a class at High Desert Montessori Charter School. It’s a creative expressions class which is an elective for 7th and 8th graders. I’ll be teaching it through March 14th and I’m there every day from 12:30-2:30. The class I’m teaching is titled “Success for Teens” combined with learning how to blog. The students are blogging about the class and I’ve created a blog for the class titled “Their View”. I was supposed to teach it last quarter, from October – December 2013. It got postponed to this quarter. I appreciate this amazing opportunity more than words could express.

I continue to have faith and continue to be in awe of the timing of these two events and so many other interesting synchronistic occurrences. Whether we make our new home in the raffle “Dream Home” or another home, the outcome will be perfect. I will see and believe that either outcome is in answer to my prayers. I will be grateful and appreciative and will make whatever address is to be ours in February, our “Dream Home”.

The plan is to continue packing only what we feel we need and releasing attachment to things we don’t need. I’ve created an absolutely get rid of “pile” and, depending on where we move, we’ll take less furniture or almost all furniture. On February 7, 2014 we will know which direction we’re headed!

The past month has been an emotional roller coaster. I shared with a friend the other day that I hear silence where there was not silence previously. I absolutely knew that would happen and am making my way to being okay with that. She said, “That’s alright. Go where the noise is.” That’s my own advice being shared with me, when I can’t see it fully! Right on!!

I continue to be open to and research income generating opportunities in line with my own happiness and desire and commitment to devoting most of my time to being a full time Mom to Thomas and Lillian. I had a meeting last week with an organization and have one this week with a local business.

When I was nudged by my inner voice to openly ask for help and share my situation, I almost didn’t move forward. I had fears and thoughts of unworthiness. Yet, at the same time, my inner voice urged me onward as my asking for help was going to benefit others as well.

Sharing my situation and asking for help was and did help others by letting them know that it’s okay to ask for help and by letting others see the goodness and kindness in our world. I have received many messages from others sharing with me how this has helped them, inspired them, and re-ignited their faith.

I continue to have faith and be aware of the direction my inner voice nudges me to take. Thank you to everyone for your support, love, prayers, and positive thoughts.

Help Team TLC With A Christmas Miracle

**Before reading this … If you find yourself beginning to have feelings of sorrow, sympathy or other negative feelings, please stop for a minute and flood your thoughts with those of gratitude and love. Negative feelings are not helpful for us or you. ** xoxo

It is time to turn the page on this chapter of my life’s journey. I choose to do this with my face turned to the sun with a heart full of happiness, gratitude and excitement.

This is taking every ounce of courage I’ve got in me. I rarely ask for help for myself. Perhaps I’ve been saving it up for a big whopper!

I’m asking now. I believe this to be a beneficent and abundant world and I am moved by something larger than my ego to do this. I am infused with a mysterious strength to put aside my own fears of alienation, self-judgment and guilt … actually, not just putting those fears aside. I have released them. They no longer serve me. Getting this out and releasing certain thought patterns has been incredibly healing. If need be, may you take this as an opportunity to release your own fears and judgments around asking for help.

This “thought” ignited as a spark in my heart this past Saturday morning as I was focusing on thoughts of a solution. It grew into a consuming and powerful flame Saturday night while watching Frank Capra’s, It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey didn’t think he was worthy of asking for and receiving help. In the end of the story, he was proved wrong as the entire town came forth to help. “No one is born to be failure. No one is poor who has friends.” …. from the movie.

May this bring you good feelings by way of deciding to help and share or, if not moved to help, by way of engulfing you with feelings of gratitude for your own life and situation. Perhaps you may want to share this with your kids, your family and loved ones to shatter the illusion that they need more ….. Indeed, to be grateful for all that they have.

I’m asking for a non-random act of kindness from at least 15,000 people.

On December 26, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., the house we live in will be sold on the Washoe County Courthouse steps. By the Grace of a higher power we’ve been able to stay in this house rent free. It is owned by a relative who chose to let the bank have the house back. Team TLC has gratefully been calling it home while the paperwork caught up with the scenario.

Honestly, I absolutely dreamed and thought I’d be in a different financial situation by this point. I currently don’t earn enough to pay a consistent rent. I have no credit and, indeed, have bad credit. Everything was in my name during my 10 year marriage which ended in 2007. After the divorce, I paid for things as long as I could, until I ran out of money and had to file bankruptcy. I still owe Sallie Mae for my ex-husband’s school loan as it was in my name.

My Mom and Step-Father are renting their house so moving in with them is not an option as there’s not enough room for another family and it wouldn’t be acceptable to their landlord. The housing authority in our area is not currently offering assistance and has closed the waiting list.

I know that I am accountable and responsible for all that I am, all that I do, and all that occurs to me and for me. I choose to stand firm in my choices and my direction. All of my decisions have been perfect as they have cleared the path for my own growth and coming home to compassion, non-judgment and love.

I made a commitment before Thomas and Lillian were born that I would be a full time Mom, that I would be with them until they entered school and I would be with them before and after school and during school breaks. I chose this path so that I could be there …. be there to answer life questions they have as they travel their own path. Questions and answers which I very often share with y’all on facebook and on my blog.

I am asking for:

  1. A $1.00 or $5.00 donation or
  2. **Hire me (see below) and
  3. Share this with everyone you know through facebook, twitter, pinterest, blogging, email newsletter subscribers, old fashioned mail, and word of mouth.

You can use the Paypal button or mailing address below:

[sdonations]1[/sdonations]

Mailing address is:
P.O. Box 19812
Reno, NV 89511

If we can get 15,000 people or more to donate $1.00 each, that would be a miracle indeed! Or if this blog post lands in front of the exact person that would benefit from hiring me, that would be a miracle too! The miracle of helping us to have a place to live … a home.

Mountains of blessings to everyone who is donating. My eyes are sweating and my heart overflows with love …

In just over week, your sharing and donations have come from and traveled the world. Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, Utah, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Missouri, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Wyoming, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand. I thank you from the depths of my soul and cannot wait until I have the opportunity to pay your acts of kindness forward! Thank you to my Jr High School friends, my Mississippi friends, my Chromosome 18 family, my Mississippi family, Nevada friends, facebook friends and people I don’t even know … Oceans of love and hugs to all y’all!!

I KNOW that everything is going to be okay. I KNOW that my kids and I will have the perfect home and living situation for us come January 1st.

I attempt to live my life from a place of love, compassion and non-judgment. If you are moved to help, I send you oceans of blessings and love. If this request for help angers you or brings forth negative feelings, I send you oceans of blessings and love. I don’t do drama. I don’t do confrontation. There is only love in my heart.

If you want to consider your donation as a loan, use my contact page to send me your address and you will receive the money back as I am able to pay. Browse through my blog posts and if you find something useful, perhaps you could consider it a tip for the content I provide.

**If you would like to hire me, check out my Work with Camilla page. I have a Paralegal Degree and 10 years of experience as a paralegal. I have been heavily involved in the digital world and blogging since 2007. I enjoy researching topics, creating solutions and writing about my discoveries. I’ve been involved in the special needs world since Lilian was diagnosed at age 3, back in 2004. My current passion is mindful, inspired and simple living. Perhaps you or someone you know would benefit from hiring someone to research topics and write blog posts?

I recorded a video for those who don’t know me personally …. so you can see the person behind these written words …

In addition, for those who don’t know me, I freely share my life, including my 2 children, via this blog and facebook.

I take Lillian to speech, occupational and physical therapy every Tuesday from 1:45-4:00. We lead a very simple life. We rarely eat out and when we do, it’s considered a wonderful treat! By choice we don’t own a television. We rarely attend events that have a fee. I am wearing the same clothes I’ve had before Lillian was born.

Most newer clothes I own have been gifted to me by friends or my Mom. I haven’t had a haircut in nearly 2 years. Thomas wears hand me downs from the neighbor next door. Bless them to pieces! They have two boys older than Thomas and pass along all of their clothes to us! My Mom and Step-Father help to keep Thomas and Lillian in clothes and shoes that fit them. They outgrow things so quickly!

For our entertainment we go for walks in nature, have outdoor picnics and visit parks. We don’t go on vacations. However, we do attend the yearly Chromosome 18 Conference with the help of grants or sponsorships. I make this into a vacation for us and Thomas and Lillian love it!

We do NOT feel deprived and do NOT feel as if we are missing out. We are HAPPY!

I spent last school year and the year before that working with Thomas to help him through some difficult challenges. I chose to stay focused on helping him so that we could address these challenges now rather than later. Between that and a change made at school, he is doing awesome. He loves school, loves his teacher, and loves learning.

Want to know even more about me before helping to create this miracle?

Read my blog posts here, read the blog posts on the 501(c)3 I founded with the slogan of Different iz Good, read my facebook posts (they are open to the public), visit our YouTube channel, and visit my kids’ websites, Thomas Darnell and Lillian Darnell. Lastly, visit the very first blog Lillian and I penned together titled Pink Elephant Books and our Team TLC website. We call ourselves Team TLC to correspond with the first letter of each of our names. You can also read my book. If you have an Amazon Prime account you can check it out from the Kindle library for free.

Below is an excerpt from my book:

” … Reflecting back, I now see that I do indeed have a vein of courage coursing through me. I know I can count on it to be there when I need to tap into it. In December of 2006, I made the decision to remove myself and my kids from the marriage I had been in for ten years. I was mentally exhausted! It took courage to go against my own morals and values. I believed that when I got married I should and would stay married. It took courage to remove myself and admit I had made a mistake.

The next two years took real courage to get through. It took courage to accept my decision and be at peace with being a single parent; courage to face that all assets and all debts were in my name; and courage to separate myself from my glowing credit score. I faced times when I could no longer pay the bills.

When I could no longer make my car payment, it took courage to have a going away party for our car, instead of the repossession being a somber, dreadful time. You see, when I mentioned to Lillian that someone would be coming to take our car she became upset and sad. She doesn’t like change. She likes things to stay familiar, to just be like they are supposed to be and always have been. I made the decision that we needed to turn this event into a celebration to clear the way for a new chapter. So that’s what we did. The afternoon before the “pick up,” Thomas, Lillian and I wore party hats, baked cookies, and listened to party music while cleaning out our car. We took pictures, we had fun, and all three of us accepted this event with a happy and smiling face.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do.” – Helen Keller

With Mountains and Oceans of Gratitude,
Team TLC
Thomas, Lillian and Camilla

For Chris Brogan, per the message sent on 12.16.13:

I Am An Artist

As I completely lean into writing and blogging, I am tweaking the website a bit to bring more clarity to the type of content one can expect to find here.

“Be Mindful … Super-sized thoughts with a wee bit of photographs, recipes and tips.” (And, possibly soon, some other type of art. We shall see where my experimentation leads with this.)

This website and blog bring together all the pieces of my life, like a snapshot. I am a writer, author, blogger, photographer, an artist, and a life coach. I am Mom to 8 year old Thomas and 12 year old Lillian. (**Update: Lillian is 14 years old now and Thomas is 9 years old.)

Lillian has a chromosome abnormality simply called 18p-. This means she is missing a piece of the short arm of chromosome #18. Her younger brother, Thomas, is an amazing and loving helper!

I love taking pictures with my mobile devices. Currently an iPhone 3G and a Samsung Galaxy Tab (mine is a Model gt-p3113). I purposely shoot all photos with these devices as I don’t choose to invest in a fancy camera and/or deal with and learn all the details involved and to show others we can easily and economically capture the beauty and awe of nature anywhere and anytime. (**Update: Now using an iPhone 4G and I have an instagram account for posting pictures as time allows … @camilladowns …)

I love writing about mindful, inspired, simple living as it relates to the choices I make, daily living, being a parent, experiencing nature and …. food.

I am inspired by this place I have chosen as our home … Reno, Nevada. When he was 7 years old, my son, Thomas, summed it up with one beautifully crafted comment. “It’s like we are at an art show and nature keeps changing the art for us.”

I freely and openly share my journey as I sail through life. The ups, the downs, the loop the loops. I have good days, I have bad days. I share in the hopes that you will find at least one nugget to take away and apply to your own life. My wish is that you become inspired, your own passion to simplify life is ignited, or a path to mindful living is illuminated.

I am available for freelance writing opportunities and guest blogging. I’m a life coach too! Contact me here to inquire further.

**Disclosure: I am not an expert on how anyone should be or could be living their life; except for my own …. and that’s only sometimes! I attempt to be non-judgmental and to allow others to BE! Go forth and BE MINDFULLY YOU!

(To help support my blogging I will include an Amazon link to items I use or you will see google ads from time to time. I LOVE sharing my journey and choices with you and this just helps to keep me going!)