February has come and gone. Started the month in Haiti where it was 80 degrees and sunny in the mountains of Mizak returned to the NE US where we had 15 inches of snow and temps in single digits. It reminded me of how important it is to appreciate Everything. That deep snow = an opportunity for Snow Angels and quiet walking. A time for Reflections.

 

February was also a time for LOVE. I organized the 4th Annual Worldwide FREE HUGS event February 14th, Valentine’s Day. People in 60 cities in 22 countries joined us in sharing HUGS.  Due to a snowstorm, I didn’t get out of the house until 4pm.  I only had the chance to Hug 4 people at the hospital. But the numbers did not matter. It was the Connection that was Important. The child was trying to decipher my sign, and then it clicked. I hugged the 9 year old girl and her mother  Then we talked for nearly 30 minutes conversing with my dog puppet scarf. The little girl sang We Will Rock You. The mother shared her frustration with the close-mindedness of the area in which we live.  And then discovered WE were Open and we’d found each other. Free Hugs continues to create connections in ways far beyond anything I’d expected.

DREAMS:  Elsie Stokes Charter School in Washington DC invited me to share Dream Stories in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s’ I Have a Dream speech.

August 28th 2013, DC we stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial. I held my Free Hugs sign. He looked up at me with big brown eyes, smiling, “We hugged. We’re friends now right?” He grasped my hand and said, “Let us, you and me get our picture made in front of Mr. Lincoln.” I followed him up the steps. I was not sure if he realized the depth of meaning of his words as his small black hand wrapped around my larger white one. A Black boy and a White woman walking hand in hand up the steps on the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech. I asked him, “do you know what that speech was all about?” He looked serious. “Yes, we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by what we do. Our actions are important.” Then he smiled pulling me up the last step in front of President Lincoln larger than life. “Mr Lincoln would be happy.” His mother took the photo. Indeed. Mr Lincoln would be happy and Dr. King, too.

CONNECTING: February was all about Connecting across culture, heart to heart and through our Dreams. What are YOUR dreams and how will you use them to connect?

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