Janis Martin, one of the brightest lights on the planet, will be leaving soon to continue her soul’s journey. Last week she posted an invitation to "My Celebration of Life" to feel the love. Janis has been a mentor, teacher, coach, counselor, and all around loving advocate for so many throughout her lifetime. So grateful to be a part of her tribe and surround her in love and for the chance to feel her sparkle one more time.

I was lucky enough to work with Janis as my mentor and coach at a critical point in my life, as I was certain it was impossible to live, survive, and thrive without a big corporate job and all the trappings that come with it.

Janis was and is the voice of loving clarity and possibility, and she is a tremendous teacher in creating a life you love, starting from wherever you are . I am incredibly grateful for the realization that I am living the ideal life now as I defined it in my Janis homework from 8 years ago, which of course I found today.

I am so delighted and honored to have shared the planet with you and feel incredibly lucky to have you in my life. You have touched so many in ways you cannot imagine, and your energy and spirit are so appreciated and will be deeply missed.

I love you Janis, and know you are surrounded in peace, luscious light, and love, with huge smiles, as you continue on to the next phase of this crazy life journey.

by Dr John Talevich

At the beginning of May, I found myself in Seattle participating in Antioch University's 35th Gala. My daughter-in-law, Jessica, is an intern in their art therapy program and had asked me to design a mandala for the faculty to construct at the event; she also asked if I might have a few pieces of art to submit to the art show. Having said yes to both requests, here I was, surrounded by some 400 folks and having a good time celebrating the university's success. The Susan Wallis-designed art form which was used in the faculty event became a stunning piece of work, now belonging to the school's permanent collection and on display at the university.

As the evening wore on, and the crowds began to dwindle, I was face to face with a young lady of a certain age (I don't want to insult her) who may well still be playing with dolls. She asked me with clear eyes and a clearer intent: "Is that yours?" pointing to a piece called Piggyback Frog, I said, "Yes, that's one of mine," She continued, "It's my favorite," while her eyes widened. "Well," I replied, "if it doesn't sell by the end of the show in a month, you can have it. How about that?" Her mother soon came up and asked me if, in fact, I said what she'd been told. "Yeah, that's what I told her." I gave them my card and told them to call me when the show was over. I did not think further about getting a call.

Well into the first weeks of June, I had heard nothing. Then - a call on my office machine: "Hi John, this is Ruby - do you remember at the … (mother’s voice in the background: “Antioch art show”) … yeah, when we were talking about (Mother again: “your art piece”) … and you said if it didn’t sell that you would (Mother: “talk about it”) …yeah and our number is …. bye”. Wait!! Don’t hang up! I can’t make out that number!!

A looong pause later, Ruby's mother got on the line and added, "Hi Dr. John, this is Ruby's mom, Amy, and we met you at the Gala art show. We were wondering if the piece had sold. We hope for your sake that it has, but if not, well, Ruby has thought about it every day since the show, she just loves that piece! Would you give us a call? Our number AGAIN is ----. Bye!"

A few days later, I was able to contact Amy and shortly thereafter, the piece was picked up. It now resides where, I suspect, it was always intended to be~ deep within little Ruby's heart.

mom

I just returned from a sort of retreat where we were asked to identify our core values, strengths, etc., and my "aha” moment was that creativity has been a consistent thread in all areas and stages of my life.

I was encouraged from an early age to be a creative free spirit by both my parents, and I was a daily witness to the joys of creative bliss from my mom.

The evolution and cycles of her creative exploration and mastery range from a pottery studio in our garage where she taught and whipped out an endless array of dishes, vases and slab art to making three guitars from scratch and then learning to play them. When mom was studying interior design, our dining room table became the hub of the house as she built impeccable 3D scale models of houses and assorted other things.

I always had the best, most perfectly detailed dioramas for my book reports, and the book "Free to be You and Me” was my childhood manual, and I still value and appreciate the lesson and philosophy today.

I am sure I don't tell you enough. Mom, I love you, and I appreciate and am so grateful for the gift of creativity and inspiration you have blessed me with—much more than you will ever know.

Happy Mothers day

Peter

What a wonderful opportunity for one to be able to express one's gratitude to the world and be inspired by others. I'm grateful for everything, as follows:

God

Every day is a gift. I'm grateful to God for my Life, as the Source, for Love, for the Spirit, for the miracle of Creation, the Gift of vision, and the Power for creativity. Thank you God for air to breathe, plants for food, and the beauty and resources of mother Earth-oceans, flowers, trees, and animal.

Humans

My Mother. I'm eternally grateful to my beloved mother for giving me birth, for loving me unconditionally when I couldn't love myself, for carrying me when I couldn't carry myself, and for carrying me when I couldn't carry myself. Mother, I miss you. I try to be strong; I try to hide the pain of your loss from the world, but I cry in secret. Mother, I cry for you everyday-everyday. Why did you leave us so soon? You died young, but you never die. Your spirit lives on forever. I carry you in my heart. I see your face everyday. Though invisible, I know you are with me always. You spirit guide me and I'm grateful. Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for forgiving my errors-even before I ever asked. I love you, Dear Mother.

My Father. I'm grateful to my father for his love, discipline, protection, provisions, and for the gift of education. Dad, thank you for sending me to school. Thank you for paying the fees, for buying those books, uniforms, and shoes.

My Teachers-Thank you for teaching me how to read and write!

Friends and Kind Strangers

I'm grateful for the generosity of friends and kind strangers in America. I came to America with nothing. I knew nobody. But kind strangers carried me on their wings. They fed and housed me. I'm deeply grateful for their trust and hospitality which led to my success in this great country. Several dozens of children are getting help in my village because of them. If they hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to reach out to my village. Thank you friends for the gift of your love-a gift that keeps giving!

Michelle McKee

I'm grateful for the gift and wisdom of Michelle McKee. Thank you for creating this avenue for me to share my gratitude with the world. May God give you more visions and prosper your work. Gratitude heals. This is an amazing initiative that can change the world. I'm honored to be a part of it.

Experiences

I'm grateful for disappointments, they lead to better things. When I was denied a visa for Britain, I got one for the U.S. When my used car was stolen, I bought a brand new one.

America

I'm grateful for the privilege of living in America. Thank you America for the freedom, resources, and opportunity to create and make a difference in the world. I love you, America!

Peter Opagrateful at 42

Alan Lemire Places like this take my breath away. The natural world when examined closely, is far superior to anything that man can design or manufacture. Some places like Yosemite, can be overrun with people. Others like the place in this image, are little known  and well protected. Regardless I am grateful for the opportunity to be stopped in my tracks by something magnificent.Grateful at 47