June, the month that honors the rose, is winding down. So before we begin July, let's take a few moments to look at the creative ways the Treasure Styles use roses!

See the June 18 entry below for a Free downloadable Ode to the Rose eBook.

Diamonds may have an heirloom vase that has been passed down through the family to display these treasures. It could be a crystal bud vase or a vase large enough to hold an entire dozen! We can be certain that the Diamond will display their roses with elegance and flair, and with a reverence and appreciation for the flower and the memories it holds.

Amethysts, always creating an over the top experience, are the treasure most likely to make a statement in excess! They may fill the room with roses! They may send seven bouquets, one every hour, to celebrate their seventh anniversary! The Amethyst may carpet an entire floor - or bed - with roses! They may decide to get a rose tattoo or have rose colored streaks in their hair!

Rubies are most interested in feelings, and love variety in types of flowers as well as colors, fragrances and textures.  They might gather a few roses from their garden and combine them with other flowers and herbs, writing a poem about the bouquet and the floral symbolism. They are the treasure most likely to sprinkle the unsprayed petals in a salad.They might also make a quilt honoring the rose!

The Emerald is the most succinct of the treasures. They use few words, yet can make a grand sweeping gesture in simplicity. They will take the time to research the most appropriate color for the statement they want to make and deliver one flower, abundant with symbolism and meaning.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy roses is to "Take the Rose Instead", a beautiful way to lose weight and begin to live a healthy, beautiful life style, one rose at a time!  Simply pick up a rose when you enter the grocery store and put it in your cart to remind you that you are beautiful and you deserve fresh, healthy foods, low in fat, salt and sugar. Remember, if you don't take unhealthy food home with you, you won't eat it! And when you return home, the rose will continue to remind you to make choices that are best for you!

Today I came face to face with a Cedar Waxwing on a low hanging branch. He is a member of the cardinal family and has always been one of my favorites. 

The waxwing reminds us that change and transformation can occur gently, with his mask which represents transformation. His crest represents awakening wisdom. He shows us how to awaken gentleness as a true virtue in our lives.

Live your dreams now, _______________________ (insert your name here) , to any degree that you can. 
With every purchase. 
Every decision. 
Every hello and goodbye. 
Every assignment. 
Every conversation. 
Every meal. 
Every morning, afternoon, and evening. 
And never, ever, ever look back. 
Reframe every thought, word, and deed from the perspective of the person you've always dreamed you'd be, 
as if your life was already as you've always dreamed it would be. 
Die to yesterday's illusions and be reborn to the truth of your vision. 

And let's just see if you can handle the torrent of treasures I send your way. 

Your greatest admirer, biggest fan, and truest friend - 
    The Universe

_______________________ (insert your name here)  thrilling you is what I live for!

Today's treasure is the gift of choice. 

Being aware of the people, places and things that make us smile and feel energized is an internal gift that is often undervalued. This priceless internal barometer can move us toward health  beauty, peace and happiness, or depression and despair. The choices we make every day create the quality of our lives. 

Years ago I realized that my essence - our essence - is our energy - our shakti. Our choices determine whether our energy will increase or decrease. At that time in my life, more things were draining my energy than increasing it. Deficit based thinking was the framework of my world. I was mired in working with drug, alcohol and tobacco addiction, adjudicated youth, the homeless, and people in prison. Working to repair broken people seemed much more important than the work I had done previously to build asset based foundations through my job as a training director for the Girl Scouts. 

It was spilling into my personal life as well. I spent more time watching television than exercising, moving, and creating and living my own life. I was mired in media manipulation - concerned about aspects of the news and politics that were actually smoke and mirrors. The real issues weren't even on my radar screen. Media manipulation from big businesses making money through our ignorance and emotional response keeps us politically divided, angry and malcontent. 

I even began to study and train courses on how media is used to lead us to self defeating choices. I did lectures on the techniques used to make us feel bad about ourselves in order to sell us everything from bottled water, purses and politics. My mind was becoming murky and contaminated because I was focusing on the ugly instead of the oasis of beauty in my life.

Poor choices began to have an impact on my body image, and my health. I was eating for entertainment or to relieve stress instead of using food as fuel. Now I silently consider, "What is the value in what I'm eating? is there protein, calcium? Are their vitamins and minerals?"

Choosing beauty will often lead us to vitamins and nutrients. Natural vibrant colors - ruby red strawberries and tomatoes, deep orange apricot, vibrant greens in endive, basil, spinach and kale. A rainbow on your plate will ensure an abundance nutrients!

Conversely, the three white powders - sugar, salt and flour - are best avoided. Not only are they empty calories, but they can have a damaging impact on our health. I recently watched a lovely woman eat a huge lumpy biscuit covered in butter.  All I could think of was clogged arteries and cellulite!  

Fortunately, I returned to my focus on some of the lessons I had embraced in Girl Scouting. I was introduced to the Search Institute, Dr. Peter Benson's 40 Assets for Youth, and the Healthy Communities movement, and was hired as the director of Capital Region Health Futures. I began to focus on assets instead of deficits. Every aspect of my life changed. I created a manifesto, a work in progress, to post and remind me of the power of my choices and the impact they have on the quality of life. 

Recently there have been some frustrations in my life and the lives of dear friends and family. Having a manifesto, or the recipe for our dreams as Mike Dooley recommends, can keep us focused on blessings and assets, even more needed during challenging times. You are a miracle and deserve the very best! Wishing you beautiful, healthy choices!

June is national rose month and so in her honor please enjoy this e-book. It is overflowing with information on the incomparable rose - legend. lore and language! 

Dear friends Shayla and Lisa arrived Friday afternoon with hearts over flowing, literally! Shayla baked three heart shaped desserts - brownies, a coffee cake and a huge heart shaped chocolate chip cooke with a smile!

We spent the evening catching up, then woke early on Saturday to head to the National Harbor in Washington D.C. to volunteer to help inventor Dwayne Szots set up for his Zot art program, featuring adaptive art tools for children with disabilities. The hotel staff covered the area with plastic sealer and then we laid six 50 yard strips of heavy paper plus canvas to create a palette for the kids to paint and play!

Wheel chair wheels were taped to protect them from the paint and the children were sent into magical space to blow bubbles, spin pinwheels and paint with Dwayne's adaptive toys strapped to their chairs with velcro. 

The children chose shapes and letters, which were glued into strips, then taped to rollers that they could control with their chairs. As the day progressed, layers of yellow, orange and pink paint covered the canvas. Darker colors were added in moderation at the end of the day and the resulting creation was spectacular. More to come!

We had a delightful group for our tour at Ladew Gardens! There is something so precious about spending time in nature with people interested in herbs and learning. 

The group is from the Renaissance Institute at Notre Dame University of Maryland and this was one of the Summer in the City activities. Even though school is out for the summer, the learning and camaraderie continue!