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Calendar

Calendar- Coming Soon- of General Wellness Happenings...

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Got Wellness?

To Be Well or Not to Be Well
That is the Question

What is Wellness?

To Me,
Wellness Is
a Journey
Not A Destination

Wellness is
Allowing Our
Mind, Body & Spirit
to Be in
Harmony

Got Wellness?
Melanie R.
Wellness For You
August 10, 2008
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Got Hope?
 
Days of Our Lives
 
A Favorite Soap Opera of Mine for Many Years
 
I No Longer Watch Soap Operas
As I am Becoming More Mindful of the Reality of My Own Life
 
Joy, Pain, Survival, Commitment, Breakups,
Loss, Gain, Forgiveness, Courage, Drama, Peace, Hope
 
"Hope" was one of my Favorite Actresses on the show
 
As I look back, I believe I was drawn to her name "Hope"
 
In my own Soap Opera or Life Journey---
 
May I always see the Hope.
 
Got Hope?
 Melanie R.
Wellness For You
July 12, 2008
Louisville, KY

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Got Laughter ?
 
Research has found
 
Children Laugh 150 times a Day
Adults Laugh less than 6 times Day
 
Louisville Laughter Yoga Wellness Club
Established February 13, 2008
 
A Wellness Laughter Yoga Club
to help Adults tap into their inner laughter
 
Laughter is Universal, Unifying, Playful, Healing, Joyful.
 
Laughter is Essential.
 
Got Laughter ?
Melanie R.
Wellness For You
July 12, 2008

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Got Joy?
 
A Verse of A Song I used to
Sing As A Child States
 
"Joy Joy Joy Joy
Down In My Heart
Where?
Down In My Heart To Stay"
 
My Joy Got Buried Over the Years
 
Buried Beneath the Pain
Buried Beneath the Suffering
Buried Beneath the Hurt
Buried Beneath the Belief that I Shouldn't Have Joy
 
As I look back through My Childhood Photos
I See Clearly
 
the Joy In My Heart
the Joy in My Eyes
the Joy In My Smile
the Joy in My Spirit
 
Lately
I've Been Digging to the Bottom of My Heart
Digging To Find that Joy
 
That Joy that Never Left
But Has Been Buried
 
As I Go to the Bottom of My Heart
My Joy is There
 
In Fact There Is An Abundance
And Even Joy
I Can Spread To Others
And Share
 
As I Can See & Feel my Joy
More and More Everyday
 
I Make Daily Time to Find It
And  I Make More Time to Play
 
So My Joy Does Not Go Away
 
It's Hard to Dig For Joy
But It's There
At the Bottom of Your Heart
 
Why Not Find It Today ?
Or At Least Try To Start
 
JOY- Who is It For ?
 
It's For Every Woman, Every Man,
Every Girl and Boy
 
Got Joy?
Wellness For You First
Melanie R.
November 1, 2008

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Got Photos?
 
The Saying Goes...
 
A Photo is Worth A 1,000 Words...
 
Photos, Photos and More Photos
 
A Photo is A Glimpse of History
Allowing the Present Moment to Be Captured
 
Personally- I have so many Photos that
I don't know what to do with all of them
 
Some of My Favorite Photos Are
 
A Photo of Me as an Infant and My Mom Standing Next to Me
A Photo of Me and My Dad at Elvis Presley's- Graceland
A Photo of Me as a Toddler in a Bright Yellow Outfit
A Photo of Me Swimming with the Dolphins
 
Now, Most of My Photos are in A Box
Some are In Frames
Some are Posted Online
Some are Lost and Waiting to Be Found
 
Nowadays, I am focusing More on
Quality than on Quantity
 
Also, I am Focusing on Being in the Now
And Capturing the Memory Without A Photo
 
As I Simplify My Life and
Go Through Photos....
 
May I Be Reminded that-
If I have a Photo or Not...

The Memory Will Always 
Live Within Me
 
Got Photos?
Wellness For You First
Melanie R.
November 8, 2008

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Got Focus ?
 
The Question
I find asking myself often
 
Is What to Focus on First
 
So Many Things To Focus On
 
Some Things I Am Focusing On Are
 
My Aging/Ailing Father who lives in Another State
My Work and All that It Entails
My Home that Needs to Be Cleaned
My Neighbors Who Are in their 80's & 90's Who Live Alone
My Hobbies & Passions
My Family Across The Country
 
For Today
 
I Will Focus on Wellness For Me
 
For I Know
That I Can Only Do My Best
Focusing
On All those Other Things
 
When I Focus on Myself First
 
It's Been Awhile
Since I have Really
Focused On Me
So I Need To Remind
Myself What That Looks Like
 
For Now,
I Will Focus On

My Physical &
Mental Health
 
How Will You Focus on
Wellness For You First ?
 
Got Focus?
Wellness For Me First....
 
 
Got Focus ?
Wellness For You First
Melanie R.
November 9, 2008

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Got Poetry?
 
I always thought Poetry
was not For Me
 
How Could I Express
Myself So Freely?
 
Than One Day I just Began to Write
My Thoughts Within
 
And Creating Poetry-
I Would Begin
 
It's My Style and It May Not Be
Grammatically Correct
 
It's More about Expressing Who I am
Than Being Perfect
 
Write A Few Words Today To Express Who You Are
You Never Know-
It May Take You Far
 
Far Within the Depths of Your Soul
So All the Inner Voices Wont Take
Such a Toll
 
Wishing You Much Expression
From Your Heart
Why Not Try Poetry?
 
Today is A Good Day to Start
 
Got Poetry?
Melanie R.
Wellness For You First
November 12, 2008

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Got Emails ?
 
So Many Emails... So Little Time...
 
Dear Evan,
 
This is a Reply to Your Last Email to Me Dated October 12, 2008
 
Going back through my emails... I noticed that I did not reply to you...
 
If I would have known.....  it would have been your last email to me...
 
I definitely would have replied.....
 
Please Forgive Me...
 
Since that Email.... You had Unexpected Massive Heart Attack and Died...
 
At the Young Age of 42.
 
I found out the news of your sudden death by going to your Facebook Page to write you a Wall Post...
 
I even wrote on your Facebook wall without realizing what had happened....
 
I wrote on your Facebook Wall on November 22, 2008 the question....."How Are You?"
 
I saw a lot of posts on your walll that said "We will miss you man, I'm Sad-so sad, We will miss you, etc..... "
 
When I first glanced at your Facebook Wall- I thought you left your job because at one
 
time you talked about getting a new job.......
 
In your last ever email to me you wrote about how you had traveled to 24 countries
 
including Italy, France, Syria, Mexico, Scotland, Greece, Turkey, and so many others...
 
As I look back at some past emails..... I remember you... Remember You as a Beautiful person... Remember You as a Dear Friend...
 
On June 15, 2007- You wrote "Pictures from your birthday party are excellent. It appears you had
 
a great group of people there. I especially appreciated how the cake featured your classic line....
 
Wellness For You"
 
On June 16, 2007- You wrote in response to a poem to my friends that I included you in...
 
"The poems are great. Nice effort. Your creative juices are undoubtedly flowing over.
 
Thanks for such a well-crafted description for me. "
 
On November 17, 2007- You wrote "Thanks so much for writing. It's uplifting to hear from you.
 
I'm very sorry to be out of pocket for so long without touching base. No, I'm not married. It's
 
A reflection of my hectic job. Unfortunately, I'm not living a very healthy lifestyle these days.
 
Not exactly the ideal example of wellness living. I work and travel all the time... and haven't
 
had real vacation or time off.... I don't sleep much these days either."
 
On March 13, 2008-  You wrote ... "Sorry I haven't contacted you lately. I have been very busy.
 
I hope to attend one of your Laughter Yoga classes at some point. It sounds like so much fun.
 
I bet you are a great leader. Wellness to you my friend.."
 
On May 29, 2008- You wrote...."Greetings. Sorry it's taken so long for me to respond.
 
Thank you so much for your birthday invitation.... Happy Birthday and many more... Peace. "
 
On July 3, 2008- You wrote... "I am so sorry that I have not been in touch or answered your
 
previous emails. It's not been my intention to be unresponsive. I hope you will stay in touch.
 
I think highly of you and would like to continue our association. "
 
On July 5, 2008- You wrote regarding your visit to the hospital due to pneumonia ...
 
"My hospital visit was a wake up call. It was a horrible experience and a stark reminder
 
to take better care of myself. I have been eating better since...."
 
 
On July 6, 2008-   You wrote in regards to laughter yoga.... "I will try to make one of the
 
upcoming dates. Thanks for your concern about my health..... "
 
On July 26, 2008- You sent me a message on facebook... "It's good to be on Facebook.
 
You were the first person to write on my wall. "You will go down in History."
 
On October 12, 2008-   In your last ever email to me you wrote.... "On a negative note, I had
 
to put my dog and longtime friend to sleep... she was clearly suffering. On a happier note, I
 
checked out your laughter yoga website and it appears the classes have really taken off.
 
Congratulations. I know you are very dedicated to Wellness and those classes seem like
 
a perfect outlet...... . Thanks again for your email. It was nice hearing from you.
 
Stay in touch and be well. Take Care, Evan... "
 
On December 5, 2008-  
 
Dear Evan, I am writing in response to your last email to me on October 10, 2008.
 
Thank you so much for your friendship. I enjoyed the many conversations we had.
 
Your sudden, untimely death at the Young age of 42 has reminded me of many things:
 
1. If I want to email someone- Do it today. Do not delay as you never know what tomorrow brings.
 
2. Thank you for your kind words over the years we have known each other- Your words have always made a difference in my life.
 
3. If you have a passion- Go for it. Your dedication to travel always reminded me of my passion for travel.
 
4. Take care of your Health & Wellness today. Often times- we wait until tomorrow to take care of ourselves. Your un-timely death
reminded me to take care of myself TODAY....As I am the only one who can take care of myself.
 
5. Be Well. You have always known my user name as "Wellness For You".... One of your last words to me was "Be Well"
 
Today, I spend a moment in silence to remind myself how precious & short life is and remind myself what
 
"Be Well" means to me......
 
Wellness For You First :))))
 
Melanie
 
Got Emails?
(Dedicated to my friend Evan, 42,
who passed away on November 9, 2008)
Melanie R.
Wellness For You First
December 5, 2008

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Thank You

Thank You God for creating Me,
Thank You God for my sight and allowing me to See,

Thank You for allowing me to Write,
Thank You for my Height,

Thank You for the love in my Heart,
Thank You for always helping me get through the challenging times with a fresh Start,

Thank You for allowing me to Hear,
Thank You for close family and friends- whom I hold so very Dear,

Thank You for the pain that has helped me grow Strong,
Thank You for allowing me to forgive- even when I felt I was not Wrong,

Thank You for my automobile,
Thank You for the gift of touch and allowing me to Feel,

Thank You for my job that I have Today,
Thank You for my lightheartedness and the ability to Play,

Thank You for the abundance of opportunities that are all Around,
Thank You for my life journey- which has been quite Profound,

Thank You that I can read and I know my ABC's,
Thank You for my manners and the ability to say Please,

Thank You for the the warmth and comfort of my clothes- that I am wearing right Now,
Thank You for reminding me to have a grateful heart and showing me How,

Thank You for my income which allows me to pay my Rent,
Thank You for places that I can go to- when I need to cry and to Vent,

Thank You for my TV and my computer- which helps me stay connected to the world at Large,
Thank You for those things in life that are still free- with no financial Charge,

Thank You for all the choices in food that I am blessed with Everyday,
Thank You for reminding me of the hungry- who live in a much more challenging Way,

Thank You for the Oneness that connects us All,
Thank You for helping me get up- when I stumble and Fall,

Thank You for the sky which is so big and so Vast,
Thank You for this day of Thanksgiving- everyday of the year- please let it Last,

Thank You for the Animals and all the love which they Show,
Thank You for this year and the opportunities in which- have allowed me to Grow,

Thank You for allowing me to see the good- even when things look Bad,
Thank You for all my emotions- including angry, glad and Sad,

Thank You for my Body- which has varied from small, medium and large- at different throughout the Years,
Thank You for all the memories- love, laughter and Tears,

Thank You for Wholeness and Wellness- for all who read or hear this Poem,
Thank You for reminding them of the Love in their heart- a special place to call Home,

Thank You to everyone- whom I've had the opportunity to Know,
Thank You for allowing their Love and Gratitude in their lives- to continue to manifest and Grow.
 
Thank You
Melanie R.
Wellness For You
November 22, 2007

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