For my Dad..

A little Sinatra & Armstrong --

"They heard the breeze in the trees singing sweet melodies and they made that the start of the blues."



"They nursed it, they rehearsed it, and in the Southland they gave birth to the blues."

Have a great one!

Excerpt from Mel's new work...

I AM A MAGNIFICENT WOMAN

An ancient melody calls us
To the awareness of who we are

Infinite heart
Infinite Love
Infinite peace
Fierce compassion
Ultimate power

I am a Magnificent Woman

I will not fall asleep in the hour of our greatest need
I will not fall asleep because it is too painful to bare witness
I will not fall asleep because I don’t think I can handle it
I will not fall asleep because it is all too much

I reclaim the energy of creation
I open up to new possibilities
I am an active and purposeful participant
I own my gifts
And use them

I am a magnificent woman

I call on the teachers of the past
I call on the hearts and spirits of those women who were burned for their beliefs
Those women willing to lose their life in service of the truth
I call on our sisters and mothers and grandmothers and our daughters
I call on the Mary’s and Barbara’s and Sally’s
I call on the birth right of the feminine
I call on all the angels awaiting our cry
I call on everything now and forever

I will
Give birth
To what wants to be born

I am a Magnificent Woman

I was not alone in the hour of my greatest agony
I was not alone when I needed help in taking the steps forward
I was not alone when I didn’t think I could go one
I was not alone when I needed to take action

I am not alone now that I remember the truth

I am a Magnificent Woman

I am not a slave to my past
I will not be silent
I will not be polite
I will not stay quiet

I see the pain that is all around me
I see the homeless growing in numbers on the streets where I live
I see children suffering and hungry
Hungry for food, hungry for education, hungry for love
I see people clouded by fear and hate
Disheartened by the sheer complexity of problem and difference of opinion

I see wise older souls with so much
I see beautiful children glowing in their light
I see love extending like brilliant sunshine
I see connection and honesty and integrity

I miss nothing
I see everything
I bare witness to it all
The soaring and the suffering
I rejoice in the sheer beauty of what will be

My eyes are wide open

I will not squash the pain I feel
I will not succumb to my disbelief
I will not hide from my depression
I will not disavow my anger

I will not turn away

I will expand the love I feel within
And if I don’t yet feel the love within
I will expand my sense of connection
I will be a bridge to hope
I will let humanity sing

I am a Magnificent Woman

I will not be worried that my crying will start and never end
I will stand in my tears and claim the truth
I will remember tears are a gateway to an open heart
I will feel hurts with compassion and rejoice in possibilities
I will let my tears flow freely
I will cry about what needs to be cried for
And when the tears stop
I will make any change necessary

I will not stand by while what I know is crushed and silenced
I will speak out loud
I will not let fear rule or fuel my actions
I will let love lead the way
I will experience the glory in all things

I will move into the deeper conversation
I will not need an answer
I will live the question

I will own what I know
I will be who I am
I will remember the truth
I will call on those around me
To join together
In celebration

I will quite simply -- grow up
Answering the call of my being
To wake up
The healing and nourishing spirit
Of my birthright

I am

A Magnificent Woman

Come cry with me

And when We are done

We will

Rise up

Fully awake

Aware

In

What

Needs

To

Be


I am a Magnificent Woman



Let this be my battle cry

For salvation


Excerpted from I am a Magnificent Woman...

Donate and receive your copy of I am a Magnificent Woman here.

I am a Magnificent Woman - promo

Buy your copy of Melanie Lutz's I am a Magnificent Woman! $10

email info@alwaysalice.com with questions.

Awaken into the "Fierce Urgency of Now."

TURN UP THE LOVE

The deepest form of Community is to join with a brother in a purpose higher than your own. Let today be a reminder there is much to be done and bust out the Love, open your heart and turn up the volume to an eleven.

Martin Luther King's words from his historic "I Have A Dream" speech reveal more than a dream, his opening remarks offer up a deep truth and a reminder that the moment is now, not tomorrow, not next week, now as we move into this generations era of global transformation.

"We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

The issue of equal rights is part of a larger statement about human rights. About the practice of humanity. Martin Luther King Jr's dream exploded and became reality.

It is time to practice the principles of Non Violence in the pursuit of a global practice of humanity.

On the planet today there are one billion people who live in poverty. Who struggle to feed themselves and their families.

THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

When a brother is in trouble, we are all in trouble.

Hiding in the bosom of the cult of culture is not going to do it. No more living in the delusion of separation and being different. No more blinders. It is time for the truth. Recognizing our commonalities. Recognizing our note in the song of the universe enabling the harmony of our practice of humanity, that connection we yearn for to truly resonate. Until all of us on this planet are peaceful, none of us can experience true happiness.

Starting here. Starting now. Make a choice to practice being human. Make your "fierce urgency of now" flourish in brilliance and connection and Love.

If you are interested in joining our WE HEART GIVING FOUNDATION email us at info@alwaysalice.com.

Brought to you by:
Mel's "We Heart Giving" Foundation

EARTH DAY & THE BARE MEL

A little Earth Love...

From the All Things Mel archives --

Pulitzer Prize Winner Thomas Friedman talks passionately on Meet The Press about his new book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America."



Check it out!

Green is the new red, white and blue....

archive link.. http://alwaysalice.blogspot.com/2008/09/viva-la-energy-revolution.html


From the All Things Mel archive --

An article reminiscing about a simpler time Stick and a Fence...

From the All Things Mel events listings --

THE BARE MELCESSITIES
GET THE JUNK OUT OF YOUR TRUNK RECYCLING EVENT

May 15th WeHo City Hall!

9 am – 3 pm
West Hollywood City Hall
8300 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
City Hall Parking Lot just south of
Santa Monica Boulevard at Sweetzer Avenue

Get your Bare ON and get rid of it!

It's easy to be green. It only takes a moment.

Get the Junk Out of Your Trunk

May 15th
9 am – 3 pm
West Hollywood City Hall
8300 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
City Hall Parking Lot just south of
Santa Monica Boulevard at Sweetzer Avenue

GET YOUR JUNK OUT OF YOUR TRUNK

The Bare Mel recycling event...

Whatever is cluttering up your life.

It's time to Rejuvenate your spirit.

Let Your Truth Blossom!

The soul knows where it belongs. Not some of the time. All of the time. When you strip everything away and get bare this fact sings.

It doesn't matter what path you choose, what form the exploration, just that you remove any blocks and keep yourself open. Your life to date, the pain and wounds, joy, laughter and Love, ALL the Love... You can use as a road map of how to find your way back to the space that knows. That lives in eternal joy and peace. That flourishes in a warm embrace.

Like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz when she says "Why didn't you tell me all I needed to do was click my heals three times to go home?" to which the Good Witch responds "You never would have believed me." I remember thinking as a kid, "Mother F-er ... Would have been good to know."

How much easier would life be if we skipped the drama (and those harried flying rabid attack monkeys?)

Choose to see things differently and take any light bulb moment of truth to change the story you've created. To get help. To share yourself. To move from fear to love, from insecure to joyful, from ill will to well wishes. You can choose in this moment to open yourself up to the possibility of being happier today than you were yesterday, to be the change necessary so you are delivered from whatever your current circumstance into peace and Love. Simply by choosing to be awake.

Believe it. Have faith in the beautiful process of nature and the seasons in our lives.

Today. Right now. I'm giving you a free pass. A pass to forgive yourself and anyone you have been carrying a hate on for. As you read this -- allow forgiveness to be understood and accepted and make the "journey (without distance) from your head to your heart." Notice I'm saying without distance, not without resistance. I get that upsets will come, people will trigger you. Don't let it take you down to Chinatown around and around the yellow brick road. No matter what comes your way, you will always have access to your center, just as Dorothy did, you can click your heals three times, take a breath and go directly home.

Release the past. The future has no business today and be willing to have the truth, your truth Lovingly blossom.

FIND YOUR INNER POWER

"Soul Force" is not about next week. It is about right now!

Call or email Heather Rem to get a free 30 minute Inner Power "Soul Force" coaching session.

email -- heather@innerpowercoaching.com
phone -- 310-505-0743

check out her website www.innerpowercoaching.com

Today's Get Bare Tip - Love Big!

Go Higher. Give Deeper. Love Endlessly.


Let each step forward reveal something beautiful and gracious and Loving.


ps. I do not have a Panda in my back yard.

I AM ANGRY

I am not going to deny it.

Dishonesty dishonors. Period. End of story.

I am tired of watching the feast of ego parading around in front of me.

A spotlight is being cast on the things that aren't working so they can be addressed, atoned and freed, bringing everything up and out of the shadows for a Love filled healing so we can experience the Truth.

There is no more hiding. There will only be healing.

I will no longer tolerate the loss of personal integrity.

I will no longer tolerate degrading behavior.

While I do not have the answer to the complex web of societal issues, I do know this, I can practice personal peace of mind.

I will no longer turn a blind eye to behaviors that cause harm
Feigning shock when harm ensues.

I will join together in a practice of humanity in my own house.
I will hold myself in high regard.
I will own what I know.

When a brother stumbles I will extend a hand of support.
I will offer respect and grace in every moment.

For the next 30 days I’m going to listen deeply to what needs to be honored. And I am going to honor it. I am going to cherish my friends and family. I am going to remember the truth of the human spirit in all its glory.

I will not settle for less.

Join me in this practice for 30 days and report back.

Listen to your Heart

Jewish lyricist Yip Harburg once commented, “A song is the pulse of a nation’s heart, a fever chart of its health. Are we at peace? Are we in trouble? Do we feel beautiful? Are we violent? Listen to our songs.” It also relates to you, your pulse. What songs are you hearing now? What song is crying out to be heard?

When you start listening and step onto the path of uncovering your Soul's call you start hearing and articulating things you did not want to know, and it can be overwhelming. Let your song be your guide. The soul's siren song is always broadcasting and could care less about your plans. The soul doesn't make any distinctions between light and dark, doesn't care about pain or heartache, and absolutely doesn't want to hear what you think you should be doing.

Listen to the simple sounds of you.

Nothing complicated. There is no act required that is beyond your capabilities. There is only and always the simple principle, the simple sound of your Truth. Again, it might not be something you want to hear, you may have been tuning it out, but the journey lies in that Truth. How we choose our actions amplify the radical edge of the tune lifting ourselves beyond current circumstances, carrying us into the uplifting tides of tomorrow.

Give yourself, your partner, your family a gift. Focus on your song. In doing this you give the gift of letting them be different today than they were yesterday.

Take today and make it yours.

Fill it with Love and joy.

Andiamo!

Happy Easter!

Enjoy a little Pat Benatar and Martina McBride on this beautiful Sunday.




Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Roll that stone away~!

It's Independence Day!

Inner Power Your Way to Greatness!

FIVE HOT TIPS TO CREATE INNER POWER NOW

Not tomorrow. Right now.

Los Angeles based transformational coaching specialist Heather Rem of Inner Power Coaching shares ...

1. Be Your Biggest Fan!

It may seem awkward at first, but congratulate yourself daily on the things that you do that make you proud. It could be as small as being on time to a meeting or as big as getting a promotion at work. Smile, get enthusiastic and pump up your energy level to really say, I’m good at what I do, I’m a great friend, an amazing Mom or Dad etc. Be your own cheerleader, not your biggest critic.

2. Remember, You are doing the Best You Can

How many times have you said to yourself that you should have done something better or different? We have attendency to beat ourselves up for not doing our best when really we are always doing our best at any given moment. Sure, maybe we could have said something different or changed our reaction to something, but in the moment with all of the elements involved at that time we truly are doing the best we can. When you walk away from a situation feeling uncomfortable or awkward, say to yourself, “I’m doing the best I can”. This will help alleviate the anxiety you feel around a situation and help you to give yourself a break!

3. Don’t Judge Yourself, Don’t Judge Others

Judging can really take away the positive way we look at ourselves and others. Remember that to really love yourself, you have to look within at all of the wonderful things you have to offer yourself and others and not out at the world constantly judging yourself against others. When you find yourself looking at your friends co-workers etc. wishing you were more like someone try telling yourself to “stop judging” and say something nice about yourself. If you are judging someone else negatively, say something nice to yourself about them. Even if you just look at them and hope that they will find their way to be a better person. We don’t really know what is going on in anyone else’s lives, but our own. The next time you see that beautiful, skinny woman, happily married couple, successful businessman and wish your life was more like theirs, remember that you don’t know what the level of their true happiness is and concentrate on what makes you happy.

4. Give Back

Each day, do one thing for someone else without expecting anything in return. Write a list of what you think that your “gifts” are as a person and start sharing them to help others. The more that you give back without expecting something in return, the more you will receive. Watch your life take on new meaning and purpose!

5. Be Thankful

At least once everyday take a moment to say to yourself or write down what you are thankful for in your life and what you are thankful about yourself as an individual. Gratitude is the best way to start to allow you to truly create your own InnerPower.

Let us know how it turns out!