Saturday, October 30, 2021

Mr Rogers Won't You Be My Neighbor

 Mr. Fred Rogers


Mr. Rogers lived an Inspired Life.  Inspiration or In Spirit is what Mr. Rogers embodied every day of his life.  He was at Dartmouth College but transferred to Rollins College in Florida to study music.  He married his college sweetheart Sara/Joanne and headed off to work in television ultimately landing in Pittsburgh close to his hometown of Latrobe, PA.  Home to fellow soul mate Arnold Palmer. 

Fred Rogers dedicated his life to educating and entertaining children and parents.  He is an ordained minister that has a deep abiding faith and his main desire was to simply spread kindness throughout the world. 

Fred and Sara are soul mates that raised two sons and enjoyed playing together on their Steinway piano. When they sat down for dinner every night they began with a beautiful prayer;

Come, Lord Jesus, be thou our guest
Our morning joy, our evening rest. 
And with thy daily bread impart,
Thy love and peace to every heart.

Fred spent a lifetime and beyond nurturing children and helping to build strong loving families.  Let's use his example to build our own loving families that will go out and spread his wonderful message of 

Loving Kindness!

Thank you Mr. Rogers and Thank You Sara.  God Bless. 

With Love,


Coach K

Be At Peace

 Peace

In the Land of Ten Thousand Things  the important thing to know is that everything comes through God.  

Are we human beings have a spiritual experience or divine beings having a human experience. 

We are made in the image of God. We are infused with God's breathe and are part of God family.  When we acknowledge our divine essence we live from our highest selves.  We are at peace and one with the Universe. We live in harmony and life unfolds gently and in time like a blooming flower. 

All the non essential things fade away and we are peace in God's love. There is no doing, no business, no to do list.  Those earthly things tugging at us that must be done will all be done in God's time. 

No need to pull at the shoots as my friend and mentor Dr. Wayne Dyer likes to say.  The tomato will grow on its own with a little sunshine and water.  All we need to do is plant the seed. 

As Lao Tzu once said, "Respect for All Living Things, Gentleness, Supportiveness, LovingKindness. 

This is the Path.  And said another way God will Light our paths. 

Give up our need to judge, to divide.  See God in all of his brilliant disguises.  We are One. All infused with the Divine Essence.  And we must help each other experience the glory of God within each of us. 

With Love,

Coach K

Friday, October 29, 2021

Heal Yourself

 Health and Healing


We have been blessed with our miraculous bodies.  We of course know the benefit of good nutrition, exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and water.  But how about our minds, thoughts, and attitudes.  Our we positive, expectant, hopeful, joyful, and grateful. 

We need to replace the prevalent negativity in our society and world with the positive, hopeful world that we are truly blessed to live in on a daily basis.  We need to remember that each day, each moment is a gift, a blessing that is to be cherished.  The universe is a friendly omnipotent force when we are in harmony with that energy.  When we respect Mother Earth and the universe beyond we can reap her blessings. 

Turn the negative news off and replace it with a Mozart sonata, a Beethoven symphony, or Vivaldi concerto.  What we feed our minds and hearts is more important than what we feed our bodies. 

The violent shows, movies, sports, reality tv, negative news, video games need to be banished from our personal existence and replaced with uplifting experiences.  A hike in the woods, a bike ride,  a mountain trail, a swim, and physical activity that gets us moving and the blood flowing! All of these healthy alternatives that supercharge our health and well being. 

We need to feed our bodies the good stuff and starve it of the bad stuff especially if our health is compromised.  

Here is a good start:
  • A wellness mindset and attitude. We must remember that with God all things are possible.  Including our healing.  Put your faith in this concept, Pray for health and well being. Expect and believe. And ask for God's help.
  • No alcohol.  Alcohol is a toxin and wreaks havoc on the body in excessive quantities.
  • No fast food or junk food. Our bodies need good nutrition to get back in balance.
  • Quiet. Meditation and prayer.  Your mind and body need to get back in balance. Limit stress. 
  • Visualize and affirm your health and well being.  Affirm I am healthy, I am strong, I am Love and so on.  Every accomplishment begins with a thought and idea.
  • Reconnect with Nature. Back to the sun, woods, mountains, and oceans. The wellspring of Life.
  • Turn up the Faith. Turn down the fear. Our bodies have a wonderful ability to regenerate if we just allow it to happen.  The Liver which is the body's cleansing organ has the ability to regrow even after being abused by alcohol.  If we would just stop poisoning ourselves and self inflicting our health. Yes we can. 
  • The power of prayer.  Ask for your healing, your recovery, your restoration, and ask your friends and love ones to join in the cause.  With that power we can move mountains. 
  • We remain Grateful for all that shows up in our lives. Nature and our bodies tell us that we need to get back in balance.  When balance is restored we are restored. Stay humble and grateful. 

For those of you that are able and of course in consultation with your Dr. 

FAST! 

 Fasting is the number one way to help your body renew, regenerate, and restore.  The studies show how when we are in a fasting state and not laden down with our constant eating of empty calories and junk food, that the body will cleanse itself and begin releasing the wonderful hormones of testosterone, human growth hormone, and IGF.  There are some fantastic YouTube videos documenting the benefits of Intermittent Fasting and I encourage you to investigate for yourself. 

My experience has been that fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8 is a tremendous way to boost your health and well being and get back to your ideal body weight.  We know that the U.S has become out of balance with our nutrition and we can reverse the obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other self inflicted ailments like Alcoholism with better overall eating habits. 

We don't need to give up all the wonderful foods we enjoy. But we do need to moderate. 

Let us begin on the road to Wellness, to Abundance, to Vitality, to a long healthy life filled with joy, love and happiness. 


To Your Health!


Coach K


Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The Word

 The Word

In the beginning was the Word.  And the word was with God. And the word was God. John 1:1

Our words are important.  Our language is important. 

The words we use define us and shape us.  

Our words have Power. 

Use your language to assist you.  Speak of hopeful expectation, of abundance, of health and well being, of all the good things you plan to do and receive. 

We can use words and language to affirm and attract all that we desire.  

A simple sentence stating:

I am healthy
I am at peace
I am abundant
I am love 
I am good
I am generous
I am kind
I am patient

These high energy words and thoughts infuse our life with a knowing that all is well and everything we need will arrive in good time. 

We are magnets and our words help attract what we desire.  Use the Spiritual principles that have worked throughout millennia to create the life you deserve.

With Love,


Coach K


Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Judgement Let Go

 Judgement


Let it go! When we give up our need to judge we let go of so much frustration, anger, and stress.  The need to always be right, to have others think as we think, to put someone down because they're different is totally needless and wasteful.  We all came from the same Source the same Loving Divine energy.  We are all part of the human forest, one ecosystem, what happens to one of us happens to all of us. 

That's why we see an injustice we rally to correct it, when we see a disaster our generosity is unlimited. 

We are One!

Let go of the negativity toward others, it's probably just a reflection of our own shortcomings anyway. When we judge a book by the cover we miss out of some great reads and fantastic books!

Be Open
Be Kind
Be Gentle
Be Support 
Be Loving

Be Yourself!

With Love,

Coach K

Feed Your Mind & Your Body

 The Mind

Your mind is your direct connect to God, to the Universal Force, to Peace, Tranquility, and Harmony. 

These powers are your best friends.  But you must first welcome them!

How? 

Just like the body that excels on good nutrition, exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and rest.  The mind must be fed the proper nutrition.  Wholesome entertainment, good music, quiet, silence, and rest also. When we subject ourselves and our minds to constant violence be it TV, movies, music, video games, and constant electronics we rob ourselves of the peace and quiet we need to perform at our best. 

Turn it down,  Better yet Turn it off.  The constant stream of negative news must be ignored NOW! We can stay up to date on current events without the barrage of negativity. 

The universe has progressed throughout the millennia and will continue to do so despite what all the experts predict.  Bad news sells but hears the Good News we don't have to buy!

There is a better way.  See out books, news, music, art, and people that inspire you, support you, and love you.  Seek comfort is good spiritual teachings be it the Bible or other good books.  Our Angels are out there waiting to lend a hand, lift us up, and help us to achieve anything we desire. 

All we have to do is Ask.  Ask and it shall be given.  I can do anything with God's help.  And so it is. 

Feed your mind as well as the body the Good stuff and you will take your will take your life to wonderful new places. 

With Love,

Coach K    




Monday, October 25, 2021

PEACE - Let it Go

 Peace


Let there be peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me.  With every breath I take let this be my solemn vowel. To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. 

And so it is.

The peace that we desire comes from within.  You can have all the peace in the world if you can just learn to enjoy yourself.  The challenges of daily living sometimes bubbles up and over within us leading to frustration, anxiety, and anger.  Let it go!

Let it GO!  We are needlessly frustrating ourselves are bringing unhappiness into our lives by the way we are choosing to think and live. 

Why give your emotions over to a stranger that may have accidently cut you off on the road, leading to anger and road rage.  Why let a supposed slight from a friend or loved one get on your nerves, perhpas they were just trying to be supportive. The point is that WE control our emotions, happiness, and well being not outside forces or even those close to us. 

Many times those closest to us may say or do hurtful things that may cause us grief and unhappiness, but we have the power to turn into constructive criticism if needed or to dismiss entirely.  The choice is OURS. 

And no matter what our choice.  We choose PEACE.

Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of Soul.  This is true happiness, contentment, and success.

To your health and well being!

Peace!

With Love,

Coach K

Saturday, October 23, 2021

The Divine You

The Divine You

There is God and God is You. We are One. We are made in God's image. Let that sink in for a moment.
 
We sometimes forget, or may not even know that we have a Father that cares for us beyond our earthly desires. Get to know our Divine Father and Lord Jesus and you will never experience a love beyond measure.  We all get lost in the daily business of life and we lose touch with our higher divine selves. That's OK God is always reminding and nudging us to focus on the beauty and goodness He created and he wants us to live from that higher part of ourselves where we can experience his direct Grace. 

God is Love.  God sent his son Jesus to exclaim his love for us and to help us understand that we are part of welcomed into the family of God The Father. We are part of God's Love part of the divine universal energy that flows through all things.  We have the ability to create and design our world to live in peace, harmony, health, and wellness. To live a life of our own choice, our own making!

To live a life of love, tranquility, harmony, and fulfillment. 

To be full of joy, kindness, generosity, understanding and kindness.
 
To know and experience abundance

Fear and doubt are gone. Banished!

We have Faith, Hope, and Love. 

With God's Love anything is possible and doable.  But yes we must have the Faith of a mustard seed and we can do all these things.  We must first Love ourselves unconditionally, no exceptions, forgive yourself of any past transgressions, and know that since you are a part of the Divine Dance you are perfect just as you are! You are perfect in every way.

Stop this foolishness of comparing yourself to everyone and everything it's just noise and nonsense.

Rest easy knowing that you are loved by the Lord Jesus and God the Father. You are the Light of the World. Be the Light. Be the Love. And everything else with fall into place.

No matter what we do, where we go, we are

Loved.


With Love,


Coach K

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Create Your Life

 The Creator

"Even the least among you can do all that I have done and even more" - Jesus

From a Letter of St. Paul 

Think of those words for a moment and let them sink in.  You are the creator of your life. You have the ability to create the life you want to lead, to make all your dreams and desires come true. 

All of the things you've experienced and achieved have begun with a single thought.  A single idea. 

But first and foremost we must ASK. 

Ask for what you want, ask for what you desire. Yes, it is that simple. 

Whether it's Love, Peace, Prosperity, or Health.  

There are no limits.

Ask and it shall be given!

And as you wait continue to stay in a state of humble gratitude. 

Everything you desire, desires you. 

And if it doesn't show up maybe it's not the best for us anyway. But when it does we say Thank You and stay humble. 

Everything begins with an idea or an ask.


Ask well!


With Love,


Coach K


Friday, October 15, 2021

Mark Twain

 Mark Twain

Mark Twain America's poet emeritus.  The great American writer and satirist was always quick with a quip and a man that enjoyed life with his white suits and cigars. 

Samuel Clemens was and is America's quintessential author including the classics of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  

One of my favorite quotes of all time is both intelligently insightful and yet amazingly simple.  When our daughter asked me for a quote for her high school yearbook, I shared this gem with her -

"I spent half my life worrying about things that never happend"

                                                                                                                             Mark Twain

She loved it! As do most of the people I share it with, which I do whenever I have an opportunity. 
We understand at an early age, all the unnecessary worry and fear with allow to enter our lives.  To infiltrate our mental and emotional well being, to debilitate our health and sap our vitality with just noise. 

Worry and fear are just the opposite of faith, hope, and love.  We see fear and worry enter our lives when our spiritual muscles are weak from lack of use!  When we work on relationship with the Divine, with the universal energy that permeates all that we do, and all that we are, we realize that we are connected and not alone.  We know that we are loved and surround by a joyful light that can guide us to extraordinary lives. 

What drives out the darkness? The light of course.  Blow up your faith, cast out worry and fear, and get busy living your best life now.

With Love,

Coach K

Rules of The Road

 Drive Safely

Some simple rules of the road from a driver of 40 plus years. 


First and Foremost.  Be Calm and Stay Calm!!! An aggressive, angry, frustrated, anxious driver gets in more accidents.  Duh!!!  Say a little prayer before each drive. God keep me safe, calm, and peaceful Amen!


1.  Slow down.  No need to race at 70 mph to get to your destination.  All your doing is wasting gas. Red lights, stop signs, traffic,  the grandmother in front of you.  You'll get there basically the same time without all the aggravation. Easy does it.

2. Give your self space.  Two car lengths minimum.  Everyone is a distracted driver these days.  Texting, ipods, Waze, and a list of endless other things.  With space you have time to react to the slam on the brakes, the animal popping out in front of you, the swerve from the distracted driver.  Space gives you time and every half second is precious when avoiding accidents. Easy does it.

3. Patience. There are so many older drivers on the road these days.  The largest population in the U.S. is the Baby Boomers age 55 and older.  These drivers typically drive slower and have slower reaction times.  Be respectful and thoughtful on the road.  After all, it could be your mother, father, grandfather, or grandmother.  And believe it or not one day that will be you as the older driver.  Every time I come upon someone going 30 miles and hour in a 45 mile zone, I try and take a deep breath and say that could be me one day.  Easy does it. 

4. No alcohol. No texting.  It's just not worth it.  The message or call can wait.  If you need to get it pull over. Please for all of us fellow drivers.  And with Uber there really is not reason to drink and drive. You can never undo the mistake of a DUI, DWI, or worse your life and health and well being. 

Remember, driving is a massive responsibility.  A vehicle used improperly becomes a weapon and potentially a deadly weapon that can change your life and others in an instant.  

A calm, peaceful, driver is the Safest and Best driver on the road.


To Your Health,

Dr. Quack

Thursday, October 14, 2021

The Dragon

 The Dragon


A wonderful story about the revered Chinese leader Confucious upon meeting the humble spiritual philosopher Lao Tzu, author of the Tao de Ching. 

Today I have met Lao Tzu and he is a 


Dragon!


We all have that Dragon energy and life force within us, and it is up to us to find it, harness it, and use it for the greater good. 


With Love,

Coach K



A Knowing

 Knowing


An interesting word Knowing.  We understand thought, idea, belief, conviction, but Knowing?

Hmm. 

Knowing to me has a Spiritual connotation or even better a Spiritual connection.

We we know about something it's intuitive, it's innate, it's understood, it's known.

Like Mozart was a young prodigy even as his father, accomplished musician, Leopold gave him lessons at an early age.  Mozart had a knowing about music. Picasso a knowing about his revolutionary art. Edison and Franklin with their numerous inventions and singular ideas. 

And transcendent figures like Jesus who knew his mission, his calling, and his purpose here on earth. Or Ghandi that led a peaceful revolution to rid India of Great Britain's occupation.

And so it is with us.  We know our purpose here in this life.  Not just to make money, or acquire material baubles, but to make a difference, to leave a legacy,  o make the world a little better, or to touch the lives for the better of just one person or millions. 

Whether we become great inventors, scientists creating life saving medicines, or athletes achieving fame and fortune, when we take time to reflect, meditate, pray, and be still we can tune into the universal energy, the silence, from which all creativity flows to design and create the life and world that we desire. 

And while this knowing works for all of our material goodies.  We know that they are fleeting, meaningless, and often just distractions.  The real joys of self realization, generosity, compassion, and service are what transform us into a God consciousness type of awareness and life. Mother Theresa, Joan of Arc, and countless heroes in our daily lives sacrifice their own well being in service to others and the greater good.

And so we Know the way.  It has been passed down through the generations simply Ask and Receive. Knock and it shall be opened.  We live it every day we want this we want that and we act to obtain it, 

Let us begin to ask, expect, and Know that the world and life we desire desires us.  

We know that this will happen will just need to allow it to unfold.  And when it does just a simple humble Thank you and spirit of gratitude for the universal divine energy that flows through our lives and sustains our very breath of life

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Bug Juice

 Bug Juice


My go to drink the past five years is Spinach juice.  I know I need to eat more veggies, more greens but just wasn't sure how to do it over the long term. Was I going to eat five pounds of spinach, kale, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, carrots, and other delicious vegetables every week. When you stop and take a moment, eating healthy can be a challenge.  You need to buy all those vegetables, then prepare, then cook, then eat.  That's a lot of work.  Much easier to just eat a pizza!

And then it came to me. Start with a green veggie that was tasty, easy to prepare, and powerful.  And even better inexpensive!

Enter Spinach. Popeye's go to food for extra strength.  Spinach is mild in taste, like a tasty grass. Spinach has all the wonderful vitamins and minerals our bodies require.  It's an excellent source of chlorophyll, vitamin K, iron, potassium, magnesium, and beta carotene.  Spinach is a superfood that had protein and fiber and is instrumental in disease prevention and optimum health. 

Now that I had my foundational food source I needed to find a convenient way to consume it in high quantities.  Enter the blender or Vitamix.  I buy several 3lb pound bags of spinach a week and simply blend it with water.  I then just drink it straight out of my shaker bottle throughout the day. The taste is earthy, nutty, fresh, and mild.  After you acquire the taste you will find it easy to just drink it straight and dilute it to your taste.  

You'll feel better that you are now consuming mass quantities of this Superfood.  You can add other ingredients if you desire carrots, beets, other greens, and yogurt.  Whatever complimentary superfood you desire to enhance your nutrition and dramatically improve your health. 

Food is medicine.  And why not try eating better and healthier instead of taking toxic medication with  harmful side-affects .  

A powerful life changing idea is that your food your nutrition has the power to heal you to renew you to make you younger to revitalize you.  

To put it strongly it's our Fountain of Youth!

Begin today to put yourself, your well being, and your health first by some simple daily eating and nutrition changes.


To Your Health,


Dr. Q


Sunday, October 10, 2021

LaLa

 LaLa


We finally made it back to Ocean City, NJ where we had vacationed for the past 25 years with our children and extended family. It had been two long years since the pandemic hit and for the first time in our lives together I had not visited the beach or ocean. Being a Cancer, a crab needs to find the Ocean!

We were enjoying a beautiful day on the front porch of our rental home just 200 yards from the beach. The September day was perfect sunny and 75 degrees with a warm breeze and a warm ocean.  September and October are the best time to visit the South Jersey beaches.  The crowds have thinned and a peaceful tranquility settles in replacing the buzz of the bustling summer boardwalk. 

As we were enjoying our coffee and reconnecting a beautiful butterfly fluttered into the little sidewalk garden in front of the porch.  We've gotten in the habit of say there goes Lala/Laura every time we see a butterfly so when she joined us on the porch we smiled and welcomed her. 

Our journey with Lala and LB had been one of sharing life's most wonderful moments.  From working together and bachelors, to getting married, to raising our families. 

The last two years have been hard on everyone but while the world was home in their Footie Pajamas I was fortunate to be going in everyday to work milking the cows. 

My best buddy who I've known longer that my wife of 36 years, and who we started our careers and worked together at the same company for 18 years.  We had instant chemistry and the same interests.  We both started making $12/hr right out of school, but it was a great company and great opportunity and we were going to make the most it! We both enjoyed investing, sports, cars, and we became fast friends. 

He became the fifth brother in the family.  And as our careers and lives grew together through the years, we remained close and intertwined in each others lives.  He would marry his long time sweetheart Laura, and I would marry LiLi and we would have and raise three beautiful children.  They attended our wedding, birthdays, BBQ's, sporting events, and family functions.  He was Uncle Lawrence and she was Aunt Laura.  

We were one big happy family.  We had progressed in our careers and had built wonderful lives together.  We had always been planners, investors, and working toward the day when we going to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life.  We had work long hard hours and were talking about the trips we wanted to take and the places we wanted to visit.  We were going to Italy, Monterrey, and Vancouver.  We were going to see the world and drink up every delicious drop that we had toiled so hard to earn over the last 30 years.  We were going to continue doing all the wonderful things in life that we had put off because of work, or family, or finances.  

We were going to LIVE!

We would always celebrate Christmas Eve together enjoying our traditional Seven Fishes dinner. Our house would be full of merriment, everyone having a rollicking good time, the wine flowed, the raw oysters, shrimp cocktail, fish salad, steamed clams, mussels, and then a quintessential pasta dish, Pescatore over linguine. 

Our Christmas Eve celebration was our main Family event every year. 

Lala would attend the 2016 Christmas celebration and Momo's high school graduation party in June 2017.  Lala and Lawrence never did have children but in some small way our three lovebirds became an extension of them.  She was loving, gentle, kind, generous, and patient just like a mother.  Our children loved her, and when she visited our home was instantly with a loving Grace, Dignity and Elegance. 

 Lala was first class all the way and I loved how when LB got out of line she would just say "Lawrence!" and he would straighten up and behave. A grown man just snapping to attention. Perfect! Lala always had that gravitas. She was filled with the Spirit.  An Angel among us. You knew she was special just meeting her. 

She spent her work time at major University Hospital and worked with Doctors and patients throughout her long distinguished career. She intimately knew the ins and outs of healthcare, patient doctor interactions, and the joys and challenges of dealing with everyday health issues. 

Lala was a very spiritual person and who would drag her husband to the two hour Sunday services, and had a very close relationship with God.  She graduated from a Catholic girls high school and learned early in her life to keep God close as she went on her life's journey. God was always first and foremost in her life. 

Lawrence called and said something is not right with Laura.  She was at work as usual and was sitting outside on a bench during lunch and just forgot who she was and where she was.  In an instant everything changed.  

We were all in shock to hear the news but hoped for the best.  After some stumbles, Laura was ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor that proved to be cancerous.  Various therapies and medications were tried and even advanced Proton therapy at a leading national University hospital. She was courageous and strong, and after a struggle of several years she passed like a beautiful butterfly to eternal peace.  

Throughout the entire ordeal LB was with her every step of the way. As Laura cared, nurtured, and Loved LB.  They were soul mates perfect together.  And as they lived, worked, and loved through the years the next chapter of retirement was going to be better.  All the hard work paying off enabling a comfortable retirement to travel and enjoy the finer things. 

And then life happens.  All our dreams coming crashing down in an instant.  Life reminds us every day to seize the moment, live in the present, and every day is to be celebrated and even cherished. 

Those things we've been putting off that we've wanted to do, the time is Now! The special trip, the new career, the new activity, the classic car, that person you always wanted to meet.  Begin! Do it now.  Take the first step, show a little faith, and God will help you with the rest. 

For those of you strong in the faith and those of us that are still looking for the Light, be of good cheer.  God is good and out of every sorrow and setback is a ray of light, the seed of an equivalent benefit, a positive that can be found. We just may have to look long and hard for it, and be patient, trusting, and strong in our faith. 

Back to our vacation. We left Lala and the front porch and headed to the beach for a little rest and relaxation, a walk on the beach, and a little body surfing.  As we put our chairs down and settled in, we noticed a butterfly close by that was fluttering her wings on the beach but not able to lift off.  Her wings were damp and covered with a few grains of sand that must have been like been like dumbbells on her fragile wings. 

As beachgoers passed by they stopped to look at the butterfly and would comment on how beautiful she was, and how sad it was to see her struggle.  I scooped her off the wet sand by digging the sand below and placed her gently on a towel next to us careful not touch her in any way.  She stayed on the towel for the next few hours just resting.  When I reached down close to her she scooted up on my hand and stayed there using her feet to cling to me while gently fluttering.  She stayed on my hand for what seemed like an eternity but was perhaps twenty minutes.  She would go then rest on my shirt and when I placed the towel back in my lap she would return there. 

My wife and I and this butterfly had spent several hours together on the beach.  We of course commented that somehow Laura was communicating to us and just sharing our special time at the beach that we had waited for these past two long years. 

We have butterfly bushes in our backyard and they always grace us with their presence in the summer and fall.  One of my dreams was to have a buttterfly just land on me, even for a moment.  And now we were spending hours on the beach together even while she struggled to dry off. 

I did some quick research on butterflies and they typically live only a month. She was orange and black with a black polka dot body.  

A Monarch.  A little research shows the Monarch caterpillars eat exclusively milkweed that gives off a toxin to keep the birds and other predators away.  The orange and black distinctive coloring is a warning sign in nature to stay away. 

The Monarch is the Queen of the Butterflies. 

We enjoyed our day on the beach soaking in the warm sun, relaxing, making plans, and taking a good long soak in the salty gentle ocean waves.  And spending time with our new friend.  As she regained her strength, she fluttered off to the dunes behind us only 20 feet away landing in a grassy patch of sand where she would rest some more.  

And when we returned from our stroll on the beach she had passed quietly on the dunes. One of the earlier beach visitors had commented that a friend of her collected butterflies and placed them in jars to displace their beauty.  So we gently collected her and placed her in a jar in our family kitchen.  

So now every day that we gather together our Lala is right there with us joining in the celebration of Life.

Godspeed Lala.


With Love,

Coach K