A Vietnam native, Diem Chau and her family came to America as refugees in 1986.

From her website: "Chau combines common mediums and common means to create delicate vignettes of fleeting memory, gesture and form, resulting in works that combine egalitarian sensibility and minimalist restraint. Her work touches on the value of Storytelling, Myths and its ability to connect us to each other through cultural and humanistic similarities. Chau's current work drifts into new territory by exploring the periphery of the narrative, moments forgotten and faded, or too brief to retain."

What do her tiny sculptures make you think of?

​If you'd like to see even more great art from her visit her website.

For this new week, I ask the Creator of the Universe to guide me to my highest potential.

I ask the Divine source that created mountains that reach to the clouds and flowers that bow to the wind to imbue me with love and guidance.

I ask the Divine source, the source of all that is Holy and loving, to fill every breath I take with relief and rejuvenation. I ask my Creator to breathe with me, so that I may breathe with the power of the Universe.

For this new week, I ask my Creator to help me to breathe out my fear and to breathe in inspiration and strength. I ask that my mind and body be saturated with courage and healing with every breath I take.

​I ask, that for this new week, not only may I be blessed in unexpected ways, but may I also be a blessing to others. As I feel myself align with the infinite wisdom and mystery of the cosmos, may I radiate that magnificent healing energy out to others. 

For this new week, I ask to be comforted when I am hurting, held when I am tired, and reassured when I am scared. I ask for my Creator to remind me of its infinite love for me, and I ask this with the knowing that the moment I ask, I am heard and help is on the way.

When life gets chaotic and we are surprised with unwelcome, even scary news, it can cause us to close our channels to receiving. We become fearful of receiving anything, even good things, because we've lost our faith in the Universe and our Creator.
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In order to help you shift out of limiting energy and back into receptivity, you will play with the energy of excitement in this episode. During the meditation, you will receive an incredible surprise (and you'll only find out what it is if you play the meditation!). When we tune into the energy of excitement, we become a vibrational match to all the incredible and wonderful things that make us light up with joy.

Donations greatly appreciated!

Put your hands on your heart. 

Take a slow breath in. Let it out through your mouth and focus only on the sound of your breath. Do this again, focusing only on the sound of your breath flowing in and out like an ocean wave. 

Take another breath in, and as you do so, imagine you are smelling the sweetest, most fragrant rose ever. Breathe out slowly. Do this two more times.

Take another breath in, and as you do so, imagine you are being bathed in warm morning sun. Feel the sense of peace and rejuvenation. Do this two more times.

​Take another breath in, and imagine a butterfly has just landed on your shoulder. Hold your attention on this delicate little gift from Mother Nature and breathe two more times.

Take one more slow, deep breath in. Let it out with an ahhhhhhhh sound.

Thank you so much for taking this time to relax and visualize with me. I'm wishing you a beautiful day.

Much love,
​Melissa

Donations greatly appreciated!

I recently downloaded the audiobook Endurance by Scott Kelly. It's about his year living aboard the International Space Station. Kelly agreed to embark upon this mission for the purposes of studying long duration space missions. More precisely, to study the physical and psychological obstacles astronauts will face during the extensive travel to Mars. For example, the lack of gravity for long periods alters astronauts' vision. This is due to the fact that cerebral spinal fluid pools around the eyes when our bodies are weightless for months on end.

I bought this book because I had followed Kelly's mission while it was unfolding. I was fascinated by the isolation, the disconnect, and the sacrifice he was willing to make for the greater good of human knowledge. What I hadn't considered when I bought the book was it was an uncanny parallel to where we are now. If there was ever a book to capture the spirit of quarantine, this is it.

What I love most about this book is it's accessible to all people. I've played it on long drives with my 71 year old dad in the car. I've played it while working in my family's garden with family members around. I've played it with all types of people who quickly became engrossed in the saga. It's a captivating story about Kelly's journey to being an astronaut, the science of space travel, and what astronauts actually do all day.

If you're looking for something you can listen to with kids, spouses, or roommates, this book might be something everyone can agree on. There are some f-bombs and other occasional curse words, but other than that, it's family friendly, entertaining, educational, and a spirited adventure that might make your quarantine a little more tolerable.