Apr. 27, 2010
Well I was informed this Christmas that last year’s Cocoa Beach reunion of my aunts and my cousin would definitely be an annual affair! No problem, we had a blast together, so why not create and cherish great memories while we can? We slept in the 3 beds in my small condo, & also on blow-up beds, yet no one complained about there only being 2 bathrooms. Yes, some of you will remember my 88-year old aunt Janet riding the waves last year, and at 89 she did go swimming in the ocean with me this year, yet for the most part, we just relaxed on the beach and took in some discount store shopping, as well as enjoyed local seafood. Here’s our gang at a waterfront restaurant called Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty in Cocoa Beach, FL, which I highly recommend!
Why is this so special? My aunts were formative influences in my early years, and each provided me with wise guidance and counsel. We are a God-fearing and a musical family, so we delighted in singing hymns in 4 part harmony together once again.
Two of my aunts are widowed, and another one is taking care of her incapacitated husband, plus my cousin is widowed. Each of these women have learned to manage their money in a way that allows them a comfortable retirement. My cousin’s husband died suddenly so she is a perfect example of a woman who when she needed, pulled herself together, and provided comfort to her 2 children. None of these women started out knowing much about money–let’s remember the horrible socialization women who are now in their 70s and 80s received in their youth and early adulthood–yet they have put one foot in front of the other to forge ahead in uncharted waters, investing for their future. They pray for God’s guidance and they act. I’m happy to be related to them, and to hold them out as “everyday folks” who could serve as examples of empowered women to any woman who needs a role model. We Can Do It Women!
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Apr. 27, 2009
Hi everyone! Just back from entertaining three of my aunts whom I grew up with in Western PA as well as my Mom, my sister, and my cousin (daughter of one aunt in attendance), at my Florida condo. It’s a tiny little condo, mind you, yet we all made do, sleeping on the 3 beds, plus blow up mattresses and I chose to sleep on the chaise lounge on the deck, my favorite place! I had suggestions of tourist attractions, yet at the end of the day, they simply wanted to sit on the beach, eat out, and take in some wonderfully discounted shopping. (Ok, we also frequented Steak-n-Shake a lot, too!)
It all started the week before Easter, when I got a call from a long-time client–she’d been with me for over 20 years–saying that she was diagnosed with cancer. Wow…how shocking was that news? I felt sickened and began praying for her and her family immediately. The very next day, another of my over 20 yr clients called me to say she had been diagnosed with cancer! Successive days, I heard news of significant health challenges to two wonderful women, whom are more than clients, they are my friends, and moreover, I consider them family. I went to bed that night saddened, yet determined to help them in any way I could.
I got up the next day with what I called a “harebrained idea”. I would use my American Express points to fly my aunts down to Florida, and we would just kick up our heels and have fun for a long week-end. But would they come, I wondered? I mustered my courage and called my 88-yr old aunt, who has long been adventuresome, and she loved the idea. “I’ll pull my suitcase out and start packing!” she gushed. I was tickled pink! I then phoned each one of them, and gained their acceptance and went about planning our little family reunion vacation.
Here we are at the beach, just enjoying the ocean, and each day’s entertainment–various toddlers who would tempt the receding water levels and then scurry back up to dry sand when the next wave hit! It was downright hilarious to watch the varying levels of fear in these little kids. Yet, one-by-one, they all faced down their fears, and eventually, they all went into the water, with plenty of reserve at first, then almost scaring their parents with their apparent abandon.
I began to muse how we mature women face down our fears, in much the same way as these toddlers did; trust and verify. The kids needed to trust their parents that no real harm would come their way, and then they needed to cautiously step into the water, a toe at a time, to verify that “it was ok, after all”.
I am asking you mature women to trust the messages of your fee-only financial planners, and me, of course, in saying that it’s not too late to learn about our money. In fact, it’s a downright necessity, so why not come aboard on this learning journey with me. I’ll make it fun and empowering for you, just like our little Morrison Aunt reunion on the beach.
Another highlight was that my aunt Janet, 88-yrs young, was a Wave in the Navy as a young woman. I knew she loved the water, so I took her down to the water’s edge, steadied her as we got accustomed to the tide receding, taking the sand out from under our feet, and then I coached her onto a boogie-surf board I’d taken down, and she lay down on the board and hung onto both sides, and I guided her as she rode a couple waves. It was so exciting, and she had such a grin on her face. I’ll never forget it! Nor will she. We posed for everyone to take our picture, and I said, “once a wave, always a wave”!
I’m not able to offer you all a free wave ride, yet I am offering you a free call tomorrow evening, Tues, April 28th at 8pm Eastern Standard Time, to give more helpful information about discerning what’s noise and what’s important financial information these days, and what action we may need to take, and MUCH more. I’ll also be outlining what we’ll be offering on our upcoming 6-week teleseminar series, beginning on Tuesday, May 5th, also at 8pm EST. Commit to joining us, will you?
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Nov. 28, 2008
The cornucopia of plenty was ever so conspicuous this year, compared to previous year’s that I’d taken pretty much for granted, since I’ve visited the Eritrean refugee camps in Africa this July where food and education were both in very short supply. These kids are looking for both, yet their experience is that neither food nor education are readily forthcoming. While I donated and distributed thousands of dollars of medical supplies, it was in connecting eye-to-eye, and heart-to-heart with these kids, that I reveled in, receiving their smiles of gratitude.
Yes, that’s me with the head covering on the right, giving out flimsy hair bands, which were received with so much humility it made me cry. People with so little, grateful for the smallest of tokens, and yet hopeful for a promising future. These same kids plead with their mothers to spend the pittance of money they earn at two and three jobs on education, NOT food. They KNOW that education is their only ticket to freedom, if there is one.
I’ve contributed monthly to Unitus (associated with Grameen Bank), for a year now, ever since I was introduced to Mohammad Yunus’ courageous and heroic trail blazing in micro lending. My life’s mission includes speaking to women everywhere to empower them about their money, and encouraging us all to consider redistributing even $25/month to organizations that support women who have initiative and drive, and simply need a LOAN of capital–even a one time loan of $25.00–to boost them towards their freedom and that of their families.
I’ve touched and hugged those whom the world calls poor, yet their spirits are surprisingly hopeful. It is that hope that I want to rekindle. I’ve used that African experience to re-frame my own thinking, so that I am conscious and grateful for all the abundance that I have, and for the immense opportunities I have, and I can assure you that this current market decline is miniscule by comparison to the worries of entire families literally starving to death!
This Thanksgiving and holiday season may I recommend that you gift yourself and your friends with Mohammad’s book Banker to the Poor? It was one of the most powerful and riveting books I’ve read, in which he gives us hope that we can all participate in the freedom of our planet, one micro-loan at a time, freeing one spirit and family at a time.
That’s something to be thankful for, and to celebrate!
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Nov. 16, 2008
NASA launched spaceship Endeavour Friday night at 7:55pm EST and I was in Cape Canaveral, Florida to see it! My pictures didn’t capture the splendor of it, yet I’ll attach a video clip here to give you a flavor of the great ball of light speeding through the night sky. Here’s a shot of the shuttle (the tiny dot on the left) and the full moon on the right. It certainly did give me perspective looking out several thousand miles, seeing the ball of light called Endeavour slowly evaporate into outer space. We all bade the seven NASA astronauts “safe travels” and “come home safe”…those were the uniform wishes from all those gathered.
This mission is to perform “home improvements” to the space station, to make it more spacious and also to add various recycling systems, especially the one that will turn astronaut urine into safe drinking water. (They stopped short of saying it’ll also turn turds into protein bars, but hey, you never know!)
Routine maintenance is necessary, even in space. So, I took this as an opportunity to access my life as to where some maintenance or repair is necessary in my sphere, my life, and I invite you to join me in the exercise.
Do we have areas that need updating like our skillsets or expanding our vocabularies? I’m expanding my knowledge horizons, making more room for information and strategies and at the same time, reading more history so I don’t repeat mistakes made by our foremothers and fathers. Exciting stuff indeed! Join me, won’t you?