My weekend was destined for LOVE. I was in Austin to officiate in the wedding of a close friend, and LOVE was on my mind. What does it really mean to love someone? What do we really get out of making lifelong commitments to each other?
The answer awaited me in the lobby of my hotel. It was the annual conference for the Texas Parent2Parent network, an organization that provided support and resources for parents of children with disabilities.
It was like walking into a different world. Out mingl…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on July 2, 2009 at 3:12pm —
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It was my first semester of college, and my first time away from home. Christmas was just around the corner, but my budget allowed for little more than Ramen noodles and pizza. So I wrote my Dad a poem as his gift, and framed it on green poster board with red ribbons along with pictures of us together that I dug out of a shoebox in my mother’s attic.
It has been tacked up next to the mirror on his bathroom wall since 1988. Every Father’s Day, he asks me to submit it to the local newspaper. He l…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 18, 2009 at 10:20am —
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It's been a whirlwind week...
I returned from California with barely enough time to prepare for my next round of travels. First on the agenda was an annual tradition for me: Guest speaker for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards just south of Dallas, Texas.
It was Day 4 of their conference, and the participants had all been up past midnight... many of them hanging out and talking until 2 am. I arrive bright-eyed on Wednesday morning, ready to talk to them about community and being of service. I…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 17, 2009 at 10:01am —
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Thursday night, I had the honor of attending the inaugural gathering of The Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (GATE) at the FOX studios in Los Angeles.
I flew in from San Francisco specifically for the event. As I arrived at LAX, standing in the taxi queue, I secretly fantasized that I would bump into an enlightened celebrity also on their way to the event. I fantasized that I would say hello, ask them if they were going to GATE, too, and they would offer me a ride to the venue…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 9, 2009 at 3:22pm —
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As I was jogging through my neighborhood this morning, I inched upon two women walking together. “Did you hear about so-and-so?” one asked. Then I heard the gory details of this anonymous person’s latest physical travesty. I sped up to avoid getting queasy.
The focus this week for The What If Up Club is “friendship,” and my encounter this morning has me asking myself, “What is the purpose of friendship? Surely there’s something beyond gossip and commiseration, right?”
In a study done in conjun…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 2, 2009 at 3:25pm —
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TAPS
Fading light, dims the sight.
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing near, falls the night.
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest;
God is near.
Then goodnight, peaceful night;
Till the light of the dawn shineth bright.
God is near, do not fear.
Friend, goodnight.
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Added by Mindy Audlin on May 22, 2009 at 9:16am —
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Check out my talk from Sunday morning at Unity Church of Practical Christianity in New Braunfels, Texas. Enjoy my “American Idol” confession, and a light-hearted message about the power of non-attachment…
http://whatifup.com/blog/2009/05/20/my-american-idol-confession/ Continue
Added by Mindy Audlin on May 20, 2009 at 3:00pm —
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Hi Friends,
I'm working on the new What If Up website and I want to add your beautiful words (and face!) to the new look. I'm looking for some testimonials on the following:
1) In what ways has your involvement in our online community impacted your life?
2) Have you attended a What If Up party or live event? What did you love most about your experience?
There will probably be more requests like this in the weeks to come. THANK YOU for sharing the LOVE!
Hugs,
Mindy
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Added by Mindy Audlin on December 3, 2008 at 6:51pm —
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As John Lennon wrote, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one!"
I am thrilled to announce that the What If Up Club is aligning with the Dallas Peace Project as part of a 4-month study tracking the impact of intentions for peace and harmony in the city of Dallas.
City officials will be tracking crime data for the duration of the study, which is the longest one of its kind. Similar studies in other cities showed a reduction in crime rates during the duration of the experiment, but c…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on August 19, 2008 at 7:53pm —
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What a weekend... I spend the past two days "What If Upping" with the student leaders at Texas A&M Commerce. Imagine spending the weekend with the most passionate, energetic young leaders of today - AND feeling the energy of everyone coming together to "What If Up!"
A friend of mine was there that I hadn't seen since before Jenna was born. He had commented about how having children changes everything in your life. It was true for me.
I've worked with literally tens of thousands of college…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on August 17, 2008 at 5:04pm —
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It's been an emotional week for me. Just as my plate runneth over with projects and "to-do"s, I found myself with the incredible honor of officiating over the memorial celebration for my good friend, Maglin Nippert.
She left me with words of love and wisdom. She reminded me that "As she is healed, we are all healed" because "we are one." She blessed me with her life. And she blessed me through her death (and rebirth!).
I found myself this week at that wonderfully human place of knowing, at lea…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on August 10, 2008 at 6:01pm —
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I witnessed a miracle last night.
Surrounded by friends, and family... connected with loved ones by speaker phone... we chimed in our 8pm prayer call with Maglin. In all, 22 people were witness to her passing. Together, we held Maglin in the Silence, affirming her wholeness and strength. As we concluded our prayer, a spontaneous chorus of "Amazing Grace" began... Maglin's body relax and her husband Wayne asked us to sing one more song.
We sang, "Alleluia..." With the last refrain, she drew her…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on August 1, 2008 at 7:40am —
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Pictures have arrived! For all of you who helped me consume my "practice" runs, here's how the "real thing" came together! Three tiers - a white krispie core with cocoa krispie trim. Laced with Rocky Mountain wild flowers and pine accents. A masterpiece!
When I look…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on July 2, 2008 at 9:54pm —
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Those of you who attended this month's What If Up gathering at the Wimberley Community Center had the opportunity to sample my "practice" Rice Krispie wedding cake., (To make a long story short, my cousin is getting married and requested that I contribute a Rice Krispie wedding cake for the festivities... I've been practicing.)
I told everyone up front that my husband did not want me to return with any of my Rice Krispie goodies, so I challenged our gathering to dive in and eat it all. We made…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 7, 2008 at 9:35pm —
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It was an AMAZING weekend of What If Upping. Special thanks to everyone who came out to the Austin World Wellness Conference to say hello. And an extra scoop of love to those of you who helped spread the word by volunteering at our booth: Renee (thanks for organizing the team!), Holly (thanks for flying into Austin to join us!), Sandy, Chris, Melissa, Terry and Kathy... I am so blessed to have all of you in my life and helping me stay in a happy buzz about the miracles that abound.
To our new f…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 2, 2008 at 9:26pm —
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OK, I got some slack on the Unity.FM site for not changing the default questions when people become new members... So I'll put it out to my What If Up friends too... The default setting is to ask relationship status, about you, and a web address.
What do you WANT to have as default questions? Maybe a dream? An intention? A wish for the world??
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Added by Mindy Audlin on June 2, 2008 at 9:22pm —
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The past two weeks have been an amazing ride. Most recently, I spent the weekend in Marble Falls facilitating a What If Up extravaganza with 80 women in a retreat coordinated by Unity Church of the Hills in Austin. The energy was THROUGH THE ROOF! I hope they have another event like this soon. I know our What If Up Women here in the club would LOVE it!
Yesterday, I spoke at Unity Church of Practical Christianity in New Braunfels, Texas. What a charming, love-filled community! If you've never be…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on May 19, 2008 at 10:48pm —
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I went to the grocery store tonight after we put Jenna down to bed. I bought 8 jars of baby food, a gallon of milk, baby wipes, and a bottle of wine. The man next to me in the checkout line took a look at my selection and said, "Looks like Mom needs a break!"
Very true. It has been a whirlwind this week.
I met Eckhart Tolle in the Unity Village bookstore on Tuesday. He was so much like I expected: humble and wise, gentle and soft-spoken, clear-eyed and charming. It was a delight and an honor t…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on May 10, 2008 at 10:57pm —
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It's a beautiful spring day in the hill country. Friday is my day to spend with Jenna (my 12-month old mentor), so we packed up the car and headed to south Austin for some time at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.
In case you've never been there, it is a model of sustainability. Rainwater collection systems are in place. The gardens are gloriously painted with native plants. And of course, now is the season for a major splash of bluebonnets.
There is an information center on site that fe…
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Added by Mindy Audlin on April 11, 2008 at 5:09pm —
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I promised to post the poem "The Dash" that we talked about in Friday's What If Up Club gathering in Wimberley. As I researched the author online, I saw that this is copyrighted material, so rather than posting it here, let me just give you the link so you can peruse on your own.
Read "The Dash" here...
http://www.lindaellis.net/thedashpoem.html
See "The Dash" here...
http://www.thedashpoemmovie.com/
Here's to YOUR bold and meaningful dash!
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Added by Mindy Audlin on April 5, 2008 at 8:00am —
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