ABC...

AS AN AUNT OF TWO BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRLS

I AM OFTEN SURROUNDED BY WHIRLING AND TWIRLING TOYS, GADGETS AND BLOCKS

BUT MY FAVOURITE OF ALL THEIR TRINKETS AND COLOURFUL BITS AND PIECES

ARE THEIR BOOKS

ALREADY I LOVE TO SIT IN A CORNER WITH THEM TUCKED UP ON MY LAP, 

WHILE I TALK IN VOICES OF LIONS AND TIGERS, GOBLINS, AND FAIRIES.

I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THEY TOO CAN UNDERSTAND THE WORDS, AND AS I DID WHEN I WAS MUCH SMALLER IN SIZE, 

APPRECIATE THE ENDLESS WORLDS YOU CAN TRAVEL TO FROM THE PAGES OF A BOOK

FIRSTLY WE'LL HAVE TO TACKLE THE ALPHABET, AND I STUMBLED UPON THIS GORGEOUS VERSION ON "SOUL O MUMMA"

WHERE BY YOU GO BEYOND THE LETTERS AND TEACH THE LITTLE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE BY EXAMPLE, AND TRY TO INSTILL IN THEM MORE THAN THE GIFT OF READING, BUT ALSO WONDERFUL HUMAN VALUES AND QUALITIES THAT WILL LAST THEM A LIFETIME

 THIS IS WHAT I HOPE WILL STAY WITH THEM THROUGH ALL THEIR STORYBOOK AND REAL LIFE TRAVELS. 

ALL THE WAY FROM NANIA TO NEBRASKA.

IF I CAN HELP TEACH MY DARLING NIECES NOTHING MORE, IT WOULD BE THIS ALPHABET.

A: authenticity - be real, be yourself, speak your truth.

B: beauty - is everywhere, we need to open our hearts and our minds to find it!

C: compassion - take the time to care for others, ask how someone is and listen.

D: daring - be brave, take risks and have adventures!

E: extraordinary - think outside of the ordinary, go above and beyond mediocre!

F: funny - be funny, see the funny, laugh at yourself, don't take things too seriously.

G: generosity - be generous with your time, your love and your abilities.

H: happy - keep it simple, tune into what gives you butterflies and you will know happy.

I: intuition - listen closely, sit in silence, don't talk too much and you will truly hear.

J: joy - feel the joy in each and every moment, joy is in everyone, learn to release it.

K: kindness - the simple act of kindness has the power to change lives.

L: love - use the word often, you cannot have too much love, the more the merrier!

M: memories - our most precious gift from one generation to another, share them often.

N: nice - be nice, always, expect nothing in return, feel the inner and outer glow.

O: organised - it really does make life easier, make some lists and 

break goals down into pieces.

P: passion - discover your passion and follow it, don't do anything without your passion.

Q: quiet - meditate, remove yourself from the noise of life for at least a few minutes a day.

R: reflect - don't dwell in the past, simply reflect with an open mind and be gentle on yourself.

S: self care - do at least one thing a day that nurtures YOU.

T: thoughtful - consider others and what you can do to make them feel loved.

U: unique - look for the thing or the person who stands out from the trend.

V: vivid - life is filled with colour, and colour improves our mood, live in full colour!

W: wonder - always look at life through the eyes of a child, see everything as a miracle.

X: xtra - develop a career that is true to your passion and always do that little 

bit xtra every day.

Y: youthful - the feeling of youthfulness need never fade, hold it tightly in your heart and never let go.

Z: zany - be a little silly, don't be afraid to be different.

xx