I’ve seen a lot of talent in the years I’ve been on this planet but not since watching Shirley Temple have I ever been so captivated with a child performer. Sophia Grace is an eight year old with a cuteness that far exceeds her physical appearance. She has an exuberance for life that I would like to bottle up and sell. EVERYTHING is exciting to her from the opportunity to perform on stage to the joy of meeting her musical idols to the absolute deliciousness of getting to travel to a new country. She epitomizes everything I love about children. She says what she feels without any cue cards or parents standing in the wings giving her looks or any of the other restrictions one might feel when appearing in front of a camera.  She is the REAL deal and America is eating her up faster than chocolate ice-cream with sprinkles on top!

I can’t get enough of Sophia Grace and her little cousin, Rosie. I am proud to confess that I am a groupie! My dream is to meet them one day and watch them perform in person. I’ll be the fan dancing in the aisles with tears of happiness streaming down her freckled face!

I start every day with one of their adorable performances (thank-you YouTube) and it keeps me smiling all day.

Watch Sophia Grace and Rosie and then drop me a line or two and tell me how your day is going!

Sophie Grace and Rosie

* Debi Drecksler is the proud Mother of hip-hop artist, Heidi D.

Today I’ve been thinking about one of my best friend’s daughter’s weddings which took place last night in South Florida. Sadly, I couldn’t attend. Thanks to the internet the pictures were posted before the ink dried on the Ketubah …I looked at the faces of this family that I love and I grew teary eyed. They are all so beautiful and happy and thank G-d part of something that will go on for generations!

I’ve known my friend since we were toddlers.  We grew up on the same block almost 60 years ago. I have 4 children. My friend has 11. Our children grew up together until my family packed up and moved to North Carolina 25 years ago.  The daughter that was married last night shares my name. One daughter was born on my birthday. The family has grown so rapidly,  (LOTS of grandchildren and more to come) I joke in my comedy routine that if continues at this pace… AT&T has promised them their own phone book.

All kidding aside…My friend and her family have played a very special role in my life! You can’t put a price on friendship but if I had to…I would say our friendship is worth a billion dollars!

Friends Forever

Hours later, a Nun discovered me turning purple and not breathing. My lungs had collapsed from the trauma of my birth. Thanks to her being in the right place at the right time, I was revived. I am grateful that she brought me back to life.

As a child, I had many out of body experiences. They were always the same. At night, after I was asleep, I was lifted out of my bed and  placed on something that felt like a soft, plush blanket. The angels who took me were dressed in flowing robes. We floated in the sky above the clouds. I remember the cool night air. I remember how beautiful and peaceful it was. The angels never spoke to me but I can still see their smiles.

The out of body experiences stopped when I lost the innocence of childhood. I was sexually abused by a teenage counselor on a camp bus. I was about nine years old. I never told anyone about the abuse until I grew up.

Years passed and all this was pushed to the back of my mind. Then as a young adult, I started having dreams, “seeing” things before they happened and “knowing” things I couldn’t possibly know. There were too many things to call them coincidences.  I asked my Mother to once again tell me all the details of my birth. I realized that for a very short time (maybe just seconds) I had actually died. It was then that I started accepting that I had psychic abilities. I had a strong feeling there had to be a connection with my birth.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about my childhood out of body experiences and my ability to dream things and see things that others cannot see.

Most importantly, I am starting to understand and really appreciate my gift.

I am claustrophobic. It all started 37 years ago, when I was confined in an elevator and couldn’t get out. I felt the walls caving in on me and I couldn’t breathe. When I finally got out, I tried to forget about it.

Several years later, I was at an amusement park and went on a submarine ride. I started to feel like I was suffocating and had to get off.

As the years passed, I noticed that whenever I was under any kind of major stress or was exhausted, my claustrophobia symptoms became worse. I once went on a long distance train trip with all 4 of my young children. As the doors closed, I felt a sense of panic. I couldn’t breathe. My teenage daughter (at the time) held my hand and told me everything was going to be fine.

Plane trips became unbearable and to this day, I look for any excuse to travel by car.

I can’t sit in the center of a restaurant booth, movie theater, car or in the center of a any kind of seating. I once had to walk out of an amazing opera (my husband won tickets) because the seats were very close together.

I will walk up 14 flights of stairs if it means avoiding an elevator. When I am forced to go on one, I feel like my heart is going to explode.

When I travel and have to stay in a hotel, I sometimes feel closed in if the room doesn’t have a big window.

When I recently downsized, I searched and found a townhome with high ceilings and lots of windows. It was a challenge to find a smaller place that would not make me feel boxed in.

I have a difficult time having any dental work done because when someone is working on my mouth, I feel like I can’t breathe. I am VERY drug sensitive. The one time I agreed to a mild sedative, I spent the next 8 hours throwing up.

I thought about my claustrophobia today because the media is coming down hard on Paula Deen for not admitting that she was diabetic until several years after her diagnosis. I always thought she was terribly brave, conquering her agoraphobia and building a lucrative business.

I don’t think people should be so judgmental.

They haven’t walked in her shoes.

35 Years!

Jan 16th, 2012, Richard and I will be celebrating our 35th Anniversary. I think that’s a pretty good accomplishment in this day and age considering I know couples who stay together less time than the warranty on their appliances.  I asked my husband yesterday (when he purchased his lottery ticket), “If you win all those millions, don’t you want to trade me in for a new wife?” He said, “Why on earth would I do that?” looking at me as if I had just asked him to give away his favorite shirt with all the old cars on it!

Sometimes young people ask me my secret for a happy marriage. I wrote a story about that a while ago.

I think one of the relationship problems  in today’s world is couples have very high and sometimes unreasonable expectations. Keep your expectations simple and life will be happier. My husband and I were watching a television show about a young couple purchasing their first home. It’s called Property Virgins.  The wife was vetoing every house because the master bathrooms didn’t have two sinks. “I need MY space!” she whined. My husband and I were laughing because  (in our first house) we were happy just to have a bathroom in our bedroom that didn’t have to be shared with our 4 kids. That was real luxury to us. The poor husband on the show kept trying to remind his wife that they only had a certain amount of money to spend. My very wise husband said, “I give that marriage six months!”

I think the most successful marriages are the ones where the spouses are also really good friends. Where a simple act of kindness or a smile can be his or her way of saying, “I love you!”  Where the person doesn’t do a disappearing act when you are so sick  you can’t hold your head up or you’ve just received sad news and you need a shoulder to cry on.

I think the secret for a long lasting marriage is fireworks that make you say, “Wow!”… an unconditional commitment of love and waking up next to your spouse (even 35 years later) thinking, ” I am one lucky person!”

That’s what I will be thinking on January 16th…

Here is the story.

A woman in her early thirties is caring for her disabled, widowed Mother and her sons. She works long, hard hours as a food server, providing all the necessities for her family. Being considered “middle class’ by the government, she receives no benefits. If she didn’t work or worked less, she would receive many benefits. Recently her car broke down and she did not have the additional money to pay for the repairs. Not one to complain, she increased her work hours to the point of exhaustion. This past month, she fell behind on her bills.

Her best friend called her the other day from hundreds of miles away. Knowing her friend to be one of the most emotionally strong women she knew, the best friend was worried because her friend was crying on the phone. “I don’t know what will happen to my family”she said. “If I don’t come up with the rent by Thursday, the landlord is taking me to court. I will be evicted and I have nowhere to go. I have called every agency I can think of…No-one will help because I have a job.”

Her best friend, a.k.a my youngest daughter, reassured her that she would do everything in her power to help her. Unable to provide her friend the money (a little over a thousand dollars) she reached out to all her friends for help. Sadly, with the economy being so depressed, she received an outpouring of loving words but few offers of financial aid.

My youngest daughter was devastated. Her heart was so heavy on Wednesday because she knew time was running out. We talked several times during the day and together we prayed for a miracle.

And then I received the call. “Mother” my daughter excitedly said, “A facebook friend I have never met in person has offered to help. He said he will pay my friend’s rent and late fees tomorrow morning. He is waking up at 5 a.m. California time so that he can pay it on his debit card the minute the rental office opens up. Do you understand what this means? My friend will not have to take off work to go to court. She will be able to stay in her apartment and continue to provide for her family.”

She went on to tell me how her friend, her 13 year old son and her Mother cried for joy. They needed a miracle and they received one.They immediately called the man and thanked him and promised to repay the money as soon as possible.

As I listened to my daughter share the happy ending, my heart overflowed with joy.

I knew this story would become my Holiday 2011 Story….A love story about a “stranger” thousands of miles away, who did an extraordinary act of kindness.

“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

As the holidays approach, I started thinking about some good tips to share to help my readers stay within their budget. With commercials and advertisements bombarding us daily, it is easy to get swept up in the spending spree.

The reality is…Most folks I know have too many every day/real life expenses to go crazy during the holidays. Many of them do anyway because they think it is expected of them.

Here are some suggestions:

Go shopping with a list…Just like in the grocery store, stick to that list and to your budget and don’t become a victim of temptation.

Use a prepaid Visa card to pay for your gifts so you do not max out your regular credit card. Do not walk around with huge sums of cash. Sadly, this is the time of year when thieves are out in full force.

Buy one FUN gift for families on your list (extended family or friends) as opposed to individual gifts for each family member.An example could be a gift certificate to a favorite ice cream shoppe or a terrific new game that the whole family would enjoy.

Create your own holiday cards. If your children are young, this could be a great art project. For older children , let them come up with an original holiday greeting for the inside of the card.

Short on cash? Offer to babysit or run errands for your favorite neighbor, family member or friend. Bake something special for someone who would appreciate a special treat. Offer to help an elderly person do a difficult chore. Create coupons for your services and put them in with your holiday cards.

Get over the guilt that you can’t do more because it isn’t what the season is really about. Years from now, people won’t remember how much money you spent on them….but they will never forget how much you cared!

Today I feel very rich. I’m not talking about financial wealth but rather the way I feel when I am so happy. The routine of everyday life can often be monotonous and it is those slivers of happiness that make each day so worth living.

As I sit at my desk taking care of my office duties…  I am smiling. Even if I never leave this desk and see the outside world today, my day has been made better by several very nice, loving human beings.

There is a lesson to be learned in all of this.

As I wrote in a recent blog, “There are no excuses for any of us on this planet to be strangers anymore. We have this unbelievable opportunity to reach out across the miles and touch each other’s lives….to  love each other and be there for each other.”

What A Wonderful World It Could Be!

As Sam Cooke sang all those years ago, “What a wonderful world this would be!”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “That bridge is even older now…and what if I fall in the river?”

“Where’s your spirit of adventure?”  he replied. “I promise you that no-one is falling in the river!”

Grabbing his camera, he came around to my side of the car and opened the door. “Let’s do this while the sun is still shining!”

He went ahead of me to test the bridge and called out, “It’s is sturdy as can be!”

I went on the bridge very cautiously noticing that a lot of the wood planks looked like they were about to break. As I walked, the bridge started to swing very slightly, not a great thing for someone who deals with bouts of vertigo. I looked down at the river and wondered to myself, “If I fall will I hopefully miss the rocks? Will Richard be able to rescue me as I’m floating down the river?”

My husband a.k.a The Photographer snapped me back to reality and gave me instructions on where to stand. “Perfect!” he said as he took a few pictures. “The sun looks like a halo over you!”

He studied the pictures for a moment. “These might be the GREATEST pictures I’ve ever taken of you in 35 years of marriage.”

He looked at me and asked, “Aren’t you glad we took time out of our busy day for a little adventure?”

I looked at my husband’s grinning face and saw that 25 year old guy I fell madly in love with all those years ago.

Flashing my biggest smile (which he didn’t catch on camera but that’s ok ) …I replied, “It was our BEST one ever!”

Then, I made my way (slowly) to the end of the bridge and back to our car on the side of the busy highway.

Debi on bridge

I can’t remember the day that Lynette Basta Alicea and I became friends nor do I remember which one of us sent the friend request. I just know that from that day on, I had one more reason to go on Facebook and read postings. Lynette was like a breath of fresh air. What she did not know was, her inspirational words pulled me out of some of my darkest moments. While I faced one physical challenge after another, I found comfort in her words. For that, I am eternally grateful.

A few months ago, I realized that Lynette was dealing with her own health issues.  Not one to be stopped in her tracks, she continued her regime of exercise and eating a healthy, organic diet. She often posted pictures of  her vegan meals. Everything looked delicious and colorful. She continued inspiring others…

On October 13th, 2011, Lynette posted that the melanoma that she had been battling had spread to her brain, bones and liver. Her page was quickly flooded with messages of love. Prayers were sent along with inspirational words.

I cried many tears the day I saw Lynette’s posting.  I wanted to wrap my arms around her and say, ” Let me help you take on the biggest challenge of your life !” Since she lives hundreds of miles away, I could only wrap my love around her with my words.

The world of technology has often made me dizzy because there is so much I still don’t comprehend.

The one thing I know for sure is…There are no excuses for any of us on this planet to be strangers anymore. We have this unbelievable opportunity to reach out across the miles and touch each other’s lives….to  love each other and be there for each other. Imagine what a beautiful world it could be!

Please help me make this happen by keeping my beautiful friend, Lynette Basta Alicea in your prayers. Please send her healing thoughts and a BIG dose of love.

I know it will make a difference!

Lynette and her daughter