Hiking the Blogosphere: From Pink Skies to What Have You Learned From Your Pet

This week on our hike around the blogosphere, we’ll visit some blogs that may or may not be familiar to you. Some I’ve followed for quite awhile, others are more recent discoveries. The highlighted posts are not necessarily the most recent entries, but ones that spoke to me when I first read them, and continue to speak to me because of the timelessness of their message. It’s my hope that during today’s hike, you’ll discover new places you’ll want to visit again and again.

Our first stop is the blog of my favorite drop zone, Skydive Carolina, who recently posted the movie trailer for Pink Skies. You don’t have to be a skydiver to be moved by this film. If you or someone you know has been touched by breast cancer, you’ll want to see this amazing movie to be released on DVD May 8, 2012.

“Pink Skies is an inspirational documentary about the empowerment of women. It’s about overcoming obstacles as athletes and as human beings. The film covers an extraordinary event, “Jump For the Cause.” JFTC brought together 181 women from 31 countries. They jumped out of nine planes to create a World Record all-women’s skydiving formation. They also raised nearly $1 million dollars for breast cancer research. Along with phenomenal skydives, the film features breast cancer survivors, cutting edge researchers, doctors, and healers. It reveals breakthroughs that have not been widely publicized, explores what’s working, what needs to be changed, and the seismic shift toward prevention.” 

You can find more details and information on their website at PinkSkiesthemovie.com

Author Michael Cogdill’s blog, Throwing a Bash for the Written Word, is a personal favorite that provides a never-ending source of inspiration. There’s something positive to take away in each and every post, but Don’t Just Sleep With A Dream. Get Hitched To It! remains a personal favorite.

Regardless of your dream, there’s something here to touch the heart of every dreamer. Two lines leapt out at me: “Carry on with dreams well guarded in your heart. Knowing they are beautiful creatures some people will despise.” When your dreams feel unsupported, unattainable, and the mountain insurmountable, this post is a great compass to point you in the right direction and remind you any dream worth following is worth being faithful to.

Following Atticus was my favorite read of 2011. It’s also one of the best book trailers I’ve ever seen, which is why I’m including it here. If you love reading, I’m sure you’re familiar with books that elicit this reaction: “Oh no, only 50 pages left? What will I read after THIS?” This led me to backtracking, re-reading passages, even entire chapters, in an effort to avoid THE END. But when the inevitable could no longer be denied, I went online in search of more about Tom and Atticus.

Don’t you just want to stand up and shout when you discover an amazing book has an equally amazing blog? “Tis not to late to seek a newer world…” is more than just a great blog post, it’s a beautiful introduction to the writing of Tom Ryan and the teachings of Atticus Maxwell Finch. And for those who never wanted to see the book end, well, in a most wondrous way, it really doesn’t!

Our next stop takes us to the backyard of my favorite author, Susan Chernak McElroy. Susan’s blog, Animals as Teachers and Healers, is a place I frequently spend hours lost in the written word.

Her recent post, Squirrel Sanctuary is a beautiful example: “I sit in my newest sanctuary, bounded on one side by the lemon-colored porch light and on the other by the vanilla light of the moon. The squirrels carry strong, happy magic, and they drench me in its wonder. They fly over my head in a gentle benediction…”

Her writing, blog posts, and books are rich with metaphor and meaning, and read like fine poetry. There’s much of the magical, mystical, and memorable here.

The last stop in our hike around the blogosphere is with Dogster: For the Love of Dog. The hosts of SoulPancake take us to the park with one question in mind: We Want to Know: What Have You Learned From Your Pet? In this short uplifting video, children to seniors were eager to share the insightful lessons their pets taught them. And what better place to end our hike around the blogosphere than under a tree in the park, in the company of so much unconditional love.

I hope you found something inspirational during our hike. What blogs or blog posts have inspired you lately? Please leave a link and share in the comments section. I’d love to hear about them!

Hiking the Blogosphere: From Island-Building to The 20 All-Time Funniest Twitter Bios

Since our last hike around the blogosphere, spring has sprung, new life abounds, and winter’s just a memory. I trust you’ve packed away your thermals, parkas, and gloves and are ready to hit the trail with a lighter load. Break out the flip flops, sunglasses, and Banana Boat because our first stop takes us to the Big Island of Hawaii.

Through beautiful photographs and the magical metaphor of Island-Building, Alina Sayre talks about the effects of choices we make in our lives. She reminds us that “it is our cumulative grace-guided choices that determine the people we will become,” and asks us to look more closely at the kind of island we’re building.

Janice Heck serves up a delightful read for cat lovers with Cat-Antics: Simon’s Cat. If you’ve never read any of Simon Tofield’s books or seen his animations, you’re missing a treat. There’s plenty here to keep you laughing. The post contains pics of book jackets and a link to one of his hilarious videos. I promise – it’s the cat’s meow and pajamas all rolled into one.

Photo by Torley / Flickr

Sara Walpert Foster shares a truly amazing post that should be required reading for every teenage girl and their parents. In Mojo Mama Shares Her Nuggets, she provides 15 wisdom-isms that are life affirming, life enhancing, and life changing. If you’re a parent of a teenage girl or know someone who is, I encourage you to read this, print it out, and pass it along. It could change a life.

Ben DeVries of Not One Sparrow takes us on a beautiful journey with The Dignity and Beauty of Elderly Animals. Photographer, Isa Leshko, travels to animal sanctuaries around the country to photograph senior animals at or near the end stages of their lives. Led to this project while caring for her mother suffering from Altzheimers, “Leshko hopes that the photos will help herself and others wrestle with the difficult realities of aging and mortality.” The post also includes a very moving 4:30 video short from Walley Films about the photographer, the project, and her subjects.

Our last stop is Mark Schaefer’s blog, Grow, for The 20 All-Time Funniest Twitter bios (Part 2). WARNING: Put away all food and beverages before reading! As an added bonus, he also includes a link to the original post, 20 of the All-Time Best Twitter Bios. These intriguing, outrageous, and laugh-out-loud bios are sure to make you want to rewrite your own … if you can stop laughing long enough.

This seems like the ideal place to end our hike because well, I’m laughing too hard to continue and all the exertion has made me sleepy. *yawn* The shade of this centuries-old oak tree looks like the perfect place to stretch out and take a na

I hope you found something in our hike around the blogosphere that inspired you and made you smile. If so, I’d love to hear from you. Comments are a warm fuzzy!

Hiking the Blogosphere: From A Life Among Thorns to The Land of Ish

Photo by Monty Vanderbilt

The weekend’s a great time to get out in the blogosphere and breathe some fresh air. So grab your hiking boots, backpack, and e-ssentials and we’ll meet on the trail. There’s not enough daylight to make it to all the blogs that inspired me this week, but we’ll get to as many as we can, and make a note of the ones to visit on our return trip.

Michael Cogdill is ‘throwing a bash for the written word’ and we’re invited. His most recent post, Cheers to a Life Among Thorns echos the My WANA message of service to others. Michael reminds us that “the beauty of fully living is this – the harder you swing at clearing the wilderness for someone else, the fewer the thorns in your own backside.” Congratulations to Michael on his novel, She-Rain becoming a screenplay and soon-to-be major motion picture!

A. E. Huppert pens a moving tribute in memory of her pug, Marti, in The Pugs of Procrastination series. In Honoring Those Who’ve Survived You, she writes about our 4-legged friends who see us through difficult times, while teaching us how to love and let go.

Ben DeVries of Not One Sparrow shares a stunning video of one of nature’s greatest phenomena, in A Murmuration of Starlings. This 2-minute testament to the wonder of God’s creation is sure to leave you breathless. Ben’s blog is dedicated to “being a Christian voice for animals,” so if you’re a Christian and love animals, you’ll want to spend some time here.

Photo by Marc Palm

In What? Me Worry? Barbara Forte Abate reminds us that worrying over a situation never changes the outcome. She notes that “worry loses a good deal of it’s potency if you refuse to feed it.” I confess to reading this post multiple times because it does more than simply speak to me. It slaps me in the head like that low hanging branch I never saw coming. And truth be told, I’ll probably need to read it again tomorrow … after the swelling goes down.

Jodi Lea Stewart is our guide for the last leg of our journey as we head into The Land of Ish. I revisited this post for a second time on a particularly difficult day this week, one that’s hard for me every year. Jodi’s humor never fails to bring a smile to my face and I’m sure you’ll see why after reading her post. Something’s always cookin’ there and …

Ooooh, do I smell Mexican Spoon Bread? Looks like we’ve found the perfect place to pitch camp for the night! Is anyone else feeling a little campfire-ish.

Did you find anything in our hike around the blogosphere that inspired you or made you laugh? If so, please share. I’d love to hear about it!