Joelle's White Coat Ceremony- Successful Magic
(Student Doctor Joelle Donofrio))

 Joelle has completed her classroom work!
 In her own words..
 "I am currently a third year medical student about to embark  into the world of the hospital training where I will learn a little  about each medical specialty (family medicine, surgery,  internal medicine, ob-gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry, etc). In 2  years (2009), my medical school training  will be complete and  I will be a doctor. From there I will continue my journey into  the big world of residency where I further my knowledge in a  specific field (neurosurgery?). Yeah!! So many years of learning  ahead of me. Right now though, I have the first step of my  medical boards to get through. 2 days of 8 hour tests!! :)"

 The photo shows her recieving her White Coat as
 part of her ceremony.
 
 
Happy and on her sacred path!
email from Joelle- (Prior to Summer Solstice 2007)
Buenos dias,

HAPPY SOLSTICE (and Hands Around Lake Tahoe)!!!!!

Tomorrow I am taking board exam #2, another 8 hour exam. While my last board exam will be used to compare me to MD students when I apply for residencies (as it was an MD exam), this test will allow me to continue my education (I need it to pass the 1st 2 years of osteopathic medical school). So I would absolutely love it if everyone could light a candle for me again tomorrow. Your energy and love was immensely helpful for Saturday's exam. I channeled the love straight into the exam and walked away confident and happy.

How did I use such amazing powerful energy for a computer test (just in case you ever want to do the same).... before each round of 50 question sets I would ground myself, invite the 4 directions with harm to none and good will to all, and pull in energy and love until I was so full it was pouring out of my head and hands like a giant rainbow sunbeam. While I did this I was doing my meditation breaths. Smell in a beautiful rose, blow out your birthday candles (10 times). Just before the last 50 questions I had to pull in the big guns. I took a few more minutes and I sat and just imagined all the people supporting and loving me and all the beautiful candles. I pictured Evon and Yvette's giggling, Dave (my husband) hugging me. My momma smiling... Griffin sitting and focusing a laser beam of energy.... Jo giving me a stern, yet friendly keep going kid you're almost there look. etc..... (these are just a few of the many people coursing through my head) By the time I made it through ~10 people, I was rearing to take the last set. my energy was back and I was excited to show them what I knew and I had a giant grin on my face. Speaking of which, several of my classmates who were testing at the same site as me commented several times about how happy I was when I saw them during break.

So, as you light a candle/send a thought/send a smile, etc.. for my test tomorrow, please realize how much it means to me and how much better I did because of your love.

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I am so excited and ready to take this test tomorrow! Of course, I'll report my scores back once I get them, so you can see the power of the circle.

I love everyone supertons and I hope you all have the best solstice ever!!!
Many blessings!
Joelle

The Latest email from Joelle ...

"Hello happy, beautiful Circle!!
I received all my test scores. All I have to say is Yippee and thank you. Both exams went extremely well. My scores are in the range of neurosurgery, so I am one happy chica.
Thank you all so much for sending me such amazing energy!! I am so so so happy.
I love you all!" - Joelle

Harkin Keegan Turner
(born of Pettit & Ralph)

Arrived Wednesday, March 7 at 6:49 p.m. (12 days early). He weighed in at 6.9 pounds
and was 19 inches. We are thrilled to finally meet him!

Graydon Robert Ross
(born of Quint & Kelly)

Here are a few pics of Graydon Robert Ross , His second day on this earth.Graydon decided to come 2&1/2 weeks early, but on his time, which was 33 fun-filled hours of labor!! He was born, Sunday, March 4, 2007, 6lbs. 19 inches long at 11:16 am. Talk to ya soon, Proud mama, Kelly

Random Acts
of Kindness


















Trip to Hacienda Orphanage in Mexico
my god. today was about the best of being human. i saw them rise and shine, bright, like the gorgeous stars they are. my kids, all of them, like a proud mother i was, watching them give and grow and love and show what makes them smile. and smiles, so many smiles. wonders, these children. across lines and lives and age and culture ties, they shine shine shine.

today i took 17 of my kids from school to visit 90 of my kids at the Hacienda orphanage in Mexico. for some, it was the first time they ever left the country. imagine, their parents entrusted this most precious experience to me. i felt blessed from the beginning, and almost cried when Maddy's dad said, "just bring her back to me, ok?" yow.

so we arrived and they dug right in, carrying the goods we'd brought down, and getting right to making a place for themselves amongst the orphanage's resident lovebugs. this strange land, and they traversed with ease. i wandered for a while, watching them find out a little more about who they are and who they can be when given such an opportunity. i wanted to hold hands, but instead i let go and watched what unfolded. WOW. if you need to see godgrace in action, just watch kids loving kids. la vida pura.

i got to float in and out of these beautiful connections they were creating with each other, across the ages, across the so few hours it took for us to get to this new world, across the cultures of so many worlds colliding.

my own heart began opening, unfolding like petals on a flower ready to bloom. each child that came to me, asking to be held, asking for the touch of love, brought me the gift of the opening. it bloomed fully when i found the nursery. the babies. it was there i finally let the tears fall. the truth they are living. the best we can do is not good enough- yet. these babies need more room to unfold, more hands to hold them. my god. and Cathy was there all morning, loving, loving. Javier had her heart. he was there, with 3 of his brothers and sisters, because mom was picked up by the police while she was trying to sell them for money. did you hear that- uh, yea, Sell them. did i say How DARE i comPLain??? about ANYTHING!

and in mexico, they make it nearly impossible to adopt them. you have to get the parents to sign off, which they rarely do (i'll get my act cleaned up some day, and they can live here with 90 other kids in a small space without sheets or their own space to breath, until i do. - no judgement there, eh?) and they can only be adopted WITH any other siblings, most come with at least one other, many, like Javier, with more. there is even one family of 10. yup, all 10 kids are there together, and the oldest boy is now working outside during the day for $5 a day (he just turned 17).

and still i don't recall the last time i saw so many smiles. everywhere. everyone. so much laughter and giggles and trying to translate and not caring they couldn't. and gratitude in our hearts. remembering we are all here for a purpose. it's true, and i know it deep in my heart, even deeper in my body, when i am IN it. the power of this human soul, tied to the power of being willing to be Here completely. now that's good love.

Kirsten Rose's Class Assignment
Do 30 Days of Random Acts of Kindness and journal your experience every day.
At the end of thirty days, write a poem or essay, or create a poster, painting or
drawing that represents you experience, any changes you saw in your self or
others, or how the world would be different if we all practice random acts of kindness as a way of life.

Here's what they did!

The Ripple Effect of Random Acts of Kindness
Jennifer Alvarado
Grade 3
Every time you do a Random Act of Kindness, a circle in you grows of love and kindness.  It’s like when you throw a pebble in the water, a circle grows and a little circle becomes a medium circle, then grows into an even bigger circle.  Sometimes it stops.  Like when you stop doing Random Acts of Kindness, your circle gets smaller.  But that will never happen, because you have hope in your heart and Random Acts of Kindness are contagious

Umbrella of Kindess
Jade Brooks Porter Middle School- 7th Grade

Thirty Days of Kindness
Julian Park
Age 13
The world was cold.
One’s personality could never unfold.
Every step, every turn,
No one showed the least concern.
The worst was,
I was also the root of this quiet cause.
We needed a change,
But who would be willing to start it?

Then one day, out of the blue,
There was something new,
Thirty days of kindness.
Generosity, courtesy, love car…
But would there be success?

No thank you-s.
Just completely randomly.
Someone had to refuse,
But we carried on without an excuse.

I tried it once
And I almost felt like a dunce.
I tried it again,
Then another ten.
By then I got the hang of it.
I didn’t want to quit.

I turned frowns upside down.
I added color to black and white.
I opened doors, picked up litter shared my food,
I think I even saved a life or two.

I was a seed,
A seed of good.
I grew and grew,
Until I shattered the barrier of neglect,
Helping everyone to connect.
My kindness spread,
And I was proud to be a part of something.
But most of all, I was a changed person,
A part of a changing world.
Thirty days ago,
I wasn’t.

The World
Jessica Hong Porter Middle School- 8th Grade

Slowly Changing
By Sara Villalon
Porter Middle School-8th Grade

She was a really sad-looking girl.
I asked for her name.
She stared at me blankly.

As the minutes went by,
I gave her smiles.

As the hours went by,
I showed her kindness.

As the days went by,
I showed her friendship.

She was no longer a really sad-looking girl. 
Her name is Summer.
She stared at me with smiles.

Make a new friend and fill the world with smiles.

30 Dias de Actos Bondadosos
By Jesse Guerrero
Porter Middle School-8th Grade
During the 30 Days of Random Acts of Kindness, I experience many changes in my life.  Doing these random acts changed me into something I though I would never be.  They also changed the way people treat me and think about me.  It also affected many kids in and around my school.  In my mind, the world would be a much better place if everyone was kind and did things to help others.  Some random acts that I did really affected me.
             First, during the 30 Days of Random Acts of Kindness, I experienced an overall change in myself.  Before this, I didn’t really know much about kindness, at least not as well as I do now.  When I started these acts, I felt better about myself and thought that I could change people’s days by just doing something small for them, like helping them if their locker didn’t work or their books fell down.  Thus, these random acts of kindness really changed me and the way I think about the true meaning of kindness.
Second, I felt a change in the way people treat me and think about me.  My mom used to think I wasn’t really responsible, but now she treats me as if I had more responsibility and I’m getting more mature.  Now, people also give me a more frequent “Thank you” every time I help them and they treat me nicer.  There is also an improvement in the way that my brothers treat me because they used to bully me around, but now they don’t and just leave me alone.  These Random Acts of Kindness have dramatically changed people’s view of me.
There are also many ways that I’ve affected my school and kids in it.  After I helped some kid that I didn’t even know, he now comes up to me and says “Hi” or “What’s up?”  People at school also treat me differently now because I am somehow able to change their moods if they’re depressed by telling them that it’s alright.  On one occasion, I stopped a verbal fight between my friends and at first they were mad at each other and me, but then they realized that it was the best way and thanked me.  These small acts really helped many kids at school and it made their day better.
I also imagine that the world would be a much better place if everyone did random actgs of kindness for others.  The world would be filled with more kind and happy people that are surer of themselves and their ability to help others.  The world would not be filled with people that only care for themselves, but with people that think of others before themselves.  The world would be a way better place if everyone did acts of kindness.
Finally, there was one random act of kindness that dramatically changed my view of kindness.  This act was when on one Sunday, my neighbors and I went to get some hamburgers at Foster’s Freeze.  There was a homeless guy there that had only one leg and we always saw him on his wheelchair in the street.  We decided to all chip in some money and buy him a hamburger and we sat with him eating.  He talked to us about his life and how he lost one of his legs.  He said that he lost his right leg 19 years ago when he got a serious infection and they had to amputate it.  He said that his wife and children didn’t like him anymore, so they left him and he became homeless.  This act really changed me because it made me feel sad that his family left him and that he said he was very grateful and hoped to see us another time.
In conclusion, these 30 Days of Random Acts of Kindness have really changed me in the way that I think about the true meaning of kindness.  It has also affected many people around me, even though it is not really big.  These random acts of kindness are very meaningful and many people should get to do them to experience what I and other fortunate people have experienced.
Durante estos 30 Dias de Actos Bondadosos, la manera en que pienso de la verdadera razon de la bondad a cambiado bastante.  La razon de estos actos es para ayudar a otras personas para que esten felices.

Cambiar el Mundo
(To Change the World)
Jeanie Lee Porter Middle School- 8th Grade

Loneliness
By Jeanny Fuentes
Every Saturday I volunteer at Cedar’s Sinai Hospital.  I work at the OB/Gyn.  I answer the phones form patients and also I help the nurses deliver things the patients need.  Today this old lady called from a room asking for her nurse but I told her that I was going to go in.  When I went into the room she was in I asked her if she needed anything.  She said “I just need someone here with me.”  I sat down and the room was very quiet, it seemed she felt better.  Since it was quiet I asked her if she wanted me to read her a book that she had next to her and she said yes.  I started reading and afterwards I realized she fell asleep.  I felt so happy knowing that I was there for her because she felt lonely.  It made me realize how hard it must be to be stuck in a four wall room everyday with no one by your side.  Every other Saturday I would visit her and do the same.  I was happy knowing that I made her feel better and that I was her companion.

As Kind As Ever
By Eidah Hilo
Porter Middle School-8th Grade
“Considere la bondad come una semilla de flor.  Usted lo debe plantar como si usted plantara also en su Corazon.  Usted lo debe alimentar y lo riega.  Usted entonces lo mira crece y casi llega a ser una parte de usted.”
For the past 30 days I have been required to show a side of me that I didn’t know as really there.  I have occasionally done kind things here and there without noticing it throughout my life.  But, it wasn’t until now that I truly understood the importance of kindness while doing this project.  I wrote the quote above and it translates into “Consider kindness as a flower seed.  You must plant it as if you were planting something in you heart.  You must nourish it and water it.  You then watch it grow and almost  become a part of you.”  This quote means that kindness is something that takes time.  As time gradually goes by it will be planted in you and it will always be a part of you.
            Kindness is not a very complicated subject.  In fact, it’s very simple.  There are many small things one can do unintentionally, without being asked.  Simply giving some random person in a hall at school or work a warm smile can really make them feel good inside.  Nobody tells you to go and smile at a certain person everyday.  It is something that is just there inside of you.
            In my mind I think and tell myself that deep inside of everybody there is an “off and on switch” for kindness.  And if everybody reaches into the depths of their soul, they can turn that switch on forever.  Everyday.  Unfortunately, not everybody’s kindness switch is on and so there are things that other people must do to make that switch turn on.
            Picture how the world would be if everybody’s switch was on.  The world would be such a lovely, peaceful place.  Earth would no longer be a place for hell.  There simply wouldn’t be any room for it.
This project is sort of like a journey for me.  I have blossomed from an ordinary person with my ups and downs (mostly downs) to a happy, friendlier person who appreciates life for what it’s really worth and for what it really means.
            Some random acts of kindness I have done vary in the range of simple to unique.  Some simple things I have done are open a door for somebody at school, set my bed without being asked, return a lost book to the office, etc.  I have also done some very unique, detailed things such as create a tip list on how to be more organized and get better grades for somebody I know who had been getting bad grades and was unhappy about it, buying a homeless man a block of cheese and some bread from Ralphs, doing environment friendly things such as encouraging my mother to get biodegradable paper bags when grocery shopping, cutting my shower shorter to conserve water, avoid littering, picking up trash that had been littered, etc.
            In my opinion, I think this is a very beneficial project ot assign to students throughout America.  It informs us kids what is truly important in life and helps us spread it like a contagious disease.  This will make our country a better place to live in.  It would be great if this project could be assigned to more cities than the 50 my teacher told me about.  What would be even BETTER than that is to inform other countries’ schools about this project and spread world peace.
            Kindness is also a challenge.  It will be very tough for the world to be eliminated of gangs and gang violence, maniacal kidnappers and rapist, corrupt dictators, environment destroyers, and so forth.  But we can do it.  We shall all join our hands and make this world a better place to live in for ourselves and our future generations.  So go…do something kind…and be as kind as ever.