Thankful Thursday!

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. - Christiane Northrup


I sure hope that you had a happy week and that you found yourself grateful no matter what (if anything) you celebrated!


The five winners this week are...


Target - Yeah, the store. I don't care what you think. I find great comfort in Target. I've been there more than I have been anywhere else since I have been home (besides my mom's). I love that I can find whatever I need there and that many of the people know me. I said that I missed Target while I was in Liverpool and I am already missing Target for my return. I might not stay in the UK just for Target and....

Victoria's Secret - I don't care that she is one of those girls who carry a secret and tells everyone that she has a secret just to get attention! I love her and her secret! (Do you know the real secret? I'll tell you if you don't.) I love that stinkin' store! I have been there a lot too since I have been home. There is one opening in London in the fall of 2012 and I am super excited about that because it will just be a matter of time before one opens in Liverpool. I have "clothes" that fit me now. And her perfume is quite amazing too! So to you Vickie, I send you some gratitude and a request to be a bit cheaper. I'll blackmail you with your secret.


Pinterest - It's really just Myspace's bumper sticker app on a website but I still think I might enjoy it. I am grateful for it because I have been distracted by it for the better part of an hour as I have been thinking of what to be grateful for this week. I don't recommend you get an account going as it really seems like a mindless waste of time.


Scranton Cultural Center - I am going to get about 14 hours of work next week. That's 14 hours of U.S. dollars. That is 7 hours of British pounds. Bam!


Liverpool - I am quite grateful that the city exists and attracted me to it with it's alluring history/roots of the best band in the history of the entire world. I've met my flatmates and my other friends in the chaos of the city and I met Dan. Seems like I owe Liverpool a pretty huge thanks. They're not kidding when they say "You'll never walk alone!"




What are you thankful for?


I'd be thankful if you posted something.

Thankful Thursday!!

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need. - Sarah Ban Breathnach





As Christmas is fast approaching each one of us are doing our own preparations in order to make this holiday even more enjoyable than last year. Jacob wants a PSP, a dog, and for his Auntie Autumn to come home. I can’t convince Debbie to get a dog and I am not sure about the PSP but I knew that Old Saint Nick and I could work something out to bring Jacob’s favorite aunt home for Christmas!



The journey from Liverpool to Scranton was exhausting, annoying, and, at times, downright rude. But, if you think that for one second I didn’t find something to be grateful for then you can just consider yourself to be a stranger to me!



And the five winners this week are…



David from Croatia - ended up to be quite a helpful person on our 8 hour plane ride from London to NYC! The flight wasn’t full and there was a seat in between us. We shared it for the snacks and for our belongings but then there was the old man in front of me. This gentleman had no consideration for my personal space on this flight. He pushed his seat back farther than it could go. For real, seat 42H on this plane is not a place you want to sit.) I know I am not the skinniest gal in the land but I am also not the biggest and this man had me squished between a plane seat and, well, a plane seat. So I turned to David and I said in my kindest American voice, “Do you mind if I take up two seats?” Kindly David said, “No, go right ahead,” as he rolled his eyes at the gentleman lying in my lap. In typical Autumn fashion I spent the six hours taking up two seats and leaning on this guys shoulder. I would say I am embarrassed about this but I am not because it is the first time I have ever slept that long on a plane. When I woke up we chatted about why he was coming to America. It turns out he is a dentist(!) and his fiancé is living in NYC and he comes out to visit her twice a year for two months. David, thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder. Universe, thanks for sending him along! Now I know there is such thing as a tourist visa which is super important for Dan.

Old Friends - I didn’t realize how much I would miss these people when I left Scranton in August. I saw all of my best today for the first time (without computer assistance) in four months. We all went to Fratelli’s for dinner and it was great to see everyone. Krissy was late; Katie was trying not to spit soda out from laughing so hard; Stefanie read my face like a book when the jet lag finally hit me; Donna was the one to light a fire under the waiter’s butt (I have no idea who this guy is but I don’t ever want him again); the rest of the staff at Fratelli’s made me feel like Britney Spears for the whole night (because I am B. Spears). Oh, Liz greeted me with a Backstreet Boys t-shirt (stoked). I was just so grateful that I have these awesome people in my life. I miss everyone in England so very much but having these guys around helps me realize that there is no place like home. So for all of the friends that I have seen today or have tried to see today, I am grateful for you.



A Blue Blanket and Purple Scarf- It’s really interesting to leave your life in America for England and it’s also interesting to leave your life in England for America. As soon as I was getting comfortable, I upped and left! So before my journey Dan gave me those two items to bring with me to America. Of course they remind me of him (as they are his) but they remind me of my flatmates for different reasons too. It’s amazing that four months ago I had no idea who these people were and now I find myself missing them every day. These two items makes missing my second home a bit less missful. (I made that word up.)



Home – not just the roof over my head but everything that is around it! The roads, the workers at the different stores, the familiarity of the accents, I am grateful for all of it. Scranton is kind of like Cheers. The last 24ish hours have been full of hugs and smiles and sometimes you really just want to go where everybody knows your name. Scranton, I am grateful for you (don’t get too excited about that one though I am probably still suffering from exhaustion)!

My Prince, Danilo! - Nilo is my godson and I swear I do not know how my heart hasn’t burst between loving him and Jacob so much! As I mentioned earlier the travel home was exhausting. But when I got to Fratsmelli’s and Nilo had a smile brighter than the summer sunshine when he saw me, it was all worth it. I went to him and gave him a big kiss and he said “Hi, Auntie Autumn!” My heart melted when I heard/saw him say that and I knew that coming home for Christmas was the right choice! I am particularly grateful for Nilo this week as he made my journey from England less tiresome as soon as I saw that smile.





What are you grateful for this wonderful week?

Thankful Thursday!

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.  -- Willie Nelson

My bed - I know that most people are probably grateful that they have a bed, but no one is as grateful as I am for a bed that is 3,500 miles away from me.  The bed I am currently hibernating in is smaller than our twin beds.  Seriously, I don’t even think this bed has enough room for Jacob.  Many nights, I think of my $75 queen size bed that I bought from a woman whose daughter moved out before she could have used it.  For anyone who wants to know what it is like to sleep in Heaven, I have your ticket. I cannot wait to sleep in that bed again. I don’t know when that will be as it is in my mother’s garage right now. But I know it is as grateful for me as I am for it.

Kraft Mac & Cheese – You wouldn’t imagine that you would be grateful for something as simple as Kraft Mac & Cheese until you realize that it isn’t as simple as you thought! The M&C here is not so great.  I’ve tried many different brands and nothing does it for me like the cheesiest M&C in all of the land.  The American store in town gets it in once in a while and when they don’t have it I get extraordinarily sad.  Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was starving.  Lucky for me, Dan bought two boxes on Monday while I was in class! Nothing is better than M&C at two a.m.  So to you Kraft, you’re the best. Dan, you’re not so bad yourself.    J

Guitars – No joke.  I think guitars are something that I am most grateful for!  Imagine my life without guitars!  How empty it would be!  I go to The Cavern Club every Sunday to see The Shakers and every week I find myself just staring at their hands as they play theirs guitars.  I claim I am a fan of words in songs but I believe I am an equal fan of guitars.  I mean, without a guitar, who would Mr. Lennon be?!   

My Ability to Work under Pressure - Some people crack under pressure.  Some people see deadlines and they freak out with anxiety even if the deadline is three months from the current time.  But then there is Autumn Rose!  I am awesome under pressure!  I am so grateful for that!  I had to do a presentation today. Although I have thought about it for the last two months, I didn’t really start it until today and it was due at 5:30 this evening.  I am freaking awesome!  So for you, ability to work under pressure I am thankful. Procrastination, you will never make it in this blog.  

Alex in Flat 2C - makes me smile a huge smile!  He is so funny and kind.  If I ever need a laugh he is the guy to call!  Alex is kind hearted and whenever I may be upset, I know I can call him and he will listen to me.   He is very kind and accepts everyone for who they are.  The world could use more people like him.  So, Alex, you are the honorary person I am thankful for this week.

What are you thankful for? 

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness. ~Author Unknown


Today is an unusual day for me to try to be grateful for things as today is the 31st anniversary of the day that the music died, the dream ended, and the hope for a return of Beatlemania was crushed. But, I will find things to be grateful for… read along.



Here we go…

That I am not Piglet – Do you remember Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day? Well, that was definitely set in Liverpool. It is the windiest place I have ever known. Chicago is nothing compared to this place. I am just extraordinarily grateful that I am not Piglet or someone like him. When I am trying to sleep and the wind howls as if it has no manners at all, I just picture poor Piglet being tossed around the One Hundred Acre Wood and I happy I am not him.

Lola- No reason to go in to detail here. I’m quite glad that her type exists. She does what I need her to do. Not glad I need to know her, but I am glad I do.

Stefanie – is my oldest and truest Beatle friend. We also displayed proudly our love for BSB (we still do) and we didn’t care who had what to say about it. For most of middle school and all of high school, Stefanie and I found ourselves in the most interesting trouble. They are times I still laugh at today. I wish I could share with you half of the silly things we did but it’s still just a bit too embarrassing. Stef, duck!

But even now, I can text Stefanie from the other side of the world (and it’s even better this week because she is in Texas) and she will be there to make me laugh, lend an ear, offer support or just remind me why I am not an idiot for feeling a certain way. And to confirm that what I am experiencing is indigestion and not a gall bladder attack, this is more important than one person may think.

Back to The Beatles. I don’t even know if we began liking them together or separately. I just knew one day I liked them and then I knew she did. So for this week, that is why I am most grateful for Stefanie Susan. Not many kids liked The Beatles when we were in school; I suppose they didn’t know any better. But because one other person understood why I loved The Beatles so much it made it much easier for me to embrace The Fab Four and not care if anyone else thought they were cool.

The Beatles Anthology - I owe too much gratitude to all of the people who put together Anthology. It originally aired in November 1995. If you want to see the full story of how I was introduced to The Beatles you can read my blog about it here Chasing Dreams. If you haven’t read that then why in the world are you reading this? If it weren’t for Anthology, I might have never known The Beatles and if I never knew The Beatles, I might not have the awesome friends, beliefs, outlook on life, living arrangements, or joy that I have now. I was talking to Dan last night and mentioned how it amazes me that because two guys met at a church picnic 54 years ago, I am living in Liverpool, England. Strange how history really does affect  the present. Don’t get me wrong, there are many other factors that helped me get to Liverpool, but there is only one reason why I chose to come here.

John Lennon – I have decided that I am not going write sad things about Lennon’s death 31 years ago today. Everyone has done that. I am thrilled that this man came along. I am well aware that I probably wouldn’t know who he or the other Beatles were if he was still alive or I wouldn’t like them as much, if I did. Obviously I would trade not knowing of him at all if it meant he would still be breathing, not because he is John Lennon, but because he is a human being. But it is thanks to him (and my mom) that I think that way. I put others before myself because I believe in peace and goodwill toward men. I know he wasn’t always perfect. Nowhere near perfect actually. He was complex, rude, and mean. But we are all that way. We are human. He was also witty, smart, caring, talented, wanted to see a change for better in the world and tried to make it happen. That last part isn’t something that many of us do, myself included. We are human.

I am grateful that he existed because there isn’t a question that can’t be answered by some song of his, whether it is while he was with The Beatles or during his solo years. Sometimes, I can even find it in his books. My friend was bumming before and said that he wasn't sure if he made the right choice in coming to Liverpool. What did I say to him? Exactly what I would say to you: there’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. My friend thanked me for that. I told him not to thank me but to thank Lennon.

So yeah, many might think that the day the music died is December 8, 1980. I disagree. Things that Lennon sang about still ring true today. We cannot say that many musicians, poets, writers etc. words are timeless. He was a man of peace and love.   He and Debbie have turn me into the hippie that I am today.  So for Lennon existing, I am forever grateful.  So are Dan, Bianca, and Shani.

What are you thankful for? 

Thankful Thursday!

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." -Buddha

I bet you all thought that I wouldn't do another post this week!  How little faith you must have in me!  Of course I would do a post this week as the last post was the very delayed but extremely long Thanksgiving post! 

So this week I am grateful for... 

Blankets -  When the heater in your room decides to fail you there is no better time to be grateful for your blankets. Although, my blankets are quite pitiful compared to the ones I have at home, they were enough to keep me warm last night. I was incredibly grateful that I lugged one of them all the way from Target in the States to my wonderful Liverpudlian home. 

My iPod - Although I am mostly an agreeable and approachable person nothing pleases me more than detaching from society for a while by putting those little ear buds in my ears. I thoroughly enjoy prancing about town with music flooding my ears and alienating myself in public. That kind of sounds rude.  Sometimes you just need to get away from everything and I am grateful for my iPod that can assist me in doing that.    And I am also sort of grateful that is a limited edition Beatles iPod.  You can be sort of jealous if you want to be.

Heat Patches, Icy Hot, etc -  How grateful I am for the inventions of items like these is extraordinarily ridiculous!  As many of you know my arm often aches from a car accident a few years ago.  When my arm isn't hurting my back hurts. When my back decides to leave me be, my legs remind me that they exist. You can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon Liverpool's Icy Hot and heat patches!  I was so grateful to smell that awful medicinal smell again! In just under 30 minutes of putting the cream on my arm, I was relieved of said pain.  You laugh but nothing says easy fix like these items.

Winston, the giraffe - He isn't a real giraffe of course. He is a stuffed animal with lavender in his belly. He smells wonderful. He's the best cuddler in the whole world.   So I am grateful that I have him to cuddle with!

Sam - is my flatmate in room 1C.  I am grateful for her because she is very helpful around the flat.  Her family was so kind to me for Thanksgiving.  We all went over to hers and they made us a Thanksgiving dinner. It was so kind!  I am grateful because Sam and her family made my Thanksgiving in Liverpool awesome. 

Totally Tardy Thanksgiving "Thankful Thursday" Tuesday!

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." -Thornton Wilder

Since it was Thanksgiving I thought I should do an extra special post, at least that is my intention. So this week I will write awesome thanks for people that I have not written about yet. Sigh 42 words into it and I am already bored. For anyone who isn’t in this one, I do love you and I do think that you’re awesome. I just need to have someone to write about after Thanksgiving too! =) This took much longer than I had expected.

So here we go…


Liz – drives me insane! She is my best friend but the woman is right up there with Corey and Debbie on the let’s drive Autumn nuts scale. Don’t worry; she feels the same about me. As with the rest of the people in this post, there are a billion reasons why I should be thankful for Liz and I will never be able to name them all (although she would love it if I did). For starters, Poopie knows what I need to say to her without me even saying a word. Most times, she knows what she needs to say in response and sometimes (more often than she deserves) I want to step on her toes for it. When I speak in code, she is usually the first one to figure out what I am trying to say.

I am one of those people who believe that you have many soul mates in a lifetime. Some of them are with you from the get go and some of them you don’t meet until later on in life. Liz is a soul mate of mine. We are two halves to a whole. We have put up with each other for almost a lifetime (for real, 21 years) and that alone is something that the both of us should be grateful for as we are hardly easy people to handle. We have had some less than great times and we have had more than excellent times. We both know when we need to stay quiet and just listen; we know when to speak up when the other’s words have failed her. We do not tolerate seeing each other get hurt but we also bite our tongue even when it kills us. Actually, that last part is a lie. We really don’t bite our tongues at all. That’s probably how we get into half of the trouble that we get into.

I am grateful for Liz because she offers me help when I am far too stubborn to ask for it. By offering, I mean she just does what I need to be done without asking because she knows that I will say no. She will see an oncoming heartbreak and just wait it out instead of telling me to steer clear because she knows that I won’t listen. For times that she does tell me to stay away and I don’t listen, she will never say, “I told you so.” (That is very important to be a friend of mine.) She knows when to use a verb instead of preposition with the most important sentences in my life. I am grateful for her because I can give her a look or breathe a sigh and she knows whether or not to go all counselor on me.

She is someone I can be completely shallow around and it’s okay because she’ll be shallow too. It happens to the best of us. Liz will tear anyone down if they try to bash my character. Most people know well enough not to say anything about Liz when I am around as my words are bigger than theirs. When I found myself in a tough time (that lasted/is lasting years) I know I can call her at 5:24 a.m. because she will be awake by then and she will know how to clear my head. She’s also threatened to run people over with her SUV for me. In that case, she should be thankful for me because I was the one to think clearly and say “No, Liz, I don’t think that is the best idea you’ve had.” Hindsight, I guess a little tap with her bumper would have brought me justice. Perhaps the reason I am most grateful for Liz is because when I need to listen to bad music (and sing along to it) she is always ready with a drink in her hand and quarters in her pocket.

Krissy – is a special one. Sometimes you really wouldn’t even believe we are friends. Most times, we don’t get along. We hardly ever see eye to eye and when we do it’s because we’re annoyed with each other. But if there is anyone in the world that has my back, it is this girl. No argument, distance, or time can ever make me think otherwise. Like Liz, I have a billion reasons why I am grateful for Krissy stumbling into my life.

Sometimes, it’s for pure comic relief.

Krissy (aka Micka or Narkles) might be my best entertainment of all time. The things that she does sometimes are absolutely hysterical that even comedy writers couldn’t make it up. She dances around in a Michael Myers mask which probably isn’t funny to you but I can still watch the video and laugh just as hard as I did the first time. Narkles is one of the reasons why I can laugh at most things that go wrong in life. For example, she was diagnosed with narcolepsy on my birthday. I found that humorous. She came out of the doctor’s office and said, “Well, I have narcolepsy.” I laughed right in her face. You might find this rude, but she didn’t. To be honest, if the roles were reversed she’d laugh in my face too. Krissy is far from an idiot (honestly, she’s smarter than she gives herself credit for) but if anyone has done something a bit on the stupid side (but funny) it’s Micka. I am laughing as I am writing this because all of these memories of laughing “WITH” Krissy are flooding my head. She’s a trip to know. If you don’t know her, I’d work that out and meet her. Just like Liz, I think Mick is a soul mate; it makes me laugh just as I type this.

A reason why I am grateful for Micka is because she waits to tell me things until she feels I am ready to know it. You may think this is a “God” complex but it’s more like an “Aud Will Flip So Don’t Tell Her About This Yet” complex. She really saves the world a bunch of trouble by doing this. I am grateful for her because we can speak to each other in a way that I can’t with my other friends. Many, if not most, times I have to be really mean to her because that’s how she listens. And most times she has to be rude to me to get something through this thick head of mine. She can make me change my mind on things that I never thought I would. Or at least she is one that is able to reason with me the most. That’s impressive because I am quite stubborn and if someone can change my mind, they deserve a medal.

Mick is an aspiring nurse. I say aspiring with a light heart because she has wanted to do this for so long but just got distracted by other things. However, I always saw the nurse quality in her. How could I not? I have been her number one patient since we were eleven. When I lived in the States, but not at my mom’s, and fell ill to a point where I was too sick to get out of bed, it was Micka that would be the first one at my apartment to help me out. She could go to the store before she came over and get the things I would need or want in order to get better. There aren’t many people that can do that. She’s someone that takes the time for me whenever I need her and that is something I can never stop being feeling grateful for. Oh, and she has a beautiful daughter, Lily, that I simply adore more than life itself.

Another reason I am grateful for Narkles is because she is the one that always has my back. Not that my other friends do not, but if can rely on anyone to help me or defend me or to tell a waitress that my order is wrong, it’s Krissy. From calling her in a middle of a crisis or if I need her to literally pack up my house and move it, she is always the one to say she will help and then actually help. There are many friends that say that they would take a bullet for another friend. When it comes to Krissy, I know she would jump in front of a bus for me. And then I’d push her back out of the way and we’d end up yelling at each other over who was going to get hit by a bus that day. Quite comical, then even more funny when you realize how true this idea is!

Katie - aka as Brennan, among other (not so nice) nicknames, I suppose you can say I met by a fluke. I knew of her well before I was friends with her. She was frienemies with Krissy and Liz. I met her through Krissy and did hang out with her a few times about ten years ago and then we disappeared from each other only to stumble back right when we would need each other the most. I happened to need a new roommate and as it were, she happened to need a place to live. It worked out quite well. The way our stories are similar is extremely eerie but extraordinarily useful when we have to figure out what the next move should be because more likely than not the other one had to make the same moves weeks before. Katie knows what it is like to be in the situations that I find myself in and her guidance through my latest mess ups, heart breaks, or simple mishaps is something that I am grateful for.

But, wait! There’s more!

As I have mentioned a previous post, I LOVE to laugh! What is better than laughing? Making someone else laugh! This might sound silly to some but I am grateful that Brennan laughs so easily. Nothing brings a smile to my face like when she wheezes during the 11 o’clock news. Don’t worry, she doesn’t laugh at horrible news, she laughs at my making fun of the horrible news production! I am quite positive that there wasn’t one day in our living arrangement that we didn’t laugh hysterically at something. Even on super awful, no good, very bad days we still found something to laugh about. Even if it is just one of us saying something that no one else would understand and laugh uncontrollably because of it, we are always laughing.

Of course, we have our lovedog, Delilah. What says best heterosexual life partner ever like a lovedog? I am grateful for her taking custody of the P.I.A. as I spread my wings in Liverpool. I know she is in good hands (and they always liked each other way better than they liked me).

Although (like the others) there are a billion reasons why I am thankful for my Brenizzle, I think the reason I am most grateful for her is because she tells me when to remove my head from the place where the sun doesn’t shine and that isn’t because I am being rude, it’s because I am being an idiot. She gave my great advice (once). She said, “Aud, sometimes you just need… you just need to shut up.” Often times that goes through my head and I realize I do need to shut it. (NOT THAT OFTEN THOUGH.) And she also tells me the truth in the funniest yet nicest ways. Because our stories are similar, we get each other in a way that our other friends can’t, which is a good thing; no one wants to have a story like one of ours. We don’t judge either from our past or current mistakes and that is worth more than anything. I know that I can tell her a story that some other friends would be exhausted of hearing by now and she would listen because she has been there. Her experience in my story has me grateful beyond a point of measurement because it reminds me that I am not alone. Sometimes, that’s really all someone needs.

And then there’s the whole used to be my roommate and she was my longest running roommate idea. For real, I have had many roommates and Brennan was my favorite. So here is a quick gist of some of the funny and serious things I am grateful for with Brenizzle: She often made me nuggets and fries and sometimes even Stove Top stuffing; she often skipped around the house smacking her arse and singing; when I would be freaking out about school and telling myself I couldn’t do it she would say, “Aud, you got this;” she participated in Halloween parties even though she hates Halloween; she often takes time to explain things to me that I don’t understand ( I am quite naïve); she almost fought a man at a bar one night for me; she never said a word when I would be in the middle of a project for school and had papers all over our living room floor; she joins me for DMB concerts; lastly, she doesn’t mind that I gave her the rudest nickname!

My nana - is one of the most amazing women I know. If there is a woman who can burst from loving people so much it is Nana. She has made so many sacrifices for her family that she should be given an award or declared a saint or something. I knew I would miss her while I was here but I didn’t imagine that I would miss her so much! I am grateful for her for so many reasons but I think the biggest reason I am grateful for her is because she never stopped being a grandma. It doesn’t matter that I am 27, if I were to see her right now she’d ask if I was hungry (a billion times until I ate something) and make sure I didn’t need any money. Not to mention she would totally be hollering at me for not wearing a jacket and I’m sure that she would tell me I need to pull up my pants.

Nana has wisdom that I will never expect to have and will probably never fully recognize but that doesn't mean that I am not grateful for it. She is one of the smartest people I know. She deals with brainy matters. More importantly, she deals with matters of the heart. I suppose that is what makes her such a great nana. She can help heal a broken heart with a few words and make me laugh with just a face. I can talk to her for hours and will feel better by the time we are done. She doesn’t let me feel silly for crying and waits patiently between the sobs so she can hear the whole story. Then, she will think of the best way to help me. Nana has so many stories to share it’s always nice to sit and listen to her tell me a story (even if it’s one I have heard 26,000 times).

Nana always told me great things as I was growing up. One of my favorites is “you can’t be broker than broke,” which always comes to mind at the most appropriate times. The one thing that Nana has told me since I was little is that “there is always someone who has it worse than you do, Autumn. Don’t forget that.” This has always stuck with me, especially when I am on the verge of a pity party. There isn’t a day goes by that I don’t hear Nana’s words play in my head. So for Nana introducing me to the reality of situation early on in life is something I find myself most grateful for.

Jacob – is my favorite person on the planet. No, in the universe! It’s funny how grateful and happy I am that this little boy is in my life. Although, he had no control over it, he came in to our (my) life just in time. I went to a fortunate teller in November '06 and she told me that a fake blonde was going to have a baby. I couldn’t think of any fake blondes I knew so I had imagined it was going to be my brother’s girlfriend (who highlights her dirty blonde hair). I was excited and laughed as I told my mom the exciting news. I pretty much forgot about it until months and months later.

My sister, Phaedra, texted me the following January or February and told me “It’s a boy!” “Are you getting a dog?” I responded. Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know she was pregnant, very possible since I was in the middle of Westside Soap Opera. However, I am pretty confident that there was no one more excited for this little boy to get here than me (besides, his parents). Like my brother's girlfriend, Phae also had to highlight her dark blonde hair.

Everyone was hoping that Jake would be born on the 4th of July. I thought it would be cool but at the same time I thought that he wouldn’t be the only one with that birthday. But he didn’t come on the 4th or 5th or 6th. Jacob decided to make his debut on Earth in the early morning of July 7th, 2007 (777!!). I pushed for him to be called Lucky but no one would have it. (However, I call him Lucky.) Hours after I got the phone call that the baby was born, I got a picture message of him and from then on this boy was the coolest boy I would ever know. I am pretty sure that I didn’t know what his name was until later on that day (I could be wrong) but as soon as I learned his name, I loved it.

I met him the next day and I loved him from the start. From that moment I found it hard to separate times when Jacob wasn’t around. I know that he wasn’t alive when I was fourteen but I find it next to impossible to think there was a time when I didn’t know him. It’s odd when you think about it. In 24 hours, I went from not knowing him at all to loving this little guy more than I love The Beatles (that’s a big deal). I find I am just telling you the story of Jacob and not why I am grateful for him.

As I said earlier, Jacob came just when the world needed him. By the world, I really mean me (but the world is lucky to have him). I was in the middle of a funk when he arrived and if anything or anyone pulled me out of it, it was Jacob. Honestly, I didn’t think he was that cool until he was like 9 months old. I can say that because I think he is the most awesome person in the world now. He didn’t even really do anything. But Jacob brought back a joy and optimism to me when they were missing my life. He is funny! Sometimes the things that he comes up with are just too hysterical. The sense of wonder that Jacob has for the world just makes me smile. He wants to know everything there is to know about anything and he doesn’t take "because" for an answer so he definitely assists me with gaining patience with things I would be impatient about with other people. For that I am grateful (I am sure the people around me are grateful for that too). I can go on and on about the reasons why I am grateful for but I’ll just give you a simple sentence. I am grateful for Jacob because his existence makes me want to be a better person in order to make his world is a better place.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday!

It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.   Naomi Williams, Body, Mind and Spirit

Another week has gone by (and it was a rather interesting one) and the winners of the What is Autumn Grateful For This Week Contest are...

Living Pieces of History - For some of you The Beatles are no big deal.  For this writer, there happens to be no bigger deal than The Beatles.  So when I meet people from Beatle history it sends me into a crazy cool excitement that can't muster anything else out of my mouth besides a 'thank you.'   It has happened a few times.  I've met John Lennon's half-sister, Julia, who is absolutely amazing (and I did say more than thank you to her because the shock wore off).  At BEATexpo last November, I met Sid Bernstein who is credited with bringing The Beatles to America (which proved very influential to my non-existent life).  And most recently, I met Joe Flannery.  He was a guest lecturer in my class on Monday night. I did not know he was going to be in that night and I was running late and a mess.  I get into the classroom and Flannery is sitting there in a suit.  Whateves.   It took a while for it to kick in, but the moment Lennon's name came out of Flannery's mouth, I was in awe.  The story that he told brought tears to my eyes (it wasn't sad, I am just a dork).  I am grateful for the opportunity to have met him (I did tell him thank you too) and more importantly that he tells his story to a select few and he tells the truth as best as he knows it.  There are some things that he said that I wasn't really in a rush to agree to, but he also told light-hearted fun stories of The Beatles and of Brian Epstein from before The Beatles existed.  The man is 81 years old.  Just think of all of the life he lived without the famous people in it.  There is nothing more entertaining or educational than sitting at the feet of an elder.  This elder just happens to have the keys to a past that I am insanely interested in.  Think about it, he was around before George Martin or Ringo were around! I couldn't get over how lucky I was to be there.  

My Past -  I will not be too long on this section as I will end up sounding more bitter than thankful. While I was in class last week, I found myself thinking about a big person in my past. This time of year always does it to me. But when I think to every last detail of how I ended up here. It's almost creepy how I wouldn't be here if he wasn't a part of my life for the time he was a part of it.  Regarding the fact that I am here, I am thankful for knowing him. I will end it here as I feel a bitter bile taste rising in my throat. (Is bile the right term?) 

Looking On the Bright Side / Remaining Calm in a Crisis (or something that resembles one) -  My old roommate told me this all of the time.  I just laughed at her because I think it's stupid to panic because then you make silly decisions, or none at all (which could be worse).  I remember one time when she was having a gall bladder attack and literally fell into my room one night.  She asked me to take her to the hospital.  I got changed and we left.  I stopped at red lights, looked and drove through if I was able to go through safely.  But I did not panic as she was screaming and punching my poor dashboard. This ability I would never imagine I would be grateful for! Yesterday, I proved myself wrong.  I dropped my phone getting out of a taxi yesterday.  I realized it soon after but the cab was long gone and so was my phone.  My friends dialed and dialed.  I called the taxi company who were totally not kind to me, left texts on my phone asking and telling the person that I will reward them (with what?) if they return my phone.  But nothing. But I didn't freak out.  I didn't go out and buy a new phone (it crossed my mind though).  I just tried my best to figure out a way to swindle a new phone out of Orange the least expensive way.  Although, I was bummed out about it, I didn't focus on it.  I watched funny videos on YouTube, talked to Krissy and Katie for years, and did other things besides dwell on what happened.   In fact, I focused on what could be worse!  I said to myself, "Aud, you didn't lose your money, your American phone, or your passport." and "You weren't robbed. You're healthy (within reason). You didn't die and all of your family is alive and well." I told myself it would be fine to sulk about it but there are a billion other things to be happy about- so that is what I focused on.  I went to bed early but I went to bed happy. 

The Italian Liverpudlian -  He brought back my phone!  Shani named him Mario, we can refer to him as that from now on.  He called Tasha and Shani this afternoon and said that he had my phone.  Why did it take him nearly 24 hours to hand it over I don't know.  I checked the usage and nothing was used. He might have liked my cool owl case and debated whether or not to keep it for that reason.  He met us at The Adelphi (how ironic for those of you who know me in real life).  Approached us with the phone (and my owl case) and I said thank you a zillion times over. I gave him a tenner, which I am shocked he took.  But he could have gotten way more than that in a store. Maybe he tried to do that in the 24 hours that he had with it. I don't know.  He told me where he found it and it's right where a man and his pit bull cut me off. I was so amazed that the dog was allowed on the bus that I watched the bus drive away.  I don't know how I didn't hear my phone fall but that doesn't matter. It's back. To you, Universe, I give thanks for Mario!

The girl in 1E, Tasha -  is the first flatmate I met on move in day.  I think right from the start we got on very well.  I am grateful for her for many reasons but the biggest one that sticks out is that she is a vegetarian. So she knows every kind of meat she doesn't want to have. I told her about my awesome red meat allergy and now she checks things out for me when I am unsure stuff.  It is also helpful because for once I am not the only person who needs to be complicated when it comes to finding places to eat.  Great joy! 

Tasha was also the first one of my friends to pick up their phone and call my lost iPhone (my phone's name is Theodore, btw). She also left a message. That part is entertaining because Mario didn't check one voicemail.  Tasha is always the one to help me sort out British things that I don't understand and the first one to offer constructive ideas and imput for other UK related issues. When Mario called her this morning to tell her that Theodore was found, I think she was more excited than I was!  She is also a quick thinker!  She left Mario a voicemail and told him he could also return my phone to campus security. I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT! So for Tasha's quick thinking, problem solving ability, consideration, and eating habits... and just for being her, I find myself grateful for this week. 

What are you wonderful people thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday!

If you can't be content with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped. -- Author Unknown


Thankful Thursday let's do it up!!

Cars- There is a difference between being too young to drive and being able to drive and not having a car. Those of you who know me personally know that I am always going somewhere. I can hardly stay home for a whole day and when I go somewhere "real quick" it's never real quick. Well, when you don't have a car you realize how lucky you are to have your car. This comes to mind every time I pay a taxi fare. I am grateful for my beautiful car every time I am hungry and I think how delightful it would be to get in my car and go to Wendy's or when I really just want to go for a drive. I'd be grateful for my car even if it wasn't beautiful. 

Kindness - On Tuesday my professor was kind enough to show me around Liverpool and the surrounding areas. By surrounding areas I mean he took me to Wales! I was in two different countries in the matter of hours! He knew about an American diner and that is where I found cheese fries! For real, cheese fries in Wales! It was great! It was so cool to see other places in the UK. He said that if my mom comes to visit again he will take us to Wales. Completely thankful that kind people like him exist in the world. 

Literature - There isn't enough I can say to express how grateful I am for literature. I dig new fiction, like Jodi Picoult, but I also like the classics. I am going to be the corniest person right now but I don't care... Books take you to a different world. You can get so involved in a book that you escape your reality just for a bit. I don't know anyone who could ever argue that books aren't  a great thing. 

Community - My second hometown  is extraordinary. On Wednesday Liverpool put on a fantastic show to celebrate the Christmas season! There had to be at least 1,000 people in city centre to see the lights turn on and there was nothing chaotic about it. There were no fights. There wasn't a plethora of cops on stand by. However, there was a sing-a-long to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town!" It was nice to be reminded of how Scranton used to be and it made me smile to know that the Scranton is on its way back to that, or at least trying to get back to that. 

Dan - is one of the two boys next door. I think it's safe to say that my whole flat is grateful for Dan. He does our dishes and takes out our garbage, which is awesome. But he really goes out of his way to make us feel good and expects nothing in return (he did get a pretty awesome Mexican birthday dinner though). He went through some nonsense a few years ago and he didn't let other people bring him down or turn into a jerk because of it. He's hysterical. He's incredibly kind to all of us and often leaves us love notes in our kitchen to read when we wake up. What makes me particularly grateful for Dan (besides the fact that he made my dinner tonight ) is that he has a knack of always watching out for all of us. We are all in a strange place (not one of us are from Liverpool) and it's nice to know that someone always has our backs. Oh, he also comes around with his ukulele to sing to us daily. We all know I am grateful for that to say the least! 

What are you grateful for on this fine November day?

Thankful Thursday!

There is always, always, always something to be grateful for. - Author Unknown

Here we are again!  Too bad I can't post as much in my other blog as I do this one.  I promise I'll catch up on The Beatles one.  As for this week, a few things came to mind that I realized I was lucky to have.

Fratelli's -  Some of the girls and I went out for dinner last Saturday night. We went to a pretty snazzy Italian restaurant.  By snazzy I mean I had to Google most of the meals to make sure I wasn't allergic to most of the food that was a part of the dish.  Good thing I did because I would have been allergic to most of it!  As I sat there, wishing someone would tell me what to order,  I remembered all my times at Fratelli's saying to Jen or Tracey etc. "Well, if you were to order something right now, what would you get?"  and they would just know what to tell me to order.  It's nice to have a place like that...  kind of like Cheers but instead of beer, it's food.  I like the homey feel at Fratelli's.  I mean, that could be because it really is like  second home (which might not be a good thing).  I just know that when  I was baffled at the menu at Zizzi's,  I just wanted to go to Fratsmellies.

Disney's Fairy Tales  -  Although I think the romantic side of love is pretty much for the birds, I do adore the comfort and memories of my childhood that fairy tales bring back.  I know that some of you think that Disney ruins kids and blah blah blah...  kindly shut your mouth. Let me enjoy my memories because I never thought that life was going to turn out like  Disney movie nor did I think that there was something wrong with the way all of the princesses sounded while they were singing.  I thought the enchantment and then realized that the imagination that Disney brought to already wonderful (or gruesome) stories is amazing. There is a Disney Store here and I smile each time I go inside of it.  I love seeing Snow White AND Tinker Bell hardly hurts my feelings to look at anymore. They all just make me smile and think of my younger sister, Christa.  And of course, seeing Ariel always reminds me of Liz.  Disney's like a comfortable pair of... socks.


Yes,

Socks -  can really make or break your mood.  I am grateful for the love/hate relationship that I have with the comfy little feet snuggies. I only say love/hate because when I wake up roasting in the middle of the night I curse the heat hoarders for being on my feet. But,  I have always loved socks. I love fun socks and I love my Puma socks.  For real, if you do not own a pair of Puma ankle socks then you have no idea of what you're missing out on. Think of Uggs, only cheaper.   I only noticed how grateful I am to have the cotton wonders this week when I was waiting around Liverpool One for a friend and I decided to wear flats without socks. Well, the day went on and I got a bit chilly (we were waiting to go to a movie).  I thought that I could go back to the flat where I would have to pay for a cab ride there and back (not at all sensible) or I can go into a store and just hangout there for a while.  Then, the almost smarter side of me said "Dude, just buy socks." I did. I purchased cute little owl socks with my student discount (just in case my favorite relative sees this) and put them on as soon as I left the store.  Warmer IMMEDIATELY.  You chuckle, but unless you're Christa (who goes without socks regularly in the winter) take two hours and go outside without socks and wear flats.  It's November, it's probably chilly wherever you are.  Find out how lucky you are to have socks too!  Go to Marshall's or T.J. Maxx and get yourself a pair of Puma socks and you'll think you found a pot of gold.

Generosity of Others-  This last week I have acquired free tickets to see the private viewing of the Alice in Wonderland exhibit at the Tate Museum, an awesome purple scarf that I claimed I was going to borrow, and apparently I have a t-shirt on its way from PA(I don't believe that one).  Oh, and a hoodie that is awesome but entirely too small so I see no point in stealing it. All of these wonderful acts and people I am grateful for!  All of these things have been donated by other people and those people thought nothing of it.  That is nice.  I used to think that I was never rewarded for my good deeds (didn't stop me from doing them though). But, I realized as I was folding shirt number two of Matt's yesterday that I do get it back... just not in the same way that I give it.  This is fine because I don't need it in the same way that I give it!  As I had the nerve to ramble on about Pay It Forwards and how I never get it back, I didn't take the time to realize that flatmate and I were in the cab on our way back from Hope Park so I can get my free tickets.  Sometimes Autumn Rose is a fool.  Not often though.

My friend, Shani Lane -  Shani is one of my flatmates and also one who I am closer to.  It may be because we share a common "bond" of missing little relatives at home or it may be because she thinks I am just as awesome as I think she is, who knows.  I just know that I am so grateful to have met Shani.  She is ridiculously kind, generous, and selfless.  These characteristics were highlighted in Shani this last Monday when everyone wanted her artistic talent as we were scrambling to have our make-up done for our Halloween party.  Shani (who wasn't even completely ready herself) took almost two hours (I think an hour on me alone, seriously) to help B, Amy, and myself get ready.  She donated her time and also her supplies!  My first Halloween in Liverpool was a success because of Shani.  She took the time to help me organize which costume I would wear (you know I had two, right?) and then did my hair and eyes.  To add to it, she also took the Halloween window cling things and made an "A" on the inside of my cabinet in the kitchen, which completely makes me smile.

Then we have the non-Halloween Shani awesomeness.  Shani is always there when I need to talk to someone.  Even if it is after I accidentally dropped her birthday cake face first on the floor.  When I am acting silly and find myself irked about the past, she's the first one to help me sort through it.  That alone is worth more than I can ever repay her for.  I cannot imagine not knowing her (or B) and I am incredibly grateful for running into the few mistakes that have landed me in Liverpool.


So my friends, what are you grateful for?


I'd be grateful if one of you actually wrote something instead of just taking the Lazy Man's way out and "liking" the link.  

Thankful Thursday!

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get.
Frank Howard Clark


My Friend, Bianca- or "B" as we like to call her.   I have a billion reasons why I am grateful for knowing her.  First off, the girl makes me laugh to a point where I am crying.  It's usually something like her saying "What are limbs?" or her loud, contagious laugh (which is usually at me and then with me) that gets everyone around her laughing.   Sometimes, that is really would makes an okay day a good day.  She also cooks me chicken nuggets because I am afraid of the oven (legit).  Also, because of her, I can say that I think J. Biebs has a minuscule of talent. You might think this is a bad thing but I do not because in all reality I turned an indifferent or negative feeling into a positive feeling. Positiveness is key people! Don't worry, I do not have Bieber Fever.

      However, the reason that I am most grateful for B coming into my life is because of her kindness towards everyone, but it is especially beneficial to me, especially this week.  Why, you ask. Well, since I arrived in the UK I have poured pound after pound into a pay as you go phone (aka drain).  I could not get a contract phone because I have not lived her long enough.  It didn't matter when I told Mr. Phone Man that bill I still pay at home is three times as much as the monthly plan I am interested in (phone plans are great here, btw).  They just didn't care about this angry American's phone drama. So anyway, the folks at Orange (phone company) told me that to bring in a bank statement from my UK account and they will sort it out.  Their sorting it out went like this, "You didn't pass the identity check."  After they told me that I didn't have enough proof that I do exist, they gave me the alternative of asking someone to put my phone in their name and do a switch-a-roo in three months.  I could never ask someone to do that! I am usually the person that people ask to do that.  I told B about the insanity of these people and she said, "Is that all you need to do?"  I said, "Yeah, but I wouldn't ask someone to do that."  She said, "I'll do that for you."  This girl who has known me for 30 days completely helped me out and got nothing in return except for a hug that was too strong because I still don't recognize my own strength.

     So, thanks to B, I have a UK working iPhone in my possession and I feel whole again.  I'd like to think that I  am not a materialistic person except for when it comes to iThings.  If you don't have an iThing then you simply wouldn't understand.  So this week I am extraordinarily grateful for B because she has saved me a fortune and gave me my sanity back for now I have the Map App.

iPhones - (you knew it was coming, right?) Laugh if you must but I am probably the most grateful person on the planet for the iPhone and its existence.  It is the one thing that I am pretty flipping sure that I would be pretty miserable without.  You can do fun stuff like play angry birds, listen to music, and catch up on Facebook. You can do serious things with it like check your bank account, Skype, and write your Thankful Thursday post on the Note App.  You can do more phoney things like talk on it (but really, who does that?) or text! How I have missed texting like the Jedi Master I was born to be! With the iPhone 4s that I will get soon enough, you have Artificial Intelligence! Which, let's face it, who doesn't need some A.I. laying around?  P.S.  Have any of you seen the bit about who was Steve Jobs' favorite band and band member?

Bed Comforters - I never thought that I would be so grateful to know that one day I will be in contact with a bed comforter again.  Who would have ever imagined I would be so indebted to the likes of a blanket! The kind of blanket that I would just give away when I no longer wanted the bed set it belonged to. Oh! How I long for a regular blanket! In the UK, all they seem to have are bloody duvets.  Well, I would like to tell the inventors of duvets where to go and how to get there! I spend more time wrestling said duvet back into it's cover than I do actually sleeping with it. The thought of a regular, simple one piece blanket is just marvelous to me. People, I am telling you, Linus was right!!  They are wonderful pieces of comfort. You cannot realize what they offer until you end up with your foot stuck inside a duvet cover with the duvet at the other end of the cover! To you, Comforters of Bed Sets Past, I miss and adore you. I hope that you are being treated justly wherever you are.

Airplanes with focus on Airmail - Being far away from home isn't always a picnic. Seriously, you can have a hard time finding food that you like.  Who has a picnic without any food?  Plus when you get to where you are moving to, you realize all of the things you've left behind, like your favorite hoodie or the scrapbook you made with tons of pictures inside safely hugging your memories tight! It took two weeks but that wonderful airplane brought a lovely package from Lolly herself with the above mentioned items and also peeps, Velveeta shells & cheese, Stove Top Stuffing and a bunch of other goodies!  I never thought I would have a reason to be grateful for airmail or airplanes, but golly gee look at me thanking the Universe for the Wright Brothers (I really hope those are the dudes responsible for airplanes!).

And I was lucky enough to get another package from my brother and his girlfriend today!  It was a pleasant surprise as I thought it was going to be another week for the package to come.  Included were many awesome things, but my favorite items in the box of goodness were Wise Chips and UTZ dip!   I love chippies and dip! Who knows, next week those might make an appearance for Thankful Thursday!

Freedom of Choice(?)- I am seriously grateful for this all of the time but especially right now.  I have thought of many things to be grateful for this week but I have lost my knack of teachery and no longer carry a notebook with me (and I didn't always have my US iPhone on me) so I could not write down the ideas I had.  Well, it is 4:30 a.m. and I am choosing to end my weekly post this way.  Why?  Because I can!!


What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday!

"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses." -Allophones Karr

Another week has passed and now we are at week four of The Gratitude Posts aka Thankful Thursdays. My how time flies. Here are the five things I am thankful for this week...


Diversity- I am very grateful for so many different people on this earth. I absolutely love learning about other cultures! I find that Liverpool is much like home because of all of the different ethnic groups that are found here. I love it. How boring would life be if we were all the same! I am a super minority here and I am learning so much because no one does things here the way America or Scranton does them. I am incredibly grateful to be learning about different English and Welsh customs. I also really love the tolerance of diversity here in England. It's kind of like no one sees a skin color or minds a completely different culture thrown in the mix.


Words- If there is someone in this world who is not grateful for words than shame on them. I love words and I am glad I know them! I like to call myself a writer (but you actually have to write to do that) so of course I rely on words to get my point across but also (hopefully) make money one day. I like big words like "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and I like little words like "a". Money is my least favorite word along with hate, war, and religion. Every word is very significant and can completely change a meaning of a sentence. And if you know me at all you would know that I LOVE to analyze sentences and find different meanings! Oh, Words, one of my biggest debts is to you.


Sticking to Things (Not to be confused with being stubborn) - I have this annoying inability to quit things. I finish what I start. Oftentimes, I have a difficult time seeing when something has finished and continue to try, fight, hope, etc for something. I think that this is a great characteristic to have which I am incredibly thankful for. After all, you will never know the outcome of a situation if you do not stick to it. This past week, I watched a friend possibly miss a great chance, which broke my heart. It was actually that moment that I just thanked the Powers That Be for my ability to just finish things and also for guiding me to a much needed nap instead of following my mom in a taxi cab to the airport. Liverpool is the best decision I have made in a long time. I am so happy that I just don't know how to quit things or I would have left Liverpool that first moment my mom left too.  P.S.  I am stubborn.


My Education- I often joked at a part of Marywood's long time mission statement which is something like -teaching students to live independently in an interdependent world- and something along the lines of helping students develop critical thinking skills. However, they knew what they were doing. It is because of my years at MU that I am able to be a leader in a group and that I am able to solve problems quickly (real problems, not math problems). Then when I add in my English background combined with my teacher training background I am overwhelmed with gratitude with the choices that I have made. This also came in handy at 3:30 in the morning when a friend of mine in the States needed help writing an introduction to a research paper. Guess who was able to write that up in minutes? How can one not be grateful for having the ability to help out a friend? I may be in an enormous amount of debt and have nothing to show for it. But, at the end of the day I get to say I am a teacher. Thanks to the Universe is in order for that one.


My Brother - drives me insane. But there is no one I can count on quite like I can count on him. We are very much alike but we have entirely different ideas and beliefs about things. This makes it quite impossible to have a conversation with each other. He thinks he's always right, yet I know I am always right. So you can see how we run into a problem. However, this past week I was talking to one of my flatmates about siblings and she told me that she doesn't have an older brother but she always wanted one. I automatically thought of how lucky I am to have mine. I am so unbelievably grateful to have him as a brother. Please understand, I love all of my siblings equally. But, there is nothing like a relationship with an older brother to a sister. I have a older and younger sister so I know that there is a difference between the relationships of each. It's funny because I was "working" with a friend of his this spring and he said something that was getting me agitated and someone else said "Autumn, I would love to see you deck him." The pea brain then said "I'm Corey's friend." I looked at him and said, "I'm Corey's sister." And then a friend chimed in and said "She's his sister and it's Autumn. You won't win that battle." Pretty much how it's been my whole life.

Corey's birthday is three days after mine and every year (except for when he turned 18) and when I lived in Florida we blew out the cakes together (and now Jacob does it too). Of course, I love when my birthday comes along but I always thought I was especially lucky because I got to share my candles with Corey. We threw a surprise party for him and it was my job to get him to the place. I said "why me?!" and my mom responded with "because he will go there for you." It's kind the way it has always been. Not that he wouldn't do it for anyone else, but, Corey really goes out of his way for me often and I try to do the same for him.

When my heart was broken, I called Corey. When there is bad news, I call Corey. When there is good news, I call Corey. When things are going great, I call Corey. When I am trouble, I tell everyone not to call Corey. And when I am about to do something stupid (which really how often does that happen), I hear I am going to tell Corey. As long as I can remember he has always watched out for me, even when I couldn't recognize that he was only trying to help.

So I found this from an old blog of mine the same night I had the sibling conversation:

He [Corey] always watched out for me. When I look at pictures from when we were little he is always standing near me looking like he is standing guard for me... and I said that to him and my mom the other day and they both respond with "that's cause I/he was. " - May 02, 2006

What are you grateful for this week?

Thankful Thursday!

"I am thankful for every moment." - Al Green

This week has flown by and Thankful Thursday has passed me by except in California....  which is where I shall pretend I am right now.  (Note:  There is no where else I'd rather be than Liverpool.)   I have not thought about this as much as I have the last two as I have been busy enjoying life but if I had to pick five things I am grateful for at this moment they would be... 

My Mother - Probably one of the biggest cliches out there but I don't care.  My mom is like an old song on the radio. It doesn't matter what type of mood I am in or the day I am having, her words are always what I need to hear even before I know I need to hear them.  I honestly wouldn't be here without her. Of course, I wouldn't be alive without her. But, I mean I  wouldn't be in Liverpool without her either.  In fact, she is the one who introduced me to John Lennon and The Beatles.  So that alone is enough to be forever in her debt!  But that is just the start of it.  She's raised me, fed me, helped me with homework, cleaned up all types of my messes, never missed a single thing for any of her children (I think she has a few clones out there). Let's not forget countless hours in countless hospital rooms she's spent just sitting by my side when I was younger.  The reason I am alive is because of this woman.  Whenever any doctor told her I wouldn't survive, she kept faith in me.  She's amazing.  I can only hope to be a fraction of the mom she is to my currently non-existent children! She's so awesome that she doesn't care that I have a Top Ten list of things that she does that drive me insane (and it's way beyond ten).  She will go to the ends of the earth for us and most likely get lost along the way because she knows a shortcut (that is on the list too). 

Patience - I have always been a patient person. I guess that comes from sort of having to wait around for someone to help with something.  As I get older, I realize just how much having patience has helped me along the way.  I know a bunch of people that could use some patience in life and I am happy that I have that going for me.  There are some things that truly try my patience.  However, for the most part I am pretty good in that department. 

Skype - I mentioned technology in my first post but I really am grateful for the invention of Skype.  I am so happy that this free service enables me to speak with my friends and family back home.  It is a great thing to be able to be picked on 3,500 miles away when that is exactly what will cheer me up at 6:17 in the morning. And with Skype, it's like there is no distance at all.  Thank you, Skype.

My Flatmates -   I am so happy that the six girls are awesome.  They are extremely helpful and hysterical.  They each remind me of a person back home and I laugh in my head when they say or do something that one of my friends back home would do. They always translate a word to American terms for me so I don't make a complete fool out of myself.  Also, B does a find job of making food for me when I say "B, do you want to help me with this?" She knows already that by help I mean please just cook it.  They laugh at my lack of cooking skills. So do I.  I am grateful that we haven't end up with a bad bunch of girls.  That would have made for a long year. 

Laughter -  I mean, for real, what is a better sound that someone laughing?  When I hear someone laughing (or wheezing when I am in the States) I start to laugh 99% of the time and smile for sure.  What Grinch wouldn't be grateful for something so simple that makes someone smile?  Not this one.   A baby's belly laugh is especially contagious. I am thankful for every laugh I hear throughout the day as I know that someone else will begin to smile because of it?

What are you grateful for?

I obviously should have included California in this one!

Thankful Thursday!

This past week held a very interesting (and surprising) combination of things that I became overwhelmed by feelings of gratefulness or subtle hints of gratuity that made me feel inclined to  whisper thanks  to the Universe.

Autonomy   - defined as the state of functioning independently, without extraneous influence found in Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumer.  Not always, but I often like to be alone.  I moved to a strange country on my own and I am really thriving here.  I also became grateful for respect for autonomy that others have.  This (autonomy) is something that I wasn’t aware existed until my Christian Marriage course. Not only did that course enlighten me to a new term but it also let me know it was okay to want to spend time by yourself.  I don’t always want to be alone but I am glad that I can be on my own and not have a nervous breakdown for being on my own.  Sometimes, you really are your own best company. I usually always agree with me and when I don’t I just tell myself to shut it.

Second Chances – For a very long time I was very upset that I wasn’t offered a second chance with a significant other. While  pondering the second chance of two other people, it took me by surprise that I might not have gotten a second chance with him but I did get a second chance at “life” by getting the opportunity to live in Liverpool ( a place I love) and study The Beatles (whom I love the most in the world, besides Jacob). By letting go of my past ever so slowly each day, I am able to embrace this opportunity and take the chance to really be Autumn in a way I couldn’t be when I was longing for the past.  Also, two people In my life are getting a second chance at friendship and I think that is the most brilliant thing I have seen in a long time.  I always thought that they would be the best of friends and it seems as though fate gave them another shot.  I am happy and thankful for them and for myself. 

 Music- Contrary to what I imply, I don’t think there is bad music out there.  There is music I don’t like. However, someone in the world does.  It moves someone and that is all that matters. Whenever I hear a song I feel some emotion.  Whether it is a good or bad feeling  I am always started in a rabbit hole of thought when any song plays.  Anything that stirs up emotions, or makes you think, is quite awesome.  I can’t imagine life without music. At least mine would be empty. So whoever it was that made the first sound of music, I would like to thank you a billion times over. I know I am leaving a huge part of my music out but that part deserves their own section another week. 

Ketchup – Yes. I am thankful for ketchup.  I have the following going against me when it comes to eating:  I am allergic to red meat (for real); I do not like turkey or seafood; I cannot eat chicken if it looks like chicken; if it sounds or looks weird, I will not eat it; I cannot cook. So this basically limits me to microwavable chicken or cooking pasta.  Back home, I often made ketchup sandwiches for a quick snack or I would make noodles with butter and put some ketchup on them. Now that I am living in the UK I have found that ketchup makes many other things better.  Since I always have it in the flat I can always have a ketchup sandwich before class or when I don’t feel like making anything. I would never imagine I would ever be grateful for a condiment but I’ve run in to some bad pasta sauces in the last six weeks and I have become inclined to put some good ole Heinz on my noodles and eat away.  And please don’t roll your eyes in disgust at my eating habits until you have actually tried a ketchup sandwich or noodles and ketchup. BAM.

(Cool) Air – Cliché, I know.  I was feeling a tad under the weather this week and my room was so hot.  I dislike being cold but I really dislike being hot. When I am sick, the dislike of being hot almost turns into a hate for it.  I turned the heat down in my room and it still wasn’t cool enough.  My window had been locked until this week and when I finally opened it there was a Pandora’s Box of spiders waiting to come in so I slammed that right shut as soon as I opened it.  In order to get some air in my room, I propped open my door and the kitchen door and let the wind blow in from the kitchen.  I can’t even being to describe how thankful I was for the cool air to come through. And also how idiotic I felt when I realized it took a heap of spiders to make me feel grateful for it!   Oh… here's to you, Air, for keeping me alive.  

What are you grateful for this week?

Here's to Seeing Slam Dunks in Schools Again

        Insomnia (or just a lousy sleep pattern) can really get your mind thinking.  It doesn't always produce the best thoughts but once in a while you get a fond memory right in the front line.  This is what happened tonight. This one actually got me out of bed because I have found the problem with the American Education System! (No, it is not the teachers' fault that your kid isn't learning anything.) But there is a story to be told.

      I have had great teachers from kindergarten to present.  I can honestly tell you that out of my 22 years as a student I only had three "lousy" teachers who, might I add, were not a part of my public education. Other than those three, there are countless amount of teachers that have impacted my life in a positive way.  I am sure that most of you reading this know that I have a BA in English but this story isn't about an awesome English teacher (btw all of mine were FAB and did impact my life). This story is about my gym teacher at Neil Armstrong. How about that for a twist?

     As most of you probably know I am not, you know, the most abled bodied person. When I was a kid gym class was quite a drag because for the most part I'd watch the kids play volleyball or something like that from the stage (our gym was also where the stage was) and it was just boring and kind of like, ah, rub in your face deal. Of course, that was never the intention, I just needed to be with my class and this was before adaptive phys ed invaded my life.  So once or twice a week I'd spend an hour in the gym, do what I could and watch what I couldn't (do).

     My teacher, Mr. O'Hern? was a funny guy.  He always reminded me of the host of "Supermarket Sweep" and was always totally cool to kids.  I always remember him being nice to me. Because of him, I don't really have crap memories of gym. Besides that volleyball thing but I think that's because I really wanted to play and be like everyone on 90210.  However, when my friends were all playing basketball I paid close attention.  I loved basketball and it is just bewildering  to me to this day. (If only MJ would come back and be awesome.)

   I am losing track (it's 4 in the morning).  So I don't have a before or after of this memory.  I don't know what led to this or what really happened when it was over.  I just remember the event. Yes, event.  I remember Mr. O'Hern just saying, "Come on. I'll help you." He picked me up.  He told someone, I don't remember what classmate, to hand me the ball. I took it.  Then, Mr. O'Hern lifted me up higher so I could reach the basket and, ladies and gentlemen, I made my first and only slam dunk.  This teacher, by breaking all of the modern school policies, impacted my life by showing me I could do the impossible!  That is pretty flipping awesome.

      If the slam dunk of the universe were to happen today, Susie's mom would sue the teacher, the school, the district, and the company who made the basketball for putting Susie's life at risk or even more dramatic saying she suffered severe emotional trauma because Susie is afraid of heights.  Oh, how can I forget?  Everyone would be sued just for the fact that Teacher X touched Susie in a completely innocent manner. So I mean it's not that teachers are the problem. The fact that teachers' hands are tied from the get go is the problem.  Teachers are no longer able to connect with students. How can we expect students to succeed when we are drilling them for tests that are rubbish and can't so much as crack a joke with them from January to the end of PSSA time?

   Maybe it's me.  I don't know. But I do know that I don't remember a thing about taking the PSSA's except trying to hurry through them so I can take a nap before the next section. Huge impact, right?  Wrong.  The huge impact was the teacher who took time to assist me make a slam dunk.  That memory bopped me out of bed - 3,200 miles away from the school and almost 20 years after its creation.  That is making an impact in a student's life.

     I hope all of my readers who are teachers can help a kid make a slam dunk today. Break the rules. Take the chance. Go above and beyond. Swish*.







Swish is the sound effect that a basketball net makes as the ball goes through.  I think.  I'm an English teacher who is studying The Beatles in England. What the flip do I know about basketball sound effects?

The Grateful Post

   I have decided to follow the steps of my dear friend, Amanda (from Let's Take The Metro), and do one post a week focusing on five things that I realize I am grateful for each week (new or old). Hopefully other people will read this and begin to focus on things they are grateful for and not focus so much on what they don't have or what is going wrong.   The first week (or weeks)  I am going to get all of the obvious stuff out of the way.  In these weeks most of the stuff that has to do with my character or things like that.  Once all of the ordinaries are taken care of I will move on to the extra-ordinaries. (Although- I think my character is pretty extraordinary!)

Being Alive - I decided to take care of the cheesy and cliche topic first.  It really isn't cheesy or cliche though. It's actually quite important. If I weren't alive I couldn't be doing this right now and I think you think this is pretty important.  For real though, I'm quite stoked I'm alive.   No matter how bad your day might be remember that there is always tomorrow. Or is there?  With so much crap going on in our lives it's easy to get disgruntled but once you realize how quickly it can be taken away,  you'll change your tune. Just saying.  I found myself right in the middle of a great life and I'm pretty flipping happy I stayed alive long enough to get here.  Word.

My Support System - My family and friends are pretty flipping amazing.  It turns out that moving to another country isn't as easy as it looks and it could be quite scary.  As I have been here for one month and three days.  I have come to see how awesome my support system is and I hope that you can realize how awesome yours is too.  I must say they each contribute to my success in their own way and without each of them my life would be a little less full of sunshine. (How about that for cheesy?)  My family and friends have made this transition quite easy and I am incredibly grateful for that.

Technology - I have been in love with technology forever. I always need the latest and greatest communication devices. There is no better example of why I should love technology than when I am able to feel right at home 3,200(ish) miles away from the familiar roads of Scranton. With Skype I am still to talk to my friends, be hollered at by mi madre and play Batman and Robin with Jacob.  That is something to be thankful for!


My Faith in Humanity  - I am disgustingly optimistic that the world is going to be a better place one day.  Liverpool has only reaffirmed that belief.  I am pretty happy to see that mankind hasn't given up on mankind.  Imagine the disaster that would be!  I know the world and people are perfect but I do think that there are still pretty good people in the world and they have good intentions. This doesn't seem like something to be thankful for but think about someone that you know that has no faith in humanity.  I know a few of those people and it makes me sad to think of the way they see the world. I hope they change their minds soon.

A Sense of Humor - I am so happy that the Universe has given me a sense of humor.  I really do have a way of looking on the bright (or funny side) of things (and sometimes at the most inopportune times).  I really do think that my ability to laugh at the not so small troubles is what prevents all of my hair from turning gray.  I mean my first month in England was not the easiest. I had many hiccups along the way but just laughed them off. Seriously, I was almost stuck in Ireland two weeks ago and laughed at the idea that I was going to be stuck in Dublin. Think about it.  Autumn stuck in Ireland.  That is funny.  Laugh as much as you breathe. If you can't find it in you to laugh at least smile.  You have a beautiful smile.

So that is it for now.  I know utterly obnoxious but at least I am not complaining.  I am already thinking about next week's post (which I think this will be on Thursdays from now on).   Once you start to notice things you are grateful for they kind of just flood you.

And I will close this as Amanda (I know her in real life too) does:
What are you grateful for?

Follow Up

I didn't have access to the internet for most of the day yesterday and when I finally gained access today I was saddened to see that Troy  Davis was put to death.  Apparently Davis claimed his innocence until his last moments.   Aren't you wondering if Georgia made a mistake?  Wouldn't you think he'd come clean in his final moments and seek forgiveness?  I don't know.  Things are backwards if you ask me.
One of my friends posted  "A man was just murdered down in Georgia."  I agree.


So yeah here is the link to the story that I saw when I signed on.  I know that most of you probably know about it already because you are in the States and have access to your technologies that are just a fond memory of mine. 


Huffington Post: Troy Davis Executed

An Eye For An Eye Makes The Whole World Blind...

     It isn't a secret that the world is a mess.  We all have our priorities mixed with desires and that makes the majority of the world greedy. ( I am not immune to this I have my own wants and desires. However, they are really not material things that I want.)  I can't stand that the value of money is higher than the value of life. It is disgusting to really see that people are being hurt or killed over money or religion or other sillier things.  For example, a man in the Scranton area was beaten with a pitchfork and a brick over Philly cheesesteaks.  That's just not human.  Or maybe it is human and we are all savages at heart.
     This is what started this blog:  I was reading an article about Troy Davis  you can read about it here .  This man is sentenced to death for a crime that he MAY have committed. In a case where the physical evidence is lacking and in a case where seven out of nine witnesses recanted their testimony, I hardly think a sentence of death is justifiable.  From what I researched there is no DNA evidence but there are three people who said that they know Troy is not the man who killed the police officer and from what I understand they know who actually shot the man (which is what isn't making sense to me). The whole situation is heartbreaking. A man who has already served time in jail for a crime that he really may not have committed may also lose his life because the justice system is failing him.  I am not saying he is innocent. I am saying there is a chance he might be innocent.  Either way there is no reason to take a chance with Death.   Death is forever. Death is unforgiving. Death doesn't get an appeal.
      I imagine right about here is I am going to make many people upset. The idea of the Death Penalty makes me sick.  Equally sick as the crimes that are committed make me. I don't understand how we can justify killing someone for killing someone.  What are we telling our future generations? Now, I know that the families of the victims of these crimes are allowed to feel whatever they way they want to feel. I wouldn't ever try deny those rights to those families.  I cannot imagine the anger I would feel if someone hurt one of my friends or a member of my family.  But I am certain that killing the "attacker" would not bring my loved one back.  I personally would love to have the person rot in prison with pictures of the victim all around their cell. I KNOW THE TAX DOLLARS! Because holy crap we aren't wasting enough tax money on things that we don't need to be spending money on like, I don't know, war, solving problems in other countries without lifting a finger to our own (anyway that is another blog). It's just when does the killing stop then? It's a shame that one person had to be taken away from their family but to have another one?  Everyone is somebody's child and killing other people's sons and daughters is not the answer to cutting down on crime. (I know, the parents of the murdered would want the murderer dead.  All understandable, but not acceptable. Not humane).  I just think it's sad that we think killing somehow compensates for killing. What do I know?  I'm just a damn hippie. 

Here is what made me want to post something about the death penalty:

“It sounds terrible but I can close this book,” she said. “I can finally get peace. I can never get closure, but I can get peace,”  Anneliese MacPhail (the victim's daughter).

How does someone dying give another person peace?  It doesn't bring her dad back. Both of my parents are alive and well (hopefully, the Universe keeps it that way). Maybe that is why I do not understand where she is coming from?  However, I think that my parents (I don't know how they feel about the death penalty) raised me and turned me into the person that I am today by instilling their values and morals in me.  I can't imagine that they would want me to seek vengeance for their death by having another person die. 

I don't know. I just think it's contradictory to punish a man by killing him for killing another man.

Of course you can leave comments if you want but I assure you this is not something I am going to argue about because we all have the freedoms to think what we want.  :)

Join the Human Race...

        I wanted to do this great blog to honor/remember/something 9/11 because I felt that people outside of America just don't get what we went through and continue to go through in its aftermath.  And it's true they don't get it, but just because they don't see it the way I or you may see it doesn't mean they don't see it. At first (and I mean before I even got to Liverpool) I became annoyed (easily) at the way "foreigners" would talk/address 9/11.  I remember when I was at the student teacher meeting for Marywood and some chick was speaking. I don't remember where she was from, India?  Afghanistan?  and she was talking about how she was treated differently after the incident. In typical Autumn fashion I was thoroughly annoyed by this. It wasn't an incident - it was an event.  I barked about it for a few days after and then I let it go.
       And then I came here to Liverpool.   This stirred up a lot of mixed feelings towards the world and 9/11 - and not all bad. But it's different to be somewhere other than America as an American with 9/11 approaching. Almost surreal? I don't know if that is the word that I am looking for and might never find the right word.  So anyway, yeah. I came here and heard all these people talking about 9/11 very nonchalantly or like happened way in the past like I look at Pearl Harbor, which although I know it affected the world I couldn't tell you that much about it and (to my own ignorance) I am quite unphased by it.  Because I didn't live through it. I also feel that the people I heard speaking of 9/11 were only doing so because they were getting paid for it.  I am losing my track here..
       I was at the mall buying two Jesus bracelets for my mom and brother's girlfriend and the man who was running the stand began to talk to me. (I had my iPod on but Liverpudlians don't really care if you're listening to music, I guess because music is such a huge part of Liverpool?) He told me that he was from Afghanistan and he asked me where I was from and I told him.  He said that he didn't know where Pennsylvania was and I said told him it was right next to New York.  And then he said, "Ah. I know by the accident.  Twin Towers." Me being me said "excuse me?" even though I knew what he said - I was giving him the opportunity to change his answer.  He didn't. "He said the accident ten or eleven years ago..."  and I said, "9/11?  It was far from an accident." and he then explained to me that that is when he left Afghanistan ten or eleven years ago and I told him it (will be) ten years Sunday.   I floored by this.  An accident?  Is this what he was told?  How do three (almost four) planes accidentally fly into buildings on the same day?  It absolutely messed with my head for the rest of the day that this guy thought it was an accident.   Later, my mom reminded me that this is probably what he was told by his country. 
         So I have told you before there is a man who is a native of Iran living across the hall from me.  He is teaching nutrition and he is super funny, kind, and helpful.  And I was talking to him about 9/11 and how it is really strange to be here while they are talking about 9/11 and had no idea what they were talking about.  And he said that he understood because there are people that tell him they know what it is like to live in a war zone (this is something that Iran and I haven't discussed) and he knows they do not.  He told me people don't know what a missile can do. "I've seen what a missile does. It flattens everything." He then reminded me that they (people who Americans) aren't going to understand the way that you see or feel about 9/11 because they weren't there.  They will never understand it and do not be upset with them for it. So I have decided to keep that in my head for the day (and for future use).
   It baffles/annoys/saddens me when I hear "IT" being referred to as an accident or incident. It was an attack.  It changed everything obviously but it was a rude awakening for the bright-eyed 17 year-old who was quite positive that America was indestructible. I remember everyone telling me that war would never come to the States and stuff like that. Then, when I was leaving "gym" class (first period) a few of the teachers were talking about the attack (I hadn't heard or seen anything yet) and I stopped to ask them what was going on.  He told me and I wasn't really upset (I just didn't understand until an hour or so later) but shocked that something happened. I also think at this time it was only one plane so he thought it was an accident. It wasn't until fourth period with access to a tv and a teacher I trusted did the whole situation hit me.  I saw that my teacher was a wreck and I saw the tv and got it then.  America wasn't as invincible as I thought.  However, there is no other place I'd rather call home. And I wish there was more I could have done at the time to help after the attacks but I guess we all just do what we can when we can do it.
          I went to "a mutli-faith event commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11" at the Anglican  Cathedral today. I sported a navy and red FDNY shirt, jeans, and chucks and it wasn't until I got to the door of the church that I realized it is absolutely disrespectful (in my eyes) to wear jeans to church.  But, I went in anyway.  Besides, I thought the shirt was appropriate. I wanted to do something today not just because I am an American but because I am human (and so are you) and I think that we need to start doing something to make this place a little better and a lot less angry and violent.  I thought the best place to start was a church.  Which, btw, is a huge step for me. I was lucky when I got there and realized that we weren't going to be holding our hands and praying to some (may be real may be imaginary) being in the sky for peace on earth. (WOW! That was cynical.) But it was actually an event produced by The UK Association of Rights and Humanity. And it is the best thing I have done here (not Beatles related of course ) so far!  I was ready for a revolution (or something) when the event was over.  It was motivating and at the end of it we (or I ) was like "Okay, what happened was a drag. But we can only move on from here and move on in a positive way." I am not saying we can't be sad from time to time (we all are sometimes) but ten years is a long time to be sad and let's turn the sadness into greatness.  Sounding cheesy here, huh?  It started off sort of sad. The dude listed all the numbers of 9/11 deaths, etc... . ( I wanted to type up the program for you but I will have to do that another day.) That part was really sad and I even cried a bit when they went through the number of deaths.  There was a moment of silence. This was very interesting because I am used to America's moment of silence which is usually about 10-30 seconds. On this particular evening a moment was a moment. It had to go for a minute or two.  It was so quiet that the silence was screaming in your ears and you really just wanted to someone to cough or sneeze or something. The only 'complaint' I have about this evenings event was that there was no mention of Flight 93.  I think that is unfortunate because the people on that flight demonstrated acts of courage and humanity. I hope to find out why this happened.  If I do, I'll keep you posted. Throughout the event seven different people read each of the seven different "Principles of Responsibility" Those I will share with you...

I heard them at the event this evening but you can also find them Rights and Humanity Website  the link to download the word file is on the RIGHT side in the middle of the page

   

The 1st of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Respect and promote the human rights of everyone, everywhere

• Recognize, promote, and respect the human rights of everyone, everywhere in the world
• Avoid any prejudice and respect the equality of everyone irrespective of any potentially divisive barrier such as race, sex, religion, or ideology
• Strive for economic, social, political, and cultural justice within the family, the community, and within and between states

The 2nd of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Recognize and respect our common humanity

• Comprehend that all is interconnected and that individual action affects others
• Avoid harm to others
• Treat everyone with humanity and as we ourselves would wish to be treated

The 3rd of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Respect human dignity

• Treat everyone with respect for their human dignity, privacy, and autonomy
• Appreciate the richness of diversity and the dignity of difference
• Recognize and respect the rights of others to have and express opinions and practices different from our own

The 4th of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Revere life and protect the environment

• Respect human life and everyone's right to a standard of living adequate for life, health, and well-being
• Recognize the impact of our actions and inactions on others and on their livelihoods
• Respect nature, protect our shared environment and avoid the waste of scarce resources

The 5th of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Think and behave with compassion

• Empathize with others in the wish that they might be free of suffering
• Share with others and act to supports and include those living in distress, poverty, and social isolation
• Work in cooperation with others to prevent and alleviate human suffering and develop to the full our potential for service to others

The 6th of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Act with integrity 

• Act with integrity in all matters and speak and behave with honesty
• Inform ourselves of, and take responsibility for, the impact on others of our actions and inactions
• Strive to base our decisions on accurate facts and reasoned analysis of the effects of the decision, seeking always to avoid harm and promote good

The 7th of Rights and Humanity's Principles of Responsibility:
Make peace

• Make peace with ourselves and with others
• Build bridges of understanding
• Strive for justice and for peaceful resolution of conflicts in the home, at work, in the community, and in the world

I don't know about you but I dig can dig that.

So at the end of the event there wasn't sadness but joy and hope that tomorrow will be better. And it will be.