Looking to Make A Donation

It's that time of the year when our hearts are full and we want to do something for our fellow man. Sometimes we are running around so much we don't know where to even look to make a great donation. Sure, I always drop my change in the Santa bucket but there has to be more.

 My oldest daughter attends Western Illinois University and she is part of an amazing fundraising project.

 "Dear Friends,

I hope you will consider supporting my participation in WIU Dance Marathon. All contributions will benefit and be divided among the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis Children's Hospital and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. Any contribution will help, and all donations are tax deductible.

I am on WIU's first E-Board as the Finance Chair, this money we raise doesn't just help the families financially but it helps lift some stress from these families and gives the kids a comfortable environment to be in, this event and organization is very dear to my heart, any amount will help me get to my goal by Feb 1st.

 Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please click the "Support Me!" button on this page. Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! For The Kids!"

You can link to her fundraising page HERE.. this donation will go directly into a fund sponsored by WIU, not into my daughter's hands.. So if you are looking for a way to share your good fortune, give a thought to this noble cause..

 Shauni

That One Perfect Moment

That perfect moment

Captured in Time

An exclusive memory

Standing Alone

with your hopes wrapped

around you like a blanket

on a cool winters eve

Exultant! 

Ready to face tomorrow

Whatever life throws 

Defiant!

Empowered 

By things that may be

Things that might come

And battles not yet won

For this one moment

There is no challenge 

You can not win

No Dream you dare 

Not Dream

No Quest you dare

Not attempt

There is only 

this one perfect moment

Believe!

@Shauni

Accept the Change

Blue Skies Ahead

A life of promise

All powerful desire

What lies beyond?

Those promises given

What dreams may come

Could there be more

Than the day to day 

Dreams

Could the life ahead

Be so much more

Thank it seems?

Life may not be broken

maybe it should be

life is more than complacency

If it's not broken

Break it! 

Set the beyond free

What lies beyond

The blue skies of promise

Dreams of forever it seems

What lies beyond 

What we deem perfect

Hope, Faith, Love

Accept the change

Grow with your gifts

Soar with your dreams

@Shauni

When the Towers Fell

When the Towers Fell

Our lives did change

An innocence lost

Life rearranged

When the Towers Fell

moments passed like hours

Each second a testament

to steel girth powers

And yet the Towers Fell

War was declared

No thoughts of peace

For battle we prepared

Time marched on 

And the towers slept

Complacency returned

and the towers wept

Ever the Bastion 

We must stand tall

An implacable force

The permanent wall

Our enemies surround us

Our pride has been swept

and yet the battle cry remains

Always Remember, Never Forget

@Shauni

Never Resting, Ever Changing

Never Resting

Ever Changing

Time sweeps by

Slowly Stealing

Life's Precious Moments

Minutes Until we die

Regrets, will follow

Undamaged time

Leaving us to sigh

Save not those minutes

But seek your dreams

Ensuring time will fly

Hold back not 

the hands of time

Rather let them Cry

Never Resting

Ever Changing

Time Sweeps By

@ShauniNever 

Awake

Awake, arise

to the glory 

that surrounds you

Welcome a new day

Rejoice in the beauty

Abundant

Awake, Remove

your sorrows

Refresh your soul

Inhale, 

Find your peace

Release your fear

Observe the gifts

that we have been give

Rejoice

@Shauni

Broken Pieces

Broken Pieces of

a Shattered me

Broken dreams

Shattered

A heart once strong

lay in pieces 

on the floor

crushed

Each day an attempt

To gather my pieces

and put them back together

Whole

There can be no fix

I am whole no more

Shattered Dreams

and a Shattered heart

And yet

I ever gather

The Broken Pieces

of a Broken me

Returning them to 

their rightful place

Creating a new me

with broken pieces

Cracks in the soul

Scars on the heart

never whole

but really, never 

Broken

@Shauni

And So the Wind Blows

And so the wind blows

every strong 

carressing my soul

calling me

And so the wind blows

a whisper in the darkness

A dance on the moor

calling me

And so the wind blows

a secret desire

A lost love

Calling me

And so the wind blows

Taunting me

reminding me

Calling Me

And so the wind blows

teasing me, 

Ever promising me

Calling Me

And so the wind blows

until rest finally calls

silence, evermore

@Shauni

Doubt

With a whisper

it embraces you

With a roar

it engulfs you

A Sensuous slithering

promise 

A tantalizing tease

A tempting torment

It hides in the darkness

it embraces the light

there is no escape

No gentle reprieve

when the storm 

winds blow

No hope for tomorrow 

when troubles

blow in

Whispering promises

within your mind

Tearing at your very soul

 Distraction, destruction

Disbelief

Blowing you off 

your dreams

yet keeping you 

glued in place

Awash in sea 

Doubt remeans

@Shauni

Joy

Listen to the tap, tap, tap 

of the rain

Listen for the whisper

of the wind

Listen to the birds

as they sing

Listen to the chug, chug, chug

of the Cars as they go by

Listen carefully for 

that lonesome whistle

of the train

or the clackety clack of 

it wheels

Listen to the world around you

Hear the music

Do you feel the joy

Do you hear the dance

Tap your toes

spread your arms

Reach for the heavens

and Dance!

Day to day

the music surrounds us

If we listen 

there is always a beat

If we absorb it

honestly

truthfully

Joyfully

Life is sweet

@Shauni

Rejoice in Today

Whether in a mountain meadow

or on a sandy beach

in a crowded city

or alone in the country

The sun rose today

Light has once again

conquered the 

darkness

Rejoice

in what we have 

been given

Rejoice 

that tomorrow 

has come

Rejoice 

in the fresh light

a new day brings

Worry not

about the struggles 

you may have to 

bear

Fear not

about the trials

that come your way

Instead Rejoice

Today has potential

and Promise

A chance for rebirth

regeneration

renewal.. 

A New Day!

@Shauni

Dancing in the Rain

There is no shame

In Dancing

In the Rain

The feel of the

Water

Slicing across your skin

The puddles splashing

as laughter 

spills forth

If you let yourself 

Dance

There can only be Joy

A lost moment 

of childhood

A sacred thank you

No matter the whys

Just take the time

To dance in the Rain!!

@Shauni

Finding the Light

Darkness abounds

this pitiful soul

Lost in the shadows

deep in the void

Silence surrounds 

this lost heart

A silence so loud 

even the heart's beat is lost

And yet

Deep in the void

Hope survives

A beacon shining

proclaiming 

Safe haven

No matter how dark

No matter how silent

A single Candle

can brighten 

No matter how afraid

No matter how alone

If you seek, you will find

There is light

In the morning sun

There is power

in a single lightening strike

There is hope

at every sunrise

Find the light, 

Wash away the darkness

Rejoice

@Shauni

Lost in the Darkness

Lost in the darkness

of my mind

never finding a way 

out

Afraid

Alone

Lost in the imaginings

of what has become

Ever darker

No peace

The branches clawing

My fears growing

Life destroying

Hopeless

Each step taken in fear

Am I going deeper

Or is there light ahead

escape

Deeper and Deeper

Ever Darker

Afraid to leave

Afraid to Stay

@Shauni

Defining Me

How do I define

Who I am 

Who I want to be

How do I dare 

to stand alone 

and Say

I am...

I am not putty

for you to mold

I am not a doll

for you to dress

I am not a dream

for you to live

I am not a disappointment

for you to claim

I am me..

My struggles are mine

I am me

My dreams are mine

My existence defines me

Not you

My choices, my failures

are mine, not yours

You can no longer have me

You can no longer claim me

You can no longer dream my dreams

Because I am taking them back

Reclaiming them

Demanding them

I may fail

I may succeed

I may get stuck in between

It matters not

What matters is

I will fail

or I will succeed

Not you..

@Shauni

Dare We Dream

What Dreams do Die

When we fear to let them Free

What Hopes collide when 

we insist on letting be

Dare we let our dreams escape

Or must we hold them close

tight to our heart

A secret lost, a forbidden host

Dare we Dream

Dare we Soar

Dare we allow our flights of Fancy

Dare we Roar

Or must we ever plod on

solidly stuck in reality

No brighter tomorrow

Lost in negativity

Dare we Dream

Dare we fly?

Dare we see 

The Midnight Sky?

Or do we sink

into mendacity

No Hope, no light

No laughter, no originality?

@Shauni

Dance to the Rhythm of the Rain

Inhale

Find your moment

Pause

Then let it all go

Dance to the rhythm of the raindrops

Rejoice in each splatter

Listen to the joy around you

Make your worries not matter

Find the time

Take a moment

hear the dance

take your chance

Let the rain

Wash away your fear

Release your pain

Cleanse your tears

Inhale

Look through the storm

Pause

Then let it all go

Dance in the rain

Share your story

Release your fears

Dance out your worry

Find the Freedom

in a single dance

Find the joy

Take your chance

And when the dance is over

When life must resume

remember the dance

Sing the tune.

@Shauni

Beauty

A Quiet moment

A slow inhale

A silent scent

A heart detailed

When our world is fallen

Our heart destroyed

When hope stumbles

And despair employed

Search your world

find that place

where God has spoken

And shown His grace

Seek the moment

When perfection reigns

Allow it to cleanse you

Remove the stains

Find the beauty 

In the world we've been given

Seek out the glory 

In this world that's hidden

Find the Beauty

In a forest glade

A child's smile

A warrior's blade

Find the hope that 

Surrounds you

Find your center

To thine own self be true

Rejoice in life

Rebuke the despair

Open your soul

To the anointed heir

The Gift

Once not so long ago

I was alone

I had been abandoned 

Betrayed

Used and tossed away

I was grieving

Feeling unworthy

yet determined to 

not give in

Then you came 

and showed me your hands

open and giving

holding a box

all wrapped and true

This box is yours

you said

A present from me

All I ask is you 

let it be

Don't Open it

Don't question why

Just take the box 

and Put it aside

I accepted your box

It was hard not to peak

but I kept my word 

and didn't seek. 

Pandora I am not

I keep my word 

but I must admit 

That box could be heard...

Every time we speak

I think how lucky I am

that you came to give me

that box

Your friendship astounds

your grace amazes

My luck has changed 

I am in constant dazes..

At times the box is forgotten

In all that you do

In the way you treat others

While just being you

I was surprised when you 

Said. Today is the day

Take the box from the shelf

and rip the paper away.

I grabbed that box

that seemed way too lite

Ripped off the paper

and revealed to my sight

An empty box

There was nothing I could see

And then you said

The present was me. 

@Shauni

Happy Easter

Waiting on Tuesday

What wonders exist

What promises made

What comes from the mist

What exists on display

Sometimes we wait

We pause

We worry about life

With no cause

Sometimes we dream 

Of what can be

We pace ourselves

Refuse to be Free

Sometimes we let the world

Make the call

Stifle our choices

Cause us to fall

We draw the boxes

We limit our choices

We freeze our hopes

We still our voices

Wait.. Wait.. Wait..

This is not the right time

Be patient, no longer

This time is Mine!

No longer will I wait

No containing my dreams

No longer will I wait

I celebrate Tuesdays it seems

Rejoice in the everyday

Seek for the light

Honor my dreams

Make my life bright

I no longer recognize

Your right to proclaim

What life consists of

How you tend to defame.

No, for me, for now

There is Tuesday to rejoice

Today I choose

To take back my Voice!

@Shauni

The Senses

Do you hear

The whisper of the moon?

The silent lady

In constant swoon

Do you feel her

gentle call

to those who once

lost it all

Do you see 

Her Silent Plea

To the lost 

To me?

She calls to those

who are broken

Who stand alone

Forsaken

Can you Taste

Her need

To bring them home

In word, in deed?

She calls to the senses

of those who are lost

who gave it all

to their cost

She speaks to the hearts

of those who know pain

Who have sacrificed all

and earned only pain.

To those who 

Can not stay

with those who

have lost their way

She calls to those

whose dared to dream

and felt the joy

before the scream

She calls.. 

But beware

only those who have lost

truly dare

@Shauni

Once I Believed

Once I believed

That there was a place

For someone

like me

Once I believed

That I would

Dream Dreams

Live and Love

Once I believed

That in spite of it all

There was a place

For me

Once...

I believed, I dreamed

I hoped, 

Once..

Once I believed 

That life was grand

That there was joy

That there was hope

Once..

But no more

No more do 

I believe

Too many times

The dreams have been shattered

The heart has been broken

Nothing has mattered

Too many times

Those that said they care

Walked away

Left me alone

Too many times

I sat and cried

For a friend

to stand by my side

Too many times

The battle has been lost

and the victor takes 

the spoils

Leaving me

Alone

Betrayed

lost

@Shauni