CRAFT a meaningful life.

March is National Craft Month...so what better day than March 1st to launch my new blog? It's a work in progress, but what good thing in life isn't? I have BIG ideas, which will play out a LITTLE at a time...but the important thing is to do something, right now, today, that will be meaningful.

Of course, crafting in the traditional sense- making, building, drawing, sewing, creating- that's my "thing." But CRAFTING a meaningful life, to me, is something more. This is a call to action, to do more than "arts and crafts," but to use your gifts to CRAFT a meaningful life. So what can YOU do?

USE your hands. Make things. Build stuff. Sew. Create one of a kind things for your kids to wear, to play with, to save forever, to throw away. Toussle hair, touch a shoulder, pat a back, hold hands, give a high five.

SPEAK. Use your words. Speak your heart, say I love you, share your ideas, spread your faith, talk with your friends and family, instead of talking at them.

COOK. Cook with your kids, even if you aren't a good cook. Cook for your friends, especially if you're a good cook! Bake lots of cupcakes. Create snacks, appetizers, meals, desserts that look good, taste good, and are good for our bodies.

TEACH. Everyone. Share what you know. Teach your kids, even if you aren't a teacher. Experiment. Invite your kids to mess around, to be messy, to mess up and try again. Watch. Listen. Learn. Read...and then read some more.

MOVE. Move your body! Get active- walk, run, dance, kick, box, kickbox! Exercise, go to the gym, run outside, push a stroller, walk the dog, play Wii. Get your kids involved. Create a healthy lifestyle for yourself and share that with your family and friends.

PLAY! Bring a joyful, playful attitude to this world. Smile, even if you have to fake it at first. Act silly. Play with your kids. Draw, even if you can only make a stick man or a robot pumpkin. Trace. Copy. Cut paper into a million pieces. Paste. Get messy. Say YES to getting the paints out, even when you know they will get spilled everywhere.

GIVE. Give your gifts- time, love, talents, money. Make someone's day, big or small, a smile or a present: evolve the craft of gift-giving from picking up a gift card on a holiday to giving of yourself to others everyday.

Craft. Create art. Create joy. Create friendships. Create memories. CREATE a meaningful life...and start today.