Granite to Mist: A Poem

I used to say

Love was not meant to be

Just fine

Love was meant to be one thing,

Sublime

Thinking I would carve these words

In granite

Below a statue

Of us

Entwined in embrace

Forever merged

As one.

Then I learned that

Love is not carved in stone

But in mist

And can dissipate

As easily as rain

In harsh sun .

 

The author of The Pharaoh’s Cry,  Portal Shift, Kidnapped Smile, and Dragon Sky from the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles,  as well as the middle-grade Forest Secrets. Laurie Woodward  co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy. Her poetry has been published in multiple journals and anthologies and she was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant, poet,  and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes on the Central Coast of California. More about her work can be found at artania.net

 

 

 

 

Dean and JoJo: A One of a Kind Friendship

A man, a dolphin, and a friendship that spans decades. This heart-warming story has inspired millions and Kaitlin Andrews recently discovered why.  Here is her article celebrating their bond.

Click here to read article.

Laurie Woodward is the author of The Pharaoh’s Cry,  Kidnapped Smile, and Dragon Sky from the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles,  as well as the middle-grade Forest Secrets. She co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy and was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant, poet,  and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes on the Central Coast of California.

 

Dean and JoJo: An Inter-species Love Story

Watch the video.

Coming soon from Creativia Publishing the revised version with new photos and stories!

Peace Weaver Poem

 

We are the weavers of children

Whether they are wading, treading, or drowning

Each child is reaching out

For lifelines to pull them from their semi-fluid perceptions,

Yet many find flimsy ribbons braided with Achilles tendons

That split, then disconnect buoys

As they struggle in turbulent effluent.

 

Sometimes suspension bridges splinter

And they hang mid-air over purgatorial precipices,

Bodies flailing and thrashing.

 

And so we come,

The weavers,

Bringing strong cordage and twine of seraphic gossamer

To silence their cries and give them hope.

And when we set to work,

The floundering souls reach out for lifelines.

 

For we know the secret.

We have only to pluck the hairs from atop our heads,

Begin intertwining them with gentle words of a peaceful future

And thus create:

Blankets to keep them cool on hot summer days

Or safety nets for acrophobic trapeze artists

 

With loving words we

Spin arks to race arid currents,

Or create buoyant suits that deflect each incoming wave,

But we must remember

To continue weaving at our numinous looms,

And make our fingers deft

To find places where weft meets warp

And make fibers of

Ethereal clouds to moisten parched radices.

 

When our eyes grow weary of patterns too subtle for children to see,

Or when aching backs and cramping forearms make for troublesome twining

Even when our hands become bloodied by sharp sutures from the unknowing

or the insane,

We must endure

We are the weavers,

Intertwining and intersecting,

Spinning fibrous cable that children cling to

That they will wrap round their waists

Before plunging into cavernous incarnations

To discover,

In the depths,

A reflection of the future

A reflection of themselves

A reflection

Of the peace weaver they can become.

Kid Mediation in 5 Easy Steps

Children Mediating

I believe in empowering children, in giving them the tools they need to successfully mediate conflicts on their own. So, Using the Dean and JoJo Anti-Bullying DVD of one man’s friendship with a wild-bottlenose dolphin named JoJo I work with students engaging them in activities to create positive conflict resolution. They create Peace Cards with positive alternatives to conflicts and share them with one another as well as engage in writing and role playing activities to model good communication. With this program I have helped other educators teach children how stop bullying, avoid arguments, and maintain healthy friendships.

Dolphin Mediators are a group of 5^th and 6^th grade students who have volunteered to act as a go-between for other kids who might be having a conflict. With Mrs. Woodward as the faculty advisor, they use a prepared script to help others learn to take turns, communicate with “I feel” messages, and come up with win-win situations.  At recesses they walk around, clipboards in hand and offer advice, guidance, and rewards to those who resolve conflicts peacefully.

If you’d like to learn more about how to implement anti-bullying activities on your campus, contact me. I love to share!

Peace Mediators in Seven Easy Steps

Fighting? Bullying? Gossip? When I started to see lots of problems on the playground I decided it was time to try something new. But I didn’t want kids to feel like I was just adding another rule. I decided to empower kids with a program that they could manage, organize, and man.
We called them Dolphin Mediators.
What are they? Dolphin Mediators are a group of student volunteers who help to keep our school calm. After I train the kids in assertive language, they memorize my script and roll-play situations. Once they seem comfortable with everything from stopping a bully to helping little ones take turns, they are approved to be recess monitors. Then they walk the playground, clipboard in hand, helping our school keep the peace.

If you’d like to give it a try at your school the lesson goes as follows:

Objective: Students will learn positive communication techniques to help other children resolve conflicts peacefully on the playground.

Materials: Clipboards, reward tickets, pens, Dolphin Mediator Script.

Background: Dolphin Mediators are a group of students who have volunteered to act as a go-between for other kids who might be having a conflict. With a faculty advisor, they use a prepared script to help others learn to take turns, communicate with “I feel” messages, and come up with win-win situations. At recesses, they offer advice, guidance, and rewards to those who resolve conflicts peacefully.

Procedure:
1) Ask for volunteers for friend mediators. Tell the students that they must be approved by a teacher to be accepted.
2) Once there are volunteers invite students to attend training.
3) At the training review the three different types of communicating
a) Passive = Giving in to another. (lose, win)
b) Aggressive = Attacking another. (lose, lose)
c) Assertive = Be firm with the desired outcome. (win, win)
4) Next, tell them that the goal is always to help others engage in win-win.
5) Also, advise them that this program is only for mild disagreements. It is not their job to be involved in situations where they could be hurt, such as breaking up fist fights. Leave those to adults.
6) Rehearse the following script with the volunteers:

DOLPHIN MEDIATOR SCRIPT
Characters:
AMBASSADOR 1:
AMBASSADOR 2:

AMBASSADOR 1: Hi my name is__________
AMBASSADOR 2: And my name is________
ALL TOGETHER: And we are Dolphin Mediators.
AMBASSADOR 1: We are here to help you solve this issue. But before we start there are few guidelines.
AMBASSADOR 2: Yes. First is that the only person who can speak is the person holding the clipboard. (Holds up clipboard.)
AMBASSADOR 1: Each one of you will have a turn to share your problem, then we’ll try to help you so both of you feel better.
AMBASSADOR 2: But remember that our goal is always to have a win-win situation.
AMBASSADOR 1: Now tell me what happened.(Passes clipboard to one child. When the first child is done takes clipboard back.) Now it is your turn. (Repeats with clipboard pass.)
AMBASSADOR 2: Now let’s try to find some win-win solutions where you both feel happy.(Asks each child to come up with a solution that makes both happy.

AFTER THE SOLUTION IS FOUND

AMBASSADOR 1: Congratulations you just took a dolphin detour.
AMBASSADOR 2: And here is your ticket. (Fills in names and gives them ticket explaining it will be used for rewards later.)

7)  Send children out to the playground.

I’d love to hear how things go. Let me know what happened at your school with Dolphin Mediators.

Dean with The Dalai Lama

Peace. A word. A concept. For a select few, like the Dalai Lama, a state of being. But for all too many children, it is sadly elusive. So many young people across the world deal with hunger, abuse, terror, and homelessness. But everyone can make a difference. And I suppose that’s why my friend and collaborator, Dean Bernal, and I worked so hard on creating peace curriculum which is now being shared world-wide.

Recently, he brought the Peace with the Environment program to the Tibetan’s in Exile School in Dharamsala, India. On June 7, 2017 for World Ocean’s Day he presented in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s TCV school program to senior and junior students. Another second project on June 8th also for World Oceans connected school kids in Mali Africa with TVC school kids in Dharamsala India to talk about Dean & JoJo and protecting the oceans and planet. Environmental groups and individuals from around the world were truly inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s views, concerns, spiritual inspiration, and advice about the environment and all life.

Mr. Dean Bernal was there as a special guest of the of the TCV school and addressed the existing and also new thoughts and ideas of Tibetan students as part of the Dalai Lama’s program. As an introduction, Mr. Bernal presented an example of his powerful environmental story and spiritual path of healing, that has reached over 1.5 billion people today.

Dean’s compassion for an orphaned wild dolphin named JoJo and the need to protect both their ocean and terrestrial homes allowed them to build a lifelong friendship that continues to inspire people to find their true and compassionate path in life.

Dean addressed an important human element, that as an evolving species capable of contemplating an enlightened path, we are taking part in a collective consciousness of global preservation. In searching to recognize and provide for this living planet and ocean, which is presently our only known life support system, we must provide it with our collective healing by protecting our environment.

 http://www.DeanAndJoJoStory.com

Dean addressed the students on environmental issues, the importance of true to source compassion on global preservation, passion from the heart to protect habitats, and truth in the place of origin and its global impact on the environment. Students were encouraged to talk about the environmental teaching by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and shared their thoughts, experiences, views, and projects. Dean then collaborated with like~minded individuals seeking to support students during this insightful presentation.

Wonderful work Dean! I am so proud of my dear friend!

Our Connections

Have you ever thought about how we are linked together? How our connections define who we are? And how each action can either create gentle ripples or leave the waters untouched. So often we imagine ourselves as separate, just living our lives. But I believe that when we seek to understand the impact our actions can have, amazing things are possible.

Like Dean Bernal did when he befriended a wild dolphin. Then he spent half his life keeping it safe.

Watch, and be inspired. You never know, the ripples you create just might keep a beautiful creature alive.

What is Your Mission?

No matter how large your business is, be it one novel you are promoting or a large corporation, a mission statement can guide your direction as you move forward. Each endeavor has its individual characteristics that should be capitalized on and guiding principles will make that unique in the public eye.

As an author, I want my work to achieve several things. First, I’d like to help children see the magic that resides in all of us. Secondly, I’d love to affect positive change in readers’ lives. And then of course, I want my readers to have fun, and ride a roller coaster that transports them to amazing worlds both real and imagined.

Others have different goals. My friend and colleague, Dean Bernal, for example, has one of the most admirable mission statements I’ve ever seen. His Dean and JoJo brand wishes to educate, awaken, inspire, and ignite. How? Through the example of his true lifelong friendship with a wild dolphin named JoJo, Dean has created books, films, and digital characters that spark the desire for service. In greater detail they seek to:

– Educate our audience about the delicate and essential interdependence between earth and ocean, man and animal.

– Awaken our audience so that every individual sees him/herself as an essential part of the equation for preserving the planet.

– Inspire our audience to take actions – large and small that will benefit the earth, the ocean, man and animals.

– Ignite a collective consciousness & awakening and movement for taking actions that contribute to the survival/preservation of the planet.

What do you want your business to do? Try writing a mission statement and see where it takes you.