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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Today in Ashland calendar, Dec. 3 Matthew Mangino: U.S. Supreme Court takes on Facebook threats 10 things to know for Wednesday 10 things to know for Tuesday The Haven Education In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Student beats the odds AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness Kiwanis, Lions team up to help Nature Center Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student Environment ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Business The Haven Ride & Drive: Ford Transit Ride & Drive: Canyon 2015 GMC Ride & Drive: The 2015 Toyota Camry Greg Zyla: Gift suggestions for car and motorsport enthusiasts Politics and elections Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Kitzhaber wins fourth term State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries William (Bill) Carl Caldwell Death Notices Freda Lee Davidson Earle Morgan Swift Jr. Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Raiders invite parents, boosters to join team on charter flight No. 17 Southern Oregon stuns No. 8 Columbia at nationals Raiders look to climb out of deep NAIA pool Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Dodge repeats as Frontier Conference OPOY as 15 Raiders make all-league High school Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Georgia Williams commits to Columbia Gabe Lehrburger, Grizzlies clean house in MWL all-star voting Southern Oregon University Raiders invite parents, boosters to join team on charter flight No. 17 Southern Oregon stuns No. 8 Columbia at nationals Raiders look to climb out of deep NAIA pool Dodge repeats as Frontier Conference OPOY as 15 Raiders make all-league No. 8 SOU, No. 1 Carroll ready for QF showdown Opinion Latest Stories Jim Brock: Protesters have power Michelle Teheux: Lack of diversity leads to myopia Matthew Mangino: U.S. Supreme Court takes on Facebook threats Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Editorial Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Our View: Give market vendors a break Our View: Gray, Black and Cyber Our View: Pool is not a priority Our view: Keep it simple in OSF courtyard Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 26 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection Herb Rothschild Jr.: Congress won't stand up Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Guest Opinion: Save the SOU swimming pool Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Revels Latest Stories Meet the real Jacob Marley Community blog: Poetry for birders, birds for poets Festival of Light brings cheer to downtown Ashland Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Nov. 28-Dec. 3 Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Bass Clarinet Takeover Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Movie review: ‘Foxcatcher’ will leave you shaken and spellbound Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Troubleshoot common water boiler problems 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Dec. 5-7) Lost in Suburbia: Out of the cast iron pan and into the fire Dear Monty: Ten helpful home-listing tips Dave Ramsey: A properly budgeted Christmas Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Missing teen's mom hopes for safe return ... Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection ... Two missing Ashland teens planned to run away, police say ... Missing teen's mom hopes for safe return ... Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection ... Two missing Ashland teens planned to run away, police say ... INNER PEACE Graditude is key for a Cinderella wanna-be By Janai "Grandma Boom" Mestrovich DailyTidings.com By Janai "Grandma Boom" Mestrovich Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:23 pm By Janai "Grandma Boom" Mestrovich Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:23 pm » RELATED CONTENT Share your Inner Peace --> The Ashland Daily Tidings invites residents of the Rogue Valley to submit articles on all aspects of inner peace, including intuition, inner guidance, mind t... » Read more X Share your Inner Peace The Ashland Daily Tidings invites residents of the Rogue Valley to submit articles on all aspects of inner peace, including intuition, inner guidance, mind training, courage, fearlessness, forgiveness of self or others, honesty, gentleness, humor, open mindedness, friendship, tolerance, trust, faith, kindness, gratitude, overcoming and/or accepting life’s challenges of addictions, loss, grief, pain, awareness of presence and more. Send 600- to 700-word articles to Sally McKirgan, [email protected] . • From here to enlightenment: Overcome obstacles by asking ... • Community Blog: A Thankful Thought • Case dismissed: There goes the judge • First thing to do is solve the 84th problem » Social News “I don't want you to go out to that house. It's dangerous. If you aren't back by noon, I am calling the police.” The school principal was worried. I was determined to do an in-home visit to meet the family of the girl I was working with. At the age of 7, no other children would play with her. She wore tattered clothes, smelled like urine and introduced lice into the school. Her spirit was sweet but she was sad and lonely. No counselors had ever made it into her home where drugs, rifles and a “no trespassing” mentality prevailed. I was determined. I baked zucchini muffins, then drove up to a trash dump outside an unkempt trailer. House noise hushed when I knocked on the door. Smelling the muffins kept me calm. The door cracked open. I smiled, offering fresh muffins with an uplifting greeting. “Hi. I'm Dee's counselor. I baked these for you. Silence. The door squeaked, opening slightly to take the muffins across the threshold. Smiling, I added, “Dee has some really special qualities. I think she will do well.” Tension released. Door opened. Shotgun in the corner kept company with rotten food, trash and miscellaneous filth. I spoke of Dee's creativity and her delightful spirit. They chowed down on muffins and listened. The next visit I took Dee, asking to see her room. She smelled like urine because she wet the bed every night. Her very old twin bed had a rotting, rusted frame. The stinking mattress was urine-soaked. Lice and odor concerns were now answered. Next steps: Get new bed donated with mattress; teach Dee how to "smell" herself, buy her soap, teach her to smell what "clean" smelled like, train her to wash herself every day; develop plan to stop wetting the bed, provide clothes, train parents to be cleaner and help Dee stay clean and lice-free, build Dee's self-confidence, and design steps to be socially acceptable. Dress-ups with a mirror are part of my counseling space. Dee always wore the same dress-ups in sessions, repeatedly acting out Cinderella. She appointed me as the mean step-mom and sisters. She stared at her raggedy self, always stopping short of Cinderella. Months later, Dee donned Cinderella's dress. She stared at herself in the mirror. Then she turned to me and said, “I know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be a model and make a lot of money. That way I can buy pretty clothes for kids like me so they can feel good about themselves and not be dirty.” She smiled and was happy. Dee discovered an altruistic passion despite all the ridicule and isolation she had experienced. A deep peace settled into her eyes. She felt purpose. She felt whole, didn't smell, and peers liked her. “Thank you, Janai, for helping me be happy.” “Oh, sweetie, thank YOU for trusting me and letting me be a part of your life.” Her blue eyes softened, filling with gratitude. The raggedy, smelly 7-year-old girl was gone. She cleansed her restless sadness and isolation. The devoid look on her face had disappeared. Dee was allowed and encouraged to find some answers for herself. In her process, she transformed longing to a magnanimous display of a golden heart that had simply been hidden from view. Her "surface" appearance and ignorance had blocked her from herself. Now she connected the dots to create her own inner peace. Gratitude exuded in her self-realization. I felt honored to be present. And so very grateful. We are all invited by our spirit's longing to find our own healing formulas to radiate inner peace. Gratitude is a guiding light. May it shine upon your heart path to inner peace. Janai Mestrovich, aka "Grandma Boom," lives in Ashland, is a  life coach a nd international speaker and has taught at the University of Oregon and SOU. Her book is available at Bloomsbury Books, Renaissance Rose and Amazon.com. Her website is at www.grandmaboom.com.   By Janai "Grandma Boom" Mestrovich DailyTidings.com By Janai "Grandma Boom" Mestrovich Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:23 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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