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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 Police Reports Measure 92 recount shows little change in Jackson County Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Police allege Ashland pizza parlor owner tried to blow up building Survey: Ashland is an affordable rental market Education Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Ashland Rotary Student Youth of the Month: Avery Nicole Jesmer AHS arts festival is Friday AHS, SOU seek arts program director In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Environment Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘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 Business Survey: Ashland is an affordable rental market Trio of local businesses close their doors Tourism in Ashland: The role of the Chamber’s Visitor & Convention Bureau Silvio Calabi: The world loves a Wrangler The sweet smell of soap-selling success Politics and elections Local rep to testify before U.S. Senate panel Tuesday 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 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 Death Notices Death Notices Marie B. (Aiken) Stella Demo Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Aldridge passes Porter on Blazers' all-time scoring list in win Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists High school Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Southern Oregon University Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists Florida, here they come North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge Opinion Latest Stories Our View: 92 backers should move on Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Granlund cartoon: CIA torture report Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Granlund cartoon: William and Barack Editorial Our View: 92 backers should move on Our View: Raiders are winners Our View: Celebrating more students Our View: A morning well spent Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 8 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Guest Opinion: Refugee children at our border Guest Opinion: Why giving market food vendors 'a break' is poor public policy Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Revels Latest Stories Community blog: William Stafford: His Writing, His Life SOU presents all-percussion concert Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists 4 Things to do this Weekend At the movies 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 SOU presents all-percussion concert 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 Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies At the 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 Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Lost in Suburbia: Row, row, row your basement Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Dec. 12-14) Dave Ramsey: Helping financially irresponsible brother stay on track Shayne Looper: Are you infected with ‘solution aversion?’ Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... 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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