Child smiles and expressions at homeless school

by Apple Goodthree

How special it is to see a child smile.

Most of the kids in the school are homeless or have recently experienced it.  One of the most precious people on the planet is a fourth grader named Angel.

The first thing I noticed about Angel is overwhelming extreme shyness.  Or maybe it was simply quietness. She's healthy and not bashful about getting up to sharpen her pencil or get the books she needs but in conversation she is very timid.  The words barely, ever so barely, come out of her mouth.  I asked her what her name is. She had to repeat herself a few times until I understood it.

In observing the class, I noticed that she was behind on her multiplication tables.  I knew I could help.  I asked Angel, "what is two times two?"  She looks straight ahead.  I can subtly see her mind working.  She was patient thinking.  After many moments of pause, she every so quietly and gently said the answer sounding like a very young child pronouncing her r's "wrong".  She said so barely as a question, "foa".

Once when she was in line for lunch with the other kids, I saw her smile and have a moment of silliness.  This is a good thing.  When I talked to her at lunch, she was reserved with short very quiet one-word answers.  A week later, I worked again with her and another girl in the fourth grade.  We worked in the times tables again in a separate classroom.

Angel was ahead of the other girl who had missed months of school.  Still in 4th grade, each girl is well behind.  We built, we practiced and we got better at multiplication.  Still Angel was quiet.  But she was getting it.  She was building confidence.  She knew it.  I asked the girls what color the wall was.  They both answered, "Yellow!"  I said, you will be able to answer your times tables with the same quickness soon.

Yesterday I had a chance to practice with them again.  Angel really moved ahead.  Going through the 5's tables gains momentum and confidence.  She was cookin'.  The other girl has trouble adding.  So, it's all practice.  Repetition will make them stronger.

Also the connection with an adult that is supportive helps.  Gym class was later.  We were late because of our arithmetic session, so we walked out to gym.  I stuck around as gym class in this school has no real organization in P.E, though there was a theme for today and it was volleyball.  Long story short, I was volleying with another classmate.  Angel (who usually sits by herself at recess) came over.  I tossed the ball to her.

She might be the smallest girl in the class but she's tough.  She has more coordination than she may have given herself credit for and was able to volley the ball. It was a confidence building because I had not seen her interact like this.  She has a SMILE on her face for the whole gym class.  She was having so much fun with the three other girls volleying.  We spent the whole class volleying and retrieving our bad shots.  Then she brought the volleyball to the basketball hoop and shot for a few minutes.  When it was time to line up, I had a question about gathering the kids because the gym teacher was gone.  Also, the classroom teacher was not there.

I am not much of a yeller, so I asked one of the louder fourth graders if they could help me gather up the 18 other students to line up for class.  Well right on queue, Angel must have heard me make that request because she yelled and yelled loudly.  She shouted different classmates names.  MICHEALA!  I paused, amazed.  She then bellowed out, SALLY! It was amazing that this girl who had been so quiet was now expressing herself like this.  It was a help to me.  I had a good day.

How special it is to see a child smile... and express themselves!

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The Greatest Currency

I refer to and write about something that I call, "the greatest currency," often. What do you think when I say, "the greatest currency?"  Do you think of money?  Do you think of an electrical charge?  Do you think of water flowing down a river?

Currency.  What do you think about?

Well, in the Goodology book and my writing, the currency is movement of energy within you.  This exercise increases your power of attraction and it increases all the good in your life.  Like attracts like.  So, what about the greatest currency?  Maybe this is an activity that inspires energy flow and energy movement within.

Doing something you enjoy increases your energy flow.  On one extreme laughter "is" energy flow.  Smiling shows energy flow within.  These are the mirrors to your soul.  The more you live in these states, the more synergy (truths matching) exists.  Putting yourself in places of joy increases synergy.

As I have written about, a great currency for me is working with the homeless children.  I love it.  I see absolute potential in these kids.  They are raw power, intelligence and beauty.  When you match that with attention, care and just being there, these attributes naturally flow out in the children.

This is a great currency for me.  What is a great currency for you?

Read about the greatest currency here on Amazon in the book called, "Goodology - Personal Development Through Good."

Powerful

This is hard to watch, but it these are situations which we need to embrace and give. I love the kids, Sam and Esther, in this video and I love the girl Jane in this video. I write about Jane's example of intelligence, love and beautiful spirit. Watch the one minute follow up video also.

Click here for this video.

About a year later here is Jane, so sweet and beautiful. She looks healthy and happy.

Jane about one year later.

One of the reasons that I posted these videos is to illustrate a point, which is in Jane's energy. Jane didn’t complain. She did not regret. She did not blame her parents for not being there. She only showed energy flow, beauty and positivity. She is love. She is caring. She is unafraid. She is responsible. She is not feeding “negative” energy.

Jane didn’t wake up and prepare herself for a film crew coming in. She had no idea. She “only” loved, supported and “was” beauty. She lived her life with the beautiful energy that she is. She is the most beautiful girl in the world with her energy flowing.

We all have the same energy within us. Let us all reconnect and look up to Jane. Let us model the beauty of Jane. Let us model the strength of Jane. One year later after some generous donations, Sam and Esther were stabilized, well fed and their polio was being taken care of. Jane is in school learning, but now smiling with an amazingly sweet smile and happiness.

Underneath, we all have this energy. We need to connect with it. Religions argue "specific points" and interpretations of this beautiful energy (Spirit, God, Universe, Source or whatever you call it). A lot of damage has been done by bickering about interpretations of something beautiful.

Our first step is to locate our own energy within. Even if you are watching the cable news shows and their energy is angry and non-problem solving, locate your own energy. Jane provides solutions without ego. Become powerful yourself. Connect with your own beauty - no excuses, no blame, no regret - just like Jane.

Ray of sunshine

I always say that, "all of the energy in the world is good. Any perceived "negative" is only resistance to that good energy. So, in Goodology, there is a process where you specifically locate that resisted energy within you and turn it into a positive flow. You can see good energy everywhere. Reinstall it inside of yourself.

My brother volunteered me as a coach for one of his baseball teams. He has scout teams which involve kids ages 12 to 18. All of these kids will go on to play college ball, many will play minor league ball and there could even be a major leaguer or two in there. They are talented and driven to excel.

Most of the time the kids are serious and focused on the game. They support the pitcher, the hitter and their teammates from the bench. My group was 13 and 14 years olds. At thirteen years old, you cannot be serious all the time. I really hadn’t seen Justin smile before. He was a catcher and always focused on the game.

We sat on the bench when the team was on defense and Justin was not in the game. He put a wet white towel under his hat. At 106 degrees in Phoenix, you can do things like that. And you should do things like that! He was looking to the left at his teammates with a white towel hanging under his hat below his ears. To them it just looked funny and he got some laughs. They got silly for a moment. When Justin turned to me, I saw him; his teeth were as white as the towel and his smile was as bright as the Phoenix sun.

For that moment, Justin’s smile was flowing energy through his body. It was pure energy. Look at that smile. He was glowing for a moment. There was “no” negative energy in his body. It was healthy. Be silly. Appreciate silly. Laugh. Appreciate laughter. Justin’s smile had nothing to do with a TV sitcom sex joke. It was nothing that would make him feel older or younger. It was pure energy and purely nice to see. “That” is healthy.

Notice incidents like this in your world. Locate any resisted energy within you and turn it to good.

Visit Goodology to buy the book.

More good energy

I was in a convenience store near my home in Fountain Hills, Arizona. I noticed a young girl waiting patiently. She was maybe 12 years old, with dark long hair. In this girl, I saw great qualities and specifically, energy flow. I saw appreciation, respect and patience. (She was cute.) She looked pretty and shy and sweet. These were pure qualities and there was a pure energy flowing through the girl. I imagined that she was likely from a nearby Native American community and probably just came for a ride with her dad to get gas.

She stayed more than five feet back from the counter, even though there was only one customer in front of her. Just in case someone needed to walk through that area, she gave them plenty of space. I noticed the respect she had for her experience in the store and the respect she had for the other customers. She had her drink in one hand and two dollars in the other while she waited in line.

Maybe, before she entered the store, she had that moment of excitement knowing she could go buy something new. Maybe she asked her father if she could get something from the store. She had that moment of hopefulness and anticipation of how Dad would respond to her request. Her Dad’s positive response was met by sweetness and thankfulness. She would journey into the store by herself, seeing all the products for sale and looking at the bright colors, before she chose her drink.

She was gentle and took great care that her experience stayed special. I took a moment to wonder what went through her mind when she looked at all the products when deciding what to choose for her drink. Coke? Pepsi? Orange juice? Iced Tea? What would she decide on? She had all the options in the world, and the choice was all hers.

I grabbed my beverage and got in line behind her. Funny thing, I stood about five feet back while she made her transaction. I guess I unconsciously followed the example she set for me, with her pure and truthful energy. She inspired those same qualities in me.

I wished at that moment that I could be the cashier. I wanted the chance to say something nice to her, because she was so appreciative of her purchase. She was excited and thrilled, just to be able to buy a can of Arizona Iced Tea. She was filled with a good feeling.

Arizona Iced Teas are only .99. She gave the cashier two dollars and began walking toward the door. “Wait, you have change,” the cashier called out to her. She even got a dollar back, that she could give back to her dad. She was proud. She acted like the whole experience was no big deal, but her expressions of energy showed how beautiful it was for her.

Her emotions and expressions of energy were flowing and beautiful. Before she went entered the store, she had excitement, anticipation and hope to give herself something new. It would make her feel deserving and special. She was perhaps a little bit humble when she may have thought, “Oops, I gave you a dollar too much. Hey, I’m new at this, but I don’t want to appear new. I’m just happy to have my drink.”

I hope she enjoyed her drink and had a great ride home, with a smile on her face.

I love people, and I love to see great emotions like this. The feeling I get, the appreciation I get, the smile I get when I see something like this shows me how my own energy can flow. What do you have that allows your energy to flow? This young lady had a precious, beautiful energy flowing through her. I hope she can maintain it forever. It gave me a good feeling of energy flow. It’s good energy.

So, if you ask what energy is, this is the very tip of the iceberg. It flows powerfully and uncontrollably.

Visit Goodology to buy the book.

Positive flow

It takes a lot of our own effort to suppress the flow of our energy! It takes massive effort. We will gain more of our own internal power when we learn to stop resisting the flow. We have to learn how to stop pushing it back and get into positive flow of energy. We believe that negative energy exists but we are the ones that create it through our own resistance.

Examples of positive energy flow are all over. There was a girl of about seven years old who came into my store. She immediately looked on the floor for change for some reason. She didn’t find any change on the floor. I said to her, “you know if you look in this candy section a lot of times the customers drop their change right in it! And if you look maybe you can find some.” She got excited and looked. She went through the Twix bars, the Mounds and the Almond Joys. Her Dad was over in the coffee section and she looked at him. While she turned away, I sprinkled .65 in different boxes.

She turned back around and kept looking in the boxes. Her eyes lit up when she found a dime! Then she found a quarter. She smiled so brightly and looked at me. That is beautiful excitement and those are feelings that feel good. This is good energy. It is energy flow. Excitement is good energy flow. There is no hidden meaning. Just look at the energy flow though the excitement. There is no blame. There is no anger. There is happiness and positive energy flow.

Good energy is a flow and can be a rush. “It’s right there.” Let’s grab it! All of us can creatively bring it out in other people too. The more we do that, the more powerful our planet will be. This is where synergism happens. The flow is happiness, health, intelligence and well being. The process to trace back and locate negative energy is something which we learn in Goodology.

Visit Goodology to buy the book.

Perception

A guy built a new house overlooking a river. His back yard and view of the river was nice. His only complaint was that on the other side of the river you could see the trailer park. In his view, the trailer park was disgusting. It ruined his view. He grumbled even though it was he that decided to build the house there. And, in truth, it is the guy's perception of the trailer park is disgusting. That is a view that he created.

You perceive your world. It's not real. It's your perception. Two people's perceptions of the same event could be different. Our world is a mirror of what is going on inside of us. Our perception determines what something is. The trailer park is beautiful. At the very least, the trailer park is what it is. But, the people in the trailer park are beautiful. At the very least they are people trying to survive. It is your perception that may not be.

I like the trailer park. I have a lot of friends in the trailer park. I see kids playing. I see trees. I see a lot of pets. I see water. It is true that many people in the trailer park tend to feed their needs. But, they are all beautiful at heart for sure. Whichever way you perceive it is “good” just notice the energy inside. That is where your own sludge begins.

If you see negativity, then you are bringing up slow moving energy within and labeling it that way. Be honest. It is honesty within that will free you and make you stronger. Picture something that is distasteful to you something disgusting. How does that make you feel? It is your feeling that makes you react the way that you do. Think about it if that feeling was not there. Then certain disgusting images would repulse you less and, at the very least, trailer parks would be beautiful

http://www.goodology.com/ to purchase the book.

Be thankful

Throughout the day in my business I am asked, "how are you?" dozens of times! I answer in one word, "Great." How bad can it be? It's a beautiful day. I am thankful for so much. We are fortunate to have all that we have.

Instead of saying, "how are you?" to someone else, I start the conversation with, "it's a beautiful day." I do it all day, every day in my store. It's raining outside and cold, when someone says, "how are you?" I answer, "on a day like today, how could I complain?" I remember many times just walking outside in the rain thinking, 'ah this is nice. It's a beautiful day."

I'm not talking about the weather, always either. On a sunny day, I say, "it's a beautiful day!" and the person replies, "yeah it's pretty nice out there." I'm not talking about "out there." More, I am talking about "in there." It's beautiful inside you. Feel it. The more you feel it, the more you will express it.

I was surprised to see how many people commented negatively on 2009. As bad as things are, they are still pretty good. The more you focus on the good, the more you will manifest the good. We are so fortunate to have what we have.

Each year one in 50 kids experiences homelessness. http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/homeless_children_in_their_own_words

Goodology Credo

Goodology® is a study of energy. That is what it boils down to. All of the energy in the world is good. Any perceived “negative” energy comes from resistance to that good. Further, it boils down to "your" energy. All of your energy is good. Any perceived “negative” energy comes from your internal resistance to that good.

It is this point of resistance where our issues begin. Our lives and world are a reaction to that resistance. Locating, knowing and being intimate with that point of resistance is the beginning of our strength. That is the beginning of shifting the things that happen automatically in our lives.

Where is that energy? What is that energy? We need to locate this mass of energy inside of our body. It is slow energy that is limiting our connection with infinite power. We hold onto this energy for safety and become a reaction to our fears. Our lives become about feeding into our fears. We feed into a “negative” energy. The “good” energy has slowed down and appears negative. By feeding it we slow it down more and get more of the same in our lives.