Laura's Love Letter: YOU are a Star...Keep Shining!

I'll always remember visiting the Montessori school in Amelia Island. I was presenting to the fourth grade group and sharing my fancy "I Shine!" cheer. I tell the students it's like the song YMCA - we're going to make the words with our bodies: arms straight over our heads, turning our bodies into a tall letter "I" for "I Shine!", arms in a V turning us into the letter "Y" for "YOU Shine!", then elbows bent out shoulder length, making a "W" for "We Shine!" -- that was it "I Shine! You Shine! We Shine!" I even thought the cheer was so terrific that I had stickers made. One of the points of my school program is how our best work, even when it's feels wildly inspired like the experience of I Love You More pouring through me, is rarely (if ever) one and done! It turned out my book wasn't even close -- the words that were so Divinely Inspired were very specifically written for my nephew. It didn't rhyme when my mother (my first editor) took a look, and it became a flip book after my sister read through it!! Back to the cheer-- I finished teaching the students the three awesome parts, when a young girl right at the front of the class burst out with "STAR SHINE!" - jumping her legs and arms out. There she was right in front of me - a FIVE POINTED STAR! I told her -- "Holy Smokes! YOU just edited my cheer! You added something that I didn't even realize was missing, and it's the best dang part!" Now I share that with the students, and let them know that they are STARS, by design, meant to shine and share their light and love in the world! As are YOU -- what if we all believed -- that we are stars, not only made of stardust, but God/Life/Love was not trying to hide it -- we look like a STAR, and we are all meant by design to share our love and light with the world!

What a gift it's been to visit the South Shore Stars centers this past week - thanks to a great connection I made at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation conference in July. One of the conference attendees came up to my table with Marshfield, MA on her name tag - my hometown! Turns out Jamie is a teacher at STARS preschool - there was awesome synergy in it all coming together. We had all the fun last week, and looking forward to Quincy this week - the city I was born in!

STARS are awesome non-profit centers in Weymouth, Randolph and Quincy assuring as many as they're able to serve have access to early childhood education! Their RISE program helped bring me in -- READING IS SO EXCITING!! YES indeed it is! I told YOU -- the synergy was electric!

It's been pretty dang groovy being in the area where I spent my childhood this summer. Two more weeks till we head back and then it's full on school program mode. Get in touch with my Star Sister Jaime and she'll help get the ball rolling! Till then remember to...

Keep Shining!
Laura

PS....September is still Alopecia Awareness Month -- if you know someone, or a family with a child going and growing through this roller coaster of a journey - send them my way!

PPS... YOU ARE LOVED -- by ME and LIFE itself!! Oh so very loved!!

It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts! If you aren't able to attend a live event, you can always purchase signed books through my website. They're great gifts for baby showers, toddler birthdays, first readers, teacher gifts, little ones, older ones, loved ones -- all the ones!! You'll find I Love You More and signed padded board book set's of I Love You More and I'll Hug You More

Please be sure to download your free PDF ebook of You Are a Gift to the World/ The World is a Gift to You by using the link at the top of the newsletter. Send me an email if you're interested in a hard copy of this book - I'll send you the details on how to get one with your child's name it.

Laura's Love Note

Please feel free to download or screenshot and share — tag #lauraduksta #iloveyoumore #ilym and follow me on social! If we see your post we'll for sure repost it!

Laura's Love In Action Activity

When we cheer our teams on we use ENTHUSIASM... meaning to give energy or life to something. Turns out ENTHUSIASM is a key ingredient when we want to win on the field and in life. That's why I've created my signature cheers: "I SHINE!" and "I AM A GENIUS!" You learned the "I SHINE!" Cheer above, and here is the "I AM A GENIUS!" - they are a GIFT to use with your children, students, and your SELF!!

The 4 hand motions and phrases for the GENIUS cheer are: Arms straight out Thumbs Up - "I AM a GENIUS!" Hands over heart - "I listen to my heart!" Hands on your head - "I use my brain!" Hands raised up high above head thumbs up - "I AM a GENIUS!"

Use these daily and watch your children, students and YOU shine, shine, shine like the STAR YOU ARE....Keep Shining!

Feel free to download the poster and use it at home or in the classroom!

LOVE LIVE EVENTS

- I have had an awesome time this summer at the Marshfield, Cohasset and Hingham Farmers Markets -check my website for upcoming events -- clearly I have a favorite market t-shirt!

TODAY SUNDAY 9/18 Hanover Farmers Market 11-2

Thursday 9/22 Cohasset Farmers Market

Friday 9/23 Marshfield Farmers Market

- End of June - September: Road tripping up the east coast - if you know of a festival, market, camp, school or church I should visit, send me a message!

SCHOOL VISITS

It's time to book them! Please visit my website for more info and reach out to Jaime to get the ball rolling! I'm happy to travel to YOU virtually, or in person, wherever you are in the world! Email Jaime Here