Mothers Day 2020

The Arnold Arboretum requested that families not visit on Lilac Sunday which is a Mother's Day tradition for many. There were no brunch gatherings to celebrate Mother's Day. Visits to mothers to celebrate and express love were done either via technology or social distancing and meals were either lovingly cooked at home or mom's favorites were chosen for take out. While the pandemic has cancelled many cherished traditions for celebration, we as a community have gotten very creative at how to find ways to celebrate under very different circumstances for Mother's Day 2020.

We are extremely blessed that Tom's job at Boston College is secure. While there are cost cutting measures happening at BC, their impact is minimal and we are grateful to be able to do our part to support the University's financial stability at this time.

Tom and Ruth Anne plotted with our favorite womanpreneur, Paula Romero Dunbar who followed her dream to open Paper Fiesta, Natick Center's Independently Owned Celebration Boutique. They called and texted back and forth putting together an amazing package of Mothers Day gifts for me. Journals, a Mr. Rogers book, kitchen towels and a mug and tumbler with the themes of Bee Kind, Bee Happy and Bee Grateful, chocolate treats and so much love in the presentation. Paula wrote on the box DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 5/10th and just in case I didn't pay attention to that warning, she put a little note card on top of the presents that said, "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 5/10th."



While Tom and Ruth Anne knew what some of the gifts were, they shared in the surprise of other gifts that Paula put in to meet the budget they gave her.

If you look closely, you will see a big brown shopping bag in the background of my picture where I am holding up one of the packages lovingly wrapped by Paula.

Tom and Ruth Anne whisked that bag from our porch shortly after it was delivered by Eureka Puzzles and Games. Our son Autumn McManus and his partner Michelle Todd saw my Facebook posts about Eureka and how we love to support small business. Autumn also knows about our passion for puzzles. They live in Petersburgh NY and are the proprietors of M and A Farm. With the "lockdown" and their busy schedules as farmers and Autumn working for an IT company, their Mother's Day shopping was made easy with on line shopping and local delivery.

It was a first that our son sent a package that arrived before an event. He texted his dad that he was very proud of himself for making that happen especially this Mother's Day.

He lovingly chose the puzzle with the cats and books because it reminded him of the bookstores we would visit on Martha's Vineyard. And why did he choose Van Gogh's Sunflowers Puzzle? Because of my nickname..Mary Sunshine.

Now that is enough to fill this mother's heart with gratitude but there's more to the story...Ruth Anne and I selected a MicroPuzzle from Eureka during our last on line retail therapy session. Can you guess which puzzle we chose?



Yup Van Gogh's Sunflowers. I love the synchronicity that my son and I share and have shared through the years.

He also treated me to a long phone conversation which was one of the best gifts of the day.

The last gifts bestowed upon me for Mothers Day were FlavaBars from FlavaNaturals.


What makes the photo with Ruth Anne so sweet is that this is our first Mother's Day together in four years that she has been well. For four years she was suffering with an undiagnosed condition called PANDAS that causes brain inflammation secondary to an untreated infection. The symptoms manifest as neuropsychiatric in nature and she endured 14 hospitalizations.

What a gift to be together as a family for Mother's Day and to experience health and well being!

After the opening of presents, we did a strength training workout together.

I am so blessed and grateful for the gift of running in my life and we are so blessed to have running routes near our house where we can social distance. But I do miss running by the ocean in South Boston. We decided to take a drive to at least breathe in the sea air.



After meditation, Tom grilled chicken with potatoes and made a large salad.

We ended the day working on the puzzle and having a wonderful conversation counting our blessings.

So while there were no brunches or walks on the beach and we had to have a mask at the ready as we walked around our neighborhood, Mothers Day 2020 was a day overflowing with gifts...the greatest gifts being Love and well being supporting local businesses and enjoying the sacred gift of time together.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
With love and peace
Mary

Be sure to visit my website to learn more about my inspirational journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond!

My books are available on Amazon.

Blogger Spotlight on Small Business - Part I

Team McManus has always supported small business. During these unprecedented times, small businesses need our support more than ever. I realize that there are many many people out there who may be experiencing unemployment and are buying the bare necessities. But for those who do have the means, please consider supporting these sensational small businesses with big hearts!

Are you tired of cooking and coming up with great meal ideas to nourish yourself and/or your family?

Carlos Cucina Italiana located at 131 Brighton Avenue in Allston (617) 254-9759 has their full menu and wine available for take out. We've ordered from them three times and every time the food was hot and fresh as though we were sitting at one of their cozy tables. Their Sunday tradition is lasagna. Tom called ahead and they made a special tray just for him! My personal favorite is their chicken, penne pasta and broccoli. Ruth Anne loves their veggie pasta dish.



Golden Temple is our favorite Chinese Restaurant in the greater Boston area. It's been our go to place for quiet dining with delicious healthy made to order dishes. We've ordered from them several times over these past 7 weeks and every time the food is fresh, hot and as wonderful as if we were enjoying the dishes in one of their booths. They are open beginning at noon on Mother's Day and recommend ordering ahead if you'd like to give mom a special treat on her special day!


Pure Cold Press was our apres Occupational Therapy appointment go to place for lunch or brunch with Ruth Anne. They are a kosher vegetarian restaurant with an incredible array of fresh foods, juices, smoothies and my personal favorite their Sweet Potato Soup! Even though they are a small business they are paying it forward by providing food for front line workers.



And speaking of feeding yourself and those you love well...We met FlavaNaturals at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend. This my dear readers is no ordinary chocolate. It is rich in flavanols that benefit brain, skin, heart and circulation. Their tag line is "Chocolate was your weakness. Now it's your strength." Founder of FlavaNaturals Alan Frost sent out a video and email to their customers:
We are pleased to announce FlavaCare — free FlavaNaturals care packages for those negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Our hearts go out to everyone who is hurting right now. So we’re going to start gifting 10 FlavaCare packages every week through the end of April.

Here’s how the program works. If you have a friend, family member or colleague who is ill, or on the front line of medical care, or recently lost their job, please email us at alan@flavanaturals.com with their name and mailing address. No purchase is necessary.

We will randomly select 10 people every Sunday for a FlavaCare Package that includes a FlavaBar library gift set and pouch of FlavaMix cocoa powder packets. And we’ll be sure to notify you if your special person was selected!

As you know, cocoa flavanols have many benefits, including mood support, improved immunity and stress reduction. And we can all use a little more of that these days!

So please send us your nominations today.
He included a Library Gift Pack when we placed our recent order and extended FlavaCare nominations for a drawing this Sunday.


Part I of shining the spotlight on small business concludes with Eureka Puzzles. David Leschinsky has been the owner of Eureka Puzzles for decades. He is the son of immigrant parents and has been a staple small business in Coolidge Corner despite the changes through the years.


After Ruth Anne began Occupational Therapy at Spaulding Rehab to support her healing and recovery from brain inflammation, Eureka has been our go to store. One of our purchases was not a good fit for Ruth Anne's needs and they gave us a store credit although we had opened the package.

We have been going on line for "retail therapy" at Eureka since we miss our stops there after Ruth Anne's appointments with new suggestions for how to up level her skills. Micropuzzles have challenged eye/hand coordination and are helpful in honing fine motor skills. We purchased a mandala that is great for coordination, fine motor skills and concentration. Recently we purchased the game Clue and plan to play together this weekend.



Before you hit the order button on Amazon or do take out from a chain, please remember this:


To be continued....

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
With love and peace
Mary

Be sure to visit my website to learn more about my inspirational journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond!

My books are available on Amazon.

Blogger Spotlight: M and A Farm

Today's blog is brought to you by guest blogger Ruth Anne McManus.

My brother Autumn and his partner Michelle Todd own M and A Farm. I have tasted their delicious chicken, bacon and eggs. They are two of the hardest working people I know. Both Autumn and Michelle have their roots in social justice and sustainability. They did farm internships to learn about farming and continued their education on their own. They recently created their website. They are a small-scale, diversified farm, and produce an array of products including fruits, vegetables, soap, eggs, pork, chicken, and flowers. They will soon be opening for the season at The Berry Patch Store located in Stephentown New York.

All produce grown by M and A is certified naturally grown. They recognize the importance of tending to their surrounding ecosystems as a whole - using only natural inputs, and rebuilding soil with compost and organic matter. Anything less is unsustainable.



Last Christmas, Michele and Autumn sent me a gift bag that included their homemade goat soap.


Do you have dry skin and who doesn't from all of our hand washing these days. Try a bar of their small batch goats' milk soap made with milk from their very own goats!

Michelle and Autumn boast that they have the happiest hens on earth. The chickens don't practice social distancing but they roam freely on the farm.



They are making farm fresh food available during this time of crisis. For the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, M and A Farm will be offering delivery services to the Troy and Albany areas! Products include pasture-raised meat, greens, and eggs!

When it is finally safe for Farmers Markets to reopen be sure to consider supporting your local farmers. Many take SNAP benefits and participate in a program where people receive money back on their benefits when they shop at Farmers Markets.

When I first wrote this blog, it was for a call to action to support our farmers as part of the Stimulus Relief Package. I am happy to report this from the Farmers Market Coalition website:

Washington, D.C., March 25, 2020 – After an all-night negotiation, the Senate today passed a two trillion-dollar stimulus package; the third COVID-19 stimulus package to date. The bill includes $9.5 billion to support “agricultural producers impacted by coronavirus, including producers of specialty crops, producers that supply local food systems, including farmers markets, restaurants, and schools, and livestock producers, including dairy producers.” In response to the Senate’s publication of their third stimulus bill, the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) issued the following statement:

“We are grateful that the Senate put in the overtime work to get this bill out the door,” said FMC Executive Director Ben Feldman. “Farmers markets and direct market farmers and ranchers across the country have been in a state of limbo for weeks now this package gives them a path forward. While there is more yet to do, we want to thank in particular Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for their tireless advocacy and support of the local/regional food economy.

We urge the House to take the Senate’s lead and move swiftly to pass this next stimulus package. We also urge both chambers to direct the CDC to clarify that farmers markets are essential services, and to direct the USDA to provide flexibility on deadlines and matching requirements for current grant opportunities. At this time, Congress should be doing everything they can to make sure these essential food and farm businesses can stay in operation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

FMC will continue to work with our market members and our champions in Congress to ensure that farmers markets and direct market farmers receive the support they need to stay in business and keep feeding their communities. We will be following this legislation closely as it moves through Congress and monitoring the implementation of any funds issued to ensure they support the local markets and family farm businesses that need them most.

For more information about Farmers Markets visit the Farmers Market Coalition website.

Be safe!
Be well!

From my heart to yours
Ruth Anne

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

Taking a Leap of Faith

There's magic waiting to happen two weeks from Saturday when my dear friends Paula Romero-Dunbar and Walter Dunbar host an Extraordinary Book Launch Party at Paper Fiesta.



Here's what I wrote to local media encouraging them to share our story:
Two Brookline women are joining forces to share a message of healing, hope, possibility, perseverance, resilience, strength, and inspiration on April 6th from 3-5pm at Paper Fiesta in Natick Center Cultural District.

Paula Romero-Dunbar’s parents moved here from Guatamela 41 years ago. Paula was born in Brookline, grew up in Brookline Public Housing and watched her parents work incredibly hard to provide their family with opportunity. She worked at Party Favors for 21 years. She left 3 times to pursue other interests but always returned to her passion. Twelve years ago she knew she wanted a shop to call her own. Eight years ago she started on a path to pursue her dream. They opened their doors with a Grand Opening Celebration on 11/10/2018 and Paula’s dream became a reality! Paula’s husband, Walter is a Boston EMS who responded to the events of 4/15/13. Their store, located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon route incorporates the themes of Hope, Spirit, History and Strength.

Mary McManus has been called an “unlikely runner” by Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray. In December of 2006, Mary was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and told to prepare to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. She refused to take the diagnosis sitting down. During the dark night of her mind, body and soul, a light shined as she asked for Divine Guidance. Her pen became her Divining rod for healing and she feverishly wrote poetry imagining herself healthy, and whole, even running a race free from the shackles of her youth! Her first poem, “Running the Race” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. Mary tapped into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age and harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body. She took a leap of faith leaving her almost 20 year award winning career as a VA social worker to heal her life in May 2007.

Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Through the redemptive power of running, Mary transformed from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience.

On 4/15/13, Mary was at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel across the street from the second bomb celebrating her 2009 Boston Marathon run with her Spaulding Race for Rehab Teammates. Mary met Paula and Walter through the Boston Strong community on One Boston Day 4/15/15.

Paula was inspired to invite Mary to have the book launch party for her latest book, “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” at Paper Fiesta. Ten years later on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon route, Mary will share her inspirational journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond and sign copies of her book.

Two women who hail from Brookline embody the meaning of perseverance, faith, inspiration, determination and resilience. They look forward to sharing their stories with your audience this Boston Marathon season.

What a Divine tapestry of events that brought Paula and me together. We share a common bond in our faith and a fire in our souls to follow our dreams despite what "reason" may dictate.

We are a beacon of light for other women to be bold, to take risks and to trust the direction from the promptings of their heart and soul.

If you are having doubts about whether or not to take that leap of faith in YOUR life, my response is:


To your health and wellness,
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):


My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.