all images and stories are the property of Catherine Beerda-Basso and are not to be used without given permission...thank you

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Those I Love...

I have so many images...
so many beautiful faces I wanted to share with you
so in honour of those I love
here's one last post
From the Hill

this was outside my window every morning...my gift of Joy

me and the girls 
handsome young man : )
one of our cooks
my Sarah
my family 
my butterfly girl Anna...adore her
these girls melt my heart
Karin...this girl is as tiny as she is smart...so very very bright she is 

open feeding on a Saturday...these days we can feed up to 300 mouths

that one is for you Gail lol
precious treasures....
Elizabeth...one of our University girls

my traveling companions

Tanya, my translator....my gift
my Sarah and her sister
Lina, my girlfriends special child
Elisabeth, me and Sandra; these lovelies work at out centre
I love them
shoe shopping with one of my kids Marcelus
one of our little warrioress'


Mother Mary
keep the children safe...


Love and Light my Lovelies
a Lovely weekend to you!

Monday 27 May 2013

A late night Monday Offering...Healing...

The path of healing
can feel lonely 
desolate


We often walk blindly
hoping
hoping 
hoping
but not being able to ask
for what it is we are hoping for
And often we find ourselves
back to a place where we have been before
and we say...
why am I back here?
why am I looking at this again?
haven't I faced this already?
we don't see that each time we return
we have more to offer
and each time we go back in
the wound is that much cleaner

I want to tell you...
Healing is a delicate process
that never ends
These are the things
we aren't taught by those
who would not have us think for ourselves

It is on going

which ever way you look at it

the journey of healing
never ends....
and this is a good thing
It is a steady
A faithful companion
that will not leave our side

I want to tell you
that healing has no time line
no statue of limitations
no schedule
o

Healing does not care how much you weight
Healing does not care about the clothes you wear
or the car you drive
Healing does not care about the colour of your skin
or how much you have in your back account
or if you have a bank account at all
Healing only cares about you finding your way
back Home

What Healing does ask of you
is that you show up
that you play a part
that you do the work
that you say what you mean
and mean what you say

It asks that you listen
but not the surface kind of listening
It wants the deep listening
that comes when one is stalking their shadows
that is present when one has surrendered
that develops when the words are wispered
"I trust you"
"I am ready"

Healing wants you to be brave
too find the warrioress within
and hold strong your staff
and lift high your light
rooting into your knowing
reaching up to the Truth
hearing Spirit in the breeze
finding Mary by the waters
seeing the face of God
in all that is around you.

because
Healing
knows
you
can

Healing to you my lovelies...
whatever it is that ails your wounded hearts
Healing to you

Love and Light

Friday 24 May 2013

The People that you meet....

 in the bloggy world I have met many a wonderful woman
and this face belongs to one of them

 
 Kelly
aka
Miss Umber
The Dove
Goddess of Word and Craft
has been in my life for a few years now
and she is one of those souls I feel honoured to know
that is why I want to promote her 
True Center e-course
that she has just launched
check it out
and her amazing giveaway that she is offering
to celebrate the launch of her new gig
This girl has talent that come from the soul...
check out below and link to her site!
You won't be sorry you did.
Love and Light
happy weekend to you all my lovelies!
The True Center eCourse... I'm beyond, utterly beyond excited to introduce and welcome you to the work of my heart: The True Center eCourse! I've spent the better part of the past year developing, writing, dreaming and preparing to give you everything I've got to support you in reaching your full artistic potential.

And the best part?!?!? I'm GIVING AWAY TWO SCHOLARSHIPS for the summer session over at the blog! You can read all about the course over at the  my blog (including dates and registration info):
http://www.umberdove.com/2013/05/huge-horizons-give-way-and-all-new-true.html
All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment ON THE BLOG! And for every time and place you share this post, leave another comment for additional entries!

I can't wait for you to join me in this path of life and artistry as one!!

Wednesday 22 May 2013

In the Stillness that Is...


In the Stillness that Is
I can breathe


In the Stillness that Is
I can find truth
the Sacred Truth
of rock and bone
tear and blood
earth and sky
root and paw
a place in which 
I bear witness


In the Stillness that Is
I am alive
I am valid
I am accounted for
I am

The Stillness that Is
never falters
never fails
never crumbles
It always Is


And it is in that Stillness
where I am reminded of who I am
that no matter what befalls
all is well and as it should be
Here I am reminded
to embrace this journey
yet not to hold on too tight
as it is one piece of something bigger
 a stay over of sorts...
a journey within a Journey


I am reminded to let my blood flow,
and my bones to creak
allow my tears to fall
and feel my feet take root
hands on fire
raised up high
I am willing


For it is in the Stillness that Is
where I find You...
and know
I am not alone




What are you finding 
In the Stillness that Is
my lovelies?

Love and Light

Monday 20 May 2013

Mondays Offering...Miracles and Gifts




I have realized that some of the stories
I have shared from my pilgimage to Colombia
have not been the easiest to read
I do not share them to bring dismay
or a heavy heart,
as much as to give a voice
to those who don't have one.


I feel it is time to bring these stories
to a close.
I am missing the use of this space being used
for "daily bread"
not only for you my lovelies
but also for my own heart and soul.

I continue to work on my book
which will hold the treasures of my pilgrimage
to Colombia, and my hope is
 that if you are interested in reading further
that you purchase one of these
when it comes to completion.
 *
Steven and friend
This past week I received some news about him.
News that pierced my heart, but yet
I was not surprised by.
A few weeks back Steven got into a serious altracation
with him mom's boyfriend.
The boyfriend was beating on Gladys, Steven's mother,
and Steven intervened
This turned the boyfriends abuse from Steven's mom
to Steven
and he was severely beaten.
Steven then went out
got a gun
and had it in his mind to kill the boyfriend.
 This story found it's way to our center
where Karin and Vivianna convinced Steven to give up the gun and the plan of murder.
What did come to be was Steven did make himself heard
as he took a group of friends and beat up the boyfriend
who then left the home and 
so far
has not been heard from.

15 years old
just a boy 
and yet
 making these kinds of life choices.

Hope is not lost
That he had a "place of reason" at the center
That he had women who cared and whom he trusted
That he had somewhere to go to take his greif
this is the Hope
this is the Miracle
Without the center there.....
the worst would most likely have happened
and his life
his precious young life
would have been changed forever.

our warrioress and her niece

The gift of the center continues to unfold
as one of our girls 
11 years old
came running down from the mountain top
for sactuary
Someone who had been brought into her home
had tried to be sexually inappropriate with her.
She knew where to go
and she did!
Bless her little warrioress heart!
Miracles
Where would she have gone?
Who would have told her, her rights?
"No one has a right to touch you or behave towards you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Your body is yours and your alone."

It is as simple as that
knowing God given rights...
these children
and all children who live
in the bowels of poverty
do not
know their rights.
I feel it is up to us
to tell them.
*
(Danielle and me)

When we go down to Medellin
we always attend the church in which this all began.
Church was something I was brought up in
but do not traditionally partake of any longer.
 But after a week of going deep
into the lives and stories of those on the hill
I was happy to gather in this Holy Place.
It was what my stretched and aching spirit needed.
I drenched myself in the music, the singing, the powerful words being shared...
and felt the ever abiding Divine Love that holds us all.
We each spoke
and as always there was a time
for those who gathered, to come and lay hands
on us, blessing us, praying prayers for us, loving on us.
At this time a young girl who had spoke earlier joined us.
her name was Daniella
She was part of an outreach youth group 
and was going into another city to do some innercity work
When she has spoke she has asked for finacial support to make this trip happen.
She has commited to go, but had not yet raised the funds
she was in full trust that it would come together....
she was leaving the next day.
Before we went to church that day I brought some of
the money you had so graciously given.
I was hoping to find a place to put it.
When she spoke
I knew I would give her a donation....
but was not sure how much to give

When we were called up to be prayed for
we all stood in a semi circle
arms around each other
Daniella came up and stood beside me
and with head bowed I said to God
how much?
how much do I give?
A number came clearly
$300
As we sat down I went over to her
and past her the money, which was bundled up
I let her know about all of you
and how this money had come to be.
She was very grateful
We hugged
and that was that....
or so I thought
I sat back down as the service went on
(church services in Colombia go on for hours!!)
After a period of time I felt compelled
to look back at her
and to my surprise she was sobbing
I went over to her and put my arms around her
which only seemed to make her cry all the more.
You see
the amount I/We gave her
was the EXACT amount that she needed....
*

Another thing I was able to do 
with your amazing help
was to put together gift bags for the women
who work day in and day out
at our center

These bags are filled with love and light
appealing to the feminine in each of us.


I was even able to put some money
in each of their new leather wallets purses
because of you
I was able to spoil those ladies!

There is such a joy to giving
such a gift in that gesture
Thank you for assisting me
in making that happen
Truly
I could not have done it with out you.


So I think this concludes my stories from the hill
well...
at least in this space
Thank you for being an important part of this journey
you touched many lives
especially mine
my lovlies
especially mine


Love and Light