Attention Light Bringers...SouLodge Giveaway

Interested in taking part in

SouLodge?????

go here

you 

won't

regret

it!

image found here

See you under the flap sisters

Aho

Love and light

Painting...and an End of Summer *Give Away*

I started painting this summer

something I haven't done since I was a child

down by the creek side

this was my first attempt

I call it "Self Reflections"...

and this was the final product

of that one attempt

I discovered I have a real passion for it...

not sure if it "good" or not

but I know I like the way

it makes me feel

so much so I have set up a painting station

in my back yard

beside the "GordLord"

*

So

in the name of vulnerability

I have decided to put one of my painting up

for a 

*GIVE AWAY*

an 8x10 canvas
water colour original

"Owl-Seeing beyond the darkness"

If you are interested

you can get yourself entered 3 different ways

each way another chance to win

1)leave me a comment below

2) add yourself as one of my followers

(found at the bottom of the blog page)

3) link this giveaway on your blog

(and let me know)

winner will be announced Monday Sept. 10th

My lovelies

your presence here is so appreciated
for those who leave your mark
for those who come in reflective silence
each one of you matters
thank you

Love and Light

LOVE in a Giveaway...

I take pictures

lots and lots of pictures

I would say I am a passionate amateur photographer

I remember the day my mom took my down to the Pharmasave for me to buy my first camera with the babysitting money I had saved up.

It was 

"one of those days".

I love capturing 

moments

images

emotions.

It is a form of therapy and creative expression for me.

ourperspective photography

Just over a year ago hubby and I decided 

to open an Etsy Shop to sell our prints

we sold one

(thanks Gail)

Lots of admirers

not a lot of buyers

So after about a year

we closed shop.

I felt discouraged.

But as always Life brings you answers

in places you lest expect it.

...and  Trust

needs to be more than a word.

Each of these stones were 

hand picked

washed

and dried with love

Each word written with intent...

They were made for women

women like you and me

Brave Women 

Cherished Women

on the journey to recovery.

A dear friends husband is a builder...

a builder of recovery centres

for men and women 

who are walking out the journey of sobriety.

He just completed a brand new women's shelter

Hanna House

It is a beautiful facility.

But like most non profits 

there is not a lot left over for the extras.

So my girlfriend asked if we could help...

What an honour.

43 of our images will grace the walks of Hanna House

43

Bringing an other wise clinical building

to something with Life

and Beauty on it's walls.

Two prints per bedroom.

Offices and Councellour rooms will hold

the mystery of the Earth

on their walls.

There is something about seeing your prints 

enlarged and mounted.

It is like seeing them for the first time,

and as I stood alone in the room,

seeing these completed for the first time

 tears filled my eyes

and I realized

this was why,

why we had taken these pictures...

these images

these inspirations

were taken for this exact purpose

For the women of Hanna House

that they might find healing in the beauty

of the Earth

that She might touch their hearts

to believe

once again

in Themselves

in Life

in Living Free...

What a moment

What a gift...

And speaking of gifts

we were busy bees yesterday

turning our collected pollen 

into gifts of Love

My girlfriends heart led us to this place

again 

with funds being tight

She decided to start a program in which

she supplies the women coming into treatment

with a gift bag of goodness

these bags include

journals

pens

socks

toiletries

lip balm

those inspiration stones 

(pictured above)

hand made bookmarks

(with amazing inspiration messages)

Jill you are awesome!

hair accessories

an angel card

chocolate

candy

Some of the women come in from the street 

and have next to nothing

Some come from a world where many people around them

probably had no idea

"how bad it had gotten"

Either way

they are all deserving

Deserving of feeling 

Loved

Special

Valued

We poured 

our Love

our Hope

our Prayers 

into these bags

and with anonymous hands

blessed all who would receive these gifts

these humble gifts from us

that they would know

we are all the same

they are us

we are them.

I felt full.

I felt alive.

And with that lingering sense of 

abundant Love

I offer to you

the lovelies who come to visit me here

the women I learn from

am inspired by

an opportunity to win one of those prints

that will be hanging in Hanna House

and maybe when you look at it

you will think of these women

and all women

who are trapped in the cycle of addiction.

I had my work mates pick our their favourites

I picked out two...

Enter by leaving a comment...
let me know your favourite
and I will choose a winner 

or winners

at the end of next week

Love

it is a 

grand

mysterious

fulfilling

thing

and its always the best

when given away

Love and Light

Monday~Offering~a~Giveaway.......

"The universe is not short on wake-up calls. We're just quick to hit the snooze button."

This was one of many favourite quotes from my  latest Wisdom Club read : "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown

the cover says:

"Let Go of Who You Think

You're Supposed to Be

and Embrace Who You Are"

YOUR GUIDE TO A WHOLEHEARTED LIFE

I know right??!!

So we gathered to discuss this rich, informative book.

Our first gathering of the New Year...the reunion brought with it much joy in being together again. 8 of the 12 were present.

"I am enough"

These three words were the heart of this book. And on a personal note this book was a perfect fit along with my word for 2012:  Vulnerability.

"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy--the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the Darkness will we discover the infinite power of our Light." pg.6

As we fed our bodies, so we also fed our souls with Brene's wise words and naked experiences.

"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity......The heart of Compassion is really acceptance." pg 16

"When we can let go of what other people think and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness--the feeling that we are enough just as we are and that we are worthy of love and belonging. When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don't fit who we think we're supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting pleasing and proving. Our sense of worthiness....lives inside of our story."pg 23

Oh how I know about that hustling. It brought me to my knees about 5 years ago. No more. Not to say I don't slip down that familiar path now and again. And certainly not to say some of those adjectives are harder to rid myself of then others...like proving.

I recently had a sister who was in my inner circle judge my Faith Walk. Through all the emails, cards and accusations I remained silent. That was very difficult to do. I wanted to prove myself. I still feel it. Instead I remain firmly rooted in my Faith...in my walk. I have revealed myself to her and she has forgotten...there is nothing more I can do. Sad, but true.

I  ask myself..."Is it right with my soul?"  And my Spirit answers, "Yes." And that is enough. Nothing to prove.

Just me, living my Truth with the Divine always present.

Brene also talks about finding someone who as earned the right to hear our story.

How often do we just blab it out?

To shift our perspective and treasure it for what it is-a moulding of who we are. I really liked the freedom that statement gave me. That there are things that I can keep sacred and give only to those who have earned it...like it is something precious and special. What a gift a slight shift can bring to a seeker of Truth.

"If we really want to live a joyful, connected, and meaningful life, we must talk about things that get in the way." pg 35

AMEN! Couldn't agree more

"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we thing we're supposed to be and embracing who we are."pg 50

In particular I wanted to point out the word "practice"

It's a practice--being Authentic and being authentic takes practice.

So many things that we think are just a given, that they should just show up and be there for us at our beckoning call.

Things like Love, Grace, Compassion, Faith and Authenticity.

But these all take practice...these are all A PRACTICE.

The soup gets ladled out for us.....

...but it is up to us to eat it...and how did we learn to feed ourselves? Through practice.

In her research, Brene found out that Spirituality was the corner stone to living a Wholehearted Life.

"Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing Spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives." pg 64

"Again I didn't find that any one interpretation of Spirituality has the corner on the resilience market. It's not about denominations or dogma. Practicing Spirituality is what brings healing and creates resilience. for me, spirituality is about connection with God, and I do that most often through nature, community, and music. We all have to define Spirituality in a way that inspires us." pg 74

Inspire Us

Us living Inspired

what happens when we practice that?

what happens to the world around us?

Yes I say

yes

Lets do it

Live inspired

This world offers much to be inspired by...truly it does.

This book is bursting with great insight and guidance.

I will end my quotes with one on Faith...as it is one of my most important practices...that I practice.   : )

"Faith is a place of mystery where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty." pg 90

"The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty." -Anne Lamott. pg 91

Beautiful words from a beautiful book
*a book that finds a permanent home on my shelf and one I would love to pass on to you. So if you are interested in getting a copy of Brene Browns book " The Gifts of Imperfection" leave me a comment...let me know who you want to be.

I will be announcing the winner on the next Monday Offerings.

And who do I want to be?

This girl.

This brave girl who is not afraid to walk the road less traveled. A girl who practices Eagle vision. A girl who communes with Mother, Father, Spirit, Friend. Who is one with Earth and Sky and all that lives within them.  A girl who Loves deep, Laughs big and Lives Free.

A girl who know's who she is...

the Light

the Shadows

the Everything.

A girl who is enough.

Love and Light (check back as I will be replying to your comments)