Innocence

If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
Marian Wright Edelman

My Prayer for Children

That their childhoods are protected

Their innocence intact

That they never stop searching for magic or rainbows

And see fairy dust and angel wings in the sky

That they believe in happily ever after

That they are nurtured, loved and cherished for the treasures they are

That they grow up to be who they are meant to be

Without interference of critical words, non-present parents, hunger, pedophiles, dangerous neighborhoods or a dangerous world

That their essence isn’t eroded by media’s images or secrets best un-kept

That this world becomes a kinder place

Where their parents live in a supportive society

Where poverty, patriarchy and “ism’s” don’t exist

A world in which violating others has a zero tolerance policy

 

Country-Fried Mama is hosting a linking of blog posts about our hopes for children on Tuesday, 9-28-10 to help raise awareness for the work of the Joyful Heart Foundation.  I’m copying the following from Deckside Thoughts:

"Mariska Hargitay, [Detective Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU"] founded Joyful Heart in 2004 with the intention of helping survivors heal and reclaim their lives. Today, Joyful Heart's mission is to heal, educate, and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues."

Treasure Chest Guidebooklet

A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.
J.R.R. Tolkien



I’m excited to share with you “Treasure Chest”, a guide-booklet for Life’s Journey.  This e-guide has prompts for exploring the treasure in moments and within.  Just click on the “Journey Now” button on my sidebar to subscribe to my e-mail list and it’s yours ~ enjoy!

Creative Healing

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.  Michael Bridge

A whisper of an idea sent me to a Goodwill store recently.  This sewing table sat at the front as though it were waiting for me.  I loved the thought of a past generation working at this table, creating dresses and linens for their family as they thought of family events and thoughtful gifts that they would create.  You can see all the scratches and it was filthy.  It also had a fold out leaf

and a secret nook to stash threads and notions

as well as a secret message of love to Nathan,

which I sanded and painted several times until finally I settled on this:

 

I overdid it a bit but since this was my first time painting furniture, I’m happy with it.  And now I have a home for my sewing machine. (As you can see I still need a piece of wood to cover the area where the old machine used to fold in and out.  Total cost ~ $6.oo for the table and $5.oo for the paint.  I already had sandpaper, sealant and stencils.)

What work do your hands do that unleashes love and healing?

Technorati Tags: writing prompt,sewing table,journal writing

Technorati Tags: creative healing

Artistic Vision Banner

My latest  project from  The Artistic Mother

 The top half ~ daily goals of

Play, Write & Love

Bottom half ~

Weaves personal & professional

Kiss the Sky

Authentic Life

Creative Healing

Celebrate the Journey

Laugh at Self

Capture the Beauty

Listen to Intuition

Follow Spiritual Path

Glimpses of Sanity

What is your vision?

Inspiring Women

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
~ Pamela Vaull Starr
Yesterday’s challenge from the SITS girls is to write a post about a woman who inspires you.   
And of course we could all name a number of people who are inspiring & for me those would be within my family, but since we are in blogworld  I thought this would be a good time to introduce an award that I’ll be handing out sporadically ~ this comes with no strings, no rules.  For thoughtful, inspiring blogging, visit http://www.mydailyspirit.net/.


Write a letter to yourself about how you are inspiring.  Don’t look for the accolades in life but look to the details, the moments you held a friend’s hand or wiped a tear from a child’s face; the moments that your laughter was infectious or you grew wings on the way; the moments where you allowed silence to comfort you or shared time and space.

Sewing Your Path

Today’s challenge through the SITS girls is to re-upload a post you wish more people had read and explain why it was important to you.  The title above is the same titled post in March & the post is below.  Hopefully the importance to me is self-explanatory ~ the metaphor, the creation of something for my daughter, a sunny day, a sense of accomplishment etc.  (Also, don’t judge the sewing too harshly ~ this was sewn in March 2010 & I’m self-taught beginning Nov 2009).

 

 

No pattern

I don’t like rules

Just a thought, an image

Envision possibility

Approach with wonder and enthusiasm

Enjoy the process, outcomes are inevitable

Peel through fabric pieces, letting colors and textures call out

Consider all roads

Cut cloth to shape

Sculpt life to suit

Use folds for the bottom due to my skill level

Choose carefully which mountain to climb, which battle to pick

Stitch the sides, inside out

Nurture the parts

Leave a large flap of material for the top & front

Allow self room to grow

Select three fabrics, forms and notions

Simple, clean life

Add a button for decoration, not functionality

Allow for opportunity instead of closure

Examine from all angles before binding the strap

Is the foundation sturdy enough?

A bit flimsy but suited to the purposes of an art bag for my daughter

A lesson in building a solid base of support

Enhance with a hand-sewn fabric flower

Sprinkle with whimsy

Back 2 Blogging ~ My First Post

I’m participating in a challenge this week through the SITS Girls Community.  I was inspired by Leslie @ Words of Me Project ~ it sounded like fun & I thought it would be a good way to ensure that I’m being true to the intent of my blog (creative expression, connection & perhaps some inspiration).  I also missed out on the last SITS challenge so wanted to take advantage of this one.

Day One Writing Prompt ~ Re-upload the first post you ever wrote on your blog. If interested, re-write that post, showing us a before and after look at the piece.

Original Post: Tribes

I just returned from an inspiring weekend participating at the Story Circle Network conference. I had been looking forward to a weekend of like-minded sisters but had not envisioned what that looked like. The sense of community, the spirit of validation and nurturing and the vibrant courageous women telling their stories was a memorable, awakening experience. The thread of finding your "tribe" was woven throughout.

Carve out a few minutes to write and reflect on what "tribe" means to you and who your tribe is. Consider if your tribe needs expanding and if so, what would that look like?

If I were to do this post today, I would add  visuals (I didn’t take pictures at the conference so this adorable one from The Graphics Fairy will do) and provide some info as to what my blog is about ~ added in italics.

 

I just returned from an inspiring weekend participating at the Story Circle Network conference. I had been looking forward to a weekend of like-minded sisters but had not envisioned what that looked like. The sense of community, the spirit of validation and nurturing and the vibrant courageous women telling their stories was a memorable, awakening experience. The thread of finding your "tribe" was woven throughout.  I hope through this shared blogging journey to create a safe, supportive environment where we inspire one another, find treasure in moments, utilize creativity as a form of healing, explore our authentic voice and occasionally throw out a lifeline as we build our tribe. 

Carve out a few minutes to write and reflect on what "tribe" means to you and who your tribe is. Consider if your tribe needs expanding and if so, what would that look like?

Change of Seasons

How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons?  How do we, humans know when it is time to move on? As with migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown.  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Although I love autumn, there is something about the transition between summer and fall that leaves a restless feeling tickling my veins;  a battle between acceptance and one last jump into the water.

 

A yearning for one more moment of things as they are.

But the leaves begin to wilt as a new season begins and the awkwardness of “in the middle” is upon me. 

Time for me to listen to that still voice inside as I prepare for the next season of my life.

What is your inner voice telling you?

Time Out

Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath.  Stress is an ignorant state.  It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important.  Just lie down.  Natalie Goldberg

This Natalie Goldberg quote is one of my favorites and one I’ve forgotten recently.  I knew the signs and ignored them ~ tightness in my muscles, inability to focus, racing thoughts, shallow breath.  Instead, I plunged ahead @ work & ran an errand at lunch.  And I became convinced during this errand that I lost an expensive ring my mom had given me.  I re-traced my steps, becoming more panicked as the ring remained elusive.  I called work to say I would be late for a meeting so I could search my car & the words choked out of me ~ full sobbing breakdown ensued.  Finally, I accepted that my ring had disappeared, lost to me forever.  Normally, yes I would be sad & perhaps even a bit sick to lose something valuable to me.  Ultimately though it’s a material thing & I can move on.  The intensity of my reaction was a flashing neon sign to SLOW DOWN.  This has been coming for awhile as I have struggled to balance family, creative outlets, writing projects, business-building, grad school, work etc.  No longer does “I am woman hear me roar” call to me.  I am human and cannot do it all.

What are your warning signs and how do you nurture yourself through the process?

(note to self: remember to put on ALL jewelry in the morning to avoid meltdowns over not-lost jewelry)

Artistic Mother Project

When I first began blogging I came across Shona Cole's blog & had to order her book, The Artistic Mother.  I posted about it and started dabbling in her tutorials.  Recently I joined Trudy's blog.  She started a group that followed this 12 week class from the book.  I’m getting a late start but wanted to post what I’ve done so far. 

Background Pages – still not getting the inked edges the way I want them but definitely like the credit card technique the best

Project one – Weekly Creative “to-do” list

I had completed projects two & three earlier & posted about an altered journal & journal tote on this post.  I have already filled that journal so did another one this weekend.  This began as cardboard color with navy stripes.  The image is from Graphics Fairy.

I also want to share some personal insights.  My youngest daughter deserves her privacy so I’ll suffice it to say that somewhere along the way…I forgot my way.  I focused on doing, not being.  Life was about the necessities – work, childcare, dinner, laundry etc.  Not that I didn’t spend time with my little one but I handled parenting with my youngest from a more traditional viewpoint and didn’t honor her spirit.  As I began my internal shift and started teaching journal writing, I also began using some of those techniques with my little one.  Watching her process as she tapped into the right brain was amazing & I learned that writing and making her own little books went beyond arts & crafts and culminated in coping skills, self-esteem and enhanced bonding for us.  As I started working with mixed media (tremendous for me as my self-talk has always been that I “couldn’t” do it), I folded my youngest into this process as well.  So I thank Shona for her inspiration and I thank my daughters for their inspiration as well.

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the mystery of the world we live in.

~ Rachel Carson

Kiss the Sun

So, I’m stealing this picture.  This is my oldest daughter…go meet her @ Dez Sayz as she begins her own blogging adventure.  I think she’s pretty cool:)

For more amazing pictures, visit her friend, I call her Red.  She takes submissions of these phenomenal pictures for her blog.

Write about what you want to greet with a kiss this month and have a blessed September!

Technorati Tags: lifewriting,journal writing,Dez Sayz