“THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LOVE LETTERS” …

http://rumimasnavi.blogspot.ca/2014/08/love-is-souls-light.html

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Oh my … every once in a while you get stopped in your tracks.  Stopped right in the middle of your ordinary day … with an opportunity to switch it all up.  To launch out of the usual  drone of our day to day existence and to really step into a reality that will nourish the hungry hearts that abide all over this planet … including your own.

It happened to me … just yesterday … as  I was paying bills and doing laundry and tackling my ‘to-do’ list for the day.  I wasn’t even aware that The Meredith Viera Show was on … but as I walked mindlessly past the TV, her answer to Meredith’s question sparked something tangible in my spirit.  Like the way our heart softens when we hear a baby laugh.  It was like that.  My heart heard something that stopped my body – right in it’s tracks.  There was something especially significant about this timid and humble girl named Hannah Brencher.  I learned that she has inspired a global movement intent on adding more light and love to the world … one letter at a time. And she is doing it!!  My heart was so tickled by the whole notion, I googled her website … and then I understood my reaction.  Here is a little bit about how it all started for her – in her own words:

So there’s a crazy backstory to all of this.

I moved to New York City after graduating from college. I thought I was going to walk straight into my dream life. I practically thought a red carpet would be rolled out for me. That didn’t happen though. In fact, it was basically the opposite. I found myself grappling with depression, unable to tell my family and friends because I was so ashamed. Depression is a scary thing. Depression, when you make yourself journey through it alone, is terrifying.

So I started to get really honest in the pages of my notebook. And eventually those thoughts morphed into letters and I found myself myself ripping the letters out and leaving them all over New York City for people to find. I left them everywhere: Coffee shops. Libraries. Coat pockets in department stores. I liked to imagine who might find those letters. 

Somehow that idea took on a life of its own after I blogged about it. My inbox was filled with the most heartbreaking stories I’ve ever encountered after I published a simple question on my blog: Do you need someone to write you a love letter today? Just ask. 

That one question changed my life forever as I spent the next year writing hundreds of love letters to strangers in all parts of the world. More than just the letters– that question is the reason you and I are here in this space right now. I started More Love Letters three years ago and we’ve become the only global organization out there that blesses individuals–young and old– with bundles of love letters during a time in need. We basically want to create the most miraculous experience for people when they need it most: hundreds of letters of support and encouragement showing up at someone’s door all because someone in their own life loved them enough to just ask for those love letters. 

We really want you here.

In fact, we need you here to help us make this whole “life” thing better for others. Life is hard. And yes, it breaks your heart. But you don’t have to go it alone. We’re right with you. It matters that you’re here. 

It’s my hope that you’ll get involved in the writing & the mailing. I mean, we’re already counting on you. And we’d really like it if you decided to stay. 

hannah b. & MLL

And so … I decided to check out the Letter Requests.  And, although I had planned on preparing my taxes this morning, I’ve decided to share this instead … it seemed like a much more meaningful investment of my energy for this Saturday morning.  And, I’m going to put a few lines of encouragement and support into a couple of notes. I’ve already picked out the two recipients for my messages from the ones whose stories are currently highlighted on the website.  And I am committed to sending more. This altruistic notion has fueled me beyond description.  And I wanted to share it with you because I expect that it will stir something within you too.  There is a small space in each of our souls that craves to dwell in the pure essence of love …

Yes, the world needs more love. And definitely … THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LOVE LETTERS.  Because … there will always be trials and tribulations along our paths.  And maybe … just maybe, as you are reading this, you are thinking of someone you know whose heart could be swelled into that divine and sacred sense of being seen and soothed with a bundle of love letters.  I already have someone in mind. You can  nominate someone here.  And you can nominate as many people as your heart desires.  We can work together to ensure that people don’t feel alone in their darkest moments.

I sincerely hope you will check out this amazing initiative … and … if/when you do, just pause for a wee moment and notice how you feel as you flirt with the possibilities of being a catalyst for love between the bed-making and trips to the office and the carpools.  You + Me = WE … and we can co-conspire with others in raising the energy and awareness of this sublime movement.  We (you and me) can help bring immeasurable light into the dark spaces that many people are struggling to see their way through …with just a few written words.

Gotta go … I want to write some love letters, Karen ❤

P.S. I also want to take this opportunity to honor and applaud Hannah Brencher for blessing our humanity with her bold and brilliant and beautiful heart!!! You might also add a little more kindling to your internal flame by picking up her book If You Find This Letter: My Journey to Find Purpose Through Hundreds of Letters to Strangers. It’s just such a remarkable story. Or, if you prefer, you can sample her captivating writing style first by checking out her blog.

 

 

 

 

Better … Because You Were Not the Least Bit NICE!

I posted this on my other blog-site but decided to share it here because it invites us to find the wisdom in our wounds …

Better Because of You ...

burning bridge

It might sound entirely crazy … but … I am so much better because of one of the darkest times in my life … with someone who seemed like one of the most mean-spirited people I had ever encountered.   I expect I am not the only one who has encountered someone that squashed their spirit, poked their most vulnerable wounded spots, and found fault with their very best efforts to make peace and be nice.  In this particular case … it seemed to me that they got a charge out of it in some convoluted way.

256In fact, I am seeing now, that in my best efforts to convince them that I was worthy of their respect, I became a victim. Not because of how I was treated by this person, but rather, because of how I victimized myself in terms of what I made their behavior and…

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Better … Because of You Debbie Ford!

everything-shapes-us-kelly rae robertsWith gratitude to Kelly Rae Roberts for this lovely graphic.

The first time I heard the chorus in Kelly Clarkson’s hit single  Because of You  I caught a tear sliding down my cheek as my thoughts were high-jacked from  whatever I was doing in that moment to my less than Hallmark childhood. 

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don’t get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

As I tried to dodge the discomfort brought on by hearing those heart wrenching ‘truths’, I knew exactly who I’d been holding accountable for my ever cautious and hyper-vigilant approach to life. I credit blame my dad the most … but … my mom gets nailed quite often as well.  The shame and neglect of my early years has shaped my overly ‘anxious mind’ and unfortunately, it takes a whole schwack of energy to manage the various worries, uncertainties, reservations , doubts, qualms and fears that persistently and unpredictably pop into my awareness.  When uttered in the past, my husband would shake his head in stunned disbelief as my neurotic ramblings effectively sucked any potential for joy out of the moment.  Pretty soon, I just quit sharing them out loud …

As long as no one could hear the alarm bells going off in my head … I think I appeared pretty capable, confident and successful.  Most people who know me would probably be very surprised to hear this. I managed my fears as inconspicuously as possible but, it wasn’t until I was introduced to the remarkable work of Debbie Ford about 12 years ago that things really changed for the BETTER!  I had no idea how powerfully this would shape me …  

I have been so profoundly shifted and transformed by the last dozen years of training and learning with/through The Ford Institute for Transformational Training.  Who would have thought that this journey would invite me to make peace with so much!  Yes, we are undoubtedly shaped by the negatives in our lives, but we are also shaped by the positives! (Not that it always feels so positive in the process of tackling this kind of personal growth!) 

As I write this now, I am aware of another tear sliding down my cheek.   Debbie Ford transitioned on February 17th, 2013 … but … my amazing mentor, teacher and guide touched so many lives in magical and miraculous ways!  Fortunately, her body of work is vast and her legacy will live on in the hearts of so many!!  Thank you Debbie for loving me enough to hold me in my highest … to bravely risk my wrath and call me on my s*#t … to hold me through the ugly cry … to laugh with me as I finally surrendered my need for control and learned to lean in. 

Thank you for inviting me to stray from the sidewalk … to trust myself  enough to step out of the fears that have caged my soul and courageously reach for the untold possibilities beyond my self-limiting beliefs.  Because of you, I have learned to embrace my vulnerabilities with love and acceptance rather than trying to resist and suppress my fear-filled mind chatter. Because of you …I am now a part of an amazing, loving, supportive family of Certified Integrative Coaches. Thank you, thank you, thank you Debbie Ford.  

If I could sing like Kelly Clarkson, I’d write you a song, because I have been profoundly shaped by knowing you!  I truly am so much Better … Because of You !

With deepest gratitude, Karen

 

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