Exploring Authenticity

My teacher shared this with me a few months ago, I read it then and thought...wow! I've just read it again today and thought..."I need to answer these questions for myself."

This seems very appropriate in finding authenticity in my life...perhaps it will help you as well.

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for and
if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or
have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own;
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstacy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
be realistic or to remember the limitation of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from God's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine,
and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder

Read my previous blog on authenticity by clicking here.

Book Sharing Monday

Today we're sharing one of our favorite Alphabet books: Whatley's Quest, an Alphabet Adventure. Written by Bruce Whatley & Rosie Smith; Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. We have several but seems to enjoy this one the best. Not only are there great pictures of things beginning with the letter on the page, there are also hidden letters on each page for us to find. We also try to make up sentences with as many words the start with that same letter as possible. Quite an enjoyable picture book.




To join in on Book Sharing Monday or to find a list of others who participate weekly, contact Alex at Serendipity.

Snapshot Sunday

Five (5) Snapshot of my life at present: no people, no arranging, no cleaning!





Join us! Contact Sarah at The Napping House.

Our 'Official' Nature Trail Walk

I've been wanting to walk this trail since we moved here and we FINALLY took the time today to do so. It was a lovely day and we enjoyed all the sights and sounds...well, most of them! ;-) Here's how things went:

Bead For Life

I attended a wellness fair a couple months back as part of my class requirement (we gave a free chair massage to participants). In looking at the other booths there I was introduced to the organization: Bead for Life. First off, I was drawn to the beads themselves and as I looked and them the young ladies there shared with me the purpose of this organization and why they felt they should be an active part.

I've taken the following information directly from the site: Bead for Life and ALL the images I've used here were taken by Charles Steinberg.



Bead for Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to overcoming extreme poverty in Uganda through the support of an international grassroots movement rather than aid. Through the work of Bead for Life, women in Uganda make and sell paper beads to people around the world.



There are several videos on YouTube that you can watch to find out more information. I'm looking into hosting a beading party. If nothing else, I plan to make some more purchases through the online store. They are very pretty beads made from recycled newspaper & magazines so I see this as not only helping the women and their families in Uganda but also helping our world.



Please take a moment to check them out and consider what you can do to help this cause.



**this is also a great way to buy handmade!