Hello!
It's mid week again! How did that happen?!
I've been thinking a lot about my old frenemy, Change.
Change is inevitable, it's a healthy thing, blah blah I know you've heard it all before.
But what about when change just makes you feel straight up weird? Not necessarily bad, not good, maybe a little bit sad (?), maybe even a tad hopeful, but mostly just weird. Does anyone else get that?
As you get older it can seem like your world is doing NOTHING BUT changing constantly. It's hard to keep yourself stable amidst all of it; especially when mixtures of emotions come into play. It all just seems to get more complicated.
Do any of you get a weird, indescribable feeling around certain kinds of change?
Do you respond differently to change depending on what it's affecting?
What's something that you wish will never change? Something you hope will change?
Wow! Our local Glow* community is AMAZ! I am so so thankful for everyone who came yesterday to support other women...cheer for victories and give love to struggles. I loves it :)
So....with that being said let's get Active!!!! Wether you tell another person about the site or post in Glow* and Tell, let's get Chicago Glow* growing and the rest of the WORLD! :) I need your help! For this post please respond with something you loved from a Glow* event OR something active you have done to get someone to Glow* OR an idea you have to take Glow* out in the community!
Happy Monday Beautifuls!!! :)
Xoxoxox
Denise
 I saw this photograph today and it really resonated with me.
Underneath it was the following caption:
"A Rainbow Holds Back Bad Weather"
For me, this image reminds me of the smiles that hold back tears.
The feeling happiness and joy that we sometimes manufacture to disguise our true emotions and insecurities.
Now, I am usually not shy about showing pain or sadness, but every so often, I'll admit, I'm guilty of smiling through the tears- feigning happiness to trick myself into believing things are alright.
Even in the darkest of times, sometimes all it takes to find true happiness is a smile. to trigger the positive feelings
You know, the old "fake it till you make it" trick.
What does this picture mean to you?
Do you often use "rainbows" to hold back your bad weather?
And/or How do you deal with "stormy weather" when there is no "rainbow" in sight?
Love,
Jaime Lyn
Lovely people,
I'm leaving MI this afternoon so things are a little rushed over here! My apologies for the lack of a full and complete post, but I thought I'd just check in with y'all and see how your weeks are going!
What's your week been like so far? Had any triumphs? Epic fails that turned into lessons? Favorite moments?
Spill it, sistas.
xo
L
How often do you stop yourself short of saying the things you really want to say? How often do you keep yourself quiet because you are afraid of what people will think of you?
Our silence does no one any good! It's hard, but sometimes we have to take a deep breath and say the things we've been holding back. We have to speak up for the things that matter to us. We have to be brave and believe that what we have to offer DOES matter.
You are here with a unique and important message for the world... yes, YOU! Don't let anything or anyone keep you from sharing that! It's time to speak up-
"I wanna see you be BRAVE".
Where can you speak up for yourself or someone else in ways you've stopped yourself before?
xo
Juls
PS thanks to Lauren for finding this video :) I think this is a Glow* anthem if I've ever seen one.
I am so grateful for this group of young women (6th-8th grade) at this dance studio where I teach! They are amazing! Most of my hours spent at the studio are with pre-k and kindergarten kids. The little ones are fun and supa cute, needless to say, they can't really dance too artistically yet :)
At the end if the night, the "big kids" (6th-8th) come in my studio. They are really chatty and usually snacking and fighting to tell the best story about something in school. You would think that my class would be full of attitude and complete chaos. BUT! As soon as I play music the girls are silent, rush to put their snacks away and start warming up. Like night and day!! It's amazing!
The rest of class they are so attentive and respectful AND passionate!! It is so inspiring how much they care about getting better! I am so lucky to get so inspired by these talented young girls at the beginning of every week! They work so hard.
What or who is your source of inspiration these days?! Do you have one? Need one?!
This sculpture was environmentally inspiring. :)
Back in March, Father Marc Middleton sent the following letter to his two college-age daughters. With strong encouragement from his friends, family, and permission from his two daughters, Marc decided to share his personal letter on the internet. In its publication, he hopes that the letter will help parents communicate with their growing children in times of transition and personal growth.
As you enter new stages of your life, what words of encouragement have given you comfort, support and/or security? Share and spread the wisdom.
Love,
JLB Dear Kelsey and Quinn,
We live in a world in which communication has become easy, instantaneous and disposable. In the "old days" when long-distance phone calls were expensive and there was no such thing as Skype, emails or texts, we actually had to pull out a piece of paper and a pen and put some effort into expressing our thoughts and feelings. And because of that, we almost always wrote that which is too easily left out in a world filled with texts, 140-character tweets and 60-second phone calls.
I'm afraid that I have enthusiastically embraced digital media for better and for worse. Please forgive me for not communicating more deeply and more often, for not telling you both more frequently how much I love you and how proud I am of you.
You are both amazing young women -- very different in many ways, but very similar in ways that matter. You are able to chase different dreams while not, in any way, losing touch with who you are and what you believe in. That's not easy to do at any age. I can't begin to tell you how comforting it is to know that you have and will always have one another in your lives -- supporting, encouraging, listening and empowering.
Of course, you will always have your mother and me in your corner as well. I realize that's not your ideal situation, but your worst-case scenario, your Plan B fallback option, is always a warm, loving, comfortable place to live, food to eat and two people who will do anything they can to help you. I hope that knowledge will always bring you comfort as you chase your dreams.
I can tell you that no matter how old you get, you will never stop learning, never stop dreaming and, unfortunately, never stop encountering hurdles and struggles and frustrations. Happy people are those who recognize and appreciate the small blessings and tender mercies, but don't fret about or magnify the down days. They are part of every life and there will be many more of them but they can't steal your joy unless you let them.
More than anything else, I wish you both happiness, and that can only come from within. Happiness is a choice. Learn to follow your heart. Be grateful. Be kind. Be bold. Have fun, have faith and be fearless. Take the right kind of chances. Chase your dreams, no matter how big or how small. Success isn't measured by the size of your check or by how many people know your name. It's measured by the joy in your heart and the impact you have upon others.
Please don't pay too much attention to the garbage that our media and culture bombard you with. Most advertising is designed to make you feel inadequate in some way. Be as kind to yourself as you are to others. You are both blindingly beautiful in the only way that really matters. You are beautiful spirits and that is immediately obvious to anyone who takes even a moment to know you. I know you both already realize that you don't need a man to be happy or fulfilled. Of course, they can be nice to have around and I know you'll both find exactly what you're looking for when the time is right. Until then, remember that your worth is not determined in any way by a guy that you may or may not have.
I've learned more from both of you than I could ever hope to teach you. You are both amazing creatures and raising you has been the greatest blessing and honor of my life. I'll always treasure my role as your father but I'm equally excited about my role as your friend.
Love,
Dad
It's only Wednesday and already a lot of emotions have been put through the ringer.
The tragic events on Monday snapped us back to reality for a moment, reminding us how precious life is and how important kindness is in this world.
One of my favorite authors of all time is Kurt Vonnegut. If you've never read any of his novels, I highly recommend them. He has a way of saying the most important things in the simplest way; as if to say "of course this is true!"
There is a part in one of his novels called "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" in which the main character is preparing a speech to give at a baptism. His advice to the new babies is as follows:
"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies—[] damn it, you've got to be kind."
It's true. If I know one thing for sure it's that. "You've got to be kind." To the earth, to others, to yourself.
How can you be kinder in your every day life?
Where do you see the biggest lack of kindness (in your life or in the world at large)?
xo
L
What a lovely reminder that the way we see ourselves is usually far worse and far less than the way other people see us.
It can be very hard to accept that we are beautiful. People may compliment us but we don't believe it. What we see in the mirror can drive us crazy many days with the "what ifs" and "why mes". What if I were skinnier? What if I had better skin, better hair? Why did I have to be born with the weird chin? Why me?
All of those things are false, because your beauty if greater than the sum of it's parts. The way others see you is almost always far greater than how you see yourself.
What a waste that we would spend the majority of our lives thinking poorly of ourselves while everyone around us can see our beauty.
Today, choose to believe that you are beautiful, and relish in that.
What negative self-image beliefs are you going to let go of this week? What beautiful thing about yourself are you read
Ok, I'm gonna get supa real today. When I was in 6th grade I had a really hard time in school. I had a best friend in middle school and her and her friends became the really cool girls. I was left out of that group and I felt really bad about myself. I wasn't a fan of the latest fashions, i wasn't "cute" and I wore what I wanted to wear and I liked what I wanted to like. It didn't seem like I was going to fit in with anyone at this new big school. I was sad.
One day I was walking home from the bus and this beautiful orange cat started following me home. Like any kid I was like "Mom, Dad, can we keep her!?" and like most parents they said "no." But the cat kept meeting me and even coming up to our porch and puting her paws on the glass door and meow-ing for me.
Eventually, my parents agreed to keeping her. She brought me so much joy in time where I felt lonely, left out, and ugly.
Daphne (kitty Doefers) is now 17 and nearing the end of her life. When I saw her this weekend she was week and slow. I felt so silly but I had to vocalize how much she meant to me. It's the people (I mean cats) that are there for you at your hardest times that hold a special place in your heart.
Do any of you have someone you want to thank for being there when it's rough?
Love you all so much :)
Deeds
|
