Finding Community

(In) Courage bloggers challenges its on-line community to find creative and practical ways to build a local community. The prompt is suppose to be for Fridays but since I had some lee-way today I thought why not do it on Tuesday? Then I'll link it up on Friday. Although, it won't be a Five-minute endeavour.

Having formed our new group on Facebook, my friend Tracheal and along with a bunch of us girls decided to form a group that lets us live our fullest. We focus on inner growth to sustain joy and outer growth to build stronger links to one another, cause the truth is we are not born to live this life alone.

What do we exactly do in Joy to Live (the name that Rachel beautifully chose)? Every second Sunday, we do something the group has an interest in. For example this Sunday, our first official event, we are making a vision board. We will be cutting pictures of anything that means something to us. It can be a quote we like, pictures of ourselves, our favourite food, or favourite activities and glue on, on some type of paper. (I've never done one so do not know all the intricacies involved in it). In the end of the collage we think of what our interests are and where we are heading in life.

Some other things we have planned are: seeing a play, going to the local art museum, doing zumba and painting some pots we can get at the dollar store.  For zumba we have two great ladies in the group who are such fabulous and aspiring teachers.

It's an open club that welcomes all that are interested and we find something affordable, environmental friendly and doable. I am definitely psyched for it and will keep everyone posted!

Picture from http://www.casott.on.ca/_documents/images/community_pic.jpg

Five Minute Fridays : Friday, September 21

So the bloggers I follow are part of a loving, and accepting community called [In] Courage and they share their blogs through that site. Every Friday Lisa-Jo encourages everyone to do a Five-minute Friday on their blog. Usually there is a prompt(theme) to write about. But since tonight I have a few things in mind, I will write about it. I'll write "Go" and keep writing non-stop for five minutes than after 5, I'll write "Stop"

Go

Today was a beautiful autumn day that will definitely stick with me. Being at Wild Earth coffee-shop, it was inspiring to watch Emily sing her heart out. It inspired me to think again about pursuing vocals. I haven't heard from the MacEwan Art centre's music teachers. This week I will definitely pursue that.

So after Katie and I went to Wild Earth we stopped at the Wee Book Inn. The way we were treated was not nice to say the least, from a busy unfriendly sales associate who after rudely refusing my book trades and then telling Katie that she did not have "Eat, Pray, and Love" with no effort to try locating in on the computer,  started to vacuum close to us and after saying "sorry, but you ladies have to move" (this still not being close to closing time), started to usher us out of the book store with the vacumn cleaner.

I whispered to Katie "Don't get the book, let's boycott the place" and we eventually left. That being said, tomorrow morning I am going to call the store and let them know about our experience. Depending on how that talk will go, I will either fully boycott or accept an apology and move on. Wee Book Inn has always been one of my favourite book stores (though I do love almost all book-stores!), and I would like to continue to support their business. Will see!



Stop

That's what I got out for 5-mins.


Pictures from http://www.weebookinn.com/storage/locations/e1/e1int1.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1278693663413 and http://img1.10bestmedia.com/Images/Photos/13125/resampled-wild-earth-exterior_6_400x400.jpg

A Letter to Someone I Love

As you have known, I've pushed and tugged against you. But what you have not known is that you are always on my mind.

I think of you when someone inquires about the loved ones in my life. I think of you as I watch strangers bond in that relationship that is like none other. I think of you as someone brags and jokes about their special  bond. I think of you in the quite of the night, as I merge the past and the present together.

Then I seriously ask myself about what it means to truly forgive. You have asked my forgiveness countless of times, but this pain runs deep, and I am afraid that a mere phone call may lead to brokenness again and again. Even knowing full well that being broken leads to healing, I am afraid there is no concrete healing in this relationship.

I am afraid that when I do see you, I will feel guilty that I have not been loving. Then I will also feel angry as  I try to blame this guilt on you.

To you who I love, I know I have not been loving you well. So, as I run myself in circles belittling myself on what step to take next, I think to myself, I cannot do this alone. I then reach my hand out to the One you introduced me to, that long time ago on a terrain that we were forced to call home. I remember you telling me how only He could deliver us from turmoil. Since those fateful early days, my relationship has gotten stronger with Him. And right now He urges me, to let it go. To let it go, and find a way back to you. To stop playing avoidance and be open and honest.

For this forgiveness, this love, I must give to you, is the whole reason for our roaming in this strange world, that is not really ours.  And this love, like Love that brought us food and hope, is not passive. This love is active and does not sit down, going through it's should haves and could haves. This love walks forward.

So to you I love, I walk forward, first with this letter, and next with a voice belonging to footsteps that tread back to the heart that held me, before anyone else did.

Love,
Rose