Empowerment Project--Sweet Dreams

I have another dreamy piece of artwork to share with all of you. This is from Star, the same talented artist who gave us Butterflies in Belize. And a new contributor, Frieda, supplied the uplifting poem inscribed upon it (and reprinted here, below).

Hang on to the stars, hang onto that hope

hurricanes will try to break your spirit 

swing from the sky with sheer delight

up high on the moon, next to a constellation

let your problems vanish into thin air

remember when you were a kid

you kicked and pumped to make it go

never stop kicking, never give up the stars never let go, 

swing to your heart's content

                                                  --Frieda

Hurricane Sandy, bearing down on the coast right now, makes this post even more universal.  Here's to starry skies for all and swinging underneath them with our loved ones.  Sending safe wishes to anyone in the path of the storm, and hugs to everyone out there reading. 

Thanks Star and Frieda, for letting me share your fantastic collaboration!

**If this Empowerment Project post made you smile, think, cheer or tear, please let these amazing contributors know! It's always appreciated.

Empowerment Project--Blog Spotlight

I wanted to share a new site I was introduced to by a friend.  It's called Finding Sunlight and it was started by a young writer named Natalia, to focus on and support survivors of IPSA (Intimate Partner Sexual Assault) which it does, admirably. Her blog, which is part of the site, focuses on IPSA as well as broader survivor issues, and is incredibly insightful, thoughtful and supportive. Go check it out and see for yourself! It is well worth following.

Empowerment Project--The Pond

The Pond

By Michael Joseph Kullik

As I sit by the pond

and watch dragonflies fly by

and frogs call to each other

I notice how the rest of the world

does not touch my sense of being

I am in a world all my own

Just me and the living creatures

sitting by the pond just being

quiet and watching life as it happens

The pond creates a beautiful world to be in

when the rest of the world is too hard for me

The dragonflies fly by with grace and speed

Water is what most are made of and here I am

In a place where the pond provides life

and peace for me and the living creatures

Photo courtesy of Wokka--CCL Flickr

Today isn't Monday, I know, but sometimes you've gotta have a little wiggle-room when it comes to sharing uplifting things, don't you think?  

Michael, this poem is gorgeous and  peaceful. Things have been hectic for me, lately, and reading this soothes me. I know I'll come back to it when I need a calming thought, or am feeling sad, to remind me to look for peace in nature.

Thanks for letting me share it and for being incredibly brave and inspiring.

Empowerment Project--Dream

The Empowerment Project has been away too long, but here is a burst of beauty to get us back on track.

This is only one of many gorgeous, layered pieces by Crystal. I love how her work draws you in and makes you want to dig deeper, and the colors in this are perfect for the seasaon we're entering, don't you think? The dreaminess of the composition pairs provocatively with the thoughtfulness of the pose, telling a story with just one word: Dream.

I'm inspired.

Thank you so much for letting me share your amazing work, Crystal!

As I Tiptoe Onto the Minefield

I am back!

My kids are now in school.  I've created and emailed contracts to the faculty of our 4-state Wild Wild Midwest SCBWI Conference in 2013. And my book was "officially" released September 1!

So now is the time to promote it, right? Hooray!

And by "hooray" I mean: holy yikes.

I feel like I'm stepping onto a minefield. And I don't even mean because of the contents or title of my book, which is another thing all together. I mean this world of reviewers and authors and animosity and misinterpretation spooks me.

But I'm going to try my best for the sake of my publisher, my career and mostly for anybody out there that Rape Girl may possibly help. I just hope I can do it with only very minor explosions.

Anyone stepping out there with me? How do you feel about it?  

A Brief Hiatus

My friends, these Empowerment Project posts are one of the most important things I believe I do online.

Unfortunately it's been a while since I have had the time to be active in the communities from which most of my submissions come, and that makes a huge difference. I have nothing in the queue at the moment, and the timing is right for me to take a brief blog hiatus until my kids return to school.

I hope you understand.  If you would like to submit something to the Empowerment Project, I would love if you would email it to me to share upon my return! I'll be back mid-August with bells on.

Until then, I'll leave you with a quote I heard recently, and found inspiring:

 

 

Kindness Project--Prioritizing is Hard

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month.



I wasn't sure I'd be able to write a Kindness Project post this month for two reasons. 1. My kids are on summer vacation, and with me 24/7. and 2. My book was recently released. A stellar combo for head explosion.

Time is short, my to-do list is long and prioritizing is hard.

Yesterday we met a good friend and her kids for a day at a water-park.  She invited me to meet her for coffee afterward, solo, so we could actually chat and catch up as water parks are not particularly conducive to such conversation. My first thought was: Oh, I can't! that's my only chance to write my kindness project post and I have yet to even think of an idea! I have no time for coffee. I must figure out something KIND to write about!

And then it dawned on me that meeting a close friend I rarely see for coffee is kind and even more it's important. Way more important than trying to brainstorm something kind and meaningful to write a blog-post about. It was one of those epiphanies that feels profound when it hits you but is painfully obvious in retrospect.

Just like the moment I realized I had to let my plans for blog-tours and press-releases (Ha! like I know the first thing.) slide, for now. My kids are home for one more month, and then kindergarten starts for my oldest and we'll be on a bullet-train toward graduation. I'll never get this summer back. He'll never get this summer back.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is to spend time with the people we love most and let them come first.

So that's what I'm focusing on this summer.

Fishing with my boys

How about you?


Be sure to check out the other July posts for The Kindness Project to be inspired.