Category Archives: Self esteem in girls

Faith in the Path Less Traveled

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Weave in faith and God will find the thread. ~Author Unknown

I was without my computer for awhile yesterday; it was in the “shop.” I took advantage of the freedom away from digital technology. Since so much of what I do is on-line based, a close relationship with all things paper has nearly been trashed. I often read the news and magazines, and sometimes books, via the computer these days, subscribing to fewer print publications.

Yesterday, for a few blissful hours, I sat in the Bud Memorial Library and read the April 2013 edition of Southwest Magazine from cover to cover. How I enjoyed myself!

The first great article I encountered was about artist Michelle Dunaway. It was superbly written by Gussie Fauntleroy. Dunaway, an artist who lives and studied at the MastersAcademy in Albuquerque, NM mentioned the importance of finding the joy in unexpected things by getting off the beaten path. She told of her childhood hikes with her father, and whenever there was a choice to make about what direction to travel, he taught her to take the path least followed which, more times than not, led to discovering things she didn’t anticipate.

art faithAs a painter, each time Dunaway faces a blank canvas it presents her with opportunities to make choices of color, lines, shape and other design elements that make a good painting. She has been taught to make right choices in art through workshops with the most influential and impressive painters of our time, such asRichard Schmid  and Jeremy Lipking http://www.lipking.com. And by studying the book Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting.

Dunaway says she “has always had an  interest in capturing  human expressions in paintings.” Her image “Faithfulness,” shown in the 2013 issue of Southwest Art, is an exquisite example of her portrait painting talents. It can also been seen on Dunaway’s website. http://www.dunawayfineart.com.

Next time I am in Santa Fe, NM, I look forward to visiting Sage Creek Gallery where Dunaway’s work is represented. Legacy Gallery, M Gallery of Fine Art and Insight Gallery also exhibits and sells her work.

Return  tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Family Dynamics in Stories

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“Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.” ~ Susan Scarf Merrill 

Brother-for-saleOh, brother! How I can relate- there were many times when I was growing up that I felt just like the little girl in this image. 

Did you ever consider that sibling relationships are the longest bonds we will have in our lives with other people? There is a lot of research about how birth order affects our family ties. 

 There is an interesting interview on NPR about the sibling effect. Tune in and listen. http://n.pr/WZnKPG. 

My siblings have been on my mind a lot recently since I have been writing a book which involves many universal issues, including human relationships. The manuscript has been in the hands of select advance readers, including a child psychologist  and the feedback has been invaluable.  I am most grateful for it and I’m wrapping up final revisions before the book is published. My very realistic goal is to have it complete this year.

My family has not read my manuscript. I didn’t want the dynamics of the book to be changed by the  opinions of family members. I’ve dropped only a few clues about the storyline, and they are chomping at the bit to read it. By now, they might  be questioning whether there is really a book in the making or whether I am  just  taunting them and  making teasing promises like when we were children.

Only kidding! I can hardly wait for my family to read it. They don’t know to what what extent they play roles in the storyline.

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Lift Up Friends

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 “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~ Marcel Proust 

Friday’s blog on All Things Fulfilling was a tribute to friendship and the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. 

I’ve had have further thoughts about the value of friends  since that blog writing. Coming together in friendship is the result of finding community with like-minded people – individuals who have joint interests, passions and beliefs in life.  In recent years I’ve made friends in service, through Kiwanis, and by volunteering once a week at an interfaith, community-run thrift store called “Lift-Up.” Being involved with arts organizations such as We Write Steamboat(a meet-up group for independent publishers), the Steamboat Writers Group , the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and  Strings Music Festival has brought me pleasure. Community involvement, with the Yampa Valley University Women has also been part of my life here in Routt County, Colorado.

It’s interesting, in a time when the news is reporting  church membership is declining, there seems to be very active participation in churches, in this town. Perhaps the remote location and natural beauty of the region make spiritual exploration important to folks. Yesterday, Reverend Tim at the UnitedMethodistChurch in Steamboat, elevated our spirits through his lenten season storytelling. Our new Director of Youth Ministry and independent musician, Taylor Anderson charmed us with  his musical skills playing the modern remix of  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on his ukulele. Very uplifting for a day of Irish celebration. A song appropriate for so many who are grateful they can be here to retire, run location-neutral businesses or for recreational reasons.

After the service, our appetites were fulfilled with  tasty goodies baked by women with whom I volunteer at the thrift store donation center. Thank you, Jeanette, Shirley and Louise and to all the other generous people who bring in provisions for fellowship moments after the service each week. The special St. Patty’s Day confections were decorated artistically. The women poured heart and soul into their efforts, it was evident.  It is a pleasure to volunteer with these women at the donation center for the thrift store.

St Pattys Day UMCSt Pattys Day UMC3

Jeanette, Louise, Shirley and Sue (top image). We are only a few the 100+ volunteers that make Lift-Up so successful in this community.

Stories Full of Blarney

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“The best blush to use is laughter: It puts roses in your cheeks and in your soul.”    ~Linda Knight 

It has been said kissing a stone can have the effect of giving someone the “gift of gab?” Did you know that?  Could be true, I suppose. After all, Winston Churchill visited the Blarney Stone in 1912 and he became one of best orators ever. 

Do you think there is any validity to the theory? I am not sure. After all, there have been people for hundreds of years who have kissed and vividly told. People have bent over backwards just to get a smooch, and paid a price to do it, too. Yet, they’ve never been to Ireland.. ..

blarney-stone1Case in point:  I have a friend who can talk up a storm, her name is Chatter. She’d tell you herself, back in her wild and crazy years as a college student, “she kissed many stones she’s walked on after a few too many green ales on St. Pattys Day.”  She’d say “she’s conversed face to face with plenty of frogs, too.”  If she tells you  “She got her ‘gift of gab’ from the famous Irish landmark,” it isn’t so. She’s always been full of Blarney.”

Her Irish heritage, has given her  genes to enjoy being the life of the party and be resilient too. She can find the humor in  all situations, including health issues.  God blessed me with her friendship, she’s one of my dearest friends.  In my heart of hearts, I hope some day, I get to visit Ireland with her to fulfill one of our wishes and start a new chapter, called Active Retirement! Then we will have even more stories to tell about our forty plus years of friendship, filled with laughter.

As an early St. Patty’s Day greeting, I’d like to send out blessings to all my friends and family.

I-rish you a very nice place to live,
I-rish God’s greatest gifts he’ll give.
I-rish you health, and wealth, and more–
I-rish your smilin’ face were at my door! ~ unknown

Saint-Patricks-Day-Greetings-hd

May the luck of the Irish be with you today, and every day! Peace, love and a whole Lot more!

All Things Fulfilling is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Film Friday: Inocente

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“ Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” ~ Degas 

A life was changed on Academy Award night, when Inocente, a documentary film about a homeless girl and her passion for art, won an Oscar. Indeed, despite a dark and lonely past, Izucar, the subject of this real life story, has created a bright world around herself through her colorful art.  Her unwillingness to give up on life and her belief in sharing her art with others has made for an inspiring story. 

Husband and wife filmmakers, Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine decided to focus on the plight of Inocente Izucar when they met her through their involvement with artist Matt D’Arrigo and founder  ARTS(A Reason to Survive), “a non-profit organization that focuses on using art as a form of therapy and healing, for children and young adults struggling with major life challenges..

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, 1 out of every 45 children live a transient lifestyle, floating from street to motel to shelters to living out of cars. This number has increased 33% in the past three years alone. http://usat.ly/YtbFoP. 

art of inocenteIzucar is representative of all youth who have discovered that their brightest moments in an hour or a day comes when they are exploring different mediums of art. For many, it is the only thing that gives them a positive reason to live. 

To read more about this inspirational independent  film and the documentary filmmakers, please visit this link
About Inocente and How to Order

Return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Stirring the Mind

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“All things are possible until they are proved impossible. Even the impossible may only be so, as of now.” – Pearl S. Buck

creative-brainLast week, The Bud Werner Memorial Library in Steamboat Springs, Colorado brought in a live stream of the TED Conference from Long Beach, California. I had hoped to individually highlight some of the presenters this week on this site. However, a better approach would be to share some of the fulfilling thoughts that I came away with after viewing a good deal of the four day broadcast. 

“We”, meaning as a country and a world, are indeed blessed with:

  •  forward thinking, creative people
  • a population of individuals who like to dream and imagine and ask “What if?”
  • people, who when they believe in their passions, are not afraid to take risks
  • technological advances that will increasingly free people to labor with their brains, rather than brawn.
  • living during a time when turning the hypothetical to reality, is happening more often.
  • learning more about our sixth sense and the amagydala – the emotive part of the brain.
  • “At the precipice of a new era where ideas can be used for global fulfillment in the world, rather than for just personal gain.” As stated by a TED presenter.
  • an era when professions will be more cognitively demanding and specialized. 

The TED conference was designed to stir thought, and for me, it fulfilled its mission. When I asked myself “Who Are We?” after viewing the broadcast, I can’t help but defer to the tag line of TED. We are a population of “The Young, the Wise and the Undiscovered.” Thank God for that! It opens up all kinds of possibilities for future generations. 

A special shout out to Jenny Lay, events coordinator and the library board members who do an outstanding job of bringing thoughtful programs to our community.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Cultural Differences in Children

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Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they’re going to catch you in next. ~Franklin P. Jones

Raising a child, so far, has been the most rewarding time of my life. I miss those days and I find it interesting to watch others interact with their young children, now that I am well beyond that stage of mothering. I ‘m now the parent of an adult.

Make no mistake, for every mother and father there are lots of child raising challenges. Childrens actions are not always “angelic.”  I, like most parents, wanted to guide my child as best as I could but I know that all of my words to my child were not Godlike. Because we are all human beings, with our own flaws and downfalls, there is no such thing as being a “perfect parent.”

bringing up babeAuthor, Pamela Druckerman has written a book Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. This publication gives insight into the contrasts between raising children the American way and how the French bring up their children. As an American living in Paris with little children, she has gained new perspectives on what makes American children behave the way they do.

To listen to a short audio book review on National Public Radio (NR) about Druckerman’s publication, and a developmental approach to parent/child interaction that is very different to the American way, please visit this link. http://n.pr/15EfCvT.

When I see the actions of children and their parents out in public, and there are less than positive things happening, I try to remember that I am witnessing just one quick moment in the long day of the life of a parent. All things must be considered before being too critical. Parenting well is a very difficult task.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Social and Emotional Learning

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There is always a moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. ~ Graham Green 

 Barb Gueldners book on Social and Emotional learningAn objective of teaching is to prepare children to be academically strong. It is also important to give children other skills they will need so they grow to be well-rounded adults, able to cope with the stresses of life. Teaching professionals are increasingly being asked to add social and emotional learning into the classroom. Having the right tools and resources to add this modality of teaching, is important. 

Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Promoting Mental Health and Academic Success by Kenneth W Merrell, PhD and Barbara Gueldner
is just one publication offered by Guilford Press, a publishing company focused on providing “books, periodicals, software, and DVDs in mental health, education, geography, and the social and behavioral sciences.” 

A variety of teaching strategies, used in the classrooms, is offered in the book Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Promoting Mental Health and Academic Success. The book also addresses how to incorporate these social and emotional learning principles into curriculum and, how to adapt the program for classes that have a range of academic needs and cultural diversity. 

Any learning program needs to be able to assess the program’s efficacy. This book also gives administrators and teachers ways to monitor progress and use the approaches outlined for utmost effectiveness.

Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Promoting Mental Health and Academic Success, published in February 2010, was released in e-book format in March 2011. Both formats can be ordered through the Guilford Press website. Please visit this link. http://bit.ly/YdGhKL .

Teachers, add this publication to your bookshelf, and watch your students reap the rewards of being emotionally and socially fit.

Barbara Gueldner PhD

Co-author Barbara A Gueldner, PhD

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Fueling the Spirit

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The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. ~ Author Unknown

Monday and Tuesday’s blogs have led me toward wanting to write more about energy and filling our selves up with the right kind of fuel.

Many people have been without jobs for a long time, leading to feelings of unworthiness, sadness, depression. For some, feelings of lack of prosperity have never been experienced before; a stable, well-paying job has always been in the picture. It’s a particularly difficult transition for anyone who has always been financially secure and then they find themselves floundering.

The same kinds of feelings are experienced by those who are experiencing divorce or ending associations with things that can no longer be afforded. After all, those things (jobs, marriages and material goods) become part of people’s identity, and a great void and sense of loss is felt when they are gone or no longer within reach.

shortcuts to inner peaceShortcuts to Inner Peace: 70 Simple Paths to Everyday Serenity by Ashley Davis Bush, has gotten good reviews.  Learning to look inside, and be at peace by establishing a fulfilling and a meaningful relationship with ourselves, our spirit and perhaps a higher being is at the root of this book. Bush’s book provides tips to create a happier lifestyle, so that when the rug gets pulled out from underneath us, we are not so personally deflated; we have the tools to maintain our sense of self.

The author, Ashley Davis Bush, is has a degree in social work and a certificate in Contemplative Studies from SmithCollege.http://bit.ly/ZrlkAB She lives in New Hampshire.  Click here for more info and ordering the book Short Cuts to Inner Peace.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog is brought to you by  Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpectedand www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Bundled Energy

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“Problems are not the problem, coping is the problem.” ~ Virginia Satir

energy in the worldTime to change the channel, there is no reason to stay stuck on it. http://bit.ly/Xkquu0. I’ve had more than my fill of news about the Carnival cruise ship that let down its vacationers. The travelers talk as if it was if they were intentionally “wronged.”  Fact of the matter – it was  an unfortunate incident that no one could have predicted and everyone was in a difficult situation. And, there are no guarantees that life will always be smooth sailing.

I did hear a few of the “victims” say that they had joined in with others to create prayer groups while awaiting rescue. There you go! Bundling positive energy together and using good coping skills. Would it be any surprise if those folks came away from the incident with much healthier perspectives? When  communities of people bring positive energy together and create networking groups, good things happen. Negative energy does nothing to attract positive energy, we all know that.

Let’s face it. The steam that moves us human beings forward in positive directions ultimately comes from our own reserves; as we draw from our wellspring of strengths, inner exertion and convictions and pluck!

Time to go and plan our monthly meeting for We Write Steamboat – a  meet-up group for independent publishers!  It is happening this afternoon. And, soon it will be lunchtime, when I’ll fill up my tank  and nourish my soul by going on my daily walk. I know I’ll find something fulfilling to write about for tomorrow.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.  All Things Fulfilling, is a space where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business.