HELLO FRIENDS-
I can’t believe we are
already done with week two! I’m so glad you are sticking with it and are still
part of this wonderful group! How was your week of decluttering your life? How
are the daily challenges influencing the way you feel every day? Can you
feel the excitement in the air? Working with you on this has been such a treat!
Thank you for all that you are doing and for sharing it with us. It is so
appreciated. I am excited to hear from you today!
If you are NOT keeping track
or sharing points with me… PLEASE still fill out the survey so we can at least
see how you feel about the different tasks, and so we can learn from you too!!
Just say “Hi” or something in the space where you are supposed to report your
points. It also helps me to know how many people are still doing the challenge.
Thx!
This week's ROTATING
CHALLENGE: Remember who you are by looking back into your past. Each day
this week spend a little time looking through old boxes, files, scrapbooks or
piles of memories. Do you have a drawer where you saved notes, thank you cards,
birthday cards, mother’s day (or father’s day) cards that people wrote you?
Read through them. Do you have a baby book or pictures from when you were
little? Get them out! Did you get a patriarchal blessing? Read it! (Give
yourself 1 point for every day you work on this, or if you miss some days, but
spend longer on other days, give yourself points accordingly…7 points possible
max).
WHY THIS CHALLENGE? For the past several months I
have been feeling like I should rekindle an old love of mine, drawing and art.
But for some reason I kept hesitating and despite myself, I refused to get out
my boxes of art supplies! Finally, one day after work, I just got them out! I
drew a few pictures that were better than I thought they’d be after so many
years of not practicing, but still I felt that something was holding me back
and my new friend, Hillarie (who’s doing this challenge) suggested I do
something a little more freeing, like a collage! I decided to try...but then I
became stumped again. Ugh. Such a perfectionist. So, I messaged a dear friend
of mine Melody Ross, who is an artist and the founder of an incredible
group called the “Brave Girls Club”
and she suggested that I get some inspiration by taking one of her online art
classes where I would make a Soul Book. WOW…
this project was a huge answer to my specific prayer, “Help me see
myself through your eyes.” I KNEW something special was happening even before I
started the class, but I had no idea how special!
A "soul book" is a
handmade book where you collage different pages with things that are special to
you, old pictures, memories, along with beautiful ribbon, paper, beads,
flowers, old jewelry, anything! But most importantly, phrases of “Things
I want my soul to remember.” For example, “I want to remember that once I was a
little girl and I am still that little girl. I want to treat myself with that
kind of kindness” or “I want to remember that every day is a brand new chance
to start over” etc. She had 11 pages of phrases for you to choose from and I
made some of my own too. My soul had been feeling pretty beaten up and sad when
I started this book and there were lots of things it needed to remember. I had
no idea how much I needed this!
I began looking through my
baby books, mother’s day cards, reading stories from when I was little, reading
notes that friends had dropped in the mail (many of you reading this have
written me those notes that I read!- thank you!!). I can’t tell you how it fed
my soul to see myself through other people’s eyes besides my own! I read and
reread my patriarchal blessing too. So important! There were so many things
about myself that I had never known, or had completely forgotten. I had a very
spiritual experience looking at pictures of my little newborn baby face. I love
babies and when I looked into that baby’s eyes, I could see the baby that our
Father in Heaven saw and loved so dearly. That girl is still here, she is me
and He still loves her just as much! I was able to see myself the same way I
look at my children too. I still adore them as much as when they were newborn
babies fresh from heaven. What a tender moment that was.
I also discovered other fun
things! I remembered that I loved art, even as a little child. My mom said that
I would tell people that I was going to be an artist when I grew up (I
remember, as a teenager, telling people that I wanted to be a mom when I grew
up, but that I was also going to have my own art studio in my house)
but I had NO idea I had been telling people about my artist dreams as young as
six!! I also learned that not only did I sing around the house every day (I knew
that part), but I danced too! I found a drawing that I had done of myself,
drawings that others did of me, and it was such a blessing to see the little
girl, who hadn’t been beaten down by life, the girl who hadn’t been beating
herself up yet, the little girl who had big hopes and dreams, and to see that
she was still in me. I know Heavenly Father was a big part of this experience
and He wants me to see myself clearly, and love myself too. It felt kind of
weird, selfish, and awkward at first spending so much time on myself, and my
book about myself, but we are supposed to love our neighbor as
ourselves, and we are SO MUCH better at everything when we actually DO love
ourselves. We don’t stop serving and helping others while we learn
who we are, but when we do both, there is so much more to love (a great talk on
this subject coming your way this week!).
So… working on my soul book,
and wanting to help others have a similar, uplifting experience, was one thing
that led me to create this new challenge. But instead of a soul book (though I
highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take her class!) we are making a
tree of life art project. So this week, while you are looking back through the
years, remembering who you are, and seeing yourself through other people’s eyes,
think of ways you could incorporate what you are learning and discovering into
your tree project. Please jot down your thoughts, feelings and experiences in
your little notebook you bought in week one! I can’t wait to hear about what
you discover about yourselves. I am attaching some some pages from my soul book
(which is still a work in progress) and a few baby pictures that really spoke
to me.
p.s. If you don’t have baby
books or old items, consider calling or emailing your parents, siblings, aunts,
uncles, old friends, and just talk to them about when you were little. See if
they remember any funny family stories, or things about you from your
childhood. You’d probably be surprised at what they might remember, or what
memories of yours they might jog. At my high school reunion people were telling
me stories about myself that I had completely forgotten! It was sooo fun!
Also- some of us might have
some less than fun memories from when we were younger, or regret things that we
did. Remember two things: Children under the age of 8 can not sin, and are not
accountable for anything they did. AND the Savior has atoned for all of our
sins, no matter what, we just need to go to God and ask for forgiveness, do our
best to fix things and be better... and it's time to forgive ourselves too and
move on!! How wonderful is that?!
I hope you LOVE this week’s
challenge and spend some time on YOU! It’s OK! I know you won’t all turn into
giant egomaniacs!
Now… It’s SURVEY TIME!! Go to
this link and take the survey and see the MYSTERY CHALLENGE too!
I love you all and can’t wait
to hear your thoughts. There is a spot to share your thoughts and encouragement
with the group and a spot to just share with me. Have a wonderful week!!
Lots of love!
Sarah
480-236-2326
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