Joy! Giving It Away ...

Join our 30-Day Pilgrimage into Joy!

Day 33-34: We Affirm that Giving Brings Joy


Our "Pilgrimage into Joy" continues on with a Joy Rebel Blog Party. 

See yesterday's post for all the juicy details.

What am I feeling especially Joy-full about today? Giving. I know I've said it here before, but if I were a wealthy woman, my full-time job choice would be "Philanthropist." I could find no greater Joy than spending my hours giving away all my wealth.

How about you? Do you love to Give?

Giving wholeheartedly from the storehouse of your heart creates true Joy—for both the giver and the receiver. The virtue of generosity has a very high vibration, indeed, generosity being another twin sister to Joy. How many twin sisters does Joy have anyway? Plenty!

And Joy breeds compassion ... Oh, do we need more compassion in our world right now!

I thought I'd share with you my top three favorite charitable causes that bring me great Joy. Just thinking about them, and the good they are doing in the world, makes my heart dance the happy dance.

The Seva Foundation

Seva (say-va) is a Sanskrit word for service. Seva Foundation was formed in 1978 with a mission to alleviate suffering caused by disease and poverty. Their approach is to build partnerships that respond to locally defined problems with culturally sustainable solutions. Working in nine countries in addition to the United States, Seva Foundation supports projects in the area of health and wellness, community development, environmental protection and cultural preservation. Seva currently works to:

~Prevent blindness and restore sight in India, Nepal, Tibet, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tanzania and Guatemala.

~Help indigenous communities in Guatemala and Mexico develop their capacity to meet basic needs and create solutions to poverty and injustice.

~Support Native American projects across the U.S. in the areas of health and wellness, community development, environmental protection and cultural preservation.

This is how it works. You purchase an "action."

For example, I can donate $50 and restore one blind person's sight in Tibet or plant a community garden with traditional Native American foods on a reservation. There is an entire list of what "gift of service" you can purchase. Click here to learn more.

You might also like to watch this You Tube video with Seva's co-founder's and spiritual teacher, Ram Dass.


The Tibetan Nuns Project

In 1987 the Tibetan Nuns Project was founded to provide education and humanitarian aid to refugee nuns from Tibet and the Himalayan regions of India. Food, clothing, housing, and basic medical care were organized. A sponsorship program was set up. Now nuns in six different nunneries, which represent all of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, receive support through the Project.

For a monthly donation of $30, you can sponsor a nun living in exile, providing her with housing, food, and education for one year. You can correspond with "your nun." Or donate by making a purchase from their Store. Personally, I love their mala bracelets and bags. All items are made by the nuns themselves. Click here to learn more.

There is a soul stirring You Tube video on the Nun's Project you might enjoy.

Whatever It Takes

The concept is simple. They gather artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. Each ambassador donates a symbol of hope, a self portrait and a message of hope for the future.

These artworks are used to create products: 'merchandise with a meaning'. From wristbands to clothing, from tableware to cosmetics and footwear, each product is ethically produced and sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader. Click here for the complete list to locate your favorites.

The aim is to raise a minimum of $3 million over three years to fund charitable projects in developing countries, contribute to the protection of the environment and other charitable causes.

I just purchased a very cool mug created by Michael Caine and Lady Shakira Caine. Their project of choice is " 21st Century Leaders and Anti-Slavery International." I love what the Caine's message of hope inscribed on the mug: "Smile Today. Life is not a rehearsel."

I also purchased a mug designed by Donna Karan for my step-daughter and a plate designed by actress Minnie Driver for a dear friend. They are very affordable. (Hint: I found mine at TJ Maxx.) Click here to learn more. 

Learn more by watching the You Tube Video with George Clooney.


So, what kind of GIVING gets you jazzed with Joy? I am eager to hear ...

~~~~~
(Banner photo courtesy of the Seva Foundation.)

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It's Joy Rebel Day! The Pilgrimage Continues ...

Join our 30-Day Pilgrimage into Joy!

Day 31: We Throw Predictability to the Wind and Follow Where Our Heart Leads 

I know that I said our "Pilgrimage into Joy" was going to be a 30-Day venture. Well, I've changed my mind. That's a girl's prerogative, right? And who can turn down a great party, anyway? 

Think of it as one of those trip extensions you can add on to your Tour. Going to Rome? Stay one week longer and visit Florence and Assisi. That's what we're doing here. We'll be taking a little sidetrip and discovering some new Joy sites along the way. 

For the next 8 days, Bella (Amy) at She Sleeps with Sea Glass, along with a number of 

others, including the oh, so rebellious Brandi, are having a Joy blowout—a Joy Rebel Blog Party—and we're invited. You can join up by visiting the sites that are mentioned here. 

Or, if you are feeling extra enthusaistic, you can jump in wholeheartedly and post on Joy at your own blog. If you do, be sure to contact Bella and let her know so that she can list your site on hers. 

And be extra sure to read Bella's post for today because what she did yesterday to spread some Joy around was absolutely amazing, delightful, and inspiring. What I am going to do to buoy a little bliss seems paltry compared to her magnanimous gestures, but this is what works for me. 

I love to spread Joy by writing letters to people. 

When I put pen to paper—after having selected a very special card or piece of notepaper just for him or her—it feels like I am whoosing the recipient with Love ... sending angel kisses ... offering blessings of well-being and regard. Well, at least that's how it feels to me. 

Letter writing, I believe, is fast becoming a lost art. 

It is a soulful practice, something people have done for eons to connect, heart-to-heart. There is something just so special about receiving a handwritten letter, don't you agree? But when was the last time you received one?

Now, with our fast paced lives and computer/phone technology, letter writing has become a thing of the past. We zip out fast e-mails or pick up the phone to call when we want to connect— which is great, don't get me wrong. But, truthfully, I miss those handwritten envelopes in my mailbox. When I see someone's personal flourish upon paper, my heart simply sings. I feel like we are really plugged in, soul-to-soul.

I treasure the cards and letters I receive and keep them in a very special place. I come from a family of letter writers and I have in my possession the love letters that both sets of grandparents wrote to each other in the 1920s, one set penned during wartime from France. I have all my father's letters he wrote to his parents when he was in the Navy in WWII. I have all the cards my children ever gave me; the letters my daughter sent me from Iraq when she was stationed there as a Marine in 2002; the letters my husband and I sent to one another when we were "courting." True, many of these were e-mails, but I printed them out and now they rest safely in a special folder. 

And I admit, I have drawers and bins full of stationary and cards and I have a paper fetish. Given a few extra dollars in my pocketbook, I will buy notecards. I can't help myself. I love to whoosh people with Love.

So today my Joy Party is on the quiet side, but that's just me. I'll be writing letters ...

What will you do to spread a little Joy today?

I'm eager to hear...

~~~~~

Congratulations to Caroline at The Zen in You and Whimsy Whispers! She is the winner of Cindy La Ferle's wonderful book, Writing Home.  Enjoy!!!

"Angels Kissing" image courtesy of jbgraphic.com/ childrenart.html

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Living in Love AND Joy

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Day 30: We Ponder the Relationship between Joy and Love

No-one truly has joy

unless he lives in love.

~Thomas Aquinas

Ever since I met my dear friend, Ingrid, at Tending Joy, I've heard her repeat this desire for herself: to live in Love.

The Love of which she speaks (and Thomas Aquinas speaks) is one that is not limited to an intimate relationship. It is a Love which is bigger, broader, all-encompassing. A state of body, mind, heart, and soul that knows no limits.

I've been pondering and pondering Aquinas' statement about Joy—and what Joy has to do with Love. And what it has to do with how I live my life. I'm having some significant insights ....

How about you? What would it mean if you were to live your life in Love?

I'm eager to hear ...

I will share my current understanding of this powerful precept in the Comments section. Please join me there.

~~~~~~~~

Special Announcement!

Don't forget tomorrow is July 1st and it is Joy Rebel Day, hosted by Ms. Brandi at her loquacious and insightful blog, Joy Rebel, along with many others, including , a "Joy Rebel Blog Party!" at She Sleeps with Sea Glass, which I am really looking forward to. Check it out, it looks really fun. So join us at these sites and here, of course, and let us know how you are spending this day being your truest, most Joyful self!

("Joy Vibrations," by the artist Roussouli. Visit his website to delight in more images of soulful women: Roussouli Art Studio.)

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Meditation Monday

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Day 29: We Manifest Joy By Keeping our Hearts Open to One Another

On this Meditation Monday, I invite you to stop, sit, and listen to your heart.

Here in the U.S., we are heading into a holiday week and the celebration of Independence Day. Many of us will gather together with friends and family. Most assuredly, there will be fun and laughter and plenty of good food. But there may be tension as well, unresolved hurts, or tempestuous feelings that rise to the surface.

Before you head out for any such gathering, take a few moments to quiet yourself.

Sit. Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax, your thoughts to settle and to slow, to linger. Let ease wash over you. Breathe in this moment and connect with your heart.

Does someone come to mind whose presence creates feelings of tension or unease in you when you are together? If so, the following meditation may help you let go of those feelings and welcome him or her into your heart.

The open heart is a forgiving heart.

It does not shut its portals in anger or resentment.

It allows other people the opportunity to make mistakes,

embraces them in their wrong-doing,

and releases them to grow from their experience.

Such forgiveness creates freedom for everyone involved.*

Can you release this person and allow them to be who they are?

Can you release yourself, as well?

What does your heart say?

~~~~~

(*Excerpted from Awakening the Spirit Within by Jan (Forrest) Lundy.

Image courtesy of www.henrickart.com)

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