Using the Laws of Attraction
The Giving of Joy
The Giving of Joy
The last few days I've been reviewing various non-profits to decide which ones aligned with my intentions for giving. At the same time someone recommended the movie "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" to me. It is the story of the women of Liberia who after 12 years of civil war said "enough."
These women came together as a nation and prayed peace and love and were instrumental in stopping their countries war. Their mission was to stop the suffering of their children.
A few days later the work of Kimmie Weeks, also from Liberia, came to my attention. He is a child advocate and is helping rebuild his country which has recently elected the first female president in all of Africa (change is everywhere!). Not only is he building schools, but also he is advocating for the construction of playgrounds.
As I really began to think about what the children must feel when they are playing for the first time in over a decade I had to take a moment and re-evaluate my own beliefs.
Having been a social worker my first line of problem solving has always been to get basic needs met: food, shelter, healthcare and safety. But this is also traditional problem solving and not necessarily the only things we should be addressing.
Our point of power is in the moment. And when we can bring ourselves to a place of joy, if only for a moment, then it stands to reason that this is very powerful. In my own life I have spent decades avoiding joy because I held the belief that holding it only for a moment made my return to pain all the more painful.
But if we look at how we can best utilize the laws of the Universe, then isn't giving joy a great gift? Isn't giving joy the beacon of hope a child can hold onto even if it lasts for only a small moment in time?
I got my answer this year when I finally made the transition from a life of pain and suffering to one of sustained joy. It is only in hindsight that I can see it was those brief glimpses of another way of being that I was holding onto and working so hard towards. It was the hope of joy that kept me moving through the pain of my past.
Kimmie Weeks built Liberia's first playground since the war there. In two weeks all the paint had been worn off the equipment from the lines of children waiting to slide, swing and play. While education is important, so is the power of play. Those brief moments where you swing to the sky and can see only the infinite before you. Those brief moments when you feel the air whooshing past you as you slide from up high. Those brief moments when you are filled with laughter from the pure joy of feeling life as brilliant and hopeful.
Watching Kimmie's passion to change the lives of his country made it clear that joy is essential no matter what your past has been or what your future holds. It made picking what to do with my money simple. We can only receive what we give and we can only keep what we give away. Giving and receiving isn't about money, it's about energy. I want the energy of joy for myself, for you and for every one of us who needs a beacon of light to hold onto as they travel through their pain. I want to give joy and for the children of Liberia a playground is a good place to start.
To work towards this goal, a portion of the proceeds from all new members joining venusfactor.com will be donated to the creation of new playgrounds for the children of Liberia and Sierra Leone. For more information you can go to: venusfactor.com
Jill
The last few days I've been reviewing various non-profits to decide which ones aligned with my intentions for giving. At the same time someone recommended the movie "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" to me. It is the story of the women of Liberia who after 12 years of civil war said "enough."
These women came together as a nation and prayed peace and love and were instrumental in stopping their countries war. Their mission was to stop the suffering of their children.
A few days later the work of Kimmie Weeks, also from Liberia, came to my attention. He is a child advocate and is helping rebuild his country which has recently elected the first female president in all of Africa (change is everywhere!). Not only is he building schools, but also he is advocating for the construction of playgrounds.
As I really began to think about what the children must feel when they are playing for the first time in over a decade I had to take a moment and re-evaluate my own beliefs.
Having been a social worker my first line of problem solving has always been to get basic needs met: food, shelter, healthcare and safety. But this is also traditional problem solving and not necessarily the only things we should be addressing.
Our point of power is in the moment. And when we can bring ourselves to a place of joy, if only for a moment, then it stands to reason that this is very powerful. In my own life I have spent decades avoiding joy because I held the belief that holding it only for a moment made my return to pain all the more painful.
But if we look at how we can best utilize the laws of the Universe, then isn't giving joy a great gift? Isn't giving joy the beacon of hope a child can hold onto even if it lasts for only a small moment in time?
I got my answer this year when I finally made the transition from a life of pain and suffering to one of sustained joy. It is only in hindsight that I can see it was those brief glimpses of another way of being that I was holding onto and working so hard towards. It was the hope of joy that kept me moving through the pain of my past.
Kimmie Weeks built Liberia's first playground since the war there. In two weeks all the paint had been worn off the equipment from the lines of children waiting to slide, swing and play. While education is important, so is the power of play. Those brief moments where you swing to the sky and can see only the infinite before you. Those brief moments when you feel the air whooshing past you as you slide from up high. Those brief moments when you are filled with laughter from the pure joy of feeling life as brilliant and hopeful.
Watching Kimmie's passion to change the lives of his country made it clear that joy is essential no matter what your past has been or what your future holds. It made picking what to do with my money simple. We can only receive what we give and we can only keep what we give away. Giving and receiving isn't about money, it's about energy. I want the energy of joy for myself, for you and for every one of us who needs a beacon of light to hold onto as they travel through their pain. I want to give joy and for the children of Liberia a playground is a good place to start.
To work towards this goal, a portion of the proceeds from all new members joining venusfactor.com will be donated to the creation of new playgrounds for the children of Liberia and Sierra Leone. For more information you can go to: venusfactor.com
Jill
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