Thursday, March 24, 2011

I'm a Brave Girl are you?


In keeping with women supporting women, I wanted to share Melody Ross with you today:

the very sweet, Melody Ross, founder of the wildly popular, Brave Girls Club, is getting ready to begin a new session of Soul Restoration. There are two parts, Soul Restoration Part 1- Finding your Truth and Part 2 - Living Your Truth.





I'm going to type out what it says inside the photo above in case it is hard to read. it is a point not to be missed and one that many of us can relate to:

Imagine yourself as a house... a beautiful perfect house..... starting out with fresh paint and beautiful windows and lovely carpet.... filled with all your favorite things and your favorite music and everything that brings your comfort. This is the house where your soul lives. Things sometimes happen in life, sometimes quickly and sometimes over time that kick our doors in, break our windows and destroy our walls. We stop making boundaries for ourselves and find that others are actually LIVING in our soul house, leaving us nowhere to sleep, no food left to eat... moving our furniture to their liking and putting up their own art. Some of us aren't even living in our own soul houses anymore...feeling totally disconnected from our truest selves and beyond repair.

Who hasn't felt like this? Things happen to us that throw us off track. I personally, went through my own life altering experience 20 years ago with my child Tucker. You all know what a painful event that was for me and one, 20 years later that haunts me. It affects every waking moment of my being (and i'm sure while i am sleeping too). It is a wound never likely to heal, that I live with. That was not the life I had scripted for myself, yet here I am living it. How I am living through it? Sometimes I don't know. I take one day at a time and do the best I can; that's my soul house in a nutshell. I try to be a good person, create art that helps me heal and makes me happy and I try to spend my time with quality people.





After I met Melody, we discovered that we had something in common and that was we had loved ones that had suffered TBI's (traumatic brain injuries). My son, Tucker, who suffered his TBI due to medical negligence and her husband, Mark, who suffered a TBI while surfing. Happily, Mark has recovered almost 100%. But the experiences she shared of those times were horrendous and made me reflect heavily on the deeply, buried painful things we experienced with Tucker; things that I still cannot face.

So you see, while sometimes we feel so alone in our pain, there is in fact, others out there suffering as well. Maybe their story is different, but the common factors are still there.






Melody took a minute to answer a few questions for me :

1) What is Brave Girls Club?

"Brave Girls Club is a worldwide community of women who want to live the best, happiest, most productive and fabulously brave life they can possibly live…and that means something different to every single one of us".

2) Tell me what motivated you to start Brave Girls Club?

"We are doing this because we believe that there’s so much to celebrate in life, even when life is difficult. We are doing this because sometimes you can’t get through things alone….and we want to connect brave women to other brave women so that you never HAVE to do anything alone again". We are doing this because we believe there is a better way…where women can support, lift-up and help each other through life…show each other how to navigate through new and scary things. We We are doing this because we want to be part of that better way…"





here's a little youtube video I found (and there are plenty more if you search, Melody Ross or Brave Girls Club on youtube)




My friend, Sherry, told me that she took the last class, so I asked her for her input:

"Melody has a way of explaining and motivating that holds your attention. She talks about life and our experiences and how we view ourselves, let alone treat ourselves with caring, compassion and understanding. She's been there...she's not ...just talking the talk. She has walked this walk and she is sharing what she has learned. These may seem like "simple", "easy" things to acknowledge or to embrace, but for so many of us, it's the simple, easy way of looking at something that holds us back. We think there needs to be some "BIG" explanation or some "BIG" wonderous moment of "AHA". We know what ails us and we know how we are our own worst enemies. Melody makes it "okay" to say that out loud and to welcome it all as part of who we are. The art? It's just an extra. No skills are necessary because we are all artists ... we are all capable of holding a pencil or pen or a paint brush and stroking out and stroking in what we need to remind ourselves of".





Now for the fun part. Melody has graciously donated 3 spots to her next session of Soul Restoration. I will be hand picking the winners myself on Friday April 1st. This is the 20th anniversary of Tucker's injury and I would rather spend the day doing something fun like, informing 3 of you that you've won a spot, instead of feeling sad. I have not gotten to take the class yet, due to time constraints, but one of these days I will!

So all you have to do is leave a comment here and share why you feel you you'd be a good candidate to win a spot. **very important - you must supply me with an email address**

XOXO,

kecia

20 comments:

  1. So worth it to anyone who is thinking about taking this course. I've been through many life changes and life changing experiences and yet when I saw this course I signed up without even thinking "do I need it?" -- I just wanted to do it. For myself. For my soul. To remind myself that I am on the right track. Even when we know ourselves, we still benefit from reminders now and then.

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  2. Spring cleaning your soul. And finding your way through the universal act of creativity. Icing on the cupcake!! Good luck to all...

    And Kecia, xoxo & hugs...

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  3. I am not a brave girl and that holds me back from truly enjoying this life. I suffered great trauma many years ago and reading about the soul house spoke loud and clear to me. Whether I win or not, I believe I need this class.

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  4. Oops - forgot the e-mail - padeneen@yahoo.com

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  5. Kecia,
    How sweet of you!!! This post brought me to tears... I think I would benefit, but would love to see others helped as well. I suffered the loss of my 12 year old daughter, 12 years ago... also, something I breathe, eat and drink. So many things trigger my memories of Amanda, daily. Sometimes one breath at a time.
    Love you Kecia!
    Angela
    angela@peeweepower.com

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  6. Hi, Kecia. I would LOVE the opportunity to take part in this. I have been watching and waiting for the right opportunity since she started the online option, but it just hasn't come about. It always seems like there is something more important or more urgent when it comes to time and funds. I know that I need to learn to take time for myself in order to make the lives of those around me better. I've been in a slump for a while now, and think this might just be what I need to bring me out of it. You've been an artistic inspiration like no other so far. Now I just need that personal "kick in the pants". Thanks for considering me. ~Brenda
    brenda@clevergirldesign.com

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  7. Kecia, I believe we are all stronger than we realize, but sometimes can't fully process an event in our lives until some time passes. As women, we just do what needs to get done without hesitation. My mom came to live with me after a couple of strokes, and it's hard to watch her diminished capacities...but I also see how she perseveres through it all, and I'm simply amazed. So, in the midst of all this, I can find solace in little everyday things. I do admit that I can't do everything and be everything to everyone, so I reach out for help....we must do this to be kind to ourselves. Everyone,hang in there..Joyce

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  8. What a wonderful way to honor Tucker. I would love to be entered. I get the daily Brave Girl updates in my email and love them.

    xo
    Claudia

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  9. I forgot to mention why I think I'm a good candidate - Even in my 50's, I'm still working through garbage from my past, dealing with fragile, aging parents, experiencing loss and trying to face my fears so that I can move forward.

    I know this is 2 comments, so maybe you can combine them into one when you do the drawing?

    xo
    Claudia

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  10. Hi Kecia,
    I just found your blog and love your artwork and jewelry! I'm putting this on my favorites bar.

    I love the brave girls club and get their daily emails. I'm not entering to win, I do art pretty much everyday. I want someone who needs the inspiration to open up to their creativity to win. Good luck everyone!

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  11. i am thrilled to be entered in this wonderful giveaway. xoxo to kecia! i am not a brave girl. i am funny and sarcastic to cover that up. i need this! thank you. lollie.lucy@hotmail.com

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  12. Hi Kecia,
    I just wrote out a whole thing why I'd love to win, but it then said it could not be processed.
    :( joanna

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  13. trying again-
    I receive the brave girls letters each day and always feel they were written just for me.
    Well Kecia, you know my story and have always been such a supporter in so many ways through some of my trials. When I got breast cancer four years ago, I had to be a brave girl. When Ron's brain tumor returned, followed by surgeries and complications, I had to be a brave girl. I'm now feeling spent, no longer brave but weak. Soul restoration sounds really good to me right now.

    I will be thinking of you April 1st. You are a brave girl and a brave loving mom!!!

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  14. that was so nice of her to donate them and for you to honor Tucker in this way.

    I've wanted to do this class since last year, but it was full and understandably so. Everyone who took it, raved about it, and its become a real self empowerment movement. I had hoped to take one this year, but with my life in such chaos during and after the divorce, moving, all the bad stuff that's happened since moving, financial hardship and my increasing depression, I won't be able to do it anytime soon. Big hug to you XOXO

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  15. Hello, Kecia,
    Wow-I'm so glad that you shared this information and the video was amazing hearing from all of the kindred spirits coming together to learn about a new awareness inside of each of us. I would love to have the chance at spreading my wings and seeing if I could fly!
    Hugs,
    Tami

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  16. I'm really not one to spill my problems and all but I really could use something like this right about now. I met my true love and married him just 13 months and 1 day ago. He and I are both artists and were trying to get our lil' art business up and running...we had even done sales at a local event and had taught a free class at our local mall on how to make sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos to local kids.

    Anyways, long story short, my husband got mixed up with the wrong people and ended up getting into some legal trouble. So on January 27th of 2011, the man that I love was sent to State Prison and because he's not permanently housed yet, we have not been able to see or speak to each other for 2 months. Since then, I have been taken off of work by my Dr for stress and depression.

    All my dreams were shattered and while I still love my husband and am still with him, I have lost my bearings in life, lost my muse, and I have to wait for a long time till my best friend comes home.

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  17. Oh - I forgot to thank you all for the generous give-away! No matter who is chosen, this is very kind to donate. ~ Jen (java_jenny@yahoo.com)

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  18. Life can be crazy. Life can be busy. Sometimes it seems that I am taking care of everyone but me. It's my turn. I realize to be a better wife, daughter, mother, friend, I must first work on myself. Thank you for this amazing opportunity that some lucky person will be blessed with.

    Danielle

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  20. mela280 said...
    Where I am in my 20 year marriage (with 4 school aged kids) has reached a critical point and I am in the process of taking back my power and tuning in to my authentic self. It would be great to win a spot in Soul Restoration. I've been eyeing this workshop for sometime as I know this is the right time to take it even though the cost has been a consideration.
    Thanks! Melanie (melanie@sherman.net)

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