Love Notes is back!

The Love Notes Post Card Project is back and this time it is better than ever because we will me matching you up with someone.  That means who ever you are sending your postcards to will be sending postcards right to you.  How cool!  I am hoping that this opens the door for more intimate communication and who knows what else.

To find out a little bit about the project check out THIS video.  And then head on over to HERE to sign up.  We are starting on March 10th and would really love for you to join us.  If you have any questions about the project feel free to email me at lovenotesjb@gmail.com

letters across the miles

Dear Kristine,

It was so great to hear from you!  I cannot believe that we are already in March.  This year is flying by, however I am really looking forward to Spring and all the snow melting.  The past couple of mornings when I have left for work I have heard the birds chirping and it brings me such great pleasure.  I love hearing their songs as I walk to my car.

This past week has been a really good week for me.  I am taking steps towards some of the projects I have sitting on the shelf collecting dust.  It feels good to begin.  To just jump in and see where it goes.
These projects on the shelf are my dreams, and I cannot just sit there and watch them fade into the darkness.

Sometimes it takes someone to push us to begin, and that is exactly what I needed.  A strong swift push out the door into the broad daylight to really begin to see who I am, and what it is I really want to accomplish.

All to often I find myself looking at what other people are doing and thinking that I would love to do what they are.  But I am not them.  I have a gentler voice.  A calmer spirit.  I need to find my own way in the world.   I need to listen deep to my heart to find out what it is that would make me shine with happiness.  With the help of this swift push out the door, I am finding this.

What has your week been like?  What adventures have you gone on?  Are you ready for Spring time?

Sending you so much love this week.

xo
Jennifer
{02}

reflect back to someone

All to often we are hard on ourselves
Poking and prodding at the things we like least about who we are
Over analyzing every detail of something we said wrong
Or something we wish we would have said
We look at ourselves under a microscope

Seldom do we step back
Taking a look in the mirror
Staring deeply into our eyes
Admiring every freckle
And appreciating the beauty that is right there

Sometimes we need people to reflect back to us what they see
Showing us the way the world really sees us
The beauty, the shiny glittery goodness
The qualities that we never knew existed in us
But that each day we are exemplifying

Reflecting back to someone who they are
Is one of the greatest gifts you could give someone
It opens their eyes up to their own beauty
And brings them courage to step forward
Boldly into who we already knew they were

Don't be shy
Tell someone close to you how you see them
How the world sees them
Shower them with the love that they bring to the table every day
And stand back to watch them bloom

gentle spirit

Gentle spirit
Brave
Free
Shining a light
Leading the way

Gentle spirit
Unafraid to take the leap
Reaching out
Holding hands
Encouraging others to fly

Gentle spirit
Showing up
Vulnerable
Heart on her sleeve
Sharing the world

Gentle spirit
Quiet and big
Kind and powerful
Gentle and strong
Rooted deeply in the earth

Gentle spirit
Reflecting back to you how beautiful you are
Nudging your forward
Guiding you home
Working together to infuse kindness into the world

letters across the miles

Letters written between friends seems to have become a thing of the past.  But it shouldn't be.  Which is why Kristine and I are bringing it back in our own online version.  We are writing back and forth to each other every Tuesday. 

You can find my first letter to her HERE

And read the response she posted today HERE

I am loving this project and look forward to responding next Tuesday. 

the first moment

I want to go back to that first moment
To the feeling inside when you walked through the door
I spotted you and instantly knew this was going to be so good

I want to go back to those messages passed back and forth
To the red leather interior
And that moment outside the bathroom

You and I
We have this way of being together
That feels easy, and right

There is deep laughter
Hand holding
And cheering on during life's difficult moments

We have an understanding of one another
Knowing there is me, and you
And then there is us

I am forever grateful you walked through that door
Altering the course of my life in the very best way
Making that day and all those ones that followed, so good

happiness

We stumbled upon this place unexpectedly
A wrong turn that ended up being so right
The stillness of turtle pond, the light breeze, the sun shining
Each of these elements brought such peace and calm
The conversation danced in between deep comfortable silence
Each of us savoring the moment, sinking deep into this space and each other

We ate delicious cookies and laughed with one another
Taking in the beautiful canvas that nature creates
We soaked in the simplicity of life and what is really important
Going back to our roots
Remembering what is true
Speaking from the heart

It is so easy to get caught up in the moment, dragged through the hustle
Spending money in hopes of feeding our happiness
But it is the small moments that matter most
The spaces of time where we slow down
Drink each other in, share the truth of our heart, and be with one another
It is in this space where true happiness exists

letters across the miles

Dear Kristine,

I am excited to begin this new adenture with you.  I look forward to watching it unfold. 

Recently I have been giving a lot of thought to perfection and how I tend to not begin something because I feel like I do not have all of the pieces perfectly together to start.  Therefore, the idea, project, or moment sits there on the shelf never given the chance to see where it could go.  But nothing in life ever begins perfectly.  There are growing pains, messy pieces, and beautiful ah-ha moments. 

Life is evolving and we are constantly expanding and growing.  Where we begin is never where we end up and so much is learned along the way.  The pieces do not have to be perfectly alighned.  We can pick them up as we go and see how they fit together. 

I am glad that we decided to just begin and see where this naturally evolves.  Had we not jumped in, it would be just another thing sitting on my shelf waiting for the perfect moment.  And nothing great can come from an idea collecting dust on a shelf. 

This lesson of beginning has recently been presented to me often.  I have been shown time and time again that what I see as a final stage was never what it looked like in the beginning. 
I see the final project, all polished and clean and I am in awe.  But what I do not see is the hundreds of drafts that were tossed and the miles treked to get to that polished piece. 

Do you remember in grammer school when you had to "show" your math?  This was so the teacher could see how you got to the final resolution.  What if we had to do that in life?  What if we had to show all the stumbles and failures we endured before getting to the final resolution?  I think we would see that each of us are human and it all takes us work to get to where are.  We may even begin to be kinder to ourselves. 

What is sitting on your shelf that you are wanting to begin but have yet to start?  I have a whole bookshelf worth of projects and ideas.  I think I may start to dust some of them off, give them a whirl, and put the pieces together as I go along. 

Wishing you a fantastic week ahead.  Look forward to hearing from you soon. 

xo
Jennifer
(01)

be sure to check out Kristine's site next tuesday for her letter response

Letters Across the Miles : a virtual collaboration

 Photo by Thea Coughlin

Growing up I had a pen pal.  We would write letter to one another, spilling the secrets of our heart onto the page.  We had never met, but there was so much excitement that washed over me each time a letter would arrive in my mailbox.  With the digital world being so prominent today, it feels as if having a pen pal is long gone.

However, it does not have to be that way.  Kristine and I are coming together to create a virtual pen pal.  We will be corresponding with one another in letter format through our blogs each Tuesday. The topics of the letters will very depending upon what is living in our hearts in that moment.  You may find us telling a funny story that happened at the grocery store, sharing our inner most dreams, or dishing on the latest things we are crushing on.

Kristine is a photographer, a creative, and a writer.  She is working on her first poetry/photography book in between being out in nature, exploring the world around her, and traveling with her husband.  She has a wide expansive heart and even though we have never met in person I can feel her warmth through her words.  You can find Kristine over at Living in the Moment.

We will be starting tomorrow and we hope that you will follow along on our journey as we correspond with each other each Tuesday.

warrior canine connection visit

I have been honored to spend some time at the Warrior Canine Connection (WCC).  An organization dedicated to teaching Service Men and Women with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder the skill of training mobility service dogs to be partnered with Veterans with mobility impairments.  The organization believes whole heartedly in the healing power of the human-animal bond.

The work that Molly and Rick are doing is incredibly inspiring.  They have dedicated their whole lives to this cause and are changing the lives of Veterans, Soldiers, and all the individuals who watch along through the live Puppy Cam.  A countless number of individuals also come through the center to pet the new puppys before they go off to be trained with the soldiers.  This helps the pups get acclimated to human interactions.

The whole program was run out of the home of Rick and Molly until recently.  A special letter was sent to Home Depot asking for donations to help renovate the Garage.  Home Depot went above and beyond and renovated the entire garage to create an Enrichment Center and provide more room for the pups to romp around.

Everything about this program is inspiring.  And the individuals who run it are full of heart and love for their work.  It is amazing to see in person.

If you have a moment check out the Puppy Cam, but I must warn you....you may become addicted to it.   And if you are in the Maryland area I advise you to book an appointment to check out these precious pups and meet them in person.