Monday, February 27, 2012

You are valuable.

Hey friends!

I hope this greets you well and loved. 

I have been feeling a pressing in my heart lately to send some love to young women. It's a broad group, and it may even include you. 

In my line of work (social services working with at-risk youth), I come across far too many young women who don't know that they have value. They have mostly identified worth with outer appearances, and spend a great deal of time worrying about how they are perceived and interpreted by others. While many people spend their whole lives concerned about what others think of them, to varying degrees, there is an abundance of young girls who are losing themselves in the quest to be what others want. 

They have lost their sense of self, and have virtually no idea that they are valuable. 

photo cred EinnaEsor

There are many things that could be said about this topic, but the fact of the matter is, it's up to us to start building up and encouraging the young women of the world. They need to know they have worth and value that far exceeds what they look like, the way that they talk, or even what their test scores are. 

The aftermath of this lack of esteem, this lack of worth, can take on so many forms: depression and anxiety, self-mutilation, drug and alcohol abuse,  isolation, even falling into sex trafficking. While these may sound extreme to some of you, it's nearly the entire population of young women that I work with every single day. It's the girl serving your dinner, it's the girl pushing a stroller, it's the girl on the corner... Have you seen her? 

Take some time this week to purposefully send some love and care to young women who do not know their own incredible worth. 

And if you're faced with an opportunity to encourage a young girl, or a young woman, talk not of her appearance, but of her character and her heart. 

(Really fantastic article here challenging how we think about talking to young girls.)

hugs and loves to you and yours this week
sarah d. 

Monday, February 13, 2012

sleeping in the snow

Good evening fellow loves!

I hope and pray you are well and blessed on this chilly and snowy evening.

I was lucky enough to be able to sneak away from work early and go visit an old friend while she cut my hair. When I emerged with my new locks, there was snow everywhere! Where did that come from?! Well, I guess it is February in Canada afterall... should be expected. 

And here I sit in my cozy living room looking out my big window at the fluffy white stuff that is falling. The heat in my house keeps popping on, as it's an old house and doesn't seem to keep the warmth in very well. (Or maybe it doesn't keep the cold out...) In any case, it got me thinking.. where are all the people that don't have a home going to sleep tonight?

If you're curious, there is a lot of valuable information on homelessness in Canada on this wiki site. There are many misconceptions about the homeless population in regards to mental health, opportunities available to them, and using the shelter system. The wiki site covers the basics and can enlighten you to a few things. 

photo cred 2bitphoto 

Regardless of all the reasons why and why not, who and who not.. it's snowing, and it's cold, and I worry about the people, young and old, who don't have a home to go to tonight. The people who don't have a roof and some walls tonight. 

I only played with my dog in the backyard tonight rather than going for a walk, because it's cold and snowing and kind of miserable out there. I can't imagine facing that as well as the question, 'where am I going to sleep tonight?'

Would you send some love their way with me this week?

I am sending thoughts of

Warmth. 
Friends. 
Hope. 
Soup.
Home. 
Love. 

hugs and loves to you friends, 
sarah d.  

Sunday, February 5, 2012

study study!!

Good evening team-love!!

My husband is diligently studying his way through his Computer Science degree and I'm very proud of how hard he is working. He is busting his butt spending hours and hours outside of class time studying, learning and computing. He's pulling in some really fantastic grades, and it's definitely because of how he loves his program and how hard he is studying. 


So while this is a shorter blog, it's an important one. The minds of the future that will be supporting us all are working hard in classes right now and need our happy thoughts and support. They have families and friends who likely miss them from time to time when they are buried under piles and piles of books!!

hugs and loves
sarah d.