We discover that many of our personal stories have common threads; that often we rejoice about the same triumphs, suffer the same sorrows, learn the same lessons. Many of these lessons have to do with love, the sudden thrill of it, or the tragic lack of it, the wonder of its many aspects or the total absence of its light. We find that love is the one part of our lives that we cannot do without: the unconditional devotion of motherhood, the pure joy of being a grandmother for the first time, the unstinting loyalty of friends, the romance and heartache of marriage.
“Love is the highest energy vibration. It's believed that the universe was created out of intelligent love-light energy. Love energy that becomes so intense that it starts to gain mass and density, and becomes actual matter, that's everything you see around you.”
www.spiritual-awakening.net
Love is mysterious and yet grand, so happy at times and so sad at others. Eventually, if we've lived long enough and searched greatly for it, we uncover the magic of God's unequaled love for us, His total acceptance of our humanity, us, His favorite creatures, the children of His heart.
Who We Are
Who are we-- the women of the world? Daughters of Eve. Some of us, pretty faces, all of us beautiful. Many of us mothers and grandmothers. Some of us living solo. What does it mean to be a woman alive today? Are we really holding up half the sky, as the Chinese would say? Each of us is different and each one has an important story to tell.
We all have a list of women who made a difference in our lives, who left a stamp of approval, gave us a smile of encouragement, a nod of acceptance, laughter and fellowship. These women helped make us who we are. And as we find our own stories to tell, we learn a little more about ourselves--what makes us happy and what doesn't, what things we collect to remind us of the good times, how we spend our quiet moments, what we do to quiet ourselves. We learn more about our own relationships and the people in them. We dance, and travel light, and sing songs that tell about us.
What is my name and who gave it to me? Maybe it's Joanna or Luwalhati or Teresa, in my case, after St. Teresa of Avila. What is my earliest memory of being a little girl? Wearing orthopedic shoes in kindergarten, being laughed at by the boys, and being defended by another little girl called Henrietta who wore an orange bow on her black hair. Who raised me? A gentle woman named Maria. Who loved me and praised me and made me feel good? Who pushed me to shine? Who held my hand and wiped my tears after I broke up with my first boyfriend?
Winning Words
It’s impossible to measure the impact of the words we read in a book, of things we hear other people say, or of the lyrics in a song we're listening to. Why is it that some words have profound meaning for some people and are simply lost on others? Why does it take such a long time to memorize a speech, and yet the lines of a much-loved poem remain in our minds forever? Language remains a mystery in many ways, but the thrill we experience when we hear words that touch our hearts, is very real. Start your own collection of "winning words," post them on a familiar wall, or send them to friends. Think about why these words speak to you like no others do. Here's our own collection to get you started.
The Winning Words Stationery Sets are collections of sayings about women (Set 1), and images of Extraordinary Love (Set 2), that you can add to your "Gathering," or send as messages to friends.
Stationery Set 1.
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Saul of Tarsus (The Apostle Paul) exhorts us about the nature of love:
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease, if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present, we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present, I know partially, then I shall know fully, as I am fullly known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor 12:31 - 13
Stationery Set 2.
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Tell your story. Talk about all the significant moments, maybe the significant women, in your life, or talk about one moment, or one person who made a difference. What worked what didn't work. There are no rules. Only a willingness to share, and an openness to what other women wish to share.
The Quick Quotes Gallery contains famous words on easy to peal stickers that you can place on your desk, bulletin board, or journal page. Or, they make great birthday gifts for your favorite women friends.
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Sticker Set 1
Sticker Set 2
Sticker Set 3
Sticker Set 4
