A Day Of Reflection

 As many of you are aware the last few months have been extremely hectic for me & have left me feeling completley overwhelmed & exhausted. Dealing with Fibromyaglia & diabetes for last 10 years I've come to KNow & learn that listenening to what my body needs is a must & it's telling me..it is time  to slow down & take a day of rest .

So , here I am..attemtping to rest but find myself reflecting on the many wonderful blessings I have in my life. I have a very loving , supportive mother & boyfreind;a wonderful circle of freinds & a beautiful daughter,Jessica Leigh who has just given me a new title in my life..NANA JEWLES.  With the good LOrd by my side & guiding me in my walk I am now a proud NANA to the most handsome lil man ever, NOAH LUCAS COLE. Sitting here, gazing into my grandsons gorgeous blue eyes I cant help but
reflect on this thing we call LIFE , the MIRACLE of child bearing & the many days ,years that follow which forever change the lives of many! As humans, parents, grandparents do we  ever really fully understand & appreciate the true gift God has  given us??? Being given the  ability & choice to reproduce & bring precious new life to this world. It surely is the greatest miracle God has offered to us in this life! The sweet innocence of a child is a true refection of the unconditionalness of GOD'S everlasting love for us! The  nuturing , loving ,caring, teaching & learning  is instictive  to most but in todays day & age with all the negativity, poverty,crime, discontent, hate & worldly disaster going on...it is a constant struggle to stop & appreciate the true simplicity of God's love for us.IN a world full of choices, I can only pray that the decisions we
make & the ones our children make will be the right ones & lead us into a place  where LOve prevails & we all come together as one  nation under GOD as were were intended to do from the beginning!
 I am so looking forward to my upcoming service & exploration trip to Guatemala with my old high school freind Juli.It will be a very rewarding & humbling experience to say the least! For those that know me~ you all know this has been something God has been calling me to do for years now! Well the time  & opportunity have finially come in MY life where I am so blessed to be able to fulfill this desire to share with those less fortunate & offer myself to help inanyway I am physically able to.This is MOSTLY a personal journey for me so when you all ask WHY or HOW I can do this ...the answer is very simple . I am giving of myself ... taking 2 weeks out of MY life to offer my services to a very impoverished country~ hopefully making a
difference in the lives of many & simply sharing with them the gift of sharing, caring & giving.
  It has been very difficult task for me to reach out to the community & ask for donations of any sort as I am one who doesnt do well with asking ANYONE for help. BUt I am strong in my beliefs & have had tohumble myself some to reach out & ask for help from you all as I know just a lil bit goes A LONG WAYS.
  I  FIRMLY believe in COMMON HOPES Mission statements & those of the 2 other organizations we will be servicing. I look forward to hopefully seeing many of my freinds become followers on my blogspot so that you can be updated & FOLLOW US ON OUR JOURNEY .We will be taking many pictures & sharing our experience with you all!

If any of you are compelled to donate even just $1 dollar you can do so by going to 
http://www.livingthedreamwjewles.blogspot.com/  There is a donation button on top left corner. ANy & all donations are appreciated & will be going directly to the 3 organizations we are working with!
                         I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE & SUPPORT!!!

"The place to improve the world is 1st in one's heart, head & hands & then work outward from there!" Robert M Pirsig
 
                              ~COMMON HOPES MISSION STATEMENTS~

Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children, families, and communities who want to participate in a process of development to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing.To ensure the safety of its staff and the families served by Common Hope, we are not politically active in the United States or Guatemala.
There is a difference between charity and justice.  Justice is deeper.  It works toward making systemic change that eliminates the causes of poverty.  Our primary work is in Guatemala, where we attack poverty at its roots without becoming politically active.  In developed countries, Common Hope educates people about their role in creating poverty, as well as their responsibility and power to eliminate it.
While we respect those who work for political justice, our role is to work from the bottom up. We believe that true development and justice primarily happen through solid personal relationships.
 ~Our hope is that each person discovers some way to improve our world.~
                                        Spirituality Statement
Common Hope welcomes anyone willing to serve the poor, and we serve those living in poverty without regard to religion. Although Common Hope was founded on Christian ideals, we believe that people of different faith traditions can join together in service and can live their spirituality without proselytizing.
Our vision and philosophy are based on spiritual principles. We honor all beliefs that lead people to health. We embrace spiritual values such as hope, forgiveness, compassion, respect, love, service, and the pursuit of peace.
 Common Hope recognizes that people, whatever their belief, are equal and deserve respect. We value the strength that diversity offers, and acknowledge that we are all connected.If we respect those we serve, we must allow them the freedom to develop their own spirituality. We recognize that their poverty is physical, and they are often desperate for the services we provide. We recognize that our physical wealth gives us power, and it would be abusive to use this power to dictate belief.
 If we respect those we serve, we acknowledge that they have gifts to share with us. Perhaps we can learn from the deep faith they have developed in facing death and hardship on a daily basis. Perhaps we can grow together in our spirituality.