Dear Becca Stevens...

Dear Becca Stevens,

Thank you for all that you are, all that you believe, and all that you do.  Your influence reaches far beyond who you see, how far they see, how far they see, and on.

Our Women's Group, GLOW, began using breath and meditation at the end of our devotional hour together each week, and then added your approach to the healing power of essential oils (Snake Oil). We have been using our breathing and oils to reduce rage, increase clarity and perspective, and feel better in general.

So far we have come up with two unique blends, mixed with Almond Oil.  We call them GLOW and DIRECTION.  Research and Development will continue...

You came and spoke in Birmingham twice this October, once again inspiring us all. A few friends from GLOW heard you speak and connected the power of your advocacy and the strength of your commitment to healing with the oils and breathwork we use every Tuesday.
You are gift.
You are changing lives.



Thank you for Magdalene House, for Thistle Farms, for Thistle Stop Cafe, for being a CNN Heroine of the year (everyone vote HERE).
Thank you for A Path Appears.
Thank you for all of your books and writings and tweets and links.

As you continually remind us, Love Heals Every Body.
Love wins and namaste,
G2M2

 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

Grapes

When Grapes enters, her laughter fills the whole room.

She is a strong woman, a mom of 7, grandmom to 23, and great-grandmom to 1. She has been clean 11 years and loves to eat fresh grapes.

Currently raising three of her grandchildren, she admits it's not something she wants to do at this phase in her life, but something she got to do. She grieves over the death of her son, despairs at the addiction of a daughter, confessing, "It makes me angry with God. I laugh and giggle on the outside, but on the inside I am suffering."

In any given conversation, she swings from deep laughter - you can see her molars as she throws her head back - to weeping with the tears pooling at her chest. She is a strong woman who allows herself to feel, to grieve, to suffer.

She loves Auburn football, the music of Anthony Brown (especially "Worth"), Law & Order (the original, SVU, and Criminal Intent). Grapes thinks that the entire state of Alabama needs a spiritual makeover...especially around issues of race.

If she had a whole day to herself, with money as no obstacle, first she would go shopping at the thrift store...then she would go to the beach. After relaxing on the beach, she would go back to her hotel room and shut the door and watch as much Law & Order as she wanted.

When Grapes was telling me this, I had to hold back from saying ME TOO ME TOO - this was her day, not mine...but I would do that too.

This Group shortens bridges even in what we wish for on a special day.
Our insides are so alike...



 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

Wisdom from Group 10.25.16

Little Nuggets of Wisdom from Group this Week:

Hurt people hurt people.

Love them from a distance. Pray for those who hurt you.

Identify who is your Family, and who are just your Relatives.

You can't change your family. They gone be who they gone be.

Silence keeps you sick. There's no healing in silence.

"Imma pop my collar on that one!" (meaning I'm proud of myself for that!)

Give power to the positive, not the negative.

Them: You're too ugly. You're too fat. No one will ever want you.
You: I deserve better. I am a child of the most high God. Yes, I am.

God: I'm trying to get to your problem! YOU are in my way!

No man should ever hit you.

 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

Adam Burns, Beer Patrol

You people need to meet and know Adam Burns.

He works at Reconciler in many capacities. 

His compassion is strong, his loyalty, fierce. 

He would choose no where else to be on weekday mornings. 

His vocabulary far exceeds yours, if you are thinking Urban Dictionary. 

You have much to learn from him.

When life is at an All Time Low, and maybe even levels out in the Low, our tendency is to "numb it out." Any and all economic classes do that.  Adam brings reminders to those feeling Low. 

He reminds, he sits, he listens, he translates, he connects, he gets fed up, he goes back, he encourages, he reminds and then reminds again: 

God is LOVE. Don't drink beer in church. You don't have to be numb. I will sit with you as you learn to feel. Choose hope. 

Listen to Adam, people.

*All of these words are my impressions of Adam's behavior and did not come from him. These words are a flimsy representation of the quality of his work.

* *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

Mr. Magic and My Eyebrows

So THIS happened the other day:

Mr. Magic trimmed my eyebrows.

And, y'all, not ONE person in my family noticed...whatever, it's still magical.

 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

GLOW: A Women's Group

GLOW = God's Love Overflowing Within

Tuesday Morning Women's Group

We are GLOW.

We gather every Tuesday morning and offer safe space, hugs, laughter, and sharing.
Those are the rules.

We read from Jesus Calling, share the corresponding scriptures, then check in. The last 10 minutes we pass around essential oils, breathe into mindfulness, then close in prayer.

There is no shouting, yelling or cursing. I wish I could say there is no interrupting, but we ARE a group of women and sometimes we get excited and talk over each other, in the name of love of course.

We hold each other up all week, through thoughts and prayers, through lunch dates, through flurries of text messages, through Facebook messages.
It is essential and wonderful and important - just like the women.

That is who we are. We are GLOW.

-G2M2



 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.

This Woman's Worth (c) by Sunshine

This Woman's Worth

When you hear people say, A Woman's Worth,"

What do you think about?

I see a woman of virtue

Whose beauty shines inside and out.

It doesn't matter how she looks

Or if she's big or small, 

The only thing that matters is her character

Her good, her bad, her all.

A woman worthy of being one

Is never hard to find.

And if you get one, treat her right,

For she's worth more than a gold mine.

If you ever, ever mistreat her, 

There's an enormous price to pay.

For her price is far above rubies

And that's what the Bible say.

A woman's worth is precious

And oh so very dear,

Be careful not to make her cry,

'Cause God counts every tear.

So now you know my secret

That I was blessed with from birth,

The thing that makes me a phenomenal woman

And it's called "A Woman's Worth!"

 *GLOW Women's Group is a loving attempt to build bridges, hold hard conversations, and demand that love wins - Every Single Time. Each conversation is a plank in the bridge, edging closer to justice, one board at a time. Join us in the connecting.