Empowered By Horses - Youth Services - Programs and Camps, Girls and Horses

HARMONY

carla — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:29:49 +0000

DAY 24 Feb. 22: The thought for today is HARMONY. Choosing NOT to engage in any form of gossip today contributes to harmony. Choosing to see the good in others rather than finding fault leads to peaceful relationships. Look for the good in yourself and in others. By making these choices, we are contributing to a culture of nonviolence, we are being a model of peace.

Today: I will choose to see the good in others instead of finding fault. I will spend the entire day without criticizing anything or anyone; if I am tempted to criticize, I will write down the criticism rather than speaking it, then later discover where the criticism is coming from within me.

A Season for Nonviolence, January 30 – April 4, is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Please Join Us! We welcome your comments below and invite you to share your experiences with the 64 ways – A Season for Non-Violence on our blog or on our facebook page.

PRAYER

carla — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:17:19 +0000

DAY 23 Feb. 21: The thought for today is PRAYER. “Prayer from the heart can achieve what nothing else in the world can” said Gandhi.

Begin and end the day with a prayer for peace. Let peace begin with me.

Saint Francis of Assisi said it this way:

“….. make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.”

Today: I will begin and end the day with a prayer for peace. When I say goodbye to people, I will say “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” I will create a space in my home dedicated to prayer for nonviolence.

Celebrate Pink Shirt Day with Empowered By Horses

carla — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:34:06 +0000

PINK SHIRT DAY
FEBRUARY 29

FREE Educational Presentation in Abbotsford

"Bully Proof Your Daughter"

Three Simple Secrets Smart Moms Know to Protect Their Teen Girls

You Will Learn

The Double B word that will allow your daughter to nonviolently challenge any bully any time.
Right and wrong communication methods – and one huge pointer that will have your daughter knowing what to say, and how to say it.
The only sure-fire way for your daughter to learn how to fend off bullies – AND to actually be able to do it in real time and real life.
You will walk away with loads of valuable information that will help you keep your daughter safe from bullies!

This Bully Free Communities Initiative is presented by

Empowered By Horses

MISSION

carla — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:40:17 +0000

DAY 22 Feb. 20: The thought for today is MISSION. “My life is my message” said Gandhi. Gandhi’s mission was to be nonviolent. What do you want to stand for in your life? Do you know your life’s mission?

Today: I will write down what I stand for in my life. I will note at least one way I can show, through action, that I stand for my beliefs. I will develop a personal mission statement and draw a picture of myself living my mission. I will share my mission with at least three other people.

INSPIRATION

carla — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:27:31 +0000

Day 21 Feb. 19: The thought for today is INSPIRATION. There are many people who inspire us. Take a moment to reflect upon who inspires you and what characteristics you most admire in them. See the potential that is also within you and choose to cultivate these characteristics in your daily life.

“Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life BE Revelation.” -Eileen Caddy

Today: As I think of at least two people who exemplify the practice of nonviolence, I’ll acknowledge what it is I admire about them, what inspires me about them. I’ll practice these behaviors today so that other people may be inspired and I’ll share this insight with at least three other people.

SELF-FORGIVENESS

carla — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:10:27 +0000

DAY 20 Feb. 18: The thought for today is SELF-FORGIVENESS. When I judge myself, I tend to believe that who I am is what I have done or not done, what I have or do not have. I know that who I am is greater than all these things. I am greater than any mistake I have ever made. When we get even the slightest glimpse of the unity of life, we realize that sitting in judgment of other people and countries and races, I’m training my mind to sit in judgment of myself. As I forgive others, I am teaching the mind to respond with forgiveness everywhere, even to the misdeeds and mistakes of my own past. Practicing self-forgiveness is a foundation for practicing nonviolence.

Today: I will write an apology letter to myself for anything I have done to myself that I wish I had not, or ways that I have disappointed myself and not fully lived up to my potential. I’ll mail the letter to myself and when it arrives, I will read it in a quiet place.

ACCEPTANCE

carla — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:36:11 +0000

DAY 19 Feb. 17: The thought for today is ACCEPTANCE. “Resentment, fear, criticism and guilt cause more problems than anything else” says author Louise Hay. By choosing not to judge myself and see myself as unique, loving, capable and bright, and by accepting myself just as I am, I will be modeling nonviolence. Any time I can take down the walls of defense, I open myself up to a nonviolent way of living.

“Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”

-Henry Miller

Today: As I reflect on what is difficult for me to accept – in myself, in other people, and in the state of the world – I’ll let go of any resistance or judgment, and allow myself to accept and acknowledge whatever I have been resisting.

FREEDOM

carla — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:09:19 +0000

DAY 18 Feb. 16: The thought for today is FREEDOM. Civil Rights activist Diane Nash said, “Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders.” Take a leadership role today in your own life. Find a way where you can express who you truly are.

“When people decide they want to be free, there is nothing that can stop them.”

-Bishop Desmond Tutu

“To be free is to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

–Nelson Mandela

Today: I’ll claim my definition of freedom. I’ll write a haiku poem about freedom.

INTEGRITY

carla — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:07:13 +0000

DAY 17 Feb. 15: The thought for today is INTEGRITY. “Do the Right Thing!” Spike Lee used these words as a title for one of his movies. When faced with a choice, listen to your conscience, and be willing to act accordingly, no matter what others may say. You know what is right to do; you can choose to do it.

Integrity asks for firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values and denies any form of corruption. Integrity is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. And when I am in harmony, I am a model of nonviolence.

Today: When faced with a choice today, I listen to my conscience. I’ll recall then write a short story about a time when I listened to my heart when the people around me were doing something else.

GRATITUDE

carla — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:59:12 +0000

DAY 16 Feb. 14: The thought for today is GRATITUDE. On her show, Oprah Winfrey frequently promotes the daily practice of gratitude.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melody Beattie

Today: I will list five things for which I am grateful for and share these good things with another, then reflect on who and what made those experiences possible. I will write a “thank-you” note to someone who would least expect me to thank them. I’ll journal about my feelings with regard to this.