THE STORY BEHIND THE BEADS

Every morning I woke up and my battle began. Thoughts raced through my head at a neck breaking pace and the thoughts were brutal and unkind. Before my feet hit the floor, I already beat myself up pretty good!

So I started to research ways to get out of my destructive thoughts. I stumbled upon Tony Robbins YouTube clips and played each one until I practically had them memorized. I discovered the power of podcasts. Podcasts saved my life – no joke! I also began reading books (my favorite- The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer) that filled my mind once again with hope and dreams. I was determined to conquer my thoughts and once again feel my joy stream return to my soul.

Slowly but surly my ship started to turn around.

My first step was to find a system to start my day. And although some of the morning rituals I stumbled upon were very helpful I ran into a few issues: I tended to get distracted, simply forgot, it took up too much time and/or felt complicated.

So I developed a system which has become my morning ritual for the past 3 years!

DAILY DEVOTIONAL BEADS WERE BORN!!!!

My strand of beads is the first thing I see when I wake up and triggers me to immediately connect. The strand of beads were created with intention and each bead serves a purpose.

The first set of 5 beads is for breath work. I take 5 big healing breathes and touch each bead as I inhale and exhale. As I touch the next 5 beads, I say 5 things I am grateful for. And the last set of 5 beads I pray (you can also think about) 5 people in my life that need prayer/good thoughts. The last 3 little beads at the end, stand for Healing, Hurting or Help. I ask God/The Universe for favor in one of those areas.

I discovered how something so simple and so easy can change the entire course of my day!

At the time I created these beads I was volunteering in a thrift store which supported New Life Beginnings.

New Life Beginnings provides a safe shelter in a stable, caring, structured home environment. They provide individualized goal-oriented programs and opportunities that empower women to break free of the welfare cycle to become independent contributing members of society. They cherish life, honor motherhood, and empower women.

Then one day I met a special mother to be, let’s call her Frankie. Frankie was 8 months pregnant and just transitioned out of a shelter into a small apartment. She came to the thrift store looking for any baby supplies, clothes, etc… From the first moment I met her I knew I wanted to be apart of her story. Her eyes were soft and kind but I could tell she had a tough go in this world. Real tough. We became fast friends and I went to see her new place. She had a tv, a sleeping bag, a suitcase of clothes and a bassinet for the baby. My heart broke for her. Not only because she slept on the floor but she had no support system. So I decided I would be it.

I called on my community for help. Within a week- she had a fully furnished apartment and everything a mom with a new baby could need. I began to understand how challenging it was for her to get back on her feet. So many personal challenges but financial challenges as well. Talk about God’s timing... I wanted to share beads with everyone I know and she could use a few extra bucks. Perfect storm- RIGHT?

So we sat together, talked about life and I showed her how to make the beads. Together we came up with a plan that for every strand of beads she made she would earn money.

There are too many Frankies in the world. From the time they were little girls they have lived in an environment filled with abuse, neglect and addiction.

So know when you hold these beads in your hand you are helping a women rebuild.

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