I’ll write a longer, more personal entry next time. I’ve been rather busy lately and recently returned from Virginia Beach, VA. Lots of traveling, as usual. Will share pics soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share two new pages added to my website. They’re a little similar to the Valentine’s Day journal entry, but designed for longevity and much more pleasing on the eye.
New pages on website:
Goddess Giving
Goddess Karma
Love
Isabella
xoxoxox
I’d like to re-introduce you to the world of giving, and hopefully you’ll feel inclined to participate in some good causes! Not only is it fantastic karma, but it just feels wonderful to give to people who need it. I don’t know about you, but there are times in my life where I’m financially blessed and it only seems natural to share the wealth with others. A little bit can go a long way!
For 6 years and counting, I’ve sponsored eight children. There are currently only 7 children pictured above because one of the children (her name was Tatiana) was affected by a damaging hurricane and her family moved out of the country which prevented them from continuing with the program. So I am awaiting a new photo from Reynalda, her replacement. Each of the children participate in programs provided by Children International which helps them become more educated and teaches them interactive skills crucial in the learning process in growing up. I’m participating in a global recruitment project called Lift One to spread the word on how important it is to sponsor a child. My goal is that even if you can’t financially support a child, that you consider joining Lift One to increase sponsorship.
It feels SO wonderful sponsoring children who look up to you, rely on you, and truly appreciate your written letters. Without trying to sound like an infommercial, for only $22 a month so that you can help an impoverished child from another country. It pleases me a great deal knowing that maybe, one (or more) of my customers will take on the important responsibility of being part of the growth process of a poor child. For the longest time, I thought AIDS or cancer was the #1 killer in the world, but the truth is… poverty kills more people than anything.
In the past, there were times in my life where I wondered how “needed” I was in society. Would I die feeling unknown? Had I accomplished anything in life? What exactly had I done to improve the quality of someone else’s life? When I began sponsoring children and writing them regularly, it filled a hole in my heart. I’ve had the honor of seeing photos of each and every one of them as they grow up. They send hand-written letters expressing their gratitude, and their families are also involved.
One month, I decided to surprise one of my sponsored children, Sudip, with bonus money (a little extra besides the $22 a month), and he and his father purchased a metal cabinet for storing clothes, shoes, even food items! They had never owned a cabinet or a pantry before in their entire lives! The sponsor director of their city took photos of Sudip and his father standing next to the cabinet (4 photos total) and each photo the father was waving his arms wildly and pointing at the metal chest with his eyes extra wide. The happiness and appreciation in each photo made it SO worth it! And it happens ALL the time with these children! Their faces show such happiness and gratitude.
And one year I gave Tatiana, the girl who moved away, extra money for her birthday. A month later, I received photos of her with several gifts ranging from shoes, a shirt, a mosquito net, a hairbrush, and other items. Also enclosed in the envelope was a translated letter from Tatiana’s mom, thanking me for the money and disclosed how important the mosquito net was in their country and how many families had died from diseases carried by insects. In one of the photos, the girl was carrying the net above her head with this silly-happy-goofy look on her face as if it were the greatest gift in the world. And it was a birthday present! So not only do the children benefit from this program, but so do the whole families. Often times, these children are raised by single parents who have multiple children who earn incomes less than $50 a month. More than a billion people in the world don’t even have safe drinking water. That breaks my heart. It goes without saying that a little bit goes a LONG way!
Although I don’t make a habit of personally vouching for charities (as most of them simply want to use your money and then spend a majority of it on overhead), I can honestly say this is one program that I habitually donate to because the money is well-spent and I see instant results. I believe Children International has a lot of integrity, and I have never been disappointed. If you do decide to sponsor a child, please let me know so I can personally thank you for giving such a life-changing gift. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Every month, they’ll receive an education, food, and be involved in family events that help them grow and mature into strong men and women. Sponsorship provides vital benefits such as health and dental care, the tools to stay in school, clothing and shoes, housing assistance and nutritional aide. Sponsor a child 
Mother Theresa once said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Those words have stuck with me for a long time. And it also goes along with a Buddhist saying which says, If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. My hope is that this message touches you in a way where you will sponsor a child, because they need you so badly. Two out of three people on the planet struggle to get by on less than $2 per day. And according to UNICEF, six million children under the age of 5 die as a result of hunger and malnutrition every year. That is a LOT of people! Every three seconds a child dies from a preventable disease. Three seconds! Imagine that you could have saved a kid who would have died by the time you finish reading this sentence. There is so much I could say about the living conditions those children face every day. I’m sure you’ve watched a ton of infommercials and ignored them (I did too for the longest time), and one day I decided I wanted to change someone’s life. Will you please sponsor a child and be a crucial part in improving their lives?
I humbly ask that when you decide to sponsor a child, you do so through this Lift One link. Don’t worry, I don’t receive money or bonuses from reeling in new sponsors. The purpose of going through Lift One is so that I can send you a personal thank you email for sponsoring a child. This way I can see a list of those who chose to sponsor and write them a heartfelt note of gratitude. If you’d rather do it anonymously, you can do that too or even go directly to the front page of Children International’s reputable website. Whatever sponsoring method you choose is the right one. Do what feels right for you
There are some Goddesses out there who ask that their customers and fans vote for them every day on toplists and other websites so that they can reach out to a global audience. In lieu of this, I have a different global approach. My goal is to help someone who needs it. Instead of clicking on banners to “vote” for me, I’d rather you click on banners that feed or clothe another human being. Did you know that just clicking on a banner, someone can get fed? And it doesn’t cost you a single penny! 100% of all proceeds go directly to the charity. I don’t receive anything from you clicking these.
Banners that help people:
The Hunger Site - Click here every day so that someone gets 1.1 cups of food to eat.
Breast Cancer Prevention - Click here every day so a woman can get a mammogram
Child Healthcare - Click here every day so a child can get proper healthcare
Literacy and Books - Click here every day so a child can receive a book and learn to read!
Protect an Endangered Habitat - Click here every day so you can protect 11.4 square feet of rainforest!
Animal Rescue - Click here every day to donate .6 bowls of food to rescued animals!
When you’re feeling charitable, please share your wealth. Twenty bucks goes a LONG way and these people will be so grateful!
Protect an Animal
Did you know that by donating $20, you can protect, not one - not two… but 10 shelter animals with vaccinations! Many animals die of diseases, because unwanted or stray pets are dropped off at humane shelters while showing symptoms of disease.
These loving animal shelters vaccinate the animals, not only for the animal’s health, but also so potential families will adopt a disease-free pet. You can donate for either species: dogs or cats, depending on your preference.
Whether you give to me… or to charity… your money will be well-spent and much appreciated. Thank you for your devotion and your generosity!
Love
Isabella
xoxooxox
A long time ago, when I was perhaps 14 or 15 years old… I was poor, broke, and dressed in mismatched clothes. And truth be told, I felt really bad about myself because I couldn’t afford nice things. One day a lady from church named Barbara decided to take me under her wings. She said she saw potential in me. This was coming during a time when I was going through my grunge faze of hand-me down clothes and wore raggedy, dirty things. She was a lady in her 40s who decided to spend time and money just making me feel good. We went from clothing store to clothing store, trying clothes on and every time I tried on an outfit, a grin would shoot across my face and I just felt better as a person. She picked out new shoes for me, several pairs. And spent hundreds of dollars on “making me over.” She took me out to dinner, spoiled me like a princess, and taught me how to dress. She showed me how to get my hair done, let me experience my first manicure and pedicure, and I even discovered the first use of a cell phone (this was one of those big bulky monster phones). I was in awe of her. When the night was coming to an end, we sat in the car silently. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed, grateful, thankful, and honored that this woman who really didn’t know me - spent so much money and time on me for no other reason than to make me feel good. I looked at her and said, “How can I ever repay you?” I had never been so serious in my life. I wanted to give back to her but I had no money and nothing to offer. She said to me, “When the time is right, you’ll do the same for someone else.”
Her words have stayed with me for over a decade and every year I try my best to give back to ONE person and make their life just a little sweeter, like she did for me. Just having new clothes gave me so much more self-confidence and made me appreciate myself more when looking in the mirror, which in turn, made the world around me seem that much better.
Today I decided to spoil my housekeeper, Jenny. Now keep in mind that Jenny works her tail off. She works so much, that she would work in her sleep if you let her. She is constantly in a state of worry - worrying about the kids, worrying about the grandkids, worrying about her husband, worrying about cleanliness of her house, food on the table, errands, doing this, doing that, having no time for HER, etc. I asked her when was the last time she had spent time just relaxing… and she fought back tears. She said, “I don’t have time to relax. I have work to do!” And that’s ALWAYS her answer. In the past, I bought her a day at the spa and she never used it, because she said, “I don’t have time!” Everyday, she complains about being tired, exhausted, stressed, worn out, drained, etc. It’s been the same story every day. For almost 17 years, she has neglected to spend time on HER, whether it be lack of free time or her knack of always putting others before herself. So when she came over today and I gave her 5 bags of food that either had sugar, milk, or meat products within them — she had no idea that my agenda was to practically kidnap her and force her to have some fun.
I spent a good 10 minutes convincing her that she deserves to have fun. She came up with every excuse such as “I have to be somewhere,” or “I haven’t taken a shower,” or “I can’t have fun, I need to work!” (I swear, that’s what she said). It took quite a bit of persuading, I must say. I could tell by her body language that she felt undeserving of fun and eventually she admitted she never felt it was ok for her to just enjoy herself. A little reframing helped her mindset. I said, “Jenny, you deserve to spend time on you.” The first time I said it, she shrugged it off and gave another excuse. This time I looked her square in the eyes and said, “Jenny, you deserve to spend time on you.” And she looked slightly hesitant but I could tell I was getting through to her. When she tried to say something again, I said to her, “Jenny, we both know how hard you work. Your family knows how hard you work. How much work do you need to do until you are satisfied?” And she said, “I’m never satisfied.” And I said, “How much better will you feel when you actually come home with a smile on your face and feel energy?” And she said, “I have no idea what that would feel like. I always come home exhausted.” So I basically framed the idea of getting away for a couple hours as a godsend gift of her being able to spend a short time enjoying leisure and fun so that in the future, she can learn to accept that mindset of energy and confidence and have a place she could mentally go back to. After all, if she experiences a few hours of utter bliss, she’ll be able to feel it later on in life and call on it in times when she needs it.
Eventually my persuasion worked, especially when I phrased it in such a way that if she were happy, wouldn’t it also make her family happy (we all know when momma’s happy, everyone’s happy). I convinced her to let me drive in my SUV as I took her and the groceries to her house (this way her van would be at my house, and therefore she would have no excuse to stop our fun by leaving). I explained to her daughter, Lindsey what I had in store for her mother. Lindsey knows all too well that Jenny works her ass off and never has fun, so she was eager to get her mom out of the house, so she put the groceries away while Jenny waited in the car. And I must say, I practically had to force Jenny in the car so Lindsey and I would do all the work by putting the groceries away.
Afterwards, I took Jenny to Zales and bought her a solitaire pair of diamond earrings, which ran about $500. When she saw the pricetag, she turned as red as a beet and said, “Oh no, I couldn’t.” She was completely overwhelmed. Eventually she put the earrings in her ears and looked in a mirror and almost instantly, she beemed with this confident glow and her whole posture changed. She walked out of the store wearing the earrings and for the rest of our time together, she had a smile on her face. Amazing what a pair of earrings can do to raise one’s spirits. Then we went to a bed store in the mall and tested the Sleep Number beds where she sank into the bed and just let herself go. She looked so happy, she just radiated! Doing something spontaneous (and without the kids) was a completely new thing for her. The whole experience was like taking a fish out of water. Then we went to Macy’s and tried on perfumes and I got her some makeup - which brought out her complexion and enhanced her smile. This only made her smile more when we left. She was completely blown away and profusely thanked me (just as I had done with Barbara) and it brought back wonderful memories. Then we went to Barnes n Noble, where I taught her the art of enjoying herself without feeling the need to shop. Just the act of sitting down, reading a good book, smelling the coffee and tea, and just sinking into a plush seat — I even picked out a book for her which ended up being the *perfect* book to read. For 30 minutes, she sat and read (and I read a book about Shamanism, a topic I knew nothing about previously). She later told me that those 30 minutes were the ONLY 30 minutes she had ever spent just being enwrapped in a book. She said in the past, she would have been thinking about where she needed to be, what needed to be done, what needed to be accomplished. She said she let all that go. I was so happy to see her let all the stress disappear! Then we went to Bloomingfoods where I let her try some vegan chocolate which she was pleasantly surprised to discover how delicious it was!
So keep in mind, at this point… she has experienced 4 out of 5 senses. Sight: the earrings, the makeup, the book. Touch: the sleep number bed, the makeup, the comfortable chair, the book. Taste: the vegan chocolate and other foods. Smell: the perfume, the coffee, the tea, etc.
But she hadn’t yet experienced sound. So I asked her to close her eyes and for the 20 minute ride home to just listen. Listen to the road. Listen to the tires on the road. Listen to cars passing by. Listen to the sound of the blinker. Listen to the cd player playing John Lennon songs softly in the background. And for 20 minutes, we sat silently (but without real silence) listening and concentrating on the most abstract sounds and realizing how beautiful it became in our worlds.
When we arrived at my home, I pulled up beside her van and she opened her eyes. She had just experienced a full-body mental AND physical relaxation from just 3 hours of getting away from working. She said many times that she was truly grateful and how honored she was, etc. And she looked and me and said, “How can I ever repay you?” And I said to her almost unconsciously, “When the time is right, you’ll do the same thing for someone else.”
When we first left together, she was exhausted, tired, drained, and reluctant. As I said goodbye to her, I saw someone full of energy, beauty, and confidence and she said she was so very grateful that I made her do this. She admitted she should have done it a long long time ago.
That felt really good. Sometimes giving to others really is better than receiving.
Love
Isabella
xoxoxo
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