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The Hello To Life™ Newsletter
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Say Hello to Life With Me
Pebbles and Stones is now the Hello to Life newsletter. So what's in a name change? Everything! Hello to Life is an invitation, a calling to create a meaningful, fulfilling life that you can embrace and enjoy. From Callings to The Heroine's Journey to Dynamic Women, and to some exciting new offerings (more soon), all of the work I bring together focuses on expanding enthusiasm, zest and vitality for our lives. As women, we can grow in consciousness and we can give ourselves permission to live the lives we came here to live. How do we as women really say hello to our lives and the lives of the people around us? How are women key shapers of changes coming in the world? Together we explore these questions as we seek what is true for us personally and how we can connect with the world around us. Through sharing our insights and experiences, I am inspired by the creativity, spirituality, hope and authenticity awakened in each woman as she finds something to embrace in her life. When I say to a group of such vibrant women, "I am so excited to be here," I mean it. And when I invite you to say hello to life, I mean "Hello to Life!" Sincerely, FranClarke Hello to Life |
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Highlighting Heroines
Robin Harbourt: A Life in Living Color
Heroine Robin Harbourt has a tree in her backyard that she calls her Tree of Divine Yes. She created the tree while taking part in The Next Journey (now Dynamic Women). For Robin, the Dynamic Women experience was about saying yes and creating her own life in a real, conscious place. "My Yes World," she calls it.
"I was lucky enough to be a part of Fran's first Heroine's Journey," says Robin. She credits HJ with awakening forces in her life. "Life started to become in living color," she says. "I still remember so many vivid turning points, vivid images from the meditations."
When Robin completed Heroine's Journey, she was 38 years old, battling breast cancer for the second time and learning to let go. When her oldest child left for college, she returned for a second Heroine's Journey to help her let go of him as best she could. In the course of HJ, she found peace and a consciousness of how she wanted to live her life. Through the trauma of a divorce and the anxiety that followed, Robin turned to the lessons of HJ to conquer hate and to take care of herself. "I am my own self," she says. "There's no hierarchy, no competition. I have a choice in my attitude."
Now 51, Robin works as a physical therapist, helping geriatric patients in a home health setting. Her two children are in college and she says her relationships with her children and with herself have become healthier. "I live a little better in My Yes World," Robin says. "I still have a ways to go. It's a process. But I can credit Heroine's Journey with getting my life back, an awakened life."
 Through Dynamic Women, Robin says she found her "creative yes." Her intuition, her actions and a stronger voice came together into a united force that continues to emerge in her life. Her Tree of Divine Yes stands as a reminder of the power that united force has in her life.
One of the creative outlets that Robin has said yes to is Les Djembes, a women's West African drumming ensemble. The eight women in the group perform ancient African rhythms on djembe drums, which represent the unity and femininity of Africa. "The rhythms are joyous," Robin says. "It's about spreading joy." Robin and the other members of Les Djembes spread joy throughout Louisiana. For more information about the group and their performances, visit their website at www.lesdjembes.com.
Robin with her dogs - "They have taught me a space of pure love, which is what I think a person's spirit is."
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Silvia Bertolazzi: Combining Cultures and Flavors
Heroine Silvia Bertolazzi and Erik Graveson have given Lafayette a treat with the opening of Carpe Diem! Gelato-Espresso Bar, on the corner of Jefferson Street and Convent, downtown. Since its opening in July, the shop has drawn customers in again and again for gelato made daily from fresh ingredients. An Italian frozen dessert made from milk and sugar combined with fruit, chocolate, nuts, spices and liquor, gelato has less fat than ice cream. But with flavors like Fig, Passionfruit, Very Dark Chocolate, Sugarfree Hazelnut and Blackberry Merlot, Silvia's gelato is never short on flavor.
"Carpe Diem! is not only a dream come true, but brings together my two cultures, the Italian one I grew up with, and the American one I am living now," says Silvia. "I have always struggled being in between two cultures, two worlds, and have wanted to combine them. This is where the Heroine's Journey plays an essential part. Thanks to Fran Clarke and her HJ, I was able to finally find who I am, and go in the direction of my dreams. The HJ opened up a whole new world of possibilities and gave me the confidence to do whatever I set my mind to!"
Carpe Diem! is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. |
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From Fran's Bookshelf
The Gift of A Year: How to Achieve the Most Meaningful, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Year of Your Life, by Mira Kirshenbaum
From the front flap: "How often have you said to yourself, "If I only had the time..."? This inspiring, one-of-a-kind book tells you how to give yourself the time you're longing for--starting right now...with the gift of one special year.
In The Gift of a Year, Mira Kirshenbaum shows you how to take your dreams off the back burner and make them a vital and enriching part of your life. And she shows how every woman can do it--even if you can't take a year off, you can take a year for yourself. You'll be amazed at the unlimited possibilities you'll find once you give yourself permission to explore the essential relationship that has somehow gotten lost in the domestic/professional shuffle: the relationship with yourself.
This inspirational book is filled with empowering, real-life stories of women who have given themselves the gift of a year, including why and how they did it, what they got out of it, and what they did afterward. You'll also find checklists and quizzes to help you incorporate this unique plan into your everyday existence."
It is a great follow-up for those of you who have already participated in The Heroine's Journey: A Woman's Search for Truth. The pages of this book can never substitute for the support and encouragement you received from the real-life phenomenal women in the circle with whom you have built personal connections. But I promise that it will continue to generate excitement about giving yourself permission to continue to create a fulfilling and meaningful life. Remember, it's up to each one of us to take responsibility for our lives, and this book can help do that. |
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Callings: Awakening Your Truth
Spots still available in the
August 27th workshop!
A one-day experiential workshop which offers an opportunity for trusted interaction with women and insight into deeper levels of the self. It is a prerequisite to The Heroine's Journey, but it is valuable as a process on its own and can be taken with no commitment to The Heroine's Journey. Generally held once a month, please check the website calendar or contact Fran Clarke for additional dates.
Hello To Life™
200 West University, Lafayette, LA
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