Beads As Seeds of Change

In an earlier post I told a story of trying  to help some single mothers in my pueblo of Honduras. There was a time in my life when I was a single mom. After years of being self-employed  I did not qualify for aid, not even food stamps.Family was not helping. I think this is why I felt the need to try to help these two women who were struggling to survive. Not being able to care financially for their children is the greatest fear of single moms. They often see their only alternative is in finding another man to help them, but another man can bring more problems. 

I had grandiose plans of what I could do to assist these women, but the Universe was much wiser. The results that came in under my design were meager but were enough to confirm that I was headed in the right direction; I  was just taking the wrong mode of travel. As my little project evolved, greater than I could have ever expected, a second more personal project was birthed. This became my bead adventure. I was impressed to ask my friends and family to send me a bead as a birthday gift. I was going to create a necklace of oneness for my 65^th birthday. The process became a beautiful journey of self-awareness.  This bead adventure reconnected me to a time when the kindness of others  was the hand up I needed.

All that has occurred during this year has been  a journey under direction of a Higher Power. The two women I wanted to help have now become a program of help that is strengthening a community. As more women are being brought to my attention, I wondered where the money would come from to supply the help they needed. There are contributions from interested and caring people but it was also about that time that I felt impressed to share this beautiful crafting idea in a book. My birthday idea became a how-to book of crafting relationships with beads  along with a beautiful adventure for the soul. The idea and story of connection is creating a ripple; other women are making their own strands of connection. This heart connection has already extended to many different points around the globe and is connecting with my little beach community of El Porvenir. Here, royalties from the  book are supporting a growing Single Mom’s Project. What a beautiful gift of sharing.  Follow the Mother's Project   
Learn more:  www.wisdompathway.com

Giving Moms a Hand

Many years ago, I was a single unemployed mom. I was living in a tourist area during the off-season.  I had no job, financial support or help from family, but a church with a food pantry gave me enough for my children and I to survive until I began earning money.  I started a housecleaning service with the help of my 13-year old daughter. I have never felt badly scarred from that period, but I did receive some CEUs from the school of hard knocks. That period also left me with a tender place in my heart for single self-employed mothers.

Most mothers dream of having their children thrive. They feed that dream through their example. Since moving to the Central American country of Honduras, I have learned the dream of many single mothers is simply for their children to survive.  In my barrio, there are two single mothers, working their own small businesses. They manage to support themselves and their children. They even pay for their children’s schooling, but it is an existence living.  These women are no different from me. I found a way to realize the dream for my children and I felt these women might also realize theirs by improving their businesses. So I  started a Single Mother’s Hand-Up Project that helps create strong home based businesses for women in her area, deserted by their husbands.  

My vision for this little beach community is that it set a standard for the country. For women to find financial freedom through their own independent businesses, for their voices to be heard in government and their influence help the country rise above the poverty that incubates crime.

Follow the project on Face Book @

https://www.facebook.com/Gringos.n.Paradise?ref=hl

Read about other ways to make the world better @

http://www.amazon.com/The-Threaded-Gem-Adventure-connect/dp/1490920161