What is support?

I want to share with you all a poem I received during one of my Doula Training Classes.  I went home the night I received it and read it over and over again.  It really made me think about what kind of Doula I want to be and what I want to offer to mamas.  This poem also made me reflect on the support I have given and was given to me in my past and present.  I realized that this poem isn't only for mamas in labor but also for the female relationships in my life.  My mama, sister, grandmothers, aunts, girlfriends, cousins, coworkers, and all the females in my life.  It is so important to support each other and to do it the right way by always being there unconditionally.  Being surrounded by positive, encouraging, and supportive females is a necessity in life.  If you look at past and present tribes from around the world, the women of the tribes always worked together and supported each other in a generous circle of love and kindness.  I think in today's American society we need to remember our female relationships and think about the support we give them.  Can we reach out to women we don't know but that needs support?  Can we love more?  Can we support more?

WHAT IS SUPPORT?

-Anonymous

Support is unconditional.

It is listening...

not judging, not telling your own story.

Support is not offering advice...

it is offering a handkerchief, a touch, a hug...caring.

We are here to help women discover what they are feeling...

not to make the feelings go away.

We are here to help a woman identify her options...

not to tell her which options to choose.

We are here to discuss steps with a woman...

not to take the steps for her.

We are here to help a woman discover her own strength...

not to rescue her and leave her still vulnerable.

We are here to help a woman discover she can help herself...

not to take responsibility for her.

We are here to help a woman learn to choose...

not to make it unnecessary for her to make difficult choices. 

Peace, love, and understanding,

Alyson

CARE

My husband and I don't usually do things the "normal" and expected way and that included our honeymoon.  We paid for a lot of our wedding celebration and being a new family, we didn't have a lot of money to go on an extravagant, fancy honeymoon.  And to be very honest, I am so glad we didn't!

We decided to drive down to San Francisco and join our favorite musician, Michael Franti, celebrate his annual Power to the Peaceful Festival.  This was by far one of the most memorable and amazing experiences of my life!  We got to see Franti play three times and meet him personally during our stay in San Francisco.  The festival was three days long full of music, yoga, workshops, food, and forums.  On the last day of the festival, Michael Franti held an intimate gathering at the San Francisco's Herbst Theatre.  This gathering was a Celebration & Global Action Forum with the organization, CARE, which he is an ambassador for.  The celebration included workshops on what we can do as individuals to stop poverty, defend girl's & women's rights, and fight global hunger worldwide.  The day ended with a reception and an intimate acoustic concert by Michael Franti, where we were able to meet and speak with him briefly.  He even signed his childrens book for our son. It was such an eye-opening and motivating experience. This celebration introduced us to the organization CARE and I instantly new I wanted to learn more about them.   I have been wanting to write about CARE, since our honeymoon and finally after a year I am doing it. 

Click here to see more from our trip

Since our trip, I have followed CARE through their websites and have desired do more for this organization.  CARE is a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.  They have a special focus on working with poor women because equipped with the proper tools, women have the power to help families and communities escape poverty.  They have many campaigns within their one organization.  One that I am drawn to and hope that I can be apart of one day is Mothers Matter.  Mothers Matter is a campaign that helps educate pregnant mothers and keep them safe during labor in poverty stricken areas.   They provide educated midwives, doctors, and doulas to these areas to help reduce the high percentage of maternal mortality while maintaining the respect and honor of their cultures.  They help educate and build strength in these mothers, so they have a chance to have a safe and healthy pregnancy and labor.  AMAZING!  I really hope to work with this program one day or one just like it.

Pregnant mamas and giving support during labor is a passion of mine especially mamas that come from poverty.  They need support just like everyone else.  That is why I am so drawn to this organization and why I write today about them.  The other campaigns are just as amazing by providing education, resources to help adapt & avoid climate change, tools to protect and educate against AIDS/HIV, and resources to allow women to start small businesses throughout Africa. It is an amazing organization that works globally and might even be in an area close to you.  I have connected with some of the individuals who work at CARE and they are sending me an "action kit", which will provide me with tools to be able to help spread the word of CARE.  Which is the point of my post today. They need advocates, volunteers, donations, and voices from so many.  I hope that this can inspire some of you to check out their website. 

Links

CARE

CARE- Get involved

CARE- Letters to send to our elected officials asking for help and change

JoinMyVillage.com (You can help, just by clicking.)




Happy caring,
Alyson


“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” -Mother Teresa

Menus, Becoming a Doula, and Remembering

I feel empowered,  I feel amazing,  I feel like I made the best and biggest step towards this amazing journey I am about to embark on.  My first class in my doula program was perfect!  I went into this not knowing what to expect.... and within 5 minutes of being in the class I knew I was in the right place.  I was following my heart!  I have some big dreams with becoming a doula.  I eventually want to see my dream become an organization that would provide prenatal, labor, and postpartum support to mamas who are low-income, poverty stricken,  non-English speaking,  incarcerated, or single mamas who don't have much support.  My motto.....Everyone deserves a doula!

I have had many people ask me what a doula is.  So for those of you who don't know, here is a definition according to the DONA website....."A doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth."  Many studies have shown that when doulas are present in birth, labors have fewer complications, babies are healthier and will breastfed easier.  Helping mamas with pregnancy and birth seems to come natural to me and I am beyond ecstatic to follow my heart with this natural dream.



As we speak of dreams, today especially, but also every single day we need to remember one of our peacemakers, Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream.  As we remember, we need to realize why it is important we bring even more peace to this world.  It is important that we can reach out to our fellow humans no matter what color, sex, religion, race, sexual orientation or economic status.  I know there is a lot to be done in this world to achieve peace, which is why I practice compassion.  In order for us to make big strides, we must start small.  If everyone did little things to practice compassion...our world will slowly become a more peaceful place.  We can do it!

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  -Martin Luther King, Jr.  

On to our menu of the week.  I am wanting to learn how to cook more global and international foods, so this week I am trying out a couple African recipes.  I am going to dedicate a whole blog post to these recipes with pictures and my experience.  Stay tuned!

MENU:

MONDAY:  Dinner out with my family.  Salvador Molly's!  YUM!

TUESDAY:  Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole

WEDNESDAY:  Mtuzi wa Samaki (white fish in coconut curry, from Kenya.) with Yemarina Yewotet Dabo (Ethiopian honey bread). 

THURSDAY:  Veggie Fajitas

FRIDAY:  Homemade Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

SATURDAY-  Spinach and Lemon Soup with Orzo

SUNDAY-  Leftovers and a big veggie salad

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

Happy cooking and peacemaking,

Alyson

"Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King
and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the Earth.
Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood, that we are bound together
in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong."
-James Taylor- 'Shed a Little Light'