Throw your hands in the air!

http://vimeo.com/runwild/leading-edge-runwild-marathon

I saw this video for the first time today. I was flooded with emotions and of course for me that means lots of tears. It brought me back to the day after the most difficult day of my life. I had entered to run in the Run Wild Leading Edge 10 km race. My boss suggested that I enter it. I thought "A 10K...ya right, I had only run one 5 km race almost a year prior" His reponse to me was "You have 5 months" O.K.....I called my best friend Drina and told her we were doing this. She's run lots of 10 km races. When she agreed I actually got excited and looked forward to this life challenge. I ran on my treadmill almost every day and then when the weather got warmer Drina and I ran outside. The Sunday before the run we ran the route in St Albert for practice and we both did really well! I was actually amazed at how good I felt. I was ready....just had to wait for Sunday May 15th. The day before the run was the day that Kari passed away...I thought about not going in the race but then I thought about how hard I had trained for it and how I had to run it for Kari. Sunday morning came and I know I was still in shock but ready. Drina and I started out together and then about half way through we seperated..... it was almost an unspoken "go ahead Katherine...do what you have to do". The rest of the run was me talking to Kari asking her to help me. I said "O.K Kari I helped you now you are going to help me".....There was a moment when I stopped, almost without even being aware of doing it as I thought I couldn't carry on but it was the love I felt inside for Kari that carried me through. I got to the last kilometer and have never experienced anything like it. There were people lined up on both sides clapping and cheering and saying "you can do it!"....they didn't know me......but they were encouraging and loving. I was so overwhelmed! I lost it the last few strides for so many reasons. I had just accomplished something I never thought I could ever do.... there was a time when I couldn't even run a block. I saw my husband Tony and our son Anthony waiting for me at the finish line!! but most of all I had let Kari's love carry me on when I could have very easily backed out. I will be running in it next year again and I will ask Kari to help me again!

The next time you want to throw your hands up and give up...go ahead and throw them up but ask for the love to carry you through...

The Power of Love!

It was this time last year that I had decided I would try yoga. I am naturally very Zen like but I thought it would help to keep myself centered. Kari was staying with us and we would talk for hours every night....I enjoyed our conversations. Even though it feels good to help others, it can drain the energy supply a bit....
  I bought a DVD and set out to give it a try. There was a TV in Anthony's bedroom so I cleared an area to  put down my yoga mat, changed into workout clothes and hit the pay button. I did the warm up and was getting into the routine when Anthony came in and took a look at the girls on the DVD and said to me "Mamma..you have to take your shirt off!".....of course the girls on the DVD had the little exercise bra tops while I had that but with a t-shirt over top!......I get little man to go and spend some time with Daddy so that I can finish my routine...I do a few more moves and then I hear the door open again.....in runs Kari..she jumps on Anthony's bed...she was excited to talk about her day. I listened for a bit and then I looked at her and said "Kari.....I love you...but this is Yoga...we don't chat through Yoga..we'll talk later O.K" She smiled that big beautiful smile and left me to my Yoga. It's been a while since I have hit that play button but maybe it's time to bring it back.....


A Chakra is one of the seven centres of spiritual energy in the human body. I researched the 4th Chakra and this is what I found:


The 4th Chakra is the central power house of the human energy system. The middle chakra, it mediates between the body and spirit and determines their health and strength. This chakra embodies the spiritual lesson that teaches us how to act out of love and compassion and recognise that the most powerful energy we have is love!  ~Love is Divine Power~ Our own hearts are designed to express beauty, compassion, forgiveness and love. More than any other chakra, the fourth represents our capacity to ~Let Go and Let ~God~ With it's energy we accept our personal emotional challenges as extensions of a divine plan. Once we let go of the pain and stop questioning, we can reach tranquility.  In order to achieve inner peace we have to embrace the healing energy of forgiveness.


Primary Strengths of the 4th Chakra: Love, forgiveness, compassion, dedication, inspiration, hope, trust, and the ability to heal oneself and others.


We are not born fluent in love but spend our life learning about it. It's energy is pure power. We are as attracted to love as we are intimidated by it. We are motivated by love, controlled by it, inspired by it, healed by it and destroyed by it. Love is the fuel of our physical and spiritual bodies. Each of life's challenges is a lesson in some aspect of love.


Sounds simple! yet can be so complicated. Our spirits are precious parts of our being......

Close your eyes and escape for a few minutes....all I can say is WOW!

Free to Soar!

 One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.

 ~ Helen Keller

I believe that everyone has a destination to which they are trying to soar to. I can picture how I want my life to be....but I am not always sure of how to get to it. It's a place where positives outweigh negatives, laughter is louder than anger, a smile is easier than a frown and kindness is everyone's top priority. Sounds too good to be true...but it is in my thoughts and my dreams.

My best friend has nicknamed me "Polly Positive" and I truly take that as a compliment!....My glasses are rose colored and sometimes I don't see things the way others do but wouldn't it be nice if life could be that way. I am learning that the struggles that life puts in our paths are put there to make us stronger. 

I love quotes and want to share a few:

  That was rough.... Thing to do now is try and forget it.... I guess I don't quite mean that.  It's not a thing you can forget.  Maybe not even a thing you want to forget.... Life's like that sometimes... Now and then for no good reason a man can figure out, life will just haul off and knock him flat, slam him agin' the ground so hard it seems like all his insides is busted.  But it's not all like that.  A lot of it's mighty fine, and you can't afford to waste the good part frettin' about the bad.  That makes it all bad.... Sure, I know - sayin' it's one thing and feelin' it's another.  But I'll tell you a trick that's sometimes a big help.  When you start lookin' around for something good to take the place of the bad, as a general rule you can find it.  ~From the movie Old Yeller 

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.  ~John Vance Cheney

 When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.  ~Author Unknown

 I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.  ~William Penn

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.  ~Steven Kloves, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (movie)  

"pink flutter"

A "pink flutter" is a story of love, compassion or anything that is close to your heart. This is my first pink flutter I would like to share.

It has been almost a year since Kari came to stay with us for a few weeks. During that short period she formed a close bond with my son Anthony, who at the time was 4. He enjoyed their time together and I will make sure that he remembers the fun they had. This was a fun evening.... After Kari had found her apartment she came over for dinner and to do her laundry. Anthony loves to "help" so he folded all of her towels!

When Kari passed away I knew that I had to tell Anthony but really had no idea how to do that. I researched how to talk to children about death and determined that I had to be honest....kind of. I couldn't say that she was in heaven because how do explain that to a 4 year old. I couldn't say that she went away..."went away where mamma?" I had not said anything for a few days however, I think he may have already known. One day when we got home from daycare we were sitting on the couch together and he looked at me and said "Mamma...when you do good things on earth God makes you an Angel"...oh my gosh!!!!...there was my opening and I went with it.... "Kari and Jayda are now angels Anthony". We talked about butterflies and how they are our special angels so everytime Anthony saw a butterfly in the yard he would say "It's Kari, Mamma!" At the end of his nightly prayer he says "I love my Mamma and Daddy and my special angels Kari and Jayda". He may not fully comprehend right now but one day he will...he will always a special place in his heart for his special angels...

I have heard that everytime you see a feather it means that an angel is with you. I was thinking about Kari while I was walking to work this morning and when I was about to take off my runners there was a feather on my laces.
xox I know you are with us and always will be xox  

A rush of wings
they flutter high
to touch the sun
and kiss the sky
A butterfly
is with us now
No more a caterpillar
upon a leaf
with angel wings
A soaring butterfly
with us they sing

Lili Pintea-Reed copyright 2002

Pretty in Pink

I just finished celebrating another birthday meaning another year has been experienced. It has been a year of so many challenges and so many accomplishments, full of so much joy yet so much pain. I have been tested to a limit which I never even imagined I would get to and be able to endure. I am perhaps stronger than I ever imagined I could be. Life is constantly throwing curve balls and I now catch them instead of closing my eyes and hoping I don't get hit on the head!! I know I have become a different person during the second half of this year, becoming less tolerant of the negatives. There still seems to be a lot of forces at work trying to squash my spirit but I will do all that I can to ensure that I let my light shine! 




I made these pretty pink bubble heart necklaces on the weekend. As always, designing and then putting them together is very calming and rewarding. It's a chance to clear the mind so it's ready for the next blessing!



“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
~ Leo Buscaglia

I found this beautiful silver butterfly pendant and thought it would make a beautiful necklace. It's heavy and chunky and I thought it would be a great fun piece. It took me 2 days to get to this point. I tried a few different combinations of beads, other pendants and stringing materials. I sat and stared at it in each of it's stages and envisioned what it could be.....I asked my husband for his opinion but when he didn't appear to like it I said "really...I do!" after staring at it again and taking his thoughts into consideration I started over.....I thought the pink ribbon was a pretty touch but it wasn't enough.  

The addition of the black cord gives it a heavier look while still remaining soft. Now the task of figuring out to add the clasp. It may take another 2 days but it will happen. Everything always has a way of working out...sometimes not the way we want it to or when we want it to but it does happen if we have faith in the process.

  

 

I absolutely love this video and every time I watch it I cry...tears of all sorts...the sad ones, the confused ones, the frustrated ones but most of all the hopeful ones. There is so much "good" in the world and if we just stop and appreciate it I know that someday we all will "figure it out".  ENJOY!  

 



Welcome to Pink Flutter Designs. My name is Katherine Anderson and this is my very first blog!  

I created Pink Flutter Designs in loving memory of my niece Kari Noelle Jenkins and her daughter Jayda Arline Jenkins who both passed away in the spring of this year. My sister Charlene, gave me Kari's bead supplies as she knew I would do something good with them. I have to say that I had no idea how to make anything with beads! I used a couple of the necklaces that Kari had made which were given to me, as an example.







 

I researched on the web a number of "how to's" and

I gave it a try.  The very first necklace I made turned out perfect....in my mind anyway!

 I knew that Kari was guiding me every step of the way. I have made a few more but they were certainly not perfect. Every time I hit a glitch I would get frustrated but I knew that Kari was just making me "do it right". I kept on trying, sometimes over and over again. 

I then tried stretch bracelets which seemed relatively easy. My favorite so far has been the earrings. I have stood in the craft store bead isle for what felt like hours staring at all of the different shapes, sizes and colors of beads available. There are SO many! It has been alot of fun trying different combinations and creating jewelry which I love. My hope is that others will also.  

As I continue to learn how to make jewelry and how to "blog" I look forward to sharing all of the wonderful things I will be able to create. I feel that this helps me to stay connected to Kari and Jayda's spirits and I would love to be able to share this with everyone they touched.  They are always in our minds and forever in our hearts!! xox