tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32100364388582782992024-03-29T02:25:05.125-07:00Bravelets BlogAdrien@Eclair Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146564626242348854noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-20407796282916968832018-04-24T17:04:00.002-07:002018-04-25T10:59:06.329-07:00Undying Hope: A Brave Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On our main website we allow submissions for Brave Stories. This an opportunity for people to share their stories and show their journey towards bravery. When Megan sent in her story, we were hit with so much emotion. Her story is enlightening and should serve as inspiration to stay strong during hard times. Her story is quite long, but every word is beautifully written and moving. We hope you all learn through Megan's struggles that there is a light outside the dark tunnel and perseverance and a little faith can get you to where you need to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Submit your own </span>Brave Story <a href="https://www.bravelets.com/pages/brave-stories" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #38bfc3; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 1: Undying Hope</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is not easy. No, in fact every part of me rejected the idea of publishing this. But this is why I started a blog in the first place. To be vulnerable. To express that vulnerability and brokenness is real. And to tell others that it's okay to step into your vulnerability and that it is most likely required of you, in order to transform your life. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I have found that once you are able to be authentically real with yourself is when true healing begins. My intention is not to draw unnecessary attention to the details of my life. It is not to prove to myself or others that I triumphed over my 'sad story'. Because this is not a sad story. This is my hope story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I want to expose the truth to those who are reading this and to tell you that life can be really difficult and that it is okay to not be okay sometimes. We were taught from a young age to conceal our emotions, appear strong in the face of adversity, and to not crumble under emotional distress. But the great flaw in this way of thinking is that we are human and at some point in our lives we will all fall apart and suffer greatly. Suffering comes in many forms; the death of a loved one, a traumatic life event, a major life change, etc. We are much more alike then we perceive ourselves to be, yet we fight so valiantly to remain separate; to fight our battles alone. There is truth that our interconnected-ness can be found in our weaknesses. My hope story is about how something tragic brought me closer to my faith in God, closer to the people I love, and inspired me to change and renew my life. I have found that sometimes we need to allow ourselves to be completely vulnerable in front of others in order to transform into the person we were truly meant to be. This story is my personal expression of vulnerability. A story I buried deep within and never had any intention of sharing with anyone. But now it's time for me to let it go.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I was 19 years old, I was raped by the person I had been in a relationship with for over five years.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I had not consented. I verbally said no.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It happened in my own home. I was stone cold sober. And just like that the foundation of my life, which was based on security and trust, was shaken. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I thought I could trust this person. Our relationship in high school was awkward, loving, and good. But when I went to college and realized many of our values no longer aligned, our exchanges became unhealthy, destructive, and at times violent. I was publicly humiliated, emotionally shamed, and more then once, physically assaulted. There were no respectful boundaries established and when I attempted to distance myself from him, I found myself trapped in a series of his insecurities and rage.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">No part of me felt comfortable disclosing this information to anyone. Especially the people I loved. My parents knew something was wrong, but at the time I didn't have the courage to tell them the truth. I just told them I needed their help, because I was, in fact, afraid of him. Without probing, they did what parents do best, and they protected me. We changed our garage code. I changed my passwords and any personal information he knew about me. If he came to the door, my mother would answer and tell him I wasn't home. He would unexpectedly show up at my workplace. My co-workers would cover for me and we'd awkwardly laugh it off, despite the fact that it was much more serious than I made it seem. He would knock on my ground-floor window at night, leave threatening voice-mails and take advantage of my compassion and empathy. I felt obligated to respond because I thought he was a threat to himself and those around him. I didn't want him to be in pain, despite the fact that he had caused so much turmoil in my heart. I knew what a broken heart could do to someone. It can make you go mad. But it didn't excuse his behavior and I was forced to cut all ties and communication with him.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">For over two years, I was in denial that the rape was real, because I refused to believe it had happened to me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>These are the stereotypes our culture had taught me and reinforced over the years:</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sexual assault happens with strangers. It occurs if you are promiscuous or put yourself in dangerous situations.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are assaulted, it's your fault, because you wanted it, or because you allowed yourself to be in that kind of a relationship. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">If you report it, it because you feel guilty about what happened and you want revenge. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b>And by 'you', I mean the hundreds of thousands of women and men whose lives have been affected by the devastating consequences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.</b></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Let me give you some sobering statistics:</b><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sexual assault affects <b><span style="font-size: large;">1 in 4 women and 1 in 33 men</span></b> in their lifetime. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The false reporting of sexual assault crimes only happens </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">1-4%</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the time, which is consistent with the false reporting rates for all other felonies. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">31%</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of cases are reported, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">6%</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of cases lead to arrest, and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">only .7%</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> lead to a felony conviction. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Meaning nearly 99% of abusers will walk free. </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perpetrators of sexual trauma are less likely to go to prison than other criminals as nearly </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">70%</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of all cases are never reported to the police.</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It is clear that the prevalence of sexual assault and intimate partner violence is unfathomably common. But the real question I was faced with was this: Why is it so difficult for survivors like me to step forward? Before I shared my story with anyone, I was a health educator on my college campus speaking out about these issues. I became president of the student health organization that was leading the national campaigns 'Step Up' and 'It's On Us' for bystander intervention and sexual assault prevention. I wanted to help create awareness about this epidemic and help others feel safe and supported, even when I did not. No one was aware it had also happened to me. I sat through countless board and committee meetings with other students and faculty members to collaborate on how the university could create better policies, programs, and awareness campaigns. It became apparent that whenever someone's personal experiences were brought into a conversation, a daunting silence and awkwardness filled the room. Did a personal account of sexual assault somehow make a person less competent or credible while trying to create sustainable policy change? Did we not know how to support survivors, or did we simply forget how to empress empathy and compassion towards one another?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I quickly realized we weren't just fighting a battle trying to prevent the issue, as survivors we were also fighting the shame, guilt and cultural stigmas that made people so uncomfortable and intolerant of survivors speaking out. I was raised in a Catholic home and saw the value in sharing intimacy with only one person in marriage. At my very core, I believed in being united with one person in intimacy. The problem is that I was too immature to understand why waiting until marriage had extreme merit and value. And after the rape occurred, my entire spiritual foundation was shaken. I realized I had remained in an abusive relationship because I intended to marry the person I gave my virginity to. And now I felt like I had failed God and my future spouse. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">By coming forward, I also didn't want to be labeled as 'sexually deviant', 'promiscuous', 'stupid' or 'weak'.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">So I buried the secret deep within. Away from exposure. Away from reality. Away from the truth. I made the subconscious choice to live in denial and avoidance. I was a high-achiever and learned that if I could achieve my way through life, there was never a reason for me to be considered a failure in the eyes of others. In fact, I knew I could draw attention away from this tragedy in my life by dazzling others with my accolades. And it worked for while...</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Until I met the love of life.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I met him, everything changed. Instantly, I became vulnerable all over again. I exposed to him my scars because I knew he had pain of his own. I wanted him to accept me as I was, and he did. It was a relief to finally be able to tell someone else the truth. He made me feel bright once again, and very slowly I gained the courage to expose my scars to others as well. In the spring of my senior year of college, we marched in a parade together in solidarity with other survivors. It was the first time I openly attended an event for my own healing. Everyone thought I was there to oversee the event, but in reality I was there for myself. And so was he. And that meant the world to me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">And I thought it would end there. We would march until the demonstration was over. I'd let the tears continue to fall to the pavement over my grief and I could leave the past behind. It was over now. And together we would live happily ever after. The end.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">But that's when the PTSD symptoms started kicking in. And then everything fell apart.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">At first it came on slowly. But then there was an onset all at once. I began experiencing hyper arousal disturbances, exaggerated startle response, night terrors, and physiological reactivity to trauma cues that caused cognitive disturbances. I didn't know it was possible for memories I had buried so deeply to resurface so vividly and intrusively, let alone that PTSD symptoms could arise years after a trauma has occurred. But according to the National Women's Study, about 33 percent of rape victims develop PTSD at any point during their lifetime. It felt like someone had taken over my mind and body and was re-playing a video reel of disturbing and intrusive images. Every day presented an onset of new triggers and emotional/physical reactions. Loud noises brought on panic attacks, stressful situations made me want to lie down and give up, and I couldn't find the words to communicate to others what was happening to me. Why was I suffering the consequences of something that happened two years ago in the present day? Why did I feel ashamed, guilty, and broken when I wasn't the person that had caused this pain to begin with?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">For a month, I had to sleep with a light on in my room because I would wake up from night terrors and forget where I was. I was jumpy and easily startled. I became extremely paranoid and fearful that my perpetrator was going to show up unannounced like he had done many times before. If I overheard a couple loudly arguing in a public space, I would have nervous breakdown. I became overly-sensitive to criticism, unresponsive to suggestions or encouragement, and was verbally abusive when I felt attacked. When I drank alcohol, the symptoms and my reactions only grew worse. On the night of my graduation, I remember running down the street to my house with my significant other close behind me. I turned around and started screaming at him in sheer panic not to hurt me. Of course he wasn't going to hurt me. But my brain couldn't understand the context of the situation. In my mind, I was right there, experiencing the trauma all over again. I can't imagine the pure heartbreak he felt, time and time again when I pushed him away. No one told him it was okay to feel the way that he did. Because in many ways, he was being traumatized too. He was fighting off ghosts and tried appearing like it wasn't affecting him also. But he continued fighting my battles and held my hand through the worst of it. Because he knew I needed help. The truth is, there was a lot of help available, but I was far too prideful to consider it. Which is why I don't blame him for leaving. Because I knew why he had to get away. It still burned my heart from the inside out and I fell into an even deeper depression than I was before.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I was broken and brokenhearted in every way. My pride quickly dissolved and was replaced with extreme self-pity. The activities I once loved and found enjoyable turned grey. I stopped exercising. I gained weight. I didn't care anymore. No one loved me, so why should I? I couldn't make it through an 8 hour work day without several trips to a single stall bathroom, where I would allow myself 2-3 minutes to completely fall apart. Sometimes I numb myself out completely. I had developed a habit of self-harm in high school to deal with the emotional scars of rumors and the abuse I'd taken from teenage girls. I could hide it in discrete places along my leg or upper thigh and no one ever suspected a thing. It was my own unhealthy way of dealing with emotional stress. For the first time in years, I had resorted back to cutting to take the edge off the PTSD symptoms. When I was triggered, the world, for several minutes, would go fuzzy. There was an actual ringing noise I could hear inside my head. Sometimes just knowing that I was still capable of feeling pain would lessen the numbing. Suicidal thoughts became more concrete. What's the point? Why am I here? It doesn't matter anymore.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I became immobilized and spiteful towards the world around me. Fear and emotional instability was crippling my life. That was my reality. It was not pretty. It was down-right atrocious.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Until I reached out for help and allowed the pain to wash me clean.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It started with a three day trip to a psychiatric ward. Yes, I did, in fact, spend three days in one of these institutions. My parents picked me up from a Mustard Seed parking only a few miles away from my office after having a major anxiety attack. They found me curled up in the fetal position, shaking uncontrollably. I told them I couldn't go home, and I didn't trust myself to be left alone.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I had taken several stabs at my wrist with a pen the week before while waiting for a cab.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The only reason I got home safely was because I had called my best friend to tell her I loved her. I told her I couldn't handle the pain anymore and I just wanted it to be over. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I recognize now that it's not because I didn't want to live; I just wanted the pain to go away. No one wants to be in pain. That is completely human. We avoid pain at any cost, for all kinds of reasons. To avoid confrontation, humiliation, rejection, loneliness, and vulnerability. We would rather lay down and die then appear weak or vulnerable in the face of adversity. But that is also why pain is the ultimate paradox. Through suffering, we are purified and forced to grow into something new.We must learn to start over. To let go. We must die inside to let the light back in.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">That night my best friend and my sister fought for me, when I wasn't capable of fighting for myself. These two are the real heroes of this story. Without them, there wouldn't be a hope story. And they will never understand how grateful I am for the selfless love they both displayed so courageously to protect me. It was the kind of love that my parents displayed the day they took me to the hospital. The kind of love my significant other held me with in moments of despair. It was the kind of love that never fails.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">So when I was in the hospital, I promised myself I had to get better for the people I loved. I wrote the word 'Excelsior' on a piece of paper and hung it up in my room in light of Silver linings Playbook. It was my best friend's favorite movie. I remembered the line, "This is what I learned in the hospital. You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining." I realized that I, too, had the choice to quit, or find the silver linings in my life. My sister and mom came to visit me every day, twice a day, and we would make light-hearted jokes about the cold coffee and the woman who wouldn't stop shouting at the telephone. I survived using humor and grace. I had several exhausting interviews with different doctors and nursing staff members and was required to attend a community group therapy session daily. The one thing that provided me the most relief was craft time. We weren't allowed to use scissors or glue, which was limiting in many ways. I did however find a way to collage ripped pieces of paper I had taken from a magazine and paste it together with gold paint. I formed a heart out of the magazine clippings and shockingly, it turned out quite beautiful. That day, I found an innate truth: that I am capable of making beautiful things out of hopeless situations.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I never wanted to forget what I had learned, so when I returned home I framed it and hung it up on my bedroom wall.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In my vulnerability and brokenness, I found an undeniable truth. In that truth, I found hope. And with hope, I began to heal my life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #38bfc3; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 2: Unyielding Faith</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">After I was hospitalized, I discovered things inside of me were still broken. There wasn't a magic pill that was going to fix everything (although the doctors did send me on my way with several). This time, I knew I had to take full ownership of my pain. I could no longer live in denial of the fact that I needed help or that I could do it alone. Every day I would have to be vulnerable and expose myself to others in order to get better. It didn't happen all at once, but slowly I was able to find new resources that were able to better support me and equip me with the tools I needed to heal. The best and most humbling resource I came to first and foremost, was God. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I was a child, I had a very strong relationship with God. I attended mass regularly, said bedtime prayers every evening, and knew with all my heart that He was with me. I did not doubt any part of His existence. A few months ago I found a note I had written my grandfather when I was twelve, confirming this unyielding faith. The note said, "Dear Pa, I hope you like the cross I made for you! If you feel alone you are not, because God and Jesus are always with you. I really hope you always remember that! Love, Megan." In addition to the note, there was a wooden cross I had whittled out of sticks. I remember how long it took me to carve the cavity on one piece of wood that would allow the other to fit, just right. As I grew older, I started asking myself how Christianity could fit 'just right' into the various aspects of my life, and I didn't have a clear answer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I knew that Jesus Christ was our 'Savior' but how could that change or be intimately connected to my circumstances here on earth? As I started experiencing heartbreak, loss, and suffering, I became rather unconvinced that He alone was capable of saving me. I grew quieter in my faith and stopped speaking out about my own personal beliefs because I didn't really know what they were any more. As a child, my heart was pure, but as I grew older, I allowed the cultural norms, materialism, and modern media to draw me further away from the church and from God.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The rebirth of my relationship with Him this year played an extremely pivotal role in my healing and made what was once broken, brand new.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It happened on a particularly difficult day. Two important relationships in my life came to a screeching halt. I drove to my church and took refuge in the only place I could think would give me solitude and peace. The church was empty and I kneeled in a pew in the back and cried. It was an out-pour of my vulnerability. After listing my grievances, I cupped my hands in front of me, as if I was holding something very precious. I slowly raised them upward and said, "Here. I am giving this up to you God because I don't know what else to do with it. You are the only one I can trust. I don't know where I am going, what I am doing, or how I am supposed to fix this mess of a life, but I am giving it back you." It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit unleashed my soul. It was a moment that changed me in my faith. God didn't need me to be this perfect version of myself I had falsely created in front of others. He desired a relationship with me in my brokenness. I begged him for mercy. I asked him to forgive me for not coming to him sooner. I had to come to this place of weakness to fully understand that in my suffering there was renewal and hope. God was my undying hope, and I was capable of leaning on Him for all of my needs, especially the things I did not have answers to. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" -Proverbs 3:5</b></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">For many years I relied too heavily on the affirmations of others to know that I was sufficient, and that I was pursuing the right path in life. But God alone is capable of healing our hearts and providing us refuge. I realized that many of us turn away from Him when we are broken because we are either angry with our circumstances or feel insufficient to humble ourselves before Him and ask for help. But He is our loving Father and the creator of all things, and we often forget that He alone knows completely of our individual suffering. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">People often ask "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or exclaim "I don't believe in a God that would allow something like this to happen," because I believe it is easier for us to harden our hearts and turn away from God, then to examine the truth the lies within. Sometimes we prefer that our lives be a different story than the one God seems to be writing. In our fragile existence it doesn't make much sense to turn a romance into a drama, or an adventure into a tragedy. But when we push God away, it's more often than not a mere reflection of our own brokenness, pride, selfishness, or insecurities. That was certainly the case in my own life. I had to come to God on my own terms to understand how merciful and glorious he truly is. The truth is that we all have free will. This is both a blessing God has bestowed upon us and an enormous responsibility. Because free will exists in the world, so does sin. And with sin comes evil. Evil that creates wars and death, induces fear, and silences truth. Sin only exists because we all have the choice to either live a life of integrity and love, or use our words and actions to cause pain and suffering in the lives of others. God does not take away life or create situations that inflicts suffering. Suffering and pain is the result of our own sin. And God wants us to turn away from the things that cause us suffering and return back to Him. The word 'sin' in literal translation means to 'miss the mark'. When I began to examine the areas in my own life that I had been falling short of or missing the mark in, I found what was truly important. Love. And in order to truly love, we must also learn how to forgive.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I came to know that the people who had caused me the most pain in my life had also experienced extreme pain of their own. It was not a reflection of something I had done to them, but rather a reflection of their own insecurities, grief, and sin. With this in mind, I started changing my thought patterns and behavior. I stopped criticizing myself and others and chose to pray about it instead. When someone hurt me, instead of wishing they would come to understand the consequences of their actions, I prayed for good things in their life. I chose to forgive and pardon them anyway. It may sound like a naive way of interacting with the world, but it created new space for happiness and more time for letting go of the things that no longer helped me flourish. I gave up social media for six months. The more I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled, the unhappier I was with my own life. Because no one wants to admit they may be suffering too. We only allow others to see the beautiful parts of our lives. But that's not reality. I asked myself, 'how many likes does it take to actually live a happy life?' When I finally created a space without distractions, I discovered God was the only 'like' that truly mattered in my life and He willingly accepted me as I came. I stopped watching Netflix and cable television all together. I realized so much of the content in modern media was disturbing, violent, sexualized, or completely incongruent with the way I actually wanted to live my life. It wasn't until I starting living in this extremely filtered way that I understood how desensitized and brain-washed our society has become. When I stopped listening to pop culture music I became more aware of my own language and use of profanity and I decided to start speaking with more integrity. Because I had more free time on my hands, I read more books then I've probably read in three years. I became a volunteer at my church mentoring teens on Sundays. I cut out alcohol for Lent and gained exceptional clarity about the way alcohol affected my life. I was inspired by the documentary, 'The Minimalists' and decided to minimize my life by cutting my closet in half. I sold my clothes to a local thrift shop and donated the rest to Goodwill.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">At first it was really difficult; especially when it came to letting go of parts of my life that were comfortable or familiar. It was easier to try and find a 'quick fix' and a temporary kind of happiness that resulted from buying a new pair of shoes or 'vegging out' and watching TV. But the further I removed myself from the everyday trends of our world, the happier and more at peace I felt with myself. I was on a journey that set my soul free.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The things I did not understand, I gave back to God, and more often then not, He began revealing answers to me that I wasn't expecting. I learned how to forgive myself and be gentle in my own thoughts once again.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I discovered that the world wasn't against me, but that we are born inherently good; sometimes we just get stuck. Things will never be perfect, but as we begin seeking the light in our own lives and the good in the lives of others, God's love reflects brightly back at us.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #38bfc3; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 3: Breaking Free</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The moment I accepted Christ into my heart, the more choices I starting making out of love rather than fear and everything around me began to flourish once again. Even my closest friends who helped dig me out of the abyss I was once in, noticed that something was different about me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It doesn't mean that the circumstances of my life immediately got better, but there was an inner peace that helped ground me. I sought out therapy from a trauma specialist.We did two particular types of treatment including sensory motor psychotherapy and EMDR, which is an abbreviated version of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. We began examining my attachment theories, generational attachments, and worked through my conscious thoughts and cognitive disturbances. I admitted to her that after a few weeks of working together, I seriously considered not coming back. Therapy was hard work. It was unbearable at times to sit in front of someone and expose such vulnerable and raw things about myself. It was difficult to release the deeply seeded attachments I had formed in early childhood and carried with me all my life. But I also recognized how necessary it was for me to continue showing up in order to step into a greater awareness of myself and learn how I related to the world around me. I didn't have to allow the actions of others to disturb my healing or the way I viewed myself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I would highly recommend to anyone reading this, <b>take the time to go to therapy.</b> You do not have to have some traumatic life experience as a prerequisite excuse to go. You will discover and uncover things you never had any idea had such influence or hold over you. I learned that a car accident I had gotten into when I was sixteen year old was still affecting me every time I am a passenger in someone else's car. I learned that the way I formed my attachments in early childhood influenced every relationship I made in early adulthood. Experiences in childhood friendships, sports teams, and child-adult relationships, all lead back to the same overlapping theme that I believed I was not worthy enough. So naturally, I became my own worst enemy and self-critic. No wonder I tried achieving my way through life in order to offset this extremely limiting self-belief. Most people throughout my life have misjudged me as living this 'picture-perfect-privileged' life. Yet I went through seasons of extreme self-hatred and grief.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>We are all facing great battles inside our own heads and hearts.</b> How deceitful and judgmental we are of ourselves and one another!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It was extraordinary to discover how much information my subconscious was capable of latching onto and refusing to let go of. We all have those deeply rooted subconscious memories. It takes courage to step into that kind of vulnerability, but it is also amazing how freeing it can be to step into a new awareness that allows you to rise above it. If it is important enough to you, you will be able to find the resources and the time to go.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I also started seeking treatment from a reiki practitioner. Reiki is the activation of 'chi' which is considered our 'life energy'. I experienced a lot of pain in my physical body because of the rape. There were many blockages throughout my body including unexplainable hip pain, extreme heaviness and grief surrounding my heart, and a lack of lung capacity. I had severe anemia my senior year of college which quite literally means 'a lack of energy' or a lack of oxygen to the red blood cells inside your body. It is not a coincidence that the anemia manifested during the onset of the PTSD symptoms.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I discovered reiki through my mother who had been seeking treatment of her own for six months. She has an autoimmune condition and was completely healed of the inflammation in her blood cells through diet changes and reiki alone. It was nothing short of miraculous, so I sought out treatment for myself to help ease my anxiety. The more exposed I became to it, the more my physical and emotional symptoms subsided.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It is a scientific fact that there is an energetic field in our bodies that cannot be detected once we die. I consider this our spiritual body, or the soul. I came to understand that Reiki, in it's purest form, is the Holy Spirit moving through people. Everyone is capable of harnessing the Holy Spirit, therefore it is possible for us to heal ourselves and one another. Reiki originated in Japan as an ancient form of healing and clears blockages throughout the physical and energetic body. I started taking classes from my therapist to help continue my healing journey, and am humbled to say I am now a certified Reiki Master. The most incredible part of my reiki journey was discovering that in order to become a practitioner, you must first experience a healing journey of your own. There were times throughout my practice that I was so sure of God's presence, that not a single bone in my body could ever deny His existence. Reiki may have been the umbrella under which I helped hear God's call, but it is His voice that ultimately lead me to Him. We are but humble vessels doing His work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the fall of last year I also called the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and was put on waiting list to join a free support group for women. There were only a certain number of people allowed per session which met over a 10 week period of time. The center required individuals to have at least four to six months of personal counseling or therapy before attending, and at the time I only had two. So I was wait-listed until the spring of 2017, which I was initially very impatient and distraught about. I just wanted to be 'back to normal' and check group therapy off of my list of things to do - as if getting back to 'normal' was as easy as changing the washer setting. But healing doesn't work that way - you never go back to 'being normal' and transformation at times can be extremely painful. The good news is that transformation usually turns you into something even more wholesome and good then you were before; it just takes a lot more time than I initially thought it would. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." -Maya Angelou</b></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I got a call in early February that the group was starting, I remember being both terrified and relieved. What if it was uncomfortable and weird? At least I would have a group of people to talk to. Who cares if they think I'm weird. It can't be any weirder then having to spend three days in a psychiatric ward. I struggled the most with not being able to relate to others. I often felt shame or guilt when I would disclose personal information to a person and then feel pitied or invalidated because of it. I didn't need to be fixed, or ignored, or shamed; I just needed to talk to someone who could actually relate to the experiences I had endured.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Previously when I had tried relaying things to my significant other, he often interpreted it as 'bringing up the past' or 'talking about my ex' when in reality I had no idea how to express myself and convey the amount of pain I was in. I felt inauthentic because I couldn't speak the truth openly without it resurfacing in inappropriate ways or being condemned because of it. I just wanted someone to understand and listen to what I had to say without judgement. I wanted to be present once again and feel close to the people who were trying to offer me support.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">And all of the women in this group did exactly that for me. They gave me the support I needed to no longer view myself as a victim, but rather as a survivor. We were able to talk openly without judgement. My expressiveness became natural once again and together we created goals as individuals and as a group to help continue our healing. I started writing in the fall as a personal form of self-expression. I never planned to share my work with anyone, but the more I wrote, the more compelled I felt to share my story with others to shed light on the reality of mental health, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. It became my individual goal to publish this blog and share my 'hope story' with the world. It was the one thing I was most fearful of: being exposed and vulnerable in front of others in such a public way; which is exactly why it was the thing I knew I needed to do the most.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">These women were all so strong in their convictions and courageous in their loving words and together we discovered that our voices did matter. They gave me the ammunition I needed to continue writing and publish something that was completely authentic and real. It became less about me and more about combating the negative cultural stigmas that suppressed our stories. I wanted to expose how often it happens in our communities, on our campuses, and in the lives of those closest to us. We all have a choice to speak up and do something about it. We all have the ability to not tolerate that kind of behavior when we see it happening around us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It is also my hope to draw others who are facing the same battle, closer to a place of healing and understanding. You need to know that you are not alone. You are not crazy. You are not incomplete. You are completely entitled to the pain and heartache you are experiencing, but it will not last forever. You are whole and worthy of love.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">There lies an inherent truth in every single one of us. We can drown those voices out by the noise of life, or we can take the time to listen. In my time of healing, I learned I had to withdraw from the world to withdraw from within that which was truly special and courageous in me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I started paying attention, this is the truth I heard from my heart:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am both a masterpiece and a work of art simultaneously. I know the real value of my own self-worth. I can make beautiful things out of hopeless situations. I have a heart that can survive unyielding storms and have a foundation of faith that knows something better lies ahead. In my brokenness I have found strength. I found God. I am whole. I am enough. I am worthy of a loving, healthy relationship, and deserving of a plentiful, prosperous marriage. I desire purity and unity with God and with my spouse. One person's actions were not my fault or responsibility, nor do they have to haunt me for the rest of my life. I am grateful for these trials, for they have served me well and strengthened my faith and extended my empathy and compassion for others. I do in fact forgive those that have wounded me deeply, because I know that they too experienced suffering of their own. But the abuse ends with me. Every day I have a choice to believe in the lies of other's untruths and injustices, or I can give myself permission to love and heal myself completely. I can reach outward to help heal the lives of others. I can expose the truth without feeling shame or guilt. I choose forgiveness. I choose love. Through both, we are granted the permission to be free. I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-M. ELIZABETH</span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I would like to give a special thanks to my family, my dear friends, my therapist, my reiki master, and all the beautiful, empowered women in my support group who inspired me to share my 'hope story' with the world. You were my strength and courage when I thought i had nothing left. Thank you for the sacrifices you made to bring me closer to love. May you always remember that your words and deeds are capable of transforming the lives around you.</span></span></i><br />
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Megan also has a blog herself! Check her out <a href="https://melizabeth.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com472tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-29076707548112986442018-04-18T14:22:00.001-07:002018-04-18T14:22:08.554-07:00Be Brave and Relax: A Playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it just me or is April always one of the most stressful months? Maybe its the ever-looming presence of summer, the pressure to plan vacations for the family, or the increasing need to do some spring cleaning. Whatever is the cause of your stress this April, we compiled a playlist of some of our favorite music to listen to to destress and relax. This playlist ranges from instrumental pianos to acoustic covers. Whether you need to nap or buckle down and get some work done, this playlist will help you do so. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Listen and Relax:</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All Good- Cameron</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Better Place- Scott Maynarde</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waterfall- Michel Simone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hot Gates- Mumford & Sons</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ocean Stone- Chris O'Brien</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Clouds- Astron</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I Do- Susie Suh</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay Alive- José Gonzales</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Equal- Dylan Francis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Samson- Regina Spektor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You There- Aquilo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone's Got Something- Perrin Lamb</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honey Hold Me- Morningsiders</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Walk of Life- Eucalyptic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">▶︎ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leaving You- Corey Crowder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/bravelets/playlist/1OGFfR1tq4B32NjaUpG41C?si=xPvHmtm9STqGiewXr7h6SA" target="_blank">LISTEN NOW</a></b></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-18513290976277694502018-04-10T13:01:00.000-07:002018-04-18T14:22:18.521-07:00FREE DOWNLOADS: April Wallpapers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it just us, but did it seem like spring took FOREVER to get here this year? Well we are so thankful that is FINALLY spring time! There is something so refreshing about walking outside and seeing flowers growing on your trees and birds chirping first thing in the morning as if they are excited it's spring too. We love spring because it signifies new beginnings and changes. We hope this season brings you all the relaxation and happiness possible. Enjoy these free wallpaper downloads inspired by the spring season to help you get in the spring mindset! </span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com266tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-26908587474045218192018-04-02T11:58:00.000-07:002018-04-06T16:17:16.189-07:00Autism Awareness Month: FREE Coping Cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-30e30af6-6d59-0359-84b1-5b100147d859"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April is Autism Awareness Month and we believe that together we can make a world more comfortable for those with autism with patience and awareness. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we have created FREE printable and pocket-sized coping cards for your kiddos to take along with them everywhere. When they're feeling overwhelmed or angry, they can just pull out their coping cards and go through them until they calm down. If you are the parent to an autistic child or are autistic yourself, we hope you find these printable coping cards helpful and comforting. Autism makes it hard for those on the spectrum to communicate with the world around them. If we just remain open minded and patient, parenting an autistic child is easy as 1 2 and 3. Keep reading to download our free printable coping cards.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">These coping cards are designed for your spectrum kiddo to have with them at all times, so they always know what to do in uncomfortable situations. They're pocket sized so they can take it with them to school or anywhere else they go! Below is what the first page will look like when you print it out. It even has cutting guides so your coping cards can be extra organized and clean.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Examples of some of the Coping Skills in the cards:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Read the closest thing to you slowly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Take a bath or shower</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Write a letter to your bestfriend</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Count to 10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Play with clay or playdough</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►Ask for a hug</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">►Write a story</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">►Stretch as high as you can</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">And more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>Printing Notes:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">►</span>Remember to print only on one side. There are 9 pages!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">►</span>You can use regular printer paper, but we recommend using cardstock so it's more durable and lasts longer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">►Make sure the printing size is set to "Actual Size" or 100%</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">►Make sure to print in color if that's what you prefer!</span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com210tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-83359865086673511562018-03-23T11:04:00.001-07:002018-03-27T12:45:57.872-07:00How to Fundraise with Bravelets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #5c6365;">We recently launched a brand new fundraising program and we want to share every bit of how to get your very own fundraiser started with you! This is a perfect and easy way to raise money for your cause and share your story! When someone shops through your personal fundraiser link, you receive 25% of the purchase.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: #5c6365;"> Learn about our new fundraiser program below!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is super easy to start your own fundraiser! Just sign up with the link here: <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://www.bravelets.com/pages/fundraise" style="text-decoration-line: none;">www.bravelets.com/pages/fundraise</a>.</b> or you can hover over the link in our navigation bar that says <b>Fundraise</b> and click on <b>Start Fundraising. </b>Then just fill out the form on that page that looks like this ⬇️</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Information you will need to set up your fundraiser: </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Your Name</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Your Email</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">A Password</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Your Fundraiser Name</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Your PayPal Email</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Your Fundraiser Description</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">A Fundraiser Image</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will then receive a confirmation email with your unique fundraising link that you can share with your followers and the link to your Refersion dashboard which allows you to manage your fundraiser!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note: Your fundraiser will not show up on our Fundraisers page until you've made your first sale through your fundraiser link!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Once you set up your fundraiser with us and receive your confirmation email, you can log in to your Refersion account (with the email and password you used to sign up for your fundraiser) at <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.refersion.com/affiliate/login"><b>https://www.refersion.com/affiliate/login</b></a> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and start managing your fundraiser! Here you can see all of your </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">financial information, copy your unique referral code, see your payment history, message us directly, and update settings. However, you can not update the description or photo for your fundraiser here. To do so you will need to email info@bravelets and we will get that set up for you!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>⬆️This is what the page to manage your fundraiser looks like! ⬆️</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Share your link</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a super easy way to market your fundraiser! Just share your fundraising link with all of your friends, people at work, your neighbors, and everybody under the sun. Tell your story and what your fundraiser means to you and people will love to help you out!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Post on social media</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Become a business mogul and start marketing your fundraiser just like a big-time business! You can create your own marketing graphics on Photoshop or <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>. <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a> is a super easy and awesome online website where you can design anything you would ever need to market your fundraiser! It has a ton of templates or you can create your own designs. Check it out <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE!</b></a> If you're not tech-savvy, you can totally repost our social media content too. Just don't forget to link to your fundraiser in the description. Sometimes pictures speak louder than words, so make sure to take a lot of pictures with your Bravelets products!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Have a fundraising event</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This takes some time and planning, but is a guaranteed way to make sales. You can have an event at your home and invite everyone you know and make sales right there! It is super fun and an awesome way to get your story out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to fundraise for a non-profit, but I don’t work for them. How can I do that?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Great! You can create a fundraiser here. We recommend that you just be very clear in the Fundraiser Name and Description where the money is going. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ex: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fundraiser Name: Stephanie’s Fundraiser for American Cancer Society.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fundraiser Description: I will donate all the money I raise through this fundraiser to ACS…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The money you raise will be sent to you via PayPal, and then you can take it and either write a check or make a donation directly on the non-profit’s website. That way you can make sure it is going to the exact place you want it to go - the right chapter, team page etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t have Paypal, can I get a check?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb8aedbe-4f18-044d-b23f-037329ea5727"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No. We currently only offer payouts via PayPal, but not to fear - PayPal is super easy to set up! You can create an account for your non-profit, or a personal account.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the payout schedule?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Payments are made on the 10th and the 25th of each month. Sales made 1-15 paid on the 25, Sales 16 - EOM paid on the 10th </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do I have to pay taxes on the money I receive?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If Bravelets sends you $600 or more in a calendar year, we will send you a W-2. Please consult with a tax professional for any specific questions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are there any fees associated?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No! Sign up and fundraising with us is free. You earn 25% of everything sold through your link, and we don’t take any fees out of this amount.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is there a minimum amount to receive a payment?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb8aedbe-4f19-03c3-4528-80a13c7f7da4"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No! Your donations will be sent to you no matter the amount, on time every 10th & 25th of each month.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used to have a Brave Page...what happened to those?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb8aedbe-4f19-32e3-28eb-fd7689f738da"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We upgraded our system to allow for better visibility to all your sales, on-time payouts and give back 25% on each purchase made! You can reactivate your page by visiting www.bravelets.com/pages/fundraise</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is Refersion? What is an Affiliate?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Refersion is the software we use to track sales, make payouts etc. Affiliates are people who drive traffic to a website and earn commission. We use this software for our fundraising program.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will my first and last name appear on your website?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your fundraising page will only list your Fundraiser Name. After your first sale, your fundraiser will appear on our “View Fundraisers” page with your submitted photo, description, and who this fundraiser was started by. If you would like to opt out and not display your name, please let us know and we can remove it from display.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can I select my color and items for my fundraising page?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb8aedbe-4f19-ce40-3c8b-bd4b0e4d6fbd"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your fundraising page will display every item available for purchase with a donation attached on your page. Your supporters can choose any color, any style to support you and you will still receive 25% of that purchase. We can not customize the products shown on your page at this time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is the new system replacing the 10% one or is the 25% just a limited time fundraiser?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our new 25% donation fundraising program is here to stay and is in the process of becoming our main avenue to have a fundraiser on our platform. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What happens to my 10% Brave Page?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your Brave Page will be deactivated and you will be mailed a final check with your total donations raised for your 10% Brave Page. You will start getting payments every 2 weeks directly through PayPal for your 25% fundraiser.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can I update my fundraiser description or photo?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your Fundraiser Name & Description can be updated at a later date after sign up - with our system now you will have to email info@bravelets.com to update the content. It will be quick and easy and in the future we are working on adding that to your account dashboard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now you know the ins and outs of our new fundraising program and how to get successfully fundraiser! Are you ready to start your fundraiser? Click the button below!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.bravelets.com/pages/fundraise" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="1600" height="48" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SD2_gzw8Rl4/WrVAUilucjI/AAAAAAAAAQA/KkqGXQY-VkUIaypXtEPT5Zn4-yNeK1doQCLcBGAs/s320/Shop%2BNow%2BButton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're still not sure about starting your fundraiser or if you have any questions email info@bravelets.com and we will help you with anything you need!</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com479tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-25410922339082605002018-03-20T10:35:00.000-07:002018-03-20T10:35:05.818-07:0050 Ways to Make a Difference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6BoDLmGGkg/Wqb0LHFE4qI/AAAAAAAAAN8/kyXKhmotnsMXGtgwezDLY4WYW9IKxlnFwCLcBGAs/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6BoDLmGGkg/Wqb0LHFE4qI/AAAAAAAAAN8/kyXKhmotnsMXGtgwezDLY4WYW9IKxlnFwCLcBGAs/s640/header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are few things more rewarding than knowing that you made an impactful difference in someone else's life. Today we are sharing our master list of community service projects, volunteer opportunities, and other random acts of kindness to make someone else's day. Sometimes things as simple as reading to the elderly make the largest difference in their lives. Remember to take time every now and then to make a difference in your community. Keep reading for 50 ways to make an impactful difference.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Collect clothes and donate to a homeless shelter or clothes bank</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Write letters to children in the hospital</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer at the animal shelter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bring board games to the nursing home</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make care packages for the homeless</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Clean up litter at parks and roadsides</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Serve in a soup kitchen</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Go on a service trip</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer with the Special Olympics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Help with after school programs at elementary schools or churches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organize a community potluck/feast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Plant a community garden</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer at a children's hospital</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Donate stuffed animals to a foster home or orphanage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Donate old books to hospitals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Offer free babysitting to families unable to pay for it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Help upkeep elderly neighbors' yards</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer at the library and assist with story time for children</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Give free manicures and makeovers to elderly women</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Deliver flowers anonymously to every house on your street</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Donate blood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organize a food drive in your community</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer with a local nonprofit</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organize/Attend a 5K for a cause</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Coach a youth sports team</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Clean the grounds of a cemetery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Plant a tree</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make fleece blankets and donate them to a homeless shelter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Offer to do housework for someone in need</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teach computer skills at a senior center</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer at the zoo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hold a bake sale for your favorite cause</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">March for a cause</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make activity kits for children in the hospital</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organize a summer reading program at a community center</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pack lunches for neighborhood children who can't afford their own</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teach nature classes with the Parks and Recreation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Send cards to soldiers serving overseas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Collect baby clothes and donate them to new parents or foster homes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Volunteer as a summer camp counselor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Become a volunteer teen crisis counselor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Drive seniors to doctor's appointments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sponsor a community recycling contest</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Adopt a highway</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Paint a mural for a local homeless shelter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Become CPR certified</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Campaign for an issue in your community</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Help build a playground for disabled children</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.bravelets.com/pages/fundraise" target="_blank">Start a fundraiser with Bravelets! </a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Check out these websites to help you find volunteer opportunities!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">►<a href="https://www.volunteermatch.org/">https://www.volunteermatch.org/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►</span><a href="https://www.volunteermatch.org/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.volunteerforever.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►</span><a href="https://www.volunteermatch.org/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.allforgood.org/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►</span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>http://www.createthegood.org/</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">►</span><a href="https://www.volunteermatch.org/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.justserve.org/</a></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com321tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-73738090553810590132018-03-13T09:21:00.000-07:002018-03-13T13:52:50.438-07:00FREE DOWNLOAD: March Wallpapers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">March is here and spring is right around the corner! We created these free wallpaper downloads inspired by the clean air of spring for you to. Download them below:</span></div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com225tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-4861844214757617702018-03-08T18:46:00.000-08:002018-03-12T20:35:27.051-07:005 Influential Women of Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy International Women's Day! We hope you spend your day exactly the way you want to spend your day because today it is all about YOU. We wanted to recognize the achievements of some of today's most influential women whether they be girl-bosses or activists. Today is dedicated to empowering women, so don't forget to empower yourself today! Read on to hear about how women are making a difference in the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76iWEEEXsvg/Wp8-KL7U-HI/AAAAAAAAALw/y2VN2Jc_OBg3Hb1jf2R6u8gOCVdi7AoqQCEwYBhgL/s1600/christiane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76iWEEEXsvg/Wp8-KL7U-HI/AAAAAAAAALw/y2VN2Jc_OBg3Hb1jf2R6u8gOCVdi7AoqQCEwYBhgL/s640/christiane.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christiane Amanpour is currently serving as CNN's Chief International Consultant. Christiane has become known for her willingness to report from active war zones such as during the Gulf Wars during which she rose to prominence as a journalist. As a journalist, Christiane has contributed strength and courage in her field and is devoted to remaining honest and ethical in her reportings. Christiane sees journalism as the public's right to knowledge and has worked tirelessly to increase that access ethically. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We respect the public and really want to help increase understanding and knowledge and awareness.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXu9DEnQX3Q/Wp8-JM_a5wI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XB1n9sGe5FksVzLqBWXUN38utPSpOC0MACEwYBhgL/s1600/MICHELLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXu9DEnQX3Q/Wp8-JM_a5wI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XB1n9sGe5FksVzLqBWXUN38utPSpOC0MACEwYBhgL/s640/MICHELLE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The former First Lady has quickly rose to prominence as a role model for women and young girls alike. With two daughters of her own, Michelle knew how vital education is to young people. She began the "Let Girls Learn" initiative to help educate over 50 million children around the world without access to education. Her 8 year span as the FLOTUS was completely based around empowering women and educating the world. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> "<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Success isn't about how much money you make. It's about the difference you make in people's lives."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Angelina Jolie has made many charitable efforts in providing aid for women, children, refugees, struggling foreign countries, and more. She is a UNHR ambassador who has gone on over 40 field missions in more than 30 countries to provide assistance in areas she felt the media was overlooking. Also, having a Cambodian-born son led to her creating the Maddox-Jolie Project, a wildlife reserve in Cambodia named after him with the goal of protecting endangered species. Jolie has proven herself to be an inspiring activist who has a goal of servitude.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us."</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRxcYTfzdss/Wp9Qb3w2WzI/AAAAAAAAANI/N3hoz_7cPaUXE0G9nku9hVdHWzl6ung_gCEwYBhgL/s1600/Nancy-Brinker-of-Susan-G.-Komen-for-the-Cure_121335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRxcYTfzdss/Wp9Qb3w2WzI/AAAAAAAAANI/N3hoz_7cPaUXE0G9nku9hVdHWzl6ung_gCEwYBhgL/s320/Nancy-Brinker-of-Susan-G.-Komen-for-the-Cure_121335.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Nancy Brinker has made valiant efforts in the push to further breast cancer research. The nonprofit organization dedicated to Brinker’s sister, who died of breast cancer, has raised over $2.2 billion and is the leading breast cancer charity of the world. Brinker’s ultimate goal is to move towards a world where breast cancer does not exist. She is truly a pioneering woman.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">"The very first step toward giving to others is grateful recognition of our own assets."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> As the first female co-host on the Today Show, Barbara Walters became known as the "Today Girl" and was seen as the idealized version of the American woman. Walters battled criticism against her gender. Many believed that a women would never be a serious journalist, but Barbara Walters proved them wrong by becoming the highest paid journalist on television... ever. Her all women panel show "The View" became one of the highest rated shows on television by creating a forum for women to share their opinions on everything imaginable. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I was the kind nobody thought could make it. I had a funny Boston accent. I couldn't pronounce my Rs. I wasn't a beauty."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">References:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/womenofpower/Top-20-Influential-Women.html">http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/womenofpower/Top-20-Influential-Women.html</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/barbara-walters-retirement-career-legacy_n_5312103.html">https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/barbara-walters-retirement-career-legacy_n_5312103.html</a><br />
<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/michelle-obama/8047094/Michelle-Obama-named-the-most-powerful-woman-in-the-world.html">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/michelle-obama/8047094/Michelle-Obama-named-the-most-powerful-woman-in-the-world.html</a><br />
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</style>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-36611518446262174632018-03-06T10:58:00.000-08:002018-03-12T20:35:36.458-07:00Black History Month: Milestones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-izpUh_sMN7U/WpWxOisVrxI/AAAAAAAAAJI/8QaPn--_WS8JEVnRxV7ZoK9PSszernnSACLcBGAs/s1600/banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-izpUh_sMN7U/WpWxOisVrxI/AAAAAAAAAJI/8QaPn--_WS8JEVnRxV7ZoK9PSszernnSACLcBGAs/s640/banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <i>-Michelle Obama</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With Black History Month coming to an end, we wanted to look back on the numerous milestones and strides within Black History. At Bravelets we work to empower everyone and recognize the achievements of those who have struggled. African-American people have enormous bravery and have been through so much that its hard to comprehend. Today we want to focus on the positive achievements and milestones throughout Black History. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In August 1831, Nat Turner led the first successful slave rebellion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 1831, Harriet Tubman led the Underground Railroad and helped to free over 80,000 slaves</span></li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PkAQMNb4MqU/WpXT73snQYI/AAAAAAAAAJk/cMeoRWFBsnsE08hEqdF-dqMMt7deg_XzACLcBGAs/s1600/Tubman_LOC_800x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PkAQMNb4MqU/WpXT73snQYI/AAAAAAAAAJk/cMeoRWFBsnsE08hEqdF-dqMMt7deg_XzACLcBGAs/s320/Tubman_LOC_800x600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 1862, Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed nearly 3 million slaves in rebel states</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 1870, the 15th amendment was passed stating that the right to vote would not be discriminated against on account of color</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded which worked toward ending segregation</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1920, the Harlem Renaissance was the first time in American histories that African-American culture was celebrated and noticed for its positive impact</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PMF--dp2bc/WpXUhG4gBuI/AAAAAAAAAJw/QzDloT9A1_8qQQiHuYyx66jvgsxXs-IjACLcBGAs/s1600/635585916967292627-harlem-renaissance-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PMF--dp2bc/WpXUhG4gBuI/AAAAAAAAAJw/QzDloT9A1_8qQQiHuYyx66jvgsxXs-IjACLcBGAs/s400/635585916967292627-harlem-renaissance-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In December 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">Dorie Miller, a young African-American Navy steward </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">carried wounded crewmembers to safety and manned a machine gun post, shooting down several Japanese planes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1948, President Truman desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player to play in the Major League</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1954,the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation and the "separate but equal" ideology violated the 14th amendment</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1957, the Little Rock Nine were escorted into the newly segregated Central High School by the National Guard under deep resistance by white mobs</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1RGRtofs9E/WpXTm5MgYHI/AAAAAAAAAJg/hCB2ygvpRCwX1O8LxG-LAIZkVMUo8uTtgCLcBGAs/s1600/85.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1RGRtofs9E/WpXTm5MgYHI/AAAAAAAAAJg/hCB2ygvpRCwX1O8LxG-LAIZkVMUo8uTtgCLcBGAs/s320/85.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the impassioned "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1964, President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made the largest political strides in black history by creating the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which ensures equal treatment of minorities in the workplace and also removed restrictions on voting rights</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1965, thousands of marchers marched from Selma to Montgomery under protection of the Alabama National Guard and U.S. Army</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlS3eA0zHGg/WpXTfxsRBrI/AAAAAAAAAJc/p7pe-bAfYwgLTBs4QkgW6LQ_MXuEdRPEQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B3.52.36%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1219" height="233" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlS3eA0zHGg/WpXTfxsRBrI/AAAAAAAAAJc/p7pe-bAfYwgLTBs4QkgW6LQ_MXuEdRPEQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B3.52.36%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1965, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act which banned literacy tests as a requirement for voting often used as a method of discouraged black voters</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 1986, Oprah Winfrey launches her talk show which would later become one of the most watch television talk shows in history</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 2001, Colin Powell became the first African American politician to serve as Secretary of State</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 2008, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">In 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement is formed in response to growing police brutality and racial profiling</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zcI--ZO4hI/WpXU7-t3hAI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/5qTBMOPlu-oL1BK0H43znXKiCyo-CH6GQCLcBGAs/s1600/ows_144002532180502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zcI--ZO4hI/WpXU7-t3hAI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/5qTBMOPlu-oL1BK0H43znXKiCyo-CH6GQCLcBGAs/s400/ows_144002532180502.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.09000000357627869px; word-spacing: 1.440000057220459px;">References:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.startribune.com/black-lives-matter-group-to-rally-disrupt-operations-at-minnesota-state-fair/322479171/">http://www.startribune.com/black-lives-matter-group-to-rally-disrupt-operations-at-minnesota-state-fair/322479171/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/03/black-history-harlem-renaissance/22825245/">https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/03/black-history-harlem-renaissance/22825245/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery/pictures/the-battle-over-slavery/harriet-tubman-2" target="_blank">http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery/pictures/the-battle-over-slavery/harriet-tubman-2</a><br />
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/selma-bloody-sunday-look-back/3/">https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/selma-bloody-sunday-look-back/3/</a><br />
<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/photos/2017/09/25/photos-remembering-the-little-rock-nine?slide=14" target="_blank">https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/photos/2017/09/25/photos-remembering-the-little-rock-nine?slide=14</a><br />
<a href="https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=95622&p=624423" target="_blank">https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=95622&p=624423</a><br />
<a href="http://www.blackpast.org/timelines/african-american-history-timeline-2001" target="_blank">http://www.blackpast.org/timelines/african-american-history-timeline-2001</a></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-28441505807948276972018-02-26T08:25:00.001-08:002018-03-12T20:35:42.986-07:00NEW: Encouragement Cuffs <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you seen our three brand new <a href="http://bit.ly/newencouragement" target="_blank">Encouragement Cuffs</a>? They are a perfect </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">daily reminder to encourage you to </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">persevere</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> through each challenging moment.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The best part about these cuffs is that they are</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> adjustable to fit any wrists size, stay securely, and they have brand new phrases of encouragement.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Read more about our newest product below! </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QZCDnS_MUrs/WpDBYOflyPI/AAAAAAAAAIY/0zBwW2As4pUs0sE7ep30XiIYkpFJH-6sACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QZCDnS_MUrs/WpDBYOflyPI/AAAAAAAAAIY/0zBwW2As4pUs0sE7ep30XiIYkpFJH-6sACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_4584.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-99df56a0-d2e1-2d78-1f79-b35fcdda0991"><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We LOVE this quote and we know you do too, so we wanted to give y</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">ou a way to keep it with you at all times! </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter what struggles you have gone through or are going through, our aim is to encourage and remind </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">you that you are braver than you believe every day. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">A bad day can turn into a good one just by looking down at your wrist and reading this little quote.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The encouragement phrase that started it all...BE BRAVE! The phrase “be brave” can serve as your reminder to conquer whatever is in front of you, even if you feel nervous or scared. We can’t always be strong, but we can always be brave. What does being brave mean for you today?</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-99df56a0-d2e3-3ac1-6a96-5f8c083752c3"><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shop the Be Brave Encouragement Cuff here: <a href="http://bit.ly/bebravecuff">http://bit.ly/bebravecuff</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some days, all you want to do is give up. You feel weak. You don’t see what others see. This is your message of encouragement to stay strong. Stay strong in your values, your mission, your purpose. Build the life you want to have. It won’t be easy, but you can not give up </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay strong for YOU.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-99df56a0-d2e4-1bbe-9441-b8d32ef4470d"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Shop the Stay Strong Encouragement Cuff here: </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">.<a href="http://bit.ly/staystrongcuff">http://bit.ly/staystrongcuff</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-99df56a0-d2e4-4c52-1672-fe977e058b82"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you have suggestions for even more phrases we could add to our new Encouragement Collection? Email us at info@bravelets.com</span></span></span></div>
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-40306216691342157652018-02-13T09:23:00.000-08:002018-03-12T20:35:59.560-07:00Easy Date Ideas On a Budget<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OP9uAXW6CUA/WoHouiusMMI/AAAAAAAAAHk/5bKZ526qQ58SQ77zA1xwIPi7zz0HIWQoACLcBGAs/s1600/dateideas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OP9uAXW6CUA/WoHouiusMMI/AAAAAAAAAHk/5bKZ526qQ58SQ77zA1xwIPi7zz0HIWQoACLcBGAs/s400/dateideas.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we have compiled a master list of super easy and inexpensive date ideas! You don't have to spend your last paycheck on one night. Usually the most creative dates are the most memorable. We hope you check out this list and use one of our date ideas! Have an amazing Valentine's Day. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We love you! ❤️</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Explore downtown</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Go people watching (Make a bingo game out of it!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Make homemade pizza</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Have a karaoke night</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. Volunteer together</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">6. Go to a museum</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">7. Watch a new movie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8. Learn a new card game</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">9. Have a picnic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">10. Go stargazing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">11. Go geocaching </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">12. Build a blanket fort</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">13. Go to an escape room</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">14. Finish a huge puzzle together</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">15. Go camping in your backyard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">16. Go to open houses and role play as a rich couple</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">17. Recreate your first date</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">18. Take a romantic bubble bath</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">19. Go berry picking</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">20. Have a trivia night</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enjoy! Have a happy Valentine's Day. ❤️</span></h4>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com240tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-38247592559660083822018-02-09T08:46:00.004-08:002018-02-09T08:46:43.591-08:00FREE DOWNLOAD: Printable Valentine Cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy early Valentine's Day! In honor of Valentine's Day, we made some cute and free printable cards for your valentine this year. They are foldable so you can write cute handwritten notes on the inside for that extra special touch. We hope you be brave this Valentine's Day season!</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>How to Use:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Click download below</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Print full size</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Trim edges to preferred size</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Fold at the center to create a card</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Write your super sweet and lovable note on the inside flap!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2007/4331/files/printable1.pdf?13192837194182366807" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD HERE</a></span></b></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-50586344672367770722018-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:002018-03-12T20:36:32.801-07:00February is Heart Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">When you think of February, does a little cartoon heart pop up in your mind? This month is always associated with romance and a pink and red color scheme of sorts because of Valentine's Day. But let's shift the focus a little and start a conversation about our physical hearts. They take care of us and we always forget to do so in return.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">I'm gonna let y'all in on some tips on how to empower yourself by living a heart healthy lifestyle! All in honor of Heart Health awareness month!</span><br />
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<b>HEALTHY EATING</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">Working heart healthy foods into your diet is a great way to take care of yourself! Here are some foods that are insanely good for your heart.</span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Food high in omega-3s, like salmon and tuna</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Nuts</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Berries</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Oatmeal</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Dark Colored Beans (Black Beans)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Tofu</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and squash</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Spinach</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Asparagus</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Broccoli</li>
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and my two favorites...</div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Red wine</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Dark Chocolate</li>
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<b>STAYING ACTIVE</b></div>
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Another way to promote over all heart wellness is to keep yourself moving! This does not mean you have to have a strict work out regimen or do daily cardio. It's as easy as keeping a sedentary lifestyle in check. At work, when you are taking a break, walk around outside. Always park in the back of parking lots, so you have a longer walk to the grocery store! There are a lot of great ways to get your "steps" in, as people with fancy step counting bracelets are now saying! Just be mindful of your activities and you'll be good to go.</div>
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<b>STRESS MANAGEMENT</b></div>
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A big piece of the heart health puzzle is learning to manage your stress levels. Expressing issues and feelings about your day to day life is the #1 way to keep your stress at bay. When you let your feelings out and allow other people to help you with your problems, you often have more time to devote to yourself and your hobbies. </div>
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It's also important to remember to be mindful and breathe. Any form of meditation helps you slow down and take all that is happening in your life into account. It can help with watching your blood pressure and learning to cope with situations that might be out of your control.</div>
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<b>OVERALL WELLNESS</b></div>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Always keep your regularly schedule doctor's appointments</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Avoid smoking and second hand smoke</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Know your family's history with heart disease</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Learn the warning signs of a heart attack</li>
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<b>GET INVOLVED</b></div>
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It is proven that a great way to feel good and reduce stress is to give back and support others! There are plenty of ways to get involved for Heart Health Awareness Month. <a href="https://www.goredforwomen.org/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Go Red For Women</a> and <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">American Heart Association</a> are two great places to get started in brainstorming how to give back! </div>
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You can also<a href="http://bit.ly/1nuhqp1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> set up a Brave Page</a> with us and personally fundraise for your cause this Heart Health Awareness Month! This is a great way to support your loved ones and raise money. </div>
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<i>What are you going to do this month?</i></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-68188285357573515502018-01-25T09:43:00.000-08:002018-03-12T20:36:18.908-07:00A Guide to Self Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bravest thing you can do is to care for yourself. Let's face it, the past few years might have seemed like a constant struggle and wrong turns left and right. In the hustle and bustle of your life don't forget to take at least five minutes a day to focus on yourself and self evaluate your mindfulness. There are so many short and easy ways you can incorporate self care practices into your life. Read below for our guide on self care! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Use this list to plan out a month of self care and mindfulness!</span></h3>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Drink some tea or coffee</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take a bath</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Go hiking</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do yoga</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Treat your self</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eat your favorite food (Don't worry about calories)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Go get a massage</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take a nap</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Snuggle with your pet</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exercise</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Start a journal</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Create an inspiration board</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Declutter your room</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch your favorite movie</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Light a candle</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meet with an old friend</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Turn your phone off for a few hours</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cry if you need to</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Volunteer at a local soup kitchen</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Write someone a letter</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Listen to nature music</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eat a nutritious breakfast</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Go cloud watching</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make a DIY Face mask</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Write down what you’re thankful for</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spend time with family</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Try a new restaurant</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Road trip!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read a book (See our suggestions below!)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do absolutely nothing</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are our favorite books to help with self-care!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 1. <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/believe-it-to-achieve-it-brian-tracy/1126398237?ean=9780143131083#/" target="_blank"><b>Believe It to Achieve It: Overcome Your Doubts, Let Go of the Past, and Unlock Your Full Potential</b> by Brian Tracy and Christina Stein</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Believe It to Achieve It</u> is an essential reading for anyone who knows they are feeling down, but can't seem to pin point exactly <i>why </i>that is. If you're in any way fascinated by psychology and how the brain processes negativity, this book is perfect for you. Brian Tracy and Christina Stein help you to identify how and why we retract to negativity in hard times. More importantly, however, they show how we can overcome this negativity and focus on achieving our dreams and healing our hearts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 2. <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-am-here-now-the-mindfulness-project/1123253364?ean=9780399184444#/" target="_blank"><b>I Am Here Now: A Creative Mindfulness Guide and Journal</b> by The Mindfulness Project</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This reading is PACKED with a whole bunch of activities and exercises ranging from short breathing exercises to daily journaling prompts. The guide's ultimate goal is to achieve mindfulness, which the book defines as "being in tune with your senses". <u>I Am Here Now</u> is perfect for all ages! This journal is very interactive and would make a great daily activity to share with your children and family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 3. <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peace-is-every-breath-thich-nhat-hanh/1100258633?ean=9780062005823#/" target="_blank"><b>Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives </b>by Thich Nhat Hanh</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize of 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "<span style="background-color: white;">His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” This reading is based around peace and meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh stresses the importance of taking time to ourselves every day to focus on our mindfulness. The book is written with those who live a busy life in mind. The chapters are short and extremely easy to read. Take a couple minutes out of every day to read a few paragraphs or chapters of <u>Peace is Every Breath</u> and learn how to achieve mindfulness and empower yourself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-self-love-experiment-shannon-kaiser/1125289567?ean=9780143130697#/" target="_blank"><b>The Self-Love Experiment: Fifteen Principles for Becoming More Kind, Compassionate, and Accepting of Yourself </b>by Shannon Kaiser</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you struggle with loving yourself, Shannon Kaiser has a ton of motivational principles to help you to understand why you struggle with yourself and how to accept yourself! This book focuses on how to put yourself first and focus on loving yourself. However, Kaiser also focuses on loving your life and those who are apart of it. What makes this book so moving is that Shannon Kaiser walks you through her own personal struggles and shows how she has grown to become more compassionate as a result. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-garden-johanna-basford/1115869898?ean=9781780671062#/" target="_blank"><b>Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book</b> by Johanna Basford</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know this book isn't technically a "reading", but it definitely has impacted my personal wellness. Color therapy is proven to be an effective form of therapy. There is something about coloring and doodling that is calming and relaxing. Johanna Basford also has a ton of different coloring books for many different themes, so you can better tailor your meditation to your own needs. Coloring is addicting, but incredibly effective. Don't say I didn't warn you. It is also perfect for the little ones too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whenever you're anxious or just need to charge down, use this breathing exercise to ground yourself!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Inhale for 5 seconds</span><br />
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REPEAT</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #424242; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” ~Sylvia Boorstein</strong></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com120tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-32419722275006845322018-01-22T13:25:00.002-08:002018-03-12T20:36:58.653-07:00Free Download: January!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">January is here! This year we are all about relaxation. Last year was restless and you deserve a break. Here is a free desktop and mobile wallpaper to remind you to be brave and relax.</span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com176tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-60059796114463123922018-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:002018-01-24T14:50:28.712-08:00Isabeau Hope Goodman's Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qWnwMHNRdaU/Wl5WV1upNAI/AAAAAAAAABc/qtebczEmHnwq8QfEWcxQ5AMU5AuHchYTQCLcBGAs/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qWnwMHNRdaU/Wl5WV1upNAI/AAAAAAAAABc/qtebczEmHnwq8QfEWcxQ5AMU5AuHchYTQCLcBGAs/s320/header.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">When she was only 8 days old, Isabeau Hope Goodman was already undergoing her first open heart surgery. Her family practically lived at the hospital for the majority of Isabeau's earliest years. It seemed like hope was gone. However, her family refused to let go and continued to believe. Isabeau's story is the perfect example on the power of bravery. Thank you so much for sharing your story! Read Isabeau's inspirational and miraculous story below.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The dark hospital room is filled with blinking lights, poles with pumps pushing medicines through plastic tubes into babies. It is Christmas Morning 2007 and looking down, we can see our newborn daughter's heart and lungs through a thin yellow film. </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She is eight days old and is recovering from her <span style="max-width: 100%;">first open heart surgery</span>. They cannot close her football shaped chest incision until the internal swelling goes down, and so there she lies. So small. So new. Her <span style="max-width: 100%;">golden heart</span> exposed to the world for five days. In a minute we will hear that it is time. <span style="max-width: 100%;">Isabeau's first Christmas present</span> will be a bright new scar healing on her chest and we cry with joy.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I remember back when that was our main concern: "will the scar be big?” We were new, like our baby daughter. This was before we spent months living in the hospital hoping she would just live through the night, watching the bed under her turn red as blood seeped out of her neck, at home pushing a foot-long tube into her nose and stomach to feed her with a syringe because she did not know how to suck a bottle for four months. Before her 28 therapies a month, 18 syringes of medication a day, elevating her when she slept to keep stomach acid from burning her esophagus, a helmet to reshape her flattened head, specialists for her bent spine, specialists for her misaligned teeth, hearing tests, a dozen intelligence tests, special education. Before her second and third heart surgeries. Before watching her wheeled into surgery, and you say "see you in a few hours" not knowing if the last thing you say to her is a lie. Before watching your daughter's life, reduced to plummeting numbers on a monitor, nearly cease as the nurses and doctors say 'it's an acute desat -- probably a</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span><span style="max-width: 100%;">blood clot</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">keeping blood from entering her lungs -- we can't fix this in time'.</span> </span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">And through that she survived, and we survived because of the strength and caring of others, helping her, helping us. Caring anonymous people, helping strangers.</span> </span></b></blockquote>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4czwzM_CxY0/Wl5L5O8lozI/AAAAAAAAABI/CuaV0jPNhoEIu-eczOYSRxBYWD0Bf-BAQCLcBGAs/s1600/47208_1516460265142_7814237_n_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4czwzM_CxY0/Wl5L5O8lozI/AAAAAAAAABI/CuaV0jPNhoEIu-eczOYSRxBYWD0Bf-BAQCLcBGAs/s320/47208_1516460265142_7814237_n_large.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am writing this to show you that during these times the world can become unbearably dark and isolating. It is through the smallest kindnesses that we survived. It feels like the entire universe has conspired to steal your dreams of a happy family. It feels like every doctor's visit brings more bad news, more things that are wrong with her, more things she will never do like 'typical' little girls and you have even more work just to keep her alive.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you live in the hospital, you sleep on vinyl chairs called 'beds' under thin sheets, going through the most emotionally naked moments of your life, half-dressed and ten feet from a noisy nurse’s station in a room with 3 other heart babies crying, trying to be awake and intelligent enough when the doctors finally make rounds, and your hair is sideways, and your face is flat and red from the vinyl pillow, and you almost got two hours of sleep last night between attempted feedings (every 2 hours, an hour and a half each), and if you don't sound coherent and ask intelligent questions the doctors will dumb down the news, and you will learn nothing. And if you learn nothing your daughter's chances go down.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Night becomes day becomes night in always lit hospital hallways. Every few days you drive home to get new clothes, and on the way back suddenly find yourself driving through sobbing tears on the 101 until you arrive at the hospital, park your car and go up to<span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span><span style="max-width: 100%;">The Room</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span>looking happy and optimistic for your tiny baby. It will be ok, you say.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it is horror. It is every nightmare scenario. Our first surgery, we got to know four babies, half of them didn't make it. It is very real, it is every hour of every day and it never, ever goes away.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And we the 'hospital families' will show the outside world our happy faces. We will let you believe the movies about sick kids and the inner strength that it builds in parents, but it is all a cover. Inside we are shattered and exhausted. Broken and often just getting by, tired to the bone. Tired of worrying, of working five times harder than other parents just to keep your kid from falling so far behind hey could never catch up. Tired of hoping... hoping that she will live long enough to have a<span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span><span style="max-width: 100%;">first kiss</span>.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>But... we learn that we are not alone in this.</b> I remember when we first saw her laying there as a couple, she was covered in tubes and wires and tape, we were so happy and sad, we just held each other shaking and crying softly. That day a quiet gift of tissues placed near us by a CT-ICU nurse was a ray of bright light. Weeks later, a donated plastic wagon let us tour the world outside her room, O2 tank and med pumps and monitors in tow. She smiled as we pulled her down a hallway to where the sunlight could fall on her face for the very first time. After her third surgery, a volunteer's quirky sense of humor made my daughter grin and walk, allowing the long tubes sticking out of her belly and chest to drain fluid from around her lungs, so she could breath. So many moments. Writing about these memories still brings me to tears and I am so very thankful. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="max-width: 100%;">When she was 3, she got</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> to see Starlight in action when my boss Ted Price donated a new game center to </span>Children's Hospital Los Angeles</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span>and she helped cut the ribbon (mostly, she IS just three). Our company, Insomniac Games, has generously given a game station to a different<span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span><span style="max-width: 100%;">Children's Hospital</span><span style="max-width: 100%;"> </span>for several years now, and usually to hospitals even more needy than CHLA. Afterward I got to show Ted and Angel Montanez of Starlight around the hospital sharing Isabeau's story. Floor by floor, so many stories. They were amazed at all we had been through. Ted wondered how we survived and I told him flatly, with the love and support of amazing people, most of whom were strangers.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And we had it easy. Some kids never go home. Some have dozens of surgeries. Some never leave their wheelchair. Some have no cure.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="max-width: 100%;">And so we wish to thank those doctors and tireless nurses for never giving up hope. Never ceasing to inspire us and even the difficult task of telling us the hard truths. Simply amazing people, doing the impossible every day. </span><span style="max-width: 100%;">Isabeau is nine years old now 3555 days. </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="max-width: 100%;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>If you are reading this, you have helped many families who can't thank you themselves, so I'm here to thank you for them. You change lives. You make a difference. Thank you.</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-Craig, Julianna, Isabeau and Isaac Goodman. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It amazes us everyday how bravery can save lives and inspire change. We wish nothing but the best for Isabeau in the future. R<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">ead more stories like this at <a href="http://www.bravelets.com/brave-stories">www.bravelets.com/brave-stories</a></span><a href="http://www.bravelets.com/brave-stories" target="_blank"> </a></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-80109773318108799532017-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:002018-01-24T14:50:43.339-08:00Heal Within: Gemstone Benefits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EKejwEMUPs/WjA5wRnl-9I/AAAAAAAAAAM/FM6ex9Dyn3AzSRkc6TmZGj8Di3MFJArhQCLcBGAs/s1600/blogheader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EKejwEMUPs/WjA5wRnl-9I/AAAAAAAAAAM/FM6ex9Dyn3AzSRkc6TmZGj8Di3MFJArhQCLcBGAs/s640/blogheader.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Our BRAND NEW <a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/shop/products/be-brave-gemstone-cuff" target="_blank">Be Brave Gemstone Cuffs</a> are waiting for you now! They are on sale for $39 with six different gemstone choices: amethyst, rose quartz, carnelian, black onyx, blue onyx, and aqua chalcedony. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Some believe that gemstones contain special healing properties. Do you think so? See for yourself! Be brave this year and let nature take control of your wellbeing. Trust us, it’s not just you. You really DO deserve a break. This year really has been exhausting and Bravelets wants you to heal, repair, and support yourself and your favorite cause! Check out which gemstone is right for you and your wellbeing.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Blue Onyx:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blocks negative energy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boosts the ability to resolve conflicts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Increases physical awareness</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Great for athletes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Helps to destress</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grounds the mind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Heals infected wounds and inflammation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids in communication</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Amethyst:</b></span></div>
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<li>Transmits negative energy into love</li>
<li>Protects against harm</li>
<li>Relieves stress and strain</li>
<li>Soothes irritability</li>
<li>Encourages relaxation</li>
<li>Strengthens the immune system</li>
<li>Boosts the production of hormones</li>
<li>Useful in treating insomnia</li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Carnelian:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids fatigue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Increases self confidence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enhances passion and desire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Attracts prosperity and good luck</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clarifies the voice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids in fertility</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stimulates creativity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Heals lower back problems</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Black Onyx:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Soothes physical and emotional pain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simulates instincts </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Protects physical strength</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Defends against aggression </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sharpens hearing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Strengthens the immune system</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deflects negativity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Promotes self-confidence</span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQirm-DmeBc/WjA86P8NviI/AAAAAAAAAAw/lSThPXvRbOsxCwi_l7XS0x5J-IE9A8dSgCLcBGAs/s1600/rose.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1080" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQirm-DmeBc/WjA86P8NviI/AAAAAAAAAAw/lSThPXvRbOsxCwi_l7XS0x5J-IE9A8dSgCLcBGAs/s320/rose.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rose Quartz:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inspires love of oneself and of others</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Increases self confidence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sponsors a sense of personal fulfillment </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Strengthens a romantic relationship</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids in fertility</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A powerful aphrodisiac </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids in postpartum depression</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reduces wrinkles</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Aqua Chalcedony:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3524e_v4QGY/WjA8z23gDCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/OuT3MSoKTbErDekgb8wAmy1pelJD3r6hACLcBGAs/s1600/black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Restores balance to the mind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encourages personal reflection</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Great for artists and influencers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reduces sleepwalking</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aids in the treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Calms fears</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encourages bravery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Opens the mind to new ideas</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Which one is perfect for you? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Which <a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/shop/products/be-brave-gemstone-cuff" target="_blank">Gemstone Cuff</a> will you pick? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.crystalvaults.com/guides-crystals/" target="_blank">Crystal Vaults</a> for the interesting gemstone properties! Interested? Check them out!</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com578tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-25486162668297340172017-11-28T09:48:00.001-08:002018-04-18T14:22:37.988-07:00Today is #GivingTuesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m25c40y2yYA/Wh2gZJg7IqI/AAAAAAAABI8/n_WYUsGhXC0KKZrbeScXmIEgNynzo9dpwCLcBGAs/s1600/GT-Social-media-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m25c40y2yYA/Wh2gZJg7IqI/AAAAAAAABI8/n_WYUsGhXC0KKZrbeScXmIEgNynzo9dpwCLcBGAs/s640/GT-Social-media-2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Help us give back in a BIG WAY this year! On top of the 10% donation to your cause, Bravelets is donating $5 to Toys for Tots for every order placed today. </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. We think this is a great way to spread the Joy of Christmas across the nation!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Learn more about the Toys for Tots Program <a href="https://www.toysfortots.org/about_toys_for_tots/toys_for_tots_program/default.aspx">here</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Help us share the word for this Giving Tuesday and donate 10% to your favorite cause + give back to Toys for Tots. Learn more about the purpose of Giving Tuesday <a href="https://www.givingtuesday.org/">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Visit <a href="http://www.bravelets.com/">www.bravelets.com</a> to make a purchase & give back! Our Cyber Monday Sale has been extended and you can also get 35% off sitewide still with code: CYBER35 </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our favorite this year is the $8 Be Brave Stretch Bracelet (on sale for $5.20 with code!)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhW3YoimBxw/Wh2hVyzKRAI/AAAAAAAABJI/Qzk4eoNKx_U0qdDfN8kwfyqKCl6A6vfGACLcBGAs/s1600/CyberMonday_250x250-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhW3YoimBxw/Wh2hVyzKRAI/AAAAAAAABJI/Qzk4eoNKx_U0qdDfN8kwfyqKCl6A6vfGACLcBGAs/s1600/CyberMonday_250x250-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-12296614769216031902017-11-08T14:15:00.003-08:002017-11-08T14:15:31.387-08:00FREE DOWNLOAD: 2017 Holiday Gift Guide<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you beginning your search for affordable gifts for all your loved ones that also mean something special? Bravelets is here to help you out! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organize your gift giving for every special person in your life. Download this PDF and start brainstorming their favorite styles and causes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cz_I5H2YpxADAwuyFq2UzOSLF0WfD5Ie/view?usp=sharing">CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF HERE</a></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your have any questions about giving gifts this season, message us on Facebook or email us at info@bravelets.com. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-49007038081867970152017-10-19T10:57:00.000-07:002017-10-19T12:12:51.122-07:00#MeToo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p63GvpeQmYo/WejwTP1t_JI/AAAAAAAABHc/S_xRxaniExgZ443m8kL8Ax7hRHWFSQSQQCLcBGAs/s1600/Me-too-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1200" height="333" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p63GvpeQmYo/WejwTP1t_JI/AAAAAAAABHc/S_xRxaniExgZ443m8kL8Ax7hRHWFSQSQQCLcBGAs/s640/Me-too-header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week a viral movement called "Me Too" took social media by storm. Recently revived by the controversy and horrendous stories coming forward in the Hollywood industry from Harvey Weinstein, it has since expanded to highlight the every day sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse from others in power. Strong, brave women and men have come forward to claim "me too" to highlight the magnitude and widespread scale of a story that is too common but never talked about enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here at Bravelets, we wanted to give others a platform to share their own "me too" and we launched a social media post that has now been shared, commented on, and liked over around 2,000 times and reached a mass of 56K people on Facebook alone. We wanted take a moment to thank everyone who decided to share their story and to share with you our thoughts surrounding this movement...</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bravelets/photos/pb.199525996762157.-2207520000.1508435214./1518494851531925/?type=3&theater" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yqtU08lIsic/Wejk_Mjg0WI/AAAAAAAABHA/9gf81Zwqirg6em3ZQ2R29mH1sW71nB87gCLcBGAs/s640/metoo.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The reality is, the Me Too movement is long over due for our society, but in our eyes - better now, than never. We sat in awe of the bravery that has poured out from you on Facebook to the top celebrities using their voice for good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WE ARE STRONGER & BRAVER TOGETHER.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Me Too" was started by <span style="background-color: white;">activist Tarana Burke over 10 years ago, but recently made viral by actress Alyssa Milano. Ebony recently interviewed Burke about the growing popularity of her movement and this is what she said –</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Burke said she began “Me Too” as a grassroots movement to aid sexual assault survivors in underprivileged communities “where rape crisis centers and sexual assault workers weren’t going.”</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“It wasn’t built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag that is here today and forgotten tomorrow,” Burke told Ebony in a statement on Monday. “It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible.”</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The campaign’s motto is “Empowerment through empathy.”</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Read more at EBONY <a href="http://www.ebony.com/news-views/black-woman-me-too-movement-tarana-burke-alyssa-milano#ixzz4vydcikD1" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">http://www.ebony.com/news-views/black-woman-me-too-movement-tarana-burke-alyssa-milano#ixzz4vydcikD1</a> </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Follow us: <a href="http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=ajT_PmxMur4OKGacwqm_6l&u=EbonyMag" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">@EbonyMag on Twitter</a> | </span><a href="http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=ajT_PmxMur4OKGacwqm_6l&u=EbonyMag" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">EbonyMag on Faceboo</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">k</span></a></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our heart breaks for the women (and men) who have felt like their voice has been silenced, not believed, or unheard through these experiences. You have every right to claim your voice now. Not everyone can though. On Twitter, user <a href="https://twitter.com/apbenven">@apbenven</a> shared this thought:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you, reading this right now, don't have the opportunity to share your story publicly because of your job, your partner, your family, or just personally you may not be ready - you don't owe anyone your story. You owe it to yourself though to practice good self care and honor your mind & body with the opportunity to heal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another one of the many positives that have come from this movement is the hashtag #HowIWillChange - men are now taking to Twitter and beyond to share how they will not stand idly by allowing this destructive behavior to stand. They are pledging to recognize and end the behavior that enables other men to act this way. It has been passively allowed for far too long, and we are thankful to the men who have spoken up in support. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some may be reading this and thinking, "How can this many women have endured this? This is can't be true." The reality is our world has slowly justified this behavior from the way we talk, to the way we joke, the way we casually objectify others. The "Me Too" movement encompasses the cat calls, the sexist comments, the "accidental" touches, the men who stare, the men who act, the abuse of power, and the silencing no matter how big or small. We need to educate those who don't understand, have never experienced it, or choose to blame the victim. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Atlantic published a great article on the psychology of victim blaming and how some times even the most well intention people do this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I think the biggest factor that promotes victim-blaming is something called the <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'3',r'502661'" href="http://h/" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration-line: none;">just world hypothesis</a>,” says Sherry Hamby, a professor of psychology at the University of the South and founding editor of the APA’s <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'4',r'502661'" href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/vio/" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration-line: none;"><em>Psychology of Violence</em></a><a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'5',r'502661'" href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/vio/" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration-line: none;">journal</a>. “It’s this idea that people deserve what happens to them. There’s just a really strong need to believe that we all deserve our outcomes and consequences.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hamby explains that this desire to see the world as just and fair may be even stronger among Americans, who are raised in a culture that promotes the American Dream and the idea that we all control our own destinies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Read more here: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/the-psychology-of-victim-blaming/502661/">https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/the-psychology-of-victim-blaming/502661/</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBo7fv3poHQ/Wejo6v3jIqI/AAAAAAAABHM/iO5FPmzkEAogIQnnenmMJqD8cWsuQ7FNACLcBGAs/s1600/22528929_10155066611125872_4441571297329782415_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1082" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBo7fv3poHQ/Wejo6v3jIqI/AAAAAAAABHM/iO5FPmzkEAogIQnnenmMJqD8cWsuQ7FNACLcBGAs/s1600/22528929_10155066611125872_4441571297329782415_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This movement is a shift in our society. We want to empower those who have felt held back, felt small, felt powerless to stand tall and take back your life. You matter. We believe you and your story. You ARE brave. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We support you. Straight, gay, transgender, agender - we strive to empower you to live your life. Let's work together to make everyone feel safe, brave, and strong. Let's educate each other to be more empathetic and understanding of others stories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many people see our jewelry and our message to "be brave" and some are offended that we would tell anyone to "be" something in such a sensitive situation. We want to make it clear that "being brave" means 1,000 different things to everyone. For some it is the bravery to make yourself a priority, to practice self care, to get out of bed each day. For some it is to be brave in the face of scary situations. Others it is to be brave for someone else who needs the support. We would NEVER imply anyone is weak, not brave, not strong, or needs to be anything other than who they are. We want to serve as your reminder to stay true to yourself in the face of things you can not control. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be brave & simply show empathy to one another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you would like to send support to the National Center for Domestic and Sexual Violence - visit their fundraising page here:<a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/national-center-on-domestic-sexual-violence-ncdsv"> https://www.bravelets.com/collections/national-center-on-domestic-sexual-violence-ncdsv</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />If you would like to share your brave story with us - email your story, story's title, and a photo to include to mallory@bravelets.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Read some of our Brave Stories here: </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.bravelets.com/blogs/story">https://www.bravelets.com/blogs/story</a></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-69193887396684351542017-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:002017-10-05T17:50:24.181-07:00The Story of Rosa & Maya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKB-wFe4FMM/WdbQpDubJ4I/AAAAAAAABFs/Lf_mUpVMS6INgtf9Mrr1Yp1eCqfEUDI_ACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-05%2Bat%2B7.38.44%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="877" height="280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKB-wFe4FMM/WdbQpDubJ4I/AAAAAAAABFs/Lf_mUpVMS6INgtf9Mrr1Yp1eCqfEUDI_ACLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-05%2Bat%2B7.38.44%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, we heard a story from a customer that left tears in our eyes and goosebumps all over. As you know, we have two styles of bracelets called Rosa and Maya. Without giving too much away, keep those bracelets in mind as you read this story about the unexpected paths that crossed between Bravelets and a beautiful family in California… </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“My name is Marina and I would like to share a story with you about how Bravelets has affected me. One of my best friends, Maya, told us the news just months ago that her mom is pregnant and we were all so excited to meet Maya’s baby sister! just one week ago I got a call from one of my best friends who was there saying Rosa, Maya’s mom, had gone into labor the night before. She then proceeded to say that the baby is healthy, but something had happened with Rosa.</span> </blockquote>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rosa, at the age of 43, had a blood clot move from her leg to her lung suddenly after giving birth to her third daughter. This caused her to stop breathing and lose consciousness. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t save her and we lost Rosa</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bravelets/inbox/?selected_item_id=1508276609220416#" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exactly one week from today.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight I was scrolling through my Instagram when an ad came up that read “Rosa bracelet” and I thought, “How weird...” Then it said “Maya Bracelet” and that is when I knew this wasn’t any coincidence. </span> </blockquote>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I clicked on your site to find out the whole message is to help people during their toughest times. I could not believe my eyes when I saw that of all the names and the people in the world, Maya and Rosa were put together. And then that this ad showed up today.</span> </blockquote>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew immediately I not only had to get one for Maya, but I bought one with overnight shipping in order to bury Rosa with the “Maya Bracelet” on her wrist forever. I wrote you because I want to let you know how much you have affected both me, but also Maya, and the rest of my best friends. I ended up buying several of these bracelets, and I know they will be worn with so much meaning. Thank you so much.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GOOSEBUMPS. Marina reached out to us to share a story that moved us beyond words about a unexpected crossing of paths between Bravelets and Rosa & Maya. As you may or may not know, Bravelets started during a hard time for our Founder, Stephanie, after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Stephanie wanted to create something that was a reminder to be brave in the face of difficulty, in the face of things she couldn't control, in the face of life's harsh reality. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We named these two special bracelets after strong women we admired, Rosa Parks & Maya Angelou... </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>but now these names have taken on a different meaning. </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, they represent the strong women of today. Rosa, a wonderful mother, whose time may have been cut too short, but her legacy will live on. And Maya, a daughter, who will be navigating many new challenges. We wanted to express to Maya and all her friends and family - we are with you. We are here for you. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often in life, we look for a purpose. Here at Bravelets we feel we have found ours with the story of Rosa & Maya. We are so honored to be a part of their story. We are sending prayers of strength to all of them. Our hope is that this small piece of jewelry serves as a reminder to be brave and strong.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are constantly overwhelmed with emotion as we hear stories from each of you about how Bravelets has made an impact on your life and your journey through hardships. You constantly remind us why we do what we do, and why we do it passionately. Bravelets is so thankful for each and every one of your support. We ARE braver together. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn more about Rosa and her legacy, view her website that was written in tribute: <a href="https://mmagnus99.wixsite.com/rosalindaadvincula">https://mmagnus99.wixsite.com/rosalindaadvincula</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A special thank you to Marina for sharing this beautiful story with us and supporting Maya and her family in such a beautiful way. You are a wonderful, special person that definitely made this difficult time easier for Rosa's family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">- The Bravelets Team</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com142tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-32300196366901123092017-10-04T08:58:00.000-07:002017-10-04T15:00:29.168-07:00Mental Illness Awareness Week featuring: Chris Biehn<span id="docs-internal-guid-82263ec8-e816-6db7-4d3f-48c2f87af7d1"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 1-7). Our featured guest blogger today is Chris Biehn. He’s a journalism student at Ithaca College from Medford, NJ. He considers himself a dreamer, optimist, and activist. He found Bravelets on social media and fell in love with the concept of having a quality product that benefits crucial charities while promoting the theme fight on. Read his story and important message for Mental Illness Awareness Week:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m taking my 4th medical leave of absence from Ithaca College. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m depressed...again.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At times I can barely function.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Years ago I was told by a leading expert that I had one of the nastiest cases of bipolar disorder he’s ever seen, and he was happy I’m still alive.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, I want to channel this challenge for good to be a vessel of love & hope.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose for my pain is to help others who suffer in similar ways, and so I’ll do everything in my power to do just that. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope is like the sunshine. Even on a torrentially rainy day you know the sun is still present despite not being visible. Sometimes hope is masked by clouds, but know there are always reasons to remember it’s still there. There are many circumstances where hope is hidden from us, and that’s why we need loved ones to remind us of the plentiful aspects of hope that should keep us determined to go on. As a society, we don’t engage in active conversation about this topic. All too often, such as in the recent suicide of Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, the discussion only starts after an irreversible tragedy takes place and it is too late to help the person that was afflicted with a mental illness. We need to address mental illness for what it is; an illness that is prevalent across all races, societies, and cultures.</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-82263ec8-e822-7740-ac7b-0b4757c7167b"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-82263ec8-e822-7740-ac7b-0b4757c7167b"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW: Oct. 1-7), and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time to start a conversation. Let’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4646; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">address and fight this stigma, which is only still prevalent because uninformed people fail to identify mental illnesses for what they are: legitimate disorders of the brain that should be treated. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My battle with bipolar disorder has been a critical experience for me to focus on hope. This article, photo challenge & video I’ll share provide a perfect opportunity start a necessary dialogue so our society doesn’t keep leaving the mentally ill feeling more alone and misunderstood. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t let my illness define me, but my bouts with depression have had a big impact on my life. I’m thankful that my faith has given me a constant sense of hope and has been my anchor through the trials and tribulations. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Depression makes you wither like a green plant sprayed with a powerful poison. Depression makes you feel like there’s a relentless and constant winter in your heart. While enduring suffering, I’ve wanted to find a creative outlet to express myself. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some people incorrectly view depression as just being sad. People will claim they’re depressed after having a single bad day, when the weather is gloomy, or as a result of something negative happening in their life such as a bad grade on an exam. Everyone has mood swings that are caused by emotions or situations that cannot nearly compare to the dark depths of depression. I sometimes like to think of depression as chemical warfare in your brain where a person is really sad when everything in their life seems to be going right. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have always used the analogy when depressed the world seems to change from color to black and white. It gets better, and I know from experience. Don't say things like “suck it up” or “try to snap out of it.” If you’re depressed, your suffering is valid. Keep fighting the good fight and seek the professional help that you deserve. If you know people who are depressed, be there to offer your support, tell them they are loved, remind them that the pain is temporary, and help them find resources. I challenge everyone to post a black and white photo of yourself on all social media platforms, especially Instagram and Facebook. <b>My hope is that this movement will gather a following and people will post a black and white photo of themselves to social media between Oct. 1–7 with this caption: </b></span></blockquote>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-82263ec8-e823-62b7-c5f1-9471c04e19ed"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Depression makes the world change from color to black and white. Tag 10 people to symbolize that about 1 in 10 Americans battle depression. #LLA</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #4e4646; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LLA stands for a student-run campaign I started called Listen. Learn. Accept. We speak up for mental illness, and our main focus is to promote acceptance for mood disorders. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4646; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feel free to add onto the caption why you’re supporting this MIAW campaign. I encourage you to make your Instagram account public for MIAW so the world can see your support for this cause. Having a mental illness is a serious medical condition that should be understood. Depression alone impacts more people than cancer, AIDS, and diabetes combined. I guarantee that you know at least someone in your life that is or has been clinically depressed. What’s even sadder is they might be afraid to be open about their condition because of how much stigma there still is in society. Let’s come together to promote awareness and acceptance for depression. Let’s make a powerful statement by posting black and white photos for MIAW so everyone can see you stand in solidarity with those who battle depression. Let’s unite to get people the professional help they need to be stable and see the world in color once more.</span><span style="color: #4e4646; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I decided to release a cover music video of the Twenty Øne Piløts song “Car Radio” to express a visual & artistic representation of depression. Here’s the link: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKDUJPhmBLw"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKDUJPhmBLw</span> </a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">To sugarcoat this video would've done this project a huge disservice. The band chose provocative & powerful lyrics for this song. It's dark, it's intense, but it's also authentic.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've found “Car Radio” to be remarkably relatable at times like now when the storm within me rages on. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mask in the video is a parallel to the mask Tyler Joseph (the band's singer) wore in the original music video, and to me it symbolizes the numbness of living with dark mood swings, the question of personal identity in the episode, and just a profound statement about how often times depressed people have to wear a metaphorical mask to blend in & act in ways that hide the agony they're feeling inside. I want to promote honesty, vulnerability, empathy, and being genuine. Throw away all of your masks and put on your soul. There’s other symbolism that you can find in the YouTube description. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s true that not everyone has mental illness, but everyone has mental health. Our own mental health is as crucial as our physical health. Mental health should be one of everyone’s top priorities. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those that currently feel like you’re facing a mental health trial, listen to me: it gets better. There are so many medications and treatments out there that have helped me. Therapy can also do wonders. The suffering is temporary. You have a chemical imbalance in your brain that can and will be treated. Remember there are so many people who love you. There are always amazing things to look forward to. Some of you will get to travel and see the world, experiencing beautiful places that take your breath away and fill you with awe. You’ll witness different cultures and have your mind opened in the best possible ways. Some of you will fall in love, and calling that feeling magical will be the understatement of a lifetime. Just imagine how special your wedding day will be! You will build new friendships with those that genuinely care about you and want to walk with you through joy and sorrow. You’ll be mesmerized by sunsets, appreciate fine food, and listen to music that perfectly captures your mood. Think of watching July 4th fireworks or witnessing a shooting star streak across the sky on a perfect clear night. Looking forward to things doesn’t have to be as momentous as a big celebration, it can be as simple as a well-timed hug or hearty laugh. Life is too beautiful to just pass up, yet it is complicated and there will indeed be significant struggles. Sometimes it can be a battle getting through this life, but love alone is worth the fight.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #373a3c; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guarantee this post resonates with you or someone you love, so I encourage you to share it. Don't be silent with your struggles. Instead, cast them out in the open to a support system where you can unpack the challenges together. Persevere. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you face challenges, you’ve got to equip yourself for the journey and rise up. The storms will come. The obstacles may seem insurmountable. The pain will rip right through. But trust that the pain is temporary. Know that light and goodness will prevail. Cling to the anchor of hope as your driving force. Be brave & fight on, friends. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Special thanks to Sam Mitchell (cutbysam.myportfolio.com) for doing an incredible job creating this video. </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bravelets wants to give a huge thank you to Chris for sharing his story, and using it as an opportunity to help others. He is a true inspiration! Follow Chris on Twitter here: <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisbiehn">https://twitter.com/chrisbiehn</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To support the National Alliance on Mental Illness, visit their Brave Page here: <a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/national-alliance-on-mental-illness">https://www.bravelets.com/collections/national-alliance-on-mental-illness</a></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-64605071668041053752017-09-18T09:39:00.004-07:002017-09-18T09:40:28.474-07:00Hurricane Relief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NSTLP48jbAo/Wb_0u2w373I/AAAAAAAABEU/7UxQr4gtNHw1GeF9wrf5_HRtuQZ_AK-_wCLcBGAs/s1600/21231317_1478393188875425_4261865196962404623_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NSTLP48jbAo/Wb_0u2w373I/AAAAAAAABEU/7UxQr4gtNHw1GeF9wrf5_HRtuQZ_AK-_wCLcBGAs/s320/21231317_1478393188875425_4261865196962404623_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bravelets has been hard at work producing your custom Texas Brave Collection! As you know, 100% of proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross - Hurricane Harvey Relief. We are proud to announce we raised over $7,000 thanks to YOU and your support for the people in Texas.<br />
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Texas is our home, so this disaster affected us personally. Our Founder, Stephanie, was located in Houston at the time. Her home was thankfully spared, aside from a leaky roof. She saw firsthand her street flooded, friends homes were flooded and destroyed. Our Lead Designer, Mallory, hometown is just west of Houston and many of her friends homes were flooded out. As a team, we were passionate to help. We started by donated items and goods in Austin at the Hope Thrift Store, Mallory transported pets from Houston to Austin shelters, Stephanie helped demo friends homes to get rid of the mold and ruined walls.<br />
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Then as you know, Hurricane Irma made it's way towards Florida and our hearts broke because we knew what they were about to experience. We quickly set up a fundraising page for the Southwest Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force that would be the first responders to the disaster. Support their mission and cause with the link below.<br />
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<a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/southwest-florida-urban-search-and-rescue-task-force">SOUTHWEST FLORIDA URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE TASK FORCE</a></h1>
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Anytime disaster strikes, our hearts break. We want to do as much as possible for everyone involved. We hope to launch new products with special causes in the near future. In the meantime, we are always open to new ideas and causes from YOU! Want to add your cause to our site? Visit our "Add Your Cause" page and submit the required information. View here: <a href="https://www.bravelets.com/pages/add-your-cause">https://www.bravelets.com/pages/add-your-cause</a></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-59131832255031112062017-08-30T16:43:00.001-07:002017-08-30T16:43:19.201-07:00100% Proceeds Donated: Hurricane Harvey Relief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcAhf4_56cs/WadNHmybVdI/AAAAAAAABDQ/yP_Y5dQru2AHt_xwKFGhpxIu6NCwrFNLwCLcBGAs/s1600/Texas-Brave_FB-Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcAhf4_56cs/WadNHmybVdI/AAAAAAAABDQ/yP_Y5dQru2AHt_xwKFGhpxIu6NCwrFNLwCLcBGAs/s320/Texas-Brave_FB-Post.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday, August 25 Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast line, and even as we write this now 6 days later Harvey has only weakened to a Tropical Storm but is continuing to Louisiana. This disaster has been ruthless and painful for millions of people. Texas is home to Bravelets and we have watched friends homes flooded and destroyed in the Houston area, Rockport, Victoria, La Grange, and more. We knew we needed to do something to help, which is why we created a TEXAS BRAVE collection, available as a necklace and bracelet donating 100% of proceeds to the American Red Cross - Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bravelets Founder, Stephanie Hansen is currently in Houston with her streets flooded and unable to leave. She is seeing first hand the devastating impact Harvey has caused. Others in the the Bravelets team are in Austin, and we are helping the city prepare to receive about 7,000 evacuees from all over Texas. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We launched the Texas Brave Collection on Tuesday, August 30 and have since raised over $3,000 in a little under 24 hours!! Our team is so excited to keep this fundraiser going until we can raise as much as possible. Shop for your own bracelet or necklace here: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/hurricane-harvey-relief-fund">https://www.bravelets.com/collections/hurricane-harvey-relief-fund</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aren’t interested in our Texas Brave Collection but still want to give back to the American Red Cross? Shop our main product collection and still donate 10% of your purchase! View all our products for the American Red Cross - Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund here: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.bravelets.com/collections/american-red-cross-hurricane-harvey-relief-fund">https://www.bravelets.com/collections/american-red-cross-hurricane-harvey-relief-fund</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course you can donate directly to the Red Cross - Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund - text the word HARVEY to 90999. You can also visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">We are so much braver together. Thank you for standing with us and helping the people of Texas. Bravelets is ready to help in any way we can to rebuild and restore our communities in Texas and beyond. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50b4b_SrL4I/WadNKi9HgXI/AAAAAAAABDU/HHhnT7Qqm7U6cOC7MjfzGRZTgeseloRGgCLcBGAs/s1600/HH_FB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50b4b_SrL4I/WadNKi9HgXI/AAAAAAAABDU/HHhnT7Qqm7U6cOC7MjfzGRZTgeseloRGgCLcBGAs/s320/HH_FB2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com435tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210036438858278299.post-9239661747535317832017-08-09T14:59:00.002-07:002017-08-09T14:59:38.909-07:00What's New At Bravelets!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIT5o7ZW4co/WW6YXsUQLAI/AAAAAAAABBk/7HezGxaSkuUXU_P-V0lCPnP30ujSkixIwCLcBGAs/s1600/office-mission-statement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIT5o7ZW4co/WW6YXsUQLAI/AAAAAAAABBk/7HezGxaSkuUXU_P-V0lCPnP30ujSkixIwCLcBGAs/s640/office-mission-statement.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Great things never came from comfort zones.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here on the Bravelets Team, we've been working on some huge updates for the company that will bring new growth, better communication, and special opportunities for YOU! We are so excited to share what's been happening with us for the past two months.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BRAVELETS AMBASSADORS</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most exciting and impactful update is our new Ambassadors program that ANYONE can join FOR FREE! That's right. We believe having a free platform for anyone to help inspire others to be brave during hard times, all the while earning some extra cash is what we call a win-win situation. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are looking for engaging, passionate people that want to uplift and inspire others to be brave. If you want to spread the word of bravery ,rally support for a loved one, or simply want to be a force for change - becoming a Bravelets Ambassador will empower you to do just that. Here’s how it works:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up at </span><a href="https://bravelets.refersion.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://bravelets.refersion.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Share your link to your friends,family and community! It’s that simple.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earn 25% commission on every item purchased through your personal link</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you love a look you've seen others wear? Get ideas for your arm party and shop our Instagram! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.bravelets.com/pages/shop-our-instagram">Shop Our Instagram Here</a></span></span></div>
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