Do you like Chocolate? Then be an Angel...

I don't know about you, but I love Chocolate. However, only just recently I found out that thousands of people have been sold into slavery to produce it for me to eat. Now that kind of took the fun out of my Chocolate bar. Call me slow, but I didn't know. Now I am not really a betting kinda gal, but I sort of thought that if I didn't know that there are also lots and lots of other people out there who don't know either.

So I am asking you to do something... I am asking you to go to the www.stopthetraffik.org website to sign a petition that is going to the UNITED NATIONS to abolish the slave trade.

12,000 children - 12 thousand children have been traffiked into slavery to produce chocolate... 12 thousand children are working on Africa's Ivory Coast to produce cocoa beans to be made into chocolate... let's get together and stop this... write to your favourite Chocolate company and tell all the friends you can. You see once you find out this sort of thing, chocolate just doesn't taste the same any more. There is Chocolate you can buy that is slave free and it is certified under the Fair Trade logo... the Stop The Traffik site has a lists of stockists where you can buy them.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE... inform everyone you know about this from the stores where you buy chocolate to your local politican... get your emails working... lets work together. Be an Angel to those kids today.

Double Rainbow over Ballina

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir

Last night was one of those special evenings that you get once in a while... an evening where you feel that you have been aparty to something very, very special... To see these double rainbows last night was quite simply breath catching. The Northern Rivers are such a beautiful place to live and as the quote above says... are places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

This morning I read in my daily calendar... 'the first job God gave humans was to manage and take care of God's 'stuff' on earth'. Moments such as last night reinforce to me how our purpose as humans, is that of caretakers of our earth, and how important it is - that each one of us - take responsiblity to be stewards of this wonderful land we live in.

Daily Calendar Quote from The Purpose Driven Life Daily Calendar 2008

Reflections

Om Mani Bowl
View more art at: www.frangipanihouse.com.au/art.html

I have been going through my happiness journal recently, and in it I had written about goals I would like to achieve or things I would like to have in my life. I notice that nearly all of them have come into fruition. However one area of my life that I love I notice that I have been really slack with is my art this year. I have hardly produced anything.

On a visit to the newly opened gallery in Ballina, I spoke to one of the artists, who mentioned that she had gone through a tough time of late. However she noticed also that she had produced 27 paintings during this time. Art can be a great way to express inner stresses and help yourself to come to terms with whatever issues are going on in life. Picasso said that 'art is simply another way of creating a diary'.

I notice that when I view my art from a journal or diary perspective it tells a lot. The Hawaiian artwork I do reflects time I spent learning about Hawaiian myths during my Hawaiian Bodywork Training. The Om Mani Bowl artwork above was one that I did when the Dalai Lama's Gyuto Monks visited Port Macquarie. I attended some of their workshops and went to the chanting night. (If you haven't ever seen them, next time they are in your town pay them a visit. You don't have to be Buddhist to attend there is some beautiful philosophy to be learned through them.)

I started to paint four artworks for the church I attend this year, the theme was on Peace, Hope, Love and Joy. The art just wasn't progressing as I wanted. I had been rushing around helping out at church then rushing around at home getting Christmas presents organised I am sure I don't have to elaborate on the usual Christmas hurry... and I realised attempting to paint in a rush with all that was going on at Christmas time, simply wasn't conveying the Peace, Hope, Love and Joy I wanted, so they are now in the art cupboard, waiting for me. Reminding me every time I open the cupboard door... 'are you ready to be more Peacful, Hopeful, Loving and Joyfull yet?' Groaning I shut the door and rush around getting the house ready for more holiday visitors.

Well I am off to my paint pots - what are you doing today? I think I'll finish my mermaid... I keep seeing the Ballina mermaid everytime I cross the bridge to go for my walk and I love her so I am doing my own version.