Love Inspires Change – Wander to Wonder

Reclaiming Faith + Self-Care

I am beginning to dabble in the idea that my immature faith has caused me to deny myself self-love. That the continued message of living as a servant to others has led me to deny that I need time for me and that my time is only valuable when put towards the greater good-- that my value and worthiness comes strictly from my pursuit to put myself last and everything else first. While at first, this sounds heroic and humble, like things we are continually told to do, there's a piece of the message being preached that is missing... like the last page fell from the pile of carefully assembled notes and no one ever cared to pick it up. I'm starting to realize that if God loves us as His children, that if we have immeasurable value to Him, then, yes, He wants us to serve others, serve Him, [...]

Aelea2017-07-02T22:44:27+00:00

Join Me: 30 Day Challenge

I invite you along a journey that will positively impact your life and will change the way you view the world around you. It's 30 days of gratitude and doing ONE thing that will move your life the direction you aspire to go. It sounds simple, but it will come with its own set of unique challenges; you will overcome procrastination, self-doubt, and will come out the other side of these 3o days feeling lighter, happier, and ready to continue on past the 30-day marker as the challenge will have transitioned from a timeline to a lifestyle. What you'll need: A notebook or your phone (I'm old school and love a real notebook and pencil) A willing heart ready to be changed. Oh, and an idea of what you want to do for 3o days.... The challenge has 3 parts: 1. Each day, for 30 days, you will write down in [...]

Aelea2017-03-17T01:27:58+00:00

GIVEAWAY: Inspiring Spaces

I am passionate about being inspired. When you're inspired, you are limitless. All the possibilities of the world are open, and you find ways to relish in the daydreams of endless potential. Creating inspiring spaces cultivates a little piece of possibility in your own home, which is valuable beyond measure. Creating a space that inspires you means you believe you can change the world, you can take on anything that comes your way, and you feel welcome, happy and your heart radiates. I've made a point to surround myself with items that inspire. I've even had people comment on my Instagram photos, sharing sentiments of how they enjoy the environment I intentionally put myself in. I encourage people to do the same-- a candle in a little corner, a plant whose shadows dance in the sunlight, or a favourite saying framed in calligraphy to encourage you in moments you feel [...]

Aelea2017-02-10T01:22:10+00:00

How Cupcakes Can Change The World

Cupcakes can change the world. "It sounds pretty bizarre, and I don't blame you for thinking I'm a little wacko for making such a bold statement, but it doesn't change that the statement is true. What if I told you that YOU, as one person in this massive world, can use something you are passionate about to implement and create a lasting global impact and help end slavery? That's what I did, this is what I am doing, and it all started with cupcakes..." This weekend I am headed to Ohio to be part of a Social Justice Summit where my talk, titled Cupcakes Can Change The World, aims to encourage individuals to implement two key pieces of activism to see modern-day slavery and human trafficking come to an end. These two crucial parts of the activism puzzle are: 1- Purchasing Power 2- Open Source Activism These two concepts [...]

Aelea2017-01-26T03:39:52+00:00

Healing – My Healing Session Experience

Healing is such an interesting word. We can think of healing in many different ways but its deepest root is positivity—to become whole again. I recently had a healing session with one of my yoga-teachers-turned-friend Savannah. I will be the first person to admit, when she first mentioned I should come to a healing session, my mind was full of doubt and disbelief, intertwined with playful curiosity and intrigue. As someone who has a firm belief in my own faith, I am definitely open to hearing about what other people find worthy of their own belief—where people find truth, and how similarities form. Let’s be honest, as a Christian, we are continually told to go out and make disciples of those around us, spread the gospel, and see people come to Christ. One of the reasons I love hearing about another individuals belief system is because I love seeing where [...]

Aelea2016-11-20T04:22:54+00:00

Soul Searching

Lately I've been doing some "soul searching", as they say. Thinking about what it is that brings me joy and passion, and where I feel my life's purpose is going to take me. The following deep thoughts were spurred on one night as I was laying in bed; with the scent of lavender guiding me to dream land, I was contemplating how I've come to find truth in the power of aromatherapy, yet I question other things people find truth and healing in like crystals... then the thought of crystal reminded me of sand and being warm on a beach... which then reminded me how, in the past 12 months, I haven't left the country. I've only left the province twice-- once to get a package across the US border, once barely into Ontario to assist a friend with a wedding she was shooting. I realized it's been so long [...]

Aelea2016-02-23T05:00:00+00:00

Human Rights

Surprises are the best! One of my best friends, Kim, lives in Hamilton, Ontario. On an adventure to Hamilton to do some house searching many, many moons ago, Kim and I were introduced and basically became instant best friends. She shared her life story, while I listened and played with our mutual friend Cory’s cat. It really was the beginning of an awesome friendship-- from that day I knew that when my wonderful husband and I finally moved to Hamilton, there was one person I could rely on for a hangout, an errand run, and other general fun. Fast forward to the end of 2015 and Kim and I hadn’t seen each other in 11 months. We skyped and texted to remain in contact, but my move to Winnipeg left us thousands of miles apart. While the length of time between visits wasn’t supposed to be this long, surprise visit after re-scheduled surprise visit [...]

Aelea2016-02-16T01:32:00+00:00

Walk The Walk

“Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk.” “Actions speak louder than Words” These two phrases are as common as the changing leaves in autumn—and the sure denial we all live in when we attempt to remain stagnant in the beauty of fall, wishing the winter freeze would never creep in. We’ve heard them before, and with most things we deem familiar, their impact is often lost when we hear them. Today, right in this very moment, I want you to stop and think about the two phrases; how they complement and challenge each other, and how they bring to life the ideals of people living out beautiful sentiments like a fairytale ending of ‘happily ever after.’ When I think of these phrases, I am reminded of how Christ followers are called to live a life like Jesus. It’s the impossible task, made accessible through grace. It’s something we cannot do, but are commissioned to strive to do in our actions [...]

Aelea2015-09-30T02:33:00+00:00

Namaste

I had a few friends in Hamilton who told me I would enjoy yoga if I tried it. They were avid yogi’s who absolutely loved the benefits hot yoga had to offer. While they may have suggested I try out the practice, I never did in a studio setting. I did, however, enjoy doing 'Yoga with Adriene' on Youtube. When my wonderful husband accepted the opportunity to play drums at the Hard Rock Café in Dubai for a few months, I was left with a lot of free time to fill in order to distract me from the fact that it's just me and Bourbon at the apartment. Enter, yoga. Being thankful for the lesser cost of a trial membership, I embarked on a journey of yoga-- first at Moksha, and now, at Yoga Public. I’ve enjoyed what practicing yoga has offered. The physical benefits of practicing are getting in [...]

Aelea2015-09-15T01:48:00+00:00

I Don’t Need Saving

You know what really grinds my gears? People assuming you need saving… Especially when you don’t. Now, cool your tatter-tots and hear me out before a full-fledged sermon comes flying at me. I’m not talking about THAT kind of saving. The kind of saving I’m talking about is when people assume you want to be rescued from conversations with individuals who are mentally disabled. Yes, I went there. And I think it’s about time I did, considering how often this seems to happen. Recently, I was sitting in a local car dealership having some work done to our amazing little car. This is the same car that was a surprise gift to us before we moved to Hamilton, Ontario a few years ago. Friends had conspired for our benefit. Our old car was quite the beater; It didn’t have great heat, was so loud you could hear it coming from [...]

Aelea2015-09-07T21:56:00+00:00