Category: Books

We love to share valentines with dear ones in February.  We also love to make valentines to share love with local communities, such as elderly homes, children’s homes, and hospitals.  A simple message to know that the universe loves you just as you are is a very powerful thing, especially if you’re sick, scared, or hurting.  We encourage this easy and happy gift for you to share with your neighbouring communities.  There is always room for more love!

The very loving & talented toddlers in our Crayon Club made cheerful drawings on the back of these little valentine’s day cards.  (A responsible paper choice is important, too.) View our little film, showing more drawings, below.  As I edited the film, grouping these lovely drawings and offerings of love together, they connected to form a powerful and peaceful statement, one that I express in everything we do.  If everyone loves, then everyone feels loved.  For more fun ideas, for any age, check back here in our journal and for our upcoming Crayon Club book!  Happy Love Day!  ~Amor Milagre

Art is a wonderful way to express emotions, release, and dream.  Art therapy is easy and free to try.  Just pick up a crayon, pencil, paintbrush, and let go.  See what amazing colours, shapes, and imagery you can explore.  See how much better you feel by adding this relaxation technique into your regular routine.  Unwind your mind and sleep well.  We incorporate lots of healthy, therapeutic art & storytelling techniques in our original series of Classes & Clubs.  Know yourself and love yourself. 

There are so many people who would love a visit from a kind soul.  (It’s best to visit only when you’re healthy.  It’s the same for making cards to send to critically ill people.  It’s always good to be mindful of the whole picture).  Many nursing homes and hospitals have a space set up for colouring and crafts.  They have rules for gifts.  Usually they accept new gifts still in the packaging with specifics to the kinds of gifts that are allowed and loved.  Art has endless possibilities.  It improves memory and has a calming effect.  If more people lovingly and gently visited others, who maybe don’t have many visitors, these communities might get more funding, updated interiors, which may improve health conditions, and they would definitely benefit from something new to talk, sense, and think about.  They would feel more loved and listened to.  Everyone has many stories in their book of life, and so many people would love to share their life with others.  This kind of sharing is so inspiring, even on a subconscious level, for some, if not immediately touching the heart on a very aware level. 

Helping others in ways that you can help, while setting healthy boundaries for your own health, sets off a loving chain of events into the universe.  Teaching children to help others is important in forming a well rounded perspective.  (Always keep a good watch over your children, in general, even when helping out.  Talk to them about their experiences and help them sort emotions.  Prepare them with information and tell them to ask for help if needed.  Moments can feel overwhelming, so communication is key.).  If we help ourselves first with basic needs, when possible, we can help others much better.  If everyone helped, even a little bit, then everyone would feel more loved.  Many people are resting and ill, so when you visit, consideration and empathy are always good tools to bring with you.

Some Ideas for Care Centers:  Better, more natural facilities, with views of nature would help everyone want to come and spend time there.  Encouragement and appreciation for the caregivers, volunteers, employees, and visitors.  Safer, more ergonomic ways of lifting and moving for patients and caregivers.  (So many injuries happen when transferring a patient to a bed.)  Non-toxic cleaners.  Open flow with lots of space for wheel chairs and rolling beds.  Great security, friendly employees, and a welcoming entryway that is family friendly.  If elevators are outdated with yellow flickering lights that are scary, not only for children, add natural daylight light bulbs and freshen up the elevator walls with new paint, and clear directory signage for floor layout.  Well designed, beautiful, cozy, comfortable, homey shared spaces, rooms, and nooks in between the bedrooms for everyone to sit peacefully, enjoying visits, reading, or movies.  Restful rooms with windows and a respectfully healthy space for each person would encourage health to improve.  Small rooms designed only for the bed- and wheelchair-bound encourages diminishing health and abilities.  More natural light, better updated lighting, and an air circulation system for fresh air.  In house:  doctors, therapists, beauticians, cooks, holistic healers, and other helpful people would greatly improve the quality of daily life for patients, caregivers, visitors, and others.  It’s important to ensure that the caregivers are up to date on their qualifications, not overworked or understaffed, and kind and gentle with the patients.  Ideally, if everyone helped, donated, and made care centers a healthy place to live and work, they could be a lot more affordable and less stressful for everyone involved.  Another idea is safe pathways to take a walk in gardens outside.  Perhaps a garden room inside for people who would greatly benefit from ‘greenhouse’ air.  Feeling close to nature is so calming and connects you to the world.

Local people could take turns setting up a time to come in and share their talents:  Musicians can sing or play soft, sweet songs.  Artists and crafters could come and sit and paint or knit, allowing everyone to see the process.  If allowed, gardeners could donate a few window boxes and patients, gardeners, and school children could plant seeds together, watching them grow every day.  Herbs have calming scents.  Make an environment that hugs the senses, and there will be a waiting list of excited people to come share their gifts.  Read a nice story.  It would be especially nice for students who ‘need’ community service for their schooling requirements to do something they love in a beautiful place. 

Everyone is a baby after all, and so many people are tucked away unseen.  We encourage everyone to make a positive change in the care centers just down the street or on your block.  (No need to travel far in order to help someone.  Though there are so many people, especially children, who do need immense and immediate help all over the world, there are probably people who also need help right next door.  It’s good to go through proper channels for even a day of volunteering, even if it’s as simple as an email, so you can be accounted for).  You don’t have to donate monetary things, but you can sit and listen pleasantly.  That would make all the difference in someone’s day.  Give what you can.  Give only one afternoon.  Give an afternoon every week or month.  Make a garden outside the windows.  Celebrate holidays.  Call or email ahead to ensure healthy security.  Teachers or anyone who sees someone being hurt or sees signs of someone being hurt, don’t turn a blind eye, seek help for those people.  It only takes one person to try to destroy someone’s life, and it only takes one person to try to help someone’s life.  Be the helper.  Seek help for yourself if you need it, and keep seeking until you find it.  Sadly, many people whose job it is to help can add to the existing problems.  Assess your comfort level, trust your instincts, and be careful. 

If no one visits, then no one sees the positive changes that can be made.  Let’s treat people like people, and not like storage boxes left in a room to collect dust and painfully deteriorate.  There are so may opportunities to make people a priority.  Just as we think there are many ways to set up beautiful activities for local families with children at a library or the town meeting hall, it is the same for people of all ages and abilities.  You never know when you may fall on difficult circumstances and need a shelter, hospital, or care center.  Making these places wonderful for those who need them now helps everyone in the future, too!  If the food was fantastic and the places were lovely, then people would feel comfortable living there at any age, of any ability, and before they are not able to move or do anything.  Design the spaces for everyone, and everyone will come.  Design the spaces to have different ‘landmarks’ with colours, artwork, sections of gathering spaces so the patients are not wandering, lost in beige hallways, unable to find their bedroom.  Visitors need to be able to navigate, too.  This is especially important for sensitive people, like empaths, who often feel immensely overwhelmed in crowds (more than 1 person) or large housing facilities.  Donations of books, homey things like lamps, bookcases, etc might be great tools for designers to play with and arrange when making these spaces.  Local shops like grocery stores or art stores could donate supplies.  Others could volunteer their time to help patients use the supplies.

How inspiring and fun would it be for the clean up crew to have a nightly gallery viewing of all the artwork made that day?  (Using pin boards or magnets.)

There are so many children that need safe, healthy, positive, loving homes and family.  There are so many people being abused that have nowhere safe to go and no one to help them.  There are so many opportunities to help in positive ways.  Everyone has beautiful gifts.  Let your light shine!  Help others so their lights can shine even brighter!

Parents:  Colouring with your children is a great bonding practice.  Ask them about their pictures, get to know their beautiful thoughts, and ease their concerns.  Play is a good way to communicate and learn about one another.  More information about these topics is in our Crayon Club books and upcoming books!  Giving artwork to others is a great way for children to participate in helping their community.  Write their age and date.  Others will adore and marvel at their beautiful and smile-inspiring pictures.

Amor Milagre Stationery Collections are coming in 2019!  We encourage expression.  The insides of our cards are blank for our customers to express their love.  A handmade card or note means so much more than just signing your name.  Take a moment to share your love.  It is unending and grows when you share it.  Children of all ages, 0-1000, can make their own cards.

Giving Real Love Feels Good in the Soul ~Amor Milagre

Music of the Moment:  Love, John Lennon