jen gray

DVD GIVEAWAY!

This week my friend, Brene Brown, released her lecture on "The Hustle for Worthiness".....It is beautiful, powerful, and so very needed... I know each one of us can relate to the exhaustion of trying to be good enough, doing whatever we can to live up to the expectations of what it means to "worthy." (What a battle it can be...)

A note below from Brene:

"On February 4th, I gave a lecture on my new research on love, belonging, and the power of being enough. The lecture was filmed and the DVD release date is today!
We're celebrating the release of "The Hustle for Worthiness" DVD with an entire Week of Worthiness. It's all part of the Wholehearted Revolution!
Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough.
It�s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn�t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.
So many of us have knowingly created / unknowingly allowed / or been handed down a long list of worthiness "prerequisites."

I'll be worthy when I lose 20 pounds.

I'll be worthy if I get pregnant.

I'll be worthy if everyone thinks I'm a good mom.

I'll be worthy if I can make a living selling my art.

I'll be worthy if I can hold my marriage together.

I'll be worthy when I make partner.

I'll be worthy when I can do it all and look like I'm not even trying.

and so on . . .

Here's what is truly at the heart of Wholeheartedness:

Worthy NOW! Not when. Not if. We are worthy of love and belonging NOW. Right this minute. As is...."

The lecture is available now on DVD, and if you would like a chance to receive a free copy of it, please drop me an email at jen@jengray.com
with the words "I have always been worthy" in the subject line.
I will be announcing the winner next week!

You can read more about Brene HERE...

Brave. . .

This is my friend Catrina.
And this is her story.
This film has been entered into the 2010 Neuro Film Festival from the American Academy of Neurology Foundation at www.neurofilmfestival.com. Let's put our brains together and support brain research...

You can vote for her film HERE

It would mean alot. . .

Thank you..

I Wish....

love, jen

CHECK IT OUT!

Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen are now taking registrations for the amazing
"Mondo Beyondo: An Online Class About Dreaming Big"

"What happens when you give an unspoken wish a place to become a dream come true? How do you gather the courage required to help a new found dream soar? Join seasoned dreamers Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen as together we explore Mondo Beyondo--the powerful point of view that transforms our deepest dreams into practical realities.
This five week online class complete with inspiring lessons, real life stories, secret missions, audio interviews and hands-on activities will help you take your dreams from the realm of wishing into everyday motion. Supported by Andrea and Jen as your able guides and exclusive access to a community of dreamers, you'll find yourself equipped with the perfect tools and the just right atmosphere to take the risks you've always dreamed of."

* Next session begins March 8th *

CLICK HERE for more information!

Happy Birthday Barron!

the birthday boy...

I celebrate the day you were born.

You are a dream come true.

It's in the way you love,
the way you see things,
the way you make us laugh,
the way you cut a rug,
the way you show kindness, patience, and compassion...

It's in how you can make the smallest things a beautiful adventure,
how you are so supportive to those around you,
how you stand up for what you know is true,
and how brave you are,
and how you know how to make the worst days seem manageable....

It's about your integrity,
your sense of humor,
your sensitivity,
your strength,
your willingness to grow,
your incredible heart....

It's all these things and a hundred things more
that make you unlike anyone I have ever met.

Happy Birthday my Love!
Im the luckiest girl in the world to get to share this life with you...
xo

Reality Blogging.

my pal, Donk.

it's easy to do.
you begin reading other's blogs
and you see how beautiful, cool, and successful their lives are ~
and instead of being inspired,
you end up feeling like a totally dull and boring loser.

hopefully you are able to take a step back and realize most folks are not going to
post something about the less charming side of things (let's face it, it's a bit more fun to write about the DELISH PIE we just shared with our BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS at an AMAZING CAFE, then it is to write about the pile of bills on the counter or the dirty dishes in the sink)... and these blogs are just a snipit's of people's lives. So keep that perspective.

but, for the sake of reality and pure honesty,
im going to share my less charming list with you today.

*im not having lavender tea and buttered toast this morning.
its a glass of diet coke and eating dry lucky charms out of a mug.

*the one friend i see most on a regular basis is not an artist and prefers peppermint candy over fresh greens. (see above picture..yes. that's him)

*i pick my hair products by what smells best, and these days, it's Finesse, and it's not sold at Whole Foods.

* i beagn re-doing a room in our house but im now weeks into trying to remove four layers of wallpaper and im so annoyed that ive just shut the door to that room and am using it for storage. and if i dont get going on some of this laundry, it is going to become a new closet to hide stuff in when company comes over.

*one of the things i had to do at work last night is clean up a smushed snicker bar chunk that had been stepped on and smeared all over the gym floor.

*yoga? running? pilates? um no. my most recent form of exercise was from digging a trench in the side yard to stop the melting snow river from heading straight into the garage.

*instead of listening to This American Life while i work at the computer, i listen to El Debarge.

*today's outfit? mismatched socks, a really old, a knitted Bears hat and jeans that are total floods.

how's that for glamorous? :)

How my Day Began....

I so dig this...

the bag....

what we carry...

its that bag you hold. the one you've been carrying around for so many years ~ the one that reminds of you of all your mistakes, all the rotten things you have ever said or done, all the wrong choices you have made....

how long are you going to tote that stuff around?
trust me, shame will never serve your soul.
it just bruises you more and keeps you from your true being.

forgiving yourself is just as important as forgiving others.

you have carried it long enough....

i just thought you should know...

it's time to drop that bag.

sense.

kelly rae, boa flown by jen lemen.....

sometimes, it's just not going to make any sense until you are much
further down the road...
and having doubts doesn't mean it's the wrong decision....
if the fear wasn't there, it wouldn't matter as much.

your soul is no less capable than anybody else's.
there is not a lid to the resources you have within.
and there is no fence that can ever stop you from reaching for support.

so giddy up now,
get moving.

the thing.

Marisa's Shoes

"you must do the thing you fear you cannot do..."
~eleanor roosevelt

Joy for Haiti....How you can help...

Myriam, Photo by Andrea Scher

It wasn't long ago that a group of us received this letter from our very good friend Myriam, regarding the earthquake and her family who resides in Haiti.

"Hello Loves,
I have been trying to write this email to you most of this day. I don't know what to write about this devastation happening to our sisters and brothers on that tiny island. I do have family in Haiti, aunts, uncles etc. As of yet, we are not able to make contact...."

Shortly after that we received another letter....

"As of today:

My uncle Victor and Tante Mado both separately support two schools in Haiti, both have been demolished, many dead.. My uncle is housing as many children from the school as he can, all are disconnected from their own families. The shortage of water and food is chaotic and the trauma experienced is only just beginning to be understood.

My Tante Mado has 52 school girls without homes, living at the remains of their school. Another aunt, continues to wait for communication with her sister whom she was on the phone with when the quake started. It's very confusing what the best help is right now as it seems nothing is enough. Communication is so difficult, we are getting reports of deaths without any real confirmations. It is possibly the worst freakin game of grapevine every played. My heart just aches and aches, while my head spins with thoughts of how to empower myself and use all of my resources.

In speaking with family, funding is the most vital. Some are thinking beyond the disaster recovery to rebuilding homes, schools and churches......"

Myriam will be going to Haiti in March to help bring joy and hope back to her community. Her trip will be documented each step of the way, and you will be able to see and feel how your help directly effected the lives of so many devastated hearts...

Please read HERE to find out how you can help Myriam bring hope and joy back to Haiti. You can "chip in" at the site below or at the
Joy for Haiti site if you are looking to help...
Thank you so much...

Happy Birthday Jonatha Brooke

Jonatha and I, photo taken by Stacy

Happy Birthday my beautiful friend.
Thank you for being in my life....

There is never a a time when we talk that I do not end up cracking up,
whether things are rotten or wonderful, you bring out the laugh in me.

And yet, you are one of the most tender and sensitive people I know.
I have been the recipient of your kind heart again, and again, and again.
I know I could tell you anything, and you would still be standing there with
your big love.

You really are like Tinker Bell, in the sense that you leave a trail of light and all things good wherever you go.

You are crazy brilliant and wildly creative, (and I covet your wardrobe and your knitting skills :)

Thank you for the gift of your friendship,
the gift of your ability to see what matters most,
the gift of being able to invoke my inner 7th grader at any moment,
the gift of your music which has been a constant companion to my heart,
and the gift of your wise and dear soul.

I am glad you were born.

Happy Birthday Jonatha!

xo

prayer and neurosis.

old church, u.p.michigan ~ canon xti

when i was young, i used to pray that
"everyone in the whole wide world would be happy and safe and okay."

but as much as i prayed, it didnt happen.

i thought if i pressed my hands together REALLY hard, that this would make my prayers have more power.

i also thought if i looked up to the sky, my prayers would stand a better chance because i was maintaining eye contact with God.

i then came up with the idea that if i said Jesus's name over and over and over again, God would surely pay attention to me. Like the kid in the classroom who keeps saying "pick me! pick me! pick me! pick me!" he eventually gets picked , if not just to shut him up.

but still, my prayer was not answered.

i memorized The Lord's Prayer even though i didnt really understand it and was confused why i was asking forgiveness for trespassing when i had never hopped the fence that had the sign on it...but i figured this prayer had to be the key to getting my prayers answered.

still ~ people were unhappy, bad things were happening in the world, and clearly, a lot of things were not okay.

when i heard the story about the devil, and how he got into a fight with God and got the boot out of heaven because he was so mean, and that the devil was the reason for all evil in the world ~ i thought i really figured things out.

from that day on, i prayed for the devil, thinking if he patched things up with God, everything would go back to being perfect and peaceful.

when i told my sunday school teacher how i was praying for the devil, i must have said i was praying "TO" the devil because she looked at me with horror, and said i was NEVER EVER to do that and if i did, the devil would capture my soul and take it away to hell.

i remember putting my pillow over my head at night so Satan wouldn't see my head and find my soul.

my quest for world peace turned me into a neurotic mess.

i still pray.
i still believe it does something good, somehow, somewhere.
and these days, i can truly ask to be forgiven for the trespasses of my trespassing, because i have certainly hopped more than a few fences in my adult life.

West and Midwest....Where we cozy down...

Jen-Midwest's spot and Stef-West's spot....

Me - "My business happens to involve A LOT of noise. The best kind of noise
though ~ 46 kids laughing, singing, dancing, and lots of really loud
music..... But when I come home, I often need to be in total silence...
And this is where I like to land. This couch is the ultimate in
cozy-softness, and the view out the window there is of the horses and the
surrounding fields. It's one of my favorite spots in the house."

Stef~ When I want to relax, get away from all the toys, the noise, the every day life...I retreat to my bedroom and sink into my bed with a good book, a magazine, my journal, or I just lay there and look out the windows at the world. The best time is early afternoon when the sun is shining in and I lay there like a cat, soaking it up.

Im just saying...

SQUAM ART WORKSHOPS 2010

(this is your year.....)