Last Friday's creativity class at Glendale Adventist Cancer Services was devoted to a writing assignment and canvas piece entitled The Lotus Blossom.  As the writing and creativity blossomed, we saw that the images were of a garden, a garden of hope.

Here are some of the lovely words and poetry written by cancer patients and survivors:

REBIRTH  by KIMIE CHO

I would like to share a beautiful piece by MaryAnn Montanez, cancer survivor, who attends my Creativity classes at Huntington Memorial.  While we listened to harp and violin music, she wrote:

A Violin, A Harp

One of the exercises I take my cancer patients through in my Write to Heal class is the simple scribbling and doodling about what it means to heal.

What does it mean to heal?

"Life can humble you in a way that also empowers and enriches you."  A Woman with Wings.

The following lovely passage is from one of my writing students, who continues her fight with breast cancer.  The assignment that day was to remember one of life's little moments that still remains vivid in memory.  Here is what the Divine Miss G wrote:

I recently taught a class on Leadership to 20 some domestic violence survivors who are a part of the SAC, Survivors' Art Circle at A Window between Worlds.  The class was entitled, The Wounded Healer Heals. 

All of us have experienced pain and wounding.   Some wounds and scars are physical, others emotional, others mental.  The emotional/mental are the most brutal for long after the physical bruising heals and fades, the emotional scars are still there. The pain can be with you for a very long time.

As some of you know, I teach creativity to domestic violence survivors, women in crisis, domestic violence shelter leaders and cancer patients.  What I hear time and time again from people in these groups is:

"I AM SAYING YES TO LIFE!"

I recently emailed the founder of Empower the Children, Rosalie Giffoniello, to continue our dialogue on her outstanding work with children in the slums of Kolkata.  

Rosalie, what would you say to budding Social Entrepreneurs in the US?

At the beginning of my workshops, creativity classes or events that I speak at, I emphasize the need for women - of all ages and backgrounds - to take a little time for themselves each and every day - to rest, restore and revitalize.   In fact, I usually say the Wings gratitude prayer to begin each class:

"Surrender to the Beauty,

Over the weekend, I attended an in-store promotion at the Eileen Fisher store here in Pasadena. The invitation called the event "a special shopping day that supports local leadership programs for women and girls," with 10% of proceeds benefitting a Los Angeles-based teen program called Taking the Reins.

Since I have long admired Eileen Fisher the woman, the business woman and the social entrepreneur, this Saturday shopping excursion was a win for me.