I believe that we have a purpose when we show up here on the planet, something we are to contribute to humanity. I have questioned mine since as early as I can remember. I would lie awake at night wondering what was I supposed to be when I grew up that would make me happy? What was my passion, what got me excited?
I know that one of my passions is learning about healthy living. For most of my working life, I have learned about different aspects of health and incorporated what I learned into a profession. But, each new thing only lasted as a full time career for less than 10 years and then I would move on. Granted, everything I studied was health related, but, I did not just study diet and nutrition, or massage therapy or colon therapy. In looking back, I suppose I was most interested in healing myself and all of these different avenues played a part in the healing. I sometimes visualize retiring to live in a tropical environment, offering a quiet, peaceful place for someone wanting the same thing: a place to go to do their own healing. I could offer them therapeutic massage, use of a LIBBE to aid in their detox and of course an all raw cuisine. A tropical bed & breakfast with the ocean at your doorstep. Sounds heavenly.
I know that I am to share my experience with sprouting and raw foods. Changing my lifestyle had such a positive impact on my health that I want to tell everyone to stop eating cows. Following my intuition led me on a wonderful learning adventure as the sprout lady. And, although it was one of the most tedious of professions, I loved growing sprouts for the community. But, I would probably never do it again. I would rather teach folks how to grow their own. Watching them gain some connection to the food they eat. Self responsibility. I enjoy sharing my experiences as ‘the sprout lady” and the history of Living Greens, the sprouting business that kept me grounded for many of my working years. I want to share many of the recipes that we made when Living Greens was open for business. I am passionate about sharing with people the importance of adding leafy greens into their lifestyle with green smoothies & how simple it is to have fresh greens growing in your own kitchen. Greens, which are loaded with enzymes and nutrient rich vitamins & minerals needed to rebuild our bodies on a cellular level, have chlorophyll, the beautiful, green fluid that is so molecularly similar to our own hemoglobin. I love to suggest the possibility of living a life free of dairy and the many diseases that are associated with animal consumption. But, that is not my only passion.
For fun, for passing the time creating something pretty, I enjoy spending my time with colored glass. My sister, Kris, taught me the basics of stained glass several years ago. And I have been playing ever since. I have enjoyed making flowers from photographs, angels & ornaments during the holidays and am currently working on a series of yoga postures. 
Last year I started combining glass with mirrors. My first attempt became simply Girl with Pink Bow. A friend saw the mirror hanging in my apartment and asked if I could make one for her godchild as a gift. She brought me a photo of the girl and I went to work. Long story short, I have since made one of my daughter, when she was a child and one of her husband in his youth. Also, my grandson, Lucas , from a photo wearing his favorite ball-cap.
I had visions of someday having a website offering my glass creations, but, for now, a page is being created on this website showing some of my art. Because, the reality is, I enjoy making the mirrors, etc., but, do I want to spend every waking moment making things out of glass? I don’t know if I can. I know that I would not want to lose the fun in working with the glass., the creative part. And I do not feel the creative drive every day. So, if it became a full time business, I might not like it as much. But, would I like making a custom stained glass mirror image for someone from a favorite photograph? Yes. Because every mirror is a unique piece made for someone special. A truly “one of a kind” piece of art. Subjects for a mirrored image could be your child, grandchild, god child or inner child. It is all up to your imagination. I am also experimenting with doing an overlay in glass on mirror. I create in glass because I feel the need to be creative. And I love the medium because I have always loved color and sunlight, and stained glass uses both. I believe that we should consume a rainbow of foods for health and that we need to have things of beauty around us.
Getting back to the beginning of this post and searching for our purpose, our contribution to humanity. Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, believes our utmost purpose is to awaken to our beingness. I know I am awakening. His book was instrumental in affirming that for me. The staying awake part is the challenge! And then he states, secondary, we learn the meaning of awakened doing. And I quote, “Not what you do, but how you do what you do determines whether you are fulfilling your destiny. And how you do what you do is determined by your state of consciousness.
Thus, I believe, what we are to contribute to humanity will change, as we grow and change. In my earlier years, my enthusiasm was in building my sprouting business which evolved into selling organic produce and feeding folks raw food. Then it shifted to teaching others how to grow their own sprouts & greens and how to prepare simple and delicious raw & living foods. And I know I will continue to do that on a local level by possibly offering classes thru the community college and offering my experience and resources online, because I want to help others transition to a more living and raw lifestyle.
I also know that I am enthusiastic when I am working with the glass, I enjoy the process of making a pattern, selecting & cutting the glass, grinding & foiling, fluxing & soldering, cleaning & polishing. Yes, when the piece is done, it is exciting to hang it in the window and experience it changing with the light., but, I enjoy every step of the journey.
In beginning to share my life experiences through this blog and website, I have observed my behaviour towards myself., the judging, questioning, analyzing. And I had to remind myself that it (the blogging & website), in itself, is a process. It will never be done, there is no ‘wrong’ way. So I decided to enjoy the journey here too. I am bringing enjoyment, enthusiasm and acceptance into the present moment each time I make an entry, or add a photo of a new piece of glass art.
Enjoy doing the dishes, running the vacuum, shopping for food. Tolle says bring acceptance, enjoyment or enthusiasm to all you do. That is awakened doing.
Tags: mirrored image, mirrors, stained glass, personal development, sprouting, raw foods, life experience by Deborah
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I had been anticipating the birth of my second grandchild since finding out of my older daughters’ pregnancy last spring. And then they announced that a girl was on the way, which meant that I would have one of each. Beautiful Avery Elizabeth showed up on the 22nd of February, and is a joy to mom & dad (and grandma, too)! Her room is all pretty in pinks & brown. As I was thinking of something to make in stained glass, I came 
across a piece of paper that I had kept because it had a colored imprint of 3 pansies which I knew would make a great pattern for something. I scanned, enlarged and highlighted where I wanted to make the cuts. and voila! a fanlamp nightlight for the baby girls’ room.
