Believe – Joanne Jamis Cain

November 12, 2017April 11, 2018

Rock My World

My daughter Michelene and her rock. “There is a crack in everything. That is how the light gets in.”

UPDATE! We will be installing our Kindness Rocks Garden on April 28 at 10am at The Rainbows End Playground, Findlay Township, PA. Come out and share in the dedication with us!!

You might remember that this past June I happened to be at Susquehanna University. It was there that I stumbled upon a Kindness Rocks Garden and stopped in my tracks. It captured my attention and so much so that I contacted my daughter’s childhood friend, Steph, who worked for the Recreation Department of Findlay Township.

I told Steph about the Kindness Rocks Garden and asked if there was a chance that we could make one in Clinton Park. “Sure!”, she said. And that was the beginning.

Since I am turning 60 this month, I wanted to do something to honor my friends and community. Creating this project filled the bill. On Thursday, November 9, about twenty new and old friends gathered to paint rocks and write inspirational sayings on them.

Armstrong Telephone gave us a grant and through them, we were able to buy all of the supplies. The Kindness Rocks website has a pdf form that makes it so easy to get everything you need. The oil based markers were terrific. We also had pre-painted about 25 rocks, just to get the evening started.

My deepest thanks to Steph, Findlay Township, and everyone who turned out! We will be creating the actual garden in Clinton Park this coming Spring of 2018. I promise to keep you posted here and on social media. If you live in the area and would like to make rocks for this project, feel free! We would welcome groups or individuals who love to create. Feel free to contact Findlay Recreation at 724-695-0500 extension 240.

Here’s what a fabulous evening it was.

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
― Maya Angelou

January 2, 2017February 3, 2017

She Believed She Could

This beautiful image courtesy of Artsy Pumpkin- Click HERE for the link.

“I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.”
― Anne Lamott

Happy New Year! How was your holiday? I can’t believe it’s over already. Now it’s back to reality and real life! I couldn’t resist the above quote by Anne Lamott. She makes me laugh, cry and smile, sometimes all at the same time. Reading her books and writing can turn around my whole day.

When I look back on this year, I can consider it an amazing one. I did many more events than I thought possible. My church had a centennial celebration that I was blessed to be a part of. Penelope Katherine, my newest grandchild, was born on January 24 and brought such joy to my (and the whole family’s) life. I published my first book, Ordinary is Extraordinary and sold more copies of it than I thought possible (thank you!).

On the flip side, I was sometimes overwhelmed by too much to do. As usual I think I am managing well but then a dark cloud comes over me. That is why that quote above is especially poignant. I can really relate to it. Sometimes it is other people that bother me, sometimes it is the situations I create myself.

My word of the year for 2016 was Believe. It was a great word and I have kept it in mind all year. I hoped to use it to deepen my faith and I believe I accomplished that goal. I also know I will always keep building my relationship with God. I am never done and He will never be rid of me.

In the past two months, I lost a good friend to cancer. Another friend of mine, who was to be a first time grandmother, experienced a stillborn loss that I am still struggling to believe. Both of these were deep losses that I felt (and am still feeling). This is the hard part of growing up, getting older. You lose people that you love, bad things happen and we don’t understand them.

I remember when my father died almost nineteen years ago. We didn’t really see it coming although he had been sick for quite a while. The day after his death the sun came up. Time waits for no one I thought. Despite the awful loss of my dad, the world did not stop. People came and went. Friends showed up.

Isn’t this how we get through life? We plod along and sometimes there is deep mud to walk through, rain that beats down on us, and the occasional lighting strikes. Then there are those days when the sun comes out, someone gets married, a baby is born, a new friend is made. These events are what makes life worth living.

May you go forward in 2017 with a renewed attitude, a motivation to learn something new, and an awareness of the grace that will surely come your way.

I wanted to share some highlights of my year. These moments were especially wonderful. xo

Meeting an old friend, Dreama after many years.

Watching my son John and his entrance into Fatherhood.

Meeting Vivian Howard of “Chef and the Farmer”

My sisters, mom and I at the kick off party to the Centennial of my church.

Backpack Feeding Kickoff at FOCUS West Central PA

Last wedding of the season- Ashley and Eli, Photo by Michael Will

January 2, 2016January 2, 2016

When You Believe

Seeking faith and speakin’ words
I never thought I’d say
There can be miracles
When you believe

From When You Believe – Stephen Schwartz

After much thought and consideration, I finally settled on my word of the year for 2016. It is BELIEVE. When I found the video above, I got tears in my eyes because Whitney (God Rest Her Soul) and Mariah’s words echo my heart.

Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe somehow you will
You will when you believe

2015 was a really a whirlwind for me. It was a year of much soul searching, God seeking, and self love. I put myself first and then pulled God and my family and friends in even closer. Things are happening that I can hardly believe. I believe that even more will happen.

I never take my current state of affairs for granted. I know how fast things can change. When you truly give your life over to a spiritual journey, you have to let each day unfold as it will. This doesn’t mean I don’t make goals. I just leave some flexibility in them and go with the flow.

I believe that my faith will go higher, my relationship to God even closer. I fret sometimes that I rely too much on Him, but that is what works for me. And I know going forward that this is the right place to be.

May you believe, with me, that this year can hold great promise. If we just believe….