Stop

I am having a a wee love-hate relationship right now with social media. 🤣😂

Long before the term influencer and branding were hashtags on instgram and long before selfies, I was all over the latest social media trends. Hopped on board twitter from the beginning when it was boring and only a few people on it. I have been a blogger over on Blogger since 2006! Was one of the first of my friends on instagram when it was all about posting cool photos.

Social media is an amazing tool now for all sorts of avenues, especially promoting a business and/or a cause. Yet, for me something has shifted.

Now I feel a pressure that I have never felt before. Now I have found I am comparing myself to all the "influencers" out there. Now I am thinking I am not good enough.  Now I am feeling I am not branding myself enough or in the right way. Like I have no idea how to pose with my one leg straight behind me and my other let slightly bent  and hip out without falling over.You know what I am talking about! 😉 How do ya'll do that?!

I don't like the fact I am comparing myself one bit to what I see on social media. I always have loved getting to know people and love seeing their lives posted on social media. I used to have a penpal back in the day when we actually wrote ✒letters✉ to people!😉 So this what I call  modern day penpals!

Somehow though I have lost sight of that simplicity that once excited me. I have lost sight of my own dreams and goals. I have lost a bit of my confidence. I rebel against all those perfect photos we see (Yes I try to post the perfect shot too)!

So I am trying to take a step back and tell myself to👉 🛑STOP🛑 comparing myself to what other people are doing! Remember I am on my own journey! Remember I am a confident, strong, fierce woman. Remember I am just where I need to be. Remember why I started doing what I am doing in the first place!  Have fun! Laugh more! Continue to be who God created me to be. Continue to learn and grow. Continue to be authenic! But STOP the comparison tape📼

#beconfident #beauthentic #bebrave #stopcomparing #bossbabe #canadianentrepreneur #selflove #instagood #bestrong #befierce #bereal

Cross in Hand

I was touched when a kind man from my church presented this cross he hand carved for me!  It is beautiful. He took the time to explain how it fits perfectly in my hand so I can pray with it and feel closer to God in a fresh way.  I need this reminder. Lately, I have been experiencing a crisis of faith. Before I go further, I want to clarify it is not because I changed churches to Anglican! I am not totally sure what is happening within but I am just unsettled at the moment. At the core of who I am I still believe God is truth. At the core of who I am my faith is strong. However I am just a little frustrated and am in the season of questioning. Some of my views have changed as I have matured in my faith.  I have not compromised or water-downed my faith.I am tired. Tired of the spiritual battle that ensues. Tired of the “hoopla” as I call it, that can be part of many churches. It is interesting I am tired of the “hoopla”- all the programs that are creative ways to teach about God in our current world. My first career was working for a Christian youth organization that world renown evangelist, Billy Graham founded. His mission was, “anchored to the rock, geared to the times.” Yet something shifted within me. I just want simplicity now. I just want to be. Isn’t that what God wants. “ Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)” ... Why ….Change brings new opportunities . Please let’s not judge.I am being vulnerable and honest about my spiritual journey. It helps me process.  I am clinging on to the promise this cross represents. Sometimes that is all I can do. Sometimes that is enough. When I do not have the words, my act of holding onto this cross is enough. God knows and sees my heart.

***Thank you Ross and Joan Scott for this beautiful act of kindness! I love it! Precious to me!***
.
.
.
.
.
#womenoffaith #spiritualjourney #handmadecross #woodencross  #bestill #godseesme #clingingtojesus #faithful #womenoffaith #ponderings #faith

Elsie May

I love using my creative brain putting together outfits that have a purpose, that have a theme, that are a bright light in a dark world, that inspire others. I am an artist, a creative soul. My wardrobe is my canvas. An opportunity to express myself. An opportunity to reflect happy to those I come in contact with who need happy.  As artists, we open ourselves up for judgement. We are vulnerable. But it does not give anyone the right to make us feel less of a beautiful human person, created for a purpose on this planet. Created to make a difference in our world. ❤
👗
So I am embracing happy today with confidence and pride wearing my Grandma Whalen's old housedress I found in my storage unit this past summer!😉 ❤
👗
I knew I had to keep it, especially since it had her name Elsie May stitched on the tag. This dress brings many happy memories of her! Elsie May had nine children and in her later years of life she would visit each family staying for months. At each home, wearing her housedress and apron, she would bake her bread, knit her slippers, cook Jigg's dinner for us and sit and talk with us over tea and gingerale when we got home from school! ❤
👗
Elsie May was a strong, fiesty woman who never held back her opinion! She would definitely be telling me to "stop my nonsense" and wonder why on earth I would wear a housedress to work! But this woman was full of love and faith. She always told me (and the rest of her grandchildren and great grandchildren and great great grandchildren) she loved me and was praying🙏 for me. Her door was always open for anyone to stop by for a chat, tea, gingerale, cheese & crackers and Peppermint Knobs!
❤
👗
So I wear this housedress today in honour of my Grandma,  Elsie May Whalen! I miss you. I accessorized with pearls and my tassel pearl earrings from Paris! And of course my makeup is Beautycounter😉
❤
👗
Never let anyone tell you you are less of a human for what you wear.  We are fierce, creative women who have a message this world needs to hear, even wearing Grandma Elsie May's house dress! 😊
.
.
.
.
.
#ootd #motd #style #accessories #beautycounter #fashionstyle #whattowear #vintage #vintagedress #igstyle #creative

Words

Words.
Powerful.
Words span decades, making an impact.
Crafting sentences carefully together to create beautiful works of art.
Art we have memorized.

"I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
"To be or not to be. That is the question."
"For God so loved the world He gave His one and only son."

Imagination.
Words can take us to another world helping us forget our circumstances for just a brief moment.
Symbolism.
Grammar.
Spelling.
Recitation.
Poems.
Prose.
Words can teach us life lessons. Make us laugh.  Make us cry.  Inspire us to action.

Yet words can have a negative impact and cut deep.
Deep into our souls.
Wounding.
Creating wounds that linger.
That never forget.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me."
-a rhyme we heard as young children.  Contrary to this, I have learned names/words do hurt us. 

I am guilty of saying things I regret.  At times I have not sought forgiveness. And at times I have.  Words of healing. But still. The words are out there and cannot be taken back.
Sometimes we never know the impact of the words that come out of our mouths.  Something said in jest can encourage a stranger or can cause pain to a friend.

Let us be mindful of the words forming in our minds.  As they exit our mouth may they be the ones that encourage, inspire and not tear down.

Words.
Powerful.
Beautiful.
Timeless.
Created from the letters of the alphabet.
ABC.

50 New Things

I made a decision🤦‍♀️ to try #50newthings the year I turned🎉 50🎉(last September)! Some new things I have accomplished are taking a photography📷 course, getting a funky💇‍♀️ haircut, cliff jumping🧗‍♀️ in Muskoka,trip to Portugal (sadly had to cancel due to a death in the family), trip to Paris🗼, joining this incredible movement for better beauty💄 (I had no idea how Beautycounter would bring such joy in my life this past year) AND wearing a bikini👙 !
_________
Yes, I wanted to wear a bikini👙 for the first time in my life in Portugal where no one knew me and where it was acceptable for all body types to wear a bikini!
_________
I bought this cute bikini👙 from #Aerie and had visions of feeling beautiful in it. But, my #bodypositivity turned into body shaming. I didn't think I was worthy 😂to be wearing a bikini.
_________
When I neared 50, I found my body changing😉 I did try my best to work out 🏋️‍♀️ and eat healthy 🍽 (and still try) but was not consistent. I would still compare myself to my friends who had great figures. 🙋‍♀️Anyone else do this? They we wearing bikinis yet I did not feel I could pull off the bikini 👙look. But I really wanted to wear one. Sounds silly.
________
With age I have found I am more confident in who I am, YET these past few months I have really struggled 😥with my self confidence for some reason.
_________
🎉TODAY🎉 I changed that. TODAY  I changed my thinking. TODAY I believe I am worthy just the way I am-the way God created me to be-curves, cellulite and all! 😉
_________
🎈TODAY (before I turn 51 in September), I wore my bikini👙! And it felt good! 👊
▶️It was only for a few minutes but it felt good.😘
I will be brave and wear it next week when I go camping🏕
And it will feel great🎈
________
For those of you who can relate to what I am sharing I want you to remember: #everybodyisabikinibody and #everybodyisbeautiful
You are beautiful. Not just your outward appearance but YOU as a person.  #YouAreWorthy #BeConfident  We are beautiful humans meant to make a difference on this planet. Go out there and try 50 new things with confidence! I will be cheering🙆‍♀️ you on!😘

Facing Fears Head On

Fear.
It can be crippling,
Or it can move you to action.

In recent years, I have acquired fears that have been crippling. One thing I have found helpful in overcoming those  fears is to make a plan. I am not the best at setting goals 📝because I live in the moment. I am not a visionary. But I do try and it helps greatly.

One fear that has held me back is my fear of driving🚗 on the 401(The main freeway🛣 that runs along Lake Ontario and is part of the Trans Canada🇨🇦 Highway system). Crazy. I grew up driving on this busy, insane highway. What changed? Age👵🏼, near misses, increased volume of vehicles, transport trucks⛟, crazy weather ⛈reducing visibility, driving alone. The 401 is basically the only way to get places like to Niagara Falls, other provinces, etc.

I have the luxury of having summers off so I should be exploring 🛵our great province and venturing to other provinces. I am single and have few commitments. But fear holds me back.

But, I am working hard at changing that. So when the opportunity arose for me to meet my cousin in Toronto, I had to face my fear and just do it! And do it I did! 😉

We had a lovely visit 🤗catching up as we do not see each other often. We are the same age so it is fun connecting. I am so glad I didn't let fear hold me back.

It takes courage🧚‍♀️
It takes encouragement👏
It takes a plan📝
It takes faith like my t-shirt👚 says:

"Let your faith be bigger than your fears."

It takes stepping out🏃‍♀️and going for it!

❓What fears hold you back? What strategies help you overcome those fears?❓

So this summer 🏖I am going to step out of my comfort zone, face my fears and explore! Opportunity and adventure await!

Karyne
xo

I am Strong! Happy International Women's Day!

I am strong!

 I didn't always feel strong. Nor did I know just how strong I was until I walked through a family crisis a few years ago. The most difficult time of my life. However, I made it safely to the other side. Although I should have known my resilience long ago.

As you read in my previous post, as a young, naive 18 year old, I travelled to Sweden on my own after high school to attend a Bible College for 7 months. Then I backpacked around Europe solo.

I moved to western Canada knowing no one to start my full time career after university. I created a wonderful life in Edmonton.

I then transferred to eastern Ontario finally settling in my hometown where I have been working as an Educational Assistant for 15 years.

For my 40th birthday I travelled to Paris on my own for one week. It was the most freeing time I have experienced. I felt alive. Joie de vivre!

Even though I never married nor had children, I have an incredible tribe of men and women surrounding me, supporting me, encouraging me. I am  grateful to God for allowing my path to intersect with beautiful humans who have empowered me and taught me many life lessons along the way.

Here I am now in a new role,  a woman entrepreneur. Some days I feel out of my league as I advocate for better health protective/beauty laws in Canada. But I am strong. I am resilient. I am intelligent. I am compassionate! I can do it!

I am strong!

 My strength comes from my parents who always believed in me and encouraged me on my life's journey.

 My strength comes from God who showed me unconditional love and ignited a passion within.

My strength comes from another women:

Nellie McClung.

Thank you Nellie and your suffragettes for paving the way for us women in Canada. Thank you for fighting for our right to vote. Thank you for fighting for us to be declared as persons. Thank you for empowering the future generations.

It is my prayer I can empower women that come behind me to be all they can be and recognize they are beautiful, strong humans on this planet with the mission to spread their love and voice to all they meet!

Happy International Women's Day!

We are strong.

We have a voice needing to be heard. Use it wisely!

You are strong!

Love,
K
xo

Why #thistimeitspersonal My Beautycounter story

Navigating my singleness has been an interesting journey for me. I thought I would be married by now.  I always wanted to be married and have children. I wanted a legacy to carry on my family heritage. I wanted to pass down traditions and yarns. I wanted to experience motherhood and that unique love parents have for their children. I always felt by having children as well it would help me understand God's love more deeply.
But God had a different path for me and I finally feel settled about it all!

I have had a great life. I didn't let my singleness stop me from experiencing an enriching life. I discovered I am a strong woman. I moved to two completely new cities for my career and built a life. I lived in a foreign country, Sweden, for a gap year before university. I have travelled far and near. I have an incredible tribe of family and friends.

Yet I thought I would have a husband and family of my own to also help with the financial burdens of life. Fear of being left alone began to suffocate me. My parents have been a huge support to me and I am very close to them. I am their caregiver now but we help each other. Fear of their death compounded the problem.  So I began looking for a way to ease that financial burden and conquer these fears. I needed a supplement to my full time job as an EA.

@beautycounter entered my life unexpectedly and drew me in! It was a perfect fit. It was a company like nothing I had seen before. It became more than a financial supplement to my income. It also was in line with the healthy lifestyle I was trying to implement as I navigate this "mature phase" of life I find myself in!  I was impressed by their integrity and by the business owners involved who lead with passion, drive and integrity.

I am so proud to be part of this movement for better beauty. Proud to be  collaborating with other incredible business owners who are advocating for more health protective laws so we leave behind a safer legacy for our children and those that come behind us!

I love hearing the stories behind  women in small business who are leading with integrity and challenging others to do the
same.

If you might be looking for a change in your current situation or are just looking for something different to try on- I would LOoVvvEee❤ to chat with you!

#thistimeitspersonal #beautycounter #beautycountercanada #takethejob #betterbeauty #switchtosafer #bethechange #bossbabe #entrepreneurlife #thisshouldbeablogpost #beautycounterred #advocacy

When are we going to love the people no one else loves?

For some reason today in church I was reminded of the time I heard this speaker, Tony Campolo, at a conference for university students. One particular story spoke to my heart. After sharing the story with us, he said,

"When are we going to love the people no one else loves."

It has been 30 years and I have never forgotten this message. But now the context has changed.

December 31, 1987. I was a university student at Ryerson in Toronto and  had the privilege of attending this student conference at the University of Illinois, Urbana campus. The event was sponsored by Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship.

During this era, AIDS was a disease no one really knew anything about, except it was terminal and it was a disease apparently rampant in the gay community. I remember in high school when my grade 13 (1985-86) biology classmates had to do a project  on this "thing" called acquired immune deficiency syndrome. There was not much knowledge at that time about AIDS/HIV. I know I was afraid. I was afraid to get close to anyone I knew who was gay for fear of getting AIDS. We were misinformed how it was spread.

So when I was a nursing student at Ryerson, I was very fearful of coming in contact with any blood. And I was fearful of people who were gay, not because of their lifestyle but because of this misinformed information surrounding the AIDS crisis. I remember struggling as a christian because I knew I should love these people but was in fear of contracting this disease. Many people were dying from AIDS in the 80's.

Tony spoke of a friend of his who was a pastor. To earn extra money, he would conduct funerals. One particular funeral no pastor wanted to officiate because the person died of AIDS. So Tony's friend took the funeral. At the end of the service, all these gay men asked if this pastor could read some of their favourite scriptures, like Romans 8..."nothing can separate us from the love of God..."  Nothing can separate us from God's love. Nothing.

Then Tony passionately asked, "when are we going to love the people no one else loves?" At that moment I knew I needed to change my attitude towards those living with AIDS/HIV.  I didn't need to be afraid. I needed to love. I needed to show God's love to these beautiful humans who were afraid and very ill. If my idol at the time, Princess Diana, could shake hands with someone dying of AIDS/HIV then so could I!

But now the context has changed in our world. We rarely hear of people dying of AIDS anymore thanks to medical breakthroughs. 

 I encourage you to find the AIDS Memorial in downtown Toronto at Church and Wellesley streets. I had the privilege of being led through this memorial a few summers ago. I wept. Etched onto plaques  are the names of more than 2700  loved ones who have died of AIDS/HIV in Toronto .  As I strolled through this memorial, I noticed there were more names in the 80's and early 90s than present day. There is now hope.

However, the same fear lingers. But the context has changed.

 Today it is not about AIDS. Today it is about those who are transgender. Today it is about those who are muslim. Today it is about _____. You fill in the blank. We may not agree with certain lifestyles or certain religions.  We may not understand.   We may be fearful.  But we need to remember God is the Creator of these humans.  God is the Creator of you and I. God loves these humans  as much as He loves you and I.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing.

When are we going to love the people no one else loves?