by Carol | Nov 15, 2019
I love soul food and consume it as much as possible—which is to say when I see a chance to reach out and support someone, I will. Always.
And I know many of you do the same thing.
Guided journal: in large condolence gift.
Look around.
Someone you know is brought low by grief or fighting a battle for life, itself.
When you’re looking for a sensitive way to support someone who’s grieving or facing a health challenge our beautiful, gentle gift packages do just that.
They’re helpful, thoughtful and affordable: Four gift options, starting at $19.99.
Large healing gift. Not sure you can see the heart shaped rose quartz stone included.
They are pretty special.
And you can add a stunning healing candle with crystals to make them even more special.
So look around. Which of your loved ones could use some extra support?
I hope you will consider these gifts as soul food for them-and the act of giving as soul food for you.
by Carol | Oct 16, 2019
Who in your life is carrying a heavy burden and could use some relief, but maybe doesn’t know how to ask for help? If you’re like me, you’ve probably told them “Let me know how I can help” and meant it sincerely. I used to say that a lot. Without getting a response.
Why? Because often, people don’t know how to ask for something specific. It can feel awkward. So many of us, me included, find it hard to ask for help, even when we need it. Think about those suffering chronic illness, undergoing treatment, recently widowed, a caregiver…. and then think about how hard it is to ask for help.
When I finally figured that out, I began making specific suggestions. “Can I bring over dinner Monday night?” Or I’d just bring the dinner. “I’ve got a pot of soup for you.”
Other ideas: “Can I walk the dog for you this weekend?” “Do you want to come to the grocery store with me this afternoon?” “Can I go with you to chemo?” “Can I take you to treatment?” You get the picture. You may not realize how much your one kind gesture can mean to someone carrying a heavy load.
And then, what if everyone stepped up in kindness? What if that happened?
If you know someone who is facing a big challenge of any kind and you want to help, the best thing you can do is offer specific assistance. Because, as my favorite Beatles lyric points, out, we get by with a little help from our friends.
What if a loved one lives too far away for you to offer practical help?
If someone you love (anywhere) is undergoing treatment or facing a health challenge, I hope you will consider one of my healing gifts. These gentle, beautiful gifts were developed to provide real support and help to those in the healing process. Recipients say they are really helpful and much appreciated.
Our Mini energy healing kit is only $16.99, our small healing gift is $19.99 and the large one starts at $34.99 with some lovely add-on possibilities. You can find them at the tab labeled Gifts.
by Carol | Jul 30, 2019
Social media expose us to the great joys of life — and also the great sorrows. The sadness people feel. Their hard times. The challenges. We see it all on the screen, sometimes even as it is unfolding. Sometimes it’s so vivid it’s as if it were happening to us.
And then, sometimes, it DOES. It does happen to us.
Don’t we sometimes wish we could fast forward through those tough times? I know I do.
Truth is, we can’t fast forward or speed through life. Life doesn’t work that way. We have to experience every minute of every episode, no matter how difficult. Sometimes, it will be agonizingly painful in any way you can imagine and some you can’t.
Other times you’ll wish you could hold on to one particular moment forever.
But life doesn’t work that way, either. We have to keep going. We are meant to live it out, every moment of it.
Sometimes our lessons are clear, at least eventually. Other times we have no idea what we’re supposed to be learning or be reminded of.
And that’s just the way life is. A great mystery, no?
If you haven’t checked out our beautiful candles and gentle gifts, I hope you will explore the gift tab on our home page and consider these thoughtful gift ideas. Today’s the deadline for candle shipping in early August.
by Carol | Jun 13, 2019
FALL UPDATE! Summer is really over–already! and you’ve probably got an entire list of things to do–especially if you’ve got kids. So maybe we can help make it a bit easier with our one-stop-shopping guide:
SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS AND EVENTS
Some special and affordable gifts:
If someone you adore is having a birthday or just needs their spirits boosted: consider “You’re My Person” candles–you can now add that cute pendant to any of our candles for just $5. For a maid of honor?? Sister? BFF? Cute cute cute!
OR add the cute metal Happy Birthday Cake & Candles Pendant–which is larger– to any gift for $6. Thread it through the ribbon for your gift wrap for an adorable look. It’s also a fun stand-alone gift when you just want “a little something!”
Find all the pendants under the gift tab.
If you’d like your kitchen to smell sugar-lemon fresh this fall/winter, try one of our limited edition Lemon Drop Kitchen Candles. The lemony-sweet fragrance and pretty flower petals make it a super gift at super pricing: introductory price for the 4 oz. Lemon Drop Kitchen Candle is $11 per candle (four for only $40!), and customers say they burn for a very long time. I do love these.
Summer Cocktail Candles would be a lovely reminder of summer—-in yummy fragrances like Pina Colada, Sparkling Sangria, Pink Lemonade or Tropical Coconut Mango and in 10 oz. frosted glass containers of pink, blue, yellow and green. How about a bridesmaid gift?
People who receive them respond, “They’re gorgeous!”
TOUGH TIMES
It’s always tough to be sick. Or to be grieving. How well I know this. Our gentle, supportive gift packages for healing and/or grief start at $19.99.
Or buy just the helpful affirmation decks for only $14.95 or the guided journals for $15.95. Check the tabs Healing Toolkit or Grief for details or to see more.
by Carol | May 23, 2019
I have been on medical leave for weeks so I know a bit about what many who are sick or recovering might appreciate. Today I’ve got some super-practical and/or affordable ways to reach out to a sick friend. (Some are absolutely free!). Because reaching out is a really nice thing to do.
1. SNAIL MAIL CARDS NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE
I was thrilled when I received cards in the mail. A sweet surprise when the mailman came. Sure, I got a lot of texts. But the cards told me that the friend actually went out of their way. Yes, cards are expensive. So a personal note on any paper OR a dollar store card (50 cents!) does exactly the same thing. Add a stamp? Not a budget breaker for most of us. And don’t forget to add a personal note. That’s super-important.
(Thank you to all my friends who sent cards and notes–you know who you are!)
2. FOOD IS LOVE
A good friend made and delivered some rich chicken soup that was much appreciated at our house. But you don’t have to make it yourself–you can buy soups (Costco, Whole Foods, many places) or even a rotisserie chicken–because food is love no matter who prepares it. Brownies, a cake, a casserole–it all works. Just make sure you know if the patient is on a restricted diet.
3. PICK FROM YOUR GARDEN
If you have a garden, you have a virtually free way to tell a friend you are thinking of her. Pick some roses, lavender or something else and deliver them yourself. These are from my garden and I had the little mason jar in my cabinet. But you can find those little jars at any thrift shop. And attach a note!
Look at the yellow roses in the top photo. They’re from my backyard and they’re floating in a bowl I found for a couple bucks at a thrift store. That small, simple, almost Zen arrangement rivals anything from a florist.
No need to spend $50+ for an arrangement when you have such sweet stuff in your own yard. If you’re local, it’s an easy, thoughtful and lovely gift.
4. MAKE YOUR OWN GIFT PACKAGES
I love when customers tell me they made their own gift package out of the healing products here at A Healing Spirit. The display in the top photo includes my four-oz. candle with healing stones and healing affirmations, both of which I used during my recovery. Along with other healing tools.
Maybe you’d like to have a couple affirmation decks on hand for the next time someone you love has surgery or has treatment. I’m offering a 2FOR1 sale on all healing (or grief cards) through this Friday, May 24. And if you happen upon this post in the month of June 2019, I will give you the same offer–just email me: ccassara (at) gmail ……. See the tabs on the home page here for either the healing or grief decks.
Take advantage of this excellent sale while you can–it’s my gratitude gift for the good outcome of my surgery.
by Carol | Feb 27, 2019
Grief’s a funny thing. We don’t want to talk about it and yet, sometimes we do. There are times when we want to tell stories, remember the good times, the funny things, the things that touch our heart.
Sometimes we wan to tell the same story over and over because it’s comforting. Maybe we worry that no one wants to hear our repetitive stories. Maybe we think they’ve moved on. But we’re still in active mourning.
Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve
We quietly silently berate ourselves with would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, things we might (or might not) want to share with others.
Psychologists tell us that “stuffing” those feeling, tamping them down, covering them up isn’t good for us. Healing comes with expression. Mourning is necessary. Grief must be processed in a healthy way.
Processing grief is necessary
That’s why I wrote the beautiful workbook called A Guided Journal Through Grief. It’s a safe place to say all the hard things, the things we don’t want to share with anyone or the happy things we want to remember. Each page has a “prompt”–a question, an idea, an activity. You can respond to them by writing, drawing, painting or even making a little collage. There are ideas for rituals, meditations and other comforting things to do.
When you’re done, it can either become a beautiful memento of your loved one, maybe one you can share with a child when they grow up OR you can burn it in a ritual of your own.
Customers sometimes get several and work through them in memory of several loved ones. They’re that affordable.
If you’d like to learn more and also see a short video on how to use a guided journal (scroll down on the page for that) visit its page here on the site. You might also be interested in the companion deck of grief affirmations, found here. Or our beautiful, gentle condolence gifts.
