Check out yesterday’s article about MotherTongues and others using Kickstarter for crowdfunding, in our local paper the Holland Sentinel, and another MotherTongues article in Elemental Project - a positive news site. The news about World Words is spreading!
MotherTongues + you = Minga (you carry me)
Gracias / Dankie / Obrigada!
4 days left in the Kickstarter campaign, and quite a long way to go. I’m holding my thumbs, or crossing my fingers, or both.
This week the internet was abuzz with JCPenney’s kids t-shirt (for girls 7-16) that read: “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me”. They pulled the t-shirt after outrage from parents, and everybody got on the bandwagon to say what they think about it. Anderson Cooper added JCPenney to his RidicuList.
A few weeks ago I was part of a #momovation Twitter party, and met Melissa Wardy of Pigtail Pals. She spreads positive empowering messages for girls through t-shirts and other gear. How exciting to see her become part of the conversation around JCPenney, and get some good business out of it. I love it!
The whole debate about degrading t-shirts (for kids and adults) made me think about the reasons I started MotherTongues. There are very few t-shirts for adults in the marketplace today that I will wear: I don’t want to be an advertisement for an athletic brand, and I don’t want to wear profanity. That excludes a lot of t-shirts. Thus the positive, uplifting messages from cultures from around the world on MotherTongues t-shirts. I love my job!
I love the calmness that settles into me when I walk a labyrinth. To me, it is walking meditation. My kids love to run a labyrinth: the experience fills them with joy and laughter. My sister walks labyrinths barefoot. A friend walks it without paying attention to the lines. Another loves sitting down when she gets to the center. Everyone’s journey is different: there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth.
i am on a journey
walking on the path of my life
a path full of twists and turns
a path over mountains, over rivers, through deserts
a path of discovery; finding my true self
a path that leads me to inner peace
a path that fills me with silence:
the song of my soul
- Terry de Vries
A labyrinth is a single, winding path that leads you from the entrance to the centre: it is different than a maze that has twists and turns where one can get lost. A labyrinth is a sanctuary: a safe and sacred place where we can reconnect with ourselves.
People come to walk labyrinths for many reasons and in many different ways. It can be walked to connect with nature, to let go of a hectic schedule, to reduce stress, to still the mind of thoughts, to let go of the past, to heal grief or trauma, to answer specific questions, to resolve conflict, to find inner peace, to live more consciously, to set goals, to increase productivity, or to become more creative. Read here for more ways to use a labyrinth, and to learn about the history of labyrinths.
World Labyrinth Day this year is Saturday, May 7. The Labyrinth Society says the day is designated to bring people from all over our planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a symbol, a passion, a practice and a tool for healing and peace.
Everyone is invited to “Walk as One at 1”: walk a labyrinth at 1 pm in your local time zone. You can also use a finger labyrinth if you can’t find a labyrinth close to you.
There are only right ways to walk a labyrinth. Find a labyrinth in your area, and find your way of walking!
Ps. Remember that MotherTongues sells several t-shirts with labyrinth designs!
MotherTongues joined 1% for the Planet, pledging a portion of its sales to support non-profit organizations focused on sustainability. This is in line with the MotherTongues philosophy that embraces living in community with each other and the earth.
“MotherTongues is a great addition to the network. By signing on to 1%, it shows they’re really walking the walk in their sustainability efforts,” says Terry Kellogg, 1% CEO. “They’re using generosity as a tool with which to build their business and enabling valuable environmental work along the way. We’re excited to welcome them to the 1% family.”
Members of 1% contribute one percent of revenues directly to any of the approved non-profit environmental organizations in 1%’s network. Non-profits are chosen based on referrals, track record and environmental focus. Over 1,600 non-profits worldwide are included in the 1% program.
“We’ve been averaging at least one new business member a day, and have exceeded over 1,200 members in 38 countries, and a network that has funneled over $50 million of critically needed funds into the hands of environmental non-profit groups to date,” comments Kellogg.
“We are thrilled by the support we have gained as it proves the environmental ethic is tricklingupward to larger corporate entities. The shared belief that you can do well as a business by doing the right thing with respect to the environment is clearly apparent. There’s a paradigm shift happening here and it’s happening organically.”
About 1% for the Planet
Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet is a growing global movement of over 1,200 member companies in 38 countries that donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Each day, more than one new business joins the 1% for the Planet movement. As a network, the 1% community has become a global frontrunner in funding the work of environmental groups around the world.
About MotherTongues
MotherTongues believes we construct our society through the language we use and the stories we tell. Seeking a community where peace and justice reigns, where cultures are celebrated, and where people, relationships and the earth are nurtured, we print such meaningful words from around the world on fabulous people-friendly and earth-friendly products. All t-shirts, scarves, bags and aprons are 100% organic cotton, made with fair labor.
This week (February 2) it was 20 years since FW de Klerk’s famous opening of Parliament speech in which he announced that Nelson Mandela will be released (which happened 9 days later). I can still remember watching the speech on television (I was in college) and realizing that this is an amazing speech signifying a whole new era for South Africa.
Here are 2 beautiful letters written recently by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to FW de Klerk commemorating the event. My favorite part is in Tutu’s letter: “If the second of February were to become an annual holiday I would propose it should be called Ubuntu Day. South Africa would tear down its Berlin Wall, you said, because South Africans were dependent on one another – all of us.”
Read and enjoy!
Letter from Nelson Mandela to FW de Klerk
Letter from Desmond Tutu to FW de Klerk
