Making Whole: Illustrate a Quote

by Diane Steinbach

The written word, whether it is a particularly significant song lyric, bible verse or famous quote, can sometimes resonate so deeply with something within us that we grasp onto it like a life raft in times of trouble or sorrow.

Write down whatever quote or verse that reflects your current mood.  Illustrate it through the abstract use of color and lines, or a more representative image. Think about the words while you work, and how the words relate to you and your own feelings and situation.  Take your time and develop the image fully.

When you are done take a deep breath and release all the emotion you have tied to the words, be them sadness, loneliness, regret or anxiety. Release those emotions and deposit them into the drawing. Walk away feeling lighter and more at ease.


Diane Steinbach is the author of: Art As Therapy: Innovations, Inspiration and Ideas:, Art Activities for Groups: Providing Therapy, Fun and Function and A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups

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Making Whole: Line Drawing: Tree

by Diane Steinbach

"Making Whole" is a bi monthly column focusing on art therapy to help heal inner trauma or promote healing and personal growth.

The tree image is a profound symbol. We plant a tree to memorialize big events: births, deaths… We stand in awe at the roots of giant Sequoias trees or Redwoods and witness them as testimony to the very power of nature or God.

Trees are perfect in all their imperfections, just like us; in fact, it is their very imperfections that make them interesting and complex. The organic shape of the bark, the knotholes, the scars, the twists and turns of the branches, our eyes are transfixed.

Imagine yourself as a tree.  Using a pen, marker, crayon or pencil, draw your tree. 

Once done, look at your tree. Does it look full and thriving or dying off? Is it scarred or smooth? Does the tree represent how you feel about yourself?

What could you do to nourish or improve your tree? What does the tree need? Over time, do more tree drawings and strive to nourish and care for the tree that you create. Feed the roots and protect them. Allow the tree to have foliage and provide shade. Add more things to the surrounds of the tree, a sun, grass, and animals… provide a glorious environment for your tree – you- to thrive and heal.  

Diane is the author of: Art As Therapy: Innovations, Inspiration and Ideas:, Art Activities for Groups: Providing Therapy, Fun and Function and A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups

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5 Life Affirming Things My Mother Taught Me

by Diane Steinbach

My mother was a joy. She was funny, creative, loving and giving. We didnt always get along, especially as I entered those teenage years, and then again, when I went from one bad boyfriend-choice to another, but she always had an affable way about her that meant I could always come back no matter what was said.

I was crushed... beyond words when she died after a 2 year battle with cancer.

Even during her battle she had a sense of humor. She loved life, and although she only had 2 children, my sister and I, she also had a foster son for a short while, and wished she could have had more.
It was not to be.

However...her light shone brightly and even before I looked around that crowded church when we all said our final goodbyes I knew her life touched many.

She had hoped to share her special ways... her sense of humor, her joy of life, with others, and so it is with that thought that I share with you all some bits of wisdom she taught me.

1. Always have fun with what you are doing. If you are smiling and having fun, that fun will be contagious. People who see you, will begin to feel better and happier even if they are blue.  Share your happiness.
2. Reach out to others.  If you see someone who looks lost or confused, try to help. Even if you don't know the answer, two confused people feel stronger and less afraid than one confused person. You will make a friend for life, or at the very least help alleviate the stress from someone in that very scary moment.
3. Don't try to be the center of attention. Step back and let others sparkle. The satisfaction you get when you support your friends and watch them succeed ...well, that is better than being the center of attention yourself.
4. Be a caretaker to living things. Always stop to help out an injured animal or stop someone from hurting any living thing. Life is energy, and energy is all around us. We are all caretakers of nature and should treat all life with respect.
5. Love freely. Always return love given to you, and give love to those who need it. Love is free and heals our souls. It is the light within you...let it shine.

Making Whole: Art Therapy Process: Mandala

by Diane Steinbach 

Welcome to our first Making Whole Column. This will be a bi monthly column focusing on art therapy to help heal inner trauma or promote healing and personal growth. As an art therapist I have helped people connect with art medium to  express themselves for decades and our hope is that you can use it in your own personal way for healing, relaxation or to help work through stress. As time goes on all the Making Whole posts will be gathered together on a separate Page for easy reference.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle” or “completion” and has been part of artistic expression in many cultures for hundreds of years. Considered  a valuable  tool by some of the very founders of Psychology like Carl Jung, the use of the Mandala as a path towards healing and a means of reflecting our own inner thoughts and nature make it  ideal  to use in art therapy.

The Mandala is basically a circle with artwork contained within. A perfect way to provide structure to a basically unstructured, guided art process; Mandala can be used over and over again to help work through inner thoughts and feelings.

Begin by drawing a large circle on a piece of paper.  Begin thinking about your path, your journey through life thus far or however you are feeling at the moment.  Use colors and lines within the circle to represent your inner soul, your inner thoughts, chaotic or organized, the mix of happiness, relief, guilt or remorse you might feel.  Anything you do is acceptable. Divide your Mandala into parts to represent different aspects of your emotions if you want.  Just follow your instincts and create in a free and unplanned way. Whatever you are feeling at the moment will guide your Mandala.

Your Mandala can be done with paints, crayons, and markers, anything that allows you to create in color freely and easily. You should create in a relaxed state or in the hopes of expressing whatever emotions you may be experiencing at the moment. By placing your images and thoughts into the Mandala you can release them from your own mind and lower your bodies stress and anxiety levels.

Once you have completed your Mandala look at the colors, shapes, use of lines and overall effect of your work. Write down any connections you feel between the emotions and thoughts you were feeling or thinking while creating your Mandala. The insights you gain can further help you towards your journey of healing.

Keep a Mandala journal, where you can “doodle” into the familiar circular form anytime you feel uneasy, anxious or upset. 

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Don't Miss Your Chance for a Free E Book Copy of Treasuring Grace

Tomorrow we will be drawing names for three free eBook copies of Treasuring Grace in preparation for our summer guided book reading!  Comment here or on our Facebook page to have your name put in for a drawing for one of three copies so you can be ready to join in on the fun!

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Men's Rights: Pro Life Resources for Men

Although the pro life cause is often thought of as a woman's issue, men's rights and emotions are equally complex and important. Whether it is post-abortion healing that needs to be addressed, or help planning a discussion with a girlfriend or mate, there are numerous resources for men to help. In honor of the upcoming Father's Day Holiday, I thought a list of some of the available resources might be useful.

Life Issues Institute offers a listing of articles, bible studies and books on the subject:
http://www.lifeissues.org/men/resources.html

Guys For Life is a comprehensive website that offers mentoring and plentiful resources for men in need.
http://www.guysforlife.org/

Men and Abortion Network offers help and healing for men who have lost children to abortion


http://www.menandabortion.net/

The Unchoice has a good listing of resources focused on the needs of men affected by abortion.

http://theunchoice.com/men.htm

Pro Life Men of America is another website that provides resources, links and information relevant to men.


http://www.prolifemen.org/

This list is not comprehensive, but will give you a good start if you are looking for help.  Know of a good resource you'd like to share? please comment here.

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Summer Time is Time to Commit to the Cause

Finding time for the causes you have a passion for is tough, but summertime is a good chance to re commit yourself to the pro life cause, and get your youth groups more involved as well.  Lifenews.com has a great list of ideas of Pro Life Youth groups can do this summer to get involved and spread the good word.  Internships, "training camps," prayer groups, pro-life tee shirts and fundraising car washes are just some ideas in this article that can help get a sleepy-group of teens active and involved.  Check out the full article here and get inspired!
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/05/25/top-ten-things-pro-life-youth-can-do-this-summer/


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Coming Soon.... Can you Read Between the Lines?

"Treasuring Grace" is a great read with a message we want to share... we have an idea of how we can make it fun and easy for you to get involved! ... Get your copy now and get ready for a fun summer .... Stay Tuned!

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Mother's Day ~ a day to celebrate life, a day to celebrate Mothers!

This day may bring mixed emotions for many.

Maybe, it is approached with unfulfilled expectations, sorrow over past mistakes, but also joy in the present.
The could haves and should haves linger in our mind.

It is best said in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, "Perhaps he might have spent the rest of his life in weeping over this one fault; perhaps he might have made this one sin the subject of constant repentance; he might like Magdalen, like Augustine, have made the memory of this fault a motive for more fervent love."

We can let go of the could haves and should haves to embrace the future with faith, hope and love!

"This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

Happy Mother's Day!

Tracy


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Mother's Day and Healing

Mother's Day can be a particularly difficult time for women who have had abortions. Although they must live with the decision to abort every day, the Mother's Day holiday rubs salt in the wound for many, and reminds them of the regrets and what-might-have-beens had they made better choices.

There is no going back, and many have used their mistakes to help other women avoid the pitfalls of what can seem like an "easy"choice in a time of desperation. However, if you talk to any post-abortion woman, chances are she can tell you how old her baby would have been, had she carried it to term.

 The unsaid things are all the imagined girl scout meetings, trick or treating and sporting events she wishes she had gone to.

No matter what your political point of view is, there is no understating the number of victims of abortion...both unborn children and those who may have been great mothers had someone believed in them or supported them.

 Promoting healing is one of the things we believe in here at Treasuring Grace, and Mother's Day is just another opportunity to encourage those with broken hearts to reach out to any number of resources to finally heal your wounds and become the whole person you were meant to be.

Whether you choose one on one counseling or online support, private journaling or working through your pain in other ways, please do something that brings love and light into your heart. Ignoring your past does not work, and will not help you avoid the inevitable reminders of the love you were meant to share with the world. Share your love - now- in some way and forgive yourself, and heal.

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Mother's Day Letter: a Touching Testimony

Hi Friends,
I found this letter on the Priests for Life website, and wanted to share it with all of you in honor of the upcoming Mother's Day:







Dear Friend:
Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I am 48 years old and every Mother's Day since I aborted my two children has been painful. Some years, and most of the days in between, I muted the pain by listening to the cultural messages around me that there had not been life present anyway. I tried to talk to my female therapist about what I was feeling after the first abortion. She told me that women who give up their children for adoption suffer trauma but women who have abortions generally do not. So, in addition to feeling regret and sorrow unlike anything I had ever known, I then felt there was something wrong with me for being as affected by the abortion as I was.

I stopped talking about it. What I did was what some of us do after having an abortion… I got pregnant again the very next year. Even then, I understood my unconscious wish to undo what I had done.  I thought about carrying this child to term, but my cowardice and shame overtook me once again. I chose to stop the process of life for a second time.

Often during the last years, I would think, "How old would my children be now if they had lived?" But last November, at a Project Rachel retreat, I let myself realize the full truth ...that they are alive, that they exist today. I met them in my heart and did what I never thought in a million years I would be able to do -- I named them. Rachel and David. I finally began my relationship with them six months ago. I acknowledged their eternal existence, and I love them.

I have heard it said that our children are the ones who keep after us, pushing us on toward healing and reconciliation. I think this is true. I was led to the retreat which was the single most powerful, profound and life changing event of my life. I knew I had been reconciled with God before the retreat. Nine years ago I returned to Him and received His forgiveness through one of His priests. But I did not feel reconciled to myself, or my children. God's love flooded me during the retreat and led me to the reconciliation and internal peace that had always been out of reach.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. In my church on this day, the priest asks all the mothers in the church to stand at the end of the Mass for a blessing. It has always been agony for me; as women all around me stand, and I sit. You see, I never had a pregnancy again, I have never given birth. And until last November, I never let myself know that I have two children, that I too am a mother. So when the priest asks tomorrow, I will kneel for my blessing. The women who gave birth deserve to stand -- I am at peace receiving my full blessing from a more humble position.

Friend, please try. Trust your heart, trust God and your child to lead you where you have always needed to go. For my part, I will pray for you and will ask Rachel and David to look out for your little one until we join them there, surrounded by God, who is Love.
God Bless You,
A Mother

originally printed:  http://www.priestsforlife.org/postabortion/casestudiesb/casestudy2110.htm

Writing through Pain: One Way to Heal Emotional Scars

Keeping a diary is something many little girls did growing up, but writing or journaling to deal with emotional scars as an adult is an important outlet for many women, and men whose lives have been touched by abortion. Writing or drawing in a space that is perfectly private allows a person to be completely honest in a way that traditional counseling may not, especially with the delicate subject of abortion.  A blank page is an space that can accept anything that needs expressing and can be destroyed or released afterwards to help move the person towards mental and emotional healing.  If your life has been touched by abortion and you find that you need a private way to express yourself, journaling in some way may be a good first step.  Check out this article for more information
 "Why Write? Emotional Healing" at:http://www.writingthroughlife.com/why-write-emotional-healing

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Treasuring Grace: A Call to Action

People have asked me after reading the novel Treasuring Grace, "What can I do"?

First, I tell them to pray!  We can begin in prayer asking God to guide us and others to the truth.

Then, we need to be informed of what is the truth.  I have mentioned how the precious feet (tiny feet the size of a baby in utero at ten weeks) amazed me with the truth.  It wasn't enough for me to know the truth, but that I needed to share it with others.

Next, share the truth!  I did this by wearing the precious feet and explaining them when asked.  The truth may not always be easy to accept, so again go to God in prayer!

Above all, love others.  It is not our right to judge.

"Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and proclaim your truth, always doing so with a spirit of love and compassion, as was demonstrated to us through the work of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  In His name we pray, Amen."  A Prayer from the 40 Days For Life

Believe,
Tracy

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  John 1:17

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Inner Healing: The Message of Renewal for All

Part of the mission of Treasuring Grace is healing for everyone touched by abortion. I found this great article on Great Bible Study.com titled Inner Healing 101 Healing Emotional Wounds that deals with identifying our wounds and how the bible can direct us towards healing.
"Open up those wounds, and give the pain to Jesus. What you want is to open up those wounds before the light (Jesus), so that they can be healed. As long as you hold them in darkness, they will never fully heal. If you had a physical wound, and it turned into an infection, and you merely put a bandaid over the wound, would that solve the problem? Of course not! You need to take that mask off, expose it to the light, and apply the healing and germ-killing light of Christ into that wound so that it can heal."

I encourage all my readers to go to http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/inner_healing_101.php  to read the entire article and apply it to your own lives. No matter the source of your inner wound, (we all have something) this is the perfect time of the year to shed our sorrow and be renewed.

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