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Inspiration For Your Ears: From Healing to Helping Others

Emelda De Coteau
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Emelda De Coteau
Mother, wife, sister, friend, writer / blogger / creative organizer, budding photographer... These are just a few of the many hats I juggle each day. I believe creativity is oxygen for the soul. I created Live In Color blog to celebrate the beauty in every moment, from faith to inspiration and motherhood.And it is soon becoming Pray with Our Feet blog which will focus on the intersection of faith and activism. Follow the inspiration on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/praywithourfeetblog/
Emelda De Coteau
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Photo Credit: Annie Spratt

It’s been a hectic week, so I have not listened to as much, but what I have heard has moved me immensely. 

Here’s my weekly list of inspiration for your ears: 

This Cindy Trimm healing prayer is utterly moving. She covers every possible illness, declaring freedom from fear and pain. 

T.D. Jakes’prolific sermon about being grounded in your faith… its an essential part of walking in your purpose. 

Documentaries open us to new worlds. Check out The Drop Box, which  follows South Korean Pastor Lee and his dedicated efforts to rescue abandoned children. Folks leave unwanted babies in his “drop box”, and he and his ministry team welcome and care for them. 

Animals hold a special place in my heart. When I came across this beautiful video about a program connecting inmates with abandoned dogs, I could barely contain the tears. When we come outside of ourselves, liberation is possible. 

Michael Franti makes music that speaks to you in profound ways. His song Same As It Ever Was (Start Today) about police brutality and inequality call on us to create the change we seek. “A revolution is a battle between the future and the past…, he sings. “…you and me can make that change.” 

Screenshot via Michael Franti music video, “Same As It Ever Was…”
 
 
Screenshot via Michael Franti’s music video, “Same As It Ever Was…”
 

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Sending Compassion When Judgement is Easier

Emelda De Coteau
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Emelda De Coteau
Mother, wife, sister, friend, writer / blogger / creative organizer, budding photographer... These are just a few of the many hats I juggle each day. I believe creativity is oxygen for the soul. I created Live In Color blog to celebrate the beauty in every moment, from faith to inspiration and motherhood.And it is soon becoming Pray with Our Feet blog which will focus on the intersection of faith and activism. Follow the inspiration on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/praywithourfeetblog/
Emelda De Coteau
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“To speak ill of anyone is to speak ill of yourself.” – Afghan proverb

Her voice sounded harsh, an abrupt contrast to subtle smiles in the children’s eyes, their faces, the color of pennies and cinnamon were filled with naive wonder. I thought of my own young daughter, and waved hello, but felt her stiffen, moving further away.

I watched her patience quickly lessen with each of their attempts at closeness. I wondered how someone could eschew such innocent affection. I dismissed her, and turned my attention back towards waiting for the bus and heading to work. I forgot the incident until weeks later when I watched The Price of The Ticket , a documentary about my favorite writer James Baldwin.

He spoke candidly of a childhood marked by his stepfather’s bitterness and stern manner not with anger, but compassion for that man’s own struggles – poverty and suffocating stubbornness. Again I thought of this young mother on the bus stop, and how easily I judged her, how quickly we all judge in various moments, without reflection and compassion. What do any of us know of someone else’s life, but what we assume?

Social media and the Internet make this particularly effortless; comments on websites are sometimes shared anonymously, there is little regard for others feelings. We hurl criticisms blindly, mostly because of the fear to face our own inadequacies and insecurities.

Compassion requires looking deeply, embracing vulnerability and love. Many of us struggle with this in one way or the other. Yet if we are ever to begin judging less, the first step is committing to seeing others not as separate from you, but as a part of you.

How can you be more compassionate in everyday life?

Live In Color – Emelda

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Documentary SOUL POWER at Creative Alliance, May 30

Emelda De Coteau
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Emelda De Coteau
Mother, wife, sister, friend, writer / blogger / creative organizer, budding photographer... These are just a few of the many hats I juggle each day. I believe creativity is oxygen for the soul. I created Live In Color blog to celebrate the beauty in every moment, from faith to inspiration and motherhood.And it is soon becoming Pray with Our Feet blog which will focus on the intersection of faith and activism. Follow the inspiration on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/praywithourfeetblog/
Emelda De Coteau
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Leave that Charm City humidity behind and head to Creative Alliance this Thursday, May 30 at 7pm for a free screening of SOUL POWER. The documentary portrays the experiences and performances of musical legends James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and countless others.

These dynamic artists were inspired to return to their African roots, and deliver the performances of their lives. Call (410) 276-1651 to reserve tickets.