Buttercupchappati Chronicles

how beautiful are these women

I love this picture.

I could stop right there really.

These remarkable women are such an inspiration to me on so many levels, I was looking at this photo today and wishing them well from the bottom of my heart.

They are both Tibetan Doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang in Mcleoganj, India. So quite apart from all the other things they have to do and have done in their lives as women and wives and Tibetans living in exile in India, they have studied Tibetan Medicine for six years and then done another year as intern. And now they work all day for the good of all sentient beings, especially the sick ones!

They have both been very kind to me whenever I have visited Mcleodganj, spending time, answering my endless questions about TTM and how they practice it there. The MTK does not admit Westerners to its TTM course, so it is especially kind that they would find the time to help me when they can.

Dr Wangmo and Dr Sonam, may Yuthok bless you many many many times, and I am looking forward to the next time I sit in your clinic and we laugh together about my life as an injie  studying TTM.

To Write Love On Her Arms

I can't say it any better than they can, so:

"MISSION STATEMENT:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

VISION:

The vision is that we actually believe these things…

You were created to love and be loved.  You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story.  You need to know that your life matters.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world.  My friend Byron is very smart - he says that life is hard for most people most of the time.  We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments.  You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.

We all wake to the human condition.  We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss.  Millions of people live with problems of pain.  Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay.  We know that pain is very real.  It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption.  We're seeing it happen.  We're seeing lives change as people get the help they need.  People sitting across from a counselor for the first time.  People stepping into treatment.  In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline.  We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take.  We want to say here that it's worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it's possible to change.

Beyond treatment, we believe that community is essential, that people need other people, that we were never meant to do life alone.

The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence. 

The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.

The vision is that we can reduce the suicide rate in America and around the world.

The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.

The vision is better endings.  The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.  The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.  The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise.  The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change. 

The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead. 

The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know. 

The vision is hope, and hope is real.

You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story."

http://www.twloha.com/vision/

Kiva - loans that change lives

Jorge is 33 years old, and lives with his wife and 2 children in a house he owns. For the past six years, he has dedicated himself to fabricating gutters/water channels. These are placed on the roof of a home during the rainy season. He learned the trade from a friend, during a time when he worked as a laborer. Today, together with his wife (who appears in the photograph), he manufactures them and transports them to neighboring towns to sell. He first tries looking for customers in the mornings, while his wife organizes their goods and readies the product to be delivered to a customer at a moments’ notice. Likewise, he offers his product in his neighborhood’s hardware stores agreeing to charge on a weekly basis. This activity has allowed Jorge to support his family financially, a reason why he’s decided to buy more raw materials to produce his gutters in greater quantity. This is the third time he has taken a loan with MFP, and he is very gratified to be part of a group where he feels well-integrated as he does with his cooperative bank. The funds he is requesting will be used to buy metals and mill scale, the principal materials he needs to fabricate his product. 

This year I have been supporting Kiva loans when I can, I think it is a fantastic way to help those who need it. Jorge is my latest "investment".

Visit Kiva to learn more.

Humans are endlessly fascinating

Brilliant little film/doco/I don't know what to call it. 

Anyhow watch it, it will surprise you that's for sure.

50 People, One Question: Brooklyn

Check out the London one too:

50 People, One Question: London

And I love love love the music!