Little did I know...

I've been thinking about starting a blog for some time now and it just didn't happen.. So here I am supposed to be doing my tax return and packing and trundling to the post office and guess what?? I've decided now is the perfect time to start a blog..... why the sudden urgency? well do you like tax returns, seriously though I have just been blown away by how something so simple can stir so much feeling and conversation when it comes from the heart.  After a day of lovely folks sending messages and photographs through my Facebook page, once again I'm following my heart (despite being scared out my pants - once again) and firing out my first ever blog. 

So several weeks ago, or maybe it was months, or just feels like months..... I was watching  yet another inspirational video clip online, as you do, when there was mention of using a bracelet set up with the intention to remind yourself to be kind - kind to yourself, kind to others.

Now, I've been on my spiritual path for a few years now (consciously anyway) and I've probably heard this idea before but this time I REALLY heard it and I wanted one of those bracelet band thingys immediately!  I could have picked any one of my bracelets and just decide that it was going to have that purpose, but no, I wanted one whose soul purpose and creation was to be my little peace buddy in helping me to be kind and loving to ME!  So I turned to my crochet hook - and craft supplies - hooked up a band for my wrist and made a label with LOVE written on it, popped it on my wrist whilst feeling very pleased with myself.  It stayed there for 2 weeks, and it worked, it was like an anchor, I'd catch a glimpse and it would pull me back to the present moment.  My kids all wanted one too,  now I was feeling pretty very pleased with myself!

So I made some more and as timing would have it, it was right about the start of Mental Health Wellbeing week - as perfect a time as any to focus on self love reminders.  So I decided to give away 10 LOVE bracelets through my facebook page Pink & Green.  Although this was pretty scary as the old 'how will people judge me' and 'the bracelets are all rubbish anyway' thoughts were jumping around my head, the fact that it was Mental Health Awareness was taken as a sign by me to jump in anyway, so I did!

Now I'm a great believer in signs, always have been, and Angels too (although I did fall out with them for a while - sorry Angels) so now would be a good time to mention that whilst I crochet, I like to listen to audiobooks, one of my favourites being Loveability by Robert Holden.  I had also just recently discovered his lovely wife's blog Hollie Holden - Notes on Living & Loving, and well I was loving her writing, you know when you come across someone and it just feels like they are in your head, and that they can articulate what you feel in a way that you couldn't put into words, that's Hollie Holden for me! What I didn't know is that she too loved to crochet and what happened next had me jumping for joy and wanting to hide under the duvet all at the same time!  She entered my giveaway to win a LOVE bracelet - simple - yes - huge encouraging sign to me - YES!

Those first 10 bracelets I made to give away were met with such a wonderful response and sent all over the UK as well as heading to Europe and beyond, really beautiful things were said and my heart swelled.
The stories shared following them being received really touched me, from bringing a smile into an otherwise crappy day to being deeply meaningful to someone who has suffered depression for 10 years, everyone has a story, everyone, and I felt it.  This experience and connection with others has been such a wonderful reminder that things don't have to be complicated, love doesn't have to be complicated and we don't need to have a reason to love ourselves (oh and I did try to complicate the LOVE bracelet, playing around with snap fasteners and buttons and stamps and embroidery, but you know what? It just kept coming back to that very first one being perfectly imperfect, just like all of us).

The fact is that something like a thread of cotton wrapped around a crochet hook can create something made from love, to be worn with love, as a little reminder that we are love.  There is love for us all.

Shortly afterwards I decided to make the bracelets available to others, it seemed the right way to go forward.  They are available in two ways - number one - available through my Etsy shop, for those who have no inkling to crochet but would love one and some extra to share - number two - to provide a pattern (of sorts) available to those who would like to crochet one for themselves and those around them, a double whammy here as crochet in itself is good for the soul, a whole blog post for another time perhaps.  But of course I will continue to make them when I can to giveaway too.

If you'd like to see the pattern (of sorts!) then it is listed under the notes section of my facebook page  here and I would love to see any pictures or hear any stories that you would like to share.

I have also just created a page Random Acts of Crochet Kindness I have no idea where this is going just as I had no idea when I made that first bracelet, but maybe it will become a place for people to share how they felt when they made or received a LOVE band... or gave them away ... who knows!
Little did I know I'd start a blog about crochet and love.....

Charlene x