i sat down today to write everything i haven’t written since the last time i wrote.

it won’t come.

because what’s inside me right now is the deep enveloping knowledge that i have nothing left to give right now.

i’m tired.

i’ve been putting it off for a while, thinking (and hoping) this feeling would soon pass.

it hasn’t.

i’m weary to my bones.

i’ve no will to say or do the right thing.
or even to figure out what that is.

somewhere between our last fundraiser and our upcoming trip to Africa, i’ve lost the pervasive sense of joy that is normally so inherent for me in this work.

not that i always expect it to be joyful.
sometimes, i realize, it’s just plain heartbreaking and hard.
but it’s worth it all the same.
just as it is now.
and if i had even an ounce left, i’d gladly pour it.

but right now, i need to be truthful
and open
and let myself be fully human.
radically imperfect.
imperfectly radical.

as much as epic change is an organization (whatever that means),
i am just a girl.

a girl with a heart full of hope
that a different world is possible.

a world that honors & celebrates the deep, abiding, mystical, soulful, exquisitely imperfect humanity in each of us.
a world that knows each of us holds the infinite capacity to live the greatest dreams our mushy, breakable hearts hold.
a world that understands that our greatest potential can only be realized when we see, hear and reveal the possibilities in one another.

we are the keys to unlock one another’s greatest aspirations.
we can lock one another out, or let one another in.

to honor the humanity & possibilities in one another, though,
we must always honor the humanity & possibilities in ourselves.

so tomorrow, as i leave on vacation for two weeks, or as long as the little girl inside me needs to play,
i will relish my own humanity.
the broken bits that make it nearly impossible for me to work right now.

and the magical bits that will return me right here, stronger, happier, more alive than ever
and probably sooner than i’d ever have imagined.

in the meantime, i wholeheartedly recommend

• learning from beth kanter’s new book: http://www.bethkanter.org/launch/
• playing in jen lemen’s dream lab: http://www.mondobeyondo.org/dreamlab
• listening to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPz3YaIJkjQ
• & letting yourself off the hook.

you know the way you always recall just what you’d forgotten when you stop trying so hard to remember?
my guess is, if we let one another off the hook, we’ll create just enough space for all our ideas and possibilities to come true.

see you soon.

xo,
stacey

Posted: June 21st, 2010 under The Foundry.
Comments: 4

Some of the children heard what we were up to and wanted to share their Mother’s Day greetings. Though English is a second language for these sixth-graders, they share so clearly how their moms & Mama Lucy have impacted their lives, and why we all hope you’ll choose To Mama With Love as your Mother’s Day gift.

		My name is Gideon Gidori. In Tanzania,I am proud of my mother I love my mother because she has done a lot to me and my life. She has born me Raised me and took me to school. She is a very nice person and I couldnt reach here where I am without her.When I joined school I met a mother. And she was mama Lucy. I love mama Lucy. She is a very kind person. She also took care of me like my own mother. In I appriciate all that she has done for me. I have learnt a lot from Mama Lucy and my mother because they loved me very much and second they contributed a lot to my education untill I am a big boy in class six. I thank mama Lucy she has done a lot to me and I wish them a happy mothers day!!!”
		“my name is glory. i am 12 yrs old. i like my school that why i decided to join it.i was so pleased with my fellow pupils;teachers and other staff. i loved the school director MAMA LUCY because of her great care. at that times she handled us as your really children. i really appriciate for that. i can so speak that she is a caring mother. she did great things for me.i really wonder o mercy heart she has!! she helped poor peoples providing education e.t.c by all that much she decided to up the computer class. i thank her very much. she is an owesame mum and she is hardworking. I AM WISHING HER A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.”
		My name is Catherine George. I am 12 years old. I love my mother very much because,she love’s me too and she took care of me since when i was young till now and she took me to school to get something that i never knew but now i know something i thank her very much. And Madam is a good mother to us I love her so much. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.”
		“My name is Phinehas Peter. I am in class six. I love mama Lucy very much because she loves us too.We love her because she has increased many teachers to teach us. She has brought many computers to our school and she have done very many good things to our school thats why I love her. Even though I have my own mum but she is more than another mom to me in education. I wish her a happy mothers day.”

And, from the parent of a younger child, Mr. Patrokil Kitaly.
“Thanks so much Mamas Lucy Kampton and Stacey! You are always come up with good ideas to change the world and make our kids to have good education.Am proud the way both you works.With this…… .Happy mother’s Day!!!!!”

Mama Lucy has also been tweeting from Tanzania to participate in the celebration. I think she’s articulated clearly how your mom will feel when you create her a heartspace and add your love for her at To Mama With Love.

Posted: May 7th, 2010 under The Foundry.
Comments: 1

Last night, I made my mom cry.

Nope. I wasn’t a bad kid. I just shared my Mother’s Day gift a few days early, because I knew she was bound to discover it. She cried because I’d taken the time to make her a very personal gift. She cried because the gift I made would make the world a better place.

Today, we launched www.ToMamaWithLove.org. On the site, you can create a “heartspace” for a mama you love, and personalize it with words, photos and even video if you’d like. When you add your mama to the site, you’ll give in her honor to invest in the dream of Mama Lucy.

At the school, Mama Lucy’s next step is to build a home on campus for many of the children who attend, so that every child has a nurturing environment to learn and grow. With www.ToMamaWithLove.org, we hope to build this home out of the love we share for moms across the globe. Just imagine.

According to the LA Times, this year Americans alone will spend $14.6 billion on Mother’s Day. Imagine if the gifts we gave made the world a better place for children & Mamas everywhere.

I invite you to make a Mama you love cry (with joy!) by giving in her honor & creating a heartspace full of the memories you share at www.ToMamaWithLove.org. You can check out the sample heartspace I gave my mom here, on the To Mama With Love site. It includes a few family photos, a love note and this video I made for her:

Together, we’ll celebrate how grateful we are for remarkable women, like Mama Lucy, who create a better future for all of us by loving, nurturing & educating the world’s children.

If you’re a Mom, I hope you’ll let those who love you know that this year, you want them to create a heartspace in your honor, too.

Any questions? Email me at stacey@epicchange.org or tweet me at @StaceyMonk.

Spread the love,
Stacey

PS: If you’d like to get more deeply involved in spreading the word about To Mama With Love, you’re invited!! Click here to join us.

We’re incredibly grateful to Organic Beauty Now for their generous sponsorship.  Organic Beauty Now will give $1 for each tweet sent using the hashtag #ToMamaWithLove – up to $2,000 – which builds room for 2 children!!  If you follow @organicbeauties on Twitter, you’ll also be entered to win one of five $50 gift certificates.

Posted: May 4th, 2010 under The Foundry.
Comments: 1