a lovely dinner grace from last year’s mapgie girl summer zine.

Visit more Sacred Life bloggers or join the journey, click here.

A year has passed since Jen and I set up the Small is Beautiful revolution in the hopes of supporting small, passionate bloggers while they find their writing voice. Like the proverbial snowball rolling downhill, the list of people taking the pledge and adding the button swiftly grew to first dozens, then, to a hundred, and then more than I could track. New people join every day, and the blog roll which was once something I could update in ten minutes is now so large I’ve had to complete give it up! It’s amazing to know that so many storytellers are out there, trying to identify the meaningful in their lives and in the lives of others.

As BlogHer 08 in San Francisco rapidly approaches, it dawns on me how much I wanted to be there and a how I longed to serve as a sort of emotive chaplain, helping people embrace their call to write. But now I live in Denmark (Denmark!) and BlogHer is but a far away wish.

Still, many MANY of you will be there, sharing your ideas and your laughter with others who are bringing women’s voices to the forefront of the new journalism – blogging in all its wonderful pell-mell forms. I hope you will find each other, gather at round tables, and share the passions you have for writing down that which is wonderful.

Small is Beautiful is under severe disrepair right now. The html is broken; we can’t find a way to do an automated opt-in blog roll with categorization; we need those same folks to be able to opt-in to an email list–and I really don’t know what to do about any of it. I am, as they say, ‘in over my head.’

I still believe that small is powerful, and that a network of small bloggers can support one another in ways that no big name recognition can provide. So I appeal to you, our tiny community, for help and advice. If you have solutions, or willingness to do some cleanup work in the SIB garden, drop a note in the comments or email me or Jen. (Contact into here.)

In meantime, remember: Your story is important. May you sing it from the rooftops.

Yours in tininess,

Rachelle

Buy a Farm Animal: Change a Life
Donate a buck or a billion at ChipIn

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Original art by Jen Lemen
for Let’s Help Ourselves and Others

It’s a rare day that I find a project so solid and so personal that I’m ready to champion it from the rooftop – but this is one of them! My soulsister Jen Lemen has fallen in love with every African immigrant in her D.C. neighborhood. They inspire her ever day, and she in turn extends a loving hand of assistance whenever she can. From springing someone from human trafficking to getting a sick daughter in Rwanda to the hospital, Jen and her network of passionate folks gets the job done.

Now Jen and Odette are on a mission to take Rwandan school girls the supplies and inspiration they need to be the next generation of leaders in their struggling, determined country. The inspiring Grace McLaren passed the opportunity to Jen to go to Rwanda; Jen asked her blogging pals for some financial support; and in 24 hours there were funds for the trip AND enough to print a book. What kind of book? A full color zine in two languages depicting the story of Odette and her brother Innocent’s clever microbusiness…in a Ugandan refugee camp…when they were 7 and 9 years old. (I cry every time I hear it.)

If this doesn’t convince Rwandan schoolgirls (and middle aged American ladies!) that small attempts can bring significant change, I don’t know what will.

Now that the books and supplies are taken care of, Jen is doing one last ask for a little more money. Innocent needs a cow. I know. It doesn’t sound like much, just one cow. But his niece (Odette’s daughter) is sick, and the meager little house flooded this year, and the cow, well, it will keep his family afloat in a highly tenuous situation.

Do you know what a cow costs in Rwanda? $600 – the equivalent of three trips to Costco or one really crappy dresser from IKEA. Now the Cotsco thing might keep you rolling in frozen lasagna, which I will admit, feels like a lifesaving act some nights in Americana. But a cow will produce enough income to keep this large extended family feed for as long as it lives.

Paul and I are down for $100. Let’s see if we can get her the rest of the way there, shall we?

Donate a buck or a billion at ChipIn.

Friends, thanks so much for reading this. Hold on to hope: all is not lost, Africa can thrive, Rwandan schoolkids can change their world, and one cow can make a difference.

In Kindness and Hope,

Rachelle Mee

For the whole Rwandan Project in orderly detail click here.

My soulsister Odette, inspiring me to trust that mama-god will get hope where it needs to go. photo credit: jen lemen

Our Small is Beautiful soulsisters Jen, Odette, and Krystyn, are at it again! They are conspiring to get a suitcase full of hope to some beautiful young women in Rwanda.

When Jen called me saying, “I might be going to Africa in May.” my first thought was, “Of COURSE you are.” These things happen to and for Jen, because she’s dangerously compassionate; because this is her creed; and because she is always ready to say ‘yes’ to the universe. Well, now she’s off to Rwanda to extend a handful of love to the schoolgirls Odette loves, but can’t get to. And even better, she’s taking YOUR hope notes with her.

Got a few minutes to write a message of hope to the next generation of women in Rwanda? Hop over to Krystyn’s place and find out how. The little 3×5 bits of hope need to be postmarked by May, so don’t delay!

In other SIB news, I know the html links aren’t working, and I know the blogroll needs to be re-categorized and updated, and I know there are 90 emails in my inbox waiting to join the rota. I am practically a technophobe and I’m at the mercy of my hacker friends to get all the SIB ducks in a row. We’ll get there, slowly but surely. In the meantime, please remember Your Story Matters. Sing it from the rooftops and the world will be better for it! Thank you for bringing all your energy to our friendly revolution!

Yours in Tinyness,

Rachelle

Small is Beautiful is still maturing in it’s own small ways.

This weekend, Paul helped me upload a bunch of the blogs in waiting. You can wander through them now by category! The orginal set of passionate bloggers will be categorized in time as well, but right now they appear on the orginal SIB page, or at the end of the categorized blogroll.

Since I finally got these folks up, 60 more folks have emailed to join our tiny revolution! Things are happening out there in Small is Beautiful world, like a homegrown effort to raise funds for Small is Beautiful blogger, Jenni Ballantyne, who’s cancer has gone terminal. She’s determined to live every day to the fullest with her son, but finances are getting ugly. Maybe you’d like to help? Click here, loves, because small efforts can make a big change in someone’s life.

Much love and shalom to all you out there who are taking your values viral every day. Keep on typing!

Love,

Rachelle and Jen

Hello my passtionate neighbors! Have you been wondering what happened to the Small is Beautiful Saturday posts? Since our overseas move has thrown me off a bit, my partner in crime Jen Lemen has taken over for a few weeks. Pop over there to see last week’s Top 7 of 07 and she might even be posting something else this weekend from Portland, where she is spending time with my some of my very favorite northwesterners. (Give everyone kisses for me Jen!)

Have a lovely Saturday admiring the small but precious moments of your life.

Yours,

Rachelle

Here’s the first batch of fun reading from our Small is Beautiful bloggers. Why not click around and find out what’s happeining in the SIB neighborhood. (If you’re not on here, don’t worry, there will be a new batch next saturday. Want to join in the fun? here’s how.)

Happy reading!

Vanessa has her faves up at Rising to the Challenge, including samples from her Sunday Scribbling series and Photobooth Fridays.

Art Play Possiblity you can see the first thirty art cards from a year long project!

Lori-Lyn over at The Dream Life has a eclectic list that includes thoughts for writer/artists and a bit about angels.

Olivia has samples from Sacred Life Sunday over at Happy Luau and some collage to boot.

Diamonds in the Sky with Lucy, probably one of my favorite S.I.B. blog names, has her seven up here.

Catherine uses her list to celebrate her second blogaversary over at Everyday Life as Lyric Poetry. (She writes so well, I’ve added her to my feeds list!)

The list over at Small Reflections is a testimony to you prolific types who are dedicated to marathon blogging.

Seven stunners are waiting for you over at Practicial Spirituality (a site I’m watching for my new gig as contributing editor over at BlogHer.)

Nancy over at the lovely Soliloquy has her list ready.

Lady Vivienne, my west coast neighbor and former guest post-er at Magpie Girl, has good stuff at her place. (That woman takes some great i-love-my-body self portraits. Click around and feel empowered!)

Art of the Firebird, she of all things handmade, gathered her thoughts here.

Mother Bunny is going to help you feel less alone in the wild world of parenting, so click here.

Jena, has her list up — and I always think its a good idea to read stuff from a life coach!

The posting partners over at Stoney Moss have a ‘best of’ series that includes best photo post, best poetry post, best political post, and my favorite category…best american sentence post.

Chez moi has a clean, crisp list, including one of my favorite topics…writing about writing!

Elayna Alexandra’s list includes a post entitled Anyeurism…don’t that just make you wanna go check it out?

Pumpkin Doodle — who’s site is as pretty as the name is sweet– has a year’s worth of goodies narrowed down for you here.

Mary Blake (doesn’t that name just sound like an author?) has her list ready for you.

Poet with a Day job (another fav blog name) has a fun list, including “Restrooms are neither restful nor roomy- discuss.”

And don’t miss the beautiful collage that kicks off Strawberry Musings from a Mermaid’s end of the year round up!

Thank you to all who found their favorites and shared them with us! Check back next Saturday for more….

Greetings bloggers! It’s the second weekend in January and high past time to highlight your favorite bits of writing from the past year.

There are over 200 folks on (or waiting to get on) the Small is Beautiful blogroll these days. Who knew Jen and I would light such a fire when gathered a few women-who-wrote into a workshop at BlogHer ‘07? I can’t tell you how life-affirming it is to know that so many bloggers out there are singing at the top of their lungs: “YOUR STORY MATTERS!”

Let’s find some of those hidden jewels of a tale, shall we? Send me an email with a link to your favorite 7 posts from 2007 off of your own blog, and you’ll be featured here next Saturday (and the one after that, and the one after that…who knows how many treasures we will uncover!) Here’s what to do:

1) Gather your fav. posts from your own blog and link to them on one static page, like this.

2) Then email me (moi at mapgie-girl dot com) the permalink to that page, so I can direct everyone your way next Saturday.

Here’s to remembering the stories of our lives!

Much Love!

Rachelle (Magpie Girl)

P.s. If you are waiting to see your blog up on the blogroll, please be patient. I got a bit flooded back in December and I’m still trying to dig out! If you want to join the Small is Beautiful revolution, just click here.

I’m back at my studio after two weeks of travel, early school dismissals, and sinus infections. Inspite of the goodness that is family mangement/motherhood. it never ceases to amaze me how that gig can consume every last drop of time for creative pursuits.

It’s bittersweet to be here these days, knowing that I’ll have to pack it all up soon. I got a lot done here, in this room of my own. I grew as an artist and writer. I tried brave new things. But, all in all, all of my bigger goals have gone unmet. I’m still not making money as a writer, or as a minister. After much initial interest, my first book proposal is still drifting around, nearly dead in the water. People ask me to teach, then back down when they hear I charge a standard professional fee (that’s life with non-profits I suppose.) I haven’t figured out the freelancing thing. (I can’t seem to write fast enough to get out the critical mass necessary to land a few articles.) And my Etsy shop was just starting to turn a profit, but now I have to shut it down in January because of the overseas move.

I’m glad, so glad, that I’ve rented this room of my own…but sad too, that I’m still so stuck in my journey to the land of professional writers. I’m trying to embrace the small is beautiful concept that even a small start is enough, but sometimes it’s hard.

What do you do when your goals seem unachievable?

An UPDATE: Yikes! Jen just called and said they’ve had major problems with their zine files and have to abort the project of this season. (So sad!) So the prize for the Tip Rally is now two beautiful hardcover holiday cook books: Christmas: A Cook’s Tour with reciepes and tradtions from around the world, and The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast with wonderful meals for the Jewish holidays and essays on food history and the holiness of gathering around the table. Keep tipping!

Hello Small and Passionate bloggers!

Like it or lump it, the holiday season is upon us. And don’t you just hate it when you let yourselves over-book and over-buy during the holidays? It sure doesn’t leave you feeling merry and bright!

You know what we need in the midst of all the superstore craziness?

Tips.

Yes my friends, tips — ideas and suggestions for maintaining a small but beautiful holiday. It’s time for the first annual Small is Beautiful Holiday Tips Rally.

Got a short cut for the turkey? Figured out how to downsize your gift list? Learned how to make the season holy instead of harried? Let us know!

Put your tips in the comments below by November 25th. A couple of lucky tipsters will be given a copy of The Soulsister’s Guide to a Very Merry Christmas, a fabulous guide for tiny, meaningful celebrations. So good! You’ll love it!

(If you don’t pick one up in the drawing, you can still buy one by the 30th and make the Soulsister’s final ship date. But really, you should just buy one now, because even if you win another, you will definitely want to pass this little bundle of goodness on to someone you love!)

Oh, and one more thing. In addition to winning the Soulsister’s guide, drawing winners will also be featured in a Small is Beautiful Saturday post, where they can highlight their Top 5 Posts of 2007. (Good reading ahead! Yum!)

So go ahead, start submitting your tips below!