BLOOM April/May 2018

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April/May 2018

Jill Of All Trades

Jess’ Downtown Owner Angeliki Floros Is Beloved As She Is Dedicated

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DEPARTMENTS

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Nikki Fox

April/May 2018

your CAREER

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Women in sports, specifically officials, fight the power.

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Courtesy of Joy Salyards

‘A Heart As Big As Mount Everest’ Angeliki Floros works hard to maintain her restaurant’s staple reputation. Nikki Fox

Front cover photo: Nikki Fox

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Staff

14 Me To We

Metro Creative

Columnist Christina Kunkle explains how connections are a key to balance.

Corey Tierney, editor Justin McIlwee, staff writer Shelby Mertens, staff writer Nikki Fox, photography Daniel Lin, photography Stephen Swofford, photography Jennifer Dehoff, design Rhonda McNeal, sales manager Bloom is a publication of Rockingham Publishing Co. Inc. Copyright © 2018 Rockingham Publishing Co. Inc. 231 S. Liberty St. Harrisonburg, VA 22801 For advertising information, call 540-574-6220.

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Official business Women Officials In The Valley Are Few But Mighty By Justin McIlwee

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Metro Creative

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n Cat Snead’s mind, one game in particular stands out. “When you’re new in anything, you read the rules and you know what you have to do,” she said. As a line judge in a high school football game, she remembers running the sideline during a play. “You have to give your referee a certain amount of space,” she explained. “I ran into the coach, so I threw a flag. On the first flag, there’s no penalty; it’s just a warning.” But after it happened a second time, then a third time, following the rules put in place, Snead eventually had to eject the coach. “There are some guys that because they have ties with the coaches, their leniency is more on certain things,” she said. “Whereas me, I’m

CAREER more of a black and white [person] if they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I don’t think they supported [me] even though what I did was right.” What happened with Snead is certainly not an isolated incident. Many women referees and officials are doubly scrutinized, first because they’re officials – and there’s no older pastime than giving grief to an official, – but also because they’re women. For example, in July 2017, parent-coach LaVar Ball demanded a woman referee be replaced before his team would continue with their AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball game, which the tournament obliged. Afterward, he told ESPN, “She got a vendetta because she’s a woman

who’s trying to act. ... Don’t try to step in the lane. She needs to stay in her lane because she ain’t ready for this.” Ball’s comments are part of a larger problem: a lack of respect for officials in general. Thousands of kids dream every day of sinking the game winning shot at the buzzer or hitting the game winning homerun. But rarely do kids dream of being the referee who checks the replay to make sure the buzzer beating shot got off on time. Because of that, there is a national shortage of referees in youth sports. And as Jon Corum, coordinator of intramural sports and inclusive recreation at James Madison University explained, there’s no reason to wonder why.

“When I was a player, I played hundreds of games across my high school and college career, and very seldom do I remember having a female [referee] on the court with me. Society makes it seem like a male role.” — Cat Snead

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Nikki Fox

“It’s a thankless job,” he said. “Start early, get a “When you go out there, good mentor, attend you’re criticized and scrutinized by anyone who’s seen a camp. Camps are the game. If you do a good awesome learning job, it goes unnoticed, and if experiences. Find you do a bad job, it becomes a big deal.” a good high school On top of the nationwide situation first, and then official shortage is the fact just work your way up that there is an even smaller number of women officials the ladder. Be patient, getting into the mix. And work at your games, even though there is no and as you get better, right or wrong answer as to why this shortage occurs, people will notice and Snead, who has refereed you’ll get recognized football, basketball, volleyball for that.” and baseball, offered up her opinion. “When I was a —Lynn Craun player, I played hundreds of games across my high school and college career, and very seldom do I remember having a female on the court with me,” she said. “Society makes it seem Lynn Craun is a referee of field hockey, women’s basketball and lacrosse and also trains lacrosse officials. like a male role.” To verify Snead’s point, look no further than the male professional leagues with the shortage of officials resume includes two Final many reasons why girls don’t that boys and girls grow up across the country, and Four tournaments, 13 WNBA get into officiating, but for idolizing. Currently, there is moreover female officials, we finals and 12 years as an those interested, she offered one woman NFL referee, two see it as part of our job,” he international basketball some advice. “Start early, women NBA officials and no said. “It’s a learning model official. get a good mentor, attend a women officials in the NHL with us as a supplement to Craun has been an camp,” she said. “Camps are or MLB. their education while they’re area official for more than awesome learning experiWhile combating this at JMU.” 30 years, refereeing field ences. Find a good high problem on a national level Another way the Valley hockey, basketball and school situation first, and seems like a daunting task, has worked against this lacrosse. As a lacrosse then just work your way up Harrisonburg has examples problem is by having women player at JMU, she was a the ladder. Be patient, work that any girl would be proud officials that athletes in the team captain and part of at your games, and as you to look up to. Corum, in his area can look up to. Along the U.S. National lacrosse get better, people will notice duties at JMU, trains referees with Snead, who will enter team in 1980 and 1982. and you’ll get recognized for for intramural sports and her fifth season of officiating She was inducted into the that.” sometimes sends them into during the fall 2018 football U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame Snead offered her own the Virginia High School season, Harrisonburg boasts in 2008 and into the JMU take on fixing the problem. League. He said his staff is women like Sue Blauch and Hall of Fame in 2009. She “All I can do is just be out trying to change the lack of Lynn Craun. trains lacrosse officials and there and just say, ‘Hey, this women officials. “It’s kind Blauch, a JMU graduate, was selected to officiate is fun.’ The hardest thing to of a point of emphasis for has officiated NCAA the 1999 Federation of overcome with wanting to go our professional staff and women’s basketball for International Lacrosse U-19 into a male-dominant sport is our graduate assistant — the past 28 years and in World Championship, held in knowing I didn’t have female pushing that — because the WNBA since 1999. Her Australia. She said there are support behind me.” 4

April/May 2018


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Angeliki Floros is the owner of Jess’ Downtown Restaurant.

‘A Heart As Big As Mount Everest’

Jess’ Downtown Owner Breathes New Life Into Longstanding Restaurant By Shelby Mertens

J

Photos by Stephen Swofford

ess’ Lunch, a pillar among Harrisonburg eateries for nearly a century, has undergone some recent changes. Opened in 1922 by George Galanis, Jess’ became known for its old-fashioned hot dogs and hamburgers. Located at 22 S. Main St., it is one of downtown Harrisonburg’s oldest establishments, and because of that, Jess’ has enjoyed a loyal customer base who have dined for decades. Now, Jess’ has been challenged with striking a balance between pleasing its longtime customers with the food they grew up with and love, while simultaneously keeping up with the ever-changing food industry to draw in a younger crowd. At the helm of these changes is owner Angeliki Floros, whose in-laws founded Jess’ many years ago. Under her leadership, the menu has expanded significantly to include new types of cuisine, craft beer and mixed drinks. Additionally, the restaurant’s logo was redesigned, a television now hangs on the wall and the name has officially changed to Jess’ Downtown Restaurant. Today, Jess’ is much more than a simple lunch spot for hot dogs

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and burgers. Jess’ Downtown describes itself as “a Greek restaurant, hamburger joint, hot dog place, sandwich and salad shop, and classic grill, all rolled into one.” “We’re trying to take it to the next generation, to the future,” Floros said. In addition to running Jess’, Floros also operates Jess’ food truck in Staunton and opened an ice cream shop, Dreams Cones, two years ago in the long, narrow storefront next door. She had the place renovated for her ice cream parlor, which is only open from May to October. Another Jess’ Lunch sits three miles away on East Market Street, which is owned in the same family but managed separately. These days, Floros is one busy woman, split between her businesses and family. But it wasn’t always this way for Floros, who never planned to run a restaurant. It all happened so suddenly in 2014.

From Greece To Harrisonburg Floros is a proud Greek immigrant. She was raised in the city of Lamia, where she lived for the first 30 years of her life. Then, in


March 2002, she moved to the U.S. after she married George Floros, Keeping The Family Business Alive who was born and raised in Harrisonburg but whose family came Her husband, George, passed away at the age of 50 on April 28, from the same hometown in Greece. George’s father, Gus Floros, 2014, after battling cancer. She had no choice but to take over the purchased Jess’ in 1967 after he crossed the pond from Greece. Gus restaurant. Floros was the nephew of Jess’ original founder, George Galanis. “I wasn’t ready for that. When George got sick with cancer, I Jess’ has been at its South Main Street location since 1955. An didn’t have a choice,” she said. “I had to run the business; nobody else expansion was made in 1977 after a fire. Floros doesn’t know how her was there for me.” in-laws ended up in Harrisonburg after arriving through Ellis Island, It was an extremely tough time. While grieving the death of her but she knows one thing is true: “It’s a joke in Greece — a Greek husband, she also had to learn how to run a business. “Time was immigrant is going to open a Greek sensitive. I had to learn everything in restaurant wherever he goes.” less than a year,” Floros said. “They Floros learned basic English asked me, ‘What is going to happen in high school in Greece, but she “They asked me, ‘What is going to the business? What are you going quickly found that wasn’t enough to do with Jess’?’ I never asked for to happen to the business? What when she moved here. “I was in time to think. The answer was, ‘Yes, are you going to do with Jess’?’ shock the first months,” Floros said. I will do it.’ I accepted everything.” “I couldn’t speak the language.” There was a certain pressure I never asked for time to think. But through the struggles, she that came with the responsibility The answer was, ‘Yes, I will do it.’ planted roots in Harrisonburg, and it of taking over a beloved restaurant became her second home, along with with such history. She had big shoes I accepted everything.” Jess’. “Jess’ was my school,” she said. to fill. She said she struggled at first — Angeliki Floros “Jess’ was my saving grace. I think with finding a good team to work for that’s why I love this restaurant so her. “It was challenging at the time, much. I couldn’t stay at home, I was too depressed.” especially as a woman,” she said. “They were used to, for so many Her husband took over the family business after his father, Gus, years, working with men.” retired in 2006. He had worked at Jess’ since he was 12 years old. But those challenges, she said, made her stronger. On the wall in Jess’ is the phrase, “Let your faith be bigger than your fear,” and Floros was a stay-at-home mom who visited Jess’ “for fun.” Floros certainly lives by that mantra. That is, until tragedy struck.

Sara Lancaster (left) eats a hot dog as Baxter Mccumsey eats a shish kebab at Jess’ Downtown.

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“She’s incredible for the amount of things that she’s achieved since she’s come here: not speaking the language at all, not knowing anything about business, not knowing anything other than what she did in Greece and to acclimate to American customs. ... She’s accomplished a lot for anybody to do,” said Thomas Marchese, the manager at Jess’ Downtown. Marchese describes Floros as having “a heart as big as Mount Everest.” He said she’d give anything to anybody. “There’s nothing that she wouldn’t do for people.” Marchese came on board three years ago. He has helped alleviate some of the stress for Floros. “She’s a hard worker. She works literally every single day,” said Jess’ waitress Sadie Elledge. “If she’s not here, she’s in the food truck. If she’s not in the food truck, she’s here. She’s a pretty busy lady, and it’s nice that Tom has stepped up and helped her out with a lot of stuff like that. It takes a lot of pressure off her.” The 19-year-old started working at Jess’ four years ago. She has witnessed the changes Jess’ has made, from handwriting orders and hanging them up on the line for the cooks, to the introduction of a computer system.

“She’s incredible for the amount of things that she’s achieved since she’s come here: not speaking the language at all, not knowing anything about business, not knowing anything other than what she did in Greece and to acclimate to American customs.” — Thomas Marchese

In The National Spotlight Elledge became the center of controversy in August 2016 when she received a racist note instead of a tip. A couple dining at Jess’ wrote, “We only tip citizens” on the receipt to Elledge, who was born in the U.S. and is of Honduran and Mexican descent. Her grandfather posted a photo of the receipt to Facebook expressing his outrage, and the story quickly went viral. The post was shared across social media and dozens of media outlets around the globe were covering the story. Floros was not working at Jess’ the day of the incident nor did she hear about it until the following day. “My biggest problem is that I have faith in the good will of everything. I researched the story. I didn’t believe it in the beginning,” she said. “We were in shock. Whoever knows Jess’, they know we’re immigrants. You’re already coming to a place that started from immigrants.” Floros said she learned the power of the media from the experience. She woke up the next morning bombarded with requests from TV stations, newspapers and Latino media outlets. She woke up to text messages from family in Greece who read the story. “It’s not the [attention] you want to attract for your restaurant,” Floros said. “I wish it didn’t happen, but it happened for a reason, for all of us to learn a lesson to not judge anybody.” 8

April/May 2018

Floros ended up banning the couple from Jess’ a few days later after they refused to apologize and even denied the accusations to the media. Floros said Elledge and the rest of her crew are like family to her. “I was expecting an apology,” she said. “Who doesn’t make mistakes? Nobody’s perfect. But come back and apologize.” Elledge received an outpouring of support far beyond the Harrisonburg community. Brazilian model and actress Greice Santos flew to Harrisonburg to give Elledge a makeover for her project, Glam With Greice, which is for “abused, traumatized and other vulnerable women.” Axl Rose, the Guns N’ Roses frontman who was filling in as the frontman for AC/DC, called Elledge and invited her to an AC/DC concert. Elledge still has the large stack of letters that were sent to her. People from all over mailed her tips. Floros tears up just thinking about it nearly two years later. “I started crying because I did not expect that support for her,” she said.

‘A Good Place To Work’ That one bad incident, however, is an outlier compared to the rest of Elledge’s experience working at Jess’. “Overall, it’s a good place to work,” Elledge said. “The customers are pretty friendly with you and the regulars start to learn your name and stuff. You build a friendship with them.”


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Angeliki Floros, owner of Jess’ Downtown Restaurant, laughs as she stands for a portrait behind the counter.

Justin Dean, 30, has only been a cook at Jess’ for three months, but he already has a history with the establishment. “I enjoy working here because it’s part of my childhood,” he said. “I came in here as a kid and a lot of the customers come in and tell you their stories from being really young from 70 years ago.” Dean added that Floros is a “great boss” and Elledge said she’s “really nice. Everybody loves her. She’s very caring.”

Greek Flair One of the first changes Floros made to Jess’ when she took over was adding Greek food to the menu. Up until that point, the menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs and country food like mashed potatoes and gravy. “I thought it was too plain of a menu,” she said. She started to slowly introduce new items like shish kebabs and gyros a year later after receiving a blessing from Gus Floros, who is now in his 90s. “After 50 to 60 years as a businessman, he knew that changes were coming,” she said. Floros brought in the recipes that she cooked in Greece. She missed the rich Mediterranean flavors from back home. The bigger problem, however, was getting the longtime regulars to expand their taste buds and try something new. Many of them were unfamiliar with Greek food. The story of how Floros introduced the shish kebab to Jess’ customers before it was even on the menu is amusing. Every day, she would place a plate of shish kebabs and a Greek salad on a table in the front of the restaurant, hoping the aromatic smell would pique customers’ curiosity as they entered the establishment. “I would just have to sit it on the table every single day, because at Jess’, nobody

was asking for a menu,” she said. “If you’ve come here for 30 to 40 years, you don’t need the menu. But what was my choice for me to introduce something new? Slowly, slowly they learned about the shish kebabs and the gyro.” She still has longtime customers who prefer the classic Jess’ dishes. “I respect them highly. They are the roots of Jess’. The people who are so loyal, this is what boosts the business. They are the ones who keep Jess’ alive,” Floros said. “So, it’s not that I don’t respect them, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do out of love. No hard feelings. [It’s] out of love for the new customers.”

Keeping Up With The Times The goal is that Jess’ Downtown has something for everyone. A family can come in and order a hot dog, a burger, a gyro and a group of friends can order a Coke, a milkshake and a craft beer. Marchese said they decided to change the name to Jess’ Downtown Restaurant to “distinguish ourselves from being just a lunch spot.” Jess’ has also beefed up its internet presence with online ordering and delivery through websites like Grubhub and Dukes To Go. There was a time when Jess’ only accepted cash payment up until a few years ago. The downtown landscape has drastically changed since Jess’ first opened its doors. They have much more competition today than they ever had before. “When Jess’ first started out, there [were] only two restaurants in the whole town, so there was no problem with people coming here. People are going to be eating here because there was really no place else to eat downtown,” Marchese said. “Now, you have 35 restaurants in a five block area, so the competition is extremely

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“If you’ve come here for 30 to 40 years, you don’t need the menu. But what was my choice for me to introduce something new? Slowly, slowly they learned about the shisk kebabs and the gyro.” — Angeliki Floros

people who make our community feel like home. Angeliki always had a vision for refreshing this culinary institution in Harrisonburg,” Andrea Dono, executive director of HDR, said in a statement. “HDR is excited to see her modernize this long-standing business in a way that takes [ Jess’] to a new level while keeping its warmth and the time-tested favorites for new and repeat customers alike.” Dono added that Floros is “one of the warmest, most welcoming people in Harrisonburg. When you walk into [ Jess’] she greets you with a hug and smile, and makes you feel like you’re part of her family.”

Floros Has ‘Come Full Circle’ tough. “You’re not going to be able to make it if you don’t grow with the people. That’s why all the changes have been done. It’s just to keep the place going. It’s to keep the place alive so we can still give the same great product they’ve been getting for the last 100 years, but we can also offer more. Our menu is so diverse right now.” Together, Floros and Marchese have brought Jess’ to a good place. “Now, we’ve got a nice staff, so everything’s working well,” Marchese said. “We’ve done a lot of renovations, we’ve put a lot of hard work into it. We did it all ourselves basically.” Their efforts have not gone unnoticed by the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. Jess’ has played an important role in the success of downtown. “Businesses are critical to downtown’s economic prosperity, but downtown is nothing without the amazing

For now, Floros’ plan moving forward is to maintain Jess’ status as one of Harrisonburg’s staple restaurants. When she reflects back on the major events in her life, she said it was “God’s will” for her to come to Harrisonburg. It wasn’t a plan; it just happened. “After so many years in the [U.S.], through the struggles and the beauty of the place … they give you every opportunity to grow, to succeed, to follow your dreams,” she said. As the phrase on the wall in Jess’ says, it was through faith that she conquered her fears being in an unknown land, that she never gave up on her dreams and overcame the struggles life threw at her. She has followed the family legacy while breathing new life into Jess’. “She’s come full circle on everything,” Marchese said. “She’s an amazing woman.”

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Dress to impress

your

Reflections Bridal Creates Collection For Bridal Dreams

WEDDING

By Justin McIlwee Photos courtesy of Joy Salyards

A

note to brides: If you want it, chances are Joy Salyards, owner of Reflections Bridal, can make it for you. If you have checked the more than 15 collections Reflections offers for bridal gowns, and you still haven’t found anything that particularly strikes your fancy, then maybe the Kathryn Kollection is the next step. “It is named after my mother because she taught me to sew,” Salyards said. “It’s been a multi-generational process of doing this collection. I’ve been in the bridal business for years. My daughter is an art major, so she does the sketching of all the dresses before we send them to get produced. And then, I’ve been blessed with a granddaughter named Kathryn.” What makes the dresses in the Kathryn Kollection unique is that they are 100 percent customizable, depending on the bride. “They have to structurally be able to be customized because some girls want some customizations that, structurally, just can’t happen,” Salyards said. She started the line back in August 2017 because so many clients came into the store and couldn’t find exactly what they were

searching for. “So many girls came in and they wanted options that we couldn’t find a normal designer to fulfill,” she said. “For instance, for religious reasons, you needed this, this and this done to it [and] all we could do is take you to a seamstress and have them make the modifications. Now, we have the ability to get it made to the specifications that the church is requesting. Or, if you have a bride who wants a dress in certain colors, we’re able to do that.” Right now, the collection has 25 dresses, but Salyards said there are always ways to add more. “If we have a gown that, when it comes in, we have requests for a similar dress, we will add it to the collection and name it after the bride that started the fashion trend,” she said. While the collection has only been out since August, it has seen success from brides who just want everything to be perfect on their special day. “We’ve had a fabulous response,” Salyards said. “I have one dress that we just did our 15th version of and none of the 15 look alike. Our goal for this collection is to make our brides’ dreams come true. It’s their day; they dream it.”

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Three Conscious Choices

To Shift Our Me-Centered Universe Into A We-Centered World By Christina Kunkle, CTA Certified Life and Wellness Coach, R.N.

I

t’s been hard to wrap our heads and hearts around the back-to-back adversities that our nation is grappling with. When gravity strikes, a mindset of fear can take over so quickly, can’t it? Distressing news, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires and shootings have left even the strongest among us feeling isolated, disheartened and helpless. In the face of suffering, we can run away, pick a fight, freeze in our tracks or blindly follow the crowd down the rabbit hole of fear. Our fight or flight nervous system is built for an occasional emergency, providing a surge of fast-acting stress hormones — like adrenalin and cortisol — when life-saving actions are required. Afterward, our rest and digest nervous system is designed to respond with a much-needed release of relaxation hormones — like oxytocin and serotonin — to restore our frazzled mind, body and spirit back into calm balance. But unrelenting assaults on our energy and coping skills can bring us to a breaking point. However, we can rise above the darkness to see the 14

April/May 2018

antidote to reactivity and panic. We can tap into creativity and stir up some powerful soul medicine by asking ourselves one simple question that sparks inspired action: Who do we want to be in this situation?” Will we: n Add light or throw shade? n Show love or feed fear? n Invest in possibility or fuel negativity? n Ignite a spirit of community or retreat in isolation? n Be me-centered or we-centered? n Invest in solutions or focus on problems? As soon as we ask that question, when we dig deep enough for the answer, the light of our combined awareness, love and leadership flips on to remind us that negativity can’t steal our joy, cause uneasiness or feed our fear unless we let it. In every circumstance, our actions reflect what we most value. There will always be a war between love and fear, and an endless feud between the light and the darkness. It’s an all-hearts-on-deck moment in history, and it’s


your HEALTH

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critical that we deliberately bring the best of ourselves to every choice we make. Here are three conscious choices we can make to help shift our me-centered universe into a we-centered world:

1

Choose Connection Over Isolation

I believe that as women, the most dangerous place to be is disconnected from our inner wisdom. In the face of overwhelming circumstances, fear triggers a cascade of default reactions prompting us to hide, go numb, pretend nothing is wrong or assume a stiff upper lip and suffer in silence. We must first claim the space to connect with and love ourselves. Let’s say goodbye to flying solo, comparing to or competing with others and the drama of what divides. By nature, women love to build community. Our feminine character strengths like sensitivity, generosity, care and intuition were used more when our primary role was to nurture homes and families. Now, in addition, we are also entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, lawyers, politicians, you name it.

To thrive in these roles, we are tempted to drive ourselves hard through “manpower,” which is the energy of competition. Here, all your power comes just from you. With our society fostering a belief in scarcity – that there’s not enough to go around – our knee-jerk reaction is to grab and grasp, using our elbows to protect what’s ours if necessary. This is exceptionally draining, as it doesn’t allow us to stay connected to the guidance of our inner wisdom and intuition, where power moves through you, helping to easily accomplish your goals in warm collaboration with others.

2

Choose Inspiration Over Hopelessness

Hopelessness breeds loneliness, contempt and depression. Intentionally choosing the core values we want to operate from and make decisions by keeps us empowered. Having a meaningful morning practice of prayer, reading, singing, yoga, journaling and gratitude reminds us that we are fully supported by a power greater than ourselves, anchoring us to divine energy, which never runs dry.

April/May 2018

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