In Gratitude Stories & Conversations with Rachel DesRochers Rachel DesRochers

This weeks episode I share more about my Gratitude Grams. A new card deck I created in April. It is a 54 card deck full of hope, inspiration and motivation. I created all the art work on each card and wrote each saying on the back. These cards are intended to be a useful tool in your toolbox. Pull these out when you feel stuck or alone or in your head. They will guide you back home to your heart again and again and again.

Soon these cards will be available for purchase on my website but if you’re interested in a deck please let me know.

I hope you enjoy the card I pulled for us this week.

In Gratitude,

Rachel

Friends,

Lets just start talking about fear. I barely scratched the surface but I hope this episode fills you with hope, love and the understanding of how wonderful this one and precious life is.

Our fears are stopping us. Holding us back. Slowing us down. We see right now a powerful movement happening across our country where they are using their FEAR to create change and peace – so powerful. That reminder – we can use fear to propel us, to grow us, to teach us or to stop us. How are you using it?

This poem also, I shared today from Joy Harjo. A Native American poet. Such incredible words.

I Give You Back

Joy Harjo

I release you, my beautiful and terrible fear.

I release you. 

You were my beloved and hated twin, but now, I don’t know you as myself. 

I release you with all the pain I would know at the death of my daughters. 

You are not my blood anymore.

I give you back to the white soldiers who burned down my home, beheaded my children, raped and sodomized my brothers and sisters. 

I give you back to those who stole the food from our plates when we were starving. 

I release you, fear, because you hold these scenes in front of me and I was born with eyes that can never close.

I release you, fear, so you can no longer keep me naked and frozen in the winter, or smothered under blankets in the summer. 

I release you I release you I release you I release you. 

I am not afraid to be angry, 

I am not afraid to rejoice. 

I am not afraid to be back. 

I am not afraid to be white. 

I am not afraid to be hungry, 

I am not afraid to be full. 

I am not afraid to be hated. 

I am not afraid to be loved,

to be loved, to be loved, fear. 

Oh, you have choked me, but I gave you the leash.

You have gutted me but I have you the knife. 

You have devoured me, but I laid myself across the fire. 

I take myself back, fear. 

You are not my shadow any longer. 

I won’t hold you in my hands. 

You can’t live in my eyes, my ears, my voice, my belly, or in my heart 

my heart my heart my heart. 

But come here, fear.

I am alive and you are so afraid of dying.

 

Friends, thank you so much for your support. Share this episode with a friend and don’t forget to leave us a review on how ever you listen to the podcast!

In Gratitude,

Rachel

Friends,

Leaning in strong to this quote from Desmond Tutu “If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor” I have chosen to share on this weeks episode on how we as a family are having bigger conversations to be a better ally, to take off blinders and support our friends.

I have to use my platform to make sure folks know where I stand – for peace and love and justice for all, not for those that only look like me.

I wanted to share in today’s show notes – resources that have been shared with me. I am also saying as a community can we raise some money to donate. This week – you can venmo me (@racheldesrochers11 or PayPal – Rachel.desrochers@gmail.com ANY size donation – $2 ADDS UP) and I will take all funds raised and donate them to two organizations- Mortar Cincinnati & Rachel Cargle.  I have chosen them – one locally and one nationally who are doing real work to help PROGRESS our communities and RAISE up black people, entrepreneurs and help us learn better.

I wanted to share resources with us- start reading, start talking, start widening your circle. NOW IS THE TIME.

I love this site for kids resources: https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4?fbclid=IwAR0YVodiKKazD3neCjbiyYS4ZzD-ctRVFJUuQB7qvgiJoWrJfywBkFja_RU

I have ordered – The Hate you Give & Dear Martin for my kids to read this summer. I will also be ordering This Book Is AntiRacist for them but it is currently sold out – EVERYWHERE.

Live in Cincinnati? Check out this very extensive list of Black Owned spots in town. Support them. I know we will get to Black Coffee Lounge this week and will also be grabbing some Kombuchinnati too.

Looking to diversify your social media?

Here are some folks I am really loving (and some new ones too) and LEARNING a ton from right now- these are their instagram handles. These are mostly black and some white who are allies and creating great resources for white women to learn from!

@Rachel.cargle

@kylawoodstv

@wearemortar

@iamrachelricketts

@morethanpeach

@blackandembodied

@jessicawilson.msrd

@nettaaaaaaaa

@desireeadaway

@morgandebaun

@morganharpernichols

@missymisdemeanorelliott

@thelovelandfoundation

@ebonyjanice

@theconsciouskid

@theblackfairygodmotheroffical (she’s amazing!!)

@mspackedyetti

@amandaseales

@catpowerofficial

Here are more groups you can donate too:

Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalist (GCABJ)

Cincinnati Bail Fund

Mortar

Black Lives Matter

Ohio Justice & Policy Center

Books that friends are reading:

Stamped By Jason Reynolds & Dr. Kendi

White Fragility

Americana

A Black Woman’s History of the United States

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Anything by Dr. Ibram Kendi (I just put in my queue – How to Be an Antiracist)

Friends, I am so grateful to be doing better work to learn and be a better ally. That is where it all begins – in our own hearts. I appreciate your support and love and please share this with anyone you know who needs to hear it. We can keep adding to these resources. We can and we must keep showing up.

In love and gratitude and peace,

Rachel

Grace. An action. An offering.

In this weeks episode I talked about extending grace as we are slowly waking up from our pandemic. That deep reminder- we can’t do any of this work for others if we are not doing it for ourselves. Where do you need to extend your self grace?

Three thoughts on my heart right now:

What world do I want to wake up to?

Go slow. Slower. Don’t rush. 

Hold the prayer – hold it. 

I hope right now that we all lean in a little bit further. I hope that we give ourselves a little grace and we also offer that to others around us. The great unknown is quite magnificent and unnerving. We will be ok. We have grace on our side.

Hope you enjoy this weeks episode! Don’t forget to share this episode with a friend or on your social media! As always thanks for tuning in!

In Gratitude,

Rachel

 

In the dictionary advocating is defined as: “a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy”. In this weeks episode I tried to dismantle this thought a bit.



* What is advocating

* Who are we advocating for

* SELF advocacy is where it has to start

* STAND UP and so much more



I hope you enjoy this weeks episode. I scratched the surface here. I want to keep coming back – we dig deeper over time. We have to start before we finish.

I hope you walk away from this episode with a confidence of starting for no one else but yourself. YOU matter.

In Gratitude,

Rachel

Sharing in episode 25 more on grief.



* How grief is showing up, affecting us and how to use it for healing.

* Grief is this big emotion that has just come and sat upon our laps the last 9 weeks of quarantine.

* I share more how I am getting through all these big feelings right now!

* Can you grieve and be grateful at the same time?



Shared Marianne Williamson’s – Return to Love. A great book if you’ve not read it yet. The line “If we want to be rid of the darkness, we must turn on the light” 

In Gratitude,

Rachel