Welcome back to Beginnings! Today I am sharing a new Walk & Chat with Dawn video where I share a word about External Voice and the impact they can have on your decision making. The question to ask is: what voice am I listening to and is it bringing clarity or confusion? 

The Higher Self is a reliable source of wisdom & direction. How do you know when the voice you're hearing is a Higher Self? You will know whether it brings clarity or confusion! 

So Listen carefully and Proceed with confidence! 

Journaling Prompt: 
Detail a recent time when you heard your Higher Self give you direction but you went with an external voice instead. What was the result of that decision? Were you satisfied? 
Now detail a recent time when you listened to your Higher Self rather than following an external voice. What was the result? Any different? Did you feel more confident as a result? 

Hello and Welcome back to Beginnings! I've got another Walk & Chat with Dawn video for you with a focus on Celebrating Your Successes. I share my POV on this subject and some suggestions on how to go about it, keeping self care in mind. 

You're welcome to comment on a recent success so I can Celebrate with you! 
Journaling Prompt: 
What was the last success you had, large or small, that you haven't celebrated? Detail it fully in your journal and share why it was important to you. Nothing is too small to record, if you feel it was a moment you want to remember. 

If you would like to watch more Walk & Chat with Dawn videos, click here. 

​Thank so much for watching and giving the video a thumbs up. I appreciate your interest and support. 
You're welcome to leave a comment on YouTube as well, as we Celebrate in community! 

Wishing you the Best of Beginnings. 

Hello and welcome back to Beginnings! Today I'm sharing a new Walk & Chat with Dawn video where I chat about how you can stay more consistent and persistent with the things that matter most to you! We all want to spend more time doing what we love. So, what's stopping us? 

Let's make time, make what we desire to do part of our lifestyle and make it fun! 

Journaling Prompt: 
Make a list of the activities you desire to engage in more. Choose one or two that you are drawn to most in your heart and make space for it today, even if it's just 5 minutes. How did doing that activity make you feel? Does it surprise you with its impact? 

Have yourself a delightful day and I wish you the Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and Welcome Back to Beginnings! 
Today I'm sharing another Walk & Chat with Dawn video where I talk about the importance of Satisfaction in life and why I think it's important to do things that satisfy your soul. I give several examples of what satisfies me (which I show in the video!) 

I trust you will be inspired and determine how you can bring more Satisfaction into your life on a daily basis. 

Journaling Prompt: 
List off the activities or experiences you find or have found deeply satisfying. Choose one or two that don't require a lot of time and incorporate them into your life daily. You deserve to feel satisfied, so take that step today and don't delay! 

Hello and welcome back to Beginnings! This post makes me smile since I am featuring my Illustration Pic of the Week called Leap Day! Yay! I had so much fun with this one, showing me Leaping for JOY with the extra day we had this year on February 29th! I was wearing a crew neck sweater with a fun colorful scarf. I also enjoyed creating the polka dot pattern in the word DAY, bringing some whimsy and FUN to Leap Day! 

Did you celebrate Leap Day this year? I enjoyed creating this illustration as a way to honor an experience that only comes around every 4 years. Why not, right? This leads me to ask myself and you as well: What are we leaping into right now? What is exciting us about our days, our work, our self discovery? Or perhaps we can look at where we've lost our zest for something we've been doing and how we can get it back! Sometimes we end up creating boxes for ourselves which makes it very hard to LEAP into much of anything. So break open that box that may be holding you back and see what you decide to Leap into next! 

Journaling Prompt: 
Is there an area of your life where you feel "Boxed In?" What change do you think would make all the difference so you can feel excited about it again? 
What do you desire to Leap Into? Do you feel confident about it or a little reserved? Detail how you feel and why in your journal. Happy Leaping! 

Note: I only had 6 illustrations to choose from this week since, much to my surprise and amazement, I did not create a journal entry on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Did it feel odd? Sure. But I got right back to it the next morning! It's ok to take a break when you need it for whatever reason. 

Thank you for your interest in my illustrations and reflections; I trust the journaling prompt will give you interesting and insightful food for thought. 

You have yourself a delightful day and I wish you the Very Best of Beginnings! 

Welcome back to Beginnings! This week, I am choosing to share the more Vulnerable Side of my Illustration Practice for my Illustration Pic of the Week. 
The title of this one is Confusion, and it illustrates how we can sometimes put ourselves in a box of societal expectation with a topic that is very personal. And when we allow that to determine the decisions we make, it can create an incongruence that doesn't align with what our heart is telling us. 

This happened to me recently and it created an unexpected heaviness that was hard to shake; but once I recognized the box I had put myself in, I was able to relieve myself of the Confusion it caused. Confusion has an energy that can be unnerving, undermining your confidence, especially when making decisions, whether small or large. 

When we recognize that the elements that create an incongruency are not coming from within but from without, we can get really honest with ourselves about why we are allowing these elements to have such a direct impact on how we feel. Letting go of those societal expectations and instead, embracing what our own hearts are telling us is an act of courage, but it also affirms who we are on the inside. And that is necessary for moving forward with confidence. 

May we stay aligned with what our hearts speak, knowing it's the Best path for Beginnings. 

Journaling Prompt: 
Describe a time when you struggled with making a decision based on other's opinions. How did that make you feel? What one step of courage did you take to align with what your heart was telling you? Affirm yourself with an empowering heart message of support and love going forward. 

Thank you so much for being a part of my creative and spiritual journey with me; you motivate me to continue to share snippets of my life with you which is an essential part of our community here at Refresh with Dawn Herring: Where Beginnings Are Celebrated! And I celebrate with you as you follow your heart! 

(And what a perfect way to end February on this Leap Day of 2024!) 

I wish you the Very Best of Beginnings!

Hello and Welcome Back to Beginnings. For this post, I am sharing my Illustration Pick of the Week from the week of 1/8/24. I so enjoy creating an evening illustration in my journal to highlight something I want to remember from the day's experience. I chose to illustrate and emphasize the One Year Anniversary of my beloved father's passing. My Dad "Danny" Bel-Tempo was the best dad I could have asked for as a child; he was fun loving, enjoyed seeing me happy and had the greatest chuckle to highlight his sense of humor. 
One this Day of Remembrance, I chose to focus on all the things I loved about my Dad and what made him, him. I always loved his choice of grammar and how he would point it out if you weren't accurate with yours. (He did write 3 novels!, one of which was called Foxes. So the fox is the animal that always reminds me of my dad.) 
In my illustration, I aimed to use facial expression to emphasize how I felt that day, still hearing his voice in my head, which is often accentuated with humor. I sometimes find myself laughing out loud at what I hear in my mind's ear. 
Well, Dad, I remembered you and do daily. And now I know you and Mom are reunited, so enjoy! 
With love always, your daughter Dawn

Art supplies: I used a combination of colored pencil and pastel crayon for the letters: ONE YEAR. I used fine line pen for the figure and words, colored pencil and pastel for the wardrobe. I so appreciate the blessing illustration is to me especially when I want to express my love for my Dad. Art supplies are the gift to create from the heart, as I intuitively choose what will best help me make visual what is inside. 

Journaling Prompt: 
How do you best choose to express yourself when remembering someone you love who has passed? Do you find it satisfying? Are there ways you can create a context to support yourself and focus on self care during a time that may be difficult? I wish you well in discovering what that is. 

​And I wish you the very Best of Beginnings! 

Welcome back to Beginnings, where we talk about fresh starts, new cycles, exploration, experimentation and creativity! And this, my friend, is my final post for 2023, which is a look back on the year with what I've accomplished and how my Beginnings highlighted my life's experiences. In the process of my sharing my story, my delight is for you to look back on yours as well, celebrating your wins, seeing what you've accomplished, and what you have learned in the process. 

I will be sharing from the categories I talk about here at Beginnings which include music, journaling, art, illustration, and anything else that has inspired! Do join me as I review 2023, since, without you, there would be no blog! Right? Your readership, support and interest are an inspiration to me, and for that, I am grateful. 

So let's do this, shall we? Get comfortable with a snack or beverage and read on...

This year has been quite the journey for me...it started with the passing of my father, my DAD, Daniel Bel-Tempo. You can read about that experience here. Although it was expected, it still had a strong impact on my creativity and output. So I took some time off from content creation and returned in the spring. You can view my comeback story here. 

This year, my JOURNALING PRACTICE took center stage. Although I do journal daily in multiple journals for multiple purposes, I found some ways to stay connected to the inner parts of me, focusing on my Higher Self and my Inner Child, as I navigated Loss and understood myself on a whole new level. Dialoguing became a Power Tool essential to my wellness and resilience during this time. The wisdom and direction I received as a result really showed me ways to take care of myself, listening to the deepest of wisdom within. It continues to be a moment by moment process, breaking patterns that no longer serve me, and creating pathways that strengthen my faith and my determination to Keep Self Care at the top of my list, making it even more primary than ever. 
This can look like taking frequent breaks during the day due to fatigue, adding new foods to my diet that enhance my well being, and taking time to be quiet and induce more calm. 

I continued playing in my Art Journal, using mixed media such as inks, gouache, fabric, pastel and stamping. I have found myself spending more time on each spread, many months sometimes, taking my time and enjoying each layer of creativity it gives me. Even if it's just 5 minutes at a time. Those incremental steps build upon one another for the greater whole. Sometimes all you need is 5 minutes for yourself! 

I continue to keep a bullet journal with many trackers that are helpful for easy reference, whether dreams, food and sleep patterns, music, what I watch and read, along with family updates (so important!). I also use it for business for my office work. 

Speaking of journaling, This past year, I've recorded quite a few short videos for my YouTube Channel (which you can view here) for those of you who follow me for journaling purposes, (Think #JournalChat!). I've answered a lot of questions and given some fun and insightful tips you can use to get yourself going and stay journaling because it's fun and relevant for you. You're welcome to drop any questions you may have in the comments below! 

In addition to journaling tips, I've also released some new MUSIC which you can view here, which includes my spiritual songs, My Choice and I Believe, plus I re-recorded the Beginnings Theme song to celebrate One Year of Beginnings Blog (which you can view here; just scroll to the bottom.) and my newly launched website. I also went Live on Facebook and Played my Piano for the first time, sharing three songs, My first recording (with updated melody) titled, Because You, and an unreleased song, It's Possible and I Believe. I had so much fun playing for you all! If you haven't already watched it, click here for that post. I anticipate composing more music for my piano in 2024 (as I enter my 4th year of playing piano in March) with over 400 songs to choose from that I've written in 2023. ​

As an artist, I continue to illustrate moments from my day in my sketchbook journal (you can view several here). I continue to enjoy colored pencil and pastel (some water soluable!). I've also enjoyed some pen and pencil sketching and plan to continue that experimentation in 2024. I've also enjoyed creating illustrations for our electrical safety blog at Bill's Quality Electric, LLC, which you can view here and read here. I also greatly enjoyed recording the creation of the new logo for Beginnings which I shared in Real Time, which you can view here. That was a fun experimentation. Leave a comment below if you'd like to see more In Real Time art demo videos. 

One of the pleasures I have had this year has been engaging with the Stray Cats in our neighborhood, and there have been many, some who have come and gone, and some who are regulars here at The Cat's Meow (we like to call it that here when we feed them!). You can read a detailed version of our Parade of Cats here. We simply love Despi and Shadow, (the Boys as we call them) plus the Mama cats who have shared their kittens with us! So absolutely adorable! 

Well that concludes my Year in Review. I trust you enjoyed this perusal down memory lane with me for 2023; I appreciate your being here and for being a part of my life journey as I share my Beginnings with you. Your comments are always welcome. 

I look forward to what 2024 will hold for me. And for you too! Remember that every day is a new Beginning and worth celebrating. And I will be here to cheer you on as always. 

Wishing you the Very BEST of Beginnings in the New Year! 

Hello and Welcome back to Beginnings where we talk about fresh starts, new cycles, exploration, experimentation and creativity. 

For this post, I will share with you, my dear reader, about Gentleness and why it is the Centerpiece for me in my life right now. But first, a bit of back story. 

About 10 years ago, I wrote a scripture down on an index card that contained the Fruits of the Spirit:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. 

These are obviously character qualities we all desire to have and be in life. And when we emulate them, we are aligned with Spirit. 

When I first wrote them down, I decided that I would choose one that I was most drawn to and focus on that quality in my life, both in giving and receiving. 

My first choice was LOVE. I had remembered another scripture that says, Love your neighbor as yourself. 
Now the part of that I hadn’t really discovered was the Love Yourself part. I was never taught how to do that in my religious upbringing in school or church. (A life time of teaching, really). But through my own study and discovery, I came to understand what it really meant, looked and felt like to truly love myself. And it changed my life in many ways, and it was noticeable. 

The next fruit focus I chose was JOY. I took a deep dive into everything that brought me JOY. And I brought it and shared it with you, my dear reader, from newsletter to blog posts to videos. so much JOY! 

Life goes on and I dealt with lots of changes on the home-front, attempting to choose Peace from the fruit list awhile in the midst of dealing with losses and responsibilities and moves and business and so much going on. It was a step by step, moment by moment process. 

But in the past year or so, especially since the passing of my Dad in January, I realize now that I have HAD to choose GENTLENESS. I have always tried to be a gentle person and have even been told by some that I am gentle, which I always appreciate hearing. But being GENTLE with myself has become a key factor for me these past months. 

How have I chose to be Gentle with myself? Let me count the ways: 
Giving myself margin between tasks.
Resting when I’m tired. (And that includes naps!)
Realizing my limitations and not pushing myself too hard (still working on that one!)
Taking one small step at a time.
Not apologizing when I have to say no. And No is a complete sentence.
Setting boundaries where necessary, especially when I feel disrespected. 
Doing more of what I love, like playing my piano and really enjoying the process. 
Being careful with what I eat and listening to what my body needs and wants.
Seeing my need to cry when necessary as I continue to mourn my father’s passing (and it comes up when least expected.) 

Going Gentle is Key to my Well Being, my connection with Spirit (who is oh, so gentle), and with my mind set. Slowing down. Not rushing. Taking it easy. and not feeling guilty when I don’t get it all done or when I disappoint another’s expectations of me. 

Going Gentle means taking care of myself first. Because I know that everyone else has to take care of themselves first too. 

I know I am not responsible for anyone else’s happiness but my own. (This was a deep realization I’ve had in the midst of Going Gentle.)
My prayer for all those who I love and care about is that they will have their own Gentleness Breakthrough that will change their life like it has done for mine. 

And I pray that prayer for you, my dear reader and friend. Remember to Go Gentle with yourself. 
We all need to learn to take care of ourselves in the best way possible. With no apology needed. 
And Gentleness is key. May it unlock all the JOY you can experience and LOVE for yourself. Every Day. 

Journaling Prompt: 
What does Gentle mean for you? Make a list of ways you can Go Gentle with yourself. Choose one from the list that you’re not already doing and do it today. Create a mind map with Gentle as the Centerpiece and see what associations come up for you. Don’t censor. Just associate. Have fun with it. Then Go Gentle! 

Copyright Image 2023 by Dawn Herring