Together WE Can Do Great Things

One of the aspects I love about CAbi clothing is that the company gives back to women in need. Those of you who have known (or read) me longer, know that supporting women in need is close to my heart.

This season, for every chic tank sold, the Heart of CAbi Foundation gives 100% of the profit toward providing clothing for women in crisis situation. These could be to displaced people affected by natural disasters (Hurricane Sandy, fires, or other natural disasters), or mothers of children with cancer and other serious illnesses, who haven't had time to take care of themselves in months or sometimes, years.

The Heart of CAbi Foundation also offers microloans to women in other countries. These loans help a woman to start or expand her own business, based on a business plan she prepared, and improve her family and living situation. Their repaid loan is then provided to another microloan applicant.

To donate to these powerful causes, just round up to the nearest dollar on any CAbi order, order a chic tank, or purchase a gift certificate for the foundation from me.

So often, we see powerful causes and wish we could donate a million dollars. This way, we can. Because when each of us gives just a tiny bit, and thousands of women do the same, it becomes a lot. You, with your compassion and generosity, enable other women to live fully and look forward to life.

Contact me if you'd like to support this endeavor!

In closing, here's a video that shows those gifts in action.

--Keri

Why WOULDN’T You Wear That?

I work with so many beautiful women. It surprises me when I hear them say, “I wouldn’t wear that. I have no reason to dress that way.” 

I’m not referring to evening gowns or impractical styles: I’m talking about wearing styles that flatter us, dressing well, or stepping out of our sweats (or yoga gear) and into something that makes us feel beautiful, pretty, or pulled together. Why wouldn’t you wear that? 

I can remember as a very little girl wanting to be beautiful and girly. One of my most cherished memories is from when I was about 8 years old: my dad took me to Goldwater’s to pick out any dress I wanted. I truly felt like a princess. 

We all have that princess in us—that desire to share the best of ourselves in every way—but sometimes we lose sight of her. We might be in a season of life that we box ourselves in and think we shouldn’t dress well. Why shouldn’t we?

Looking good helps you to bring out the best in yourself, and enables others to see the best in you. As women, we have so much to offer! The more confidence we have in the way we look, the more we’ll notice a difference in the way we meet people and the way they respond to us. 

When you roll out of bed and race out to the store in your sweats, or if you do the same to drop your kids off at school, do you find that you reach out to others? Do you engage in conversations, or are you holding back—even avoiding contact—because you don’t feel put together, prepared, and ready to step out? When I leave the house this way, I adopt this behavior because I don’t feel ready to engage. 

We each represent something unique and special. It’s not wrong to have good self-care. It’s how we’re made as women, a part of our design. There is beauty in every creature, and looking good can open us to stepping out and sharing our gifts.

Reveal your inner shine through all forms of self-presentation! You will notice a change in how you glow, inside and out.   

--Keri

 

A Moment for Marriage

Part of living well means maintaining strong relationships. For many women, the most important relationship is with their husband. Have you heard the saying, “Make your marriage strong, and everything else falls into place” ?

It is not always easy. We can look back to when we first fell in love and had the leisure of time to discover each other. Matthew Kelly, one of my favorite authors, calls this timelessness. We weren’t on a clock, and we could just enjoy getting to know each other, to be enchanted with the unexpected details of our love. But as relationships develop, our lives also develop into intertwined levels of business and responsibilities, and we can lose that sense of timelessness we need to continue discovering the person within our mate. According to Kelly, spending carefree time together is a must.

In his book, Building Better Families, he also says:

“When two people love each other, encourage and challenge each other to become the-best-version-of-themselves, and honor and respect each other’s individual journey while at the same time dynamically collaborating on their journey together, it produces a rare energy and environment. Anyone fortunate enough to wander into this environment for an afternoon or an entire childhood will benefit enormously. A great marriage is a place where we can be ourselves, a refuge from the world, and a place where we can grow through both harmony and conflict. Marriage is a place where we can be comforted and challenged, a place where dreams are explored and pursued, and a place where ego can be tamed and true self can blossom.”

- Matthew Kelly

All of us, married or single, can encourage each other to invest in the value and meaning of our marriages. When we do, we’re strengthening society because we’re strengthening relationships. Good marriages=strong relationships=happy, productive people=thriving families and communities. If you’re married, it’s the most important relationship you can invest in. Rediscover WHY you fell in love and do it over and over again. 

--Keri