The Pink Glove Dance
November 24, 2009 by Karen
A fund raiser for a Portland Hospital, this video is super fun!
My Book is Becoming a Reality
November 23, 2009 by Karen
REACH FOR THE JOY
by Karen Garcia
I have grown to realize that my experience is not so unique- there are many others who choose to embrace their challenges, surrender to a higher power and find the lessons hidden within their “Health Opportunity.” Yet so many others are suffering needlessly. My intention is to tell not only my story, but the story of others who have found JOY in the midst of dis-ease.
Please, if you or someone you know would be willing to share, I am currently interviewing SURVIVORS- THRIVERS- not only of cancer, but of any life changing challenge.
I am looking for sponsorship. Because, like any creative endeavor, writing a book takes money. And time. And I want to see it published within the year. Even if it means self-publishing.
I am putting a package together to “shop” the book to agents and publishers. Please, if you have any contacts in this arena who may be willing and able to help me, forward my website to them. In fact, please forward my website to anyone and everyone you know. The more “hits” the site gets, the easier it will be to generate interest in the book. So please draft a simple email that shares a bit about me and my story and pass it on to everyone on your distribution list. The more people who view the site, the more leverage I have to sell the idea of my book. That’s publishing in the 21st century!
But this is not just about “selling” my book. It is about sharing my story.
I believe that my story has already touched many lives- as evidence by the stream of letters, emails and even gifts I receive daily and have for more than 2 years. My goal is to help others live in their TRUTH and reach for JOY! It fills me with unbridled Joy to know that I can have such a profoundly positive effect on the life of another human being.
Thank you for Co-Creating my success!
-Karen
Self Reliance -at Last!!
November 16, 2009 by Karen
I long to be self-reliant; to stand on my own two feet again. 
It has been difficult relying on so many amazing people just to make ends meet. Disability hardly covers the rent, much less all the other expenses that come with this ride. Not to mention creating joyful memories with my daughter! I have longed for a way to bring in some income for myself. But there is just no way I can hold down a “regular” job with my ups and downs.
Not that I have ever been a “regular” kind of girl… I’ve been a actress, a part-time teacher, a waiter, a bartender. I’ve had every kind of odd job imaginable! Including some MLM…
For several months now I have been investigating home-based businesses that were NOT multi-level marketing. Something I could work on no matter how I am feeling and create some sort of income stream for me and my daughter.
At last I found one that I believe in and that works with my inconsistent energy! It is Melaleuca- a green wellness company with over 25 years of success. And the way the business works is just different than anything I’ve come across!
They offer chemical free cleaning products, bath and beauty and a small line of nutritional supplements that are unbelievable.The way it works is simple. You join like you would Costco or Sam’s club- but instead of paying $45 or more a year, you pay just $30 one time (actually for another week the cost to enroll is only a buck!) and you get all the products at wholesale prices! Their products are wonderful. Even the cleaning products are so “clean” they don’t need child caps or poison labels!
Anyway, I am not here to “sell”- I am just so excited to share my new discovery and my commitment to get back on my own two feet!
If you want to know more, you can visit the business website they gave me and I would be happy to tell you more about it. They have an informational webcast that you can view online that explains the details.
Just go to my new business website and submit a request for additional information and I will set you up to check out the Wellness overview. The site is www.WDT-ReachForTheJoy.com
Suze Orman was the keynote speaker at this company’s recent conference. She said “I check out every company thoroughly before I agree to speak for them. There are two kinds of companies that I will not speak for if my life depended on it: brokerage firms and multilevel marketing companies. I’m so glad that Melaleuca is neither one of those so I can be here with you today.”
If you are thinking about saving money, going green or even jumping on the bandwagon to make a bit of extra cash, let me know. I could use the practice sharing info about the company. And you never know, you may enjoy yourself!! 
Jumping for JOY!!!
Karen
www.WDT.ReachForTheJoy.com
This is the Moment!
November 2, 2009 by Karen
I recently went through a difficult period- nothing major- just growing pains, really. I was feeling distraught and impatient with myself. Frustrated that I wasn’t “producing.” One of the most challenging things about being where I am right now is trusting that I am where I am supposed to be and that everything has its time and place.
Relying on others for financial protection is hard. While I have never been “in the money,” I always worked hard to support myself. Since July 2007 that has changed radically. I now rely- gratefully- on help from the government, private foundations (on occasion) and of course my incredible family and friends. But I don’t like this feeling! I want to be independent somehow!
And yet whenever I begin to think about work, something knocks me down for days or even weeks and I have to sadly admit to myself that I am simply not in a place where I can be counted on to “show up” consistently. And that is tough on the ego!
Meanwhile I am writing and working on ideas. But I know that to expect my book ideas to support me and Zaiden is silly- at least in the present. It will take time and a lot of work- and, yes, help from my friends! Thus my frustrations…
The other day I had a rude awakening when I discovered that I was overdrawn- money down the drain in bank fees- money I did not have and had to be “rescued” once more. I was so angry with myself for my irresponsible math and there was nothing to be done about it. So I cried. I prayed. I asked for guidance from within. And that is where I am going with this…
When I arrived home I had received an email from a dear Austin friend. She told me that she had been given a gift that she wanted to share with me. It is a beautiful book of prayers. She said that she was unsure if I would be open to them but her inner guide kept showing her my face and so she decided to pass it on, whether I was willing to open it or not. I did. And to me it felt like an answer to my prayer.
This lovely little book reminded me that God- the Creator- my guides- are always with me and in me and that I (as are You) AM GOD. That Power is within each of us- to know, to see, to be one with the entire Universe; and that all “this” – sickness, despair, poverty, sadness, frustration- is an illusion. And so I prayed.
Here it is: Click here to download: Original Decree Booklet
I am committing myself to Believing in the Power of Prayer and reading aloud the words contained within this book each and every day. Not all of it- just the ones that “speak” to me on a given day. To remind me that I am not alone.
I know that cancer has changed me in ways I never could have anticipated. I am humble, I am grateful, I am faithful, I am reminded all the time to BE IN THIS MOMENT. Because that is really and truly all any of us have.
These prayers not only comfort me, they remind me that I CAN do anything- and I will!
I have committed to writing- every day. Nothing worth sharing perhaps- but writing nonetheless- to encourage more writing. “Going back to the scales.” In acting school they told us that musicians practice scales, dancers go to the bar, actors do the work- every day as an artist we must practice our art. And now that I amuse myself that I am a writer- I write. The fruits will produce one day, they only need nurturing.
As for the financial side of things, I am excited that I will soon be announcing a new project. Something I can actually do in my spare time- because if I manage it well, I have time. Time to reflect, time to write, time to pray, time to play, time to nurture and, yes, even time to work. On my own terms.
I am grateful for today- for my daughter who brings me always to THIS MOMENT- for my support, for my (relative) health, for my LIFE! Remembering that this moment is all there is is the greatest gift. Because it is only in this moment that we truly LIVE!
In Abundance-
Karen
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Cup Half Full
Cup Half Full is a beautiful, important book of women and men on the journey with breast cancer, photographed by the incredible Katy Tartakoff. I was lucky enough to participate in this important project. It's an amazing book and 75% of all proceeds go to support breast cancer charities.
