little dog, big bone (Lessons from Ari)

I haven't done my lessons from Ari post in a while. Mostly, its because I've been away from him for most of the Fall semester and not because he has been shenanigan free. For those of you who don't know him (or never read these posts), Ari is my little fiesty protector. He weighs all but 14 lbs, barks at any and every thing that seemingly could be a threat but loves fiercely. Especially me. He's technically a mutt (1/2 yorkie & 1/2 shih tzu) but more considered a spoilt breed since he is our only "child".

Last night as I sat and just had quiet time, I was praying and thinking and teetering between those two actions for a while...and Ari sat alongside me on his couch and tackled (literally) a bone. The thing is, this bone is big. He's really a small little thing and since last year, by mistake, we've been buying him bones that are probably for medium-large sized breeds.

At first, I instructed the purchaser to return it for a bone suited for his size but since there were two and he desperately needed something to chew on, we left it with him. What we found, is the lesson for today...he was able to handle the bone that was about 1/3 of his size. It wasn't without fighting and fumbling, but consistency and unrelenting determination was what won.

Last night was no different. The bone slipped from his grasp a couple times. He had to change positions a couple times. He had to change the position of the bone a couple times..but if you look closely at the bone (gross), there is clear evidence that it is being widdled away. And I assure you, by end of Feb, all that will be left is a mere nub.

This struck me as fascinating as my prayer and thoughts at this point was centered on a fairly big dream that I've been developing (more on that later). As with most of my dreams, this seems impossible. In fact, this is building upon...expanding, if you may, on a super size dream of The Mercy House which I've introduced in past posts.

What I need to do, though...is finalize the vision. Identify the baby steps and begin chewing one small piece at a time. I need to be flexible to realize that sometimes I may need to change my own position or adjust the dream a bit..but the idea is to steadily, slowly keep chipping away.

First things first though...getting the full vision realized and identifying those smaller goals/objectives.

I'm down for the ride!

Grace peace and love,

Gia

Mercy House

I guess I have referenced this enough times in the past couple weeks and sent you to the empty website, that I should commit a post about what it is (or will be).

Please keep in mind, that I will speak in the present tense although at this very second, it is not yet a "reality".

The Mercy House (Bahamas) is a non-profit residential treatment facility to be housed in the Bahamas. MH will cater to adolescent girls between the ages of 12-16 who are struggling with behavioral and/or emotional disorders. Mercy House takes a strengths based approach recognizing first and foremost that every individual is a child of God, with her own strengths, talents, gifts, and purpose. It is our hope that every young lady that participates in our program becomes aware of her own strengths and ultimately her God-given purpose.

The mission of MH is

"Providing a therapeutic, safe environment for hurting adolescent girls to find refuge while equipping them with skills necessary to live successfully within their natural home environment."

The first cohort will be considered a pilot, and will most likely be housed on the island of New Providence. It is my dream that residents of Mercy House get to experience a full acreage of privacy on one of the family islands of The Bahamas and only upon preparation for transitioning, are they re-located back to the island of New Providence. This detail is still hazy.

The cottages are state-of-the art and designed for communal living. They are also secured with multiple levels of security measures to ensure that the residents are safe once left in our care.

Mercy House will offer daytime program (not school) as an alternative to full residential, however, the daytime program's hours are longer than the average school day.

All residents of MH will have access to services that address the academic, physical, psychological, family, and spiritual needs. Specifically, residents will have:

• 24 hr supervision and treatment
• Training in social and living skills
• Family visitation
• Behavior modification and cognitive problem solving
• Therapeutic recreation
• Daily living skills training
• Community skills
• Individual, group and family therapy
• Educational services

As I mentioned, I'm still waiting on finances to firstly get the business officially established as a non-profit organization within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Once that is completed, then I will begin more aggressively marketing, and fund-raising. It is my hope, that somehow most of my projects over the next however-many-months are able to connect me with this vision and prepare my platform so when it is launched, it is upon an already existing foundation.

To God be the glory for great things He has done...and will continue to do!

Grace peace and love,
Gia