A SLM conversation with Renee King-Sonnen

(Her vegan transformation from cattle rancher to cattle sanctuary)

Renee King-Sonnen is on a mission to restore harmony and balance between us, animals, and our planet.  This mission started with Rowdy Girl, an abandoned calf on her husband’s Texan cattle ranch. Her husband asked her to help nurture and mother Rowdy Girl.  And, this changed everything; it was the start of a new way of seeing animals, a new diet, and a new life mission.

Renee went on to become a vegan, to co-found Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, and work with the Rancher Advocacy Program. 

Rowdy Girl Sanctuary (RGS) provides sanctuary to farm animals at risk of being slaughtered and promotes an ethical vegan lifestyle. RGS seeks to educate the public on plant based food options, FFA/4H, factory farming practices, and the devastating impact of animal agriculture on the environment. Learn more about RGS at @45:00 mark of this epsiode and at its website: https://rowdygirlsanctuary.org/

The Ranchere Advocacy Program (RAP) "...advocaes for the farmer, families, their land, and the planet." They help farmers and ranchers transition out of animal agriculture to othr ways of using their land in ways that sustains themselves, their families, their land, and the environment.  Learn more about RAP at @50:00 mark of this episode and at its website: https://rancheradvocacy.org/

In this episode, Renee shares her vegan journey and advocacy with us.  We discuss:

• how Rowdy Girl opened her heart and transformed her world,
• how a story about beef stew stopped her from eating meat ever again,
• seeing animals as sentient beings with awareness, feelings and understanding & seeing the world through their eyes,
• anger & judgment and how these two often go hand and hand,
• how when we become committed to a cause or an ideal, we may first experience anger at others who do not share the same cause or ideal,
• how she went through the anger and judgment she felt when she first became an ethical vegan and getting to place of compassion for all - animals AND humans - meat eaters and vegans alike,
• choosing love over fear,
• creating organic and lasting change through love and compassion,
• how what we are doing to animals, we are doing to ourselves,
• her mission and work with Rowdy Girl Sanctuary and the Rancher Advocacy Program, and
• her Silver Lining Moment: a piece of advice that stopped her from seeing her husband as a murderer for eating meat to the amazing and loving husband that he is. Listen to this SLM story @1:09 mark and the lesson about perspective that followed.

When I recorded the introduction for this episode, I named it "a moment of NURTURE is lined by TRANSFORMATION".  As I started to type that title here, a sanctuary popped in instead of transformation. From her nurturing of Rowdy Girl, Renee went on to create a sanctuary for other animals. In the process, she is also creating a sanctuary for herself, for others, and for our shared planet. 

Listen to our conversation and discover how

a moment of NURTURE is lined by SANCTUARY.

Thank you for listening to Silver Lining Moments.

By Renee sharing, and by you listening, together we are:

expanding love and light,

one person at a time,

one story at a time,

one Silver Lining Moment at a time.

Music for the SLM podcast: Scandinavianz - Wonderland (instrumental) by Scandinavianz — Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library

A SLM conversation with Jennifer Brown

(finding joy again)

If you experienced times where you just didn’t feel joy in your life?  You’re not alone.

In the past few years, our guest Jennifer Brown has experienced cancer, losing her job, and, like all of us, the pandemic. Somewhere along the way, she lost joy.  She couldn’t feel it.  And, she did not know how to have fun anymore.

She found herself searching for answers to questions like –

What am I doing with my life?

Being middle aged, gave a little sense of urgency in her thinking  -

 I need to figure this out now!

So, when she lost her job, she saw it as an opportunity – as time to do something that she has been dreaming about for a long time – taking a RV road trip.

In this SLM conversation with Jennifer, we discuss:

• The feeling like you lost joy in your life and wanting it back
• Her RV road trip – her physical journey across the US and her soulful journey to herself
• The moments of awe, connectedness, and discovery that she experienced
• How she learned to trust in herself again
• A SILVER LINING MOMENT in her life

and, more!

Join us and share in her journey and discover how a

moment of SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS is lined by TRUSTING IN SELF

Thank you for listening to Silver Lining Moments. By Jennifer sharing, and by you listening, together we are:

expanding love and light,

one person at a time,

one story at a time,

one Silver Lining Moment at a time.

Music for the SLM podcast: Scandinavianz - Wonderland (instrumental) by Scandinavianz — Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library

SILVER LINING MOMENTS everywhere, in each moment - including in the MOMENT when you change your perspective and your world gets brighter because you can see the light in yourself, in others, in a situation, in the world.

WHAT'S YOUR SILVER LINING MOMENT?
Share in the comments or at www.SilverLiningMoments.com

SUPPORT SILVER LINING MOMENTS

Help us expand love and light in the world at:

https://ko-fi.com/silverliningmoments

Thank you!

Music: Stock Media provided by AudioSphere / Pond5
Noise of the Earth provided by wavebrigade / Pond5

A moment of PSORIASIS & FRUSTRATION is lined by PROCESS & FRIENDSHIP.

Silver Lining Moments are every where, in each moment, even in a moment of psoriasis (chronic condition) & frustration! In this SLM short, I talk about how a psoriasis flare-up has me feeling frustrated and angry filled with resentment and fear!

These feelings may start with the psoriasis, but once I feel them, they spread to other areas of my life. Once the frustration feelings take hold, they create a filter through which I see everything that casts a shadow over all aspects of my life.

The more I focus on my frustration, the more frustrated I feel about more things.

This, albiet in inverse, is the core of Silver Lining Moments.

The more we focus on something, the more it expands, grows, intensifies. Silver Lining Moments ia about focusing on the good so that the good expands. So, let’s focus on the good.

Let's be real. It’s hard to focus on the good, when I am feeling frustrated and stuck. Silver Lining Moments is NOT about pretending to the see the light shine when you feel you are standing under the clouds. That's make believe.

Actually seeing the light shine in that whole mind, body, heart, and soul kind of way requires something else:

Feel the feelings fully.

Acknowledge them.

Release them.

To see the SILVER LININGS in this MOMENT of psoriasis and frustration, I fully felt and acknowledged my feelings about my psoriasis and explored about why I felt them and if there were other feelings lurking beneath them. For me, I discovered that underneath the frustration were fear and resentment.

Basically, for part of this SLM Short, I vented. I let it all out.

And, I give you time to vent, rant, and let your frustrations, anger, fears, etc. out.

After doing this, I can see the SILVER LININGS in this moment.  In fact, I saw two:

First,  this moment of psoriasis and frustrative gives me an opportunity to test my process and self-care tools; to walk the talk so to speak. Realizing this reminded me of the times when my process pulled me through other dark moments. My process/self-care tools:

1.  journaling (writing my SLMs),
2. meditating,
3. physical movement - exercise/dance,
4. positive affirmations ,and
5. support.

Just thinking of these previous times replaced some of that frustration and fear with gratitude and trust. Just as my process worked in the past, it will work now. PROCESS is a SILVER LINING MOMENT.

Second, this moment showed me how I am supported. In this past week, I had a few phone calls with different friends. Each one gave me space to vent. They did not judge me; and they did not minimize my feelings. Each one also reminded me of the light in myself, in my successes, and in the progress I have made.  At a time when frustration, anger, fear, resentment blinded me , they shone light on me for me. Their FRIENDSHIP is a SILVER LINING MOMENT.

WHAT'S YOUR SILVER LINING MOMENT?

Share your Silver Lining Moments at:

 https://silverliningmoments.com/contact/

https://www.facebook.com/Journal.Book.Podcast

Want some light in your life, check out:

www.SilverLiningMoments.com.

Shine some light my way and support me on Kofi:

https://ko-fi.com/silverliningmoments.

Thank you!!

Music: Stock Media provided by AudioSphere / Pond5

Music: Noise of the Earth provided by wavebrigade / Pond5

A moment of MOTHERHOOD is lined by Dreams

A SLM conversation with Bonnie Silvestri

Bonnie taught women in law classes that discussed legal issues around motherhood and families including topics like pregnancy and families in the workplace. When she became pregnant herself, these were no longer abstract issues in case books.  They were personal. She realized that the whole "work life balance thing” was not so easily managed. 

She began to look at family leave policies around the world – in particular, she looked at countries that provided paid family leave like England versus unpaid family leave in the United States.  She questioned – was paid family leave as good as she imagined.  She and her husband had an idea on how to answer this question.

They moved to England for 6 months where they filmed their documentary Funnel of Dreams, which is described on its website as:

"A Florida family goes on a quest to understand the impact of the United Kingdom’s policies for families, including paid parental leave, childcare services, and the children’s right to play. Journey with them to a small town in Wales as they navigate parenting their imaginative young daughter in a new culture."

To learn more about Funnel of Dreams, https://anythingarts.com/funnelofdreams

In this SLM conversation with Bonnie, we discuss:

• Her journey into motherhood and how this inspired her to take a closer look at family leave policies around the world
• Funnel of Dreams – the idea behind it, the naming of it, what it taught them about family leave policies and their effect on mothers, fathers, children, and the community
• Paid family leave and unpaid family leave
• Why discussing family leave is important, even more so after the recent U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision and the changing abortion laws in many states
• Having an idea, following through with it, and seeing it realized

From my conversation with Bonnie, I see how:

a moment of MOTHERHOOD is lined by DREAMS.

Thank you for listening to Silver Lining Moments.

By Bonnie sharing, and by you listening, together we are:

expanding love and light,

one person at a time,

one story at a time,

one Silver Lining Moment at a time.

Silver Lining Moments are every where, in each moment, even in your inbox and messages.

Last week, I received a few "just messages".  The messages that have "just" somewhere in them, such as "I am writing just because I am thinking of you" or "I just wanted to let you know that you are important to me/that you are doing a good job/that I appreciate your friendship."  Often, these messages are short in words but big in their positive impact. 

These just messages are a ray of sunshine in my inbox that brighten my day and shine a light through the years in my heart.  They are SILVER LINING MOMENTS.

WHAT'S YOUR SILVER LINING MOMENT?

Share your Silver Lining Moments at:  https://silverliningmoments.com/contact/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/Journal.Book

Want some light in your life, check out: www.SilverLiningMoments.com.

Shine some light my way and support me on Kofi: 
https://ko-fi.com/silverliningmoments.  Thank you!!

Music: Stock Media provided by AudioSphere / Pond5

Are you looking for a sign that you are on the right track?  When I asked for a sign that Silver Lining Moments is a worthwhile focus of good in the world, I saw this "sign"; it's in the form of a SILVER-LINED bath tub in a storefront showcase.  

Just like the light behind the cloud, a SILVER LINING MOMENT is always there - reminding us of the light  in ourselves, in our conversations, in each other,  and in each MOMENT.  And, a SLM takes many forms - sometimes it's that little bit of encouragement or that "sign" you are looking for.

This SILVER-LINED bath tub was the encouragement I needed, when I needed it.

If you are looking for a sign that you are on the track, let this be it. 

SILVER LINING MOMENTS are every where, in each moment.

What's your SILVER LINING MOMENT?

Share your Silver Lining Moments at:  https://silverliningmoments.com/contact/

Or, here: https://www.facebook.com/Journal.Book.Podcast

Music: Stock Media provided by AudioSphere / Pond5

With very short snippets of: Give me a sign by Breaking Benjamin; Signs by Tesla, and The Sign by Ace of Base

SLMs are everywhere, in each moment. 

This one is in the movie 13 Lives, which is about the real-life cave rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach. They were trapped in the cave for 17 days. Some 10,000 people—including 2,000 soldiers, 200 divers and volunteers from around the world helped in their rescue.  After watching this movie, I was in awe of how amazing people can be! 

Director Ron Howard said it best:

“It’s a very contemporary theme that we need to remind ourselves of, and that is how powerful we can all be internationally or on a community level when we pull together.”

And, that is why 13 LIVES is a SILVER LINING MOMENT.

What's your SILVER LINING MOMENT?

Music: Stock Media provided by AudioSphere / Pond5