Awareness, Hope & Empathy

The theme at the Path of Positivity challenge blog this month is EMPATHY. Empathy goes deeper than sympathy. You must not only "talk the talk," but you must be willing to "walk the walk." It is putting yourself in another's shoes and feeling the pain or confusion or sadness they have.

The world needs more empathy, especially when it comes to devastating illnesses. There are just too many of these little ribbons going around, too many diseases being diagnosed and suffered through, too many lives lost. When I think of all this suffering, it brings to mind the John Lennon song "Imagine":

Here's a verse I think he should have added to the song:

Imagine a world with no suffering,

it isn't hard to do.

No cancer or children dying

No Alzheimer's too.

Imagine all the people

living life in full.

My project today is an 8x8 canvas using an image from this month's sponsors, Sparkle N Sprinkle. The digi is called Awareness. I printed out and colored just a few of the many, many ribbons being used today to represent serious health issues. Nowadays almost anyone you talk to has worn one of these ribbons or the others for someone they knew. One of my little Girl Scouts barely made it to her high school graduation due to Brain Cancer (grey ribbon). My aunt passed away from Breast cancer (pink ribbon) five years after she got married.
You would think that with all the marvels of technology, these diseases would be gone. But they're still here, and that is why this world needs all the empathy it can encompass.
My DT project was the first time I created a hybrid canvas, using digital as well as hand-crafted media for it. Here are the digital aspects that went into my canvas:
Pixel Scrapper Janet Scott “Look a Book” Paint 12

Pixel Scrapper Pauline Thompson “Happy Birthday” Star Scatter 2

Pixel Scrapper Elif Sahin “Autumn Day” Flower

Now it's your turn to show us your take on the theme of Empathy. Any creative endeavor is accepted. Just remember to link up to the Path of Positivity challenge blog before the end of the month for your chance to win a prize package from Sparkle N Sprinkle. Here are the Prize details:

• $15.00 worth of Sparkle N Sprinkle digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

New Challenge at the Path of Positivity Tackles EMPATHY

Welcome to a new challenge at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. This month we explore EMPATHY. Instead of trying to wrap my words 'round that theme, I discovered the most beautiful and simple explanation:
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. 
~Henri Nouwen

Our challenge this month is sponsored by Sparkle N Sprinkle, and today's card uses a digital image called Disco Girlfriends:

After coloring my image with Copics, I used some metallic gel pens to give a little shimmer here and there. I had a piece of tie-dye-patterned napkin that I used to set the scene, then I pulled out a few shaped buttons to embellish. My girlfriend's birthday is coming up and this is the perfect card for her. We met in college and at times have been hundreds of miles apart, yet here we are now, still the best of friends, kids finishing off college, sharing our joys and our sorrows, talking each other through loss and celebrating memories.

What is your take on the theme of Empathy? It could be a sympathy card for a good friend, a journal page or a canvas. Just remember to link up your creation for a chance to win this month's offering of prizes:

Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge.  They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Challenges I am Entering:
PDE Linky Party - Anything Goes
Hiding in My Craft Room - Freestyle