The Candle Project

Week 5: Forgiveness

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:26:00 -0500

This is the final week. This is also the hardest week by far.

This week is dedicated to… forgiving and loving those that have hurt us. It’s a hard a thing to do… probably one of THE hardest things we can choose to do. But I believe with all my heart that it’s so very important to forgive.

Bitterness is crippling but forgiveness if freeing.

Perhaps it is letting go and forgiving in our own hearts or perhaps it is even the act of reaching out to repair a broken relationship…

Use wisdom. Do not put yourself in danger or back in the grasp of a destructive relationship. Use discretion. But also use love.

How can we seek repair a relationship and begin the healing in both ourselves and the other person? How can we reconcile our hurt and love them anyways? Even if it’s just one singular person, how can we let them know (no matter the hurt of the past) that they are loved and they are valuable? No relationship is irredeemable.

For me, this week started before the candle project even started. As I sat down to write out the various weeks, I realized that I would be a hypocrite if I couldn’t willingly go through all of them myself. I reached out to a past friendship that had yielded wounds and sought to not only love with words but truly reconcile and forgive in my own heart. It wasn’t until I had done this that I had felt it was appropriate to ask you all to join me and do the same.

This week I want to take that even further… go beyond my comfort zone and seek out the people in my life who need love, even if they have hurt me with their words or actions.

Forgiveness begins the healing.

At your discretion, share your experiences, struggles and victories. This week is about healing through love.

I AM SO SORRY!

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:38:43 -0500

I am so sorry I haven’t been able to update for this week. It has been a crazy crazy week for me with traveling. So I have tried to continue to focus on last week’s challenge: “strangers” throughout it all. But next week I will for sure! It will be the final week! Please spread the word! :)

Curt

Week 4 story... love this :) love can be shown in the smallest of ways

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:54:26 -0500

Week 4 story... love this :) love can be shown in the smallest of ways

Week 4: Strangers

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:17:26 -0500

This week is dedicated to: loving the people we don’t know.

To what we call “strangers”… to breaking down the barrier of “stranger” and going out of our way to love them as individual people… the people we pass on the street, the patron we stand in line with for coffee in the morning, our fellow commuter on the bus, our waiters, the customers we serve through our work, the student in the back of class we’ve never spoken to, etc. The idea of this week is about seizing a brief moment of opportunity to show them love and let them know how valuable they are. Perhaps it’s just a smile to a passer by or perhaps it’s buying food for someone in need…

As always, use wisdom, & use discretion but love abundantly and freely.

Please blog and post about your experiences and spread the word!

Let your light shine!

“Let Your Light Shine” by Nina Kask and Jump Jirakaweekul - A...

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:56:40 -0500

“Let Your Light Shine” by Nina Kask and Jump Jirakaweekul - A collaborative tribute to The Candle Project.

The Candle Project, Week 3: Neighbors

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:55:52 -0500

CIRCLE 3: Neighbors

-The people around us that we see on a regular basis but maybe don’t know or haven’t taken the time to know… our neighbors, our classmates, our co-workers, our store clerks and bank tellers and baristas, etc.

What can we do to reach their heart and let them know their value and beauty? How are we willing to inconvenience ourselves to express this through action?

Please share your experiences and thoughts :)

Week 3, let’s do this! Be a light in your world!

My "friends" week summary

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:53:42 -0500

I am so sorry for being a day late but it was a crazy weekend.

This past week was dedicated to friends. My goal was to reach out and love my friends in an impacting way but I must say, it was I who was blessed beyond measure.

This past week, I was struggling with alot of frustration: rejection, restlessness, disappointment, etc… the wonderful ups and downs of an acting career in LA. I really let it get the best of me in my heart attitude and was feeling discouraged. That was Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday rolls around and each and every day since then, I have spent a portion of my day with my dear friends I have made here in Los Angeles. Whether they know it or not, they breathed such life into me. They spoke the truth to me in love, they reminded me to get up, dust myself off and push forward. They loved me exactly as I was and showed me such kindness & encouragement simply because of their time and listening ear.

Although I fear I may not have been the best I could have been this week towards THEM, my heart was chanegd by their kindness and I am so very grateful.

It taught me a valuable lesson… going out of your way to simply spend time with someone can be the hope and joy they so need in their life at the moment. I know it sure was in mine. I am so very grateful for them.

How was YOUR “friend” week?

The Scars of Bullying

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:12:35 -0500

“A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it that they were sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all of the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child. They may say they’re sorry, but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home.” -Unknown source but true story.” -unknown source, true story.

Mokoblog: Just A Smile

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:23:18 -0500

Mokoblog: Just A Smile:

mokoblog:

I just found out about The Candle Project which was initiated by Curt Mega. The goal of this project is to give love to the people around you, whether you know them or not. Each of the originally five - now 3 ½ - weeks, everyone who wants to participate shall find a way to share their love…

Week 2: Friends

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:18:55 -0500

CIRCLE 2: Friends

This week is about letting our conscious effort of love expand. Now that we have begun conditioning ourselves to going outside of comfort zones at home, how can we apply this to serving our friends? How can we be proactive friends of love and honor them for being such a blessing in our lives? All the riches in the world are nothing compared to the value and treasure of one, true friend. We are so richly blessed. How can we give back to them? How can we let them know that they are loved and valued? How can we go above and beyond being a passive friend to an actively loving friend?

How can we light their candles?

Please share your stories and experiences! :)

Curt

The OUTWARD focused life: what are we willing to give away?

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:07:22 -0500

Is it our time? It it our service? Is it out of our pockets and from the resources we are given? What is our instinct to give? Where is our instinct to withhold?

In my heart, I want to give with no strings attached, with no area of my life hardened against the act of giving. Sometimes my mentality slips into the mindset of “oh, I will give of my time or I will listen” but I harden my heart towards giving of the provision I have been so graciously blessed with (both financial and physical). Or at other times, depending on the situation, I feel compelled to give from my pocket but am selfish with my time.

How can I break this cycle of hypocrisy? How can I have a heart of love in ALL aspects of my life?

I want every facet of my life to outward focused, to be freely giving on my time, my resources and my heart.

My own abundance, faith, love, and provision comes from God who I know loves me and it who’s grace is unending. From that source, my cup truly runs over and I can give and give and give and not run dry.

I don’t always have much to give but what what I am given, I MUST give it away. Even that little bit can make all the difference in the world. The rich man may be able to provide jobs for thousands with a company, but the poor man or man of little means (where I include myself) can still bless someone in need. Maybe it’s buying someone lunch, or giving a family a hand to move so that they don’t have to pay for expensive movers…perhaps it is taking an hour of time to listen to a friend or even stranger face to face and receive them in love and encourage them in return. Perhaps it is cleaning the house when not asked to so someone else may have the time to rest when they desperately need it. There are so many ways to show love and I am only beginning to learn them.

Love is only an inward feeling if not given away, and money/financial provision is only paper and numbers on a computer if not used to help those in need.

I do not say this to preach…I say this as a reminder to myself of the truth. I have been blessed with breath in my body, a mind to think, a heart to love, and hands to work. In every facet of my being, I want to give away to those in need.

Who is in need? Every person we meet… not always in the same way. But each and every human heart is needing of love and service. How can we use the resources we are given to meet their needs and show them love?

Week 1 experience

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:17:54 -0500

I encountered another experience yesterday (outside the home this time.) A pregnant woman approached me while I was hurriedly pumping gas to get to an appointment and told me her purse had been stolen and she was out of gas and just needed to get home back to San Diego. At first, I declined to help simply because I was in a rush and tight on funds. But then I realized as soon as I turned my back, how could I claim to want to be a candle and light and not give of myself to help her? This conviction led me to re-approach her and ask if I could help her fill her car with gas and it led to a conversation about her day and me being able to bless her and wish her the best on her journey. I saw it her eyes how much it meant that someone was willing to stop and help when everyone else was saying no. I hated that my first reaction was to say no… I think it’s human instinct to push away strangers at first… but I remembered all the amazing stories you guys have been sharing and knew I had an opportunity light her candle on a dark day. My purpose at that gas station was to be there to help her. I want to look for purpose in every place I go and actively seek people to bless.

Helping at home. week 1 thought

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:16:49 -0500

It’s very easy for me to get wrapped up in what I have prioritized as my most important task. I tend to spend alot of time involved in writing or acting related activities (reading, auditions, submissions, etc etc) and this week I have struggled with letting go of those and letting my focus be here at home. One of the things at home that would be most helpful is simply to make a more direct effort at cleaning and taking initiative to do simple tasks to help out. They don’t seem like much but when they take away from the focus I have placed on whatever else throughout the day, suddenly they seem like a tremendous burden because they are a distraction from what I “planned” on my day to be focused on. My goal is to change that heart attitude, to actively take initiative and remember that love is SERVICE and ACTION, not just a mere feeling.

Week 1: Being a light...at Home

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:52:15 -0500

CIRCLE 1: Home

THE CHALLENGE: (as much to myself as to you):

To make a conscious, calculated effort daily to be love and light to those in our own homes: whether it’s our parents, our siblings, our partners, those nearest and closest to us each and every day who know us better than anyone else in this world. This may overlap if your friends are your family. Even if you’re not living with your family directly, those that you call home and are your home: the people that we have nothing to prove to because they already know us better than anyone else. How can we bless them and how can we lift them up? How can we specifically take initiative, go above and beyond what’s expected, & surprise them with kindness?

Write about it! Whether it’s in your own journalings or perhaps it’s here on a social media page, share your stories and experiences: your breakthroughs, your challenges, your failures, etc, so that others may draw from them in their own journey of kindness.

Week 1! Let’s do this as a community! :)

Let your light shine!

Week 1 (home) begins tomorrow

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:58:19 -0500

Check in here for a new post detailing what this week’s challenge and theme is about: being a light, starting at HOME. Excited to share this journey with you.

-Curt :)

Welcome!

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:12:02 -0400

Welcome to the Candle Project. This is intended to be an interactive blog for people to share their journey, experiences and thoughts at their own discretion and freedom… to inspire others with their own experiences and help to create and foster an interactive community of kindness: to be DOERS of kindness and givers of light.

What is the Candle Project?

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:10:00 -0400

The Candle Project started with a simple question: What can we do to be a light in this world?

What does a candle do? It gives off light and energy and heat. It is a source of guidance in the darkness, warmth in the cold. And one candle alone, sharing its flame with others, can light a room of candles and from that ONE source of light, erase the darkness completely.

This project is about doing exactly that in the lives of the people around us. It begins with yourself and spreads out from you.

The goal of this project is to be brightly visible kindness in people lives and use this platform as an interactive page to share our experiences, our challenges, our breakthroughs and our hearts. There is no mandatory rule to reblog and share your experiences. Only share if you are comfortable and at your own discretion. The goal is to share stories along our journey and see how we can change others lives and, in the process, how our OWN lives may change.

This will be a 5 week project consisting of 5 different “circles” of light.

Each week, I will post a new challenge, one I give to myself as well as you, of how to go about being a light in the world around me.

The 5 weeks will consist of:

1: Home
2: Friends
3: Neighbors
4: Strangers
5: Those who call you an enemy/who’ve hurt you

In each of these areas, we will challenge ourselves to actively share love and light in their lives and encourage eachother along the way.

The answer to bullying, to hate, to hurt and to broken hearts is love…love that isn’t merely a feeling or word but love that is action, that is service, that is forgiveness and that is true… to be a candle in the dark.

Will you join me?