A Change of Heart

To all my friends and followers of the blog, "On Places and Faces", you might be 'surprised' on 'WHY' I've changed the title, format and direction. There are a couple of main reasons to explain this sudden change of heart:

1) Relevance -- This is not to say that my former topic on travelling is irrelevant. In all honesty, I love to travel and will always be interested in it (even if my hair is turning grey and walking with a cane in my hand). After I have successfully set-up my blog and published two posts last week, there was this constant churning in my heart that caused me to ponder whether this was the topic that I would like to talk about for a long period of time. I realized that this wasn't the choice of topic dictated by my heart from the start. All the while, my heart has been wanting to talk about children -- a topic that I am passionate about. At that moment, my maternal instinct took a high jump and yelped, "YES! This is what I want to talk about in my blog!" I felt a rush of excitement within, as if I were baptized with cold water which awakened my senses-- FINALLY! Now, the topic on children is very much relevant in the world we live in. They are undoubtedly the hope of every nation and the reflection of who we really are.

2) My Passion -- We were told a few times before in our class, to write about something that we are interested in or passionate about. Something that we care to discuss with others and simply share our honest opinions and insights about the matter. Although we were clearly told that we can update and refine our blogs as time goes by, I made this big step to totally revamp my blog from top to bottom, inside and out. A move which I deemed wise; a move that I won't have any regrets; a move that will change lives forever. The new direction of my blog is about children. As a mother, this strikes a chord and touches a soft spot in my heart.


For many years, I have been working in different settings where children are involved. In my teens, I worked in a centre for disabled children for the whole summer. I had the privilege to teach arts & crafts, and bring hope to those little ones, whose lives were devastated by domestic abuse and the effects of certain diseases, which crippled their minds, bodies and souls. The time I spent as a volunteer in that centre was a turning point in my life. Besides from meeting their basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter, I also felt strongly about advocating their rights and general welfare.


Why the name, HEARTSTRINGS WINNIPEG?

As defined in www.dictionary.reference.com, 'heartstrings' refers to 'the deepest feelings and affections.'  This perfectly describes my passion towards children. From a mother's point of view, I can imagine the time when my kids were still small and learning to crawl. Those early years when I was ecstatic about their first few steps, and even the first few hours after their arrival to this world. My heart simply talks to theirs, where a continuous exchange of affectionate love is felt. There is also that bonding that exists, where my heartstrings are connected to theirs.

The intentions of this blog is to discuss issues affecting children. It would also include topics that would be of great interest to families about raising kids; safety; helpful tips on how to make the most of your quality time with them; various children's activities; arts and crafts; yummy recipes they will love; and so much more!

So whether you have kids or not, or simply work with children in your community, (or let's say, interested in advocating their rights and general welfare), then this blog is for you! Please feel free to give me your feedback on any topic that I will be covering. I am sure that you will find this quaint meeting place, very interesting!