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Heart and soul story

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Samantha Heron

Local office = Maroubra beach, Sydney Australia

(+61 ) 0421056730

Samanthaheron@heartandsoulstory.com

https://au.linkedin.com/in/samanthaheron

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Aboriginal people practice deep listening, an almost spiritual skill, based on respect. Sometimes called 'dadirri', deep listening is inner, quiet, still awareness, and waiting. Aboriginal people passed on stories orally as they knew no writing. Listening to the storyteller was vital to reproduce the story accurately to the next generation of storytellers. Deep listening describes the processes of deep and respectful listening to build community—a way of encouraging people to explore and learn from the ancient heritage of Aboriginal culture, knowledge and understanding. Dadirri also means awareness of where you've come from, why you are here, where are you going now and where you belong. "Dadirri is what non-Aboriginal people would call contemplation. It's the way we sit and take time and go in deep... The Dadirri is a way to take advantage of this [healing] knowledge. It requires people to stop, look, listen and learn." Why on Sunday did @lisa_wilkinson pen an open letter to urge our re-elected prime minister @scottmorrisonmp to provide 'real leadership' with a 'genuinely clear direction' and urged him to ‘Just call Jacinda, if he finds wisdom failing on the big decisions?? … perhaps because @jacindaardern has been a refreshing and inspiring example of dadirri personified – dadiiri that our first people had as part of their intrinsic way of being. According to Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann (A0), renowned artist, activist, writer and public speaker, Dadirri is in everyone. It is not just an Aboriginal thing. We are longing for true leadership in our community that shows evidence of dadirri, but to demand this, we too are each responsible to practice deep dadirri ourselves with all those in our community – each of us to stop, look, listen and learn. Then we can truly start to heal, come together as a community and move forward. #dadirri #deeplistening #miriamroseungunmerrbaumann #trueleadership #respect #justcalljacinda #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” Dr Martin Luther King. Celebrating International Day of Light and Living Together in Peace ✨🌍✨ #internationaldayoflight #internationaldayoflivingtogetherinpeace #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #eldercare #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“There is the mud and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus” Thich Nhat Hanh These beautiful cards for Elders to write messages to their teens were chosen specifically for the significance of the Lotus flower that adorns them. In his book No mud,No Lotus Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that the secret to happiness is to acknowledge and transform suffering, not to run away from it. The lotus flowers characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition - even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower. The mud that can bring us deep pain in life, can also reveal to us pure joy. No matter how short or long the message, these cards act as a reminder to the teens, either now or at some point when they read them again in their future, that they made another friend in life, someone who was there to listen and who believes in them. Cards and artwork by the ever amazingly talented @pipandpod. 🙏🦋✨ #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #shaketheworldgently#sharingstories #handwritingcard #pipandpod #wordswithheart #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“Gently shaking the world ” #shaketheworldgently #gandhi #takethetime #wordsfromtheheart #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #eldercare #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

Gandhi’s words ring true for me so often as I watch the interactions of teenagers and their Elders. I watched on Sunday as a student I was with at Bupa Aged Care, who is doing his Year 12 Society and Culture Project on Intergenerational Connection and Story Sharing, took 5 minutes to help a resident shuffle at a snails pace to a comfortable chair. Taking the time to do this with patience, benevolence and good humour, I felt the world shaking gently. Witnessing a few weeks ago, a resident write a card to one of her teens, expressing how she’d love for them to be her grandchildren and how she imagined if they were all born around the same time, they’d have been such great friends ... I felt the world shaking gently. We don’t need to do a lot to shake the world, but we do each need to do a little, every day , and our combined efforts will reverberate around the world like the gentle flapping of a 🦋 wings. #shaketheworldgently #gandhi #takethetime #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #eldercare #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

In memory of Judy Clancy “I’d like the teens who have been coming, to keep on coming, because I feel we can help each other, in the way we should be helping each other.” Today’s incredible sunrise is in memory of the wonderful and wise Judith Clancy who died one month ago. Her wicked sense of humour touched the hearts of not only my children, but the students of The Bowen College with her involvement in two Seniors and Teens Empathy Programs at Bupa Maroubra Aged Care. She surprised them with stories of falling off the tram to Coogee when she was not much older then they, and remembering the excitement of the introduction of black and white 📺 The students appreciated her candid honesty about life, and understandably, were upset at hearing of her death, as they had felt close to her despite a short time together. As sad as it was, it did not come as a complete shock. As part of STEP’s introduction, we talk about death to our students. We don’t linger on it for a long time, but we do talk about it as the elephant in the room that nobody wants to mention. Our society is good at that. We have euphemisms galore “pushing up daisies, kicked the bucket, passed away”. We find it so hard to say the simple words. “She died”. When I asked Judy once to reflect on her time speaking with teens, she said to me, “When I told my student that part of my story, I knew I had a heart reaction”. You had a heart reaction on more people than you could have imagined Judy, and when I saw today’s sunrise I thought of you and the incredible quote by Kahlil Gibran. “When the earth shall take your limbs, then shall you truely dance”. Happy dancing Judy. Thank you for being a friend. #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #intergenerationalprogram #community #circleoflife #deathispartoflife #kahlilgibran #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise

When my children ask me every year why we need to get up so early on Anzac Day, I tell them to listen hard to the words spoken at the Dawn Service. Words that remind us of young men and women who have served our country for the liberty we daily take for granted. Words that remind them of 3 great Uncles who died in WW1 and a grandfather, whom if he had not made it out of Changi prison camp, they would not be alive today. Words that remind us of the utter sadness of events still today like the utter tragedy in Colombo, that remind us the price of our liberty is eternal vigilance. For this we must be grateful. Lest we forget. Photos from a visit earlier this week to the Australian War Memorial. #lestweforget #anzacday #eternalgratitude #anzacday2019 #photooftheday #heartandsoulstory

Thanks @holly_ransom and your inspiration @moth stories for this simple yet powerful reminder today to hold on tight to our dreams and not let go, for if we do, they really can take flight. #whatifyoufly #occasionalmagic #courageovercomfort #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #stories4connection #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #makingagedcarebetter #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“Learning is the ecstasy of life which keeps our hearts young and our minds sharp” Debashish Mridha Captured here is a treasured moment of stepping back in time together, poring over pictures of the Coogee,Maroubra and east of days gone by. It was hard to get these two to get their heads out of this fascinating book when it was time to bring the group back together. Lost together the world of yesteryear. #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #historytogether #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“...when I leave here on this earth, did I take more than I gave? Did I look out for the people or did I do it all for fame? I made it through the darkest part of the night, And now I see the sunrise Now I feel glorious, glorious I feel glorious, glorious” Glorious ~ definition, deserving great admiration, praise, and honour; immensely beautiful and impressive. Swipe 👉👉to see some examples of this that were the result of tributes coming from the ❤️for the STEP Recognition Gathering. The smiles on the faces are....well.....glorious...with all involved definitely giving more than taking during their time together 💞 #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #recognition #musichealsthesoul #mackelmore #macklemoreglorious #musicconnects #bethechange #makingagedcarebetter #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“...when I leave here on this earth, did I take more than I gave? Did I look out for the people or did I do it all for fame? I made it through the darkest part of the night, And now I see the sunrise Now I feel glorious, glorious I feel glorious, glorious” Glorious ~ definition, deserving great admiration, praise, and honour; immensely beautiful and impressive. Swipe 👉👉to see some examples of this that were the result of tributes coming from the ❤️for the STEP Recognition Gathering. The smiles on the faces are....well.....glorious...with all involved definitely giving more than taking during their time together 💞 #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #recognition #musichealsthesoul #mackelmore #macklemoreglorious #musicconnects #bethechange #makingagedcarebetter #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“ I feel glorious ! “ 🎶💫 There may not have been Macklemore or dancing, but there was such a great vibe between the students and their Elders today. I was close to tears more than once as I witnessed the reciprocal giving of tributes for the final session of STEP for this term. I look forward to sharing some examples of these heartfelt tributes over the next weeks, but for now one of the Bupa residents Jean, best summed it up today with the simple ..... “ it was so much more than I expected”. @laynebeachley and all those who believed at @laynebeachley_foundation 🙏for your support to help STEP continue 💫💓 #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #recognition #musichealsthesoul #mackelmore #macklemoreglorious #musicconnects #bethechange #makingagedcarebetter #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“One of the consistent complaints by youth is that adults do not listen to them—they don’t mean passive hearing, but active listening and understanding. Youth discern very quickly whether people are genuine. If they are listened to and responded to with respect they develop a sense of dignity, of being valued as a person, and develop a sense of self-worth. “ Jo Haythorpe, Deep Speak Cards, St Luke’s Innovative Resources. A picture tells a thousand words ... I didn’t know which of the amazing Deep Speak questions was being discussed, but from the laughter it was obvious that these conversation prompts were a complete winner in our second last week of our current STEP. It was actually incredible to see the smiles, laughs and flowing conversation around the table for almost an hour. The Bowen College teacher commented at the end of the session “ it blew me away to see the smiles on all the faces around that table!” Deep Speak is an amazing resource to supplement the STEP weekly conversation starters, with questions starting from the orange simple openers,through to deeper questions to spark conversation about life areas such as identity, relationships, values, emotions and beliefs. #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #smile #intergenerational #community #deepspeak #bringingcommunitybacktogether #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself — if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself — it is very difficult to take care of another person.” A rare share of one of my own moments of self care ... this one gratefully caught by @lozzapix as I headed into the surf at sunrise yesterday to celebrate my son’s 13th year. The work I do with Heart and Soul Story does, at times, take so much of my heart and soul that Its easy to neglect and show enough compassion to myself, after so often putting my children and STEP first... what mindfulness does is remind me to be compassionate to myself, some days just a little.. and others moreso. By remembering and recognising the importance of this, I will be physically, mentally and spiritually stronger to stay on the journey I am on and be of service to those who need me. #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #smile #intergenerational #community #selfcompassion #thichnhathanh #maroubrabeach #bringingcommunitybacktogether #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

I often find myself humming Jack Johnson lyrics as I work “love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart, like why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it’s so hard? It’s not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving I’ll tell you one thing, it’s so much better when we’re together” Mmmmm it’s so much better when we’re together ! #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #intergenerational #bettertogether #loveistheanswer #jackjohnsonbettertogether #bringingcommunitybacktogether #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

“I don’t know why... and I don’t know how to describe it... but my heart just feels so warm and it like warms up my body when I see them because they are just so lovely and nice”. This was the description given today by one of the Bowen College students when asked to reflect on how they feel when have been visiting their new friends at Bupa Aged Care. When one of the other students was stuck on what to write he just kept coming back to the same thing “I just love Peter’s smile”. Sadly illness has meant that the students were unable to visit their new Elder friends for another week, but this doesn’t mean messages of 💓🌻can’t be passed on. Swipe 👉to see some more of the heartwarming messages delivered last week when the students were unable to visit. Have your tissues on hand ! 💓 #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #smile #heartwarming #intergenerational #community #bringingcommunitybacktogether #sharingstories #startaconversation #youthoffthestreets #volunteering #servicelearning #bethechange #agedcareaustralia #seniorcare #bupaagedcare #commonhumanity #mentalhealth #healtheworldtogether #loveoneanother #love #photooftheday #friends #life #socialenterprise #socialenterpriseaustralia

Osher Gunsburg. Julia Gillard. Jim Carey. Selena Gomez. Winston Churchill. Me. What do we all have in common ? We’ve all spoken openly about either our experience of mental illness and/ or the important need to keep mental health strategies a high priority in our lives. Around 7 years ago I attended my first Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)course ( think of it like the St John’s First Aid course, but for mental health). This amazing program was developed to extend to mental health, so that community members were empowered to provide better initial support to someone who is developing a mental health problem, has a worsening of an existing mental health problem or is in a mental health crisis. By 2017, over half a million people had received Mental Health First Aid Training. I was thrilled to be with a number of Educators today to attend day 1 of the 2 day Youth Mental Health First Aid course ( Designed not just for members of the public who have frequent contact with adolescents such as school staff and youth workers, but also importantly for parents and guardians.) Recognition and awareness of symptoms are the first steps to being able to approach, listen to and support our youth and encourage/ direct them to the best place for further appropriate professional support. Today was run by Alena from @beyondlimitslearningclinic who gave countless examples from clinical evidence and thought provoking accounts from her time teaching; with juvenile detention and at the pediatric ward of a Major Sydney hospital. Importantly, she emphasised the need to normalise conversation around mental illnesses, depressive disorders, anxiety, suicide and non suicidal self harm. As an educator, program facilitator and mother of an (almost teen) and recent tween, rather than walking away from today feeling disheartened by the subject matter and alarming statistics around increases in youth mental illnesses, I felt empowered by the knowledge and practical strategies being passed on to so many through this thoroughly developed YMHFA course. #seniorsandteensempathyprogram #youthmentalhealth #youthmentalhealthfirstaid #bringingcommunitybacktogether #sharingstories#mhfaaustralia

We feel acutely for the darkness that was thrust upon New Zealand yesterday. Jacinda’s words ring true to so many across the globe, not just in New Zealand. “ This is not who we are”. Let our words and actions in the wake of such tragedy be ones that echo the call of common humanity, we stand together in love. 🙏 @talleloofa 🖤 artwork @rubyalicerose #westandtogether #loveoverhate #theyareus #commonhumanity #christchurch #lovechristchurch #christchurchlove #bringingcommunitybacktogether #heartandsoulstory