Just BE
Make Time to ‘Just BE’ with Yourself … in Positivity!
Every Alzheimer’s journey is unique and unchartable. Every day, we might feel we’re at our wits’ end. Every hour, 52 more American families think there’s nothing they can do, that Life is over.
But Betty’s Love is proving every day: So much we CAN do. So much JOY!
We embrace you and offer sanctuary and a positive state of mind in which you can ‘just BE’ … reflect, meditate, re-energize – for an hour or an afternoon. Like all of Betty’s Love, Betty’s Sacred Spaces and Gardens are both literal and virtual – available to you in person and wherever you live in the world. You’ll come to know that God (however you define God) is, well, God. And you’ll know that, wherever Mom is, God is – and all IS well. [Take another look at the photo: THISSS close!]
You are always welcome in our Heartquarters, a restored, historic building – first a church and, still, a sacred, healing, and very special space. Nature also has restorative virtues. Meditation and watching birds and squirrels and all animals are both proven to reduce stress and elevate the Spirit. Better: An elevated Spirit is sustained for several days!
So, we recommend regular visits to our Heartquarters for a Betty’s Break - and to your favorite gardens, beaches, and sanctuaries, including some of ours around the world. Via the Internet, you can easily and brain-healthfully ‘get lost’ on line from wherever in the world you are (or want to imagine you are). Even if you visit these places via virtual tours, Betty’s Love encourages you to Just BE-with-Love for and with yourself!
Some official Web sites are herein included; however, surfing to find others is great for your brain! To maximize your brain power, and boost your balance, get out a literal map and follow along!…
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No Green Thumbs? No worries! They’re aplenty here….
For garden exhibitions around the world, visit Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
In Ireland’s capital city’s centre, St. Stephen’s Green is a remarkably quiet and sprawling park, with plenty of benches and grasses to sit quietly, watch people, and simply be. Choose conversation (high art in Ireland), and sure’n you’ll find a friend to listen, enlighten, and lighten your mood. We recommend taking some bread (or, better, seed) to feed the ducks!
For Italian, Japanese, and English-Rose Gardens in an Irish setting: Powerscourt Gardens, in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. [Just processing that internationality is good exercise for your brain!]
Okay, maybe they didn’t see the Revolution coming, but les Louis of France had a vision for gardens and fountains! The Gardens and Park of Versailles feature manicured lawns, formal gardens, and sculptured fountains; all are surrounded by woodlands, arboretum, and wildlife preserve. If nothing else, the marvel of it all can help us forget our own worries, if only for an afternoon. Then go for cake and enJoy it – dark chocolate, of course!
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe – escape and be inspired to help us plant Betty’s Love Garden in La Grange!
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park, Chicago – escape into the healing powers of Nature!
In Moscow, Russian Federation, Moscow Hermitage Garden is a cozy city garden that features art and theatre, too.
In St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, the Summer Garden will soon celebrate 300 years of marble statues, rare flowers and plants, fountains, and Peter the Great’s first Summer Palace.
In Tokyo, Japan, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace foster both recreation and relaxation amid historic buildings and flower and fauna. Be sure to experience a Tea Ceremony afterward!
You don’t have to read a Dan Brown novel (though novels can be great escapes) to know Washington D.C.’s National Mall is both remarkable and historic. It features America’s world-famous architecture, art, and statuary – and 200-year-old American Elms. And if you wanna see Fourth of July fireworks in their best display: Imagine the Washington Monument as their backdrop. Spectacular!
The U.S. Botanic Gardens are exquisite, too.
Escape-con-Amor to the Costa del Sol in Spain! Walk along the Mediterranean … spy monkeys in Gibraltar (‘cos they’re spyin’ on you!) … get nauseous on a rapid drive up a steep mountain side … enjoy Winter flowers in historic parks. And if you see a gorgeous brunette painting on the beach, stop and ask if she’s our Artist-with-Love (and no shake), Ann Devine Williams! [Note: This is an English-language site but the Spanish names and influences will themselves be a great workout for your brain!]
War Memorial Garden, Oxford, England, commemorates college members who perished in the First World War. A photograph of its roses hangs in our Heartquarters and always requires a moment’s pause. (Simply pausing and breathing are nourishing to mind and body!) If the War Memorial Gardens’ roses don’t provide sanctuary enough, it’s on the grounds of Christ Church!
If you can’t get to a garden, how about to a church?
Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago – amazingly serene in the middle of the Magnificent Mile!
Old St. Patrick’s Church, Chicago – the oldest public building in Chicago, a Great Fire survivor and refuge center, and Maureen’s sacred space since 1981. It’s especially serene sans lights!
Grace Lutheran Church, La Grange, Illinois – the community that founded The Chapel in 1887!
If you can’t get to a church, how about to a shore?
Sea cliffs and lake shores are some of Nature’s most breath-taking gardens. Some of our favorites include:
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Pointe Dume, Malibu, California
Lido Beach, Sarasota, Florida
North Topsail Island, North Carolina
Goose Rock Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California
Old Head (Mayo), Cliffs of Moher (Clare), and the entire coast of Ireland
Tenerife, Spain
If you can’t get to a garden, how about a museum?
Pictures of gardens are brain nourishing, too! Really. If you sit long enough, the water in a Monet painting actually ripples. Tawk about a marvel-ous escape!
The Art Institutes. The Hermitage. The Louvre. MOMA. A child’s art on your refrigerator! Even better: Your Art in the making!
If you can’t look down or around, how about looking UP?
Planetaria – and simply lying on the ground late at night in the country – help us to marvel at possibilities … and, perhaps, to trust that Whoever hung the moon and stars Cares-with-Love for YOU, too. Simply pondering positive possibilities – scientific and Divine – help us escape our worries, refresh our reserve, and keep Life in its proper perspective.
In Chicago, the lakefront at Adler Planetarium also a favorite place to watch the sun set and to Joy-fully greet a new day!
If you can get to Chicagoland, please do visit the Garden-in-progress, art, and sacred spaces of Our Heartquarters – an 1880s work of art and artisanship always ready to welcome you! [Caregivers-with-Love: Come for a Betty’s Break, too!]
Remember: Both ‘getting lost’ (i.e., ‘turning off’ your brain) and imagining (a too-often-underutilized function of your brain) are great exercises for your brain – both its functionality and its Spirituality. Please make time to just be and Care-with-Love for yourself – soon and regularly!
Whatever and wherever they are in the world, please share your favorite ‘escapes with us at info@bettyslove.org.
Thank you for being a Betty’s Love Member and for your continuing generosity and support. Together with you, our grassroots movement will change the world … one Betty’s Love Family like yours at a time.[/private_membership]