Amazing Grace

In my attempt to avoid inconsequential stuff, I spend some time each day contemplating who I am and what I am doing here on this Earth. In so doing, some interesting things come up for me.

For example, the other day I was thinking about all the miraculous things that have been happening with this project and my life (mostly the same thing) lately. I realized that I have tapped into an energy flow, like a cosmic beam of light. It is invisible to our eyes, but powerful and has picked me up and taken me with it. I am serving the purposes of the universe and it is using me completely. I feel blessed.

A few of the great things that have been happening:

A grant from Modest Needs Foundation in NY, their first ever to a non-profit organization. The funds are earmarked for fixing up our RV. Now we won't have to wonder if we will make it to the next shelter.

We are creating a "Face Of Homelessness" web site. It is a mosaic of a human face comprised of hundreds of paintings and other art work created by the homeless people in our project. When you click on the tiny images that make up the face, they blow up to show the full size painting! And it is all free courtesy of a great company we will be announcing in our next newsletter. They are very excited about building this for us and putting it on our web site. We may even be able to use it an online art gallery with a built-in customer purchase option. And they are using our idea as a template for a whole new product line. Wow! Talk about win-win!

Another great thing is that I have some serious interest from a world-famous documentary film maker. We met the other day with his partner and they are very excited about filming our Temperature's Rising Tour in January! This is going to be AWESOME!

I also got a look at the scanned artwork that was created in LA and it is amazing! I will post a sneak preview here (see above).

Although it has taken me a few of days to get back to this post and finish it, at least I am doing it! I guess I should just write whenever I can instead of trying to fine tune it. Aahh, the self-critic is the toughest of all.

Bye for now!

In Touch With My Reality

Hi there! Wow, I am really staying on top of this Blog!

I realized that it helps me to create, to get in touch with the magic that I am experiencing in my life by writing about it. This process is accelerated by sharing it with you.

Today, I am generating plans. Plans for our Temperatures' Rising Tour in January 2009, plans for our upcoming events and plans for the documentary films we are making.

So far, the 2009 tour is shaping up wonderfully. People are lining up who want to come and the schedule fit in perfectly with the time allotted for it. In fact, we may soon have more people coming than we can accommodate! This so amazing and so far out there - I can feel my whole stretching w a y o u t to hold it!

Several other events are happening, two in Ojai and one in Santa Barbara. I am also creating a donation week with Java and Juice in Ventura where they will give a percentage of all sales for the week to us.

I scheduled the repair of the RV and should have the check from Modest Needs any day! Wow, now that is amazing too! We received a grant from Modest Needs Foundation (http://www.modestneeds.org/) to fix the RV, $1817! They will pay the repair place directly. They told me while I was having a fit of excitement, that it is the FIRST grant they have ever made to a non-profit! In the past, they funded requests by individuals and just started their own non-profit program in July. So we are the first! I am hoping for some great publicity from this one!

I guess this is a good use of this Blog too: announcing things that are too exciting to hold back for the newsletter.

Well, I don't want to try your patience, so I will hang it up for now.

'Til next time!

Bob Ballard

Founder & Executive Director

Hearts Of Fire Project

http://www.heartsoffire.tv/

Can't Stay Away!

Well, I did it! I am back here on the Blog in only a few days. Even though it is late and I am getting tired, I am really committed to communicating my vision with you and creating a new world for humanity.

What I am really doing is shifting the listening that we are for homeless people, and by doing that, creating a new view of who we are. I had a marvelous time reveling in this conversation today far up in the mountains above Ojai, CA, the amazing community where I live. Up there in the stratosphere with my new friend Lotte, I could see everything in perspective. We talked for hours about the power and majesty of people, of the fear that separates us and the love we all feel for each other.

My friend Steve and I are writing a book about all this, so it is obviously way too involved to go into here. But essentially, we are all (us Hearts Of Fire Project people) talking about the beginning of the new paradigm for humanity. In the new paradigm, the value of human beings is based on who we are rather than on what we have. Homeless people are already living in the new paradigm, either by choice or accident. When they get there, a new value system takes over because the old one doesn't work; no one has anything so no one has any value. However, as life unfolds, it becomes quickly apparent that the value of being alive goes on, without regard to possessions, to money, to owning.

So suffice to say, it was a great conversation with Lotte and we are planning a wonderful retreat up there in the clouds above Ojai where she lives. The place is filled with energy and light and beautiful gardens with stone benches and walls for meditation. Our team is going to meet there next week and create a new future for humanity. I can't wait!

I had a fabulous time at our Santa Ana art show this past Saturday night. Wow! It is amazing to see how people are moved by the paintings they see (see image above). When they get who created it and read the narratives that go with the paintings, they are transfixed and moved. Several people signed up to volunteer and we sold some art work too. Nidia was amazing AGAIN! She created the workshop AND set up the venue for us at her friend Stacey's loft in the new Santiago Street art district in Santa Ana. Thank you STACEY, you are AWESOME!

One last thing, I found an amazing film maker! We are meeting later this week. Now that is VERY exciting! More on that later.

Thanks for listening. See you soon!

Bob Ballard

Founder & Executive Director

Hearts Of Fire Project

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!

I apologize for being away so long (about 10 months)! I am committed to being the Source of the conversation about the greatness of human beings expressed by homeless people. To be that Source, I will regularly communicate with you and the world. So here I am!

A lot has happened since the last post. At that time we were completing our 2007 tour of the homeless shelters. We just completed our 2008 tour and are processing the results and planning what to do next.

I want this blog to be my way of personally interacting with people and I think that is what Blogs are for. I will speak for me here and let you know not just what is happening, but what I am thinking and who I am being.

Thank you for listening. I will be back soon!

Bob