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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 11:57:22 GMT -5
Celebration candles for our members who have passed on ...
And also mini-bios about these wonderful people.Gratefulness and honor and joy ... in celebration of our sister and brother members who have passed on. In addition, the "Light From Chaos" (LFC) candle is for honoring all others who have struggled with chaos/mess. You can light a virtual candle. It will stay lit for 48 hours. You can visit it at anytime while it's lit. Then it will burn out. You can light another one at any time.Here is the list of candles. Descriptions of each person are in the posts immediately following after the list. There used to be a separate page at the candle website (gratefulness.org) - a separate page dedicated to each of these members. However the candle website now has one single page for everyone, and you can light a candle there with a short name or initials indicating anyone or any memory, and then type in your own message with your candle. Anyone clicking on your candle will be able to read your message. It will be publicly-viewable by anyone, so be discreet with your comments. Here is the candle-memory website: gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/___________________________ Update 2023, the gratefulness.org website now asks that you give them an email address before lighting a candle on their website. I was surprised, so I just emailed them to ask why. This was their response: "You are welcome to use a general email. It is used for spam/abuse prevention and does not get stored after the candle expires (48hrs)." In other words, the email you submit does not display on their website, each candle "burns out" after 48 hours, and they drop the record of your email from their records after 48 hours when the candle burns out. This was something they implemented as a deterrent to harmful messages on the candles. If you have a secondary more anonymous email, you are welcome to use that. Or if you prefer, you can simply visualize or imagine the candle being lit without signing in. This is all symbolic of what's in our hearts, so what is in our hearts is what matters.I love that the free candle-lighting website is called "gratefulness.org" A place to share gratefulness for the inspirations our friends and loved ones have given. A place to rejoice, not mourn. ___________________________ Biographies: for our sister parrotsparrotsparrots Birdies! P3 (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister Phfoenix phee (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister BDG baddomesticgoddess (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister threeG 3g (formerly known as Third Generation Squalor Survivor) (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister Meme (papaswife) (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister margaret56 (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our brother Rory (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  for our sister Di (scroll down this SOS page to read a quick bio).  Light from Chaos (LFC) for all others who have struggled with chaos, known and unknown May these candles be beacons of hope and inspiration to keep moving forward.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 11:59:04 GMT -5
Celebrating parrotsparrotsparrots ... parrotsparrotsparrots (p3) (also known as Birdies!) P3 Birdies! was very much about getting rid of extra stuff, and beautifying her home, and she was very enthusiastic about encouraging others to do so. She had evolved out of deep squalor into a true butterfly. P3 had a great eye for color, and painted her rooms and designed her home with joy. Her home was beautifully furnished and she invited us all to visit. She shared her love with everyone all year. She had 26 (yes Twenty-Six) parrots, which she cared for with great devotion and responsibility. She was working in cooperation with a respected parrot rescue organization. Her birds had a grand and beautiful room in her home, just for them. She cleaned the cages and toys daily, and had creative ways of cleaning up bird poop. She played with and talked with her parrots daily, too. She also had a beloved dog and many fish. Our dear Birdies! parrotsparrotsparrots P3 passed away in 2007 and ... We wanted to celebrate her spirit, and thus was conceived the concept of annual tribute forums. We began an annual tradition of honoring parrotsparrotsparrots every June, by purging as many things as possible from our homes. We try as a group to see how many excess items and outworn concepts we can release from our lives during the month of June. Now the concept has expanded to honoring not just P3, but honoring all loss from our lives, and celebrating the good memories while releasing the pain. The annual November-December festivity season was loved by parrotsparrotsparrots -- and now we do another annual focus at that time of year, to honor all by clearing and celebrating! P3 especially loved the American feast day of Thanksgiving. Here is a link to parrotsparrotsparrots'
Thanksgiving dinner menu and recipes
that she posted in 2005:web.archive.org/web/20150616080448/http://www.network54.com/Forum/207931/thread/1131405508Thus we can honor P3 with joy and celebration of all holidays and festivals at any time of year. We prepare for joy, with cleaning, organizing, cooking, adding color and decor ... and ... purging excess junk. In P3's honor, we joyfully encourage everyone to take the opportunity to go through our homes and purge excess. Remember the memory, while purging items, and then welcome joy into our lives. In her honor, take good, responsible care of your pets! Let go of stuff and let color into your life! Most importantly, this is not about sadness, it's about CELEBRATION ! What colors will you add to your life? Candle for parrotsparrotsparrots (p3) Birdies!Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 11:59:51 GMT -5
Celebrating Phfoenix ... Phfoenix (phee) We honor the memory of Phfoenix. Yes, that's how she spelled her username.With the H and the F. Phfoenix -- nicknamed "Phee" -- was a beloved member of the squalor forums. She was working to dehoard and make room for even more joy. She had a generous spirit, and welcomed the homeless and abused with open arms. She was creative with crafts, and had a great eye. She read wonderful books. She loved raspberries. She was a marvelous friend. Phfoenix was very much an active member of the forums and chatroom in her own right. In addition, she was the real-life mother of one of our longtime forum members -- DJ . And ... "Phee" was a great mom. She provided love, compassion, wisdom, fun, good sense, and ... she taught the importance of loving others. In 2007, Phfoenix Phee passed on -- the Phfoenix has risen. We can joyfully celebrate the memory of Phfoenix Phee in many ways: By dehoarding all the extra things, and making space in our lives. By keeping only those sewing and craft supplies that we have room for, enjoy, and will actually use -- and then using them! By loving our families. By being kind, joyful and colorful. And especially by embracing a spirit of generosity. candle for Phfoenix (phee)Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 12:00:40 GMT -5
Celebrating BDG ... BDG used to have the username "Bad Domestic Goddess". Eventually, she decluttered and uplifted her name, and became simply "BDG". BDG was a long-standing member, whose influence and contributions helped numerous people throughout the years. BDG had many health issues and could barely get around. Yet she created a system of cleaning that allowed her to clean her house with minimum effort, and she shared her method with all of us. BDG was thoughtful and caring. And she had a great sense of humor. She was dedicated to her real-life family and to her online friends. She was very opinionated about her politics, yet very open-minded with all of us. BDG's daughter used BDG's logon to let us know of an anniversary tribute to BDG ... it is in the following link: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/7041We can celebrate BDG by cleaning our homes with
The BDG Method, as explained here: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/16222We can also celebrate her memory by persevering in the face of obstacles, by speaking honestly, by sharing wisdom; and by clearing all the excess items out of our homes, one step at a time, while remembering to laugh. Candle for BDGLight a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 12:01:22 GMT -5
Celebrating threeg (3g) ... threeg (3g) (formerly "Third Generation Squalor Survivor") ThreeG is deep in our hearts. She passed away on June 3, 2010. 3g's original username was "Third Generation Squalor Survivor", but she later shortened it to "3rdGen", and then "threeg is me" and then finally simply ... "threeg" or "3g". threeg and her sister purple57 , both members of "Stepping Out of Squalor" and "SqualorSurvivors" for several years, worked to overcome the past.We remember 3g's courage and faith. Her humor and wit. Her amazing poetry! She used to write in purple font, when she could figure out how. She had a Theda Bara avatar. 3G worked hard and and loved her family very much. Threeg had a blog here at SOS, where she worked for over a year to toss/donate items. takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/5426Here is the song lyrics thread, in which 3g wrote so many wonderful parodies: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/4178And the limericks thread, in which her amazing creativity shone: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/3608Threeg was wise and compassionate. Her strength and spirit burned with brightness, focus, and honesty. Even though both she and her fiance faced mortality, she continued LIVING life. And she won the battle because she retained her courage and spirit. Threeg continued tossing and donating things ... And she kept on contributing, inspiring hope. Please read one of threeg's last messages to us:"How important is Stuff in the scheme of things?" takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/16216Threeg's real-life sister purple57 is a longtime member here and has worked through her own things. She loved loved threeg dearly and understood the struggle. Here is their message about going through all the possessions left behind: "A message from Purple and 3g" takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/10554ThreeG, we celebrate your spirit, and light our candles, and clear our homes, in honor of your message. Candle for threeg (3g) (ThirdGen)Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 12:02:04 GMT -5
Celebrating Meme (papaswife) ... Meme (papaswife) She passed away in November 2011. Meme used the name papaswife because her husband had a nickname "Papa" that all friends and family used. Meme and Papa shared a great love. Papa passed away in 2008. Meme continued sharing her love with everyone and inspiring everyone right up until she passed away. Please read the tribute to Meme here: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/16890Meme, we honor your bravery, compassion, and wisdom. And your message to keep clearing things out! Candle for Meme (papaswife)Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 12:02:46 GMT -5
Celebrating margaret56 ... margaret56 Margaret passed away in May 2012. Please read the tribute to Margaret here: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/18252That thread contains some quotes of her wisdom. Margaret, we remember your serenity, perseverance, intelligence, and spunk. We appreciate your wisdom and willingness to take responsibility. And your understanding of the zen of letting go. Candle for margaret56Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 1, 2022 12:03:50 GMT -5
Celebrating Rory ... Rory Rory passed away in November 2017. He was a world traveler, author, humanitarian, and kind person. He had a deep love for nature and for children. He wrote a book on assertiveness training. He supported feminism and environmentalism. He had a masters degree in sociology. Rory was Scottish and lived in London, England. He had traveled extensively. Including traveling around by motorcycle in in the Middle East in his youth, and mountain climbing on Madagascar in his old age. He had overcome traumatizing events and had used his wisdom to help others. He mentored people who were working to overcome compulsive debting and procrastinating. He first came to the former Squalor Survivors forum in the mid-2000s, and then to Stepping Out of Squalor, and posted in both as rexrothIn 2009, he changed to a new username Rory which he preferred for its simplicity. He used to post regularly in the daily "Accountability Partners" work-along threads on Listzilla. When he was very ill, the housing unit where he lived in London wanted to evict ("resettle") him so that they could build/rebuild something more profitable. There were news articles about this. But he was so much more than what was in those news articles! So very much more. Rory was a good friend and brother in reclaiming life. His wisdom saved me many times. There is more to write but ... Rory would not want me to fall into perfectionism/procrastination. So I will have to call this summary "good enough". Candle for RoryLight a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by messymimi on Nov 8, 2023 18:20:11 GMT -5
Celebrating Di ...
 Di (DiDreams, DiDreaming)
Messymimi once texted her a meme that read, "We've been friends so long, I've forgotten which of us was the bad influence," to which Di replied, "As hard as I've worked at it, I do hope you know it's me!"
Di was wicked smart and had a fabulous sense of humor. After her divorce, she raised her three children with almost no help from her ex and did so with a mix of firmness and love which kept them straight when some of their friends went a different way.
Small Bad Dog was her Yorkie that sometimes posted on here in a thread about her adventures and shenanigans. If you want to read a bit to get the feel of Di's sense of humor, you might check out this thread:
takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/27991
She was a fighter. She fought messes. She fought inflammatory breast cancer and won. Several years later she fought ovarian cancer and was winning, but her other health problems complicated the treatment and in the end, the infections and other things wore her body out.
It did not wear her spirit out, it kept fighting, right to the end.
(A side note she would approve, inflammatory breast cancer is NOT the same as regular breast cancer which grows as lumps. Stay on top of your health care screenings and learn the warning signs of inflammatory breast cancer here:
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/inflammatory-breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20355413 )
She fought squalor and won, several times, but always her health problems or having to move again would put her several steps back. She kept fighting.
Di loved to entertain and could decorate a table that was a wonder to behold.
In the last place she lived, she would decorate one of the commons areas, and always kept it looking festive. She had decorations for each season, and especially loved Christmas and Mardi Gras.
Photography was a passion of hers and she took lovely photos.
Before she went into the hospital for the last time, she had decided she was going to let the vast majority of her doll collection go (she had almost 100 dolls, with several outfits for almost all of them, on doll sized hangers or folded and put away so she could dress them for the season). She was going to pare down her china as well, she wanted to be able to still set a pretty table but not have quite so much. She'd gotten an accountability partner and was working on it.
There's no doubt she would have succeeded had she lived long enough to complete the work.
We can joyfully celebrate Di's love of keeping things festive and her never-quit spirit by trying to find the festivity in our lives, and not ever giving up fighting the messes.
Candle for Di (DiDreams, DiDreaming)
Light a candle here
gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/
Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Nov 8, 2023 23:24:14 GMT -5
Celebrating "Light From Chaos" (LFC) ... "Light From Chaos" (LFC) -- for all who have struggled, known and unknown ... For all those who ever struggled with squalor, clutter, mess, or hoarding, we shall celebrate your inner light and beauty. We shall honor you and carry you to the light. The candle-memorial site "gratefulness.org" wanted the abbreviation on the candle be a maximum of 5 characters. So therefore, this "Light From Chaos" candle can be labeled with the initials "LFC". Or you can create your own memory candle with with whatever abbreviation/initials are meaningful to you. Visit whenever you wish. Your candle will burn for 48 hours. You may light a new candle whenever you are so moved. You may light a candle for someone you know, or someone you've read about, or for everyone out there struggling. Whatever works for you. To honor those who have struggled against chaos, whether still living or having passed on. Let this light shine clearly and brightly, and bring you joy. May these candles be beacons of hope and inspiration for everyone to keep moving forward. Blessings to all who have struggled ... May your inner light always shine! candles for Light From Chaos (LFC)Light a candle here gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/Or enlighten your life by taking action!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Nov 8, 2023 23:25:14 GMT -5
New in 2023: please note the new info about the gratefulness.org candle website... The new info is in the first post of this thread, where it says "update 2023".
About the candles and this tribute Many of you expressed thanks for this Candle/Bios thread that honors our dear friends who have passed on, and shines the "Light from Chaos" for all who have struggled. I want you all to know that the candles were originally Peppermint66's idea. The candle thread had been going continuously at our prior Purge/Holiday forum. I merely brought it over when the forum moved to Stepping Out of Squalor. peppermint66 started the annual purge-a-thon when parrotsparrotsparrots first passed away in June 2007, and Peppermint started that same candle-lighting tradition for parrotsparrotsparrots (P3) back then. For many years, P3's mom still lit candles for "P3" almost daily, and she appreciated so much that we all visited from time to time. Peppermint also started the idea to light candles for "phee" -- (Phfoenix) when Phfoenix passed on. We kept that tradition going, too. I suggested that we light candles for BDG, but that was only because Peppermint happened to be offline the week that we got the news of BDG's passing on. I suggested it in the style that Peppermint always did it. It was a group consensus to start the candle-lighting for ThreeG, margaret56, Rory, and Di. REGARDING THE ICONS:  parrotsparrotsparrots (P3)  Phfoenix (phee)  BDG (baddomesticgoddess)  ThreeG (3rd Gen)  Meme (papaswife)  margaret56  Rory Di The parrots icon and the Phfoenix icon were chosen in 2007 by a cooperative effort of MiSC and peppermint66. The BDG icon was selected because BDG's username used to be "BadDomesticGoddess". The "queen" icon was used in the original Network54 SqualorSurvivors forums from before 2005 ... one of the icons from the public domain that our SqualorSurvivors admin Pigpen used. A queen seemed appropriate for a Goddess. The 3g icon was created and designed specially for this purpose to honor ThreeG after she passed on ... to be used for the Candle Thread, etc. Our member BlessThisMess designed and made the icon herself as a gift to 3G and us all. Thank you, BlessthisMess! The Meme icon of two "angel roses" is something to symbolize the great love of Meme and her hubby. The margaret icon is of a pearl. Chosen because the name "Margaret" means "pearl", and because of all the pearls of wisdom she shared in such a straightforward way. The Rory icon is a mountain he climbed shortly before his 70th birthday. Di's icon is her familiar blue Diana the Goddess archer avatar. May the candles continue to inspire everyone to bring Light into their lives!
New in 2023: please note the new info about the gratefulness.org candle website... The new info is in the first post of this thread, where it says "update 2023".
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