01/29/2024
Help us Recover!
Help us recover from the recent ice storm! We lost $2,000 in revenue this month due to the ice storm. Please help us to survive this newest challenge as practitioners need to be paid, as well as the landlord. THANK YOU!
Edited 09/04/2023
09/04/2023
A note from Shannon (she/her) on today, the 15th anniversary of Leah's death:
Every year I think to myself 'next year I will be ready and finally have the words to describe how incredible Leah was' I tell myself that I will get the hundreds of photos scanned in and share our stories. Diane, Casey, and Tess were core parts of what we called 'The Girls,' our fiery group of friends in high school navigating the growth from being teenagers towards adults. In college Joann joined us with the same fervor and commitment and was an addition Leah and I couldn't survive without. We went through so many changes. Looking back now its clear to see how much Leah was the glue, she was the one who brought us together and really did the work of keeping us together. She learned those skills from her mom and the ways that Carol has nourished her core group of friends through the decades. Leah had a slight rebellious side, even more so than the rest of us, and it I think it broadened her world views and connections in countless ways. Leah was a fierce feminist artist focused on fat liberation, survivor empowerment, gender exploration, and the intersecting systems of oppression in our society. She was fiercely femme and learned so much about how to revel in her sexuality to honor her fat self. She genuinely Loved on and treated her body with immense care every day. On the days when I struggle I remember her morning routine as an adult: she would turn on music, open the curtains, shower, apply her body lotion, do her makeup, put together an outfit that brought her joy, and then sit in front of her computer to take selfies with two different earrings on in order decide which pair she liked best. She had hundreds of photos where not only was the image of herself flipped (because it was taken with an iMac), but she also has on two different earrings. She taught me how to Love me and revel in Loving on my body. I miss her more than words can say. At 25 her dreams were to go back to school for her MFA in Art Therapy so that she could continue to offer support for trauma survivors. I have no doubt in my mind that she would be working along side of me at Be Abundant and that we would be pursuing this dream together. That is why there is The Leah Fund at Be Abundant Bodywork. She is the reason. Her Love and support of me throughout the darkest times of my healing journey changed my life. She is a huge part of why I do what I do and how I created the framework to build the space that Be Abundant is. When I'm tired I remember her and her Love and belief in me, always. She held me accountable in countless ways and taught me how to be a better me. I miss her every single day.
