So today I bring you another real woman in our community that is an amazing mother, fitness instructor and client turned friend.  You would think that would be enough but Jenna is also passionate about healing and she is helping those in our community affected by cancer to rebuild and renew their lives.

Meet Jenna Howe…

Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of working with many different women at every stage and age of their cancer journey.  The work I do ranges from in home treatment plans using exercise and complimentary therapy for relief of chemotherapy related symptoms, post surgical recovery, post chemotherapy fitness programming, training for Dragon Boat teams and prevention programs for women who have had an early detection of malignancy.  Each one has an individual story to tell and a path to follow.  These women exude strength, compassion, togetherness and love.  These women are wives, mothers, sisters, and friends.  Some are single mothers, some have grown children or grandchildren, some have not yet married and had their own children and all express beauty in their own right.  One particular woman stands out to me as I write this.  A young woman with a sarcoma, long chemotherapy schedule, painful surgery and projected rehabilitation schedule that suggests that she will be able to walk normally in about a year.  The first moment I met her, I noticed her big gorgeous eyes and beautiful smile.  And while she felt ill from chemotherapy, felt pain and fatigue from surgery not once has she not been able to smile. This young woman’s smile is the definition of beauty to me because you can’t see anything else when she smiles. Her home is so full of love, you can feel it as you walk in and it wraps around you in a way that makes you never want to leave.  To me, beauty is love.

Jenna Howe

To find out more about Jenna please visit her website rejeneration.ca or email her at 2rejenerate@gmail.com.

Thank you Jenna for participating in our real women series, you continue to inspire me with you kindness and dedication to wellness.

Gina

I personally love photography as it enables me to capture and focus on what is special about each individual.  One thing that almost all the women that I photograph have in common is they don’t see the beauty that  they bring to the world…this is what sparked the creation of the real women series of guest blogs.  I wanted to introduce everyday women that I find beautiful and ask them the question of what is beauty to them.  My hope is for us to be able to redefine beauty and speak it with confidence so that the future generation of women can say proudly “…this is why I am beautiful!”.

I would like to introduce you to one of many beautiful women, meet Christine Walker-Jordan… these are her words.

I am a Woman, a Daughter, a Lover, a Fighter, a Wife, a Mother, a Dreamer, a Writer, a Thinker, a Breather, a Hustler, a Changer—I’m Me!

Woman - Beautiful, Strong, Laborious, Life-giving, Aid

Daughter - trusted friend and apprentice (at least in my experience)

Lover - Love is at the core of who I am. Everything that I do that is worth anything is rooted in Love and this I think qualifies me to be a Lover-You’ll get a better picture of this by posts end (phew)

Fighter - I’ve always been one but this aspect really came into play when I had my kids. Got struck with a good old case of MBS (Momma Bear Syndrome) and this apparently can appear at the slightest glimpse of anything that may threaten the balance of my family.

Wife (of 1) – Soul Mate and Friend

Mother (of 3) – I see the role of the mother as being a Nurturer, Confidant and a gift to those she is mothering (just to name a few) -took a while for me to see it but I am beginning to understand better that as much of a prize and a privilege my children are to me I am also this to them.

Dreamer – I spend a lot of time dreaming. Mostly daydreaming even at night because I find with all the stuff I am keeping myself busy with I don’t get much time for sleep.

Writer - This keeps me busy. I write music, create stories for my kids -mostly about my kids so they can relate and have something of their own and I share what I do with others so I recently assumed the role of Blogger.

Thinker - I am big on thinking and pondering. Right now I mostly think about the future and what’s next. I call it Thinker but it is for sure a close relative of the Dreamer person.

Breather - To me being a “Breather” is a representation of expression and life. Everyone has their own way of doing it and enhancing their existence. I often find myself breathing best with a pen and pad.

Hustler – I make it a habit to bust my backside to make sure my family is taken care of, no one goes without the things they need and I try to provide enough flexibility to pull our daydreams into reality.

Changer - Yup, this is the sum of all of the above roles I listed.

It’s kind of beautiful when you think about it. Like really beautiful. The complexity and the uniqueness that we as individuals embody and have the opportunity to emanate to the entire world. Gina asked me to talk about beauty and what beauty is to me and I honestly cringed. I am far from an expert on anything related to this topic–or at least what I thought this topic was. So after the above written reflection…I kind of understood the topic at hand better. Beauty to me is a light on the inside that can sometimes be seen on the out. It’s peace, fulfillment and the drive inside of us that causes us to grow change and develop into the best me we can be.

You can read more about Christine’s journey through life here.

Thanks again Chris for agreeing to do this..

Gina