Charlottesville Heart Circle

04/18/2025

04/18/2025

🚨 FOSTERS NEEDED! 🚨

We have both dogs and cats waiting for a cozy, safe place to land — maybe with you?

Take Haleth, for example — a total lovebug who adores people and is quick to show affection.

Fostering is more than just providing a temporary home — it's a chance to change a life (maybe even two). Whether it’s a cuddle companion or a quiet buddy, you’ll be giving them the love and care they need while they wait for their forever family.

We provide the supplies — you provide the love.

You can apply to foster at www.sfcva.org

04/18/2025

Meet Adoptable Thicket!

Thicket is the kind of dog who wins hearts wherever she goes. With her gentle soul, mild temperament, and friendly nature, she’s the perfect companion for just about anyone — cats, dogs, kids, adults, you name it!

She’s easy-going, affectionate, and always happy to be part of the action (or the nap). Whether you’re looking for a cuddle buddy or a peaceful presence in your home, Thicket’s got you covered.

If you are interested in adopting Thicket, you can apply at www.sfcva.org

04/18/2025

04/18/2025

If you were waiting for a sign to foster kittens—congrats, the universe just sent you a literal heart made of kittens.

We provide supplies and a dedicated mentor, you provide the cuddle puddle photo ops.

Apply here 👉 www.sfcva.org/foster
Welcome to the team!

04/18/2025

🆘Fosters needed for incoming puppies! 🆘

We have 3 litters of puppies incoming tomorrow from three different shelter partners in central and southwest VA, and are still in urgent need of foster homes to care for them until they are ready for adoption!

Fostering costs nothing and is a wonderful way to support animals who just need a little help along their journey. SFC supplies food, toy, p*e pads, and crates to all foster parents who need them!

If you can help with a pair or trio of puppies, we need you! Sign up today at www.sfcva.org/foster to get started. Existing fosters, email [email protected] to help! 🐾

04/25/2022

This is what we need to donate to Ukraine. Lots of my friends will be shocked that I think that way, but I truly believe that there is a point at which only violence can answer violence. All the diplomatic steps have simply failed because the Soviet Union does not CARE about the things others are saying or doing, they have every reason to think that our apathy and naivety will give them the time they need to crush Ukraine. They will take what they want with a level of brutality that hasn't been seen since World War II. They are counting on our indifference.
Go ahead, flame me.

Footage posted to Twitter suggests the international legion fighting alongside the Ukrainian army is playing an increasingly active role

12/18/2016

Something I never understood as a child...

A Christmas favorite, coming back around again....

12/20/2012

Healing the mother wound.
I realized this morning, after reading excerpts from a book, that I was under-mothered. I have always known I had a bad relationship with my mother, and I experienced long phases of anger and hurt and finally found forgiveness for her. But somehow, I was blind to the connection between having an emotionally absent mother and my own self-destructive habits. My mother didn't help modulate my emotions as a child, and so I learned to either cut-off my emotions to survive them or I let them spiral out of control. I could tell counselors what I was doing: during s*x I just shut down; when I am overwhelmed, I collapse on the bed and lay there numb; but I couldn't see the connection to my mom and why it was hard for me to self-regulate my emotions.
My mother didn't tell me I was precious and worth being loved -- at least not often enough that I believed it in my heart. So I had low self-esteem, and I sought out men that were attracted to me. They would tell me the message I wanted to hear. They would tell me how much they valued me, and then they would want s*x. And I craved those messages, so I had s*x with them even though I didn't want to.
My mother didn't give me enough physical affection. When I see other children with their moms, I see they treat their moms like a jungle gym and climb all over them. Apparently that's normal, and I never knew it. I didn't have that connection with my mother, and now as an adult I am attracted to people that are casual with their touch. People enjoy affirming, physical contact, but for me it is extra meaningful because it heals a wounded place.
My mom is a great person -- still on her own journery. I went through an intense experience to find forgiveness for her, and now I am aware that my habits are born from being under-mothered, and I can tell people (and men, specifically) what I need from them and why.

12/02/2012

Getting Involved
I am writing about my experiences with the break-up from my long-time and very dear friend. She went through a transition in her life this year, and one of the choices she made was to remove me from her circle of friends. Two months have passed, and the hurt I felt has diminished, but I have reflected at length on her choice and how my actions and choices were part of that. Before all this happened, I had decided last year (or even earlier) to begin playing an active role in the lives of my friends.
For most of my life, I have remained passive and watched silently while my friends engaged in self-destructive behavior or sabotaged their happiness by following irrational beliefs about themselves. Traditionally, I have feared pro-active involvement in other people's lives because I dreaded the potential consequences, and I thought it was better to remain silent and offer support instead of criticism. So this year I gambled against my fears and learned how it feels to experience --and survive-- the consequences of being pro-active.
My friend was subtly sabotaging her life because she dreaded transitioning and making choices that would push her into a new life, but she needed to transition in order to experience fulfillment and happiness. I listened non-judgmentally for months and watched her self-sabotaging behavior escalate, and finally I decided to confide my true thoughts with her. She did not react well to my criticism, and she felt betrayed by me. I had triggered her fear of judgment, and she responded with strong anger and hurt.
I worked with that, and encouraged dialogue, but I couldn't set aside my own anger at being cut off. I thought that as long as we communicated and devoted energy to processing our emotions, we could remain friends and survive the hurt we each felt. Sadly, she refused to communicate with me or respond to me, and my attempts to start a dialogue seemed only to aggravate her withdrawal. Instead, she latched on to another friend -- one who was dependent on her and wouldn't dare criticize her choices.
My role in her life has ended, and now I am relegated to spectating. But I have gained the valuable experience of what happens when you speak truth to a friend that doesn't want to hear it. There will always be the possibility that my words will trigger an intense emotional response and a friend will choose to focus on that instead of hearing the wisdom I offer; I can live with that. I have also learned that when I suddenly change roles from being a passive observer to an active critic I can startle my friends and increase their fear. Recently, I spoke with a person who described themselves as being brutally honest (and judgmental). He said that he has few friends, but the ones he has are strong enough to acknowledge his wisdom. |As for my choice, I will continue working on myself to find the way that suits me best.