About Me



About Me: 

Mariela Janelle Gonzalez,

The Care Neighborhood Curator

Hi! I'm Mariela (she/her). I'm a bisexual, Latina femme, and a person who is growing in love for life. I'm married to Allyson, and co-parent to one kiddo. We also share our home with a cat and dog.

I am a Humanist Chaplain and Celebrant in the the Chicagoland area. Currently I work as a Chaplain and Educator.  As a Celebrant, it is my honor to journey with persons for invocations, rituals, and other spiritual care needs. 

 Here at The Care Neighborhood, I facilitate community care and self care through creativity, connection, and coziness. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spring in Review

Image
  Beginning the Season with a refresh of the mantle.  Working on our aesthetics and space is part of our usual Spring Cleaning.  Plus this year, I had the added motivation from The Possibility Department GYST with the Pentacle Program.   Back to Florida to visit with family. There may have been some touristy shenanigans too! May Day with a celebration of all the diverse gifts folks bring to our communities at Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation .     Movies and Legos for Mother's Day fun.  I'm celebrating the way the kiddo encourages us to be playful! Such a gorgeous time to notice the lushness of nature. Joanna DeVoe is journeying through the Tarot.  Here's my take on the coloring page.  And this rainbow greeting me on a road trip gives me the same Magician vibes.  Check out Jo's Patreon for more info. After Spring had sprung, we welcome Summer.  May this be a season of warmth and joy! (For our friends in the Southe...
Read more

The Care Neighborhood Summer Summary

Image
Hello Neighbors! And Happy September! This past season likely had a mix of emotions, highs and lows (feelings and climate); still, we hope that overall you are well.  It's been a full summer for the Gonzalez-Rowley family at The Care Neighborhood.  We celebrated Pride with a local community.  Enjoyed family birthdays...We have so many June Bdays between us!...We got to travel a bit - a trip out east, seeing family and friends by the lake, a road trip to a nearby destination. The end of summer heat invited time for rest and The Care Neighborhood's Celebration of Play! So, here it is: The Summer Summary... May Plant Blessing June LGBTQ+ Pride We celebrated with a nearby neighborhood with to-go Pride Picnics, Window Paintings, and raising funds for a new youth drop-in center. Birthdays A little bit goes a long way for someone to feel special on their special day--A bit of cake, decorations, and good friends to celebrate! There's also occasions to make a splash...A trip to th...
Read more

Cheer Up the Lonely Day

Image
Yesterday, July 11 was "Cheer up the Lonely Day."  I found this out while looking online for what do people celebrate in July.  It seems like any day can be a "DAY." And the national days range from profound to absurd.  I've heard of Umbrella Day, Pi Day, Star Wars Day, Talk like a Pirate Day, etc etc etc... Anyhow, I was glad to learn that "Cheer up the Lonely Day" is a thing, because it seems like the kind of thing we need right now.  There are so many chances to be lonely.  Many of us are maintaining physical distance, limiting our in person gatherings, avoiding normalcy crowds, spending time on video meetings - holding a carefully crafted paying attention persona.  Many of us are grieving losses that provide chances to feel isolated.  Many of us experience fear and anxiety about the future.  I am wondering: What does life look like in this odd reality of an ongoing pandemic?  What kind of grief and loss is yet to come? One of the ma...
Read more