Letting Go
Healing happens in the quiet moments between crisis and new life. The struggle seems as if it will never end, we surrender and let go, only to find ourselves stronger and a bit wiser. Life is our greatest teacher. Our only job is to practice showing up and opening to each experience.
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To Be Aware
Self awareness: our ability to look within and understand why we do the things we do. Behaviors are an outward manifestation of our internal experience. Anger feels like power, but is often driven by feelings of hurt and fear. To be emotionally shut-down is a way of saying • I can’t stand to be hurt…
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Lessons of Discomfort
Anxiety and depression are rooted in past hurts and perpetuated by an inability to sit with and work through tough emotions. Anxiety is a coping mechanism. It is a way to feel in control and on guard. This makes sense considering most of us were taught early on that this life is not safe. Depression…
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Evolving Spirituality
It is often hopelessness that gives birth to hope. Without the despair that comes with endings, there would be no room for the delight that comes with beginnings. It was really just an ordinary day that turned out to be extraordinary. Sitting under a tree with deep feelings of hopelessness, I experienced something miraculous. It…
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Rest Here
There is nowhere to go, no one to be, it is what is happening right now that needs your attention. Hopelessness must be known before we can delight in hope. It is in the pain of getting lost that we can know the comfort of being found. We must embrace the discomfort of silence before…
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Simple Meditation
Simple Meditation: 3-5 minutes is all you need to decrease anxiety, and increase relaxation. Start with 3 minutes. As you become more comfortable, increase one minute at a time. Remember: our minds think, that is their job. When you find yourself caught up in thought – be gentle with yourself. Just calmly guide your attention…
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Resist, Rest, Let Go
If you are alive, it is certain that the day will come when you must let go of something dear to you. Your heart finds comfort in a particular season, only to find that the season eventually passes and you must adjust to a new normal. Each change is met with resistance, great sadness, and…
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The Art of Arriving
Each day I become a little more aware of a simple fact – Peace is directly related to our ability to be present and participate fully in our current moment experience. Full engagement with life happens when we stop telling stories of what was, what should have been, what may be, and what we hope for. A…
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When the Heart is Ready, Love Appears
A friend and I spent some time reflecting on the loving impact a mutual mentor had in our lives. This woman entered mine and my friend’s life at a time of hardship – which looking back was really a time of Awakening. We laughed and cried a little as we remembered the lessons we learned,…
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Remembering
Mindfulness has become a familiar term in our culture. Recently I had a family member ask if I could sit with her and explain the meaning of mindfulness. This question inspired some personal reflection. I began exploring what exactly mindfulness means to me and why it is that a mindful based experience is one to…
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Whole-Hearted Boundaries
I spend a lot of time thinking of, speaking of, and practicing “open-hearted living.” In an effort to cultivate a heart of kindness and compassion, I practice looking beyond behaviors to the Goodness that resides within each of us. I spend much of my time exploring topics such as vulnerability, love, and gratitude. Somewhere along…
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May You …
Seek Truth. Love Wisdom and walk towards Her. Recognize the Goodness that this life is made of. See yourself and love what you see. Speak and also listen. Remain open-minded and always teachable. Risk hurt for the sake of love. Give freely of the gifts you’ve been given. Live a life woven with gratitude and…
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Life, New Year, and the Word that Awakens.
A very special, wise, loving woman came into my life back in 2007 – Margaret. She taught me the value of Truth, Love, Compassion, Service, and Human Connection. She convinced me that I was strong enough to achieve any goal that I set my mind to. She taught me the value of identifying my deepest…
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Ordinary is Extrodinary
Extravagance is sweet: the potential of a new career, excitement of a new relationship, accomplishment of completing a financial goal, anticipation of a vacation … But what about the ordinary days. The days when things are just regular and there is nothing spectacular to celebrate. These are the days that life is made of and they invite us…
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I am Awakening to my True Nature
I’ve developed a preference for language that draws attention to the Goodness within. We use terms like spiritual growth to describe what I see as Awakening to the fact that you already have all that you need to cultivate a life of peaceful joy. Often we feel like we are broken and in need of…
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Rest in the Home of You
Identify the things that help you to feel at home in your body. Do those things. The way you know you feel at home in your body is that your anxiety is a little less, your thoughts are a little quieter, and the feeling of “I should be doing something else” is a little less…
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Purposful Gratitude
Gratitude doesn’t come easy in the midst of loss, pain, and internal discomfort. The thing is: gratitude is like medicine. This month marks 11 years since my first life changing Awakening. This Awakening was preceded by a time of deep sadness, pain, and spiritual bankruptcy. A professional suggested that I write out a gratitude list which named…
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Embrace Busy – Practice Stillness
Busy moments, busy days, busy weeks, busy years make up a busy life. To slow down and take a breath is a choice, it will almost never just happen. At times it is necessary to embrace the fast-paced busy nature of life. While acknowledging the need for busy, we must also honor our need for…
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Down Goes the Wall – creating secure attachments
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down. Robert Frost The wall: the emotional barrier created for self-protection. We need love like we need water. …
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Recovery is Freedom
Human beings have a natural tendency to crave pleasurable feelings and to avoid unpleasurable feelings. We want to feel joy, peace, and happiness while avoiding anxiety, vulnerability, and dissatisfaction. We innocently grasp for things that will bring some relief to internal discomfort. Eventually, the grasping and self-medicating begins to cause life unmanageability. It is at this…
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Deepest Longing and Desire
What do you want? I want to be awake, fully awake. I want to notice the beauty in all things, not just the extravagant but the ordinary as well. I want to feel deep love and compassion for myself and others. I want to be present with the sorrows and sadness of this life, accepting…
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Seasons and Letting Go
Last night I dreamt that I was dying. Not a far in the future death, but a death that would occur in just a few hours. In my dream, I sat with a dear friend. We discussed life, death, and explored the possibilities of what might happen once I took my last breath. The dream…
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Trauma, Hope, and Healing
Human connection and intimacy are amongst the greatest things we can experience in this life. Sadly, past hurts and trauma can lead to an inability to connect in a way that feels safe and nurturing. Bessel van der Kolk in his book The Body Keeps the Score, states that “Trauma, whether it is the result…
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Recovery Is
Recovery, it is more than abstinence. It is a conscious choice to walk the path of health. A process of recognizing our feelings and needs. It is an understanding of how our actions impact those around us.
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Learning to Be
Today I will laugh, smile, and practice gratitude. I will listen to that still small voice within. I will move with my breath and feel the wind on my face. Trusting that when that voice says to speak, it is time to speak. I will live courageously and move forward as my Intuition guides me.…
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Loving What Is
Today I sat in a circle of women who open-heartedly shared their stories, spoke of unique struggles, and challenging circumstances. As I listened, I noticed a common thread. Each story was laced with feelings of inadequacy, uncertainty, less-than, and longings for contentment. Our longing to feel at home in our life experience is met with the…
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Moments of Peace
What is it about the present moment that causes us to frantically search for the quickest exit. Running from presence can come in many forms – obsessive thinking, busyness, anger, substance abuse, impulsive shopping, excessive phone use, mindless social media activity. There is an endless supply of ways in which we can escape the discomfort…
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