Bring Love.

"I did then what I knew how to do.  Now that I know better, I do better."

                                                                                                - Maya Angelou

Bring love.  Bring only love.  Watch miracles unfold. 

In the presence of love, hatred cannot exist, just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light.  Illuminate a dark room and the light takes over, as if the darkness never even existed.  

On the other hand, hatred in the presence of hatred grows exponentially.  The same is true for anger, judgement, resentment, criticism, jealousy and anything else that is not love.  

Responding to hatred with hatred only creates more hatred.  Responding to being hurt by inflicting pain only creates even more hurt, more pain.  Responding to being judged by criticizing results in much, much more of the same.  We must ask ourselves...is this really what we want?

By bringing love, compassion and understanding into every single situation, no matter how difficult, we can change the world.  

We've all heard the phrase "Love conquers all" a thousand times, to the point that we've become desensitized to what it really means.  In the past, when hearing those words or anything else conveying a similar message, I would think to myself, "Really nice sentiment and I wish it were that simple - but life is much more complicated" - or something along those lines.

But recently it has become glaringly obvious to me that the concept of love being the answer to absolutely everything is not only accurate, it's crucial for all of us to not only acknowledge and recognize this as truth, but to practice it in our own lives as much as we possibly can.

I believe that at the very core of every kind gesture, act of compassion and understanding, generous offering and even friendly smile toward a fellow human being  is love defined.  I also believe that love is synonymous with the miraculous, therefore in order for miracles to occur, love must be present.

For as long as I can remember, long before I had children of my own, I identified myself as a mother.  When I was a little girl, perhaps influenced by The Brady Bunch, I decided I would have six children.  I believe I even shared this with my future husband on our very first date.  Surprisingly enough, he didn't run for the nearest exit!

Soon after the arrival of our twin girls, I realized that perhaps three children was enough - but I knew that being a mother was what I was meant to do.  I loved every minute of it (well, maybe not every minute!)...motherhood simultaneously lived up to, exceeded and transcended every expectation I had ever had about it.  It was more wonderful, more difficult, more challenging, more heart-wrenching and more life-changing than I could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams.  To me, similar to experiencing the death of a close loved one, there are no words that could ever do justice to what it feels like to be a mother.

From the moment our son Jake was born on August 14, 2002, I have woken up each morning with one goal: to be the best mother I could possibly be.  That hasn't changed - but there is something that has changed drastically - the way in which I go about achieving that goal.

Life is about growth and with that growth comes expansion in every form: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual.  In my case, expansion brought with it many gifts, the most important of which, for me, is the wisdom and awareness to see with clarity, without any doubt, what is important in this life, not only as a mother, but as a human being.  For that, I am so very grateful.

As a mom, being chronically ill is a particularly devastating and stressful form of torture.  This is one of the reasons I find it so mind-blowing that anyone could ever entertain the idea that we have chosen this path, that we have chosen to watch our children suffer from the collateral damage of our illness.  The negative attention alone would be the only deterrent needed to make that theory impossible.

I was lucky enough to have a truly amazing role model when it comes to being a mother...my own.  My mom gave me many gifts but I think the most significant is this: when she looked at me, what I saw reflected in her eyes was always beauty and love, no matter what the situation.  Not just physically, but beautiful in every way.  I knew that no matter what I did, that would never change.  I felt loved, acknowledged, valued and most importantly, seen, in such an unconditional way that I experienced that feeling in every cell of my body - and I still do.  My mother has been gone physically from this earth for over twelve years and I still feel her unconditional love on such a deep, cellular level that my entire body tingles just thinking about it.  What greater, more valuable gift can we ever hope to give our children?  A gift that never dies, a gift that will stay with our children long after we are gone.  That is love in it's very purest form.

Even on the days that I couldn't get out of bed, I could still give this gift of love to my children.  I may not have been able to do all the things for them that I usually did, the things that I once believed to be the very definition of being a "good" mom, but no matter how sick I was, I could look each one of them in the eye, give them my full attention, see their beautiful essence and reflect that back to them to carry with them throughout their day.  I could still give them the gift of being loved so unconditionally that they knew with every fiber of their being that there was no bad grade, no disappointment or failed expectation, no mistake or failure, big or small, that could ever change that.  The thing that I realized recently is that I can do that better now than I could before my illness.

I remember days that I truly thought I was dying.  In those dark moments, the thought of death almost seemed like it would be a welcome relief from the pain I was in.  If not for my three kids, I may have just given up - but I knew I had to keep fighting for their sake.  In some of my darkest moments, I allowed my mind to wander, wondering if, in the event that the worst should happen, would my children remember how much I loved them?  Would they know it deep in their souls, just as I know how much my mom loved me?

After everything that has happened, I will never have to worry about that again.  I know that they know. I know they know that they they are my very first thought when I wake up in the morning and my very last thought as I drift off to sleep at night.  I know they know that if I'm ever not able to attend one of their soccer games, school events, or anything else that is important to them that it is not by choice.  I know they know that if given the choice, I always, always choose them.  I know they know that I love them more than anything or anyone on the planet and that there is nothing in this life that I would not do for them.  And I know they know that I have no other expectation or wish for them except to be who they are, find their passion, and to be happy.  For me, this knowledge is priceless and fills me with a peace I've never known.

Over the course of the last few years, both prior to and throughout the onset of the acute phase of my illness, I went through some situations in my personal life resulting in very intense emotional trauma, some of the worst pain, heartbreak and feelings of betrayal I have ever experienced.  As a result, I became very angry and resentful and in my mind it was very justified.  And maybe it was. But I now know that responding to anything, no matter how hurtful it may be, with more negativity can only lead to more pain, which it did. The fact that the degree of physical illness and emotional trauma intersected and manifested in the way it did was not a coincidence, it was an inevitability.

 I can't help but wonder...perhaps if I knew then what I know now, things may have turned out differently.  But in the next moment I realize...I wouldn't change a thing.

A Good Day Is Worth Celebrating

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.  

It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."

                                                      - Ashley Montagu

If my journey with Chronic Lyme Disease has taught me anything, it's to celebrate a day of feeling good because although I hope with all my heart and soul that it's the start of a new trend, I know that there are no guarantees.  Today is one of those days.  Eckley, my sweet pup, and I went on a long hike and I took these pictures to document this day because I want to remember that on March 18, 2016 I felt like a normal person for the first time in over a year.  I will never again take these moments for granted and I'm not going to spend it worrying about tomorrow.  Today, life is beautiful and I'm going to squeeze every ounce of pleasure of it as possible!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely 

try to help another without helping himself...Serve and thou shall be served."

                                                              - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"No one can ask another to be healed.  But he can let himself be healed, and thus offer the other what he has received.  Who can bestow upon another what he does not have?  

And who can share what he denies himself?"

                                                                         - A Course in Miracles 

But there is a part of me that feels guilty because I know there are so many people out there who are plagued with pain, debilitating exhaustion and a litany of other symptoms that make each day almost more than they can bear.  They are struggling to see even a glimmer of hope that they will ever experience feeling good, or even normal, again.  Most are isolated and alone as the controversial nature of this disease tends to drive friends and even family members away.  I know many of these amazingly brave and resilient humans personally and it literally breaks my heart because I know that feeling all too well.  

My message to all of my fellow Lyme warriors out there is this: I will never forget about you, I will never stop fighting and educating and screaming at the top of my lungs for you to get the help and acknowledgement that you so desperately need and deserve.  I'm in this to the end, no matter what happens.  And if I do continue on this path of wellness, I am living proof that there is hope for you too!

It's hard to say exactly what has made the difference for me because I've tried so many different treatments and supplements but most recently I did participate in an eight-course ozone protocol in combination with several professional colonic treatments.  I have also added bone broth to my diet on a daily basis and started taking an anti-fungal supplement consisting of herbs from the Amazon.  I can't say if it was one or all of these things together that have made the difference but I am just overwhelmed with gratitude to be feeling this much better, even if it's just for today.  I'll take it!

Carry on, Lyme warriors...we got this!  Your best moments are ahead of you...believe it and it shall be. 

"...the spirit reveals itself to everyone with the same intensity and consistency, but only warriors are consistently attuned to such revelations." 

                                                                  - don Juan Matus 

The Power of What We Cannot See

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, 

people will forget what you did, 

but people will never forget how you made them feel."

                                                    - Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

What motivates you?

This question may be more important than you realize and may actually have a direct impact on the achievement of a desired outcome.  If your motivation is ego-based, you may not get what you truly desire.  On the other hand, if your motivation is purely derived from unconditional love and the desire to assist, teach, or inspire others, chances are that you will have a much higher likelihood of obtaining what you truly want, which may take many forms but always ultimately boils down to happiness.

As humans, we are designed to desire certain things - it's in our DNA.  We all want to feel loved unconditionally, accepted for exactly who we are, heard, appreciated, acknowledged and understood - and we all want to be seen.  It occurs to me that perhaps we sometimes go about getting what we want in a way that seems perfectly obvious and intuitive but in reality leads us in the opposite direction.  We end up feeling frustrated, depressed, hopeless and lonely, asking ourselves what went wrong.  We had such good intentions so why aren't they being received in the way we wanted or expected?

Perhaps the reason is something we can't experience with our five senses...perhaps it's all about the energy behind the motivation, that elusive feeling that fuels an intention which leads us to act in a certain way.  For example, if someone does something nice for you but they are doing it out of obligation or to avoid feeling guilty, doesn't that feel a lot different than if someone does the exact same act out of kindness and love without expectation of anything in return?  We may not even be consciously aware that we are picking up on the nuances of each situation, but ultimately we are much more likely to appreciate the latter.

I think there are people who go through life not realizing that the reason they often feel unappreciated, unheard, unloved, etc. is simply a reflection of that phenomenon.  They do and say all of the right things expecting respect and appreciation in return and when that doesn't happen they become frustrated, angry and fraught with self-pity.  What they don't realize is that other people can feel the energy that fuels the intention and that energy will directly impact their reaction to it.

I think this applies to all aspects of life, including parenthood.  As a parent, if you encourage your child to do something that you think will bring them joy, that child can feel it on a very visceral level .  On the other hand, if your motivation as a parent is more ego-based, for example wanting your child to succeed in order to feed your ego or make you feel better about yourself, your child feels that too - and it's not a positive or empowering feeling.

In my opinion, too many parents view their children as extensions of themselves.  They are much too invested in the successes and failures of their kids and don't allow them enough autonomy to make their own choices and to deal with consequences of those choices, good or bad.  I think this can be very dangerous because it puts way too much pressure on kids to make their parents happy instead of following their own path.  Successes become shared successes and failures are often devastating, leading to depression, low self-esteem and prevents kids from becoming self-sufficient.  Parents are not for leaning - they are to make leaning unnecessary.

Ultimately, if our actions are dependent on a specific outcome, whether it be appreciation, reciprocation, respect, or even just a thank you, our efforts often won't be well received and we will end up disappointed and confused.

I think the key is to try to live life from your heart, with an open mind and no expectations of any kind.  To quote Dr. Wayne Dyer, "Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing."

We cannot underestimate the power of what we cannot see...in my opinion, it's everything.

Welch's Grape Juice, Where Have You Been All My Life?

This is a love letter of sorts, albeit an unconventional one, but a love letter nonetheless.  The object of my affection: Welch's 100% Concord Grape Juice.  Yep, you heard me correctly.  I am in love with grape juice.

To know me well is to know this well: I do not like barf.  Actually, I hate barf.  With a passion.  Not just hate - I fear barf.  I have an intense and debilitating fear of vomit and/or vomiting and anything related to said vomit (i.e. nausea, gagging, coughing or any sounds that sound like someone barfing, hospitals where people might be barfing, roller coasters with possible barfers, barf bags in airplanes, people barfing in airplanes, people barfing anywhere, people with heat stroke in line at The Oprah Winfrey Show in an unusually warm February in Chicago who barf directly in front of me - you get the idea).  I shudder as I write these words.

This is not an exaggeration.  I have had this fear my entire life.  I do not remember a time that I did not live in fear of barf.  I have vivid memories from my childhood of lying in bed, paralyzed with fear and praying with all my heart and soul not to throw up, even offering God all sorts of things in return for not vomiting.  I know this may sound strange to most people but I am truly terrified to throw up and to be anywhere near anyone else who is experiencing the slightest twinge of nausea.  The mere mention of it will send me into a full on panic attack.

If I happen to be unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of vomit and see it, hear it, or smell it, (gasp!) I will take off running faster than poop through a goose.  If you don't believe me, just ask my best friend Jessie or my sister Christie...they have lots of good stories on this topic, most of which are quite comical in retrospect.  But at the time I was seriously traumatized.

When I became a mom, I knew I could no longer avoid the dreaded vomit.  Unless my kids were superhuman, they were inevitably going to throw up at some point - and I was going to have to deal.  Not only that, but I was going to have deal without my usual crying, hysterical panic attack in order to avoid traumatizing my poor babies and creating more puke-phobics.  Trust me, I spent many a sleepless night trying to figure out how exactly I was going to navigate this particular predicament.

I have always felt that my issue with vomit falls into the category of a true phobia.  My husband, on the other hand, has always scoffed at this notion and accuses me of being overly dramatic about my aversion to barf.  "Nobody likes it", he argues. "Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have a phobia." Well, guess what?  The struggle is REAL!  It is actually a form of panic disorder and it has a name...emetophobia!

Emetophobia: an intense, irrational fear or anxiety pertaining to vomiting.  This specific phobia can also include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting in public (check!), a fear of seeing vomit (check!), a fear of watching the action of vomiting (check!) or fear of being nauseated (check!).  

Yes!  Check to all of the above. Total vindication.  So now that we've established the fact that I am definitely "emetophobic", let's get to the good news: I think I may have stumbled upon...wait for it....a possible preventative and theraputic measure, or even, dare I say it....CURE for the dreaded, most heinous of all things that exist on this planet: the stomach flu.

Last Tuesday night, my 10-year old daughter Sofia woke me at 4am to tell me that she had thrown up and "didn't make it to the toilet". Needless to say, these were not words I enjoy hearing.  Since having kids, I have learned to be a pretty good actress and managed to hold it together for her sake.  Seriously, a mother's love knows no bounds - only for my child could I endure the agony of cleaning up vomit.  I held my breath and did what I needed to do while simultaneously envisioning my other two children joining in on the fun at any moment.  Occasionally, I would allow the most horrific thought of all to enter my consciousness...I think you know what I mean.  As you can imagine by now, this whole thing is my idea of hell on earth.  In my head, I was screaming "Help me! Please help me! I am not equipped for this!".

By some miracle we survived the night with no more casualties, but poor little Sofia did not stop throwing up/dry heaving for 12 straight hours - she couldn't even keep ice chips down.  I became obsessed with sanitizing my house, cleaning surfaces, washing linens like a mad woman and turning on both of my UV air purifiers at full blast.  Unfortunately I was well aware that these practices had been strictly adhered to in the past with results that were in a word, unsuccessful. To put it mildly.  Mass vomitus always ensued.  I was doomed.

I almost gave up hope until I stumbled upon a miraculous little nugget of information that would change everything and restore peace in my world.  According to many, many moms out there in this amazing thing we call the world wide web, there is a sure-fire way to prevent the stomach flu from wreaking havoc on your life...Welch's 100% Grape Juice.  Here's one of the testimonials I found online:

http://musthavemom.com/2012/01/stomp-out-stomach-flu-with-grape-juice.html

Of course, I immediately ran out and bought several jugs of the stuff and forced it down my family's throats (not hard since it actually tastes pretty good and I don't usually let them drink juice).   Well, it's now one week later and no sign of vomit anywhere!!  (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself...) I simply cannot believe I have lived almost 45 years without the benefit of this information!!!

I LOVE YOU WELCH'S GRAPE JUICE!!!!

Although it might be premature to declare victory, I just had to share this because I know that even parents who aren't afflicted with emetophobia don't enjoy it when the stomach flu decides to pay their household a visit.

No need to thank me...a world with less barf is the only thanks I need. :-)

2015: That's a Wrap

"The essential lesson I've learned in life is to just be yourself.  Treasure the magnificent being that you are and recognize first and foremost you're not here as a human being only.  

You're a spiritual being having a human experience." 

                                                                   - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (1940-2015)

When I think about where I was a year ago, I can't believe how far I've come and how many important lessons were crammed into a mere twelve months time.  In many ways, it was the worst of years, and yet simultaneously the best, most significant year of my life.  Basically, it was a real doozy.

And although I can't say I was all that sad to wrap it up, 2015 brought with it many gifts that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.  I advance confidently into 2016 feeling transformed, invigorated, excited for the future and most importantly, I feel free - free to be who I am without pause or hesitation and I accept myself completely, as I am, flaws and all.

Here are my Top Twenty Best Lessons of 2015:

20. It's not about what happens to us in life...it's about how we react to it.  Successful, happy people make the most out of every situation and circumstance that comes their way.

19. It's more important to be kind than right.

18. Changing the way you look at things changes everything.

17. When you follow your bliss, you will find your passion.  Your passion is your purpose and everyone has one.  Everyone.  Find yours.

16. Happiness does not necessarily follow success, but success almost always follows happiness.

15. Being of service to others creates happiness and satisfaction in your life beyond measure.

14. What other people think of you is none of your business.

13. The greatest, most profound gifts come from life's most devastating and challenging struggles.

12. Sometimes the entire house of cards has to come crashing down in order to rebuild it stronger and better than it was before.

11. Trust your intuition to guide you in the right direction - do not let other people's thoughts and beliefs control your life, including those in positions of authority.  You know yourself better than anyone else so trust your instincts.  Avoid 'shoulds' and 'have to's' at all costs.  You don't have to do anything.

10. Guilt and fear are useless emotions.  Get rid of them.

9. It is not your place to judge other people - they are on a journey you know nothing about.  When you judge others, you only define yourself.

8. Things are not always as they seem.

7. Kindness and compassion are everything.  Be kind as much as possible.

6. We all come from the same place - we are all One.

5. Be open to everything and attached to nothing.

4. We must first love and accept ourselves before we can love and accept others.

3. Critical, judgmental people are only revealing the criticisms and judgments they give to themselves and are most likely in need of the most compassion.

2. There is always hope.  Always.  Nothing is a done deal or a lost cause.  Never give up.  There is sunshine behind those clouds.

1. Be fearless.  All is well.

There are many, many more but these are the ones that stand out for me.  Hello 2016, I can't wait to see what you have in store for me this year...

Happy New Year to all!!

Truth

I just saw the movie "Concussion" with Will Smith.  First of all, I commend Will for having the courage to take this role - I'm sure there was major pressure not to from many different powers that be. The clear message in the movie was that human lives matter and that we must not be afraid to speak up for what we know to be true.

So once again I will subject myself to the possibility of ridicule, judgement, being called crazy... whatever you want to say about me, bring it on.  You are misguided and your ignorance does not and will not define me. Because I know the truth and I must speak up for those who are too damn sick to speak for themselves.

People are being subjected to insane suffering, families are being destroyed and financially devastated and sick people are not getting the help they so desperately need and deserve. These people are mothers, daughters, sisters, fathers, aunts, cousins, uncles - they are your fellow human beings many in your own communities.  And they are being dehumanized and treated like their lives are worth nothing by the very people who are supposed to be helping them.  I just can't stand by and watch this horror take place before my very eyes without feeling compelled to shout it from the rooftops until someone finally hears me.

How do I know this?  Because I am living it, along with many, many others, some have become my dear friends, Many are much sicker than I am.  We support, encourage and love each other because no one else will. Without them I'm not sure where I'd be.

So even though I'm getting well, I will not desert my friends.  I will continue to speak up for them until the day comes when the truth finally comes out, medical care for Chronic Lyme Disease patients is covered by insurance companies (because currently it is not covered AT ALL) and there is money being put toward research to find a cure for this devastating disease.  Most people would be surprised to learn that many Lyme sufferers are travelling to Germany and other countries for treatment that is not available in the U.S. - I know several people personally - which costs thousands and thousands of dollars all out of pocket.  I often wonder about the people who don't have extra money to spend on treatments - what do they do?  I have heard of many, many people going into debt, losing their homes, losing pretty much everything.  How can this be happening in this country in this day and age?  It literally blows my mind.

And there are people that KNOW this is all going on and are choosing to turn a blind eye because they are scared.  They are afraid of losing their jobs and of being discredited in their professions, they are afraid of how it would affect their families if they were to speak up.  I get that, I really do.  I feel the same way.  But this just perpetuates the problem.  We cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated because Lyme disease sufferers have families too - and they used to have lives until Lyme stole them from them.  Their current lives look nothing like they did before.

For anyone out there who still questions the validity of a massive cover-up regarding Chronic Lyme Disease and it's co-infections (including Morgellons Disease which is most likely Bartonella) by the CDC, AMA, Big Pharma, the FDA and other powers that be with skin in the game, I implore you to go see "Concussion", a powerful film depicting the true story of an amazing courageous doctor who took his oath seriously and spoke the truth that he knew to be true.  He put his patients first and put everything in his life on the line for the sake of morality and basic human decency.  It's the story of intentional deceit, deception and corruption to the detriment of human lives for money, power and most importantly, because people were afraid to speak up.  We cannot be intimidated and allow fear to stop us from speak the truth any longer.

I ask you this question: if massive cover-ups have happened before, not only in the case of the NFL, but also within the Catholic Church and many others in the history of this country and the world, why is it so hard for people to believe that it is happening right now with regard to Lyme Disease???

I encourage you to see this movie,.  Maybe it will open your mind to the possibility that the thousands of people across the world who are desperately ill are not crazy or making it up.  Maybe they are telling the truth.

I believe there will be a similar movie made about the Lyme Disease cover-up in the not so distant future and I intend to live to see it.

This is for you Christine Schulz Ramos,
Oriana K. Schatan, Bennie Le Bourvellec, Shirley Collenette, Staci Koch and all of the other Lyme sufferers out there too sick to speak for themselves.  I love you, I support you and I will never give up on you - never!

Connection vs. Distraction

"If you want to feel connected to your own purpose, know this for certain:

Your purpose will only be found in service to others, and in being 

connected to the something far greater than your mind/body/ego."

                                                  - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

The process of trying to heal my body has been a journey, one that I am still on, but I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to the ultimate goal of restoring not only my physical health, but my psychological, emotional and spiritual health as well.  I truly believe that they are all connected and that we must address all areas in order achieve this goal, and in doing so, the result will far exceed any expectation of what that might look and feel like.  It's a wellness beyond what we could have comprehended or imagined before the health crisis, or any other crisis in one's life for that matter, began.

Recently, I have received some clarity in one concept in particular, one that was especially difficult for me to wrap my brain around when this journey began...it's the concept of self-love.  I thought that in sharing what I have learned over the past several months it might help other people understand it a little better because in my experience it can be a bit confusing and misleading.

You hear people talk about how all of your problems will be solved if you just learn to love yourself.  You read books about it, see lectures on it, listen to podcasts and say affirmations in the mirror (which at first feel very, very silly) but still it seems like such an elusive idea, one that sounds so simple but nobody really tells you HOW to go about achieving this incredible feat.  

You are told that it has nothing to do with your physical self - it's this inner spiritual self that you need to embrace to experience true self-love and acceptance. For me, I didn't know how to even find my essence, much less love it. I was looking for a step by step instruction booklet and I couldn't seem to find one!  I read lots of books on it, like Louise Hay's "Heal Your Life" which helped a lot.  Louise recommend doing daily affirmations, like I mentioned above, and to just keep saying it until you feel it.  I struggled with this - I could say the words but I didn't really believe the words I was saying.  

Here's what I finally figured out: Yes, it's all about self-love....but in order to love yourself you must first know yourself.  And in order to know yourself, you must find your purpose in this life, the reason you were put on this planet - and I believe that everyone has one.  Once this is achieved, and you finally see your true self for the first time, self-love is inevitable.  Your essence is so pure and beautiful, even to you, that it's impossible not to love.

So now you are probably asking, "Okay, that's all fine and good, but how do I do that?  How do I figure out who I am and what my purpose is on this earth?".  I think the answer is in connection - to everyone and everything - and that our biggest roadblock to connection is distraction.  Distraction is the enemy, in my opinion.  I define distraction as anything external or internal that prevents us from listing to our inner voice, that feeling of knowing that can only be heard if you turn off the voices in your head, block out the outside world and turn inward.  

Now I guess some would call this meditating - but the word 'meditation' was always very intimidating to me and maybe it is to you, too.  Meditating does not just have to be sitting on the floor with legs crossed, arms outstretched and candles burning,   To me, mediating is just connecting with other people in a genuine way, being in nature and noticing with wonderment all of the miracles taking place, being truly mindful and in the moment.  I know this sounds like something you've heard a million times before - but I'm telling you, it works.

Connection is also achieved when we are of service to others, and this can vary from offering a stranger a kind word to volunteering in a homeless shelter and everything in between.  It can even be in the form of simply smiling at someone as they walk by.  It's doesn't have to be major and it doesn't have to be complicated.  The more we complicate things, the more difficult things seem and the less likely we are to do them.  

Once I started to block out other people's thoughts and opinions, free myself of guilt, resentment, anger, judgement and all of the 'should's' and 'have to's' that society tells us we must adhere to and focus on kindness and compassion to others, connection just happened naturally.  And once connection starting happening on a regular basis, the answers just started flowing.  I know it sounds way too simplistic but I'm here to tell you that it's that simple!

I think that we, as human beings, make life way too complicated and difficult.  Imagine that life is a river, with currents and roaring rapids.  If a strong current comes along and you fight against it, you will eventually drown.  But if you don't panic and just relax into the rapid and the flow of the water, all will be well...all of the sudden things will start falling into place and and your life will start to work.  The irony is that it's so much harder to fight it - and yet we keep fighting the current, the life force, and making it so much harder on ourselves.  Lean into the life force and it will gently guide you in the direction of your purpose...and you will see yourself for the glorious, spiritual being you really are.  Because after all, as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin so wisely put it: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."  I love that quote - it makes so much sense to me!

So that's my advice - maybe I'm just regurgitating what countless others have said before me but sometimes hearing something again in a slightly different way can make the light bulb go on.  And maybe not.  

Either way, Happy New Year to all!  I have a feeling good things are to come all around in 2016...it's gonna be a great year.

xxxxx

liz