Divine Wisdom

I’ve been lucky enough to get to spend a fair amount of time, this weekend, watching and listening to lessons of the Hay House World Summit. It is a free event with many inspirational and instructive lessons to help you be the best version of you, you care to be. I must say, the summit really has me thinking. A couple of their sessions I have attended this morning spoke of the power of our thoughts. Those of you who are regular readers, of my blog, know that I believe in the power of thought and am always looking to find ways to better connect and utilize that power, to make the world a better place. Louis Hay, the founder of Hay House, was a big believer in, and promoter of, the minds influence over our health.

Several years ago I started a Holistic Healing Practice. I named my business Divine Wisdom. I believed that everyone has, within themselves, the Divine Wisdom to heal their bodies and their lives. It was kind of a radical idea for a hospice nurse. I was trained in multiple different modalities, not because I thought I was the healer who could mend the illnesses in the bodies of my clients, but rather because I felt I could use these modalities to help my clients awaken their personnel power to improve their own lives and health. The two are tied together; since true wellness includes the mind, body, and spirit. I don’t know if the world was not ready for my view of healing or if I just didn’t, at that time, possess the skills to promote my business. But after two years it was time to try an new adventure and way to help others.

I feel there is a shift coming. People are tired of the side effects of medications. Many of which are often worse than the initial illness. More and more, I meet people who refuse to let a diagnosis define them. We are, after all, not defined by the things that happen to use but rather instructed by these experiences. I see that the world around me is shifting away from the artificial in products and looking for healthier alternatives. I am hopeful that true change, in the way we deal with disease and illness, is coming and here to stay.

I had a very dear friend who was anxiously awaiting the “shift”. I believe she felt it was going to be an event. A sudden shifting that all would recognize. She passed away a few years ago and I wonder if she ever came to the realization the the shift is happening, everyday all around us. It is an energetic wave that moves across the land, awakening people as it weaves back and forth, like Kundalini energy up the spine. There are times (like now) when I feel her presence with me. She urges me on. Encourages me to continue to spread the light and share the Divine Wisdom as it comes to me. I am grateful for all that I have learned from her. I am also grateful for her continued presence from the other side of the vail.

How will health and healing manifest in your life? Do you believe and feel the true power of your nature to heal yourself? I am not saying to stop taking medications prescribed by your doctor. I am encouraging you to start to believe in the Divine Wisdom within your nature to improve your life. If you have not already begun, start looking into teachings from others with this similar thought. Trust your intuition to lead you to the teachers who can help you unlock this ability within yourself. Feel for that connection with the shifting consciousness of the planet and believe in magic.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a lifetime of Divine Wisdom.

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What is Family?

We all know that our family is our blood relatives, right? Not always. There is our family we were born with (or adopted into) but there is also our chosen family. Those people who are part of our soul group. They feel familiar and we love being around them.

I have an amazing blood family. My Grandmother helped teach me to understand who I am. I have parents who are generous and helpful. All three of the Daughters are strong, loving, and kind. The Grandchildren are adorable and teach me new things daily by their freedom to be themselves. My Brother is full of helpful advice, even though he is younger, it seems he often experiences things in life sooner than I do. I also have a beautiful Niece and great grand Nephew who are a joy to be around.

On top of this I have married into another spectacular family. If angels live human lives on earth; my Husband is definitely one of them. I am blessed with a Stepson who has artistic gifts and a charismatic personality. My Brother-in-law truly cares about his Mother, Brother and Nephew, he is smart and full of arcaic facts about history. My Mother-in-law is an example to all woman how to continue to live your life, even after you have lost the love of your life.

But what of those people who “feel” like family. Emy, my Adventure Sister, and I have a special bond. There are many such people in our lives and sometimes we may even be closer to those family members, that we adopt, as we go through life. I recently was on a business trip and met another member of my soul group. As soon as we met, we knew, we had a connection. It is such a cool and amazing thing to be bopping through your life and suddenly you run into someone who feels familiar. You start talking and pretty soon you don’t even realize that you, and this person, have not known each other for all of your life. I believe that this is because they’re a part of your soul tribe. In my belief system, they are someone you have been with in past lives before. So it is with Emy and I. We have been sisters in many past lives. I have another friend who is very dear to me and he has been my Father in at least two past lives and my Brother in one. Have you had this type of experience? Have you met someone who you just clicked with so easily?

This was one of my requirements for finding my husband. I wanted that instant click. When he and I met we termed it “the best first date ever” because we were both so natural and comfortable with each other. Those people are out there for all of us to find. Those we’ve gone around with before. Have you met them yet?

I wish you a lifetime of finding people you connect with on a deep level and finding that one that just “clicks!” Thank you for reading my blog today.

Spider’s Web

It’s spring! The world is waking up. Nature has thrown back the blanket of snow that has covered the Earth and Mother Nature is stretching her arms and coming to life. The buds are forming on the branches. Birds are sings and hunting for the worms in the lawn. The spiders are emerging and starting to build their webs. It is a magical time to watch as the circle of life renews and spins on. Let’s think about those spider webs for a minute.

I love the symbolism of the spider web. It is a great illustration of how we are all connected. Even though two ends of the spider web may be far apart, you can’t touch one part of the web without vibrating the whole thing. If something walks through the spider web and disconnects a part of the web, the whole web will be affected. When an insect happens to fly into the web, it does not matter what part of the web it is in, the whole web dances with its effort. This is the same for us. We are all connected even if we are far apart. What you do over here will cause ripples to go out, just like when you through a rock into a calm pond. The ripples spread out, affecting more and more of the water. You get to choose what types of ripples you send out though. Will they be ripples of kindness and helpfulness or will they be ripples of anger and hate?

Sending out love and higher vibrations improve the whole world, just as lower vibrations can affect the whole world too. How do you want to change the world? Do you want to make the world a better place? Then keep that in mind when you are making a decision, as to how to respond to something that happens to you, that the energy you put out there affects the whole web of life. Your vibrations have long reaching affects and people you do know, have known or have not yet met will all be touched by the ripples.

Think about it this way. You buy a cup of coffee on your way to work. As you are walking down the sidewalk you stumble a little. Not enough to fall or get hurt, but enough that you drop you coffee. Now you have a choice. You can cuss and complain. You can decide there goes your day and everyone who comes in contact with you should be weary that you may bite their head off. You can enter the office and tell everyone what a crappy day it is and spread that lower vibe. Everyone who see you on the street and interacts with you along the way will have the potential to further spread on that bad mood. The person at the front desk who you snap at. The grandmother on the street who heard you swearing and angry when you dropped the coffee. Your assistant who can’t seem to do anything right for you the rest of that day. Who then, in turn, could spread that negative energy to all the people they interact with and so on. Get it?

Now let’s look at that same scenario but this time, let’s say you make a choice to look for the positive. Maybe this time you respond with gratitude that you did not spill it on yourself or anyone else. Thank goodness no one got burnt or their clothes stained by this mishap with the coffee. Maybe you are even able to laugh at yourself. How funny you must have looked arms flailing and coffee flying. You giggle and continue on, after picking up the cup and disposing of it in the receptacle. You smile at those you pass and continue to chuckle to yourself as you carry on with your day. You greet the receptionist with a cheery hello and maybe even share the funny story about how your coffee became airborne and end it by telling how grateful you are that no one got hurt. You work collaboratively with your assistant. This time the energy you are sharing, the vibrations on the web of life, are happy and positive. The people you have interacted with will have a positive and happy experience and will continue to spread those higher vibes across the rest of their day.

We all have choices about the way we respond to our day and life. If we truly want to improve the world and make it a great place, then start by simply making the choice to be happy, smile at others, and put those happy vibrations out into the web of life.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a lifetime of happy interactions in the web of life.

Control?

Have you heard that control is just an illusion? This is true. There is so much in this life that we cannot control but what do we really have control over? We only really have control over ourselves and how we react to things.

The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it. ~ Chris Pine

We all have choices in life, this is true, but we cannot control the outcomes of those choices. However, we can work on our perspective about the things that happen around us. You can look for the disappointment and sorrow in a situation or you can look for the silver lining. This is the most powerful thing you can do to control your life.

You cannot change others but you can change how you react to others. If you are trying to change something or someone you are probably feel very frustrated, because we really do not have that power. We can try and force others to change but in the end the change will likely not be sustainable. If they are just making changes because we are trying to force that upon them, eventually they are likely to slip back into being who they are. I am not saying people can’t change. People can and do change. I have changed a great deal over my lifetime. But none of the change was because someone else made me. All of the change started within myself. There was a time in my life when I was going through huge transformation. It started by a stirring deep down within me. It drove me forward and I started pushing to know more about this. I started studying, reading books, taking classes, and joining discussion groups. And I did change. I changed a great deal. I changed so much that the me, I was before this all started to happen, would not recognize who I am today. The point is, I changed but not because someone wanted me to, it was organic and it came from within me.

I once had this one particular friend. We started working together and things quickly went bad. She started gossiping about me. Because of this the way other people treated me changed and they would stop talking when I came around the corner. I couldn’t control her or her behavior, nor could I control the way others responded to her gossip. What I could control (and did) was how I reacted to it. I got another job within the company at a different location. It was actually a promotion for me, so her bad behavior was a blessing in disguise. Because we were still within the same company, those same people could see that I was being quite successful and doing a great job, so their opinion of me started to shift again to the positive. I took control of what I could control. ME!

The Problem is not your problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem ~Captain Jack Sparrow

With a positive outlook, good attitude and remembering that situations (and people) will happen, but that you can only control your response to them, life will feel a little less out of control.

Thank you fo reading my blog today. May life always help you move forward in positive ways.

Exceeding with Determination

This week the Universe had lessons in determination for me. Travel changes and personal goals set a high bar that made determination a must if I was going to achieve the outcome I wanted. And in one case, I overcame my goal through sheer grit and a lot of help from my friends.

The week started like most of my weeks do. An early morning flight, with a connection in Chicago, was my commute to work. As I got settled into my seat on the first flight, I received a message that my second flight had been canceled. I had to decide if I was still going on or if I was going to turn around and go home and work from there for the week. I knew the reason for my trip was important to the office I was visiting, so I decided to venture on. Then there was a delay in my first leg of the trip. Again, I reconsidered if the trip was necessary, decided it was and chose to voyage on. The delays and cancelations were due to mechanical issues but the airline was doing the right thing by putting safety first. When I arrived in Chicago, some out of the box thinking produced the idea to rent a car and drive the rest of the way. I was grateful to be able to achieve my purpose for the trip and it was a good week. It was one of those work weeks where you know you made a difference.

Now to get back home. Getting home on time was really important to me this week because I had changed plans to originally go to Florida Thursday night and instead be home for my daughter’s golden birthday. She is a very family oriented person and I knew my presence was important to her. She even said as much in the numerous text and email inquiries as to whether I’d be there or not. Thursday morning I received word that the first flight of my trip home was canceled. Oh boy! I was determined not to disappoint my daughter, so I got on the phone with the airline and eventually it was determined that the best solution was to again drive back to Chicago where I could catch the second flight, which was still scheduled and showing departure on-time. It was going to be close for me to make it back to Chicago, but again, I was determined! Luckily the stars aligned and I made it with no troubles.

The second lesson of the week in determination came when I decided that I wanted to boost our numbers on our Facebook page. We have submitted our 3 book proposals to Hay House and are waiting to hear of our acceptance to be the next Hay House Authors. Publishing is a business and the publishing company needs to know that there are people out there who want to buy your books. The numbers of followers you have is important to them and they check to see. So I set out on a campaign to get people, I knew who supported our journey, to click the “like” button of FB. I started messaging my friends. Facebook thought differently and eventually blocked me from sending messages after I sent 136 out. I was not messaging strangers but rather friends, family, and coworkers. I didn’t let that stop me though! I recorded a video of myself (something I have never done before) and posted it to Facebook asking for everyones support to “like” and “share” our page and thanked those who already had. The response was overwhelming. Our friends and family flew to our aid and started liking and sharing our page. Initially I only wanted to get to 300 likes. This will still be a small number to Hay House but to us it felt huge! Not only did we realize this goal but we have hit 400 in 24 hours! Determination, not being afraid to ask for help, and friends and family who support our mission are what made this success possible. I feel that by the end of the week, we will see us nearing the 500 mark, which is my new personal goal. I am so grateful for the people who cared enough to support us but also for the determination that left me plugging away and thinking outside the box to get to the next milestone and beyond.

I have a friend who is an astrologer. He always would tell me that even when the stars are aligned, if you don’t make use of the energy, it will not benefit you. When the potential is there, you must use your own will and determination to move the ball forward. Sometimes you may even surprise yourself!

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a lifetime of supportive people and the determination to exceed your goals! I love you!

**Photo credit today goes to my Niece Jordan who took this inspiring shot! I appreciate her generosity in letting me use it on today’s blog.

The Power of Forest Bathing

It was my husband who first introduced me to the term forest bathing. The terminology brings to mind a stainless steel horse trough sitting out in the woods full of warm sparkling water while a naked being sits happily with arms on the side of the tub and head tipped back enjoying the peaceful bath and surroundings. As lovely as that sounds, that is not what forest bathing is. Forest bathing is a term that started in Japan in the 1980. It is about being in the forests. Walking or resting amidst the trees. Allowing the healing power of nature to improve your health.

I fully understand the power of nature to lighten your spirt, raise your vibration, and make the world seem a little bit brighter. Living in a northern climate, were winter lasts half the year, I miss the call of the dirt path through the trees. I miss walking between the trunks great and small, having the branches of the shrubs brush against my body as I journey on, feeling the filtered sunlight on my face. In the spring the forest smells like dirt and the occasional blossom. In the summer I think it smells like life itself. Everything is boldly green and in its fullest, happiest stage of life. In the fall, the smell becomes that of ripe fruit and the leaves decomposing and returning to the earth. Winter has a crisp clean smell in the forest. The frozen crystalline world has the smell of a fresh start. The sounds change with the seasons also, bird songs and animals scurrying in the brush, give way to the crunch of leaves underfoot and the cracking of ice on branches. Whatever the season that you decide to visit the forest many magical gifts await you there.

There is power there, for you amongst the mighty giants and new saplings. The life force energy that runs through the trees can renew you. It can renew you. It can help you improve your health, fight off illness, and sleep better at night.

We had an especially long and cold winter this year, with piles of snow that seem they will never go away. My husband and I journeyed to Washington State. This gave us a break from the winter weather and allowed us to get out and do some spring forest bathing. We hiked among the mighty trunks of giant Pacific Northwest trees. They seemed to reach up to the heavens. I could breath again. Suddenly all the stress of life and the rushing here and there just melted away. All that mattered was the forest full of new and fresh growth and our companionship as we journeyed through the forest. It felt like a fresh start. It was a healing journey.

There is power and magic in the forest and if you take time to listen, the trees will speak to you. They will share their ancient wisdom. They will teach you how to heal yourself and to care for your neighbor. I strongly encourage you to get out there and take a forest bath.

Thank you for Reading my blog today! I wish you a lifetime of happy, peaceful time in Nature. I love you.

Your Soul Planet

I love this blog! It is a unique aspect of astrology I was not previously aware of. I find astrology fascinating. If you are interested in it like I am definitely check out this blog.

God Dimes?

Have you heard of the idea of God Dimes? I had a friend tell me that angels leave you pennies but God leaves you dimes. So when you are going about your day and you look down and see a dime, it is a sign you are on your right path. You are not alone. It is going to be okay.

Whether you believe in God as a grey haired old man, Creator, Hindu Supreme God, the energy of the Collective Consciousness, Mother Nature, Allah, your Higher Self, or some other incarnation of God – it does not matter. Dimes are a positive sign of being on your correct path.

Yesterday was a hectic day for me. My first flight had an hour delay for a maintenance issue. My connecting flight was cancelled all together. I had the choice to wait 12 hours for the connecting flight I was rebooked on or rent a car and drive the last 3 hours of the trip to my destination. I chose to rent the car and drive so I didn’t totally loose a whole day of work. I was feeling anxious about the lost time, that I had planned to be able to give to the site, I was visiting. Not to mention, things I wanted to accomplish on a personal level that I am working on. I made the changes, booked a car and canceled the flight. When I got into the car there was a dime in the cup holder. What a nice little reminder that everything is working out just as it should be. As I got my phone synced up with the car, I remembered that a friend had recommended an audiobook to me the day before. I downloaded it to my phone to listen as I made the 3 hour drive. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

While I was working in my hotel room last night, my mind flashed to the three book proposals that Emy and I just submitted to Hay House. We are anxiously awaiting to hear that they have been accepted for publication. We feel that the journey of becoming published authors has been Divinely guided. Both of our grandmothers were huge influences in our lives. They both passed away over the last couple of years and we have felt the push of our ancestors to continue working tirelessly toward this goal. We stay intentional about keeping our thoughts positive in order to be accepted as the next Hay House authors. We know that our books have messages that will help many people. As the books came into my mind last night, I looked at the corner of the bed and there lay 2 dimes. A sense of peace came over me.

Sometimes a little sign is just what we need to know it will all be okay. Seeing a little silver dime laying on the street can be a sweet reminder that we are not alone. That we are on our right path.

Thank you for reading my blog today. May your day be full of signs that you are heading in an ever positive direction. I love you!

Sisterhood

l love my male friends, but there is something special about female friends. This week my life has been full of the beauty of sisterhood. There is an extraordinary quality to the relationships of woman. An ease of understanding; an ancestral community of healers, caretakers, and nurturers. Some woman have forgotten this bond. Some women look for enemies in other woman. I encourage you, if you are one such woman, to look for the good in your sisters. I hope you can seek to understand why their journey has made them who they are and find respect for them, even if you do not agree with them.

I look around me and see my life is full of smart and capable female friends and family. This week I have supported one amazing woman who has turned her life around and continues to do so in miraculous ways. Another friend needed encouragement to continue to walk a difficult journey. I watch a dynamic millennial blow the competition out of the water at a speech contest. A friend called and gave me encouragement to continue on a new creative project I am working on. I see other woman making their dreams come true and I am inspired.

We must, as woman, band together and support each other. Celebrate the successes and cry over the losses. Together we are stronger than we are as individuals. Together we can make the world a better place. Together we will nurture the children to become fine adults, we will plan for a better tomorrow, we will mend the broken and heal the sick. We will encourage the forlorn and help the lost find their way.

Let’s look at being a woman as a super power. Let’s see our strength. Let’s gather our emotions around us and see how they do not make us weaker but make us stronger. Let us not step on the backs of other women to get to the top but rather take turns pulling each other up to the top.

I love you my sisters! I am here rooting you on. Your success is success for us all. My success is your success. We are a community of powerful women.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a feeling of sisterhood, community, and love!

I Wanna Help!

I am involved in a lot of stuff. I mean really, a lot of stuff! I work hard and I play just as hard. At work, home, and with various things I am involved in, I find myself volunteering or being ask to volunteer to take on more and more. I find it difficult to say, “no”. I wanna help and I want to make my corner of the world a better place.

That is why Emy and I wrote the 3 books. Yes, we have both felt the call to write since we were young girls. I have always know that somehow, in someway, I would eventually be an author. But, Lessons Through Joy, Lessons Through Forgiveness, and Lessons Through Magic were written with a genuine desire to help others. It is a part of the calling to make the world a better place. That same desire, swirling inside my soul, is what drives me to write this blog. It is what pushes me to get something posted 3-5 times a week. I want to help people. I want to make the world a better place.

That same desire is why I go speak to high school students and share my story of placing a child for adoption. I want to share with them an option. When I was young and not prepared to support and raise this child, that was growing inside of me, I had to make/find my own options. By sharing my story, hopefully I can help some other teen see there are other ways to give your child a good life.

My desire to help is why I am the administrator for my local Buy Nothing group. Have you heard of Buy Nothing? It is a movement to keep items out of the landfills and build community by neighbor giving to neighbor. When I first heard of this, I thought the concept was brilliant. Sadly, my neighborhood didn’t have a group. This bothered me; it was simply not acceptable. So I contacted Buy Nothing and offered to be the administrator for my area. It is one more way I can help make my little corner of the world a better place.

I do it at work too. When I see something that needs to be worked on, I often volunteer for the project. I want the company I work for to be a better place also. I want to help things be smooth and easy for others who work there. It is one more way I try and make the world a better place.

I joined Toastmasters last fall to try and make myself a better speaker but I found it was a place I could share important messages also. I try to write speeches for my little group that can help them or that they can share with others. Important messages about loving yourself as is and how forgiveness can improve your life.

I couldn’t take care of the world around me without taking care of my friends and family. So I try to be available as a shoulder to cry on, ear to listen, helping hand when needed. My husband and I worked hard to renovate our own home and now a home for our daughters. We are also using this work to providing encouragement and lessons on being the best version of himself to our teenage son. We want to make the world a better place by helping him grow into the kind of man who will stop and pick up litter on the street, help an elderly neighbor shovel snow or haul in groceries, smile at strangers, and give without selfishness. We spend hours with our grandchildren, helping them to also grow into caring people and build lasting memories for both them and us of play, creativity, and love.

With all of these efforts (and more not mentioned here) to help the world around me, it is easy to get bogged down and feel pressured and feel like I do not have enough time for me. Somehow, I manage. I do feel badly when I have to turn down a request or a project either at work or through some other avenue, but if I do not take a minute here or there for myself, I will be tapped out and not able to continue to give the best of myself. Half an effort is not good enough for me. If I am going to take something on, I need to know I can always give it the best of myself.

Thank you for reading my blog today. May you have healthy happy boundaries.