Learning A New Dance

Today, Just steps away from where I'm living, the Atlantic Ocean is quiet and serene. Yet, a storm is brewing. And isn't that how it is in all of Life? All is clicking along nicely, and then bam, something hits and you are drowning in crashing waves of emotion. *Just Breathe* (my mantra of Life) *Stay Calm and Stay Anchored* (my mantra of Faith) I remind myself the breath of life is gifted us one inhale and exhale at a time, and we've all been given the strength, courage, and wisdom we need to ride through any storm and find peace on the other side. Tornado season I know, (MN-hello! hunkered down in the basement as a kid, with folded hands reciting the Our Father!) and have gotten a taste of earthquakes and fires (SoCal), but Dorian will be my first introduction to hurricane season. And so I am reminding myself of all of this, repeating my mantras, breathing, and looking at it as yet another adventure of this Wild Life. I am thankful I am here with my Jason and his family. He puts the capital W in We- for as a single man (risk taker at that!) he may have faced a hurricane much differently. As a husband and father, he is the clear and confident voice of reason. ♥️ We are so blessed to have the technology we do and the men and women standing post to give us the latest updates so we can make the best decisions for ourselves. We've made a plan to stay and to go. We are busy preparing for the aftermath, for as we all know, after the storms of Life is when our resiliency is often tested the most. So, here we go, all those in Dorian's line! ( I'm so happy Puerto Rico was spared this time around!) Love and Safety to us all!! 😘 #hurricaneseason #hurricanedorian #justbreathe #faith (at Melbourne Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wQfTpnV5D/?igshid=1xoorcxhmqtx3

There are different ways to see the same situation. #perspective https://www.instagram.com/p/Boal1HKA-mG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7ir0s80hjlj1

Whatever you may be living bravely through, trust in yourself. Trust your innate ability to move toward your dreams at the rhythm and pace perfect for you. Be free of any self-limiting labels or comparisons of who you are and what you’re made of, and EMRACE LIFE!! #trustyourself #livebravely #embracelife https://www.instagram.com/p/BoNDIn8A9oJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i3bbx3xdxk7u

Whatever you may be living bravely through, trust in yourself. Trust your innate ability to move toward your dreams at the rhythm and pace perfect for you. Be free of any self-limiting labels or comparisons of who you are and what you’re made of, and EMRACE LIFE!! #livebravely #trustyourself #embracelife https://www.instagram.com/p/BoM_qlXgNsS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eu9vgl5f26cl

May you write to your liking, not that of the critics, and may you always, always, LOVE THE ONE HOLDING THE PEN!!

"LIFE IS FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH PRAYER" I walk around the quiet beauty of the farm and ache with the longing for mom to be walking with me, in the outdoors she loved so much. As I breathe in the fond familiarity of country living, I feel my insides relax. I am immediately comforted by the essence of her, alive and well in every sight, sound, and smell. She is not there, she is everywhere. My eye catches a powder blue robin's egg on the ground in front of me. It is broken open and laying so vulnerable amongst the rocks, twigs, and grass clippings. I bend down to get a closer look and think how precious it is in it's fragility. Like our lives. Precious. Fragile. Instantly, I am reminded of a homemade card mom once sent me, in one of my times of heartache, with a drawing of a box and the word FRAGILE written on the side of it in red pencil. Inside the card she wrote, "Life Is Fragile, Handle With Prayer." And just as instantly, my eyes filled up with the sweetness of the faith she let pour from her heart. Faith in the Power that works everything out for our good, if we can only find it within ourselves to trust, let go, and allow it to be so. She is not there, she is everywhere. I'm not sure what to do with the precious little broken egg, really, other than to let it go, move on, and let nature take it's course. It feels better to me to get it off the gravel road, so I carefully pick it up and set it in the soft grass. Once back to the front door that my mom will never again open to me with a big smile and cheerful voice, I feel surprisingly calm. I understand that just like the robin's egg, we are all precious in our fragility. We all feel wounded, broken at times. Yet, we are all resilient. We can learn to live with the joy that sits in the corners of every day, even when longing, disappointment, and heart-wrenching grief pull up a seat next to us. We can greet each morning with gratitude and pray each night to notice, receive, and enjoy the gifts of Life the next day. And just like mom has been teaching me my whole life, we can all learn to forgive what was, breathe with what is, and have faith in what is to come.

AND anything else that helps you remember it is great to be alive!

“Love is the Answer. What was the Question?” - John Lennon TGIF everyone!

“I Love and Approve of Myself” is a great affirmation to repeat over and over to yourself whenever you feel vulnerable, guilty, or embarrassed. * Saying it out loud in front of the mirror can be even more affirming! * It reminds you there is nothing wrong with you. Perhaps there is a thought pattern worth changing or a a part of you that needs healing- but there is nothing wrong with who you are. * Yesterday, I’ve was beating myself up for making judgements about someone, based on something they wrote online. I have not met this person or even talked to this person, yet judgmental thoughts and preconceived notions about their character flooded me. * Once I became aware I was standing in the valley of judgement, which does not feel comfortable or stable to me, I felt so embarrassed- leaning toward ashamed. I knew I needed to find higher thoughts in order to find higher, more solid ground. * To the mirror I went, chanting “I love and approve of myself” over and over until I could look into my eyes and feel like myself again. * Myself, who gives people a chance. Myself, who does not exclude people. Myself, who sees the good in people. Myself, who allows people to be who they choose to be. * By affirming there is nothing wrong with me- nothing “bad” that needs fixing- a space was opened to understand this person triggered an old wound in me that still needs some TLC. * I was able to step up from judgement of another, and walk onward towards acceptance- not only of him, but me. * When we feel embarrassed, guilty, or ashamed for our thoughts or actions, often times there is a deep wound still festering within.... and self-love and approval is the best remedy for healing! ❤️✨

Happy World Oceans Day! Isn’t it amazing how, without much thought, we simply trust the ocean tides to rise and fall in consistent rhythm, day after day, year after year? May we learn to more fully trust ourselves to move up and down with the ebb and flow of living deeply. - Loving deeply - Laughing deeply - Hurting deeply - Rejoicing deeply - Appreciating deeply - Giving deeply - Receiving deeply - Connecting deeply - Grieving deeply - Healing deeply - Forgiving deeply - Enjoying deeply The older I get, the more clearly I understand there is nothing to fear from feeling my feelings WHEN I feel them. Just as ocean life would suffer without the currents flowing through, so does my wellbeing suffer when I’m not truly feeling my feelings. I’m stifled, stagnate, and sad. As we take more loving care of ourselves and our oceans, may we all LIVE more DEEPLY and ALIVE!! #worldoceansday #livedeeply #lovedeeply #feeldeeply #comealive #takecareofyourself #takecareofouroceans #live #love #laugh

It was the perfect way to feel my mom’s spirit on Mother’s Day: eating fresh popped popcorn and walking through the flower fields near where I live. Fond memories of my childhood are of mom making big batches of popcorn on Sunday nights for all of us kids to eat while we watched T.V. as well as watching her tend to her gardens and blossoming greenhouses. Even fonder for me now as an adult, is knowing that along with my siblings, nieces, nephews, and kids and grandkids of my own, I am a lovely and precious flower in the garden of her life. A mother’s love is eternal and memories of that love is healing. 💕 #mothersday #amotherslove #memories #theflowerfields (at The Flower Fields)

Mucho loco fun at Heal Your Life Coach training with @the_happy_goddess and my HYL sisters! Here I’m channeling our dear Louise “Lulu” Hay and sharing my love of dancing. Her central message of the body of her “You Can Heal Your Life” work is so powerful. When you learn to truly love and accept yourself, you can carry the joy of living with you through every experience, even the painful ones, and truly love your life! You can even put yourself out there and dance like this! 😆❤️☀️#belove #teachlove #loveyourself #healyourlife #louisehay #healyourlifecoachtraining #healyourlifecoach #heartinspiredpresentations (at Tampa, Florida)

We are all dancing through this Mystery of Life and learning new dances as we go....

In these troubling times, keeping the faith is keeping good energy flowing. We cannot control the thoughts, beliefs, or actions of others.....but we are in control of our own.