Your Word for the Year: A Soulful Experience
For the last several years, around this same time at the end of the year, I do the same thing: While everyone is still asleep as I lay here in my bed, in the quiet. It’s still dark and cold outside. I’m warm and comfy in my bed thinking about this new year. I don’t...
Honoring the Darkness and Tending to the Light Within You and Around You
{I talk, God listens}. It’s 2:30 a.m., God. And I am awake – silence, darkness, my pen and notepad, and my warm covers. Without the distractions of the day, the darkness provides a holy opportunity to listen and connect. Keith is dead {*Keith is a dear friend of...
Yes to the Mess – a Holy Invitation
Yes to the Mess Yes to the mess of ribbon and wrapping paper on the floor. Yes to the perfect gift you picked out and no one thanked you. Yes to the laughter and joy. Yes to the quiet ache of loneliness still lingering within you. Yes to the “best china” and the plate...
Forgiveness
I'm standing at the hospital bed of one of my dearest friends. There are tubes every which way, machines making noises. I don't know if he will "pull through" or not. So I take this precious moment as an opportunity to bless him, kiss him on the forehead, whisper...
5 Mindful and Compassionate Practices for Reentry on a Monday after a Holiday Break
The "Mindful and Compassionate Reentry" Practices It's Monday morning. And for us in the States, it's a Monday after a holiday break. I love my work and I look forward to seeing my clients and spending time writing. But I also miss hanging with my family and having...
Take heart in turbulent times: how gratitude and delight nourish the soul
This is a week of Thanksgiving and gathering in the United States. And I know that not every person is thrilled or even comfortable with the holidays. Maybe your family is divided on politics. Maybe the holidays bring your grief to the surface. Maybe there is a deep...
Devoted to what delights your heart and what you know you have to do
"Go to bed, my Love," I heard as I awoke to Brian gently nudging me awake, taking the pen out of my hand and helping me up. I fell asleep making edits to my book. I get the kiddos in bed and then I'm back writing. I have no editor, no agent, no staff to guide me. ...
Letting Your Heart Break Wide Open – little by little
Wide Open Let your heart break. Let it break wide open. You have lost all interest in trying to keep all the pieces together anymore. Your soul wants out. Your soul wants freedom. You have been longing to stop pushing down the lump in your throat. Let your truth be...
Schedule Your Self-Care for 2017
This past year, I did something I hadn’t done before: I scheduled out my self-care for the whole year. I sat back and saw how I would spend money on my children. I would put their regular activities on the schedule. New soccer team with new uniforms and more...
A sacred response to overwhelm and negativity
We were in the middle of Ikea (an hour and a half away from home) when we heard our son broke his thumb. It was Friday and traffic was heavy. We were finally trying to make time for a project in our kitchen to create work space for our children. This project is...