As a spiritual counselor and life coach, I am privileged to companion people along life's path. 
I have been honored to listen to their stories and provide support as they struggle to live from their hearts and make a difference in the world.  The other day, as I was thinking about how many of these people have touched my own heart and life, I decided that their stories were anything but ordinary.  These people exhibit courage, conviction and a passion for healing themselves, helping others and making the most of their lives; some under the most difficult circumstances.

In a world where so much struggle and strife exists, we are bombarded by all the negative stories about hard times, conflict between people, and the difficulties we are facing in our communities and the world at large.  Many of us may believe that it takes strong and powerful people to make a difference, and in this belief we miss out on how "we" as ordinary, simple people can contribute in a meaningful way.

As a way of celebrating and honoring the extraordinary moments and acts in our lives,  I am launching a weekly blog entry that focuses on one person's story.  These will appear, each Wednesday, starting on September 23rd.  I would love to hear your stories as well, so feel free to pass them along.  Names and any identifying details will only be used if I receive permission and the blog entry is approved by the person who it is written about.  Please join this celebration of courage and the extraordinary moments in our lives. 

Over the past 10 days, I have been traveling in Denmark and Sweden in celebration of my husband's 60th year.  We have had a marvelous time visiting various places and just hanging out and observing the world go by.  We arrived in Copenhagen for the beginning of the 2nd annual World Outgames.  Being in a city where diversity is honored and celebrated was a perfect place to celebrate my husbands 60th!   We left Copenhagen and arrived in Stockholm, where the 1st day we came upon the "Stockholm Pride" Parade.  What we both noticed immediately about this parade was how many "public" agencies and officials participated; several units from the Armed Services, The Royal Guard, The Red Cross, The Police, Doctors and Nurses, The Royal Opera Company, and Amnesty International proudly took to the streets in support of the rights of the Gay, Lesbian & Transgender communities.  There are many things I love about being an American and living in the United States, and one day I hope we will see this support and inclusiveness throughout our Country! 

In my capacity of coach, counselor and officiant, I often notice how difficult it seems to balance all that we have on our plates.  I listen to people's yearning to be more at peace, more in touch with their inner witness and spirit, and to feel that they can balance their life differently.  While my life is less complicated than most, I have recently rediscovered the power of eliminating any electronic devices while I am driving.  Yes, that means turning off my cell phone, and mostly even my I-Pod music (although this is a bit harder for me!).  What I have noticed is that while I am clearly a safer driver on the road, bringing mindfulness to my driving by; focusing on the road, with my hands on the wheel and just driving, I actually feel more peaceful and spacious when I arrive at my destination.  This allows me to better negotiate all of what is presented to me with lightness and humor.  All of a sudden I realize I am happier, even when times might be difficult.  It actually feels to me that I am a lily on a pond!  So give it a try, even for a day, and share what you experience with us!

There are many things we do automatically.  In my life, I have noticed that breathing is one of them.  Of course you might say, we all breath, we have to if we are to live.  Yet on days when I am busy, packing a lot into my waking hours, this is precisely the opportunity to pause and remember that breathing is in fact a gift.  You see, when I'm running around in my automatic mode, my breathing is shallow and only provides the minimum my mind, body and spirit need to efficiently get done what my mind (well actually my ego) "thinks" it needs to (an entirely different topic!).  When I remember to "come up for air" and pause, as I finally did today, I notice that every fiber of my being wants expansion, and I begin to breath deeply.  It is when I begin this process, connecting to my body's wisdom that I become quiet, centered and feel the ground beneath me.  My thinking slows, I begin to feel energy flowing, and I connect to the act of breathing itself,  moving into a meditative state.  In this way I begin to consciously connect to spirit.  I awaken a bit more to the essence of who, my creativity, my sacredness as a human being, and I notice more joy in the moment.  What an incredible gift!  How are you breathing today?

I have been wrestling recently with my personal history's hold over my life, and how each day I find myself living from it versus in the moment.  I am truly blessed to have a life that is filled with richness and possibility and yet, some days I find myself experiencing a mild depression or sadness.  An inquiry into my sadness yesterday, led me once again to the simple truth that I live from my history more than I would care to admit.  If my life were a movie in the making, then I would quite comfortably be the writer of the script, the casting director, the director, the actors...need I say more?  When one of the actors says or does something I don't like, or it doesn't fit into the way the script is written, I have basically two possibilities; react to it in a number of ways (becoming angry, sad, withdrawn) or rewrite the script!  What prevents me from rewriting the script?   Usually it is my automatic response, based upon my history and my minds interpretation of what it all means, that keeps me stuck.  If I am courageous enough to be "present to/go into/stay with" (in this case the sadness),  breathe into it...physically experience it...than 9 times out of 10, a new experience emerges.  Yesterday, I moved from sadness to a peacefulness and sense of strength. Ah relief!

That I might actually be able to rewrite the script by simply living and inquiring into the moment is the most profound possibility of all.  It means that each day I consciously choose this possibility, moving through any resistance that might appear, and it does appear!  While it may sound simple, personally I am aware of just how difficult this can be.  As always, please share your thoughts and experiences.

Saturday I was in the presence of his Holiness, The Dalai Lama.  I had been anticipating this moment for several weeks and thinking how I might be transformed and even possibly gain a large leap towards enlightenment.  So here I was, tingling on the inside, hoping for new insight and knowledge to take out into the world, and be a different and more enlightened being.  Rational or not, it was where my mind went.

Upon leaving the morning session my husband turned to me and asked how I felt, and with a pause I replied; "You know, I feel the same, I had no new revelations or insights, I don't feel the tiniest bit more on the road to enlightenment than before."   Then all of a sudden, without any effort, a big belly laugh emerged and I realized how absurd my expectations even were. 
It was in letting go of my expectations that I experienced what many of my teachers have spoken about; the pure laughter and joy that life can offer even when you are unable to receive that which you hope for. 

Naturally it begs the question; where else or what else am I holding onto?  What is my expectation of the process of enlightenment itself?  Please share what your thoughts and learning's.

Yesterday was a most remarkable day.  It wasn't that I accomplished anything spectacular, nor did I contribute in any great measure to resolving global poverty or world hunger, rather yesterday was dedicated to the blessings that we give and receive when we connect to another from our hearts.

Throughout the day I was aware that from the smallest of interactions to the soulful conversations I was part of, the ability for me to remain openhearted made the day exceptional and complete. From the smiles and simple chit-chat with a parking attendant, who filled my heart with joy with his sincerity and kindness; to discussions of personal longings, confusions and hopes with friends and family, I could sense the immense richness of life, and the nurturance and love that is all around.

John O’Donohue in his book, “To Bless the Space Between Us” speaks about blessings as being “a gracious invocation where the human heart pleads with the divine heart.” I love these words as part of what blessings encompass, and believe that when we act from our own divine heart, we can not help but to silently bless each, answering the human longing for connection and belonging.

So maybe I did accomplish something great after all. By holding my heart open, I was able to be in sacred relationship and communion with others, giving and receiving the blessings of connection and belonging. In a world so troubled, offering this possibility to other’s and ourselves infuses the world, one person at a time, with a greater capacity to love and heal. May we all be blessed with openheartedness every day of our lives. Please share your day’s blessings.

Last week I launched my new website including this blog.  I became a Facebook, Linked-in and Twitter member.  All of which required me to spend hours getting "up and running" (which I am still in the process of!), and to move into the age of technology at a speed that my soul has not yet learned to assimilate.   In today's world, the pace of our communications and the ability to reach out and touch so many people is wondrous, but I am also aware that I need space and time to honor and care for my soul.  The capacity to be "plugged" in and amped up 24-7 is more real now than it was seven days ago.  Already I can feel myself moving faster than I am accustom to, at the cost of my "silent" or "down" times.   So I begin my personal inquiry.  How can I can incorporate the marvels of social networking and technology without abandoning the care of my soul?  How might I use technology as a tool, without technology taking over my life...it is so tempting after all!?  Every positive holds within it's very nature the negative reflection which is so well depicted in the Taoist symbol of Yin -Yang...a balancing & nesting of opposites.  My job on this journey is to remain conscious of how to stay in balance and be supported as I continue my inquiry and growth. I welcome your learning's and comments.

As I was writing a wedding ceremony this morning, I was searching for the perfect words to express specific beliefs and feelings.  This process reminds me of how important words are in how we communicate to each other.  For instance, I was discussing with my husband the possibility of "dividing" financial responsibilities.  In our discussion he expressed a feeling of discomfort at the thought of dividing anything, he said that this implied to him a "separation" as a couple.  As I listened to him it occurred to me; had I used different words, had I asked him to consider how we might better support our relationship by clarifying our individual financial  responsibilities,  he may not have felt discomfort (which was indeed confirmed when I posed this to him!) Selecting the right words to express your thoughts and truth with another is more than a skill, it is an art, and I am growing as an artist every day!   Please share your own experiences... Peace and blessings  

Each year at this time, I am in awe of just how much nature has to teach us.  Today, as I was walking, I witnessed new sprigs of growth arising between the old fallen leaves that were brown, crumpled and mixed with the remnants of a long cold winter.  In the moment of marveling at this emergence of new life,  I was reminded that; I too have cycles of retreat and renewal...and if I can just be patient enough, I will experience again the marvels of new life within and outside.  Enjoy the spring and let me know what you are learning from nature!