A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Getting Back to YOU

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Fotolia_68623817_Subscription_Monthly_MWith the New Year coming, many of us find ourselves in a state of reflection and evaluation. We reflect back on the past year’s joys and pains. We often set new goals for ourselves and set out to achieve great miraculous things in the upcoming new twelve months laid out before us.

Why is it that every New Year we come up with a new, or sometimes even repeated, list of what we feel we are not, yet long to be? There seems to be something cyclical in our nature. We find that the turning over of the calendar calls to our soul to reevaluate ourselves. We vow to make a fresh start, vastly improving on the “you” that existed pre-January? We vow to eat better, exercise more, pray more, meditate more, complain less, and stress less. So many things we want to do and be. So many things we long for. Many times we think achieving this list will finally make us happy once and for all.

I have a different philosophy on the upcoming New Year’s resolutions that you may be considering. Reflect on this a bit before you devote yourself to a full-fledged overhaul of all that you are.

What if, instead of feeling like we need to revamp the whole package, we focused on ways to broaden our core gifts?

We all have unique gifts we bring to the world. I believe we have been designed to be a unique combination of quirks, talents, jagged edges and soft tenderness that enable us to be exactly what this world needs right now, right here. So while we may wish we were thinner, kinder, healthier or more fiscally responsible … what are you to this world already, right now? What are your great gifts that you naturally exude, and how can you use those to shine a light that surrounds you?

Self-improvement is a worthwhile endeavor, something to help lead us to be better people. But let’s not sidestep or minimize what we naturally are at the fiber of our being. Maybe the way to improve our lives is to delve more deeply into the core of who we are instead of wishing to be something different.

We spend a lot of our time viewing and envying the light of others. We wish for longer legs, a happier outlook, a better job, a better relationship. What if their light is not our color? Do not ignore the shade of light that only you bring. What is the color of your special unique light and how can you better carry that out into the world?

Maybe you have endured an abusive or painful relationship? Instead of shunning that in shame and secrecy, ask what glory can be brought by your trials? How can that part of who you are bring light into the world?

Maybe you lost your job this year or, god forbid, your partner? You are suddenly in a unique position to have a void to fill? What can you best do with that void? Where does the world need your special unique set of talents, ability to love and the spirit in your soul that you shine?

Are you wonderful with children, but yours are gone? How can the core of you be used to better this wonderful world we live in? How can you connect more light in people through the joy only you can bring into lives?

Instead of feeling the arrival of the New Year as a call to reform and reshape all that you are, maybe this year recognize it as a chance to celebrate and deepen all that you already are. You were designed to be you for a very special purpose. I encourage you to embrace and share that role more deeply than ever before with the world.

What Is Your New Lifestyle?

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Fotolia_71447773_Subscription_Monthly_MDo you feel like your entire life needs a makeover? (And I am not talking about lipstick and blush.)

We get up in the morning and start our day doing the same ole thing, drinking the same ole coffee, looking at the same ole … well … just fill in the blank. It gets so old, and we actually decrease our vibration by not creating our life with style and keeping it fresh. I know because I have been there more than I can say. I think we get into patterns and routines and think if they work, leave well enough alone. Then we can’t understand why we feel bored or numb and that something is missing.

I know you can relate! Wherever you are in your home right now, stop reading and follow the instructions that are next. I want you to look around. What do you see, what do you feel, what do you want to change or move? Is there anything you want to junk and replace?

Let your creative juices run wild. I am not saying go out and spend a bunch of money and completely redecorate. Sometimes in life it is the smallest adjustments that bring us the greatest joy. Simply moving an object, buying a new book (or even a new tube of lipstick) is all it takes. It is the subtle changes we make every day.

Where can you look to make changes and create your own new style of living? Here are a few I do every month.

  1. I inwardly create and junk what no longer serves me. I might spiff up my Spirituality by buying a new book or learning a new practice. I make sure I spend time with my Spiritual Health Mentor and keep my heart and mind in alignment.
  1. I sweep my house with intention. I start in my bedroom and then continue throughout my home. I am always amazed at what is sitting around, taking up space, that I truly don’t like. I donate those items or have a tag sale, and then I ask myself what I might like to add to this open space. Sometimes it is nothing. When you allow your essence to guide you, you will immediately realize it is truly what your heart desires.
  1. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. This is a great truth. As a child and into my late teens, I can’t tell you how many times my parents would say this to me after seeing my bedroom. Thank goodness I didn’t carry those habits over into my adult life. Our senses have so much to do with how we feel emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. I find that the first of the New Year Winter cleaning is so much more productive than waiting until Spring. I remove the clutter, grab my cleaning supplies and begin my cleaning ritual. When all is clean, I rearrange the furniture and add special fragrance and flowers. Plants are also wonderful for a clean, rejuvenated feeling.
  1. I check out my closets – especially the clothes closet. If I haven’t worn something for 6 months to a year, it’s donation or consignment time. I have been practicing this for over 10 years. It allows me to give unto others and also to take that extra money and buy the hot blouse I’ve been wanting.

These are all very small, basic changes. It will only take a few minutes a day for a month to implement your new style and creations for the New Year. Go slow and steady and the changes will stick. When you start in newness, you reset your entire life, and it is an amazing feeling. It gives you the permission to say “YES” to what you want to create, design and give space to, and it and allows you to stretch and grow who you are. Your energy within and all around you will shift. .

By creating and clearing new space, you are actually telling yourself how much you “LOVE YOU.” Love is your greatest luxury. It sends your vibration soaring. I invite you to create and clear more space and allow your energy to flow with abundance. Create in love and create in truth. And don’t forget to be gentle and kind to yourself.

The Top 10 Foods That Make You Happy Inside

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Fotolia_72372016_Subscription_Monthly_MDid you know that inside your body there are about 100 trillion cells that when fed correctly will keep you feeling great? And what’s more, not one of these cells is human. They’re in you and they’re on you, but they’re not you.

Yes, I’m talking about the beneficial microbes that live inside you and govern the health of your digestive system. Now, these microbes, called probiotics, have a favorite food, and when they get a steady supply of their favorite food, they multiply, stay strong and protect you from harmful microbes.

A healthy population of probiotics is now recognized as a mainstay for optimal health. When that population gets diminished and the bad guys begin to take over, your health may deteriorate in many ways. Dysbiosis is the term used for an unhealthy, imbalanced ratio of good to bad microbes in the gut. Dysbiosis can cause irritable bowel, leaky gut, diarrhea, constipation, crohn’s, colitis and, believe it or not, even weight gain, cravings and depression.

One of the best and fastest ways to get your insides feeling happy again is by feeding your little friends, these probiotics, the stuff that makes them thrive. Technically, the stuff that makes them thrive is called “prebiotics,” but to your probiotic microbes, they are their manna from heaven. Prebiotics are actually specific fibers found in plant foods. Your body doesn’t actually digest these fibers; however, your good bacteria happily ferments them and creates all kinds of beneficial nutrients. And all you have to do is eat the foods rich in these fibers, or you can supplement them.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Prebiotic rich foods:

  • Chicory root
  • Jerusalem artichoke
  • Dandelion greens
  • Guar seed
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Leeks
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage

As you can see, the age-old recommendation of “eat your vegetables” doesn’t get any less true. Now you have yet another very important reason to get your 5 to 9 daily servings. Obviously, some of these foods are not on everyone’s daily diet. So you can always supplement with any of the prebiotic products available. They will contain either inulin, FOS, (Fructo-Oligo-Sacharrides) or PHGG (Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum). Actually, all are just the fancy names for the specialized fibers that make up prebiotics.

So which is better: to get prebiotics from your diet or from supplementation? Well, if you got them from your diet, it would certainly mean you’re eating lots of vegetables … and that’s a good thing. However, your probiotic friends don’t really care. So in the end, it’s a matter of practicality and your specific need. Even though chicory and Jerusalem artichoke contain a very high concentration of prebiotic fibers, they are not very practical as an everyday food item.

Chicory = 64% prebiotic fiber by weight

Jerusalem artichoke = 32% prebiotic fiber by weight

Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage = 5% prebiotic fiber by weight

As you can see, the vegetables you are more likely to eat have a low fiber content. You need at least 8 to 12 grams of prebiotic fiber per day. That translates into about 2-6 servings of raw vegetables and 3 to 9 servings of cooked vegetables. If you can get more, it’s recommended. So, depending on your vegetable consumption (fruits contain some prebiotic fiber at lower concentrations), supplementation may not be a bad idea.

Typically, a recommended single dose in a concentrated supplement is 4 grams. If you have a digestive illness or condition of some kind, then supplementation becomes a little more important. If you have an inflammatory condition like IBS, crohn’s disease or colitis, then you have to be careful about the type of fiber you use. Your sensitive gastro-intestinal tract does not tolerate gritty, harsh types of fiber. It’s the new kid on the block that I mentioned before, PHGG, that is recommended for inflammatory conditions of the gut. What’s more it’s odorless, tasteless and has no grit.

It really is true that keeping your friendly microbes well fed will keep you happy inside in more ways than one. And the key to all this inner happiness is good nutrition for both you and your 100 trillion friends.

Co-Weaving New Life

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Fotolia_53935659_Subscription_Monthly_MIt was one of those moments: the kind of moment when you are fully present and witnessing an experience, knowing that something really big is happening.  At our cabin on Johnson Lake, we have a steep grass slope that leads to the water. I was mindfully taking conscious and careful baby steps down the hill as I had hundreds of times before. One quick slip and I heard the dreadful, spine-chilling “CRACK!” and went down. I didn’t cry or laugh as I normally would with a sprained ankle or clumsy fall. I went into a hyper-alert, adrenalin-induced, emergency-medical-response mode.

Everyone else in the boat and on the patio heard the gruesome break as well. They came running. “Get some ice and ibuprofen,” I directed when my family asked what I needed and what they could do to help. “And, get those cedar planks above the washer that we grill fish on. We can use them for a splint.” The ice and ibuprofen came quickly. My cedar planks were vetoed for soft, rolled-up towels and Press and Seal plastic wrap.

The Emergency Room doctor was impressed with my family’s creative ingenuity.

After cutting off the wrap and examining my leg and ankle, he said he thought I broke my ankle. I said, “Maybe, but I know my shin bone is broken.” He touched my leg again and said, “No, I think it’s your ankle.” The ex-rays came back and we were both right. I had a spiral fracture on my left tibia and a break on both sides of my ankle.

When a fracture of the bone occurs, the body leaps into action to begin the healing process. There are three important stages in healing a fractured bone. First is the inflammatory phase, second the reparative phase, and third the remodeling phase. I think the second is particularly interesting. The reparative phase begins about two weeks after the fracture occurs. In this stage, proteins begin to consolidate into what is known as a soft callus. This soft, new bone substance eventually hardens into a hard callus as the bone “weaves together” over a six to twelve week period. The genius within the body repairs itself. I often sat with my leg elevated in a heavy, full-leg cast imagining and visualizing the bones weaving together.

I am in awe of how the Designing Intelligence of Creation continues to do its thing – assisting my body to weave new bone. How magnificent. The body has such an extraordinary and complex design. My body knows exactly what to do. I simply have to sit back, rest and allow it to do its thing.

Now, twelve weeks later, I wait for the day when I am able to take my first NEW steps forward on my leg, I am grateful for life’s genius. The lessons from this experience have been invaluable. Life gave me “a break.” It’s been a time of pause, reflection, healing, and surrender – “a weaving of the new” in so many ways. I have learned to literally partner with and trust the Designing Intelligence more completely. In doing so, I have been immersed in the creative flow of the Universe.

The same Intelligence that heals my bones also has my back and desires to co-create more fully with me. The same Intelligence that weaves new bone also holds the material of Creation together – my experiences, relationships, nature, humanity, earth and the cosmos. I am not separate from this Divine Intelligence. The Intelligence is in me and I am in it. I am not separate from the weaving. I am part of it. I am a co-weaver neatly interlaced within Creation.

As I move forward, each new step is entwined with the consciousness of this interconnected reality. The new me listens even deeper for guidance and direction as I practice attuning to the Intelligence. As I surrender to the co-creative process, I midwife and steward new projects, knowing they come through me, but not of me. I align with the highest good of Creation and trust that the expression of my individual threads is unique and an integral part of the fabric of life. The new me shares my gifts in synergistic play with others to bring forth this new, unitive consciousness and a new world. The more I honor the wisdom and power of the Designing Intelligence, the more resources and opportunities come to me – naturally… organically.

Now, I’m on the precipice of another one of those moments, knowing that something really big is about to happen.   I am preparing to leap forward, trusting the Designing Intelligence and saying, “Yes!” to what presents. The world looks very different now. It is alive and supportive and interactive. I have an intimate relationship – a sacred union – with the Designing Intelligence that has healed my bones. With gratitude, I will put my best foot forward and delight as Creation continues to create through me. There will be no more careful baby steps. For it is time to leap into full co-creation. With the assistance of my incredible intelligence partner, I am co-weaving new life.

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