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A Stack of Gratitude 

Update: It took almost 3 years, but before I moved to India in March of 2021, I had mailed out every single one of those hundreds and hundreds of postcards.

It began a long time ago when I was a young girl. My family did not have a camera nor the money for souvenirs. So it was an ingenious idea of my parents to allow each of us children to choose one postcard from every place we went. So whether it was a day trip to the zoo or to a park or to a museum, each place we went we were permitted to choose one…

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This Fragile Human Form 

My love for you cannot be contained in this body.
The edges of this existAnce are always on the verge of bursting open... stretching beyond what is possible... a pain in the soul,... the pain of being contained,... of being limited in form, when my love for you is limitless.

Maybe in a past life the same thing happened. Maybe I met you and loved you so completely and so fully that it could not be contained in this human body. And maybe one day, overwhelmed by my love for you, I burst wide open, exploding into…

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Your Message 

"Our own life has to be our message"

This is a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh

Read these words again

"Our own life has to be our message."

What is your message?

 Before your mind goes making a list of your achievements and your successes, think about this; what do you really want to say with your brief time on this planet?

 Each one of us will have a different answer to that question. And I hope that your message will be your own, a message that has blossomed out of your authenticity. Only you know what your…

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Allow the Unfolding - Cliff diving anyone?? 

Trust in Divine Timing.

That’s what we are told. Trust. I’ve even reminded myself and others to ‘allow the unfolding’. To let things unfold naturally instead of trying to force a certain outcome. When we are doing our work, learning the lessons, shedding the layers, and moving forward, sometimes …. (Umm, actually a lot of the time,)… we would like some concrete affirmation that our work is paying off, that our efforts come to fruition in a tangible way, and preferably RIGHT NOW. This is normal human…

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Dandelion Smiles 

“I have lost my smile, but don’t worry. The dandelion has it” – Thich Nhat Hanh

What a beautiful thought. This week in several of my yoga classes I invited students to reflect upon this quote, and I also shared some of my own explorations of these lovely lines. Here I would like to share my ponderings on this quote and also explore further.

“I have lost my smile, but don’t worry. The dandelion has it”

First of all, I confess I adore dandelions. They are tenacious, growing up through sidewalk cracks and…

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Time to Unclench 

Here is the image. You have a goal. You’ve planned a path to that goal. You are walking the path with total commitment and dedication. You should make it to your goal then, right? But what if you don’t? You are focusing on every step and keeping your eyes glued to the path…. Then you hit a brick wall. You are standing there with your face up against the wall, so close that all you see are the bricks. You try to  punch, kick, climb, scratch and claw your way through or over the wall but nothing is working…

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A Trail of Magic 

I read a quote once that has stuck with me for many years, although I don’t recall to whom the quote was attributed. It said, “By choosing to be our most authentic and loving self, we leave a trail of magic everywhere we go”

Isn’t that a beautiful image? A trail of magic… but what does that really mean?

We understand ‘loving’ but what does it mean to be ‘authentic’? It is something beyond just ‘being yourself’. It is not just about being yourself, but being OK with ALL of yourself. To have the courage to…

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The Other Shoe 

Anyone who has survived trauma of any kind knows the uneasy feeling that comes when life 'gets good again'. It is the shadowy companion of happiness that warns you not to get 'too' happy, because the rug got ripped out from under you before and it could happen again. Every dose of happiness brings along a dose of anxiety. We are always waiting for the other shoe to fall.
Maybe this thinking originally manifested to protect you, but it is no longer serving you. It is time to Let It Go! (cue 'Frozen'… Read more

Can Only Be Seen in Winter 

This morning I was driving to yoga under a dreary grey sky and thinking about how much I miss the leaves on the trees. I was reminding myself that the trees aren't dead, they are just resting. I came around a bend in the road and saw in a distant corner of the sky a beautiful opening in the seemingly endless grey where patches of beautiful blue could be seen. The sunlight that came through this opening lit up the edges of the cloudscape bright white. It was beautiful. It made me think about the truth of… Read more

Enjoy the Journey 

  Many folks on this page have complimented me on the positive nature of my blogs. It makes me happy to know that in a small way I can share this positive energy with you. I want to say again that my positive outlook is NOT the result of living a life free from sorrow. It is also not a result of genetics. I have worked hard to become more positive. Life is hard. Our hearts break. We suffer. But when we dwell in negative thoughts we increase our suffering. To be positive is not to bury one's head in the… Read more

5 WAYS TO SHINE YOUR LIGHT IN DARK TIMES 

Recent events in the news have many of us heartbroken as we struggle to make sense of a senseless world. Remember that what we put our focus on will expand, so be careful where you turn your attention in these dark days. This is NOT a suggestion to turn a blind eye  - This is how to see the sorrow  and shine your light brightly anyway.

 1 - Outweigh the negative with positive 5 to 1. For every heartbreaking situation you hear about, make a mental list of five positive things you heard. For every one person…

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