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Happy Easter

April 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Easter Sunrise

Good morning, and Happy Easter to my Christian friends. And a blessed Passover to my Jewish friends. We started our day out with a beautiful sunrise Mass at our little church, Blessed Sacrament in Cocoa, FL. The sun did rise with some brilliance but then disappeared behind a cloud for most of the service, which was a good thing, as we faced east.

Perhaps it is my imagination, or perhaps just my own stuff, but it seemed to me that there was alot of excitement about Easter this year. Many Christian friends posted notes throughout Holy Week, full of anticipation of the Ressurection. My reaction was more quiet and reflective on Good Friday, thinking about where I am and what I’d like to do differently. And then I awaited Easter Morning. This morning it truly felt like a day to celebrate. I don’t quite know what is different, but it feels like change is on my horizon.

We have finally outgrown the “Easter Bunny.” This is my eighteenth year of no sugar, so of course, no chocolate bunnies for me. We were shopping yesterday and I asked Dave if he wanted some candy, but he thought it’d all be half price tomorrow and he’d wait. I didn’t even decorate eggs. No grandkids to celebrate with me this year, as they stayed in Atlanta for the weekend.

Easter can just come and go for me, or it can be an opportunity to make a difference. I feel like that difference for me this year is to be more quiet.  I don’t have to be running the show all the time. I also am really going to slow down, travel less and do some nesting. The next two months are hectic travel-wise, but there are less trips scheduled over the summer. I want to concentrate on me, my almost ten-year marriage to David and our home.

So, Happy Easter to you. What will this day bring for you? Is it just another day, or an opportunity to experience the greatness of change?

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I’m Nobody! Who Are You?

January 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

I woke up this morning with a poem by Emily Dickenson on my mind …

I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us — don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

This is so out-of-context with my goals of a few short years ago. When Trust God and Buy Broccoli came out in 2006, I envisioned huge book signings; throngs of people streaming out the door to meet me and purchase a signed copy. Oprah would be calling for an interview; after all, I’d not only lost over one hundred pounds, but was also maintaining a healthy body size since 1993! I’d be on the spiritual speaker’s circuit, like Joyce Meyer and Dr. Wayne Dyer. My profound words would be quoted all over the world!

None of that happened.

Instead, the economy tanked out. I wondered where the money would come to pay my cell phone bill.  Clients were opting to buy groceries or hang onto their savings, rather than invest in coaching with me. Sobbing, I finally confessed to my husband. He assured me that I was neither a failure, nor would we be living under a bridge if my business did not contribute to our household budget. He told me that my job was to help people and paid my phone bill.

Something inside of me shifted that day. I saw my work in a different light, not necessarily creating a six figure income. That was the first and last time that I needed to depend on Dave to keep my coaching practice afloat. When my focus shifted to helping others, my business financial needs were also met, surely a God-thing.

This year’s vision board has no focus on public-spotlight grandeur – no pictures of Oprah, Joyce Meyer or Dr. Dyer. My goals now are strictly to help others to find the spirituality in their lives. The rewards are greater than I ever could have imagined. I’m happy and know that I’ve made a difference in the lives of others. As a nobody, I can make a difference. Maybe not on such a grand scale as the people I admire, but one person at a time, I am making a difference.

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Sailing into 2011

December 8, 2010 By 4 Comments

There are twenty-three days left in 2010. In her blog, another friend recalled her goals for this year,  and it gave me pause to consider where I was with mine for 2010.

It is a habit of mine to make a dream board in January, and hang it where I can see it often, allowing me to stay on course with an action plan. I didn’t do that in January, so no wonder why I’m struggling to recall my goals! I did go back to my old journals and was able to glean my direction. Oddly enough, even without a rudder on my ship, I sailed through a few of my goals.

I had planned to further my education this year, to the highest level for life coaches, that of a Certified Master Coach. On Sunday I will have achieved that goal –and can put some more letters behind my name! I will also be credentialed to mentor other coaches and best of all, take my coaching practice in the direction I am lead to pursue, that of Spiritual mentoring! I am proud and excited to have cared enough about my work and clients to become an expert in the field.

I’m going for a do-over on the dream board for 2011! It is fun to bring my goals to life, through words and pictures. It’s not going to slip by me again!

So, on New Year’s Eve, I’m going to sponsor a dream board party, inviting friends to bring their magazines, glue sticks and posters to my house. We’ll  have a ‘pot luck’ dinner and then spread out on the dining room table, sip some sparkling water and dream of where we want to go in the coming months. Sounds like a perfect way to visualize our direction and keep on course!

Another goal was to publish a third book, a meditation journal. That happened too. Seasons of Spirituality was borne out of a conversation  with my husband, who suggested going the route of an e-book. That has some challenges, as a 365 page pdf document is cumbersome to download. To navigate those waters, I broke it down into twelve separate books, and download them to my list every month. It has been so much fun to find quotes from years of journals, coordinate them with art and typeset the pages with lines. I am not quite finished, but releasing it in October has given me the opportunity to share it with my readers while it’s still in creation!

Thank God, there was no crazy diet this year. Seventeen years ago, I vowed to never diet again and changed my lifestyle to support healthy eating choices. I’m maintaining over a 100 lb weight loss ever since.  I never have to make that doomed resolution again. Why, if you even look at the word, you can see it’s doomed to failure … DIE-et.

I won’t wait until the last minute this year – I have the twenty-three days to daydream and plan my annual life-trip.  On December 31st, I’ll have a more clear picture on where I want to go. Where do you want to go in the upcoming year? Good question, eh?

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Generosity on a Motorcycle

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

How could a bunch of motorcycles cruising on a Sunday afternoon, bring me to tears? Well, thousands of bikers converge on the little town of Cocoa, FL, to ride and provide toys for underprivileged children, something happens to my heart.

As I watched tA Better Christmas!he endless stream of Choppers, Gold Wings, scooters and trikes parade by for over an hour, I recalled when I rode a few years ago, when I still owned my old 535 Yamaha Virago. I dressed in red for the holiday and affixed a Santa hat atop my helmet. Dave and I hooked up with our community motorcycle club and several of us joined in this fun community project. As we made our way down U.S. 1,  I watched people wave, and holler “Thank you!”, and thought of the enormity of what we were doing. I got misty-eyed then too.

The year before that, I rode with my friends Bonnie and Al Darrar. Al lost his battle with cancer a few weeks ago, and I cried a little for Bonnie as I know she must be missing her husband greatly.  When I think of her loss, I remind myself that I must be nicer to my own husband, for I never know how long we’ll get to enjoy each other’s company. I hope for a kajillion more years!  He’s the best!

I left the parade thinking that there is good in humanity. The news media prefers not to dwell on such a great event as the Toy Run; crime makes for greater sensationalism. Not for me today. I want to share with the world that thousands of good people, atop motorcycles of every imaginable shape, color and size, took time out of their busy holiday preparation to make sure that some kid has a good Christmas, who might not have otherwise. Yes, there is good in people and I saw it yesterday.

I didn’t get in on the bike run this year, but I won’t let Christmas slip by without finding a way to give to those who are not as fortunate as my family. It makes me feel good inside to help others. Perhaps you can also express your gratitude for all that you enjoy in your life by helping someone too. Giving to others is truly a spiritual experience!

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