Heart Healing through Nature
... a gentle sunrise or sunset serve to remind me that I am part of something extraordinary on this magnificent planet, our shared Earth home.
... a gentle sunrise or sunset serve to remind me that I am part of something extraordinary on this magnificent planet, our shared Earth home.
"...the world needs our gifts. The world needs our unique voice. The world needs our acts of fierce, unflinching love."
"But perhaps, if we soften our hearts, we can learn how to be more centered in kindness, forgiveness, and love during our daily human interactions."
"May your own healing journey bring peaceful moments to your heart this day."
"...when our physical body passes away, the inner essence of our being simply travels on . . . continuing to help from the other side."
Life’s difficult trials, perhaps more than at any other time, call upon us to dive deep into our spiritual practices.
Grief may come in waves: sometimes barely discernable, like a light drizzle in the background of our days. Other times, it arrives in a sudden heavy downpour of sadness, anger, regret, or fear.
Do we know how to set healthy boundaries to keep poisonous words and harmful behaviors from entering the sacred space of our lives?
In creating new ways of being, seek out role models for how you want to be in the world.
During this holiday season, may our hearts be filled with peace. May our thoughts, words, and actions bring happiness—to ourselves, to others, and to the world. By listening, deeply, with love.
At times, the world’s chaos may feel overpowering, especially when we are facing a stressful life situation. While we cannot always control outside circumstances, there are things we can do for ourselves to lessen our inner turmoil.
When we hear of tragic loss (or experience it ourselves) words are often inadequate to express the depth of our sorrow. Nothing makes it better. When people we dearly love die unexpectedly, there’s no time to mentally or emotionally prepare for their passing.
What we learn during our brief sojourn on this planet is our greatest source of wisdom. Our capacity for continual expansion lights the way toward healing and toward wholeness. Always, our inner knowing is our strength. Affirm daily: I am loved. I am worthy. I am here for a reason.
Recently, I’ve discovered how beneficial physical movement can be for rejuvenating my personal wellbeing. I don’t mean activities like rushing around on the job or hurrying off to run errands. I mean intentional, mindful body movements that result in feeling better.
When we lose someone we love, there are no simple solutions or ten effortless steps we can follow to “fix” our sorrow (or the sorrow of our friends and family). There are also no magic words or religious gurus—however well intended—that can make everything suddenly better.
We are here on this planet for a reason. Our gifts and our talents are needed, now more than ever. As Gandhi so aptly said, “What you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.”
While the intensity of our grief may lessen somewhat with time, our love stays strong, powerful, and constant. Like a full moon shining bright in the night sky, love is the beacon we follow.
There is just that: Joining together with our friends, family, or neighbors. Remembering what matters. Helping one another when times get tough. Making mistakes. Learning. Getting up again the next day. Starting over. Saying thanks to those people who help us along.
This holiday season, try to create rituals and ceremonies that celebrate what you hold sacred in your life and in your heart. Be intentional about finding ways to honor your truth. Most importantly, be gentle and be kind – to others, and especially to yourself.
What I’ve learned from the many people I interviewed is that we don’t “get over” the death of someone we love. We also can’t fix or placate the intense sorrow we feel. Our experiences of loss — like our experiences of joy — become significant strands in the web of our life story.
When we find ourselves on the unfamiliar shores of loss ... We can spend however much time we need there, perhaps finding solace beneath the vast night sky, a bight full moon, or the soft glow of the setting sun. We can allow ourselves to feel whatever we feel — no right, no wrong, and no judgment.
As we sit with our sadness, we may decide not to waste time chasing the wrong things. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow likely no longer appeals to us because we understand the impermanent, fleeting beauty of the rainbow’s hues – knowing such splendor will not last. Knowing it is not meant to be here forever, but nevertheless wanting desperately to grasp each precious moment.
One piece of my mosaic is this blog. It is a simple thing. It is also a part of me that I share with you. Whatever your work in this world, don’t give up. Valuable fragments often come from ordinary, daily pursuits. No one can duplicate or replace your piece in this life.
How do we achieve these goals? One way is to begin working together. We can honor our cultural, ethnic, religious, gender, and race differences while also embracing our commonalities. We can try to understand that the real enemies are ignorance, greed, fear, hate, and prejudice. We can refuse to follow any leader who promotes hate. We can joyfully decline to be governed by fear. We can embrace our power to make a difference.
Forgiveness isn’t easy to write about or to practice in our lives. When the church community I loved broke apart (not once but twice) over disputes regarding two different ministers, the issue of forgiveness was raised by those who opted to leave. I wasn’t able to tackle the topic then. Even now, two years later, I find forgiveness an unsettling area of discussion. I can’t point to one simple solution or easy fix, especially when no one admits fault or wrongdoing yet many people feel deeply hurt.