I feel most self-confident during times of meditation.  When I intentionally connect with Spirit I am bathed in quiet strength.  Time spent like this that allows me to flow with assurance throughout the day.

The first person that comes to mind is my friend Sylvia.  She is kind, thoughtful and gentle, but not weak.  She is strong and can be tough as nails if the situation calls for it.  Sylvia is helpful and considerate, loving and sensitive. It's as though the sun comes out whenever she's around and I am blessed to know her.

Freedom is not something which can be given to you by someone else.  It is something that you have inside of you, a way you choose to be.  This was never portrayed more beautifully than by Viktor Frankl, a long time prisoner in bestial concentration camps where he found himself stripped to naked existence.  Even in the degradation and abject misery of a concentration camp, Frankl was able to exercise the most important freedom of all - the freedom to determine one's own attitude and spiritual wellbeing. 

Different than religion, spirituality is my connection -- my relationship -- with the sacred; with what is Divine.

Where do I place, find, or create spirituality in my life?
In Latin, the word for breath and spirit is the same, "spirare."  The word "spirit" in the Hebrew language or "life-force" can be translated into the word "breath."  About 16 to 17 times per minute I say "yes" to Spirit.  In other words, Spirit -- the Divine -- is quite literally my life.

Len is the main cook in our family.  He plans the menus, does the shopping and cooks the meals.  I clean the kitchen afterwards (he's a flamboyant cook) ...

What is you favorite utensil?
Tongs

Do you like non-stick pans?
Not on your life!

Have you ever made your own waffles or pancakes?
Both

Do you use/ like cloth napkins, no napkins, or paper napkins, or paper towels?
per napkins, even when we entertain (we're real down home).  Our kitchen is the most popular room in our home.

What are you having for lunch, if you're not having lunch, then what's your favorite food?
I love Asian-style cooking!

In the Gaia Community I interact with people who are environmentally and spiritually conscious -- we share and/or respect each other's beliefs and intents.

Because of my profession, in my local community I interact with people who share similar ideas about the approach to health and wellness.

Just last evening we attended a benefit for the TibetCenter in Evanston, Illinois where Joan Borysenko, PhD spoke.  Even though we didn't know very many people, that, too, was a community of like minded/hearted people.

Community is local.  Community is global.  Community is in-person.  Community is on-line.  Community is reaching out to another human being.


The photograph is of the corner of Brink/William Streets in historic downtown Crystal Lake where I live.  It's common for people to say, "Let's meet at the clocktower."

From my perspective there is a direct connection between health and spirituality (relationship with Divine Love).  We are not just biological in nature.  We are body, mind and spirit (mind encompassing mental/thinking and emotional/feeling).  All of these aspects are interconnected. We function as a whole.  We heal as a whole.

Health is not merely the absence of disease, it is a balance of all the different layers of one's life; transforming individuals from within; from the intelligence of the heart.

By listening with my heart, of course.

I think it would be interesting to base a person's income stream on heart-based intent. The mechanics of the system would have no human involvement.  Rather, it would be operated solely by Spirit who knows sincerity from saccharin, and understands the motivation behind our actions.  In this system, everything would happen automatically.  

Example:  using a scale of 1 - 10:

If a person does an act of compassion, their bank account would automatically increas by 10.  If a person tells the cashier that they received too much change back it would increase by 3, and so on, as determined by Spirit. 

If a person is insincere or their motivation is less than honorable (greed, jealousy, anger, etc.) then their account balance would automatically be reduced, as determined by Spirit.

I can become immersed in a beautiful painting, or awed at the grace and strength of bodies painted in the air with dance which seems more like magic than movement.  But the form of art that moves me most is the written word.  Thoughtfully constructed language that can make me laugh, cry, or clench my stomach in fear -- leaving it to my imagination to illustrate the scenes as I lose myself in the pages. 

Standing on the top of Ben Nevis with my head practically in the clouds while gazing out over the land that stretches into the distance.

Different than joy, contentment--happiness--is a feeling that fluctuates based on external circumstances.  Joy is a state of being. It is inexplicable peace, regardless of the circumstances. 

I can find contentment--happiness--just about everywhere; some places I have to look harder than others.  Joy is not something I find; it resides internally--regardless.

Last night we celebrated friendship.  Four couples got together and we enjoyed a wonderful meal and great conversation. Because our gatherings are based on respect, honesty and love for each other, the time we spend collectively is uplifting and rejuvenating.

Geese add at least 71% greater flying range by flying in a "V" formation than if each bird flew on its own.  Similarly, by sharing a common direction and sense of purpose with friends, we get where we're going quicker and easier because we are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Color plays a significant role in my life.  As a Holistic Health Practitioner I incorporate the energy-based modality of Color Therapy in my private practice every day.  My favorite color is green.  The energy (frequency) of green corresponds to the heart.  When I am writing or speaking in public, I wear blue. 

Red: survival; self-preservation
Orange: pleasure; self-gratification
Yellow: personal power; self-definition
Green: love; self-acceptance
Light Blue: creativity; self-expression
Indigo: intuition; self-reflection
Violet: Divine connection; self-knowledge

Divine Love.

I remember when I rode my bicycle without help for the very first time -- I was scared, exhilarated and proud!

For years we lived close to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego where we would go quite often.  The photograph is of my niece Ashley who worked there.  Last night I was in awe as we watched a video of an elephant giving birth, followed by the mother's determination to revive the baby after it appears to be dead -- it wasn't.  Amazing!

... and be instantly transported to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

To my dream cottage in the Highlands of Scotland.

Just this morning I whispered to Willa -- our biggest dog -- because she's not supposed to be in our bed and I didn't want Len to hear.  We got caught!

My relationship with Divine Love is what contributes to my personal capacity for empathy.

Acupuncture would make a wonderful addition to the energy-based modalities that I currently offer. 

Speaking of school, I've got to dash or I'll be late for class -- Medical Intuition -- at the Infinity Foundation in Highland Park.

I would have been a Cantadora -- a keeper of old stories.  My responsibility would have been to pass along wisdom in story fashion.  I would have done my storytelling around a nighttime fire -- whisper soft, with dramatic effect --  to attract interest and insure retention.

In my perspective there is a difference between health and wellness:

Medical health -- optimal function of the physical and mental body and it's associated individual parts (i.e., organs, glands).  Generally speaking, the medical approach treats a specific area of malfunction. 

Holistic health -- optimal function of whole person; body, mind and spirit.  Generally speaking, the holistic approach places an emphasis on the interdependence of all aspects of a person; they are treated as an entire entity.

Wellness is the quality of being healthy in body, mind and spirit; many times the result of deliberate effort.  It is an approach to health that emphasizes prevention of illness as opposed to focusing on the treatment of disease. 

For me, growing up is all about OUT:

Moving OUT from your parents home.
Looking OUT instead of always at self.
Laughing OUT loud and not being embarrassed.
Reaching OUT to those who need a hand.
Finding OUT about how the world works.
Staying OUT of trouble.
Seeking OUT a Divine connection.
Figuring OUT how to get the job done.
Standing OUT in a crowd when necessary.
Speaking OUT for those who can't.
Giving OUT from your heart to meet a need.
Getting OUT of your own way.

In early grade school I was invited by one of my friends to attend church with her family.  I had never been to a Catholic church.  I was slack-jaw amazed at the:

• life-size statues
• the application of holy water
• the genuflecting
• the kneelers
• people going forward to have a wafer placed on their tongue and to drink out of the same cup
• all the while the whole thing was being done it Latin

That was an eye-popping experience for me!

I took this photograph of Saint Bernard Church in Nova Scotia.  Interestingly, most of the churches are left open for visitors.

I am selectively tuned into the news through my favorite commentator -- Len -- who keeps very close track.  With almost 30 years of marriage under our belts, he knows what to share and how to share it.  By intent, we do not get any newspapers and have not had a television for three decades.  Len gets almost everything over the internet.

I become very still and quiet and focus on my breathing to bring calm to any chaos I am feeling.  Rather than go into "action" mode, I quiet everything down so that I can pick up -- receive, listen to, hear, feel, sense -- what I am to do next.  Quite often the answer is wait ...

For us, simple pleasures are luxury.   We share space with two of the most gorgeous oak trees in the world.  We have protected wet lands behind our back fence.  We enjoy a blue sky overhead that is graced by ducks and geese on a regular basis.  I'd say we live in the lap of luxury.