Two years ago I had the pleasure of being a teaching assistant for the Therapeutic Coaching program I had graduated from. It was a remarkable experience as I watched them change and transform every part of themselves throughout the duration of the class. I became very close to these students and we shared a special bond. This weekend I came across a beautiful poem they had written and framed for me. It goes like this...
Transformation
In its very essence...
Creative manifestations with remarkable results, effects and outcomes.
Open ended in how it happens, beginning with an idea or an intention, and continually proceeding with the surrender and reshaping of the self.
Holding surprises, teaching us what we did not know before we began, ever expanding our awareness of our true selves.
Guiding us along the path of our purest unique potential.
As I read this I could not help but think that this is what life does for us if we let it. Our life experience continually asks us for a gentle surrender so we can awaken to something new. John O'Donohue, a well known spiritual writer tells us, " We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender." I have realized for myself the gentle peace that comes from surrendering all of who I am to something much greater than myself. The gift in that is the gift of grace...the divine assistance given to us for the nurturing of our souls. In this place we can be cradled in unconditional love.
I hope you can join us for Stories of Hope, Friday November 9th, 7 PM at Prince of Peace Church in Burnsville.
Blessings
Sandy
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Are we seperate from each other?
My cousin in Tibet is an illiterate subsistence farmer. By accident
of birth, I was raised in the West and have a Ph.D.
The task of our generation is to cut through the illusion
that we inhabit separate worlds. Only then will be find
the heart to rise to the daunting but urgent challenges of
of birth, I was raised in the West and have a Ph.D.
The task of our generation is to cut through the illusion
that we inhabit separate worlds. Only then will be find
the heart to rise to the daunting but urgent challenges of
global disparity. ~Losang Rabgey, Ph.D.
I found this quote somewhere in my daily travels and knew it had to show up on the blog. I agree the task of our generation is to not see ourselves as separate from other parts of the world. But we can't start there; we have to start with ourselves first. We are becoming more and more isolated from one another with many people feel isolated and alone. It seems we have lost the art of being in relationship with one another. We hurry from place to place interacting with others only enough to be polite and finish the task at hand. Is it any wonder we feel separate when we connect only on the surface? When was the last time that you looked someone in the eyes and listened to them with understanding as your goal? When was the last time you had a heart felt conversation with someone and really felt connected? Relationship is a bridge that moves you from a place of separation to a place of belonging...and after all that is what we all want, a place where we belong and are loved. When we learn to do this for ourselves it will have far reaching impact on everyone and everything. Then and only then we will feel like we are in community with with the world around us. Blessings to you~
Sandy
A Story of Hope
Dear Friends,
I am sitting here in front of my computer and it is quite early for a Sunday morning but I am in my warm bathrobe with a steaming cup of coffee in my favorite cup. This story has been with me all night and so it is time to put it to print. Many of you know we are doing an event called, Stories of Hope on November 9Th, 7PM at Prince of Peace Church. This universal idea of hope is with me everywhere I go and I see it in everyone and everything. Yesterday, another story of hope was told that acted like a beacon of light to all who heard it. My son is in graduate school to be a physical therapist and yesterday we were invited to an open house and celebration of the program and its students. .It was a wonderful day, starting out with tours of this state of the art facility. I have to admit I was fascinated and my son had to keep reminding me to keep my hands off the equipment. However I did get to experiment in the bio mechanics lab which was a lot of fun.
The afternoon was a contrast to what we had seen in the morning. The morning was all about the academics and the highly supplicated tools that are used with patients. But the afternoon really showcased the human spirit in each of us to be the best we can and sometimes skill is only a small part of that. You can all the knowledge and skill but you all need spirit in your work. That afternoon, 8 scholarships were given out for $8,000.00 each for a total of $64,000.00 dollars by one man. No, he was not rich but he made a commitment to his wife's passion for her life and work.
His wife, Cindi, had been a physical therapist with an commitment to the people she worked with beyond what most people had ever seen. Every where she went she carried a passion for life that extended beyond her and reached every person she met. She died of lung cancer just weeks after being diagnosed at the age of 35. It was not only her husband who wanted to keep her passion for life and excellence in her job alive. Her friends suggested it as well. The scholarship started small with $1,000.00 but a few years ago it was gifted with a million dollar donation. It came from her neighbor an elderly gentleman who looked a lot like a homeless man. This did not matter to Cindi, they became friends. When she died he was devastated and vowed to keep her spirit alive. When he died years later. he left this tremendous gift.
I looked around the room and saw people wiping the tears away, viably moved by what they had heard. What we had experienced in this story was about the power of the human spirit and our capacity to let it move to a new perspective. The people in the room were richer for what he shared, and the students had a idea of the impact they might have with the people their work will affect. I urge you today to keep your ears and heart open to all the hope that is around you and let it move and inspire to to a life where everything is possible. Invite friends and family to an evening of hope and inspiration!
I am sitting here in front of my computer and it is quite early for a Sunday morning but I am in my warm bathrobe with a steaming cup of coffee in my favorite cup. This story has been with me all night and so it is time to put it to print. Many of you know we are doing an event called, Stories of Hope on November 9Th, 7PM at Prince of Peace Church. This universal idea of hope is with me everywhere I go and I see it in everyone and everything. Yesterday, another story of hope was told that acted like a beacon of light to all who heard it. My son is in graduate school to be a physical therapist and yesterday we were invited to an open house and celebration of the program and its students. .It was a wonderful day, starting out with tours of this state of the art facility. I have to admit I was fascinated and my son had to keep reminding me to keep my hands off the equipment. However I did get to experiment in the bio mechanics lab which was a lot of fun.
The afternoon was a contrast to what we had seen in the morning. The morning was all about the academics and the highly supplicated tools that are used with patients. But the afternoon really showcased the human spirit in each of us to be the best we can and sometimes skill is only a small part of that. You can all the knowledge and skill but you all need spirit in your work. That afternoon, 8 scholarships were given out for $8,000.00 each for a total of $64,000.00 dollars by one man. No, he was not rich but he made a commitment to his wife's passion for her life and work.
His wife, Cindi, had been a physical therapist with an commitment to the people she worked with beyond what most people had ever seen. Every where she went she carried a passion for life that extended beyond her and reached every person she met. She died of lung cancer just weeks after being diagnosed at the age of 35. It was not only her husband who wanted to keep her passion for life and excellence in her job alive. Her friends suggested it as well. The scholarship started small with $1,000.00 but a few years ago it was gifted with a million dollar donation. It came from her neighbor an elderly gentleman who looked a lot like a homeless man. This did not matter to Cindi, they became friends. When she died he was devastated and vowed to keep her spirit alive. When he died years later. he left this tremendous gift.
I looked around the room and saw people wiping the tears away, viably moved by what they had heard. What we had experienced in this story was about the power of the human spirit and our capacity to let it move to a new perspective. The people in the room were richer for what he shared, and the students had a idea of the impact they might have with the people their work will affect. I urge you today to keep your ears and heart open to all the hope that is around you and let it move and inspire to to a life where everything is possible. Invite friends and family to an evening of hope and inspiration!
Stories of Hope
November 9th, 7PM
Prince of Peace Church ~ Burnsville
Call 898-6200 for more information or go to
Blessings,
Sandy
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