As I start the new year, I think about how I want to live my days, and this video captures the spirit with which I hope to walk each day throughout the new year.  Enjoy!

Moving Art- Gratitude

Healing Touch is a wonderful modality to bring a person back in touch with their body.  My sessions always include a visualization for my client. Today, I feel like I benefited from the healing as much as my client did.

Although I said this to my client as if she was having the experience, I am writing it in first person so you can enjoy it too.

May this small meditation take you away from the cold and the snow and back to a place of center and peace.

My mother was the lucky recipient of one of the first copies of my book, and she read it cover to cover.  She cried as she relived the story and felt like the book told the story well.  And then she almost hesitated to call me and tell me she had found a mistake. The very last sentence of the book, before the acknowledgements is missing.  It begins:  And may you find the act of moving mountains… and it ends there.

Of course, at first I was angry that I had missed such a simple mistake.  It happened because we added a piece into the section and it moved the last question down the page, cutting off the end of sentence.  And then I had to laugh because I could hear the universe laughing with me, reminding me that perfection isn’t everything.  It is another lesson I learned in the process of writing that keeps coming back to me.

My second thought was that on the second run, I will correct the mistake.  It is easy enough to do.

Then a voice in my head asked me if I could turn this into a teaching moment. I now have the first run of  the book  I have long awaited and it is unfinished.  But then I realized  the reader now gets to put in his/her own words to complete the sentence.

May you find the act of moving mountains

challenging yet fun?

inspirational?

educational?

full of life’s lessons?

hard and not worth attempting?

Or are you too caught up in being perfect that a non-ending is too open ended?  ( I know the feeling!)

Have you walked this journey with me and now have new eyes to see the mountains in your own life?  Can you begin to move them, one stone at a time?

When you get your copy of the book, come back to this post and leave your comments.  Let me know what you think of the book and how you will fill in the blank at the end!

Moving Mountains Book

Here it is!  The long awaited completion of my book!  I am so excited to announce that my book will be available in early November.  I will have a book signing at a local coffee shop.  Look for the announcement and join me! I am looking forward to sharing my story with you!

Here is a little taste of what is inside:

After a joyous birth,

so much darkness:

45 days on a ventilator

55 days in the ICU

131 days in the hospital

9 months of IV nutrition

One journey

Many lessons

A poem excerpt:

I am taken back in time

to my first taste of

water in 39 days.

My parched mouth,

Dry as dust,

Craves moisture

Like petals of the iris.

As the nectar of life

Pours down like rain,

I smell the coolness rising

and am captured by the moment

as my shriveled body

swells with kindness,

quenching a need deeper

than thirst.

I gulp satisfaction.

Joyfully Journaling

A Hands-On, Integrative and Interactive Workshop

From The Desktop Of: Andrea Costantine, Lisa Shultz and the Self-Publishing Experts Team ( Jan Haas, Donna Mazzitelli)

Date: Tuesday, Aug 30, 2011

Dear Writer,

Does a book or a writing project feel too overwhelming?

Would you like to express yourself more clearly?

Are you ready for insight on where you really want to go?

Discover How Journaling can Spark Your Imagination, Unleash Your Creativity and Improve Your Writing!

The creative process is a process of surrender, not control. - Julia Cameron

“Journaling is often instrumental in helping us overcome our writing blocks, connect to our inner voice, and gain the insights for our book.”

Whether you love to journal or have never done it before – this is a hands-on workshop that will feed your journaling mojo to:

• Get you inspired and tapped into your creative mindset.
• Find the courage, the time, and the stamina to write your book.
• Access different parts of your brain and creativity
• Find clarity around your writing and other projects

Did you know that journaling can help you to…

Clarify your thoughts and feelings

Tap into your writer’s voice

Know yourself better

Solve problems more efficiently

Write your book faster!

In this workshop you’ll:

• Uncover new and imaginative journaling techniques
• Discover how to keep your journaling fresh and creative
• Learn ways to use prompts and props for new ideas
• Find your authentic voice

Start with a journal, and end up with a book!

Join us for a fun, inspirational, and insightful workshop into the world of journaling!

For more information and to sign up for the class: