Archive for She Moved Mountains

A Gathering of Women- a Sharing of Love

07/26/12 Jan Comments (2)

If there was ever a doubt in my mind about who my market is as I do more speaking and sell my books, today’s gathering of women confirmed that I am in the right place, doing the work I am supposed to be doing.  An amazing giving woman named Lois  read my book in less than a day, and then called me to share her tears and praise of my book.  Then she told me she wanted to gather her friends to hear my story.

I had never met Lois until today, but I could tell  she was a well connected woman. Lois sent out an invitation to her friends, asking them   to come to a meeting at her house for something that would inspire them. They had no idea why they were gathering.  Lois made sure they knew they weren’t coming to a party where they would feel obligated to buy something, and if they trusted her, she wouldn’t disappoint.  Twenty three women squeezed into Lois’ family room and waited for her to tell them what the surprise was all about.  And the surprise was me!

Lois introduced me in vague terms, not wanting to give any of my story away.  I immediately connected to the energy of these amazing women.  As I shared my story, I saw recognition in the eyes of those in the room, evidence that both loss and challenges have been a part of their own lives, and they too have searched for the good to come out of such life events.

I was honored to be with these women and as I left, I felt confirmed and appreciated, knowing that my story is indeed making a difference in the lives of those who hear it.  Never would I have believed how much light and love would come out of a story of darkness, but that is how God works in the world.  If we are open to love, it shows up in abundance.

 

 

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Contentment Can’t be Bought

03/18/11 Jan Comments (0)

“Life, we think, is simply a series of tasks to perform, a list of things to do: get the job, buy the house, finish the degree, have the children, do the work. It takes years to figure out, if we ever do, that life is not a task at all. Life is far more difficult than that. Life is the process of coming to see what is not seeable, to hear what is not said, to become what we are but never knew we were.”

Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World

Reflection is one of the most powerful tools we have to increase our ability to make life giving decisions.  It is only when we take the time to look beyond what can be seen with the eye to what is happening behind the scenes of a situation that we really grow.

I have been in a reflective state all week, pondering not only where I have been but where I am going.  I am looking for just the right path to take me where I want to go.  But in all the discerning, I am beginning to realize that there is no wrong path, because any path I choose will provide me with skills and experiences that will take me to the next place in my life.  It doesn’t matter if I become a writer of family history or write sales copy. It doesn’t matter what kind of topic I choose to speak about.   It is not the doing that matters.  It is the person I become in the act of doing that matters.

It is through life experiences that we truly discover what we are made of.  I think back to the year I was recovering from illness.  I was not able to work, and often felt like a burden on my family because I was not bringing money into our budget.  What I had to learn was that who I am makes a difference, not what I do.  I am still learning to absorb that wisdom because I still struggle with this issue, especially since I am still looking for a way to contribute income to the family.  But I also know that whatever path I choose,  it is not the doing that makes me who I am.  It is the ability to be content with life no matter what comes my way.  It is knowing that time spent with family and friends make me rich.  It is knowing that my presence in the world is enough.  And that is truly a life long process.

“It is not simply having life that determines the quality of our lives. It is learning to let it go, one phase at a time, that determines the measure of our contentment, the value of our insights, the caliber of our faith.  Learning to be more than what we have or do is the real beginning of life. “

Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World

 

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Unspoken Prayer

02/03/11 Jan Comments (1)

It has been an interesting week for me, feeling a little overwhelmed with book writing, job hunting, and keeping my balance.  I wrote this poem back in December and now have it as part of my book.  She Moved Mountains is still in progress, and while I may be a little slower than I want to be, there is forward movement.

Sometimes I find that I don’t even know what to ask God for, but God knows what is best for me.  I like to imagine that I am lying in God’s arms at this moment, and peace is settling into my heart.

Sorry my blog doesn’t let the words show up in stanzas but rather runs them all together.

Prayer

My unspoken prayer rises like incense,

Curling and swirling

Dancing its way to heaven.

Words only trap my prayer

In human constructs.

Letters in formation,

A bird in a cage.

Yet beyond my ability to comprehend

The Mystery of Love,

God holds an outstretched palm

And gathers to Her own breast

The wishes of my heart

Unspoken, unvoiced

Felt in every cell of my body.

In the silent exchange,

Peace settles like snow

Calming my restless spirit.

Divine Wisdom answers with goodness

The prayers I don’t even know to ask.

And while my human eyes may fail to see,

At a soul level I know.

The God of Infinite Love holds me in deep regard.

All shall be well.

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Categories : Inspiration and Connection, Writing
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What is Your Mack Truck Experience?

01/28/11 Jan Comments (1)

As I was getting lost in the world of Twitter this morning, and clicking over to websites to meet new people, I remembered a conversation I had with my friend Jay Heinlein.  We were talking about my own memoir called She Moved Mountains, and he suggested I talk to people about their own life stories, the traumatic experiences that feel like you’ve been hit by a Mack truck.

Have you ever in your life had an experience that left you so turned around, upside down, and spinning that you never thought you would find your bearings again?  I want to talk to you!

I am creating  a new section on my website for stories like yours that can give perspective to others and offer them a guiding light on their journey.

Here are the questions I am pondering.

1)  What was your Mack Truck Experience?

2)  How did you find your way back to center?

3) How does this experience color who you are today?

4)  What works of advice do you give to others who may be experiencing their own difficulties?

If you or someone you know has a story to tell, please let me know. I would love to help them share their story for the benefit of others.  Responses to this blog post are highly encouraged!

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Waiting with Hope

12/01/10 Jan Comments (1)

We do a lot of waiting in our lives.  Standing in lines, waiting for the train or bus, waiting for the right job, waiting for the money we need to sustain us.  Yet there is a difference between waiting in hope and waiting in fear.

We wait in fear when we become impatient with the timing of the universe, not trusting that God has our best interest at heart.  And in our need to control what is around us, we often settle for something that is not in our best interest. For example, If I have a passion to help people in a particular way, yet I take a job without the hours and flexibility I need to keep writing my book, then I am acting in fear that my gifts are not welcome in the world.  Sometimes out of fear, I make quick decisions that take me out of my power and away from the passion that is brewing in me.  And that is when I show up as a fake in the world, not living my true calling.

By contrast, waiting in hope is believing that something is moving and growing inside of me, even if there are not external results.  That is not to say that waiting in hope is passive.  It is actively focusing on and moving toward my passion by following my intuition and letting it guide my results.  Following my intuition will lead me to the right person to talk to who might just be the next step in the puzzle bringing me closer to realizing my dreams.

I have been doing a lot of waiting in hope for my book.  Little pieces are falling into place because I am listening to my inner voice that tells me how to live authentically.  People are showing up in my life, aligning with the needs I have for the book, and helping me bring my dream to fruition.  I have not pushed the process but instead have trusted that in Divine Order, my book will be complete and it will be the best it can be.  There won’t be any regrets because I am not forcing my own need to control the book.  I am trusting that God has a plan better and bigger than I can even imagine, and that plan will always surpass what I can create on my own.

As I wait in hope, I am trusting that the skills I have now are enough to allow me to move back into my healing practice and provide stress and pain management for those who are hurting.  I believe that God will direct me to the right people who are looking for what I have to offer.  I am moving out of fear and into hope, knowing that the universe is actively aligning all the pieces to make this happen.  After all, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my book is meant to be in the hands of many people and the only way to get there is to have the money to put it together.

So as I wait in hope for the completion of my book, I move forward joyfully, knowing that all of my needs are taken care of.  I am precious, honored, and held in the loving arms of God’s embrace.

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Happy Thanks Living!

11/24/10 Jan Comments (3)

I saw a church sign this week that said, “Thanksgiving is nice but Thanks Living is better.”  I love the idea that every day I get up and walk in gratefulness for my life-  the people, the things, the blessings that fill me with joy.   So often we look at the things we don’t have and miss the cup that is overflowing in our hands.

Fifteen years ago, I was celebrating a homecoming that was incredibly meaningful, mainly because I was still alive after a massive infection kept me in the hospital for close to 150 days.

Here is an excerpt from my story:

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and it was a wonderful, joyful, tear-filled celebration.  It felt so good to be able to sit down with my family and eat a normal dinner, drink wine and celebrate the gift of life.  Nothing poured out of my belly, and even though I’m still dealing with the diarrhea, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things will improve soon.
I thanked Tony for doing such a fantastic job with the little girls all year, keeping them healthy and fed, and taking care of their emotional needs.  And I thanked him for being my rock and strength, helping me to survive an unimaginable illness.
He looked at me through his tears and said, “I am just thankful you are here.”
“Me too,” I cried.
 

So this Thanksgiving, I will be remembering these years I have lived on borrowed time, thanking God for giving me a second chance at life.  I have been here to watch my three daughters turn into amazing young women who inspire me with their courage, their wisdom and their love of life.  I am here to celebrate 25 years of marriage to my best friend Tony.

I don’t know what the future holds for me.  I can’t begin to imagine where my book “Moving Mountains” will take me, and who will be touched by my story of hope.  Even as I  look to the future and wonder how things will work out,  I bring myself back to this moment, where I know that life is amazing, and I am here to celebrate it.

May you be truly present to the gifts that are around you this Thanksgiving, and may you be inspired to move into a place of Thanks Living.

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A Mother’s Love

11/15/10 Jan Comments (1)

Never underestimate the power of a mother’s love that can carry her considerable distances when the need is great.

As a peer editor was reading my story, She Moved Mountains, this sentence was out of place, and so I moved it to the head of the chapter.  I had originally used it to describe how my mother showed up at the hospital about the same time I did, based only on her intuition that something was not right with me. It was the beginning of a 100 day stay because of a massive infection.  But when I reread the sentence, I realized that it not only described my mother’s experience, but mine as well.

My mother had been worried about me since the birth of our third daughter because I was just not feeling myself.  On the morning of my hospitalization, my mom left work, came to our home, found a prescription bottle, called the doctor’s office, and met me at the hospital.  It was a remarkable show of how strong a mother’s intuition is.

I realized though that my own journey back to health was also based on my love for my children.  I couldn’t leave three little girls all under the age of six without their mother.  So began my long ordeal in the hospital and throughout the year to regain a sense of normal, to become a healthy mom for my daughters.

I am so excited to be getting my story out to peer reviewers so that I can move toward publishing in the spring.

So, do any of you have experiences of a mother’s love that seems extraordinary?  I would love to hear your stories.

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Book Writing and Sudoku

11/01/10 Jan Comments (3)

Sudoku is one of my favorite brain games, and even though I don’t have the patience for the wicked ones, I do like keep my brain thinking by challenging it with numbers.  There comes a point in the game, after you have coded each box with the possibilities, when filling in one more number will produce the final string of correct number placements, completing the board.  I realized this is much like problem solving in every day life.

When I look at the time line for completing my first book and all the pieces that have to fall together, it is overwhelming, much like a blank board game.  I have to take the time to analyze where each piece fits in and how it is going to be accomplished.  I am at the point with my book where I am sharing it with peer editors, just so I can have some feedback on the layout, chapter headings, content, etc.  All of that is followed by some more editing on my part before I hand it off to a real editor in January.  In the meantime, along with the writing, it is time to find a cover artist,  think about the layout of the book and most critically, begin to market my book.  That involves writing feature articles for magazines, speaking engagements, social networking, etc.  What I realize though is that all these pieces to my book are just like coding the squares in the puzzle.  It seems challenging piece by piece, number by number.  What I know is this.  There will come a time when I hit critical mass, and all the work I have put into the book will start a ball rolling and the rest of the process will proceed quickly because I have been planning for it all along.

Of course, none of this book structure would have come together without the help of Andrea Costantine and Lisa Shultz and their new book called “How to Bring Your Book to Life this Year.” This is a complete how to guide that will walk you through the whole process of getting your book to print.   I met with Andrea in January and told her my goal was to write my book this year.  When I broke my wrist in January, I didn’t think it would be possible.  Yet I was persistent, and with the help of these women, I will be celebrating my book launch date in April of 2011!  My book is called “She Moved Mountains” and it is the story of my journey back to health after a long illness.

Having faith and persistence is the only way to play the game of sudoku, to write a book , and to live life!  Eventually all the pieces fall into place, and you are rewarded with completed puzzle, your very own book in your hands, and a life full of meaning.

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Categories : Writing
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What if We Really Trusted God?

10/05/10 Jan Comments (2)

So how would your day be different if you really trusted that God would not let you down?

This is the question my fifteen year old has been pondering this week, and I have been pondering along with her.  My initial answer would be that I would live without fear, because I would know deep in my heart that all things would work out as they should.  Now living my life that way takes a lifetime of trust, and I still feel like a fledgling on this journey.

I had the opportunity to meet an associate publisher from Random House through a mutual friend, and we shared over a cup of coffee on Saturday.  She asked me why I was writing my book.  I gave her three answers.  1)  I have always been a writer and a childhood dream was to have a book written by the age of 30.  Instead, my healing story took place when I was 30.  2)  Writing about my story is healing my past, and giving me courage to live more fully in the present.  3)  I believe I have a story of hope and light to share.  She was relieved to hear that I wasn’t just writing a book for a certain niche, that I was actually writing a story from my heart.

We discussed the joy I feel when I am writing and I was thinking to myself, “If only I trusted God that my writing would someday provide some income for me.  If only I wasn’t concerned about paying bills and adding to the family budget, then I would have more time to write.  How do I know I am doing the right thing?”  She mentioned she knows a  pulitzer prize winning author who wrote his first book in two months on a work computer, knowing his job would end and he wouldn’t have the computer any longer.

Have you ever asked God for a sign, and then when it came, you just shrugged it off and asked for another sign?  As if the joy I feel when writing isn’t a sign enough that my words need to be shared.  After coffee, I walked out to my car, and right beside my door was a heads up penny.  (I have been told by my daughter that if it is tails up, you turn it over and leave it for the next person!)  Loose change on the ground in my path has always been a sign that someone is listening to me, and that the money will come if I just trust my heart. After all, doesn’t it say right on the coin, “In God We Trust?”  It was another sign that yes, in fact, writing is my first priority and getting my book published will open up many opportunities for me.

And it didn’t just happen once.  I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and when I got back to the car, another heads up penny was right by my car door.  The angels must have been having fun watching my surprise.  I smiled and for a moment, I remembered that God really won’t let me down.  I trust that all I need is just waiting for me to receive it.  I just need to open my arms and fully embrace the life I am living, even with its challenges.  I am right where I am supposed to be, learning from life and applying my learning to new situations.   And on Saturday, I took one more step on my journey toward more trust in the way life unfolds.

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Gratitude

09/13/10 Jan Comments (0)

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

I had the luxury of spending the weekend at the family cabin on Columbine Lake right outside Grand Lake.  It was an amazing weekend to spend by myself, organizing my journal from 15 years ago into the story called She Moved Mountains.  It is the story of my journey back to health over a years time.  As I was organizing the section I call “The Long Haul,” I was almost physically sick thinking about what my husband and I did to survive- countless dressing changes on an open belly wound, weekly trips to doctor’s offices, and lots of unknowns about my physical health.  I hope that my condensation of the summer of my illness allows the readers to get a glimpse of what we went through, and how we came out on the better end of the deal.

I am grateful to Fran and Carol for letting me stay at the cabin.  It is an amazing place and this time of year is magical.  I loved getting up early to see the fish jump at least a foot out of the water to catch their breakfast.  The aspen are turning and although the nights are cold, the days were in the 60s and 70s- just perfect for several walks around the lake.  I even climbed the winter sledding hill and found a nice rock perch on which to view 360 degrees of mountains.    I reflected on my life, especially in relation to where I was 15 years ago on the brink of death, and I realize just how precious life is, and how spectacular my life is now.  I have an amazing husband who loves me and who supports my dream to write this book.  I have beautiful daughters who continue to bless my life with their laughter and wisdom.  And I have countless friends who grace my life with their own experiences.  I am richly blessed.  The only response that could possibly express what I was thinking was “Thank you.”

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She Moved Mountains

07/06/10 Jan Comments (0)

Faith is the courageous confidence that trusts in the Source of all gifts.

David Steindl-Rast

I just bought my domain name for my book title:  She Moved Mountains.  She is Faith personified, and She shows up on the pages of my book,  and I tell the story of her companionship with me, helping me through a difficult time in my life.   When I saw this quote today, I realized that it was another message that I am on the right track, focusing on creating my book so that others can benefit from what I learned.

One of the things Faith taught me was that there is gift in every situation.  When I think back to the times during my illness when I was at the lowest points, I can also see some shining moment that allowed me to move through the pain and grief.  Faith showed up with some message, usually a person who brought me a smile or encouragement.  It was these small reminders that gave me the courage to keep on working toward health, even though it would have been easy to give up and stop trying.

Now as I am writing about my illness, it is easy to get lost in the details and wonder how it will ever come together.  I have so much information and don’t always know how to get it on paper.  And here is where Faith comes in.  When I take the time to connect to my Inner Source, I easily find a path to writing what is good and true.  I have Faith that all will be well, and that my story will reveal itself to me in the right time. I am excited when the paragraphs turn into something that I know will touch my readers. The few people who know my story and have read my chapters keep asking for more.  And I know that Faith will continue to walk with me, and get this book into print in the next year.  And what a gift that will be!

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Making Dreams Reality

07/04/10 Jan Comments (2)

Yesterday, I was at a training day for my Trump business, and the afternoon was spent creating dream boards.  Our leader gave us the instructions not to judge which pictures and words drew out attention, and not to glue anything down until we had a whole hour to cut out pictures.  When an hour went by and I began to organize my board, I was really amazed at what the universe was trying to tell me.  I had a nice new kitchen next to my diamond Trump business, but the corner that was most complete was a writing corner.  In a stack of books was my book called “She Moved Mountains”  with a coming soon notice.  There was a writing desk, and writing pens of all kinds.  There is a note to be 100% naturally me, which means I have to be willing to speak my truth in my writing.  I have to open myself up and be vulnerable to what others think.  Yet I know that is the only way to write my story. Expressing my story and how Faith brought me through a very difficult illness is so important that I teared up when I talked about it.  I trust that when this book is done, it will have a magical effect on my life, opening doors that I never saw before, and even affecting my Trump business in a positive way. I look forward to speaking to groups of women about being authentic in their own lives, and the place to start doing that is in the present moment.

The words Tweet and Value, remind me that as I write and add value to the marketplace, I can increase my readership, and have more people to touch when my book is finished.   What I offer on my blog is just a taste of what is to come.  I realize that I have the ability to connect people to the present and that is the gift I will be sharing.

I had a dream as a kid that I would write a book by the age of 30. Although I am a bit beyond that now, I know that it will become a reality in the next months. I have joined an accountability group and additional writing groups to make my dream come true.  I get such a delight from telling people I am writing a book.  It is truly my path right now, and I embrace it fully!

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News

What is new and growing in you?  How does allowing God to work in your life give you the courage to show up for others?

Upcoming Events

At a retreat this week:

When we show up and DO our job, we are in service to others.

When we show up and BE present, we can create healing.

Are you willing to show up in your vulnerability and authenticity, and allow your mere presence to change the world?

Wise and Witty Women

Wise and Witty Women- Coming Soon!

Wise and Witty Women
March 13, 2013 Let’s Celebrate the Women in our Community! Women who are following their passion. Women who will  share their wisdom. Women who will  make you laugh. Women who will remind you that we are all connected. Women who will inspire you to make a difference! Looking forward to sharing videos with you soon!
Introducing and connecting you to amazing women in our community.