Faith

To me faith is a total and ultimate belief in something that you cannot see or touch but you know exists.

At a very early age we are taught what our parents and our community believes. What to think, how to act, how to feel... and we are expected to conform. Don Miguel Ruiz writes about this in The Four Agreements, it is one of the ways that we are domesticated.

I was very fortunate to have an unusual life growing up. The circumstances were difficult and painful but I learned so much from all of it. Through it all I had faith! Faith that I would discover what was true for me and that everything that happened was for my highest good.

Friendship

Throughout our lifetime people come and go. All of the relationships are important and help us to learn but there are some that are so special - we call them friends.

Of all the connections we can make this may be the best of all. A friend is someone who reminds you how great it is to be alive and lifts you up with their wonderful spirit. They are the person you can trust to be both honest and kind. They listen and support even your wildest dreams and always accept you just the way you are.

Loving and reliable they honor what you believe even if they don't agree with it. Just spending an afternoon at a lovely French restaurant or browsing through some local shops is so peaceful and satisfying when the person you are with is your friend!

Play

In the movie Star Trek: Insurrection - Data is told if he wants to know what it is like to be a child he must learn how to play.

All too often children face grown up responsibilities or suffer adult traumas and their childhood vanishes. When we are young we need to discover all the magic and wonder in the land of make believe. We pretend to be queens and kings and imagine that we might be able to fly.... Our imaginations are limitless and everything feels possible.

As a young girl I would go to the neighborhood library, sit on the floor and read stories about amazing people and exotic places. I believed that one day it would be me in those stories. Now, it is. This is my life and I am learning to play!

Transformation

The only constant in life is change. I am learning to embrace and appreciate everything that comes into my life as a new opportunity for growth. Some days I am better at that than others but when I think of how far I have come I know it is all worthwhile.

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful man named Leo Buscaglia. As I sat in a darkened classroom watching a film of one of his lectures, his words brought tears to my eyes. I looked around the room to see if anyone else was having this reaction.... my life was forever changed.

I have to always remember to stay true to myself. I can't be something I'm not but I can aspire to be the best possible me. When it is quiet and I can let my inner most passion and energy surface I can feel the transformation taking place.

We can't undo anything that has happened. Honestly, I wouldn't even want to but we can redo and change our lives into anything we want them to be!

Dreams

I have always been a dreamer... literally and figuratively. It is only recently that I have discovered how those dreams really can come true!

My night dreams give me valuable information about what I am feeling and help me to know the right way to proceed. My day dreams are incredible, full of clarity and inspiration. I have to stay clear and focused on the unlimited possibilities in life and not let my critical mind dismiss or dampen them.

Dreams are a heart's desire to express itself. We owe it to ourselves to explore everything that speaks to our soul.

Synergy

Synergy means joint work and cooperative action, when the result is greater than the sum of the parts. It is created when things work in concert together to create an outcome that is in some way of more value than the total of what the individual input is.

Recently I had a conversation with a total stranger and before long she was telling me about a woman she knows with breast cancer. In an effort to help, she goes to work for this woman one day a week so she can go to her chemotherapy treatments and not lose time at her job!

I know many people who are reaching out to help someone cope with debilitating illness or crisis in their lives. That type of energy lifts me up and inspires me in ways I cannot express. I believe we all have something very valuable to contribute and together can create something far greater than we could have on our own.

Celebration

The Celebration begins! February is a fantastic month - not only is it when I was born but it has such wonderful energy. The days are beginning to get longer, spring is approaching and I am ready to waken from my long winters sleep.

I look forward to my birthday every year with the anticipation of a child! I love the process of aging and all the changes it brings. Most people think I am out of my mind but I am very happy to be at this stage of my life. Everything I've ever been through has brought me to this place in time.

It's all a matter of perspective - just like the old saying "Age is mind over matter - if you don't mind, it doesn't matter"! I intend to be a healthy, happy, vibrant old woman! Birthdays are a fabulous acknowledgement of life and that is why I celebrate all month long!