Saturday, July 28, 2007

The Soul Reader

On Friday afternoon, I met with a woman who calls herself a "soul reader." I connected with her through friends who also had met with her. I had no idea what might happen when I arrived at S's quite ordinary home in St. Paul. She is a lovely young woman - married with children - white carpets in her livingroom. We met in an upstairs room, painted a lovely shade of purple, filled with beautiful crystals, statues, artwork.

I have never done anything approaching this before. The closest being, for several years I met with an astrologer at the beginning of each year and she would "read" my astrological chart. Yesterday, I spent 2-1/2 hours with the soul reader. She is a gifted clairvoyant and medium. It was a transformative experience.

She "knew" things about me and asked about things that she would have no idea about, even "guessing" - I am still trying to reflect on and process the entire experience. More to come.....

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The Sacred Pain of Grief

I have been working on a new initiative - it has been my passion now for most of 2007. It is called The Grief Project. Our consulting group is funding the project. It is a national, multi-media, oral history project that will produce a book, an audio CD, and ultimately a documentary DVD. The website is just about ready to launch, we are now searching for a designer who will donate a logo to the project.

The concept is to travel across the country and interview (along with audio and video tape) those who have lost a spouse, life partner or significant other. It's mission is to provide support and solace for those who have yet to walk the widowed road. It also will honor the stories of those who grieve and the memories of their lost loved ones.

There is much, much more to tell but that is all for tonight. I will give more details in a few days.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Good Morning

What a beautiful Saturday - I have had a terrific week. Rest, relaxation, working in the garden, catching up with my blog buddies and other reading, having lunch with my friend L and going to the gym. I am off to do my work-out and purchase food for a gathering I am hosting tomorrow. I will sit down for a longer post later tonight. I just wanted to say Happy Saturday - I am filled with gratitude for my life's blessings.

Monday, July 16, 2007

I am still alive

The time is flying - it has been more than a week since I posted. In June, I began a rigorous workout regime. I am really doing well - being consistent, which is the key to success. My regular blog buddies know - I stopped smoking in April 2006. Yippee for me!

As a result of the Quit, I have had some weight gain - I have not worried about it as it is MUCH more important to not smoke than to have some extra poundage. I have done really well on the quit and do not think about smoking at all anymore (except to congratulate myself on doing it!!!). Now is the time to tackle the next step of the process.

Now, I could go on a "diet" - I am really good at doing that and losing when I put my mind to it. However, I do not think that is a good thing at this stage of my life. It is time to build muscle, work on functional fitness and make good food choices based on hunger, NOT on emotional or other needs. So, here I am going to the Gym really consistently - I like my personal trainer and she has me on a good program. This week I will increase the weight of each of my exercises. Yesterday, I had a massage for the first time in 6 weeks and D (my longtime masseuse) said she could feel the difference in my body. Hooray, just the beginning but the beginning of the next part of the journey.

On the days I do not go to the Gym, I work out at home on a combination of my treadmill and elliptical trainer. I bought a heart rate monitor and I highly recommend it as a great fitness tool. Now I know how hard I need to work to keep my heart rate in the zone for good fat removal and heart health. It turns out I wasn't getting the maximum benefit of my workout (my time) by not really monitoring my heart rate. Oh, forget those "heart rate sensors" on the machines, they are so far from being accurate as to be a joke.

So, being really busy at work, carving out the time to get this fitness program firmly established in my routine and taking care of my new buddy, Donny-cat - I have not had the time to be a good blogger.

I am on vacation this week and will catch up and do some posting. If you remember, early in the year I mentioned that I have an exciting new project that is being launched this year. Well, I am ready to blog about it. I will tell you all about it in the next couple of days.

Today is a gorgeous summer day in St. Paul - I am just hanging at home, working in the garden, watering and reveling in my home, my solitude, my blessings and my life. I hope your day is wonderful as well.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

A New Addition





Here is the newest addition to my family. I got him from the Humane Society last Thursday. He is 1.5 years old and his name is Donny. I just love him - he is fun and cuddly. I just decided that I needed a companion in my daily life. It was so nice to come home Friday night and have someone here who was excited to see me

The recovery from the oral surgery took some time - the stitches are finally dissolved and I am feeling much better. Thanks for your kind thoughts. I will be online again now and catching up with all of you soon. :)