“If  you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.”- John Irving

In this very moment, I am listening to the gurgle-hum of the dishwasher, while my friend Justin Szeliga is installing a window in a room which was painted by my friend Paul Dengler. The beautifully faux finished walls are embellished by artwork from other friends-  Svetlana Gradess, Vicki Dungan, Charo Evangelista and Gene-Manuel Whirling. I told Justin that he too is an artist who is contributing to the energy in the room. My friend Maureen Finney and I are going to creatively paint some furniture that will be placed there in the Spring, when the weather is warm enough to decorate them on the back deck. When it is complete, the room will be my haven and a guest room for visiting friends. The book shelves are filled with volumes of letters, words and pages, many turned over and over, some only once and then sit side by side with their compatriots. They represent the various chapters of my life. Some are academic and part of my formal education as a therapist and minister. Others are aspects of my lifelong learning; coming from my interest in the metaphysical and mystical.  Each is a treasure. Hard to imagine anyone not liking to read, since it has long taken me on world travels without leaving my home.

Acknowledging these things is part of my daily practice. An attytood of grattytood nourishes and fills me. It keeps me in the here and now when I am tempted to go flying off into the ozone. Being able to type these words in late afternoon on a day which a year ago would have had me sitting at a desk at a counseling job which I loved, but had carried with it, an extra layer of stress, is a gift beyond measure. I am truly living my writer’s dream life. I have the joy of penning articles on subjects near and dear to me and it supports me brilliantly. I had seed planted for just such a life for the past few decades. When the words flow from me on to the keyboard and out into cyberspace, there is a sense of release and surrender. I have an agenda and a purpose for writing them that is both for myself my readers. For me, it is a reminder that I can’t NOT do it, since it is like breathing.  From readers’ feedback, it comes with affirmation/confirmation that I am on the right track. Who knows where and how the words will land?

The way of life that I love is an unfolding tapestry, an ever evolving journey that will lead me who knows where?  I guarantee that it will be filled with love and joy, family and friends, ease and grace, stretching and growth beyond my wildest dreams.