I received an email yesterday from someone who had recently read my book, Perseverance. It’s an email I receive often, an emotional account of how an individual perseveres through unimaginable darkness, that always leaves me speechless. I question why I am worthy of receiving acknowledgment when this individual is far more powerful than I could ever aptly describe in words. I am merely the conduit that made sure this book entered the world. I never questioned its need to be written, but do question why I was the person selected to write it.
For over ten years, I have immersed myself in a world that deals with loss on a daily basis. And I have become the person many people seek for hope and inspiration to work through the experience of loss. That’s a big role for one person to fill. I resisted this simple fact for quite some time. I felt that taking time to focus on myself would be selfish. In reality, by not taking this time, I was more selfish – acting as if I were superhuman. It wasn’t until I became my weakest that I realized the importance of beginning my own journey of healing. This blog served as my cocoon. Writing became a ritual that united me with my inner voice. It helped me to resist retreating into the habit of ignoring my emotions and self-care.
In May, I was contacted by Nicola Warwick of The Whole Self to contribute to a workbook she was creating on the power of loss. I resisted the project until the last day and then finally sat down with a piece of paper, a pen, and a big box of tissues. I wrote from my heart and after submitting the piece to Nicola felt a powerful wave of energy that sparkled with inspiration. I needed to write this piece, to share this story. I am grateful that the universe delivered this opportunity to me and that I embraced it.
The workbook, Loss Love Life, is available for free. You can download it and read its powerful stories whenever you feel the time is right. I have read it twice already and gain new insight each time. The workbook includes exercises and resources in addition to the powerful stories. The contributors include: Thursday’s Child, Julie Daley, Patti Digh, Margaret Fuller, Danielle LaPorte, Michael Nobbs, Carolyn Rubenstein, Andrea Schroeder, Kate Swoboda, Julie Jordan Scott, Dyana Valentine, Eydie Watts and Nicola Warwick.
Loss Love Life: Learn More + Download Here
So often the only thing stopping us from achieving a goal? Ourselves. We tell ourselves that we can’t do something or that we are not good at something simply because we’re not used to doing it or because we have never tried it.
Senator Ted Kennedy has passed away after battling a horrific form of brain cancer. I heard the announcement just minutes ago as I was shutting down my computer to go to sleep, and I knew I had to write something. Yet I stared at the screen with that all too familiar feeling of horrific loss and uncertainty. My hands were trembling as I began to type. This is not just another headline, this is reality, and for the past 10 years (ages 14 to 24), I have faced the loss of young children and young adults after their own battles with cancer. Many of these individuals were very close to me.