it’s been a year…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will either step forward into growth or

you will step back into safety.

~ Abraham Maslow ~

 

One year ago today, I started this blog within its home base – the first edition of Carry It Forward.

I started it for a number of reasons in theory, although in truth, I started it because I just knew it was time.  I knew, on some level, that these posts would lead me more deeply into myself, and more deeply into the world.  And they have.

I had no idea just how far I would step forward, and just how quickly.  When I started, I wanted to see if I could write.  I wanted to know if my photographs would bring joy to others, if they could see what I see in these little glimpses of the world.  I wanted to carry forward all the good that I saw each day, through words and images, in a way that would help others make the leap forward into what they could be.  I wanted to know what I could be, too.

It’s been a big year for me, this period of time since I wrote my first post here, and the other 313 that followed.  I am so very grateful for all that Carry It Forward has brought into my life – here are just a few examples:

 

- teachers like Tara Mohr, Jen Louden, Marianne Elliott, Brene’ Brown, Jen Lemen and the Martha Beck Life Coach Training team of incredible women.

- the world of Twitter and the amazing group of friends I’ve made all across the globe, especially my Spirit Chat and Soul Call buddies.

- fellow bloggers – look at that list to the right – it will lead you to some really wonderful and wise voices here in the Wireless World.

- my tribe of coaches – mostly of the Martha Beck variety, with a welcome sprinkling of other fabulous people who are all dedicated to really living life and helping others to do the same.

- my new program, Soul Liberation, which will debut in the next couple weeks.  It is, truly, my life’s work and I would never have found it without following this path.

 

And then there’s you.  My reader.  Readers, plural, thank you very much.  The fact that my words are read in forty countries around the world just humbles and stuns me beyond anything else I have ever experienced.

There’s more coming, to celebrate this first year – interviews, give aways, book and class reviews, and of course, some reruns of favorite posts. Tonight, though, I just want to recognize all that this space has given me.  I hope that it has, and will continue to add to your life, too.

 

Thank you for walking with me.  I’m so glad you are here.

 

 

 

grateful for it all…

Wholeness does not mean perfection: it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life  ~ Parker Palmer ~

Cultivate the ability to say, “Thank you for everything,” and you will find that everything is a gift.  ~ Alan Cohen ~

Could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy  ~ Kahlil Gibran ~

I know I write fairly often about gratitude here and I do my best to live from a grateful place every day.  I succeed, too, more often than not, although there are days that seem to be determined to break down my resolve.  Those days are full of people, places and events which test me in ways beyond words – the days when it seems nothing will ever go “right” every again.  And “right” means my way, my wishes, my plan, of course.

And then I remember.  It’s not my plan.  No way, no how.  It is so much bigger than that. The universe has plans for me – for all of us – that are far, far more complex and beautiful than my addled brain can even imagine.  And when I look at it that way – blue sky, open fields, no end in sight – well, I become grateful for “those days”.

Do you remember rock tumblers?  If I am recalling correctly, you would add grit – rough dirt, in essence – to pale, uninteresting, plain rocks and let it run for hours and hours. It was unbelievably loud, and after your parents had migraines and the whole house had shaken a bit, you could open it up and after a few rounds of different graded grit rubbing those rocks, there would be beautiful, polished, colorful stones.

That’s what life does to us.  The beautiful, sunny, agreeable days?  We all love them and can openly express gratitude for each and every one.  The days when our wills are thwarted, disease strikes, our homes or our bodies violated?  Not so much. And that’s ok.  We are human.  It is tremendously difficult, often impossible to see the good when we are in the midst of the awful.

Later, though, when we step back and look at it with a little (or a lot) of distance and time between us?  It’s clear as a bell.

I’ve been writing the story of my journey from an incredibly difficult start towards feeling  more welcome in the world, and that involves a whole lot of looking back at events and relationships that most would avoid even reading about, frankly.  It’s not hard, though, to view it through a lens of gratitude now.  And judging from these quotes, I am not the only one to discover this peace.  I only hope I can share it as beautifully.  I wrote this earlier this week, in a moment of wonder.  I hope it brings you some of that same peace.

What may appear to be dark, even very dark, is only there to usher in the light that sits just behind it.  ~ clg ~

 

I’ve been invited to a Link Party over at Meredith’s lovely blog, A Mother Seeking… this is new to me, and it seems to be a wonderful idea.  Come and check it out here!

When the earth moves…

Apparently there are earthquakes in Virginia.

Big ones.

And here’s the wild thing about this one. Yes, it was big, and it took
a minute for me to even begin to comprehend what was going on.
But guess what? I have one bookcase down, and one broken pane
of glass on a framed photo. Everything else is askew, but fine. And
even more amazingly, that is about the extent of the damage overall.

A lot of folks were concerned that the rumbling and strange, low noise
meant that there had been an attack on the capital. A lot. And it’s
understandable, I guess, but it says something about the atmosphere
here. There is a whole lot of fear floating around, in Washington and
across the country.

And guess what? We don’t know what is going to happen on any
given day. We just don’t. But on days like this, I find it easy to be
grateful and even to laugh.

Besides, it was really pretty cool, especially once I knew everyone was
safe. It really was.

On my way home…

There’s no place like home…

~ L. Frank Baum via Dorothy ~

I have been traveling for over a month now, stopping in at home to change bags and check in briefly. As we headed over the Bay Bridge this morning, I realized that I am full. Filled to the brim with images, ideas and stories.

It’ll take months to unpack it all. Stay tuned…

for my sisters…

We hold each other’s hands

through time,

through space.

We encircle our worlds

with care,

with peace.

We begin to see the power

of love,

of grace.

We carry each other’s hearts

through time,

through space.

We do.

~ clg ~

This little ditty was inspired by the thirty women I spent last week with in Taos as part of Jen Louden’s writers retreat at the quirky and incredible Mabel Dodge Luhan House. They changed my life, my world view, my future. As all of you do, every day.

I am so grateful to each of you in that small circle of loveliness and wisdom, and to each of you in all of my ever widening circles in this life.

Thank you.

The company I walk in…

Walk with the dreamers, the believers,
the courageous, the cheerful,
the planners, the doers,
the successful people
with
their heads in the clouds and
their feet on the ground.

~ Wilferd Peterson ~

I am feeling particularly grateful today for the company I keep here in the Wireless World,
in physical presence and in my heart.

I am so blessed to have so many incredible souls in my life.

Thank you. You make my world wonder full.

The magic of friendship…

Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere on the road to a happier life.

~ Pythogoras ~

As I have mentioned before, I have an incredible group of friends here in the Wireless World, and I do my best to visit each of them often. I subscribe to several blogs and make the rounds of others and always come away with new things to think about, with a great deal of respect for the authors, and more often than not, tears in my eyes. Sometimes the tears come from the pull on my heartstrings, and other times it is from a fit of laughter, but always because I am deeply moved.

Today was a banner day 0n the blog circuit and given that it is about time to make dinner and my mind is a little bit elsewhere, I thought I would share these three posts with you (and if you’d like to keep reading, just click anywhere on my “Sites I Like” list to your right – plenty of good there!). Lindsey, Pamela and Christine are women who I admire deeply – I think you will, too. I cannot imagine my life without their words anymore – and these particular posts? Just pure gold.

Wings – A Design So Vast

Letting Go – Walking On My Hands

Creatively Empty – Coffees and Commutes