I'm not gonna lie, it was hard. It was damn hard and many nights my children would find me at the dining room table crying or frustrated over some statistic problem I was trying to solve or a  paper I had worked on for hours that somehow got deleted from my computer because I didn't save it correctly. Those days I wanted to give up. I never showed that side to my children but trust me, inside I just wanted to quit....throw in the towel and settle for mediocrity.However, there was a fire in me that kept burning and wouldn't let me give up. So, day after day, week after week and year after year I've been doing the hard work to make my life better. To make a difference in the world.

For three days and two nights, 10 women came together and formed a close bond and sisterhood. We trusted, laughed, supported, cried and held space for one another as we took a leap, head first into a heart healing program. So often we get paralyzed from moving forward in our lives by fear and self-doubt and we’d rather stay stuck than risk the vulnerability of change. If we can trust in our inner guidance and follow our heart, it changes everything.

We all have what we define as our core values and principles on how we choose to live our lives. You may live by integrity, compassion, motivation, service to others, kindness, humor, respect or courage. The list goes on and on. You may not even realize what all your core values are but you have them.

The visit from my daughter was a good reminder of connection and how warm and wonderful it felt to a mother’s heart. Even though we talk several times a week, the human and physical touch was a blessing. Just hanging with my girl was exactly what this mama needed on a sunny summer day and I’m pretty confident it’s just what she needed too. Connect with loved ones you haven’t seen in a while……it’s good for the soul.

Now, in our new location we talked about the meaning and power of a new moon. Black new moons are said to be more powerful than regular new moons. This black moon is in Leo and helps re-learn ways to express our creativity. It’s also a time for self-love, including all matters of the heart; especially our own. It’s time to stand in our own power.

Why are we always critical of ourselves? Crystal, Andrew and Hannah all liked the picture and when I showed it to a few friends, they equally agreed. What were they seeing that I wasn’t? My critical eye, was not grounded in fact, rather expectations that wouldn’t measure up.

This past week I spent an evening with a good friend along the lakefront in Wisconsin. It was a beautiful night and we had originally wanted to dine outside which didn’t work out but none-the-less we had a delicious meal and fun conversation. At one point over dinner, my friend mentioned it was the seventh year anniversary of her Dad’s passing. It was significant since both of us were daddy’s girls.

Once everyone completed the ceremony, each woman had a simple necklace filled with beautiful handwritten notes on both sides. As each woman read their special notes of appreciation, teardrops fell. Small words of kindness can be just what a person needs. We all want to feel loved, appreciated and seen.

Giving a little self-care each day is a simple, yet a powerful statement of self-worth. Do something good for yourself each day to show some love; I promise it’s worth the effort.

As we gathered outdoors around the fireplace and lit seasoned wood, we took turns releasing our words, old wounds, negativity and anything we no longer wanted or needed in our lives, into the fire. As we watched our unwanted thoughts burn, release and smoke rise, we read the following together:

When you realize you’ve been dealing with contrast, which is knowing what you don’t want in order to understand what you do want, let that be your guide. It’s our warning system that leads us to our heart and ultimately to our calling. To my new and shiny “whatever is waiting for me’…….I’m coming for you. I’m ready to share, give and inspire in this thing called life. Are you being nudged to do the same?

Green Aventurine’s energy is all about the vitality of anything, such as: health, growth, finances, confidence, and friends. It’s a common healing stone and a go-to stone for ailments.

Amethyst’s energy is that of protection and purification. It’s also know to enhance intuition and is said to help the release of addictions. Reach for this stone to help with sleep, to enhance with intuition and give the feeling of peace.

No matter how many times I stumble and fall, I will always pick myself up, brush myself off and keep moving forward. It’s a lifelong love letter for me. Show yourself some love and choose you. Wishing you the happiest of heart days.

For several years I’ve been on a self discovery mission. Uncovering the person, I left behind, once I became a wife and mother. I’m not complaining, it’s a role I gladly accepted. In the process, however, I stopped paying attention to what I wanted or dreamed of and focused on everyone else. Making sure their needs were met before any of mine. Isn’t that what Mom’s do?

Once we arrived it was a normal looking storefront on the outside, as well as directly inside the door. We were led into a room adjacent to the cave, which was a quiet zone, were given a hair net and told to remove socks, shoes and all electronics……drat, I was hoping to get a few pictures.

My word came really easy and super early this time. Usually, I’m already into the new year before I know my word, however, this year’s word was on my heart two weeks before it began. I actually fought it for a few days, thinking it couldn’t be that easy. I wasn’t even thinking about it and it kept showing up and…..POOF, just like that, there it was, time and time again; nudging me. Every time I would say it out loud, it brought a lightness; it just felt right. I kept seeing the word everywhere and there was no denying that would be my word for 2019. I even made up a jingle….HAHA

Now, let me go back and start from the beginning of my story which began about three weeks earlier. I had been experiencing what I would describe as a “sweet spot” in life. I encountered blessing after blessing; almost to the point I could hardly believe. Before I go on, I need to explain that everything didn’t go perfect, but in my mind it was part of the goodness coming at me left and right.

This past weekend, I was honored to work beside three inspiring women, for our second in a series of workshops, being held in 2018. The workshop was titled, Choose Happy. Our target audience included women that were inspired to own their happiness, however, three brave gentlemen signed up as well. Of course we welcomed anyone that wanted to join, we just hadn’t thought to market the program to men. I’m not sure why, they certainly want to take charge of their own happiness as well.