Good morning! Spring has arrived, and now it is almost summer! This week, I had the privilege of hosting my first in person personal growth workshop since March 2020! How wonderful it was to again see beloved faces sitting right in front of me, rather than on a Zoom screen!

A couple of weeks ago I came across a lovely resource. It’s a little mindfulness journal called From Mind full to Mindful. It is just the right size to fit easily into a purse or a book bag. It’s designed to be used daily. Each 2-page layout provides space to do several mindfulness practices, and they can all be accomplished within, say, 15 minutes. There is space to briefly write about what you are feeling grateful for and how you are feeling, do a sensory check, journal for about 3-5 minutes, and a spot to record which meditation/deep breathing practice you did and how you felt before and afterwards. I find myself looking forward each morning to using my little journal, after I have a cup of coffee!

The journal is produced by June and Lucy. Their website is www.junelucy.com. I did first see the journal on Amazon.

With all that’s going on in our world today, I am finding that learning to inhabit the moment is becoming more and more a necessary spiritual and psychological practice for me.In the past, before discovering mindfulness, I would have caught myself worrying about things, and would ameliorate that by turning to prayer, reminding myself to ‘be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication to make my requests known unto God.’ And indeed, ‘the peace that passeth understanding’ would be mine.

I have found that mindfulness, for me, is a practice which also eases anxiety and worry, but it works in a different way than prayer does. As I do practices like in June and Lucy’s journal, they bring me back to the realization that in this moment, usually, everything is actually okay, and maybe even wonderful, if I am smelling lilacs and eating chocolate chip cookies at the time! There are several quotes scattered through June and Lucy’s journal. One I really love is: “ Don’t try to calm the storm. The storm will pass. Focus on calming yourself.” For me, the combination of mindfulness practices and prayer works very well to ease feelings of worry and anxiety in the moment.

Of course, there are many very troubling things going on in our world, and we will feel called to get involved, offering our time, money, and prayers for many of them, hoping to be part of the solution. Yet, in the moment, we also need personal practices we can do to bring us back to a place of inner peace and calmness. I highly recommend the combination of prayer, and June and Lucy’s Mind full to Mindful journal!

This morning I realized that it has been almost three years since the pandemic was declared in March 2020. Do you remember where you were when you got the news? I was sitting with a life coaching client in my beautiful expressive arts studio in Peterborough. I remember telling her that I didn’t think we would be meeting in person again for quite some time. Oh my goodness, did that ever turn out to be true! I hung on to my beautiful space, for which I had so many lovely plans, until June 2022, when I realized that paying that much rent for a space that I hadn’t been able to use for over two years no longer made any sense.

I began to journal this morning about what has happened in the past three years in my life. I realized, with a start, that actually, many good things have happened. I learned how Zoom works! And I created and offered many personal growth workshops via Zoom. I was able to offer these workshops to people in England, USA and Canada, all at the same time!

I wrote and self-published another book, and I am writing its sequel now.

I made two new, close friends, one in USA and one in Canada, while taking courses on Zoom.

I met a medical student and began to mentor her, all of which has happened online and would likely not have happened, had there not been a pandemic.

I built a she-shed!

Although the pandemic has been devastating in so many ways, for so many people, I discovered this morning, upon reflection, that actually, many good things have also happened during this time.

How do you feel about the past three years? Did you experience any surprisingly good things, in your life, even in the midst of the isolation, devastation, and sorrow of the pandemic?

Sending you love this day, as we anticipate, once again, the arrival of spring!

Sue

Hello to everyone and Happy New Year!

I have the distinct feeling that 2023 is going to be a good year!

I received an email from a friend a couple of days ago, sharing a link to a process that allows one to review the year that has passed and dream and prepare for the year ahead.

I began the process this morning, have finished the review of 2022, and am taking a break before I start the dreaming and planning process for 2023. I wanted to let you all know about the existence of this brilliantly simple booklet that you can download and use this day, or this week, to go through this process too, if it should appeal to you.

Go to www.yearcompass.com and you will find the booklet easily available to print at no charge.

All the best for your 2023!

love, Sue

Hello there!

I hope your preparations for Christmas are coming along well. I am still enjoying writing in response to Hannah Braime’s Advent Calendar prompts. She gave us a really good one today that lifted me up and out of the many little tasks related to Christmas that need doing today into the big picture perspective, which, I admit, is my favourite place to be!

In case you find yourself wanting to leave the tasks of today behind for awhile, here is the December 17 prompt:

Imagine you are reading this one year from now (December 17, 2023)

-Where are you?

-What are some of the highlights from the past 12 months?

-What is different, and what is the same?

-What do you feel most proud of from the year just gone by?

Enjoy!!!

Hi to all! I hope your December has been going well so far. Today the sun is sparkling on fresh snow outside my window, bringing me a lot of joy!

I have been following Hannah Braime’s Advent Calendar of writing prompts again this year. I have been enjoying writing in response to her prompts about the year that has passed, and tomorrow we will begin to write about hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Today, at the midpoint of her writing invitations, she offered a really fascinating one:

“ Create a haiku that represents the last 12 months for you.”

Oh boy, I really wanted to do that, and a haiku arose very quickly! For me, it really summarized the year well. Although from December 1-12 I had written quite a few pages in my journal about 2022, the 3 lines of the haiku captured the essence of it the best.

I want to hasten to add that I didn’t end up following the formula for a haiku exactly, and yet the number of syllables in each line seemed to be just perfect for today.

This lovely experience had me want to write to you today to tell you of this haiku invitation. If you give it a try, I think you will be amazed at what arises!

Hello there! I felt the urge to write a blog this morning and I was, as always, surprised by how much time has passed since I wrote the previous one.

It’s almost the writing time of year again for me. I look forward to January so much! I love to hunker down, wrapped in a cozy blanket, laptop on my knee, and write what is on my mind to write, each day for the whole month.

This year I am feeling called to write the sequel to my last book, We Are Already Whole. The feedback I received from readers of We Are Already Whole was that although it was great to learn that we have a True Self, they wanted tips on how we stay connected with it.Since February 2021, when the book was released, I have been pondering that and writing little bits here and there on the topic. So I am very excited to begin to write in earnest again in January 2023. The title of the sequel will be Fully Connected.

It’s been a busy and productive fall. I am more than halfway through the certification program to become a CSL= Certified Sage-ing Leader, for Sage-ing International. This has involved attending training sessions on the 6 core topics of Sage-ing, and learning how to facilitate Sage-ing International’s signature program Awakening the Sage Within.

It’s been a wonderful time of learning and doing and yet, January approaches, and I am excited that writing time is almost here again! Hallelujah!!

Today’s church service at my home church was so sweet. The summertime services are very relaxed, being held out on the side lawn of the church as weather permits.

Today’s worship leader was speaking on the Lord’s prayer, so the Scriptures and hymns were all focused on the topic of prayer.

My favourite part of the service was when Mary taught us a way to pray that she said she used in Sunday School for teaching children how to pray. It was so sweet, I couldn’t help wanting to share it with you.

She held up one hand and said we would use our fingers to help us remember what to pray about:

1)The thumb- is the finger closest to our hearts- so when we hold up our thumb, we remember to pray for the people we love- our family and friends.

2) The forefinger is the one we use to point, so when we hold up our forefinger, we pray for those who guide and teach us- our teachers.. anyone who guides us into truth.

3) The middle finger is our longest finger, so when we hold it up we pray for those who lead us- our government officials, all those who need wisdom from above to do their work well.

4) The ring finger is the weakest finger. When we hold our hand in a fist and try to raise the ring finger on its own, we can’t do it! (Try this- it’s true- I didn’t know this before today!!) So when we raise our ring finger, we remember to pray for those who are weak and helpless. Those who need our help and our support.

5) The baby finger is the smallest finger. As we raise this finger, we think of ourselves. We want to bring to God our own concerns. Though we are just one person, we are very beloved and important in God’s eyes and God loves to hear our prayers.

I just went for a walk, and as I walked, I looked at my hand and at each finger and found it a great way to pray as I walked. I hope you enjoy this simple, childlike and effective way to pray too!

Again, time has slipped by so quickly since my last post. Since April 22, I have packed up and moved from my office of the past 14 years at 370 Burnham Street. It was a lot of work physically, and a lot of work emotionally, to finally leave the beautiful office that I had the privilege to design, build and decorate to my own taste. So many beautiful, happy memories were made in that space, and I got to know so many people there. Penny, my nurse, was feeling emotional about leaving as well, so we decided we needed a closing ritual. Mel, our wonderful drumming facilitator and friend, came to facilitate a drumming circle for Penny and her 2 children and me. We read aloud the blessing that Rick Webster wrote and offered in December 2008 when we moved in, and then read a blessing of John O’Donohue’s for new beginnings. We shared many memories of our times together in the office, amid laughter and tears. It was a blessed and a healing time.

Penny is working in a different clinic in town now. And I am getting to have a new beginning in my ‘she-shed’, whose name is Safe Harbour. I was lucky enough to find a builder who could construct it for me last winter and then finish it this spring. I have been enjoying times of dancing and making art in Safe Harbour over the winter, and now I am going to be able to see coaching clients and offer Zoom based workshops in this space. I am excited! God has been good! I am taking some time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate in July and August, then looking forward to welcoming one and all to Safe Harbour in September, COVID permitting!

May you likewise be enjoying times of, rest and rejuvenation this summer! Have fun!

Oh boy! Another 2 months has passed! Spring is on the way, although we had a dump of snow a few days ago!

I am just beginning a year long journey to become a Certified Sage-ing Leader (CSL). We started our training yesterday. I am excited about it! I love teaching others how to do a Life Review, how to write their Ethical Will, how to create a legacy and how to be a mentor for younger people around them. This certification program and qualification will take me deeper and wider into my ability to facilitate workshops for others on these topics.

We did a simple, yet beautiful and effective exercise yesterday. I thought of you all immediately and wanted to share it with you. It’s an exercise to help us access the feelings of strength and flexibility in our bodies.

Here are the instructions:

“Stand for a moment. Imagine an oak tree in front of you. Now stand like an oak tree- sturdy, and strong. Stand with your legs apart, firmly planted, and raise your hands gently, but steadily towards the sun. Feel the power. Feel your strength.

Now, imagine a willow tree. The weeping willow bends with the winds of change. It is flexible in difficult times. Now stand gently, softly, like a willow, and allow your arms to move gently as though they were the limbs of willow tree in a breeze. Feel how limber and flexible you are, ready to move with changes, to grow, to go with the flow of life.

Remember, whenever you need strength, to feel the power of the Oak. Whenever you need to adjust, grow through, and move with change, feel the flexibility and joy of the movement of the Willow.”

I loved this! To lock it into my body further, I went for a walk down a nature trail near my home and found an oak tree to stand beside and practise standing like an oak. Then I found a willow tree to stand beside and practise feeling and moving like a willow. Then I walked along the trail stopping every once in a while to practise standing like an oak and then standing like a willow.

We need to stand strong sometimes, and other times we need to be flexible. This little practice I have described helped me to embody these feelings. I am going to go for a walk each day for awhile and practise being like an oak and then a willow. Hopefully this will translate into being able to access the feelings of strength and flexibility more easily during times when I need to feel them.

I hope it works for you too!

I can’t believe that 2 months have passed since I last wrote a blogpost. It’s been a busy time, celebrating my birthday in January, offering a course on how to write an Ethical Will, working on my next book, and dreaming of what I would like to do once COVID passes, and we are free to meet in person again.

I think I have that next thing sorted out, but for now, it’s still February and I have been wondering what to do with the feeling of being somewhat housebound. Yes, spring is coming, but not quite yet. What can we do for enjoyment and comfort while we wait?

While sorting through all my expressive arts supplies, yesterday I came upon a beautiful Adult Colouring book called Colour Me Happy: 100 Colouring Templates That Will Make You Smile. Today I sat down with my favourite coloured pencils, opened the colouring book and have just spent a very happy half hour or so colouring one of the pictures. I got the feeling of accomplishing something, while at the same time, relaxing and enjoying the process. The perfect combination!

In the Introduction to her book, Lacy Mucklow writes, “ Why make a colouring book for adults? As children, many of us enjoyed colouring in our favourite characters or scenes in books with our trusty pack of crayons, but as we got older, added responsibilities came along, which pushed aside all those things we used to do for sheer enjoyment. But there is no rule that says we should stop all the fun!…. The act of colouring is fun and meditative,bringing joy just through the simple act of picking up a coloured pencil or crayon and focusing your creativity and thoughts on a single colouring exercise.”

Yes! I can highly recommend colouring for fun, and I wanted to remind you of it if, like me, you have been experiencing a bit of the winter blues.