I feel so incredibly blessed to be having the life experiences that I am having.  I love to say that as I realize how many people cannot relate to that sentiment when they know the challenges that have come my way!  All the better as I feel so strongly that at least part of my purpose is to help people change the lens with which they view their own lives.

Gratitude is a powerful tool of alchemy.  Being able to change the way you look at something does change what you see and experience.  I thought I’d spend some time sharing some of the many gifts present in my life and encourage you to spend some quiet time doing the same.

I am thankful for my husband Mike.  When most people get on a journey with illness they must face their own fears, a battery of decisions and the fears of their friends and family.  I can’t tell you how many times I heard people tell me in the last few years they wanted to approach their healing journeys from a holistic perspective, addressing the healing needs of the whole being and a return to balance, rather than trying to overwhelm the illness and weaken the body in the process the way conventional western medicine approaches it.  Every time someone said this they then told me that their family put significant pressure on them to do it the conventional way.  Mike never did this to me.  Mike witnessed my father’s horrific and useless suffering from chemotherapy just before doctors were suggesting I do the same.  He felt the aversion to the conventional therapies too, especially when they were telling me they had no cure for me.   He has been by my side to support me and love me, to provide for our family and to believe that the universe has our back and only the highest outcome is expected.  Mike is also very generous with foot massages, cooking and TLC.  I am a very lucky lady <3.

I am thankful for my children Aidan and Kyra and all of the messy lessons they are teaching me about what is truly important.  I am thankful for the people they are becoming.  This is their journey and experience just as much as it is mine.  I am grateful for their ability to keep it real and keep focused on life not on the healing journey.

I am thankful that I was given 6 years to learn and grow and prepare for this next phase, the emergence from the cocoon.  I am thankful to have met Dr. Mark Mincolla and for beginning to understand the universe through quantum physics and appreciating that we are all connected, acting out parts of a play which reminds me that at any time I can change my perception and change the way I see the play.

I am thankful for walking at Bay Farm with my pups who bring me so much joy for joy’s sake every day.

I am thankful for the books, sites and people who have healed naturally that share a different path, even if those sources face continual harassment from those who would wish to silence them.

I am thankful for my awakening during the surgery in July and my pure understanding of the expanded perspective this journey is providing me.  What I now know is that this is a beautiful gift, teaching me how to let go of my limiting beliefs and my need for control.  Divine Source is guiding me and all of us every step of the way.

I am thankful that I hit a crisis point because I wasn’t willing to fully let go of my ego bullshit until things ‘got real’.  I have spent the last several weeks and will spend many more discovering who I really am and what really matters…to me.  I have discovered that, although I enjoy getting away, room service and a nice view matter a lot more to me than the city or town where I am.  I discovered I have no interest in shopping, even in funky stores, nor any interest in dining out at high end joints outside of the resort.  I am also discovering that I like a really slow-paced life where I spend more time being than doing.  I am thankful that I am prioritizing myself and my needs and not feeling that I need to prove anything to anyone, but just live my life.  The best way for me to help others is to help myself.  My attitude alone can inspire others to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve whatever they desire.

I am thankful to my family and friends who have offered so much support and love on my journey.  Your offers of help and positive thoughts encourage me every day!

I am thankful that I have discovered the joy in eating vibrant, alive food and I am grateful that my craving for processed crap is well under control.

I am thankful that I felt deep within me that I need to be very gentle with myself, not drive myself through fear or pressure to pursue healing, but to let the right actions be divinely brought to me at the right time.

I am thankful for silence, books, and the sun, all of which feed my soul in different ways.

Although it may be hard to believe, the last 2 months have been the greatest of my life.  I wish everyone felt as connected to our Source, loved and thriving, as I do now.  It is possible for all of us.  All that it requires is your presence.  When you can be truly focused on the now you realize that there is nothing to stress.  Literally nothing!  Meditation teachers try to get us to just chill in the moment, but for many of us the monkey brain won’t shut up.   I think the simplest way to silence your inner critic is by watching your breath.  You don’t need to control it and make it feel forced.  Just breathe in and out for a minute.  Notice the noises around you and fold that in.  There is no need to control anything.  Let it all be.  Let what wants to come come and let what wants to go go.  Find things to appreciate.  Gratitude is like switching to rose colored glasses.  It really is that simple <3.

Written by Erin on August 18, 2016 but not published