Heart Connections in Autumn Light

Here it is. My first peek at Autumn 2008.

As I was walking around our little Lake Hampton, I looked down at just the right moment, and I saw it. This red leaf ~ colorfully lying there amidst last Winter's leftover brown debris and Summer's waning greens ~ invited me to stop for just a moment.


As I snapped the picture, focusing in on this symbol of September changes ~ this organic reminder of life's never-ending transformation ~ it was as if Mother Nature had gently tapped me on the shoulder to share a moment of nostalgic reflection.

Like a parent simultaneously celebrating and yet dreading her child's leaving for school, Mother Nature was inspiring me to capture a few of her Summer's fading memories as we prepare to welcome Autumn's return.

I invite you to take a moment
to enjoy these memories with me.

Glorious Purple Sisters

Summer's Yellow and Orange hues holding on.

Aging Beauty

Goldenrod's blossoms announce Autumns' Arrival,
bringing tears to many eyes.

Geese Friends thinking of Southern Shores?

As I watched our geese friends looking out over their Spring and Summer home, I imagined that they were contemplating their impending Southbound flight. In watching them, I fell into my own moment of contemplation about the changing season. It was a moment of connecting my Heartbeat to the Universal Heartbeat.

Twice a year ~ at the Spring Equinox in late March and the Autumn Equinox in late September ~ we experience equal hours of daylight and darkness. These are Mother Nature's gifts to us. Yin-Yang moments; balancing points of equal dark and light.

In the Spring that tipping point past the balance moves us out of the contemplative Darkness of Winter into Spring's time of planting the seeds of new ideas for us to grow. Our heartbeat quickens with the expanding hours of light, and we feel the urge to spring into motion with the rest of Nature.

Here, at the Fall Equinox, Mother Nature invites us to pause and look back at what we have grown and harvested from those Spring seeds. What wisdom have we nurtured during the full light of Summer? What new ideas blossomed into hardy personal Understandings?

As we once again prepare to move into the contemplative darkness of Winter, we begin to consider what aspects of our harvest will not only sustain us, but empower us. With the outer light growing dim, we need sparks from within to enlighten us, to provide us visions and dreams of new life vistas. The light that shines from within us deepens our Heart Connection to the Universal Heartbeat, just as gathering around a Winter Hearth deepens our connections to friends and family with whom we share that warm experience.

So now, I invite you to take a moment to pause.

Maybe you were busy and missed
the official beginning of Autumn
on Monday, September 22 at 11:44 am.

In case you could not take time to stop
to honor that brief moment
that balance point
between equal light and dark.

If you were unable to pause and be aware
of the tipping point that moved us closer to
Our Heart Connection
with the
Mother Nature's Universal Heartbeat ...

I invite you to take a moment now.

Focus in on the picture below
of our little Lake Hampton
as she appeared at the moment
of Autumn's arrival.

Peer into the water as it reflects
the Light and the Dark
of the Equinox.

And feel Your Heartbeat
connect to the sacred rhythm
of
Mother Nature.

Peace & Light,
Jae

"Gotcha" Body Dialogue

It has been over a month since my last Healing Circles post. And, since then, I have truly missed connecting with you.

I wish I could say that my absence has been due to a wonderful farewell-to-Summer vacation with my husband, or another unexpected getaway day with my daughter or one of my friends. Instead, during my blogging absence over the last few weeks, I have been engaged in an ongoing dialogue with my own body, which has been quite adamantly reminding me that I have not been taking good care of my physical existence.

As anyone close to me will tell you, other than when I am taking my daily walk or doing hands-on de-cluttering projects, my natural inclination is to live in my head. That's where my intellectual and intuitive/visionary centers of the brow chakra is located. It's my true comfort zone. Add to this ~ as with most women ~ a tendency to "just keep going" regardless, and there you have a recipe for the body to do a "gotcha".

My big "gotcha" actually happened a few years ago. After a very long period of high stress, which triggered off a wide array of symptoms, I was diagnosed with Chronic Epstein Barr Virus. Very similar in nature to the effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this "condition" is equally as challenging to learn how to manage and to live with. If you would like more information about Chronic Epstein Barr Virus (CEBV), check out the website listed under Jae's Links.

Since my Epstein Barr diagnosis, I have gotten much better at paying attention to my body's physical-symptom reminders, like

"Brain no think. Hungry. Eat now!"

or

"Excuse me. Headache!
Staring at a glowing computer screen not a good idea.
Take a break!"

Still, focusing on the physical does not come naturally to me. So sometimes, after ignoring its messages for too long, my body has to take drastic measures. And in a last ditch effort, it sends out a combination of stronger symptom-messages that absolutely force me to

"Just Stop!!!"

Which is what I had to do a few weeks ago, as I finished posting my last De-Cluttering Connection blog. Since then, I have been consciously slowing down and relaxing. I've had two doctor's visits and a couple of tests. I'm making a point to eat healthier and taking some prescribed supplements.

In addition, to complement this traditional approach, I also have been having some great Body Dialogues so I can better understand the symptom-messages my body has been sending me.

So, what is a "Body Dialogue"?

A Body Dialogue is sort of a conversation with your body that takes place in a gentle meditative state. As with any meditation, our attention is turned away from the outside world, away from our everyday To Do List, away from our analytical, intellectual processes. And, just like our Life Journey Meditation from last time, we allow ourselves to form a conscious, inner connection with a particular inner aspect ~ or physical part ~ of ourselves. Once connecting inwardly, we open to receive the wisdom held there.

I am sharing this practice with you today in case you may be interested in trying this gentle approach to self-care. You may be having a particular physical challenge of your own, or you may want to just add this practice to your regular self-care routine.

Getting into the habit of "conversing" with our Bodies now will serve us well as we look toward Autumn's arrival on September 22nd. Our body's connection to Mother Nature's clock is already anticipating the North East's colder weather that will reward us with beautiful views of Autumn leaves. With stores already displaying Halloween costumes, we know frostier weather will be challenging us to stay healthy. And, the busy Holiday Season that follows will create an even more hectic pace to our lives. Hey, I've already received a catalog featuring Holly Leaf Tablecloths and Snowflake Decorations.

At this point you may be thinking, "Jae, why are you trying to depress us? Just because you haven't been feeling well, do you have bring all of us down?"

Believe me, I am not trying to depress you. Instead, I'm hoping to provide you another holistic tool to help you avoid illness so you won't have to feel yucky or depressed. So here we go . . .

For a Body-Focused Meditative Dialogue
I find it is best to lie down.

Usually, our head/brain gets "top billing", feeling very important as it "rules from on high" over every other part of our body. In this situation, however, we want to honor that every part of us is equally important. Lying down puts all of our physical parts on a more level "communication field".

Since being physically-focused tends to be a challenge for me, I make a special effort to create a calm, nurturing atmosphere for Body Dialogues. For me, that means candles, soft instrumental music, a glass of water to my right, and my personal journal within reach. Plus, I hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside the door of the room so I won't be interrupted and to make me feel secure. I change into very loose, comfortable clothes. But not what I usually sleep in. I do not want to cue myself to go to sleep. I want to be comfortable enough to fully relax, but also alert enough to consciously receive the insights that my body has to share with me.

Once the atmosphere is set, there is nothing left to do but lie down and get comfortable. For me, this means lying on my back. For others, it may mean lying on their side. The most important thing is to find a position in which none of your body parts feel stressed or stretched. Oncee I am in my safe space and comfortable body position, I begin to gently encourage myself to move into a state of relaxation.

Note:

If you are not used to doing self-relaxation and/or meditation, you may want to have a trusted friend or family member slowly read the relaxation script found at the end of this posting, just below the picture of the rainbow candles.

I usually begin my meditation by whispering to myself, "Relax now." This is my cue that my meditation has begun, giving my mind and body permission to "let down," disengage from the outside world and be still. After so many years of this practice, I am also able to use these two simple words to relax myself in any stressful situation.

The full relaxation process usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Once I feel completely relaxed, I begin my Body Dialogue.

During my most recent Dialogue, I silently asked my body to send me a physical sensation to let me know where it most needed attention. I immediately felt a dull headache starting to form at the center of my forehead. This is a symptom I had been experiencing on and off for several weeks. I had been explaining it away as once again having "Forgot to eat!" But on this evening, I had been very attentive to making sure that I ate something to nurture myself before beginning my meditation process. So, I knew that this headache was my body's own way of communicating something of importance to me.

With that in mind, I consciously breathed into the headache, asking my body, "What is it that you are trying to tell me through sending me this headache? I am listening." Then continuing to breathe naturally, I just laid there quietly, waiting for the response.

Within moments, I "heard" the reply. Or maybe it is better described as I had a "knowing" that the words coming to mind were my body's message. Either way, the "explanation" my body gave me for sending the headache, came with the thought,

"A headache is the only thing
that makes your mind stop going."

This made total sense because I live in my head so much. I spend probably 85 percent of my time taking in information, creating and processing ideas, and then translating those ideas into concepts to communicate to others. And the only thing that will stop me is a bad headache. If it hurts to think, I'm done.

Receiving this message, and knowing its truth, I thanked my body for sharing its wisdom. And then, I apologized to my body for having ignored its messages.

But my body had more to tell me.

No sooner had I acknowledged the headache, than it began to fade away. Seconds later, my left leg started to ache. Once again, I breathed into the ache, and asked for more guidance. The ache narrowed into a more intense soreness behind my knee and upward into the back of my lower left thigh. That area had been bothering me on and off for several days. I was eager to hear this message.

"Less sitting and thinking.
More exploring.
We need exercise to be healthy."

This I did not fully understand. But I did not allow myself to get into an analytical process about why it didn't make sense. Instead, I simply thought, "Please tell me more." In response, I received,

"You need to feel like you're going somewhere.
Exercise in one place does not work.
Hurried exercise in any setting does not either.
Distracted, we get hurt."

I still didn't get it, and I asked again, "Please tell me more." The final response made everything clear to me.

"Find continuity and balance both inside and out.
Strengthen by moving with awareness."

"Ahhh! Gotcha!" I replied inwardly.

With a clear sense that my body dialogue was over, I focused on my whole body once again. As the soreness faded from my leg, I turned my attention to the top of my head, and started the process of rejoining the physical world.

Simply focusing on each area of my body from my head down to my toes, I invited all parts of myself to awaken, feeling physically whole, fully awake, and aware of my surroundings and my experience. Taking a few moments to become fully connected to the outside world, I sat up, slowly drank some water, and then journaled about what I had learned.

"The first and second message from my leg reminded me that over the summer, my daily walking routine had become sporadic. Since I do not do well in temperatures over 80, I started a more traditional stretching exercise routine in the air-conditioned comfort of home.

"However, since I do most of my administrative work and writing at home, I have a hard time disengaging from my work process in order to fully focus on those boring, in-one-place exercises. I like to feel like I'm going somewhere ... even it is only going around the circle of a little lake. As it got hotter and hotter outside, I was forced to stay inside more often. Gradually, I was doing less and less exercising, but a lot more work at home. There were no more relaxing morning moments of sitting by the lake and "just being". Thus the headaches?

"I did finally realize I was getting off track, so I knew that I needed to get back to walking by the lake. In order to do this, I decided I had to hurry up and get out there earlier in the morning to beat the heat. Through my hurrying outside and being distracted inside, I must have somehow strained something in my left leg. But sitting and thinking is not going to make it better.

"The last message from my body offers coaching encouragement that I would give to my own clients.

"Find continuity and balance both inside and out.
Strengthen by moving with awareness.'

"Now it's up to me to honor that I 'got it' and to translate my body's encouragement into concrete practices. With the cooler weather upon, this should be fairly easy to do. But I also need to look ahead to when the very cold weather drives inside once again. Much to ponder."

Wishing you wisdom-filled Body-Focused Dialogues
to which you can reply
"Ahha! Gotcha."

As always, your comments are joyfully received.

Peace & Light,
Jae

Suggested Relaxation Script

"Relax now.

Settling into this nurturing environment,
take a little time to just breathe softly.

Sigh into the comfort of this peaceful moment,
and allow yourself to sink into the freedom of "just being".

Next, take a few minutes to be fully aware of your body.

Starting at your feet and moving slowly upward,
begin to focus your attention to each area of your body
and invite it to relax.

feet, ankles,
shins and calves,
knees and thighs
relax.

abdomen, hips,
buttocks, and lower back
relax.

waist, solar plexus,
and back behind this area
relax.

breasts, heart area
and upper back
relax.

becoming aware of your spine,
focus on your tail bone
and follow your spine up to your neck
relaxing each vertebrae.

now focus on your left arm,
starting at your hand and wrist,
then your left forearm,
elbow, upper arm and shoulder
relax every part of your left arm.

now focus on your right arm,
starting at your hand and wrist,
then your right forearm,
elbow, upper arm, and shoulder
relax every part of your right arm.

next move your attention to your throat
and relax this are of communication.

and now move your attention to your neck,
becoming aware of the strong muscles
that support your head
invite these muscles to
relax.

now focus on your face,
your jaw and mouth,
your cheekbones,
your nose, eyes and ears
relaxing all of the senses.

bring awareness to your brow
and relax.

your forehead
and relax.

both sides of your head
relax.

the back of your head
relaxing.

and finally
the very top of your head
allowing complete relaxation.

Having acknowledged every part of
your physical being from toe to head,
allow yourself to just lie still in this relaxed state.

As you fully sink into complete relaxation,
become aware of your whole body.

From this awareness
of the entire physical entity that is you,
invite your body to speak to you
through physical sensations.
Ask it to draw your attention to the part of you
that most needs your special attention at this time.

Breathe into this part of your body that is calling to you,
and hear everything it has to tell you."

A Life Journey Meditation

Today, I invite you to take a few minutes to sit back and enjoy a very brief meditation. This inner journey offers an opportunity for us to discover ~ or rediscover ~ some feelings or ideas that may be lying beneath the "mind clutter" of our everyday thoughts and responsibilities.

So, turn off your phone and any noise-creating devices. Dim the lights, and sit back in a comfortable position. You may want to put a piece of paper and a pen in front of you, so you can write about your experience when you "return".

Now, simply read the brief induction below, and then focus on the picture. Know that this is your own personal journey, from which you can safely return to your chair at any time. After you return, scroll down to the bottom of this post for further instructions.

Let's Begin.

Imagine yourself standing at the opening of a little wooded path. Although it may look small and insignificant, it is one of the many important paths along your Life's Journey.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.
See the green leaves and the brown tree trunks.
Let your eyes follow the path,
noticing the tufts of grass, the tree roots and stones.

Now, imagine yourself walking along this path.

Feel the cool shadows and the warm sunlight,
gently filtering through the trees.

As you safely walk further into the woods,
the path curves to your left,
and you discover something that is for you alone.

It could be an old friend.
Or cherished family member.
A forgotten idea. A missed opportunity.
Or a brand new insight about yourself.

And continuing down the path,
as you are ready,
allow your eyes to gently close
and go within.

Welcome back.

Now that you have returned, you may want to take a little time to journal about your experience while it is still fresh.

Don't worry about grammar or spelling.
Just let the words flow as you
recapture your feelings and insights.

As always, we would be honored
if you wish to share.

Peace & Light to You,
Jae

Go Ahead and Back Up

Last Tuesday (July 29th), I was feeling kind of like this little flower . . . a bit out of focus, fading into the background, and hiding from the world.


The previous two weeks had been a chaotic combination of disjointed professional commitments and emotionally exhausting personal events. The upside of this state of mind was that it didn't bother me to be "tied" to my apartment as I worked on my home office de-cluttering project. The downside was that I couldn't seem to shift myself out of this "heavy" feeling. You know what I mean? Like you're wearing a coat made out of concrete?

I couldn't even make myself drive over to our little Lake Hampton, even though I knew it would help me to feel better. Then, I tried to talk myself into just walking down the hill to sit by the waterfall pictured below. "After all, it's DOWN hill, Jae," I tried to reason with myself.



But even the prospect of being in this lovely setting ~ located just a tenth of a mile down the hill from my home ~ couldn't motivate me to go outside. So, I decided to put on a CD of water sounds and meditate on the photo of the waterfall.

While my virtual visit to the waterfall helped me to regain some focus, it did not seem to help with my heavy energy. So I asked myself, "What would you tell one of your clients to do?" Which is why I started to do some simple stretching exercises. "Just get moving," I encouraged me. That's when I discovered how achy my body felt.

Just as I started to wonder if I was actually coming down with a physical illness, the phone rang. I dove for it like it was life a preserver, (which was the quickest move I had made all morning). And responding to my "hello" was my dear friend, Leslie. Just hearing her voice, I immediately felt lighter.

After a very few pleasantries, she got to the point of her call. "How would you like to go on a day-long getaway to the Adirondacks this Friday," she asked.

I think it took me less than a second to say "Yes!" Considering how exhausted and achy my body felt at that moment, what else could I say?

I still had clients on Wednesday, a big meeting ahead of me on Thursday, and lots of ongoing work to do in my office. But I decided that for the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of myself ~ as well as anyone who had to interact with me in this state of mind ~ Friday had to be a day of relaxation and replenishing.

However, there were many, many hours to get through between that Tuesday morning and Friday morning when Leslie and I would make our getaway. I can't count the number of times I heard my Workaholic Self say, "I really should cancel." But the Good Friend part of me longed for the joy of reconnecting with a beloved friend. And more importantly, I knew Leslie needed this day even more than I did. So, Good Friend Jae won out over Workaholic Jae, and on Friday morning ~ just a little after 9:00 ~ Leslie and I took off for Lake George.

In less than two hours of driving ~ during which we caught up on our current life happenings ~ we were on the dock at Wiawaka Holiday House and Women's Retreat (see sidebar for more information about this wonderful place). We claimed a comfortable, old-fashioned, double deckchair, and for awhile, all we did was sit there in silence, look at the water and watch the boats sail by.

And as I sat there, looking at, and listening to, the waves lapping against the dock, in no time at all, I was letting down, relaxing, and just "letting go" of all concerns. Leslie decided to take a swim, while I settled for sitting on the edge of the dock and dangling my feet in the water. I couldn't believe how many big sighs of relief I sighed that morning.

In what seemed like a very little while, a gentle rain started to fall. But that was alright, because as I looked at my watch, I realized it was almost noon and time to eat lunch anyway. So we headed up to Wiawaka's main house for lunch, which was provided as part of our Day Pass. Sitting on the screened-in porch, near another group of women, we leisurely ate and quietly chatted.

After lunch, with the clouds still dark above us and intermittently sending us more showers, we moved into this screen house by the shore and enjoyed lake views like this on three sides of us.

Leslie and I sat in that screen house for hours. And, we did lots and lots of astrology charts. And we laughed, and relaxed, and sometimes just sat silently together. But mostly we did a lot of Heart to Heart talking.

We shared memories from our teen years, when we first met in art class and discovered that we both studied astrology. We recalled happy and sad times that we faced during the years in between. We recaptured the aspects of our ourselves that had emerged during times that we were close ~ like when we shared an apartment for awhile, or the many years that we worked in the same office. We marveled at how our ties of friendship were flexible enough to stretch and stay strong when our lives put distance between us ~ like when she lived in New England and Virginia, or when I was a continent away in California.

We voiced our thoughts and feelings about our recent life challenges and losses. And in the safety of a relationship fortified by decades of loving respect, we dared to voice our most dearly held hopes and dreams for our own futures, as well as ideas for possible collaborative ventures to come.

By the time Wiawaka's dinner bell rang at 6:00, I was no longer feeling like that little out-of-focus, fading, yellow flower. I felt strong and vibrant, like these beautiful blooms in one of the planters on the dock. And, I know it was because my "heart roots" had been gently re-planted and warmly watered by an very experienced Gardener of Friendship. Thanks to Leslie, I felt renewed.


After dinner, we joined the other duos, and trios, and groups of friends who gathered on the dock to await the sunset. Leslie and I reclaimed the double deckchair where we had started our wonderful day of retreat. And as I sat there watching the last rays of daylight paint golden outlines around a bank of white, puffy clouds, I felt a sense of awe ~ but not only for the visible beauty of this day. More importantly, I was in awe of the inner feeling of spiritual healing that I received from this day of relaxing reconnection.

As I wrote in my journal,

"Our society's fast-paced, "got to get it done right now" way of life, requires us to be so intent on our plans for who we should be tomorrow, that we start to forget who we are today, and how we got to be this person. Today has reminded me that sometimes the best thing I can do for myself is to stop looking ahead, stop going, going, going. Just STOP! And then ... back up. Just step back ~ both physically, and inwardly ~ like Leslie and I did today.

"We backed up from our "to do's" and our "have to's," and we allowed ourselves the gift of rediscovering the Heart of Who we are. We took time to see the beautiful mosaic of the many past selves that we have been, and to feel how all of the colors of those selves shine through us right at this very moment.

"Leslie and I are no longer working together everyday at a lobbyist group, but the experiences we gathered there continue to inform and influence us every day ~ even as we sit in a screen house doing astrology charts. And in doing those astrology charts, we re-awaken two teenagers that sat across from each other in an art class, admiring and encouraging each other's creative talents.

"Maybe I am just in an ultra reminiscent mood from sorting through all of the old papers in my home office (which is another way to Back Up). But, as the golden outlines of the sun disappear from the clouds ~ and this experience fades into another memory ~ I think the lesson for today is to find more opportunities to "Back Up". In Backing Up, we get a wider view of our life and a better understanding of why we are facing the particular path that lies ahead of us now. What better gift can we give to a friend or loved one? And can there be a more precious gift to receive?"

Now I invite you to take a day
(or just this moment right now)
to

Back Up.

Who is the first friend that comes to mind
when you think about taking
a day-long getaway for
personal renewal, rediscovery, and celebration?

Why that friend?

What is important to you about the person(s) you are
~ or person(s) you were ~
in the company of this particular friend?

Now go ahead,
call your friend
and make plans for a day to
Back Up.

Distance separates you?
You can work that out.
Be creative.
It will be worth it to give yourself and your friend
the gift of rediscovering
the Heart of Who you are.

Best wishes for a wonderful day.
And let us know know how it worked out to
Go Ahead and Back Up


We joyfully welcome your thoughts and feelings.
Simply click on "Comments" below.


Peace & Light to You,
Jae

Generations

This week I would like to honor the passing of a generation from my life. And in the process of that honoring, I invite you to look at your own way of living ~ how the person that you are reflects the generations who have gone before you, and illuminates the generations that will follow.

I had planned to write about Life's Crossroads ~ you know, those significant decision points that we all face from time to time. But then, last night ~ a little after eleven o'clock ~ my daughter, Gina, called to tell me that Gramma had died (her father's mother).

We had been anticipating this passing. Betty had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer months ago. Arrangements were made to fulfill her wishes that she die in her home with all of her seven children ~ and their adult children ~ around her. I joined the family's vigil in spirit by lighting a candle with a butterfly next to it, as a symbol of transformation.

Now I ask that you please indulge me for a few paragraphs
as I talk about this special woman.

Maybe you know someone like her.

Betty was my “mom-in-law” for eleven years, but she has been “Ma” and a dear friend for 38 years. Once you become a part of Betty's family, no spousal separation agreement or divorce decree can ever sever those family ties. Attend any of her birthday celebrations or family gatherings, and there you will meet up with other ex-sons- and ex-daughters-in-law, along with their new spouses. Why? Because we love Ma. Why? Because she was so accepting of us and anyone we loved. She may have gotten angry with you, but she never stopped caring about you, because she understood that everyone has their own personal frailties.

As I sit here on a park bench, just feet away from our little Lake Hampton, I can imagine Betty sitting here with me. She would love the peaceful beauty of this place. She would enjoy watching the ducks. But she would love interacting with the people. For unlike me ~ who can simply walk and marvel at this Healing Circle of Strangers ~ Betty would be interested in knowing something about each and every one of those strangers. And I am sure that after a few days of her sitting on this bench, a regular group of people would have been sitting here with her. They would be sharing their life stories, family news, and daily gripes. Why? Because people just knew that she loved people.

Throughout her 83 years of life, Betty collected a treasure trove of friendships and acquaintances, the networking power of which rivals the strength of many U.S. Ambassadors. Considering she didn't drive a car or travel more than a few hundred miles away from home when she went on vacation with her daughters, it is amazing how many people she knew. Mention to Betty that you were looking for something ~ like a bookcase, or a used rug in good condition ~ and within hours, she would be on the phone, spreading the word, and finding someone who had exactly what you needed. Her phone line was almost always busy and her front door was always opening to a family of friends and neighbors.

So, what will I miss most about Betty? That's easy. Her sense of humor. Although she faced many personal tragedies and some tremendous life challenges that might have made others bitter, Betty was always able to find something to laugh about. She had a wit that was as quick, as her big heart was forgiving. I am sure that her passing has created an emotional ripple effect that will travel throughout her interconnections of family, friends and acquaintances from coast to coast.

But, didn't I say this article was about passing generations
~ about how they influence our lives
and shape who we are in this world?

Yes I did.

I can see in my daughter, Gina, her grandmother's willingness to make time for anyone who needs help. My ex-sister-in-law and life friend, Leslie, reflects her mother's joy in being with and getting to know people. She too has a treasure-trove of friends and acquaintances from virtually every walk of life. Betty's ability to find a moment of humor in even the most difficult situation has become an important aspect of every one of her children and grandchildren ... and every once in awhile, that ability will even show up in those of us who are ex-daughters-in law.

Having said goodbye to my parents, my husband's mother, and now Betty, I've come to realize that with each generation's passing, the next generation takes a step up. Each generation takes their turn to hold the light that illuminates the Mirror of Life into which the next generation will peer and find another way of seeing and defining themselves.

Now I invite you to look into the Mirror of Life with me.

What aspects of you do/will
your children, nieces, nephews or younger cousins reflect?

What do you like about you?
And how does that trait reflect an older generation?

What would you like to change about you?
Is it an “inherited” trait that you
wish could end with your generation?

Have you shared those feelings with anyone?

Sharing could be the first step
to an important generational change.

So, in honor of Betty

and in honor of
each of our reflections in the
Mirror of Life,

I send you Peace and Butterfly Light.

Jae

Mother Nature's Fireworks

Mother Nature Presents
her very own 4th of July display:

Organic Fireworks

presented for your viewing pleasure all Summer long.

Appearing in city parks,
at almost every neighborhood intersection,
along nearly every country road.

See all the colors of the rainbow
in countless shapes and forms,
appearing in quiet, serene splendor.

Enjoy!

(photos by Jae)

I found this sparkling display of color in my own neighborhood.
Have fun finding your own organic fireworks.

Peace & Light,
Jae

T-Shirt Life Review

Today's pearls of accidental wisdom come to you from the air conditioned comfort of my home. At 8:40 in the morning, it is already a very humid 73 degrees outside, and temperatures are expected to go up quickly into the mid- to high-80s. Of course, those of you in the Deep South are probably saying to yourselves, “What a wimp! She thinks that's hot!?” Yes, I do. It is on days like this one that I miss the cool, summer fog of San Francisco.

Since I will not be taking my daily walk until it cools down this evening, assisting me today ~ filling in for all of our animal friends around little Lake Hampton ~ is my shy cat, "Holly with the Big Green Eyes". She likes to sit near me as I type; and every once in awhile, she'll come over and poke me with her nose, or tap me with a paw, to remind me that it is time for me to adore her.




By design, I do not have any clients on Fridays. So, Friday is my day to do household chores. The first assignment ... the laundry ... which I usually start within a half-hour of having my morning coffee. Actually, I don't mind doing the laundry. It's a heck-of-a-lot better than grocery shopping ~ although Beth, my “I Love to Cook” friend, would beg to differ.

But being an organizational coach, laundry is a process that kind of fits right in with my natural approach to life. You gather clothes, and sort them into piles of like-things, and then clean those things by tossing them into the washer and dryer. Finally, you fold, organize them into “put away piles” and then put them away. And I can be doing other things while the washer and dryer are doing their thing.

Of course, there's only my husband and I creating our dirty laundry so I usually have only two loads of wash. So, granted, I probably wouldn't feel so good about this process if I had a week's worth of wash for several children. Whoa! I just got a flashback of my daughter's teen years . . the “wear it five minutes and throw it on the floor” era of her life.

Breathing ... breathing ... releasing ...
letting go of the scary memory ....

Okay, I'm back.

As I was saying, I don't really mind doing the laundry. Actually, when I get to the folding stage, sometimes I use it as an opportunity to do a gentle inner journey ... a sort of mini Life Review. And what do I use to guide me on that journey?

T-shirts.

No really. Think about it. You buy them as mementos of a trip you took, a concert you saw, or a special event you attended. Friends and family members buy one for you as a gift/memento from their vacation. You seldom have to wonder where they came from, because they most often have the city and/or state name right on them. And sometimes, they even have dates on them, so you don't have figure out when you got them.

Like this oldie but goody, from 1997, when I still worked in politics. I was the Communications Director for the County Legislators and Supervisors Association, a membership lobbyist group. It was one of my very favorite jobs.

Every year at our annual conference, our Executive Director gave each of the staff members a token thank you gift for all of the hours and hard work we put into making the event happen. This T-shirt has special meaning for me because of its connection to the staff's behind the scenes conference theme of The Wizard of Oz. I cast myself as the Wicked Witch of the West, and the E.D. had this T made especially for me. It was the last conference I did with them; I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area about a month later.

And speaking of moving to San Francisco, here's a San Fran T that I bought on our big recognizance trip to find an apartment. My husband was going to be moving about a month ahead of me. So, I wore this quite often during that month to feel connected with him until I could join him.

And then there's Maui. Strangely, Hawaii is a place I had never felt compelled to visit. It was my husband's idea to go there for the holidays in December of 1999. Wow! What a magical place. And every time I put this on, I'm wearing lots of magical memories.

[Holly Cat Adoration Break]

Now this next T-shirt brings me to a special time in life. By September of 2001, we were living back in Upstate New York. (The life of a computer geek can be quite transient.) With this relocation, I had the opportunity to continue my education, studying the holistic psychology of Psychosynthesis by training at The Synthesis Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. The artwork on this special T is the work of one of my Trainers, Clare Goodwin. She is an artist who has a special interest in creating Mandalas. She is also an astrologer, and it was great to have a teacher with whom I could share that interest.



This next T brings back memories of a fun afternoon during a chaotic time of life. 2003 was a particularly difficult year. Work layoffs, two unexpected deaths among family and friends, and the growing pains of reinventing my vision for my professional future. In the midst of all of that craziness, my husband and I attended the grand opening of the Guitar Center in Albany, NY. Both musicians (he plays bass and I play keyboards), music is how we met. As two of the first 100 people to enter the store, we each got a free T-shirt. We spent a lot of time playing instruments and checking out CDs and sheet music. All we could afford to buy that day was a set of guitar strings. But we had so much fun in that couple of hours. And, these T-shirts are our favorite things to wear to just lounge around the house.


And for the grand finale . . . here's my favorite T to wear for fun. Lots of dragonflies adorn both the front and back. Dragonflies are my very favorite beings in nature, and they tend to gather around me when I take walks in areas that they inhabit. This T also has a connection to California. I bought it in a little country store just off Highway 1. I was there with Connie B, who has been a dear friend since 1972. We had flown out to attend the Women's Dream Quest, held every year at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

So ends my guided Life Review via folding T-shirts.

I'll bet as you have been reading this,
you've started to do your own T-shirt Life Review.

Do you have a favorite T-shirt ~ or sweatshirt ~
with special memories attached to it?

Or maybe the memory is connected one of
your son's or daughter's Ts.

Why not share the story with us now.


And the next time you start folding that laundry,
take advantage of another opportunity to do a
T-Shirt Life Review.

Peace & Light.

Jae
(and Holly)