This January has been a big month for me. Two big milestones. If you’ve been a reader of Heart Notes for a while, you may recall this post called Heart Opening from October 2018. In this post I shared my pain as my youngest son left to serve time in a federal prison. I also shared what I was doing to support myself so I could survive this experience.
My son received a sentence of 39 months. He served time in prison, then in a halfway house, then under strict conditions within the community. As his mother it has been an intensely painful time and also a time of growth and joy. This month he finished his parole and his sentence has been served. I am so grateful to be able to share that he has turned his life around. He has found new, healthier interests, has a great job and has a five year plan for his life. We have repaired our relationships and our family feels whole again.
As part of my healing process, I designed and hooked a rug called This Cord of Love That Binds Us. This rug and a description of the process of learning to love unconditionally will be one of the works featured in an upcoming book by artist Karen Miller.
The second milestone this January is I got a dragonfly tattoo from artist @KeeganInk (who also happens to be my eldest son). If you’ve read my books, particularly my first book, you will know that the dragonfly is a powerful symbol of healing. It represents “joy, adaptability, transformation and digging deeper into the emotions”. The dragonfly played an important part in my healing and recovery from breast cancer six years ago.
I decided to place my dragonfly tattoo over a mark on my chest. It is one of several markers that were placed to help the technicians align the radiation machine for each of my treatments.
Why am I sharing these two very personal milestones? When I decided to close my homeopathy practice and leave space for reinvention and transformation, I resolved to bring my whole self to the work I do. I wanted to share my experiences in the hopes they will inspire or encourage others. At two very low points (breast cancer and my son’s incarceration) life looked very bleak. I’ve learned that each moment is temporary – the joys and the sorrows. I’ve learned that wherever I am, I need to breathe and take nothing for granted. It’s all learning, all experience that takes us along our path.
How can I help?
To tap into more of finding yourself or bringing your whole self to your life and art and work, consider my books and my workshops. (For the most up to date listing of my upcoming workshops, sign up for my twice a month Heart Notes newsletter.)
Thanks for listening. I hope if you are struggling you will keep breathing. I see you.
