A Story of Hope

Dear Friends,
I am sitting here in front of my computer and it is quite early for a Sunday morning but I am in my warm bathrobe with a steaming cup of coffee in my favorite cup. This story has been with me all night and so it is time to put it to print. Many of you know we are doing an event called, Stories of Hope on November 9Th, 7PM at Prince of Peace Church. This universal idea of hope is with me everywhere I go and I see it in everyone and everything. Yesterday, another story of hope was told that acted like a beacon of light to all who heard it. My son is in graduate school to be a physical therapist and yesterday we were invited to an open house and celebration of the program and its students. .It was a wonderful day, starting out with tours of this state of the art facility. I have to admit I was fascinated and my son had to keep reminding me to keep my hands off the equipment. However I did get to experiment in the bio mechanics lab which was a lot of fun.

The afternoon was a contrast to what we had seen in the morning. The morning was all about the academics and the highly supplicated tools that are used with patients. But the afternoon really showcased the human spirit in each of us to be the best we can and sometimes skill is only a small part of that. You can all the knowledge and skill but you all need spirit in your work. That afternoon, 8 scholarships were given out for $8,000.00 each for a total of $64,000.00 dollars by one man. No, he was not rich but he made a commitment to his wife's passion for her life and work.

His wife, Cindi, had been a physical therapist with an commitment to the people she worked with beyond what most people had ever seen. Every where she went she carried a passion for life that extended beyond her and reached every person she met. She died of lung cancer just weeks after being diagnosed at the age of 35. It was not only her husband who wanted to keep her passion for life and excellence in her job alive. Her friends suggested it as well. The scholarship started small with $1,000.00 but a few years ago it was gifted with a million dollar donation. It came from her neighbor an elderly gentleman who looked a lot like a homeless man. This did not matter to Cindi, they became friends. When she died he was devastated and vowed to keep her spirit alive. When he died years later. he left this tremendous gift.

I looked around the room and saw people wiping the tears away, viably moved by what they had heard. What we had experienced in this story was about the power of the human spirit and our capacity to let it move to a new perspective. The people in the room were richer for what he shared, and the students had a idea of the impact they might have with the people their work will affect. I urge you today to keep your ears and heart open to all the hope that is around you and let it move and inspire to to a life where everything is possible. Invite friends and family to an evening of hope and inspiration!

Stories of Hope

November 9th, 7PM

Prince of Peace Church ~ Burnsville

Call 898-6200 for more information or go to

http://www.counselingandhealing.com/htm/stories.htm

Blessings,

Sandy

African Children's Choir

A Story of Hope and vision...

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to go on a humanitarian trip to Tanzania, Africa. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about what I learned from the incredible spirit of the people in Tanzania. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can be right back in the villages...I can hear the men dancing with bells on their ankles and bare feet stomping out a beat on the clay earth. The drum resonates in your heart and the song being sung moves you to tears. I am surrounded with women and children with babies on their back, dancing around me begging with their eyes to join the dance. I do, and the spirit just moves in and around us until you forget that there could ever be anything that would separate us. It is clear we are all one.

Last night I had the privilege to see the African Children's choir perform. They are part of a program called Music for life. This program was formed in 1984 by accident when people were fleeing from Rwanda. A few adults were able to flag down a bus in the middle of a mass exodus and started picking up orphaned children so they could cross the border to safety. One of those adults realized that the music that is so much a part of their culture would help them heal but also raise money to support them. The program just grew from there. Each year a large number of orphans from Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana are helped by the choir program. They have set up schools and camps to help care and educate the children. Along with their studies they learn about the performing arts as a way to heal from the trauma of their lives. From all the children that come to Music for Life, 26 are picked to go on tour to America. These are the children I saw last perform last night.

The children are from 7 to 11 years old and sang with enough passion to set your heart on fire. At one point I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in the villages listening as the children sang and I could feel their spirit move in and around me just like when I was there. Each child introduced themselves in English and told what they were dreaming of becoming, and thanked us for whatever part we played in that.. In Africa education is a privilege and not taken lightly. It is your responsibility to do well in school so that one day you will give back to your family and to Africa so they can become self reliant.

I am sitting in this pew with my eyes closed listening to this choir and my heart goes back to Africa. The people of the villages have nothing in the way of money or material things but they have hope and vision beyond our comprehension The people we talked to had a knowing that if they worked hard enough and was persistent enough they could achieve anything they wanted despite insurmountable odds. The hope and vision I am talking about came from deep inside them. This incredible spirit that knew what was possible for them in spite of what seemed impossible.

That is my question to you...where is that place inside of you where your hope and vision comes from? What is the spark that allows you to keep on, even when things are hard? We would love to hear your stories or poems, see your artwork or hear your music that reflects that spark inside you. If you would like to submit your work you can get more information at http://www.counselingandhealing.com/htm/stories.htm

We are having an event called Stories of Hope. An evening of stories, poetry, artwork and music meant to fill you with hope and inspiration. This is our free gift to the community and we would like you to attend. Please feel free to invite others to join you.

Stories of Hope

A Celebration of the human spirit through music, art and story.

Friday, November 9, 2007 7:00pm
Prince of Peace Church ~ 13901 Fairview Drive, Burnsville, MN

Please join us for this evening of inspiration
offered as a gift to this community!

The Institute for Peace and Joy/
Burnsville Counseling and Healing Center
www.counselingandhealing.com 952-898-6200

Ticket not needed for admission ~ Please invite others to join you

Blessings,

Sandy

Spirituality

I am a collector of spiritual quotes and sayings and so they seem to make their way to me. When I am touched by something I will tuck it in a book, always finding it again at just the right time. That's the case today, I was looking for just the right thing, and it appeared. The following is how U Thant, former Secretary of the United Nations, envisions the Spiritual. It is nicely said, and I hope you enjoy it.

"Spirituality is a state of connectedness to life.

It is an experience of being, belonging and caring.

It is sensitivity and compassion, joy and hope.

It is harmony between the innermost life and the outer life,

or the life of the world and the life of the universe.

It is the supreme comphension of life in time and space,

the tuning of the inner person with the great mysteries

and secrets that are around us.

It is the belief in the goodness of life

and the possibility for each human person

to contribute goodness to it.

It is the belief in life as part of the eternal stream of time,

that each of us came from somewhere and is destined to somewhere, that

without such belief there could be no prayer, no meditation, no peace, and no happiness."

We invite you to Stories of Hope on November 9th, 7 PM Prince of Peace Church in Burnsville MN. This is a free and is our gift to you to come and expereince an eveing of inspirationa stories, music and artwork all meant to instill hope and inspiration into our everday lives. We are asking for your stories and artwork that reflect how you have come through a difficult time to a place of greater peace. For more information about submitting a story or about the event go to our web site at http://www.counselingandhealing.com/htm/stories.htm

Blessings,

Sandy

Stories of Hope

Stories of Hope

From the time I was a small child in grade school, I was fascinated with people's stories. As a third or fourth grader, I would go to the library and pick out books about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Mostly they were humanitarians helping to make this world a better place. I was so fascinated with people lives and how they chose to do live their Passion's out in the world. Of course as a small child I did not know that, but in the most basic form, I knew they had much to teach me about life. At the same time, even tho I did not know it, the story of my own life was unfolding. I began looking outside of books for ways to learn about life. My life growing up was traumatic at best and I needed to learn ways to cope. So I listened intently to people as they told their stories so I could learn who they were and what they valued. At an early age I knew if I listened hard enough, I could hear something that would help me find my way. Little did I know that all these years later, I would become a story teller too.

Stories have been around before we had a written language. For centuries it was the only way that traditions and customs of families and villages were passed from one generation to the next. As we have moved on we have found many other ways to tell our stories but none as powerful as when we speak from our hearts. I love to tell stories and almost everything I tell has a story to it. Through the years I have told about my family, my children and the many projects and experience's I have had. Through it all I never once thought I would tell the story of my life that started to unfold when I was a small child. This part I kept hidden away never to be told...or so I thought. Sometimes our life begins to unfold in ways we never imagined and that is what happened to me. As a young child up through high school I was physically, emotionally and sexually abused. This is a story that I had kept under lock and key. I never thought it would be told, but life had other plans. It was a long journey to heal my life but as I did, I started to tell what it was like to go through this difficult time and what it was like to heal from it. I soon realized other people found hope and inspiration for their own lives in what I said. I felt like I entered a holy place each time someone told me thy found a something that helped them see their life in a different light.

That is how the idea of Stories of Hope came about. The idea is that we all learn from each other's life experiences and that gives us hope and inspiration for our own lives. Stories of Hope is an event that will take place on Friday evening, November 9Th at 7 PM at Prince of Peace Church in Burnsviile, MN. The Institute of Peace and Joy, a new non profit in partnership with Burnsville Counseling and Healing Center is sponsoring this event. It is a program of hope and inspiration through people's stories, poetry, music and artwork. We believe in the power of people's stories to inspire and help people find possibilities for their own lives. This program is open for all to attend and is our free gift to the community. There has never been a time when the community as a whole is in need of inspiration.

I am not the only with a story to tell...we are looking for your stories, art work, music and poetry that has lead you through and dark and difficult place to more peace and wholeness. WE want to hear from you and we are asking you to submit your story! You will find more information about this event as well as guidelines to submit your work. You can find this by visiting our web site at http://www.counselingandhealing.com/htm/stories.htm

Of all the stories I have told, and the most powerful I have heard, all came from the same place; that sacred and deep place within our very own hearts. We want you to mark your calendars gather some friends and come to this evening of extraordinary hope and inspiration. See you on November 9th!

Blessings to you,

Sandy

Webkinz...What are we doing?

On Saturday, I stopped by a local gift shop to pick up a few items. As I entered the store I saw a sign announcing they had Webkinz. I had seen the sign in a few other stores so I guessed this must be a popular item, much like the Beanie Babies had been many years earlier. When I checked out I thought I would ask what they were. The clerk was excited to tell me they were small stuffed animals and each one comes with a secret code that you use to log into the Webkinz web site. The stuffed animals, or pets as they are referred to, need to be taken care of. The secret code entitles you to play games so you can earn virtual money to buy virtual food, clothing and other things for your pet.

Well...I just started to laugh almost hysterically at how absurd it was. I was quickly told that the pets teach children to be responsible since they have to be fed and taken care of daily. In one instance a girl became concerned about how she would care for her pet while on vacation because she may not have access to a computer. I knew better than to keep on laughing at the absurdity of it, but I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I simply said, what are we doing and what are we teaching our children? The look on the clerk's face told me I had said enough as she reminded me that they taught kids to be responsible.

I got in my car and as I drove home I could not get this out of my head. We buy children a stuffed animal by which they get a code to play computer games so they can buy fake food to feed a fake pet? What are we doing and what are we teaching our children?

Surely I must have missed the point of this. I logged unto the Webkinz site to check it out and sure enough that is what it is. They even address questions like can my pet die? They assure you that a pet can only get sick from not enough food or attention. If that happens you log on, play more games to earn money to buy food for your pet.

I will stop carrying on about this but I did stop to wonder about some things. What happened to parents teaching their children responsibility? How can we teach caring, love and respect for things when our model isn't even real? Today in our culture we are losing our ability to connect to one another in ways that are meaningful. If we believe certain things are important to teach our children we can't let someone or something else do that for us. I'm wondering if we care for others in a way that is compassionate and loving. There is no substitute or anything more powerful than teaching our children the values we hold dear...that is a sacred task and it belongs to each of us. I understand we can get lost in the craziness if life and lose sight of things but we have to step back and get some perspective. It is important to to ask if our actions are matching what we think is important. So today, take a step back and get some perspective on your life.

Blessings,
Sandy

It's All About Grace...

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost and now I'm found, was blind bit now I see. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved...

As you read these words you can probably hear the song being sung in your head. I have to be honest, this has never been one of my favorite songs. However, it was my grandmother Selma's favorite. As a small child I would sit next to her in church as she sang this song with great reverence. I knew there was something important about it but never really knew what it was. Many years later I sat in that same church and sang this song with great reverence at her funeral. Again, I knew there was something I was not understanding. I have spent much time thinking about it...not the song as much as the idea of grace.

Our year long theme at church this year is Amazing Grace. Everything will revolve around this idea. And So I had to ask myself, just what is so amazing about grace? According to Webster it is unmerited Divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. When I think about this meaning I can't help but think that alone is pretty amazing! It is true that you will often hear that grace is a free gift from God. It is available to all and does not have to be earned. It is given for the sacred purpose of spiritual renewal to each one of us. I believe it comes to us a peace, joy, understanding at the most unlikely times. So if grace is a Divine and Holy gift given by our Creator...how do we extend it out beyond ourselves....

That is what I want to keep learning about...how to extend grace to others. Sometimes I have trouble putting into words how exactly it is we can extend this Divine gift to those around us. I have a friend who has taught me more about this amazing gift than I could have learned alone. She has taught me what I have come to know about grace

~It comes in the softness of a persons eyes when they speak

~It is not in the words as much as in the spaces between the words

~Sometimes it is no words at all

~It is the unconditional love held for another

~In times of difficulty it is saying, bless you and change me

In essence it is not so much about what is done as what is felt that describes grace. It is a state of being that comes from the heart and enters the very essence of another person with love and compassion. That is what my friend and my grandmother Selma taught me.. just how amazing it really is and how we each can show each other the essence of grace.

Grace to you,

Sandy

Who Are You Most Like?

What an absolutely beautiful morning...it could not be more perfect! I have been sitting on my deck meditating and taking in the nature that surrounds me. I am in awe of this universe.

Many times I include a reading as part of my early morning ritual. The book I am using right now is, The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. He talks about two people who changed our world, Christopher Columbus-explorer and Carl Jung-psychologist. Columbus set out looking for a new world to claim while Jung looked inwardly with intent for the very same thing. They both found something... Columbus found a new world, fame and fortune and Jung found the inner most places of ourselves; the place of unconditional love. Both men became famous but the path seems quite different. One looked outwardly and one looked inward. One keeps you separate from the universe and the other connects to it. I can see myself in both of these men. The part that wants to conquer and the part that realizes I am a part of this grand universe. I am not separate at all just like you are not. Of course I have choice about my actions, but we are all connected and guided to a force much greater than ourselves. I had to ask myself, who am I most of the time, Columbus or Jung? I would like to say the answer is always Jung but I am human, and sometimes I slip into fear that takes me away from what I know to be true. If you look at your life who are you most like? What if we need some of each...looking inward and then acting outward? That is what living conscious is about. We must learn to look deep inside ourselves for answers, trust in the guidance of that which is greater than us and live our life with passion and purpose. Trust that the unconditional love that available to all of us, is the greatest gift of all.

Blessings to you this day! I hope you are enjoying this Labor Day Weekend...and be sure to have some fun!

Sandy