I have some totally fantastic, unexpected news about Love O!
A friend of Gabriel and Ahaji who runs a local organization in Haiti has arranged for a shipping container of supplies to be sent from NYC to Haiti. AND he offered some space for Love O!
Oh, Holy Night! That got the Culture Camp elves singing!
The news arrived Sunday. The elves had 3 days to shop, organize, and pack. Lots of hustle and bustle. Other elves made the delivery to NYC on Friday and packed the containers.
Coming together as a team in a way that would make Santa proud.
In the past, the shipping container option was dismissed given the prohibitive cost. As were other means of sending goods to this small island in a big ocean. We always rolled suitcases full of supplies when heading to Haiti for Culture Camp and other visits.
With bungee cords holding a tower of bulging suitcases atop our van.
You can see evidence of this good stuff in the photo of Wideline above. T shirts, bracelets, and paintings just give you a glimpse of the art, story telling, game playing, light bringing activities we’ve shared. Her smile is all her own.
As is her love and gratitude which is written all over her T shirt.
After 3 long years of being unable to visit due to disruptions in Haiti and our COVID world, this struggling family is getting a tangible breath of fresh air. In the form of school supplies and backpacks, clothing, medical supplies, toiletries, games, art supplies, sewing machines, and a computer.
Ahhhhhh. Put a dose of that happiness in your eggnog as you savor the miracles of this season.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to our Love Family in Haiti.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Connection to Humanity Quiz. The holidays often invites you to give generously to the communities, projects, and organizations that mean something to you. If you consciously choose who you are giving to, it is likely that such offerings align with your values. One question researchers at Western Kentucky University asked was how much kinship you feel to humanity. Near to home, within your country, abroad, or generally across all of these factors. Want to know where you land? Take this Connection to Humanity Quiz which is a modified version of the research instrument. You may be surprised who belongs in your “Family.”
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
Three months ago, I unexpectedly entered into a relationship with a horse.
I met Zor during a visit to Liberty Stables in Florida, where I had gone to spend time with a friend’s horses. I had no particular expectations. I have no background with horses, no training, and no experience in equine-assisted therapy. I simply met this magnificent Friesian, and something quietly familiar unfolded between us.
I fell in love.
The women who arrive in my classes, retreats, and therapy sessions are sincerely looking for healing, expansion, clarity, or sometimes just a little room to breathe.
They are thoughtful women, deeply engaged with the people and work they love. Rarely do they arrive because they want another spiritual philosophy. Most are carrying something much more ordinary.
A life that has become full. Beautiful in many ways, but crowded.
About twenty-five years ago, I was driving with a colleague to a local conference. As we approached the hotel entrance, I noticed an open parking spot near the front door.
“There’s a spot,” I said, pointing to the right. He drove past it.
A few seconds later, another one appeared. He drove past that one, too. Then I pointed to a third. “There’s a spot.” Without the slightest hesitation, Dan replied, “I’ll leave that for someone else.” And he calmly parked much farther away. As we walked to the entrance, I asked about that statement.
During the Seeding the Light Gathering, I had the privilege of hosting Pascual and Jose Tomas in our home.
They feel like family as this was their second visit to New Jersey. We’ve also spent a week together in Damanhur and the Temples of Humankind in Italy. I’ve sat in many ceremonies with Pascual in Peru’s Sacred Valley. His flute playing often carried me up mountain trails in the thin air and hot sun.
I planned to work a bit, complete some projects, and enjoy slow days with plenty of relaxation.
All of that certainly occurred, but beneath it all, something else began quietly inviting my attention.
The plane had begun its slow fall toward the earth when a sharp ache pierced my ears. Half-dozing, half-aware, I surfaced into the moment just as the toddler in front of me woke with a scream that broke her open. The sound wasn’t defiance or misbehavior. It was pain.
I felt her small body struggling to make sense of something she couldn’t name.
Her mother bent over her with the tenderness of someone trying very hard to be a good parent. But her soothing came dressed in urgency, in the quiet pressure to behave, to use words, to be okay, to not disturb those seated around her. Her voice shook with the effort of managing her child’s distress and her own rising shame.
