There are more than 55 million family caregivers in the United States.

I am one of them. 

I have been a caregiver for many people in my life. I know firsthand that caregiving is an intimate, personal and often difficult journey. 

And I want to share that journey with you.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of caregivers – adult children caring for elderly parents, parents caring for very sick children, a spouse caring for his partner, professional caregivers working in palliative and hospice care, ICU doctors and nurses. 

I've been hono...

Shamanic healer Jana Din takes us on a journey into our hearts establishing connections with our loved ones when we are isolated and unable to be physically together. 

Watch the video below to experience a 14-minute sound journey.
 

Shamanic drumming shifts your brain to theta frequency creating a spiritual healing sound bath. Din’s work with David Steinhorn, MD has been documented in Shamans in the ICU.  

 

It's been a few days since we first offered the No Regrets bundle – including a No Regrets Meditation, Lotus Flower Altar, and interactive Journal, and the response has been overwhelming.

We're grateful – everyday – for the support we've received.

I hope you've had a chance to begin working with these unique tools and practices to assist you on your way to living a life without regrets. And if you haven't downloadable your free gift bundle yet, you can get yourshere.

Have you discovered which one works best for you?

I use them all regularly, and I've seen what a differ...

Regrets are a basic human emotion.

We hope, we try, and sometimes things just don't turn out the way we'd hoped. We make mistakes. We miss opportunities. It happens. Regrets lower your self-confidence and diminish your energies.

Recognizing a regret is the first step. It's important we face them head on so that we can look beneath and discover the gifts they may hold.

In this month of valentines, I hope you will “Love Yourself” by working with your regrets. 

To assist you in this effort, I have a gift for you.

I have created a free No Regrets bundle of tools to thank yo...

Count Your Blessings

Scientific research indicates that gratitude has a lasting effect on your resilience to face new challenges. It also lowers blood pressure, boosts immune responses, and lessens anxiety and depression. A practice of gratitude promotes a feeling of well-being.

If you practice gratitude, you will experience more optimism, happiness and joy.

Practicing gratitude will change your life.

To develop a practice of gratitude you must first bring your attention to the blessings in your life. It helps to use a focusing technique such as mindfulness meditation...

“For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.."

~ Khalil Gibran 

Acceptance of our mortal condition is not easy. We live in a culture in which we think, we hope, we search for remedies and cures for all illnesses.

Our medical system is geared for analysis, diagnosis and solution. Medical practitioners work hard to find a way to avoid death. Too often death becomes a medical emergency, approached with urgency and chaos.

It takes courage to face death head on.

Death is a river we must all cross one day. Although we may circumnavigate it, avoiding...

Fire is a powerful transformer. It transmutes heavy energy into light. It delivers our prayers to the heavens and cleanses our hearts.

Fire ceremonies can be large community events or small, private rituals of renewal. Most often fire ceremonies are held on a full or new moon when the veils between the worlds are thin.

Celebrating the sun’s solstice or equinox with a transformative fire is also a powerful a way to release that which no longer serves our health and wellbeing.

• Gather Materials

Make a choice of the type of fire you wish to have - fire pit, metal...

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

~ Helen Keller

Building an end-of-life care community is a challenge for most of us.

Since my husband and I do not have children to lean on in times of difficulty, we have to expand our search for those who can help. We worried that by asking for help we could become a burden upon our younger friends.

To our surprise, all those we asked enthusiastically said yes.

Of course our requests necessitated lots of conversation about our values, life choices and wishes for care. We were required to speak up clearly be...

My favorite book this fall is Morning Altars by Day Schildkret, who introduces a ritual practice to nourish your spirit through the process of creating earth art.

His beautifully illustrated book displays many of earth altars he has created over the years. You will develop a richer relationship with the world around you once you witness his artistry and learn to celebrate the earth.This month we invite you to create an earth altar modeled on Morning Altars.

Learn more about Schildkret’s seven-step process of creating morning altars to celebrate the gifts of the earth...

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”


– Lao Tzu

Every year in early October I retreat from my normal activities for 3 days. I do this to honor my mother who was born on October 4 and died on October 6. During my retreat I disconnect from the outside world. I make curry pumpkin soup from scratch. Chopping, simmering, straining, tasting shapes the rhythm of my day. In the early years my retreat time was spent grieving.

Now, seventeen years later, I feel my mother’s love nurture me as I nurture myself.

In the...