You never know what life will bring you today. No matter what happened yesterday, or the day before, or the week 
before, or last year…this day, this moment is brand new. You could meet someone who will change your life. You could hear news that will calm your soul. You could discover something about yourself that will change forever the way you see the world. Try to let go of the belief that nothing will ever change or that you’re stuck in uncomfortable situations…see if you can lift your chin and open your heart. Every day is a new day.
Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Every Day Is a New Day
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Let Yourself Grieve
Grieving is a natural process and many of us don’t allow ourselves to do it enough. Because life is constantly changing, we are 
often leaving behind people or circumstances that were once very important to us. If we have been diagnosed with an illness, we may need to grieve the life that came before. We may feel sad about losing a sense of invulnerability or easy peace of mind. We may have to change the way we relate with others. Our bodies might never be the same, or perhaps recovery will help us feel better than ever, but we may have to say goodbye to our old lifestyle and way of relating with our physical form.
The trouble with denying our grief or stuffing it down, is that it never has a chance to wash through us and leave us clear and open to new, positive experiences. You may need to cry, sleep more, mope around for a day or two, or just talk to friends about your loss. But consider your grief real and legitimate – no matter what the perceived loss is. Allowing yourself to be real about how it feels to let go will bring you greater support and an internal sense of comfort about whatever changes you have been going through.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
How To Live with Wholeheartedness
This video is a must-see. Whether you’re on a healing journey or not, give yourself the gift of watching this 20 minute video. It’s wonderfully entertaining and could change your life.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Melodies of the Human Spirit
Every once in a while we meet someone who has been through extreme challenges in their lives, yet they seem to be affected in a positive way that helps them enjoy life more and bring so much light to others. Alice Herz-Sommer, a concert pianist and holocaust survivor, is one of those people.
At 106 years old, perhaps it is her passion for music that keeps her going and allows everything else it’s proper perspective. May we all be so blessed to discover what we love, and to use it as a resource for comfort, inspiration and courage.
*NOTE: The original video included with this post has been removed from YouTube. The above was added as a replacement and is part 1 of 2 segments from an interview with Alice on BBC Radio. Part 2 can be found here.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Life Works from the Center
When we’re going through a challenge, it can be very easy to abdicate our power. We might let others make decisions for 
us or go with the flow because it’s easier than making waves. We might go into our heads and try to make decisions based on logical thinking. But while these are all understandable tendencies, we will usually find that our life works better if we take a step back and get centered. We can meditate, go to the gym, step out for a hike, or just take even five minutes alone to breathe and feel our own energy uninfluenced by others. When we regain a sense of our centers, we will be in a much better place to make the best choices for our own lives. And when we do that, things in our life seem to fall into place much more gracefully.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
You Can Do Anything
Everyone needs someone to believe in them. And here is one adorable, young girl who sees no limits on your potential.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Look for the Opportunities
We can’t go back and change all that has happened to bring us to where we are today. But we can take an honest look at where we 
find ourselves now, and begin taking every possible gift and blessing that is available to us. No matter what our health challenges may be, there are opportunities here and now for us to create a better life for ourselves in terms of deepening our relationships with ourselves, with our spiritual support (if we have it), and with others. There are possibilities for changing the way we look at and interact with our bodies. We may find new paths appearing for our career, our lifestyle or our creative endeavors.
While you are facing the day-to-day realities of living and healing your body, keep an eye out for new opportunities. You may find more goodness than you ever would have imagined.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
5th Grader’s Sing Beyonce’s “Halo”
This is one of the most heavenly experiences we’ve had in a while. These little angels from the PS22 Chorus could probably lift our hearts no matter what was happening in our lives. Prepare to be transported.
Monday, August 16, 2010
You Are Powerful
Life challenges can sometimes put us in a place of feeling weak and afraid. And while it’s perfectly human to feel this way, 
sometimes we completely forget how much power we actually do have. We may forget that at any time, we have the power to influence our lives and our experiences. We may forget that we have the power to choose who we spend time with and who we avoid…..that we are able to determine what meaning an experience will have for us….that we are in charge of how we regard and treat our bodies….that with every choice, we can respect or disrespect ourselves….that we can begin healing broken relationships or let them fall away….that we can make a commitment to laughing more….that we can decide right here and now to truly, truly love ourselves—and if we don’t know what that really means, we can decide to begin learning. No matter what is happening around us, and no matter what illness our bodies may be fighting, we have to remember how very powerful we are.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Breast Cancer Created a Survivor’s Heart in Me
GUEST POST BY KATHY-ELLEN KUPS
Breast Cancer changed me. The physical changes are pretty obvious, but the deeper more meaningful changes are far more 
subtle. They are revealed in the way I no longer take a million tomorrows for granted, or when any ache or pain can convince me the cancer is back. These are thoughts that remind me that my carefree innocence about life is forever gone. There are other changes too. Changes that revealed to me that I am stronger and more resilient than I ever thought I could be. Somehow it’s comforting to think that although breast cancer took my breasts, it gave me something I may not have gotten any other way: the heart of a survivor and the will to really live my life.
I focused on how I really wanted to live my life while I sat in that chemo clinic all those hours watching the drugs meant to save my life drip into my arm. I saw those drugs as a type of tonic to provide me with the stuff I needed to make sure I didn’t take any more of my days on earth for granted. I didn’t get the survivor’s heart from any medicine or treatment, but somehow it developed during the battle.
My survivor heart leads me to tell my friends and loved ones how dear they are to me more than I ever did in the past. My new found courage has lead me to try new things and embark on new endeavors I might only have thought of but never acted on. I have learned that being courageous doesn’t mean you are fearless. You only need courage when you are in the midst of fear.
This new found courage leads me to approach complete strangers to ask how they are doing or to offer help to a lonely soul. It pushed me to take up downhill skiing when I was almost fifty and to do a four hour kayak trek with my dearest friends down a river. Things I would always put off if they challenged me or made me feel uncomfortable. With winning the battle against breast cancer came a new freedom to be more daring and not so concerned about what others think.
Perhaps it is just me, but breast cancer changed me. Friends still see me as the same girl they have always loved and adored, but I know me as the new super woman who faced down breast cancer, lost all my hair and ran around town with one breast. If I could live through that I can live through anything. The most important thing is to turn that battle into a challenge to really “live.”
Kathy-Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and has been cancer free since completing treatment in 2004. She moved from Canada to Michigan in 2002 to marry her husband Bob. The couple has two college age sons from her previous marriage. Kathy-Ellen built a career in marketing and merchandising and has worked as a corporate speaker. She recently started a company that provides corporate communication skills training to executives. For the past four years Kathy-Ellen has been blogging about breast cancer for Everydayhealth.com a health and wellness website. She was also on a panel that debated health-care reform for the Washingtonpost.com in 2009-2010. Kathy-Ellen has also appeared in the magazines Beyond and MAMM. She has been a guest blogger for other breast cancer sites on several occasions.
