“Everything responds to love,” is the phrase that came to me this morning as I woke up at 3:30am and thinking about our broken water heater and the mess I needed to clean up today.

“Well of course it does! Everything responds to love,” I muttered to myself as I lay in bed.

But what did that mean?

What did it mean to me, right now, dealing with a broken water heater, soaked carpet, possible water damage to several rooms, the plumber’s weekend schedule…and the cost of the clean up?

I decided to find out.

Still in bed, I prayed to be shown how to bring love to the water heater and the resulting chaos. Immediately I was told to “bring it to the Principles.”

So I did.

Taking a few deep heart breaths, I went through the Be Love Principles process I’ve taught for years. Silently I asked:

• Show me how to greet this situation with an open heart, without an agenda.
• Show me the divine essence here.
• Show me any forgiveness opportunities...

Sometimes on the spiritual path we receive many messages encouraging us to be:

• Present
• Joyful
• Open
• Allowing
• In service

All wonderful intentions!

Often the list of ways you want to show up in the world can clash with the mundane activities that call to you.

Life tasks like laundry, paying bills, going to the grocery store and food prep come to mind. As does business tasks like answering emails, strategic planning, creating content and working with clients.

It can feel overwhelming.

Your feelings are the key!

When you find yourself mired in the “to do” lists - feeling constricted and small instead of the expanded feelings of joy, peace, and presence - it’s time for a reset.

Breath work, using the Be Love Principles, or going for a walk in nature all help shift perspective and allow you to refocus.

My ultimate tip for overwhelm?

Ask.

Go inside the sacred space of your own heart, and ask Spirit/Love/God, “Show me.”

In your daily journaling or mediation...

I get up each morning between 4 – 5am, walk to the kitchen, argue with the cat about how much breakfast she needs, then grab my journal and sit down to write before my meditation.

Recently my journaling took a new turn.

I began with a familiar prompt I learned from Robert Holden, “Love, what do you most want me to know today?”

I was surprised by the words that flowed from my pen:

“Lightness is key. Light now refers to density, brightness and feeling. Light in all forms. Keep checking in with your heart. Light and lightness is the key.”

“What does that mean?” I said out loud. A few minutes later, I decided to do my best to be aware of all forms of light in my day.

I periodically set an alarm to check in with my heart and consciously connect to the divine light within.

Walking past my window I noticed how the morning light sparkled off the front yard grass still wet with dew.

Before I ate, I asked, “What food brings me the most light...

Driving up to my friend's Sunday morning retreat held on her beautiful farm, I had several expectations.

I expected to meet new spiritually minded friends. (Check.)

I expected the skillful host to lead us through insightful and impowering inquiries. (Check.)

I expected to enjoy the fresh country air and powerful demonstrations with her animals. (Check.)

I did NOT expect to receive a personal message while meditating with the group at the edge of her wetlands area. (Whaaaat?)

Here's what happened...

My friend, a trained environmental scientist, led our group to the small wetlands area and explained it's varied purposes in nature. After a brief instruction, she invited us to sit and meditate.

The scene was beautiful, serene and felt sacred.

As I sat, connected to the wetlands and the earth, I could hear the trees sway in the breeze, the hum of a bee several yards away and birds singing to each other.

It was pure bliss.

As I felt myself sink deeper into a meditative...

I drove into town recently on a Sunday afternoon, enjoying the scenery when something caught my eye. On this rural road, perched high atop a tree was a magnificent bald eagle.

It was a true “WOW!” moment.

I’m one who believes God is always sending us signs, so I quickly realized this eagle sighting was a personal message for me!

Back at home, I searched for the spiritual meaning of bald eagles (of course I did) and found many interesting opinions. None resonated.

Then I happened upon a quote from the philosopher and author Matshona Dhliwayo:

“The eagle only knows how high it can fly when it spreads its wings.”

I got the message.

And I understood it.

I realize I’ve been hesitating on a few projects that I’m not only committed to, but am passionate about.

I’ve let other tasks get in the way of my progress. But why? Fear? Life distractions? Was I just lazy?

I’ve identified the culprit.

Not always, but often, I realize I’ve...

qHow are you at saying “yes to new adventures?” I’ve always been lousy at it.

I was too busy, too tired, too stressed, too afraid…you get the idea.

What the heck qualifies as an “adventure” anyway? In my mind it was hanging off a cliff, jumping out of a plane, swimming in shark infested waters or some other equally terrifying and dangerous activity.

Imagine my surprise when I found out the truth.

An adventure can be all the scenarios listed above AND they can also be anything that challenges me to see from a fresh perspective, meet a new experience or face an old fear. And I can do all of that – when I remember to – with, and from, love.

Here are a few “adventures” I said yes to in the past two weeks:

• A long walk with a new friend in a local park to share life philosophies.
• Riding in cart as part of a small-town Christmas parade.
• Gathering with likeminded friends (old and new) on a frosty Sunday morning in our...

I wish it was easy for me to choose love in every life situation. It’s not. Sometimes I want to avoid a difficult conversation or pretend I don’t get scared when I hear disturbing news. Even with a consistent spiritual practice, I can still get triggered by a harsh comment, chaotic world event or when faced with a difficult decision.

After practicing degrees of avoidance, dodging, pretending and the occasional “forgetting” for decades, I’ve remembered the truth. All these tactics are simply an ego dance that keep me feeling constrained, stressed, uncomfortable and in conflict.

The truth is equally simple.

Every time I go within and ask Love for guidance on a specific issue or ask for help to react from love instead of fear, something miraculous happens.

There’s a shift.

Sometimes subtle, sometimes more pronounced but a definite shift to a feeling of peace. The shift is physical, mental, and emotional. My shoulders relax, the knot in my stomach...

I used to know exactly what the “right thing” was. In my younger years, and in most every situation, I had my opinion and felt strongly it was the “right” one.

Then I lived a few more decades and got a tad wiser. Not a Yoda by any means, but I gained the type of insight that comes from living life and through societal changes.

When I was a very young girl, the “right” thing was to send children to specific schools based on their race alone. As I grew into a teenager and young adult, I was led to believe the “right” thing was to pay women a lower wage than their male colleagues doing the same job. Well into my adulthood, the “right” thing was to only recognize legal marriage between heterosexual couples.

A lot has changed over the last sixty years and thankfully so. I’ve come to recognize that prevailing opinions shift based on societal norms, customs, spiritual practices and developments in science and technology.

So...

                  “What you experience in your external world is a reflection of your internal world.”

I can’t remember when I came across the teaching above or who I first heard it from, but I do remember that I immediately resonated with the message.

As the years have progressed and I’ve studied the mystics, neuroscience, and many of the great thinkers of our time my understanding has only deepened. I believe that what I “see” in my external world is indeed a reflection of my conscious and unconscious beliefs. Oh, I believe it, but I still forget. Here’s a recent example.

I’ve been supporting a friend who is struggling with a specific challenge. She is the most organized person I’ve ever met and is prepared for anything.

Worldwide shut down due to a pandemic? Prepared. Emergency home repairs? She’s got that covered. Extra...

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  

 Viktor E. Frankl

This week my country celebrates July 4^th as Independence Day. The holiday marks the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the 1776 Second Continental Congress when my forefathers declared our freedom from Great Britain.

While the last few years have been cited as the reason many in America feel oppressed, in truth, significant swaths of our population have never been free. At least not like it was described in the history books I studied as a kid.

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. And who, what or in what circumstances I truly feel free.

I realized something.

My freedom comes from an inner sense of peace. While laws, ordinances and Supreme Court rulings can restrict my actions, movements and outside choices, my freedom lies in my ability to choose my response. As...