For the past few days, I have had verses from Scripture that I learned as a small child, come singing into my being, along with refrains from compelling songs. They are showing up as a powerful way to share the story of why we are here and what we are being asked to do.
Let us begin with the Commandment of “let us love our neighbor as ourselves.” And the lyrics of the beautiful songs “Let There Be Peace on Earth, People, Aretha Franklin’s compelling rendition of Respect, John Lennon’s Imagine. We take these words in, but do we allow them to enter our hearts? For, in our hearts is where we are being asked to dig deep.
I don’t often write about religion. But here, I must remind us that Jesus showed us the lesson of self-sacrifice. Of paying it forward to help our fellow mankind. Yes, social media allows us to get the word out, however, it often seems to fall short of reaching its intention, which is to call people to action. And yes, that call is to all of you, no matter where you are living in our country right now.
It is asking you to dig deep in your soul to understand that life is not just about creature comforts. It’s not about sitting smugly where you are judging others for where they are choosing to live and perhaps feeling that they have prices to pay with what is happening with fires, floods, hurricanes and other disasters. It is not asking us to live vacantly. As Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Teresa and countless others throughout the centuries have shown us, we are all to dig deep. We are being asked to life with contained egos – non-judgment and working for the greater good of all.
When I fled from Redding California last July from the Carr fire with neighbors banging on my door, I packed my car with what mattered most, and it was so little. I drove that night to a motel farther east in Redding and returned home the next morning to pack some more, take video and pictures of my home for insurance, thank it for being my home, and I left with a prayer and leap of faith on a journey through the fire.
I am fortunate and so blessed to have safe haven on the Mendocino coast until the air is safe enough for me to return as I have a heart condition. However, this journey humbled me and brought me to a place of self-sacrifice for how I can help our Redding Community heal and recover. Yes, I went deep into my soul, asking for answers, received the messages and am answering. I opened my office here last December and have spent the first several months speaking to many groups and inviting member of the community to come in, share a coffee or tea and learn about my Resilience coaching with HeartMath.
As we enter fire season 2019, I am getting ready to launch a series of trauma recovery workshops in Shasta and Butte counties for all who have been affected by the Carr and Camp fires. I am grateful to be able to share the HeartMath tools and techniques that help people manage their stress and create and maintain optimal health and well-being.
As a child and young adult, I always had a profound understanding that everything could be taken from us in a moment, whether it be finances, health, family, home. I know within my core that we are given all the strength we need to weather the storms. Yes, my friends, it is time to step out of your comfort zones, for our world is changing and evolving.
