Another year you made a promise Another chance to turn it all around And do not save this for tomorrow Embrace the past and you can live for now

What does a New Year mean? Is it accepting and letting go of the past with the wish to move forward? Is it a list of things you desire to achieve? Is it a chance to improve yourself in an area of life?  Maybe it simply means that you will live life carrying the lessons you have learned.

A New Year connotes a new beginning. It’s 365 days to hope, dream, work, attempt, tear down, and build up. It’s using time to plan for the future. It gives us time to think about relationships, family, home & career.  Relationships. Family. Home. Career.  My thoughts this year will focus on these. 

The New Year also gives us a chance to reflect. With all the hustle and bustle of shopping, eating and visiting, it’s important to take the moment and focus on the real meaning of the season.  What did you truly celebrate this season? I take stock of the opportunities I’ve had to connect with family and friends during the holidays. I have been able to share love, affection and most of all, my presence. I carry this with me this year. I let everything else fall away.

What has this year brought? It’s been a year of accomplishments, new ideas, challenges and of course, perpetual learning. Acknowledge what you are proud of and what you can do better. Be mindful of the people who have come in and out of your life. Make sense of the year's events. Practice self -awareness. Meditate in whichever way is of a comfort to you. Give yourself the gift of clarity. Clear mind, solid thoughts, sincere intent, meaningful action. Move forward.

Wherever we are in life, we always have the desire and opportunity to improve. It’s never too early or too late. There are so many things to be thankful for. In 2012 I intend to bask in the things I know give me strength and I will share that with those around me.  I will waste less and give more.  I will continue to prepare myself for the opportunities to come.

Whatever it is you want to accomplish this year, I wish you the courage to dream it.

For those of you who know me well, this is one of my favorite quotes. I have literally kept it close to me in times of change in my life.

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”

                                                                                          Christopher Reeve

2012 Peace.

Smart enough to make these millions Strong enough to bear the children Then get back to business

A mother’s existence in this world is a web of strength and fragility.  A mother is made to nurture, build and lead. She raises children in preparation to let go. She instills a love that endures through a lifespan.

My mother said something profound to me the other day: ‘You can always talk to me. I am always here to listen.’ These are eloquent words for a mother to say. They are diamond words.  In the everyday business of life, where the pushes and pulls of our time and energy are constant, we forget that the light within the soul is kindled by the warmth of a mother’s love.  Her message is one of true peace and healing.  She can give you peace in an instant.

I am reminded that even as a married woman, I still need to hear my mother’s voice. I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones. Let your voice shine on the hearts of others.

And on our way home I realize There's some kind of storm brewing in his eyes Only veiled by a thin disguise

Sometimes at night I can feel lightness

Then I am not afraid anymore

Some actions that remain in the realm

of a different world in this universe

prompt me to discover.

Then it is clear that a discovery is at once

a wonderful thing.

I shudder to think

What life would be if we did not have the virtue of

curiosity.

Once we leave this Earth, our presence will stay

until we command it to leave.

We will keep going up until we touch down

to a sullen beat

that resides in the hearts of many.

The wild wonderful world is about to emerge

from the depths of despair.

We are never alone.

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind. For me It happens all the time.

Right now I am feeling very open. Energized. My husband is a touch away and asleep beside me. I wonder what he is dreaming about.

Sometimes I sit here and write because it’s time to and then the inspiration comes. Like now, the inspiration comes, and the time is perfect.

I am inspired. By the busyness and stillness of life. I have been experiencing some very honest moments in my yoga practice lately. The yoga room is a microcosm of life. I learn so much from my practice and I love that I can still take away new ideas and feel them physically when I am connecting with myself in that room. In front of the whole world.

Isn’t it funny how we don’t want others to see us fail at something or not be perfect at something? In yoga, I fall out of my postures. I lose my balance. I get flustered. I feel light-headed. I feel imperfect. But I do not close my eyes. I look at myself in the mirror right into my eyes, I breathe. I know my breathe will save me. I do not notice the bodies around me. I am the only one here. I try again. I am not perfect, but I do not fail.

I hope that that the experience of this will humble me in the world outside the room.

When I struggle in a posture, my eyes are opened to the physical struggle. I can feel that my mind and body are not aligned. Sometimes it is utter confusion and frustration. Then I know I have to work on bringing the mind and body closer. In that moment, your breath will save you. Different postures bring different challenges for each person on any given day. And that might take a minute or it may take years. Such as life, a yoga practice is never perfect. Such as in yoga, life is about trying the right way.

When I am pushing myself in a posture and then there is that moment when the level of balance is reached, your mind and body connects and your body is release. I might feel it for only a second or two or longer. But I know it when I feel it. If I can give you a visual, it feels like opening up your arms to the world and throwing your head back looking up into the sky and letting the gentle warmth glide over you. You can’t help but smile. You are filled with joy and the beauty of your surroundings engulfs you. You welcome the surrender to it. You are free.

This time I want it all. This time I want it all. I’m showing you all the cards. Giving you all my heart.

Watching all of this recent turmoil in the world, prompts me to think about life. Most of us have never faced death for a cause.  Imagine a person who lives to be heard, noticed, acknowledged. Imagine a person who lives to LIVE. 

This week I have been thinking a lot about how fortunate I am to have the life I live everyday. I have the luxury to do things purely for myself. I can eat healthy and exercise. I can go to a comfortable job and make money. I have a great family and friends who are a positive presence in my life. I have a supportive and loving husband. I have choices. 

Choice is a luxury. We should all have it, but there are many who don’t or have very few. From where I stand, I have everything.  It is truly humbling.

I pray for peace, strength and choice for those who struggle for the freedoms that we have. So tonight, in my thankful state, my thoughts are with those who struggle for life.  

I don't know what it is But I know it's amazing, you save me My time is coming And I'll find my way out of this longest drought It feels like today

I am sitting here in my bed. I’m warm, calm, and feel semi-productive. Contemplative. Lately I have realized that being contemplative is a luxury. The business and busyness of life doesn’t always allow you to look out that window at something that is still.


When I lived with my parents, I used to sit at my desk in my room and look out the window a lot. I found myself doing this quite often. I wasn’t look at something in particular. I didn’t need to see anything. If I may attempt to describe, it was more of looking outside into the world for something fulfilling I had not yet found. It was looking toward something, reinforcing to myself that it existed and it was there waiting for me. It was also a way of meditation. It was a way to daydream. It was a comfort to look out that window and “see” all the possibilities of life no matter what was happening to me at that time.

There are always possibilities and life to appreciate. I can see myself sitting in that chair and looking out the window with every wish and hope that I had for myself. I still carry them all with me. I may have a different window now, but what I see is familiar. We should never lose sight of the things that we wish for ourselves. It is one of the most eloquent practices of love that we experience within.

Here’s to a Season full of wishes come true and a New Year of discovery outside your window.

I know that you said to me "This is how exactly it should feel when it's meant to be" Time is wasting so why wait for eventually?

The truth is, life is very different now than it used to be. In a little over a year, this guy I knew a lifetime ago, walked into my life. Then I flew half way across the country so see him for the first time in two years. We already knew we’d spend the rest of our lives together. We met each others’ families. He proposed to me at the place we first met. I made plans to move to Halifax and I quit my job. We then realized we belonged in Vancouver and then given a great opportunity to stay here. We planned a wedding and now we are married.

My head spins.

The past makes even more sense now. I am glad I figured it out. Thank you, faith. I learned the hard things I had to learn about myself in order to be worthy of the kind of life partner I wanted. I have a greater understanding of what love means to me. We watch movies, read books, and listen to songs about it. We might even look it up on Wiki. But what is our personal definition of love? What does love mean to you? What am I willing to do/not do for the sake of love? What will I do today for love, even if I feel unloved? What will I do today, for the one that I will be with forever, but have not met? How is the love I give to others connected to the love I give myself? These are questions I have asked myself once I was ready to bring love back into my life. However, these questions we have to keep asking ourselves. It’s the only way to keep love alive.

Five years ago today, I met my future husband. Little did I know then what obstacles would lay before me and the bright future that would be waiting on the other side. Today, I say thank you to all who have supported me in love and honesty.

Five years ago at this time, I was driving into downtown Vancouver to the Boathouse. When I walked into that restaurant and sat down beside a guy named Daman Beatty, little did I know how my life would change.

Five years later, is the beginning of something new.