Happy Kerry Day!

With much anticipation, last night, Kelly and I were excited to give Kerry her belated birthday gift and night out celebration.

We always go Dutch on dinner for all b-day dinners, but the b-day girl gets to pick restaurant, final decision maker on all dishes, as we love to share, and of course, gets presents!

Looks like we have an ongoing theme for our gifts which gives tribute to "The Five Senses." It's actually an easy concept, but since each of us have different tastes (literally) and pleasure hot spots, it's still very individualized. I love it!

Kerry's bounty this year was:

Sight: a Louise Hay book (can't wait to borrow it)
Hearing: Celtic meditations and other Emerald Isle CDs
Smell: lavender soap with lavender husks mixed in
Taste: yummy Godiva and candy coated sunflower seeds (bright colors...for a bright new year)
Touch: a gift certificate (leaving the ego out of it, I promise!) for a full Reiki treatment by my gaining-so-much-confidence hands

And in case, we missed the mark on one of the senses, a gift card to Sephora. Yes, even taste can be enjoyed at this makeup haven if you get flavored lip balm. I'm still trying to figure out where "hearing" fits in, maybe the spritz sound of a favorite perfume.

Moving on to the celebration part of this night...which began with a very delayed seating. I wasn't to happy as we knew our table was given away BUT, as always, it worked out even better for us. We were seated in our favorite corner by wine rack. Great food, tasty pomegranate martini for me, and full tummies as we waddled to our cars.

Our final gift was escorting Kerry safely to her car to save her from the Gilgo Beach serial killer(s?) as she had parked in the back lot and had secluded alleyway to walk through And with that final gift of extending her life, we left her with love in our hearts, smiles on our faces, and anticipation for our next K3 night.

Happy New Year, our dear friend!

Memorial Day Approaches

What an exciting weekend I have planned. It seems like it's been forever and a day since I remember a weekend like this. We have n-o-t-h-i-n-g on our lists of tasks, projects, or 'contributions' calling out for our immediate attention. Nor are there any swim meets, doctor or hair appointments, or any work-at-home projects planned.

I should have known it would be a great weekend when Kerry's K3 birthday dinner was set for Friday at our beloved Tula's Kitchen. Remember how it used to be Cafe Symposio? Times have changed.

Unexpectedly, Logan is with me this year as this was Bill's weekend. Another fun fact...I love lazy time with him. I'm sure we'll visit our Gamestop buddies more than once but Xbox is limited to the mornings before I wake up. Yes, I get to sleep late too! Even thinking of Saturday evening or late morning mass on Sunday. Sleep is good!

I'm thinking that Dave's got to get the BBQ ready for a nice family dinner...or the beginning of many dinners. Yep, summer is right around the corner. I'm getting all tingly inside. Can you feel it?!

I'm off to work now and will officially get my vibe start pumping for the weekend as Fleet Week starts right outside the office down the Hudson River. God bless our service men & women! And God bless America...on this special Memorial Day and always.

Disclaimer: This post was a "family update" message. Not intended to 'wow' any potential publishers as a sample of my writing. In other words, it was nothing. LIke Seinfeld's "nothing." This post was based on nothing.

Summer Can Now Begin

Mom & Rudi flew home this morning after their annual 2-week spring visit. As my days are so full, time always too short BUT the perfect balance for all-even Logan this time.

Within this time, there were swim meets, visits to Manhattan, weekend in CT, a little belly dancing, bike riding, evening Reiki sessions, and my favorite...mom's planting of the spring flowers.

NOW summer can begin!

The Ultimate Goddess

I am blessed.

Last night, I was able to share something with my mom that most mothers would eagerly avoid. My mom (a.k.a. Logan's Joanie) joined me for a Goddess session while visiting.

While driving the 30 minute ride to the studio, I prepared her for the night. It was everything that I explained. It was just like I first blogged in March. And yet, she had no idea as to what she was in for.

The night's class was larger than usual and included another mother daughter plus a soulmate mother/daughter duo. It was a mother/daughter overload. How special for us!

In a share-circle, we introduced ourselves and charged up the energy of the room with women-power. Moved on to nearly an hour of dancing and smiles.A bit of Reiki by Jessamina heating up mom's feet once again (see previous post) and ending with a guided meditation re-introducing ourselves to the Amazon Woman within us and the Lady-Lover hidden away under every day matters. My Goddess-Mother took it all in as the good sport she always is.

During the ride home, inspired by the evening, I was able to explain further what the sessions represent to me and the affect they have on me. I learned that previous posts missed their target with mom. NOW, after experiencing it and talking it through...mom really gets it.

I am a strong, interesting, unique woman, because my mom allows me to be me. She always has. I tear up to know that I could have lost the last years with her and had missed a chance to say to her "thank you for being you-my forever Goddess."

NOTE: Return to blog post of March 30, 2010. It deserves a second look through.

Shortest Post Yet...

I swallowed my dog's medicine this morning. I don't know what else I can add other than the cat is looking mighty yummy to me.

Reiki II

This weekend, I was very fortunate to have a private lesson with my Reiki Master who spent the day working with me on what I've learned, gave me further training, and gave me two more attunements bringing my level of Reiki up to about 90%. What a special experience it was!

At the end of the training, I did a Reiki session on him and was most rewarded with a smile and his astonishment as to how "hot" my hands were. He had planned to critique me after the session, but finally gave up letting himself go. The purpose of Reiki is simple but effective with the goal of relaxing and reducing stress. It was obvious from his hanging limbs that I accomplished that. He then did a session on me which was quite relaxing and a great lesson on his style.

That evening, I felt ready to tackle my mom. Always a supportive and non-judgmental person (always!!!), I was anxious for her to feel the energy and further understand my interest. We are a very practical family and for me to stray from mainstream activities could be a challenge or even concern. I’m happy to say that the results were better than I anticipated.

At the beginning of the session, I asked mom if anything was bothering her either physically or emotionally. Nothing came to mind as she said that all was fine by her. It was only when I finished that she reminded me that she suffered with ‘cold & numb’ feet which are a result form the chemo eight years prior. Let me tell you, when she said that, my face broke out into a big grin. That explained why my hands were drawn to her ankles. Normally, the joints seem to direct the Reiki. So when I felt the sensations over the ankles that prompt me to stay there, it became clear - her feet were drawing in the energy. Later that evening, I did what I call "patch work" on her feet. I simply sat on the couch with her feet in my lap and did, as Logan says, my Whomp Whomp BPow.It seems that mom snuck a peak and was ver surprised as what she thought was my hands we pushing on the soles of her feet, my hands were nowhere near them. They were above the tops of her feet and not touching any part of them. NOW, she is beginning to understand the energy of Reiki.

Now that I am a Reiki II practitioner, I will be included with a group of volunteers at a well known hospital that is embracing the healing power of Reiki. Life just seems to get better and better for me.

Reiki

After giving my aching fingers a rest from typing, I am ready to fill you in on where I stopped off along the way down my spiritual path. The first thing that comes to mind is that I finally understand that my mid life awakening is turning into self-discoveries that I am loving.

It began with self-acceptance in late 2010. That brought physical activities into my life with the discovery of finding something I fully enjoy - the Goddess Sessions with women bonding, dancing, mini Reiki touch and meditating.

My latest V8 moment happened after beginning training in Reiki - energy healing. I took the first all-day session with another woman who was an already certified practitioner looking to refresh her skills. The Reiki Master spent the day teaching us all about the history, the concepts, the ethics, and hands-on training. Out of respect of this code of ethics, I am leaving out the major part which include "attunements" and a few other key facts to becoming a Reiki practitioner.

Since then, I have been practicing on anybody and everybody including myself and even the dog.

The easiest way to define my role with Reiki is that I am a channel/guide to your life energy. I do not heal; I help you to relax and help you use your energy to heal yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually through a Reiki treatment. Picture lying on a table, eyes closed, relaxing music, and sensations of hot, cold, or tingling throughout areas of your body...and with no physical contact being made by me.

A story I'd like to share, involves my 100 lb dog Shadow with two bad hind legs. After healing over the past three years from torn ACLs in both legs, Shadow still forgets he's a bit broken. So on Saturday, this 10 year old pup ran after a squirrel. Standing by the door and watching him sprint, I heard his sharp yelps. He immediately sat down. Knowing his adrenaline was high & pain hadn't set, I encouraged him to hobble into house while he still could. Within three feet from kitchen door, he plopped down. I immediately did Reiki on his leg. He allowed me to do so. In this case, I also put my hands on him for a deeper concentrated affect. Within 5 minutes, the intense heat we both felt around his hind leg subsided. He limped (no hobbling!) to his water dish. Throughout the day, I repeated these actions. Once or twice he pulled away, and I understood he had enough. By the next day, he was walking fine.

I will complete the basic training in a few weeks. If I am already feeling the wonders and enlightenment of these first lessons I can't imagine what is in store for me. My future just gets brighter and brighter.