Her email was one of those delightful, welcome messages in my Inbox. She had taken my Right Your Heart Out: Making Peace with your Inner Muse course at the Peace Academy and contacted to ask me to let her know of any other courses I was teaching. “I awoke at 2am after going to bed that night of the course and started writing. I couldn’t stop,” she wrote. Music to my ears! I love to know I’ve played a part in inspiring people.

No courses planned, I wrote back, but I’d be open to meeting for coffee.

We met and spent a delightful hour and a half talking about life and courage and moving on and into living our best lives yet. I was in awe. Here was this 60+woman who had the courage to sell everything and take off to explore the world. Talk about leaps of faith!

She inspires me.

“I want to write my life story,” she said.

“Then begin here,” I replied. And asked if she would write a guest blog. In her courageous and forthright style, she relied, yes!

Welcome Andrea Steell. A courageous woman whose smile infects the world with laughter and whose courage to not only make a difference, but to live her difference in the world, ignites mine.

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The Courage to Change

by Andrea Steell

I met Louise for coffee this week  and was asked to contribute as a guest blogger. Well never having blogged before this was quite a gift.

It is Saturday, the day I pause, take a deep refereshing breath of the wonder and beauty all around me to celebrate heroes in our midst.

Earlier this year, Linda MacLean, took over as the Executive Director of the Accessible Housing Society in Calgary. Their mandate: to create opportunities for safe, affordable, barrier-free housing for persons with mobility issues. And they are doing just that. Linda is a vision. Her tireless commitment to helping people find housing that meets their specific needs, and to helping people stay housed is changing the world for many people.

Linda and her team at Accessible Housing are heroes.

Her twitter profile says it all — Champion for ending exploitation of women, warrior against homelessness & oppression, relentless optimist & innovator! And it’s true. Marina Giacomin, Executive Director at Servants Anonymous Society is fighting to ensure women involved in the sex trade find a path to dignity, hope and life beyond the streets. She never ceases to inspire me with her dedication and fearlessness. Along with all the staff and volunteers at Servants Anonymous, they have given thousands of women the opportunity to reclaim their lives.

Marina and all the staff, volunteers and supporters of SAS are heroes.

So… this is far off the path of serving people with disabilities and disadvantages, but…  Jesse Willis and his business partner, Jeff Jamieson are serving society in a different way. By bringing the simple joy of wine and spirits to life in their delightful store Vine Arts. This is a dream come true for Jess and Jeff, a store of their own where they can educate and share their love of all things grape off the vine. A visit to their store is a treat of the senses and the mind. Their knowledge and willingness to share is outstanding!

Jeff and Jesse and everyone at Vine Arts are heroes!

Caitria and Morgan O’Neill did not set out to become ‘disaster response experts’ but, when a tornado unexpectedly hit their town in Massacheusetts (which does not get tornadoes) they knew they had to do something. At 20 and 24 year old University students stepped up to take charge, with the aid of technology. Their inspiring TEDxBoston talk will tell you all about their ‘recovery in a box’ planning kit. We can all make a difference. Caitria and Morgan definitely are!

It was an interesting question. “Don’t you think that in saying how you’re making a difference, you negate the difference?” I was asked.

No. I replied. Because it’s not about ‘how’ I’m making a difference. It’s about ‘making a difference’. It’s about inspiring others to see the difference they make is in their very presence. The very essence of their being their most magnificent self, right now.

“Oh. So it’s about giving purpose to this meaningless life,” they replied.

And that would be true, except, I don’t experience this life as meaningless. In fact, I think there is great meaning in every life. Great import and significance.As Marianne Williamson writes in A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

I believe we all want to make a difference. That inherent in our nature is the drive to make the world a better place, to cast light in the darkest corners, to shine hope in the deepest night of our souls.

I believe that within each of us is the spark of brilliance that can/must ignite change in the world — it’s just we’ve forgotten how to live its beauty. In the journey into being who we are today, we’ve forgotten the truth of who we are — beautiful. magnificent. radiant. miraculous.

We are all magnificent. Miracles of life.

In our birth the world was made different. Our becoming human form changed the world forever. And in our birth, our magnificence came into being through the unique DNA we each carry into the world.

In the journey through life, we have forgotten this. We have forgotten that we are each and every one of us precious, unique beings of life. We each have gifts to share, stories of wonder to tell, miracles to unfold. We are each different and in that difference is the difference we make in the world.

Making a difference isn’t about the things I do to create change in the world. It is all about how I am being my most incredible self through living my difference to its fullest. It’s about living up to my most brilliant dreams come true so that I can be of service to the world and bring out the best of life all around me.

It’s about stepping out of the shadows of fear into the light of being all that I am meant to be when I let go of believing, I don’t make a difference.

We all make a difference.

For today, let your difference be the brilliant spark of your magnificence enlightening the world with all the beauty, joy and Love in your heart. Let your difference be felt in the simple acts of kindness you share through loving acts of grace.

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today’s Peace Poem:  Peace all Around  

Morning light in the park

I have been feeling out of sorts this week. Nothing identifiable. In fact, it is its  ‘unidentifiable nature’ that has made this out of sorts so irritating. Like an archeologist, I have been sifting through the dirt of the past few days/weeks looking for clues to what happened that might have triggered my ennui. I’ve come up with shards of ideas that may or may not be the source. I’ve dug into them, turning over every stone, checking for mildew or parasites, washing off accumulated dirt, polishing up facets of my being that I have let rust — and it didn’t seem to matter. The ennui remained and I felt the tiredness of broken sleep and fractured dreams that kept trying to break through to my awareness.

And then, this morning as I took my vitamins and drank my greens I realized what had happened. I had forgotten to take my morning ‘shaker uppers’ as I call them, yesterday, the day before and, in fact, tracing it back, I have not taken them since Friday morning.

My body was sending me a message and I had fallen asleep at the wheel.

My body is my GPS. It informs me constantly about my environment, my well-being, my reactions and responses to what is happening in the world around me. And my body was working without the fuel it needed. My body was operating without gas, and my mind was on auto-pilot searching for answers to what was happening now in places it didn’t need to go in the past and was missing the message about what was going on now.

No wonder I was feeling tired. Not only was I lacking the vitamins and nutrients that balance my internal systems, my mind was digging into areas looking for truth in the darkness where in truth, the light no longer needed to shine.

Sometimes, in my gut reaction to make things more complicated than they need to be by looking for connections to what’s happening in the present in the past, I miss the obvious in the here and now.

Lack of essential vitamins and nutrients = Lack of energy and well-being.

And I breathe. And I laugh. And sing a song of joy!

Think I’ll go do a happy dance too!

It’s all good.  Laughter, song and dance are the only way to heal shame. And according to Dr. Brene Brown, whom my eldest daughter recently heard speak — and she was, as Alexis described her, WOW!  shame is one of human nature’s most debilitating forces.

Laughing, singing and dancing now too!  Because, seriously. My week could have been so different if I’d remembered to take my vitamins. What a shame I forgot!

And now that I’ve remembered, it’s smooth sailing into this moment of being alive in the rapture of now!

PS. There was still good info in my digging into the dirt of my psyche. I learned a thing or two about myself and how I am in the world that will nourish my growth as I move with grace and ease into the exquisite beauty of my day unfolding in wonder.

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Today’s Peace Poem:  In All The World

At the Peace Academy last night, Jane Warren and Bob Ward of Passionate Me. Vibrant We, shared directions for the path to Peace Between Us. How do we create peace in all our relations? How do we let go of the stories we tell about another, and ourselves, to create openings for truth, honesty and Love to shine?

One of the exercises they lead was to pair everyone up with someone they didn’t know and then to pair the pairs and to invite each person to tell their small group all about the person they didn’t know and had just met. No truth needed. Just make the person you’re introducing exciting and interesting and fascinating were the only instructions.

We’re always making up stories about what and why the people we love do the things they do, say the things they say, said Bob. Rather than make it a story about how ‘wrong’ they are, or stupid, or little, or just plain inconsiderate, why not make it a story of their greatness?

Good question. Why not?

We are all human. And, when we feel hurt or slighted by another, we often justify our feelings by the stories we tell on the other who created the hurt in our life.

Take when C.C. and I have a disagreement. In the throes of claiming my position versus his, I don’t check out how he is feeling, where he’s coming from, or even what’s the learning for me in the circumstances of our disagreement. I don’t focus on his strengths and gifts. I go for the jugular. That sensitive place in him where I know if I protect myself fiercely against whatever is going down, I won’t be hurt, slighted, confused, or any other feeling I am desperately trying to avoid. In my defensive mode, I list off the litany of his ‘sins’ and forget to celebrate all the reasons why I cherish and love him.

It isn’t until after the dust has settled that I come to that place of getting up close and personal with what my role was in creating the discord. And even then, it is hard sometimes to still not make it — all about him.  🙂  I too like to be right — and we all know — men always want to be right!  Just kidding. Not all men, just 99.9% of men. Okay. Okay. Maybe not that high a percentage.

See. I’ll go to great lengths to be right just to prove I’m not wrong.

So often, we focus on the ‘wrongs’ of the other. We fixate on how and why they don’t do the things we want, say the things we want to hear. We tell ourselves the stories of why they’re ‘wrong’ and forget to keep track of all the ways they make us feel special, loved, creative, cared for.

In six months of writing C.C. a poem a day, I have come to truly appreciate the gift of celebrating the other every day.

Sure, we still have our differences, and we still get into those sticky moments where ‘the other’ is from a far away planet where they see the world every other way but my way. But the power of celebrating love every day through a photo and a poem quickly carries me through those sticky moments back to the heart of where I want to live, every moment of every day. In love with me, my life and everyone in it.

We’re always telling stories about other people, just for today, make every story you tell a story of their greatness. Try it on. Make it fit, just for today and spread sunshine where ever you go!

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Thank you Jane and Bob, and thank you Howard for your Hopeful Notes from Howie J yesterday — you inspired me!

And…. my Peace Poem today:   Peace In The Uncommon Ground

Home Sweet Home

One of the best parts of a road trip in Canada is the uninterrupted time to listen to CBC Radio 1. All talk radio with fascinating interviews of people known and unknown, every day people doing every day things extraordinarily, extraordinary people doing extraordinary things who offer up insight and information on living life beyond the edges of your comfort zone.

Somewhere between Calgary and Saskatoon, I heard Bill Shapiro, former editor of LIFE magazine and editor of the book, “Other People’s Rejection Letters’ being interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi, one of my favourite CBC hosts. When asked, what made you collect other people’s rejection letters, Bill Shapiro answered that he had received a letter from someone who mentioned they had a file of rejection letters. Bill Shapiro didn’t. And not having any rejection letters wasn’t a good sign.

Rejection letters are about courage. About taking risks. About stepping out there, beyond our comfort zone and leaping. They’re about hopes and dreams and putting ourselves ‘out there’ knowing, someone may not like what we’re doing or saying, and that’s okay. At least we’re doing and saying something ‘out there’ in that place where hopes and dreams come alive.

Bill wasn’t. Out there. Doing and saying enough to get any rejection letters.

Sunshiney walls

It was, he said, a good wake-up call. A turning point of sorts. He decided to collect Other People’s Rejection Letters to better understand those who were willing to take risks, and to awaken his own capacity to do it too.

It struck me, listening to Mr. Shapiro’s responses that I no longer know where my rejection letter file is. It struck me that I might possibly have simply thrown out every rejection letter I ever received, as if, discarding them took away the sting — which, is okay if I continue putting myself out there. Not so good if I used the rejection as an excuse to quit writing, or painting, or any of the things I do to express myself in the world.

And that’s where the real power of the rejection letter comes in. Does it stop me from trying, or do I ignore the opinion of others and continue to persevere, to carry-on bravely, to push forward, to lean into my dreams and keep living them into reality?

Ellie’s new bed

Imagine if an  aspiring Olympian decided with their latest loss to quit racing or playing the game. Imagine if they quit believing they could win.<p>For me, the parallel is writing. I have a book on my laptop waiting for me to continue writing. I have a dream waiting for me to unfold it. Imagine if, I decided because it hasn’t yet found its home, I decided to quit writing it.

Imagine.

It is Sunday and time for a guest blog, except, I didn’t bring my laptop, just my iPad and my folder wtih guest blogs in it isn’t on my iPad…. so… you’ll just have to wait until next week for a guest blog!

In the interim, a Sunday of quiet appreciation. A Sunday filled with gratitude and Love – and a really short blog as it is a quiet day for reflection and grace and ease.

There is a  world of joy living with a grateful heart. Or, to put it in a different frame ofreference as I read at A Course in Miracles this morning, Love is the way to walk in gratitude.

I am walking in Love today. Walking with my heart filled with gratitude, thankful for this day, for the sunlight outside my window, the quiet of this house which is also my home in a city I am learning to enjoy. It isn’t place that makes the difference, it’s being with the one you love, and here is Love.

And it is Love that always makes a difference.

Namaste.

It is Saturday and time to celebrate those special people who are heroes in our midst.

It was 1pm when I left Calgary for Saskatoon yesterday afternoon, later than anticipated but still ample time to make it to Saskatoon so that C.C. and I could go experience Rory Block put on by the Saskatoon Jazz Society at their fabulous venue, The Basement. Because a Rory Block concert is an experience worth having! I hadn’t heard of Rory Block before — and I love the Blues! She was magnificent. And the venue was perfect. Small. Intimate. Close. She chatted with the audience, interspersing the Blues with stories of her life and stories of her heroes like Robert Johnson, Son House and Mississippi John Hurt. Her road to Saskatoon began like mine, except, her’s included a tour bus that broke down and is now on its way to Seattle with all the rest of her equipment and merchandise and only one of her team. Didn’t matter. She didn’t let it get her down. She was magnificent and the evening was pure bliss.

Rory Block and the Saskatoon Jazz Society are heroes.

As C.C. and I sat waiting for the show to begin, we chatted with a woman at the next table (The Basement is set up cabaret style — very cool). Linda has spent her life struggling to make ends meet as a musician. She’s always managed to do it, but, as she told us, if it wasn’t for her adult daughter moving back home to help her out for the past year, she would be starving. Linda told us about the operation to remove a cancerous tumour from her body that put her out of business sometime, a year and a half ago. And then she shared, how while she was in hospital recuperating, friends got together and held a benefit concert on her behalf. “People I don’t even know, who’ve only heard me play, maybe, came and supported me,” she said. And she shook her head and added, “I still can’t believe how many people came and helped. It’s amazing.” That’s when it struck me. Gratitude lies at the heart of making a difference. It is the driving force in a heroes heart.

Linda of the no strings bass guitar playing, you have a hero’s heart.

During intermission, Linda got up to speak to friends and C.C. went to the bar to buy me a glass of wine. When he returned, he had a drink for Linda too. He put it on her table, sat down and never said a word. “That was nice,” I commented. He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “It’s what her girlfriend bought her earlier. I figured she wouldn’t be able to buy another so, I did.” The lights were dim for the second half of the show when Linda sat down again. She didn’t know where the drink came from, but she was appreciative. And C.C. never said a word.

C.C. is a hero.

Before I was planning on leaving Calgary in the morning, I had tentatively set lunch up with one of the most caring, enthusiastic and energetic people I know working in the homeless sector. Mark Powers was the Manager of Volunteer Services, reporting to me when I worked at the Calgary Drop-In (DI). His ability to continually seek out opportunities to make a difference, to create space for Calgarians to come in and lend a hand and learn about homelessness was inspiring. Now, as Manager of Fund Development, he continues to fight fearlessly and tirelessly on behalf of the people the DI serves. He continues to make it possible for Calgarians to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.

Mark Powers is a hero. 

There are heroes everywhere. Have you celebrated a hero in your life today?

And…. just because this is technology and just because I can, here’s Rory Block and her rendition of Robert Johnson’s iconic, Crossroads.

————————————-  And today’s Peace Poem:  War No More

Though there are those who might disagree, to me, a car is but a car… until it doesn’t start.

Then it becomes a point of frustration. An issue generating discord with the speed of a star falling from the sky.

Yesterday, my youngest daughter who has had my car for the past week as she drove to Vancouver with friends and my car is roomier and newer, called and said, “Your car won’t start.”

She’d arrived back the night before and as it was late, we’d agreed to switch cars the next day.

When her call came in, I was in the middle of working on a report. “The bumper cables are in the garage,” I told her. “You’ll have to get Ryan (her boyfriend) to drive you over.”

“Can’t you bring them over?” she asked.

“No,” I replied after taking a deep breath. In the past, I would jump to, jump at, any opportunity to ‘do’ for my daughters. And while I still like to do, I am learning to set boundaries and to allow them space to be competent in their own lives.

She came. Got the cables. Boosted my car and the day moved on.

Until later that afternoon when once again, it wouldn’t start.

She brought it back. I drove to Canadian tire, remember to take the old battery in the garage with me from one of C.C.’s cars that needed to be recycled. I carried it in. (who knew batteries were so heavy?)

“Do you have the warranty card?” the woman at the service counter asked.

“I have the receipt from when we bought it,” I said, hopefully.

“I’m sorry. We really need the warranty card as it’s a government program.”

Ok. Well, why don’t I just buy a new battery (their service department was closed and couldn’t get to my car until the morning. I was hoping a friend could come and help me switch out the batteries. How hard could it be? Seriously?)

“What’s the size of your engine?” she asked.

“Just the right size to fit under the hood,” I smiled. Again. Hopefully.

Her smile said it all. Yup. One of those women. Knows nothing about cars.

“We need to know the size so we can get you the right size battery. What make of Calibre is it?”

“Um….. Blue?”

She smiled. Sort of. Again.

“We could use your registration and the VIN to figure it out.”

YEah!  I know what my registration is! I pick up the unreturnable (I think) battery. It’s still heavy. I walk back to my car. Get my registration. Put the old battery back in the trunk and return to the sales desk.

“You know. Seeing as you’re buying a new battery, we could take the old one back and give you the discount.”

“Sure!” I laughingly reply. “I’ll just run back out to my car and get it!”

She apologizes for the error. I laugh it off. Go, get the battery and lug it back in. I think it’s gained 10 pounds in the interim.

Batteries exchanged. Money paid. A few more laughs shared. Ryan set to come later after work to help me install it, I return to my car. I try to balance the battery on one hip as I search for my keys. Where the heck…?

Not wanting to leave my battery in the parking lot, I lug it back to the service counter where I have left my keys. Back to car, (it’s getting heavier by the minute I swear) I drive home and wait for Ryan.

It’s dark when he arrives. We fumble around trying to remove all the nuts and bolts only to discover this battery is bolted into the frame. You need a special tool.

I park it in the garage. Put the battery charger on it and go to bed. At 7am I’m at the dealership hoping to get it installed ASAP. I’m driving to Saskatoon this morning. I want to get going.

Scratch that. I’m driving to Saskatoon this afternoon. They can’t get to it until later in the morning.

Sigh.

A car is just a car. Until it won’t start.

How I handle it is what will either drive me crazy… or not.

I’m choosing the non-crazy driving route. It is just a car. And the day is no less sunny and beautiful even if it doesn’t start.

The difference is always in my attitude.