We are deep in the holiday season as I write this – Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanza, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve and Day.

This year I am taking the time to slow down and be with my 93-year-old mom for the holidays. She is in a period of her life where she desires simple, quiet joy and pleasures over big gatherings, lots of toys and noise and all the ways we have celebrated in the past.

I chose to be here with her – savoring our deep meditation time together over the Solstice, taking simple walks together in the sunshine, and cooking what we love and simply going with the flow of our days.

I am taking nothing for granted. Being here with her in this present moment is all there is right now. As the days pass, I am doing my best to drink it all in. Many of you know that I am an extrovert, so this kind of a holiday is new for me. The unknown of this experience has been a bit of a learning curve, and I am flowing with it.

One morning I was up early turning on the twinkling Christmas lights before dawn, when I badly injured my big toe on the end of a rolled-up carpet stored behind something I could not see in the dark. So another unknown was introduced – I LOVE to walk when I am out here and it is not unusual for me to spend hours outside walking – and now I have a badly bruised and swollen toe and foot to care for – one that does not fit into the only pair of walking shoes I brought!

I reached out immediately and have received lots of good care, (let’s hear it for Distance Healing!) as well as using my cold laser non-stop and elevating it. It is healing rapidly but it will be a while before I can return to my usual practice of walking and breathing deeply in the crisp, clear air. I am taking nothing for granted. The stillness my healing process now requires has brought me to an even deeper level of inner quiet.

I am preparing for the New Year as I rest back, drop in and listen for my soul’s optimal direction as we round the bend into 2023.

So, an opportunity has arisen that I was not expecting. And my quiet contemplations have been rich and especially deep in preparation for teaching Release and Renewal which is coming up January 6-8, 2023. You can attend in your PJs or join with friends or colleagues in person – or simply hop online and meet with others in far flung places as our community once again supports us in setting a powerful intention for the coming year and offering you the tools and skills to step into those intentions!

Two take aways this season for me:

Be deeply grateful for each moment with your families, friends, or by yourself if that is your choice.

Make no assumptions about the future – it could change in any instant as you are reaching for something.

I hope these are helpful for you and may this holiday season hold everything your heart desires and more. May you drink in every moment and have gratitude for it all!