My readings lately have all been dove-tailing around the same lessons: choices, and options to love. Last week was no exception. We had an historic election in the USA, and many folks have responded with fear or contraction, and some with righteousness.  What we all have, though, is an option to love.

A few weeks ago, I saw on old high school friend at Trader Joes. He said he was picking up something to share while watching the presidential election debate. He then laughingly asked me, “I wonder if we are on the same side?” I replied, “You mean, the side of wanting peace and love for all? I bet we are.” He laughed again, nodding, “Yep, same side.

Did you know you are co-creating your world? Yes, it’s true! You are a co-creator in your world. How things are is due, in part, to how you look at the world.  In A Course in Miracles, it teaches:Your thoughts determine the world you see.

I have a fair amount of couples in my counseling practice.I hear what they focus on. I hear what so many of us focus on: things that aren’t working. When our couples counseling sessions start, partners can list fairly easily what they hear each other complain about. It’s harder for them to know what has been working.

How are you at giving and receiving love? This is our only real task on earth. Being loving to yourself and to those around you is kinda hard if you are saying negative things to yourself about yourself.

It’s something we all want: Relief, peace, ease, happiness, even joy! I know you want it as much as I do. I know that things we think and do and feel can block us from these wonderful states of being.

This past weekend, as shootings unfolded in my hometown of Orlando Florida, I was up in Montreal with my husband on his business trip. Traveling on their Metro system, we often consulted the maps posted on the walls in the stations we landed in, seeking to orient ourselves so we could go in the right direction.

I have had such a good week. So many amazing sessions with clients.  The best ones have involved lots of EFT-Tapping.  This EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, a really easy-to-use energy psychology technique that is based on the principles of Chinese Acupuncture.  It is also called Tapping because you literally use your finger tips to tap on a pattern on the face, hands and body.  It looks odd at first, but BOY DOES IT WORK!

I bet you do! If you lay awake at night… If you find yourself distracted at work or when you are with a loved one…. If you live with a feeling of unease …

Earlier this week, I read this question on Gratefulness.org, “How do you nurture your practice of gratefulness when life is difficult?”

We live in a great community in Central Florida where there are amazing opportunities for learning and growth.  Over the next few weekends, you can find new ways to care for yourself by attending one of these workshops listed below:

Through the practice of breathing slowly, we calm our bodies and minds and can have peace. This is what I had to do early Monday morning, as I was waking up. You see, I am taking off for one week starting on Friday Feb 19 (and returning to work Feb 29)  to a Design-Your-Life Superfood Yoga retreat in Nicaragua.  So when I woke up this was on my mind… and I did NOT feel peaceful.  So I began to breathe slowly….

We all want it: a sure fire way to feel better. A quick way to feel calmer, at ease, peaceful, happy.  Sometimes, you feel calm or peaceful just because you woke up feeling at ease. Sometimes, more likely than not, you have to do something to help you feel that way.

I hope you had a good start to 2016. I heard Marianne Williamson say that if we want a GOOD year we have to MAKE IT a good year!

I don’t normally have melt-downs.  I hate to even talk about them- but I succumbed to stressful fear based thoughts and sad feelings over the weekend.  Saturday night I just got so sad and felt so tired that I began to cry at dinner.  Sunday it happened again (okay, and also a little bit on Monday night, truth be told).  I was very worried about my mom’s health status (spoiler alert: she is FINE!), and I was tired from being in care-giver mode. My neck and head hurt and yes, it was a full moon!

I hope you have time with loved ones this holiday season.  I hope you include yourself in your circle of care during this time. And may you have quiet time to reflect on how much LOVE exists in the world– it is all around us if we look, and if we practice gratitude. 

Candlelight for 8 nights, when there was only oil for one. LOVE is born among us.

I have to say, this will be an unusual Thanksgiving for our family.  We get to find out if hospitals serve turkey on Thanksgiving.  That’s where most of my family will be this Thursday. After my mom had her 3rd hip dislocation last week, she will go into the hospital for hip revision surgery this week.  And so we will be having turkey (sandwiches?) at the hospital with her on Thanksgiving.  But thankful we will be, even though she’s been down this road before. We will be thankful that Mama Behr is getting a new hip!

Hi there! You may recall that I was away the first part of November working with the Wounded Warriors Project.  On the Project Odyssey, warriors who have PTSD (and often traumatic brain injuries) are encouraged to connect with nature and peers in an outdoors rehabilitative retreat. 

How are you? I’ve missed talking with you the last few weeks.  Last week I was away on another Project Odyssey retreat with the Wounded Warriors Project. (It was good and I learned some cool stuff I will share in another post soon.)