It was two years ago this month that I started in earnest to write my first book, After Rain. It’s funny that I referred to it as “my first book” because I have no plans for a second. But then I didn’t see the first one coming, nor did I know I would feel, even today, awed by the wisdom it holds. So, who knows? Maybe there is another book waiting in the wings. Life is certainly full of surprises. And anything is possible!

Possibilities are the stuff the universe is made of. And they hum out there in the ethers waiting for us to grab on and create what it is we so often “didn’t see coming.” We can miss our chance because we’ve already settled on what we think, or what we expect, or believe to be true, or not true, about ourselves and our lives. I had to let go of my belief that other people write books, not me. I didn’t think I was good with words. It took courage and lots of self-compassion for me to let go of that hard-held belief that writing was not “my thing.” And I did let go because I was curious about me and change and choice. I always am. And I’m optimistic too, because, deep down, I trust myself and know I’m on an incredible journey to live upward.

Writing this book required me to commit to that journey every single day. It was fun and hard and heart-opening. And along the way I discovered joy, gratitude, exhaustion and a deep sense of responsibility for how I participate in this one big, beautiful life I share with all of you.

A few nights ago, I dreamt I was with a group of friends.  We had a collection of things — buttons, fabric, thread, sticks, feathers — and our plan was to use them to make some thing new, never before seen. We cut and stitched and wove, imagining new ways to fit old pieces together. We were having fun, being playful and inventive, yet we were intent on our purpose.

I awoke with the realization that together we had reimagined, reconfigured, and stitched together the “pieces” of our old lives into a creative new reality, where every stitch, color, and texture added beauty to the whole.  And so now I have come to realize that as constrained as life may feel today, I can choose what “things” matter to me, and I can choose along with you what treasures from our lives we will weave together to make a better world. And basking in our friendship and the task at hand we will be in awe of our creation and blessed by the bounty it brings.

Join in….