The Shack

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I read a wonderful book the other day. It had been recommended and even loaned to me by one of my favorite life coaching clients. ‘The Shack’ by Wm. Paul Young spoke to me on many levels.

As a life coach I encourage clients to acknowledge and appreciate their faith, if they do indeed believe in a higher power. This book tells the true story of a man who lived through a brutal childhood. Later he married and had children, settling into a wonderful if somewhat ordinary life. God as he knew him was pretty unavailable and not someone he felt that he could count on. Tragically this man experienced a horror that is every parent’s nightmare. Sometime later, this man is invited up to a place referred simply as the shack. During his time at the shack his life changed forever.

I’m not going to tell you too much more because I do not believe I can do the story justice.

Reading this book helped me to deal with many questions. Maybe predictably, it prompted many more questions as well. Most of all it reminded me of the connection I feel with my God and reminded me that it doesn’t have to be all that complicated. It’s really pretty straight forward, a relationship of love and trust. Beginning, middle and end.

Why do I feel the need to share this with you? Because I think we all need something that we believe in and depend upon. For me this is my faith. Life coaching and Reiki have both helped me to become much clearer about my faith. Each has helped me to eliminate some of the junk that I always associated with faith. For me this process has been simple yet incredibly profound.

I encourage both life coaching and Reiki clients to take a bit of time each day to meditate. Time to simply be. When I do this it helps me to clear my mind and open my heart to ideas, thoughts and feelings. Sometimes these thoughts and feelings are new to me. Often they are old thoughts or emotions that I had sort of shelved in the past. Now when I give them a bit of time, they are more easily dealt with, as I simply ponder them from a detached point of view. I’m not consistent about meditating every day at a certain time or place, but I expect to get better about it with time. I know that it has served me well and I absolutely appreciate that fact.

For today I hope that you are able to take a few minutes to spend all by yourself in peace and quiet. Not thinking, just being. I hope that this will help you to find a bit of peace and guidance.

For a very good read which just may change your life, I strongly recommend reading ‘The Shack’. I know I’ll be buying several copies and keeping them on my lending bookshelf. This book is too important not to share, which is why I just shared with you.

Warmly,
Sandy

The Amazing Toddler

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

Observe the amazing toddler. They know who they like and trust. Even better, they never hesitate to show it! If a small child likes you they smile, giggle and follow you around. You get lots of wet, slimy, wonderful kisses. Lots of sticky jelly hugs. And every time you take a step that wonderful child is under your feet. Why? Because they like you! And when a toddler or small child likes you, they don’t hesitate at all to show it, in every possible way. It’s great!

Small children are the life coaches teaching us what we once knew, and I hope that we are willing to re-learn. I’m convinced that the world would be a much better, certainly a much happier place if we would take a page from the book of toddlers. Too often we are uncomfortable telling someone that we like them. Much too often we don’t tell others that we love them.

I occurs to me that there are many people I really like that may not know how I feel about them. It’s time to fix that, time to take positive action. I have no business suggesting to others that they get going on this unless I’m willing to take some action myself. So, I am going to be sure that I stop holding back. I will hug more, smile more and tell others how much I like and appreciate them, for who they are and for what I feel when I am with them. When it comes to those that I love, I realize that I take them for granted far too often. While I tell them often that I love them, it’s time to tell them why I love them and how grateful I am to have them in my life.

I encourage you to live a day offering your sincere appreciation for friends and love ones. Give it one day, I bet you’ll feel so good that you decide to do it again and again.

Wishing you a day filled with the fabulous feelings of friendship and love.

Warmly,
Sandy