Here We Go...

Although this blog site has sat idle, I have been anything but that! After the release of my first book You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets: Sexual Abuse Awareness, Prevention, and Intervention in 2010, I did a talk and a book signing at the Springvale Public Library. It was during that event that I was encouraged by those who had already read my book to begin working on a sequel . When I asked what they wanted to know, the response was, "Tell us about your life now." I remember thinking how unremarkable I felt my life was and found it difficult to access anything that I thought may be of interest to the reader. I began working on a piece but it was slow going. I wasn't passionate about the content of my writing so I'd set it aside until I was called to add to what I'd already written.  I must admit, until recently, I had concerns that the sequel may never manifest into a tangible reality.However, when I was contacted by Sean Patrick Simpson and Sarah Prout of Australia's Alska Publishing (sorry S & S, I'm still perplexed with how to type the two dots above the "A") about co authoring the Healing From Within book in the bestselling Adventures In Manifesting series, I was both honored and excited.  I'd be writing alongside some featured authors (such as John Demartini and Marianne Williamson to name a few) and though there was a short deadline from the date of contract for the submission of my completed chapter,  miraculously the words just flowed and formed a cohesive story of what I truly held as my deeper truth.  The excitement and fulfillment around the release of my second publication spurred me back to the sequel I'd begun...only to find myself, yet again, putting it aside to focus on other projects.September 1, 2012, I was faced with another major life challenge; one that would not only require a great deal of my effort and attention but would also require my willingness to push through toward acceptance; acceptance of  circumstances which upon first consideration I could find no means of understanding.  Having been "tapped out" with the normal everyday stressors of life, I had headed out the previous day with the intention of spending the ensuing weekend in rejuvenation mode.  Instead, I was called to return less than 36 hours later to a home that had been destroyed by a flood.  A small plastic piece that attached the feeder tube to the tank of the second floor toilet had cracked and eventually completely broken allowing water to spray out for what could have been 12 hours before being noticed.  It was that same small plastic piece that remained in tact every minute of every hour of every day that I spent in my home.  The same plastic piece that remained in tact while I worked out of my home, while I slept in my home, while I entertained in my home...my point being that though I rarely left my home for more than a few hours at a time, this little plastic piece had somehow broken on one of the rare occasions that I chose to leave my home for a longer period of time.Though there's a great deal more to this story, for the purpose of this blog entry, I'll skip the details of the demolition and rebuild of every room on all three floors that had been affected.  What I will tell you here is the deep conviction I gained within the first 48 hours of returning to my home that weekend.  A conviction that regardless of what the ensuing months of rebuilding would bring, I would keep my focus on finding the blessings.  And there were many!  One of which came on a Sunday morning in October.  Instead of lying in bed with thoughts racing through my head, I decided to get up and begin to write those same thoughts to get them on paper and out of my already overwhelmed mind.  After 3 hours of writing, I had the initial framework of SA³SSY! Surviving to Thriving; a 7 step process with a framework consisting of a firm foundation incorporating flexibility within those 7 steps to help individuals move from surviving to thriving.Fast forwarding to today, the presentation of the SA³SSY! process is nearing completion and I have begun piloting it to small groups with hopes of eventually bringing it to a larger audience.  A portion of that presentation includes details of the happenings of my own life incorporating some of my childhood experiences but mainly focusing on events and perceptions from the adult portion of my life.  Recently, I was guided to incorporate the work I'd done on the sequel of You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets with the work of the SA³SSY! process.  That said, stay tuned for more information that will bring forth not only the sequel revealing my life as I live it today but also information you can use about the empowering process I incorporated into my life to move from surviving to thriving.  Until then, be well!