In honor of my late mother-in-law’s birthday today, and the 7th anniversary of my dad’s passing, I’d like to share this short final chapter from Organizing for The Spirit:

A man of ritual, routine, and regularity, my father opened my biweekly email newsletters at precisely 11:00 on Saturday mornings. It didn’t matter that he had been up since 5:00 or that I usually sent them before 10:00; his time to check his mail was 11:00. Period.

My dad passed away suddenly on May 7, 2003. Fortunately, I was with him, in town to help my folks out after my mother’s mild stroke three weeks previous. Even though he had survived a massive heart attack twenty-two years before and four subsequent cardiac arrests, it came as a shock that it was finally his time to go.

As I contemplated writing my next newsletter, I didn’t know how to deal with the fact that my father wouldn’t be sitting at his computer, ready to read it, ever again. But a wise friend told me to write it anyway,  because my dad would still receive it – he would simply be at another address.

My dad was a complex and stubborn man, and that’s probably what kept him alive for so many extra years. He insisted on things being done his way, and only his way, but after his attack he left an impressive legacy of public service through his twenty-two years of volunteer work for many organizations.

The night before the funeral, I lay awake, wondering what exactly I could contribute for my part of the eulogy. My husband told me not to worry, that somehow my dad would “tell” me what to say. The next morning, my mother came to me with an envelope that she had taken from the back of her desk drawer. It read, “To Be Opened Upon My Demise” and was signed by my father. “I knew this was there,” she told me, “but I have no idea when he wrote it.” We opened the envelope, which contained one sheet of paper, with but a single sentence written on it, summing up what he believed to be the purpose of his life.

As my father demonstrated to me, “Organizing for the Spirit” means to become who you really are – to discover what makes you unique and personally powerful so that you can experience the joy of living and sharing your gifts with others. Organizing for the Spirit is a lifelong process of discovery and self-development, and the ultimate personal adventure. As my dad wrote in his final message: “To leave the world a bit better – to know that a life has been changed because you were there – this is to have succeeded.”

It is never too late to become who you are meant to be.

Very interesting weather we’re having but it seems that all’s well that ends well.

And that’s enough winter for me.

If you’re looking for some new, life-affirming DVDs to help raise your spirits during the grey days, I’d like to recommend Infinity and The Shift. They’ll make you think, and feel good.

My friend Nancy Whitney-Reiter has written another information-packed book (Do What You Love) on the art and science of achieving success — the kind of success that’s “not of a summit you reach after a lifetime of climbing, but a feeling you experience daily when you’re doing what you love.” Utilizing interviews compiled during a seven-year study on successful career change, along with her own experiences, Nancy has demonstrated that change is something to be embraced, not feared, and that the journey toward your dream job is the road you’re truly supposed to be traveling.

This is an excellent book on the subject, and one that I was pleased to have been asked to contribute to.

Emily Troutman’s photo essay of Haiti is haunting. She left the country one day before the earthquake, after recording vivid images of art and natural beauty. She’s going back to continue her story, now one of hope and prayer for a return to even the meager conditions that existed before the devastation. Give whatever you can to help.

It’s the perfect weekend for finishing a jig saw puzzle, making eggplant parmesan in the crock-pot and watching old episodes of Northern Exposure.

Monday — hit the New Year running!

photo credit crabshack

“Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”      

– Sitting Bull, from the wonderful Kent Nerburn books, Neither Wolf Nor Dog and The Wolf At Twilight

Feature-Length Film — “For the Next 7 Generations”

In 2004, thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers from all four corners of the earth, moved by their concern for our planet, came together at a historic gathering, where they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. “For the Next 7 Generations” follows what happens when these wise women unite. Facing a world in crisis, they share their visions of healing and call for change now before it’s too late.

 The grandmothers had been told that they would be brought together at a critical time in history when their ancient knowledge was needed for the survival of the next generations.The Council visited Sedona this evening and shared a prayer-filled, story-filled, song and laughter-filled few hours.

It was an evening of magic, learning and hope. Check out the movie if you can.

photo credit michele cat

We saw a beautiful documentary last night on near-death experiences and the stories were uniformly uplifting. Regardless of their recollections (i.e., whether each person saw a “tunnel” or “light” or welcoming family members who had passed), everyone came back changed in a profound way. Sharon Lund, the movie’s producer, experienced her own NDE, as well as surviving childhood sexual abuse and AIDS. She’s a wonderful example of how we’re meant to share our life’s lessons for the benefit of others, without ego or ulterior motive.

photo credit avaloncm

(Just noticed the play on words here – chapel, Chapel Hill

We’re heading to the finish line on Thursday morning. Time has a funny way of dragging things out and then finally, boom. I’ll try to take some photos with my own little camera and post them here as soon as I can.

Thanks to everyone for your support of the mother-of-the-bride!