OK - there's snow on the ground.  Those of you in the northern reaches are saying "yeah - so?".  But for Pennsylvania - on October 28th - snow is a really unusual occurrence.  No World Series Game tonight...  Mother Nature - the Woman who stopped baseball in its tracks.....

I'm playing "hooky" today from my office - working from home and loving the quiet of this day.  I'm not playing music...no radio...not even the sounds of the other practioners at the Center...just the quiet background hum of the house and the soft sound of breezes rustling the falling leaves.  Occasional birdsong - or crows (they do love to make raucous noise don't they!) remind me that lively living is happening just outside my windows.  Today is a gift of quiet, healing, space.  We all need that sometimes.  So why not find that for yourself somewhere over the next few days...an open, quiet space in your life where you can nurture yourself and recharge.  It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive or even a whole day.  Just love yourself enough to give yourself the gift of a velvety, quiet, reflective, space.  It's a gift that will ripple throughout your life into the lives of the people around you as you return recharged and centered.  

Just a quick post to send you thoughts of cardamom and cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and a hint of sunny orange.  A great way to flavor a tea....a homemade bread -- or if you are using essential oils, a great blend to create for those times when you are cold and can't seem to get warm.....

There's a line from a poem by Mary Oliver that I love..."It's morning, and again I am that lucky person who is in it."  I was reminded of that line today when I woke up to an impossible blue sky full of rose and gold-etched clouds.  Like something out of a Renaissance painting...  Yes, it is another day and I am glad I'm in it.  I have the chance to make my way each day into an office I love, and do work that humbles me, inspires me, and sometimes cracks me open like a geode, revealing beauties and capacities I hadn't yet found. My response to this?.... Thank you.

With all that is happening in our communities today I find myself thinking more and more about hope and sustainability.  Sustainability in the form of choices that have a gentle impact on the Earth, unquestionably.  And sustainability in the form of choices that mean I can sustain them - hold them up with my passion and conviction, with my thoughtfulness and presence - for a good, long, time.  I wonder how many choices are made as the child of a moment, and then discarded all too easily.  That is not a sustainable way to live, or to invest in our communities and families.  

 I want to have hope, and I want it to be sustainable.  Terry Tempest Williams offers this..."The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for.  And the most you can do is live inside that hope."  What do you hope for?

I've spent the past several days searching for an image that feels like it represents the entity that this business is becoming.  (I'm not enough of a visual artist to create one myself -- yet.)  Nothing representative seemed to fit.  Herbs for aromatherapy...stones for crystal therapy...hands for massage or bodywork.... none of them seemed to fit the entire energy that is emerging as I spend more time creating my business.  I finally settled on a mandala.  A circle feels right...it's infinite energy...it's relationship to this gorgeous planet that sustains us....and the image also feels vaguely like a flower and that certainly supports my passion for aromatherapy and phyto medicine. And I just really like the colors <grin>.  It feels feminine, strong, welcoming, and wise.  I'm not entirely sure how it will weave itself into this website yet....   No doubt that will manifest over the next few days...  For now I'll just include it here and plant the seed of it's presence.  

Ok - I know this is just blatant marketing - and I'm doing it anyway.  I've started 3 newsletters and I'd love to have you opt-in to receive one or all of them.  Here are the options...a seasonal newsletter (4 times per year) with articles about aromatherapy, massage and energy therapies, research and helpful information for clients.  A monthly newsletter announcing classes and workshops I'm sharing on topics ranging from aromatherapy to lifewriting, and more.  And finally a monthly (or less frequent) newsletter announcing professional development seminars I'm presenting.  And if you opt-in by October 8th, you are eligible to win a free 1-hour session!