A Prayer and Writing as a Healing Tool

A Prayer for those who are healing from the storm:

May each person have a warm home to be in and many lights that shine brightly upon them.
May everyone who lost a loved one be healed completely.
May each soul who left this earth be surrounded by God.
May anyone who lost their home have it easily and affordably rebuilt, with even stronger foundation and beauty.
May every single person affected by the storm have a warm, safe and loving bed to sleep in, good food to nourish them, warm clothes to wear and the loving arms of friends and family to wrap around them.
May everyone across the East Coast have a feeling of well being inside of them.
So Be it. So it is. It is done.
Amen.

This Monday morning feels different from last, and far different from the one before. Life has changed for so many people; thousands have moved from thriving into surviving. Over the last few days, I witnessed the eerie sight of gas lines running blocks down the street and pumps that read, "no more gas." I heard stories of people who have lost their homes and their lives. Gratefully, I was only out of power for three days, but since I blog on Mondays and Thursdays, this is the first time I've sat down to write. It's a strange feeling to both want to reach out with a positive message and also know that some may not want to hear one right now. So, I start with the deep and healing prayer above, and hope that whatever I write today may be just right for whoever reads it.
Writing is a healing tool in itself. I am offering it as a recommendation even to those who may only have a napkin, scrap of paper or back of a gas receipt upon which to write. It is not the size of your paper; it may only be three or four words that you choose to put down. I encourage you to release whatever you might be holding inside through the act of writing. Whatever feelings and experiences have been housed inside of your body (somatic experience) can start to move out through putting pen, pencil or even crayon to paper. Writing is one of the most cathartic tools to clear out our internal cobwebs, and anyone can write. Many people don't believe they are "good enough" writers to journal, and they make up a whole story about how it's not worth trying. I've heard this same story about meditation, too, another powerful clearing and healing tool that anyone can utilize; even the most scattered thinkers.
Here's an example of some words you can write if you don't know where to begin. These reflect the personal events of the last week:
I am so angry.
I don't know what to do with myself.
My feelings are out of control.
I am terribly scared.
I really need a hug.
I can't stop crying.
I'm overwhelmed.
Help!
Feel free to borrow any of these starters and use them as a diving board for a couple of additional sentences. You can write anywhere, including the bathroom, closet or car. Writing doesn't require space or time; merely the intention to release. From clearing and releasing eventually comes healing. There were some days in my life, where after I "made" myself write, I finally felt like I could breathe. Writing also grounded me when I felt like I was floating in space, which is how we often feel when pain or sadness envelops us. 
When we can't make sense of the world or our lives; when everything has changed and we can't seem to get back what we had, writing can shine a light on a place that feels very dark. I encourage you to trust the process, and wherever you are at this moment, to give yourself this gift. You are worth it and you deserve it.
With Deep Healing Love,
Hope

Playing Hookie is Advisable

Tomorrow will be 60 degrees and sunny. I want to take a moment to send my prayers and energies to all people who have gone through hardship as a result of the storm on Saturday. I know some homes are still without power in Westchester County, Rockland County and Connecticut. Trees are still down all over. People are displaced from their homes. Individuals and stores lost their goods that were refrigerated or frozen. Cars and sections of homes were demolished. Two people died from falling trees. Let's send a prayer out to all concerned; May you be showered with golden light.

In Gratitude for My Food:
Today:
28 ounces lemon water

28 ounces Brazil nutmilk smoothie with:
soaked Brazil nuts
water
flax seeds
psyllium seeds
banana
mango
lucuma powder
almond butter
agave

Lunch:
4 slices Manna carrot raisin bread with smear of almond butter

Dinner:
Large salad with Romaine, carrot, cuke, broccoli sprouts, sunflower seeds with avocado and dulse
dressing of olive oil, nutritional yeast, sea salt and nori shake

After Dinner:
bowl of Organic Nectars mint chocolate raw ice cream sprinkled with some pecans

12 ounces water

Tomorrow my friend Liz is coming over to play hookie with me and take a hike in the warmth of early Spring. Then we'll head over to the beach with lunch in hand.
Liz is a CPA and an Empowerment Coach and I am a Health Counselor.
I used to give myself a hard time about taking a day or half a day to play. What about this project or that upcoming workshop or starting this new thing on my list? Isn't it negligent to leave it all, take off and spread my wings? It is not; in fact, it is a vital component of our health. These times of play balance out our times when creative juices must flow to generate new creations in our livelihood.
"Listen...do you wanna know a secret...do you promise not to tell...?" It's not from the "doing" that we really create and soar to new heights in our "work". It's from our connection to nature; to our divine Source; to the soul spirit that lives within us and already knows it all; to the quiet space inside of us; to the passionate, playful being that we are.
Try this experiment: Go on a hike or to the beach; go to your most favorite place and hang out; take a run; do something that brings you immense joy.
Now, hold the intention that all the guidance for whatever "project" you are working on will just flow through you and you will receive it.
See what happens....
Let me know how it turns out.
With Blessings for the Beauty and Forces of Nature,
Hope