Anam Nostos House Blog

Affirmation!!! Today's reminder is that we are all responsible for our part on the journey! Lifting people up is SO much easier than you think. A compliment to a stranger, leaving a surprise affirmation in unexpected places for one to find to a good deed for no reason other than you can. I could name at least three things in the past week where a stranger made my day, a friend gave me a much needed and unexpected compliment or even just a smile when I really needed it. It is not hard. So, today (and always) try to lift someone up. I would LOVE to hear about it in the comments! Have a wonderful day and keep shining your beautiful LIGHT! Someone needs to feel it. ​

Today I am sharing a very private space of mine. If you have been to any of my workshops or retreats, you have heard me talk about having a sacred space and the importance it adds to one's journey. Over our weekends our space evolves into many different transitions. One's personal space is a bit different. I am going to let this photo speak for itself, but needless to say every single thing you are looking at has a story connected to it that is important to me. This is situated on my desk. Some days are truly harder than others. It just takes one glance over to be reminded of my blessings, my stories and the road I have continued to walk. And when that doesn't work, I appreciate my favorite affirmation card reminder that 'gently' reminds me to get outside! Today I am reminding you to create your sacred space if you haven't already. If you have one, grow it and remember your stories for the steps forward. Everything is a journey not a destination....

Do you welcome sadness or do you fear its unknowing nature?

When people feel sadness, there is an overwhelming sense of doom. Sadness has a preconceived belief that it is not ok. Consider this for a moment. What if you were able to reframe your sadness into that of a gift?

​Sadness allows us to sit with our emotions, reflecting on the process of feeling those incidents that bring us full circle  When we are able allow ourselves these emotions, we are able to be closer to letting go of that which does not serve us well.

Sadness thus offers us the ability to see the gift in the story and emotion. I believe there is a gift and lesson in every step we walk in life.

How can you reframe, own, and allow your sadness to be a part of your growth?

​I have been wanting to write a piece on Healing for some time. It is a complex topic. There are so many different views, definitions, and perspectives that people bring to the surface for healing.

Today I am coming from a unique perspective. Every year I pick a word at the beginning of the year that symbolizes what I want to focus on for the next 12 months. Last year it was plucky. I love this word. I just wanted to continue to use that word which means ‘showing determined courage in the face of difficulties,’ or what I like to call a ‘just watch me’ attitude. But this year I was really having a challenging time choosing. I do not often enjoy doing those silly social media games or quizzes because they just feel manufactured and I do not presume to know how true they are, right?

Well, one late night I just gave in and answered the questions to the quiz offering one’s ‘word.’  The word for me coming up was Healing. I thought about it with my first reaction being that I had this focus my entire life. Though after a few minutes I realized something really big. I have been healing my life for as long as I can remember, from wounds from my upbringing to my younger years, teen years to young adult years; through trauma then to my eating disorder, to abandonment, divorce and single motherhood all issues I have spoken and written about before. So why would Healing be my word now?

What did Healing mean for me today? This turned out to be a good question for me.

With a little more introspection, I started to really consider the fact that I have two teenagers who are close to heading out to college, one within a year. I have spent the entirety of my life healing and maybe in that healing I had yet to accept I was worthy of healing, worthy of forgiveness, worthy of personal peace within and not define all that my life wasn’t in my wounds or failures, rather all the ways it was unfolding and which I was graced by on the journey. I had yet to embrace and release the Healing for the things that I had no control over and Healing for the life I had thought I wanted but did not receive.

And in this introspection, I realized the most important piece. My greatest fault is that I am always assuming my life is almost over. This comes from living through trauma and losing a lot of close people in my life too soon.
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So, now I am seeing that my life is not over yet; it is about to begin a whole new journey and how do I want to look at my Healing within those roads I have yet to walk? I am someone who always has a lot of dreams and aspirations of what I want to experience. I see now that Healing is always going to be a part of each adventure. The lessons of healing never end. I once saw this as defeating or a negative. Today, I choose to see it as a gift.

Healing is not a scarlet letter. Healing is a part of life; a part of our journey that lies within our wounds. And in the healing process, we become who we are meant to be.

How are you healing today?

I have been dealing with customer service a great deal lately as I am trying to sort out a very time-sensitive issue. It has to be one of the worst jobs. I have worked in customer service for years through my young adulthood and was floored by the way strangers treated me. It is heartbreaking and the most important lesson I have taught my children over the years. 'Treat people how you want to be treated' is a phrase that gets around so often that it has lost all effect. A while back I started a very simple new way of communicating to others that has been extraordinary to see and hear the change in people's response. When dealing with customer service or phone situations instead of simply replying, 'thank you' I have begun to say, 'I appreciate you.' In the last week alone one woman became so emotional and another dead silence as they responded with a sincere thank you in return. The difference was incredible. So, as you walk through your day it is important to remember how to walk with confidence, joy and most importantly kindness. Words matter.