What a strange world we live in! There is so much hate and intolerance here, yet simultaneously so much love and tenderness. It’s a difficult world to live in at times, but boy, I’m so grateful to be here—to be alive, to breathe, to feel, to be conscious, to sense my body, to hear through these ears, and to see through these eyes.
I have two teenage boys, and there’s no way to express how much I love them and how blessed I am to be their dad. I’ve healed so much through raising them—through both giving them the love I didn’t receive when I was a kid and becoming acutely aware of how emotionally absent my own parents really were. To witness my boys grow up—their esteem intact, their confidence solid, their bodies grounded, pushing through their fears, learning to trust themselves, and opening their hearts—has been such a relief. It’s like a long, relaxing exhale, knowing that although they will suffer in this life, they will not, thankfully, suffer in the ways I did. I pray the future will offer all of our children a world with balance, stability, and safety for their lives.
I am so lucky to have people I love in this life. My dearest friends fill my heart with laughter, joy, reverence, and connection. My sweetie, Ivy, is my best friend, and holy smokes, I just can’t imagine my life without her.
As a child I had out-of-body experiences. These often happened during the worst periods, and although I wasn’t fully aware at the time why they were happening, they were like a lifeline—connecting me to merciful energies of tranquility, beauty, peace, love, and trust. Although I wouldn’t call myself clairvoyant, I have found that when in deep trance or during the waking hours of early morning, I’m able to communicate with loved ones who have passed on. Being able to maintain my connection to family members, friends, and pets—and to turn to them for help—has also been a lifeline. I wasn’t raised religiously and don’t subscribe to any dogma, yet these and other transcendent experiences have given me absolute trust that there is life after life. This knowledge and these experiences haven’t canceled out grief and loss, but they certainly help.
At times the pain we experience in this life overwhelms us, yet on the deepest level I trust… I absolutely know that all the misfortune, loss, and suffering we feel is here to serve us in the growth of our soul. Arising from our suffering, there are beautiful, unpredictable, and hidden gifts—which, until we make it through to the other side of our pain, we may not even be able to imagine. In no way do I minimize how painful our losses and misfortunes are. They are enough to bring us to our knees, to lose all hope, to destroy all meaning, and to annihilate our will to live. Yet even in the abyss and shock of suffering, if we can grieve, if we can be tender with ourselves, if we can cry out with the full depth of our pain, if we can ask in total vulnerability for mercy and stay open to receiving, the love in the universe will respond—and we can begin to heal.
