Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about faith. Not necessarily faith in a Higher Power (although that always helps), but faith in life itself. Faith in the people we love. Faith in ourselves. What does it mean to have faith that things will work out? Will they? Can we guarantee any particular outcome?

I’ve been considering that perhaps faith is really an opportunity in the present moment. What if keeping the faith actually means choosing to keep our heart open in the face of difficulty or uncertainty.

I’m writing you all to share that I’m finally coming back to work part time after an extended maternity leave. I told everyone it would be 4-6 months, and now here I am 16 months later. :) The parents out there may not be surprised. Birthing a child and caring for a baby knocked my socks right off! I’ve still lost them completely. Purchasing new socks soon for brand new feet because honestly, I feel like a different person than when I last wrote to you all.

I’m now 30 weeks pregnant! Experts say that means our baby boy is about 15.7 inches and the approximate size of a bike helmet. Wow. It’s so wild to be carrying a semi-autonomous being in my own belly that is so big! I feel his soul in a significant way already and occasionally have intuitive visions of the journey ahead of him. My moments of intense awe and love are sprinkled in between intense fatigue and raging hormones. Lol. It’s a little bit of everything!

Most of you know that my greatest learning and teaching of this lifetime is to balance our spiritual nature with our human nature— hence why my MeetUp group was called Spiritually Human.

One of the ways this polarization arises is in the dynamic between surrendering and creating. When we surrender, we trust in Spirit and a higher plan beyond our human understanding that is working for our greatest good. When we create, we honor that we incarnated in a human body to enact our free will, individual agency, and unique soul expression.

In one week, I’m facilitating my first workshop in a series on Nonviolent Communication (NVC). NVC is an incredible modality that gives people a clear formula for dealing with differences and conflict in the relationships that matter most to them. The term ‘violent’ doesn’t refer only to physical confrontation, but to the ways that we criticize others and ourselves in moments of challenge. Those immediate judgments tend to increase the conflict and disconnection, rather than assist us in moving towards healing and reconnection.

As I prepare for this workshop, what am I realizing? I need to learn and practice this technique as much as anyone! It’s both humbling and exciting.

Yesterday, I was on a hike with my dog and at the top of the mountain I heard the guidance: “Pause here, meditate, and do an intentional gratitude practice.” My Helping Spirits didn’t have to work too hard to convince me. It was a beautiful spot.

I also knew that I needed it. I’ve been feeling ‘off’ for the past week. I went on a wonderful family vacation to the east coast, but got Covid at the end of the trip. So instead of coming home recharged and ready to get back to work, I had to cancel in person activities and spend a lot of time on the couch.

My thoughts went down a dark path— “Why can’t I push through this and still be productive? … I just took a vacation and now I’m missing more work time! … I should be using this time to meditate but I really just want to watch Netflix and that probably means I’m a terrible Spiritual Counselor!!”

Oh boy. LOL.

“Liar! Liar! You’re such a liar. I’m not even going to listen because I know you’re lying. LIAR!!!”

I was sitting on the grass in my neighborhood recently when I heard my neighbor screaming this at his partner. Yikes. As you can probably imagine, the partner’s response was immediately defensive: “I’m not lying! I’m not a liar!”

My heart sank for them. I could feel the intensity of pain, anger, and uncertainty in the words.

Relationships are very important to all of us, yet they can also be challenging. How much do you take care of yourself and how much do you take care of the other? If we have different needs in the moment from our partner, parent, or best friend, whose needs do we prioritize? And how the heck do we develop language to talk about these things without it feeling super awkward??

The practice of Authentic Relating is one where we can explore these dynamics in a safe environment. We’ve done three Authentic Relating workshops in the Spiritually Human MeetUp so far and really fascinating pieces are already rising to the surface for people.

On Tuesday evening, we had our first workshop in a new series on Authentic Relating. I was nervous going into it, as I usually am when taking on a new topic. Turns out, a lot of other people were nervous too. Many of them stated that the reason they came was that they enjoyed my previous events and thought they’d give this one a try as well.

Hearing that trust from people really warmed my heart. I felt tremendous gratitude for the previous years spent with amazing locals who are committed to their growth and community building.

It also made me wonder if this topic— Authentic Relating— is one that was very easy to explain in a short workshop description. ‘Being authentic’ can mean a lot of different things to different people. There are hundreds of ways to practice how to increase our authentic expression in the world. So what are we doing with ‘authentic relating’ workshops?

We’ve been in full Colorado springtime with incredible sunshine and gentle warmth. I hope you all have been spending as much time outdoors as I have. It feels like my cells have been waking up in a way that makes me crave joy, laughter, and cookouts with pals.

On hikes with my dog, I’ve been reflecting on the sense of community and belonging that I feel in nature. The growth of all the plants, trees, and flowers around me makes me feel like I’m surrounded by cherished friends. Each friend brings something different to the table…