Joyous Life Works- October 15, 2008

I’m in Pennsylvania this week to visit my son's family, while he's deployed for nine months serving the United States Navy. I'm a California gal - born and raised - so when Tre moved here with Shelly (who's originally from Pennsylvania) and their munchkins, it was kind of a disappointment, since I'd hoped they'd be able to be stationed in California. But, I can certainly see why Tre fell in love with the area - this part of Pennsylvania is really beautiful!

I'm keeping this short, as I have two beautiful grandchildren downstairs wanting to play with "Abuela." And much as I want to write about other things, my deep heart wants to be playing with them, too. Anyway, time's awastin'!

Peace and blessings to you,

"How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you...a place of women, where you were received and affirmed? A place where other women, perhaps older, had been affirmed before you, each in her time, affirmed, as she struggled to become more truly herself.

A place where...there would be a hush of expectancy filling the entire chamber...a knowing that each woman there was leaving old conformity to find her self...a sense that all of womanhood stood on a threshold.

And if, in the hush, the other women, slightly older had helped you to trust your own becoming...to trust it and quietly and prayerfully to nurture it...

In Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself, Judith Duerk writes about women on an internal journey to deepen their knowledge of themselves. In our culture, it's rare that we, men or women, have the opportunity to experience a rite of passage that helps us to find out more about who we really are, rather than who we think we should be.

Try some indulgence
In these trying times, it may feel like an indulgence to take time for retreat, to take time to slow down and turn away from worldly concerns; to take time to find what your own needs, wants and desires are. But, if you did, how might your life be different?

Discovering yourself
Although you may feel the need to work harder right now, to plan or strategize, to figure things out...and who isn't feeling a little of that...see if there aren't some bits of time that you can take for yourself to let go of everything possible and find out what you most deeply want for yourself. As with anything "new," this may take some practice. Worldly concerns will undoubtedly plague you. With time, they can be set aside, as you can connect more deeply with the essence of who you are. The practice may often seem tedious and unproductive; the avoidance of the practice may likely lead to a life of soul's unrest.

How might your life be different?

What's that you say? I love to hear from you, and I read every email personally, even when I can't reply to all of them. Send your thoughts to shawn@joyouslifeworks.com or visit my blog: InnerPeaceActivist to add your comments! And if you prefer not to be quoted in a future article, just let me know.

Please feel free to pass it on or to reprint this article on your Web site or in your own e-zine. All I ask is that you forward the newsletter in its entirety and/or that you include the following paragraph and copyright line with live link if you reprint the article.

This article originally appeared in the Joyous Life e-zine and is reprinted with permission from the author. Shawn Murphey is owner of Joyous LifeWorks.

For more information, visit Joyous LifeWorks.

These offerings may help you take some time to detach from your daily concerns and discover more of who you re and what you really want:

Reawaken Your Inner Sparkle - Monday, October 27th, 2008
This is a **COMPLIMENTARY teleclass
6:00 - 7:00 PM Pacific

Remember being four or five and pretty much in love with life? This introductory teleclass will help you get in touch with that little child sparkle, so you can regain your sense of loving being you. Click Here to Find out more

Email me, or phone me at 916-369-2077, for more information on any event or to register.