Inspirations (blog)

This beautiful, bounteous, life-giving planet we call Earth has given birth to each one of us, and each one of us carries the Earth within every cell of our body. […]

Sometimes when the pull and push of life begins to wear down our resilience, taking a pause to be still is an enormous gift, an enormous act of freedom. In […]

Freedom is a paradox. To have freedom of body is to recognize the body’s limits and simultaneously requires building strength, stamina, flexibility and vibrancy within the limits of our body […]

The year of 2020 has been one for the history books. Every one of us has experienced a gamut of emotions including fear, loss, sadness, despair, hope, gratitude, care, anger, frustration, […]

I have the honour of helping to organize and participate in the All Nations Grand River Water Walk from its inception to our upcoming walk in September 2020. A great […]

I planted a seed intention this past Solstice and gave it to the Great Mother, the Mother of all Life so that new life will be born. I honoured this […]

“Forgiveness means giving up hope for a better past.” Lily Tomlin The past. Wow, what a trip we can take with the past. There are pleasant trips down memory lane […]

“The house is on fire.” Greta Thurnberg, a 16 year old Swedish student said these words to the World Economic Forum just one day after the Notre Dame Cathedral’s roof […]

When we first start practising Reiki, many of us have amazing stories to share. The healing releases we first experience remain with us for a lifetime! After 20 years of […]

“Keep what’s true in front of you, Old Man said. You won’t get lost that way. I was asking about making my way through the bush. He was talking about […]

A friend of mine shared with me a teaching he received from his mentor – his mentor said to him, I cannot teach you about being awakened or enlightened, but […]

You think this is just another year in your life? This year has been given to you – it’s the gift you have been living all year. It has given […]

We all have been wounded and hurt—the heart broken or seared by the pain of betrayal, abuse or neglect. I too can remember a deep betrayal, a lie told me […]

Listen Up! Last fall Jennifer Bodenham, a team development coach, and I sat down to create a 3-part podcast series about Boundaries. Throughout these podcasts, we explored why we need […]

Recently, a colleague shared with me how she had found herself in a situation where ‘a lot of drama’ was playing out in a business relationship. Her question was about […]

Recently I had a conversation with someone who felt she needed ‘boundaries’ in her relationships but struggled with creating boundaries because what she believed she really wanted was ‘connection’. She […]

It was quite cold for the past couple of weeks, with enough snow to use my snowshoes. I love this weather as does Carlie. She has certain ‘snow games’ she […]

I met Santa the other Saturday. It was an unexpected and most extraordinary meeting. This Santa was a she and appeared slim as though she takes care of herself. She […]

Think about someone whom you respect with everything in your heart, almost whom you radically respect. Reflect upon their actions, their values, the way they care for others and themselves, […]

Stories of true healing inspire me. Koans and wisdom parables and sayings which expand my spirit and calm my mind, call my body to breathe, relax and expand into its […]

In my second podcast conversation with Colin Hillstrom, we begin with the question ‘why bother with healing?’ Why do we need to become conscious to heal? What really is the […]

All suffering and illness comes from a perceived sense of separation (an unloved state). Dr. Leonard Laskow (MD)  Healing is how we recover, repair, restore and retain health and […]

Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love. – I John 4:8 The wind is breezy, moving and swaying the long grass in the field. As […]

The Joy of Spring Spring is here and so we often find ourselves also getting more spring in our step too! As I write this blog today, I find myself […]

Why Peace? “Who will work for peace on our planet? In our relationships? Within ourselves?” These are questions we are currently asking ourselves. With all the negativity that is flooding […]

(Originally posted October 2013) These beautiful fall days have made it easy to be thankful and grateful for the harvest we are gathering. As I have been collecting the dahlia […]

I remember almost 25 years ago, sitting in my friend’s apartment crying in Marie’s arms as the waves of old (but now fresh) grief flowed out from my heart. Once […]

I just finished reading The Aviator’s Wife, an historical novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the lyrical author and first female aviator whose marriage to Charles A. Lindbergh brought her both […]

I was born utterly vulnerable, dependent and skill-less. And in the moment of my death, I will once again be vulnerable, dependent and my acquired life skills won’t change the […]

The only relationships in this world that have ever been worthwhile and enduring have been those in which one person could trust another.  Samuel Smiles When those we love or […]

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Lao Tzu During a web search for quotes about courage, I found that most quotations […]

Why can’t we give love that one more chance Why can’t we give love … Because love’s such an old fashioned word And love dares you to care for The […]

Sunday mornings Carlie and I meet with our tracking club to practise developing tracking skills. Basically, we each follow a track (or scent trail) with several items for the dog […]

We have just about completed our rotation around the sun for 2015. That’s approximately 149,600,000 km over 365 days travelling at 30 km/second. Mind boggling, isn’t it? As we celebrate […]

Over the last few hours, days, months we have experienced the best and the worst of humanity. Violent acts fuelled by hatred and total disregard for human life juxtaposed with […]

Whenever I’m invited to be the celebrant of someone’s wedding, there are three key questions I ask them to answer prior to making plans for the wedding ceremony. The first […]

I just finished teaching a 3-day Reiki Level II course during which I was reminded of the power of three major energy centres in our bodies, and how in ‘stillness’ […]

Over the past few years I have sat in Circle with various groups and teachers, being awed every time by the magic that happens within this incredible system of transformation […]

If, for one day, we can live in a world without aggression and hostility, we can imagine how much more is possible. – United Nations statement This weekend we have […]

Those that go searching for love only make manifest of their own lovelessness, and the loveless never find love, only the loving find love, and they never have to seek […]

submitted by Lucy Martin Last week I had an amazing opportunity to help with a temperament test on a litter of 8 week-old puppies. I’m assuming most of you are […]

This past weekend I had the privilege being lakeside, spending heart-time with friends, and even a bit of kayaking with Carlie (although she was more focused on what games her […]

by Mary Martin It has been more than a few years since a good friend and I shared a laugh over breakfast about turning 65. We both pondered the tasks […]

It has been a glorious weekend. Perfect warmth, perfect sun, a gentle breeze and blue sky. Though your list of ‘to-dos’ may be long like mine, I’m opting to write this blog […]

Submitted by Lucy Martin For the past 1½ years, Rayna and I have been working on the various skills and nuances of the CKC sport of Formal Obedience. On paper, […]

“We cannot wish old feelings away nor do spiritual exercises for overcoming them until we have woven a healing story that transforms our previous life’s experience and gives meaning to […]

Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.”     Wayne Dyer There have been several times in […]

Mother’s Day. Perhaps you (like me) will be having a long-distance conversation with your mother. Some of you may be sharing a moment with your mother’s spirit through memory or […]

Not long ago, a colleague shared with me a situation in which ‘a lot of drama’ was playing out in a business relationship. She was wondering how she could gracefully […]

submitted by Lucy Martin This weekend I enjoyed a leisurely walk to the river with Carlie and Rayna. While the dogs were sniffing and prowling about, I had the pleasure […]

Awhile back, I received a blog about Paradigms that has stayed with me. Today I want to share my reflections on this topic. I was struck by the power of paradigms under which […]

Think about someone you respect with everything in your heart, who you almost radically respect. Reflect upon their actions, their values, the way they care for others and themselves, the […]

Carlie and I have been preparing for our first correction/fun match in Rally Obedience. So this past Saturday I set up a Rally course so Carlie, Rayna and I could […]

This past Saturday Carlie and I participated in a workshop in canine nosework/scenting. The day once again provided me with opportunities to reflect upon key dynamics, skills and behaviours needed […]

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk […]

Submitted by Mary Martin There is something alluring for me about standing on the threshold of a New Year. It’s a time to reflect back on the past year with […]

Wisdom’s Way to Peaceful Relating: Welcoming in the Opportunities of 2015 It’s 2015 and something NEW is in the air, not just on the calendar. For me, subtle shifts of clarity […]

Creating peaceful relationships has been our theme and focus for this past year. Having a spiritual theme or focus helps to light the path, making it clearer and a calm […]

Yesterday afternoon at a training class with Carlie, I became aware of the freedom of being able to work with Carlie off tether. When she was still a puppy, learning […]

What is better than this? Announcing my First Year Anniversary Promotion I have truly enjoyed and been grateful for my decision one year ago to move my office to the […]

Although this week’s blog is a departure from my usual story-telling approach, I hope it still elicits reflection about the power of belonging (or the cost of exclusion) and the […]

In the Catholic tradition, St. Francis of Assisi (patron saint to animals, merchants and ecology) is well renowned for his prayer “make me an instrument of your peace.” I believe […]