I am sitting in our retreat house in Hawaii right now. A beautiful woman named Sheila is sitting nearby – she is like my long lost sister. Another named Amani, who I’ve had the privelage of knowing this last year, is on a great journey and I shared the last few days with her. This morning Robin, another who is at our retreat, came and gave me a necklace to wear as a princess headband. And when I said goodbye to Joe today, he told me that we’ve had a life-changing experience together. Everyone has touched me in such amazing ways and I am fortunate to have spent time with all 11 of them this week. Each one so different, each one with a story that needs to be told.

We talked a lot these last few days about personal story, and how important it can be to put that story out there for others to benefit from. It is healing for the artist and for others. I asked some of them to share what their story is, and I commend them for bravely stepping forward to do something which puts the soul front and center.

Thank you to all of the people who are making my stay in Hana so incredible and life-changing. Today is the last morning of our retreat, and my parents are coming to spend time with me here until Friday. I am doing my best to put work aside and focus on being present, so after a few more hours of crunch time, I’m going to be cooking a lovely dinner for my family and eating it on the beach.

Aloha – blessings to all, as I so lovingly learned.

Image taken at the Red Sand beach here in Hana, modeled by Marsha Denlinger.