When we are struggling with symptoms of dis-ease, instead of beating ourselves over about what is wrong with us, why not ask what is right? For the body wants to naturally heal and the only way it has to communicate with us is through signs and symptoms and the more we ignore them, the louder they get.  Cancer is a symptom and the good news is self-love and self-care is key to healing.

So where’s the gift?

My daughter Dana in her video does such a beautiful job describing the gift that cancer brought her… as odd, weird, counterculture or maybe even awful as that may sound to you.

The message is strong and clear: Stop the fear, the worry, the anger and the guilt and all that no longer serves us.

And more importantly, lets stop hiding, stop trying to fit in or just be average. Because Fear of not being accepted, is a powerfully strong fear, one that I’ve recognized my entire life. I’ve tried not to outshine or overshadow people, yet sometimes I naturally do.  And sometimes we must, if we want to shine light where there is darkness and illuminate and elevate energy and the joy in our lives.  Isn’t that what we are all looking for, more joy? Who doesn’t want this?

Dana’s video allowed her natural light and beauty to shine through! Dana wants to have a voice… Halleluah!  Dana’s tumors were around her throat, thyroid and thymus and her heart and according to Louise Hay, in You Can Heal Your Life, the throat and thyroid represent the ability to speak up for self, self-expression and the need to find one’s voice. The heart center represents joy.

Spending time in Arizona with Dana was a gift. I remember looking at the colors in a magazine and learning how color has positive energy that is healing and recognized how I ignored color all my life and how my whole closet is filled with black clothes that suck energy out of you.

As Dana so beautifully articulates, it takes courage to wear bold colors, to step out of your comfort zone to do something you’ve never done before, it takes courage and self-compassion when we fall down as we learn to do new things.  And I think courage, compassion and connection are all the lessons in my cultivating joy class that I had so much fun facilitating and Dana has shown that with her permission and compassion to take care of herself, that her cancer has required her to do and the connections she formed with her Thunder Stealer Blog. Now we all need to follow and connect everyone to her new blog, that shows the courage to follow her dreams and inspire us all to do the same!  Check out her newest site, as well as all three of her videos here!

What’s your passion and what is your gift to the world?

As one of my coaches, Fabienne Frederickson says, it’s selfish to hide our gifts.  If we made a batch of brownies and didn’t share them and ate them all ourselves what would that do?  Make us fat and sick and selfish and yet it’s the same thing we do when we fail to take care of ourselves or to share our whole healthy self with the world.

Let’s support one another to find our gifts and connect to the world. 

Thank you Dana, for your beautiful gifts, we need you and I love you very much.