Yes, it’s true…writing a book is like birthing a baby.

First you are full of excitement, pride and bravado. The word virile comes to mind.  Next comes all the fear and insecurity. Do I know enough? Will I be a good parent? Will the book be good enough? Can I really do this?  Holy %&! What have I gotten myself into? Clearly, we don’t know, what we don’t know.

To quote another analogy… Our children are our spiritual guides.  I certainly have found this to be true.  They are our biggest joy, our biggest challenge, our biggest pride, and sometimes our biggest pain.  They touch us in our hearts.  They trigger our emotions. We feel and act so vulnerable. With our children, we can play games, we can be silly, and we can be real.

Writing can also be a spiritual guide.  I felt like I had to write this book. Not because many people were asking me to write a recipe book. Truth is, I didn’t want to write a recipe book.  First of all, that is too exacting for me and I believe recipes, like rules, are meant to be broken. Truth be told, I really do not like to plan and shop and take time away from my work to do so. That’s why my recipes are flexible, quick and easy. However, I have learned, like my clients, that preparing nourishing foods can become a spiritual practice in itself. It provides time to connect with your feelings, how food affects your body and to gratefully acknowledge the miracle of whole foods.

I felt like I had to write this book when my daughter collapsed in my arms in a department store. I prayed like I have never prayed before. I promised God that I would do anything, that I would tell our story.  “Please God, just let her be OK”.  I knew in my heart that I needed to write.  And then, of course periods of mortal fear and self-doubt rear its ugly head…that is the challenge of meeting any goal.

So instead of just a recipe book, this is a book about love, fear, courage and sacrifice.  Sprinkled in with a few of my favorite recipes.

Writing, like raising children, has offered me discipline, even when I didn’t feel like having it. More importantly, it has given me a mirror and a deeper connection with myself. It drew out what was truly important to me and gave me much needed focus.  It afforded me the time to think about, create and put on paper, my seven steps to optimal health and wellness.  I wanted to demonstrate the miraculous transformation that is possible, when you give yourself the gift of self-love and focus on your personal growth and development. I wanted to explain the “how” and the “why”.

This has been an emotional journey, the perfectionist in me feels like it will never be done, never be good enough.  My friend, Dr. Elizabeth English says, “The best book is a done book” and it is time to get this story out. So I submit to you my first edition, what has been a labor of love, with love and gratitude, with all of its raw content, and all of my vulnerability for pre-order here: www.savvysecrets.org