If you look close in the center of this photo, you will see a baby robin with beak wide open. While I know the little one is wanting food from Mama Robin, it also reminded me of a recent conversation and thus this photo takes on a new meaning for me.

Earlier this summer as I was walking through our local Farmers Market, a woman I’ve known since the launch of my first children’s book back in 2008, stopped me. “I have some feedback about your writing,” Karen said.

I said, “Oh, oh.”

Smiling she said, “No, it’s good. You welcome positive feedback don’t you?”

“Oh, of course, and now you’ve really peaked my curiosity.”

She said to contact her and we’d have coffee soon. Well, it took me two weeks to finally email her as I was busy with finishing the editing of my new book.

But we finally met for coffee recently. She sat across from me at the local cafe. I don’t know how old Karen is, but I’d say early to mid 70s. I got to know her through our Friends of the Library  that she is a member of and they are the group that sponsored my very first book launch years ago.

She is a kind, sweet, down to earth lady and I’ve always felt drawn to her.  I really had no idea what feedback she had for me, so I was eager to hear.

She referred to the post I wrote titled “Orlando. What Can I Do?” After that tragic, senseless shooting, and certainly not the first, but just another that we seem to be hearing on a daily basis, I was feeling helpless, like I know so many others were too.

But that day I decided to share what I truly believe—that we must begin to find peace in ourselves to try and heal this world. I truly believe that if we each take responsibility for our own “stuff” and work on healing and valuing ourselves that this will emit peace and joy and vibrate out into the world.

It felt vulnerable to share this because I feared others may say it is hokey or think I’m off my rocker. But clearly, nothing else is working – there has to be a better way. And it’s something I’ve felt for a long time, but have felt uneasy about voicing through my writing.

Karen told me that she’d been reading my blog posts and sensed a peace and serenity about me. She wants the same. She told me she feels helpless and how it just tears her up to see what is happening in our world. But something I said about beginning with ourselves made sense to her. She said she wants to begin working on that for herself.

I was moved to tears. What had felt vulnerable to me writing that post made me realize how more of us have to share our voice.  If my writing that post helped Karen, well it just may have helped someone else too.

It was a gift to hear this from Karen – that what I wrote helped her and she was taking it to heart. And just by doing so, she is in turn going to work on living more from a place of peace which will then affect someone else and a forward motion can continue.

And interestingly enough, this conversation seems to be repeating itself lately with different people I talk to. This gives me even more cause to stay away from listening to the news and centering my energy on living more from a peaceful place within.

Seeing baby Robin, beak open to the world, nestled in her own little space, it reminded me that we can each make a difference by beginning with ourselves and in our own homes.

As if she was saying but your lips (or beak!) to the wind and speak and live from the truth of who you are.

Thank you for sharing and subscribing to my blog updates.