Build a Foundation
Photo Credit: Gustavo
“According to the grace God gave me, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation.”
~ Corinthians
This week I’m writing about the importance of building a foundation. Everyone’s foundation is unique, a personal reflection of their values. My cornerstones are my spirituality and close relationships. My spiritual journey has been full of detours, and my closest relationships have changed over time, but no matter where I am in life, these two things bring me the most joy and peace. I hope this blog encourages you to meditate on what forms the pillars of your foundation.
My spiritual journey began in the Christian faith. I was baptized in the United Church and as a child, I loved dressing up, making crafts in Sunday School, and listening to the choir. When I was fourteen and my aunt was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver and my father developed severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, I wondered, what kind of God “allowed” such things to happen? I lost my faith and became a rebel for a myriad of trauma-based reasons.
Each time I birthed a baby into the world, my belief in a higher power was rekindled. I remember thanking God a thousand times or more. But my years in university as a single mother brought questions that religion couldn’t answer satisfactorily for me. I was a doubting Thomas who scorned the impossibility of a Father who created the world in seven days, and the bible didn’t feel relevant. I felt second place as a woman in the Christian faith. There were cracks in the foundation of my family life too, and I fell out of alignment with my life purpose.
After I graduated, I married a man who I knew was troubled. I foolishly thought my love could save him. But our marriage was dysfunctional, he was mentally ill and abusive, and I was living unconsciously. Our family of five started going to the United Church. I hoped it might make things better. But when my minister encouraged me to stay in my marriage after I shared a devastating disclosure, I stopped going.
When my father passed away when I was thirty-three, I felt forsaken by God. I felt lost, like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind. For seven years I mourned the death of the man who had been one of the strongest pillars of my foundation. I yearned for something deeper. I bought Goddess cards, crystals, and stones, looking to women and nature for answers. I read about Buddhism and new-age philosophies like those espoused by Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth.
My quest took me full circle, to the God of my Christian upbringing, but with a broader perspective. I don’t follow rules or dogma. I don’t go to church. I believe there is only one God, a supernatural, Divine intelligence whom people call by many different names. I start each day listening to encouraging spiritual podcasts with Mister and we engage in conversations about the messages. I take time at the end of each day to be still and express gratitude for my blessings.
Today is my eleventh wedding anniversary. I met Mister in February of 2012, and I fell in love on our second meeting, over a three-hour lunch at Noodles of the World. I didn’t recognize at the time that he was my Noah’s Ark partner. But I felt a quickening in my soul, a new vibrancy of spirit, and it didn’t take long before we were both proclaiming our devotion to one another. We’ve faced many strength-testing challenges over the years, but as a team, we’ve built a foundation that allows us to get through tough things. Our lives have shifted from stickiness and resistance to flow and resilience.
I find my strength, courage, and desire to be a better human being through the foundation of my relationships with God and my husband. I have conversations with both of them every day. I’m the chattiest of the three, but Mister is open and honest about his thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, in rare, soft moments of stillness, I hear God speaking to me too. It’s a quiet voice; a whisper that I feel in my heart. My foundation supports me to be and do my best to fulfill the purpose of my creation. What, dear reader, are the pillars of your foundation?
COMING UP…
Books & Projects:
· All four of my books are available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find them at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.
· I am pursuing representation from a traditional publisher for my fifth literary fiction, a psychological drama that explores the complexities of mental illness and trauma. Stay in touch by signing up for my blog or following me on social media to find out when it will be published.
Reviews & Interviews:
· You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.
Events:
· There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.
YouTube Channel:
· Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer.
· Watch The Holding trailer.
· Watch The Healing trailer.