Category: Write Pray Recover

BOOK, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Bridge Over Troubled Water:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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As I awaken, I am greeted by Dan’s heartfelt empathy and loving support in a poem that speaks of awareness, gratitude, and the quiet strength that arises through life’s shared challenges…a gentle reminder of the warmth and connection we hold through our words and writing.

His words uplift me and offer healing on my journey towards wellness.

Our connection is grounded in a shared spiritual friendship and experiences, and his writing reminds me of the power of human connection to lift us, even over the most challenging moments.

In this brief reflection, I celebrate our friendship and healing that words and unexpected connection can bring.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Science Meets Soul:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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I use writing as a tool for healing.
When we write down what we are feeling internally, it activates a part of the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS).
Writing with pen and paper stimulates this system, which filters the information our brain needs to process and supports my healing journey.
I teach about RAS in all of my mental health and wellness workshops, and I follow my knowledge into action by integrating evidence-based wellness strategies that reinforce intentional practices to retrain the brain toward calm, clarity, and healing.
This is the foundation of my holistic and integrative healing journey.

Carrying Lupus pain day after day is incredibly heavy…showing up, staying open, doing everything possible to heal and being unable to sleep…is completely exhausting in a way that most people can’t comprehend. 

When your body keeps screaming despite all your effort, it’s not just physical pain anymore; it’s heartbreak, frustration, and grief for the life I want back where I don’t have to be mindful of every move, every position, every activity and where I can make and keep plans with family and friends, or to not have to drop a course that I registered for because even sitting at home on the computer and then completing assignments is too painful after working a full day. 

The doctors tell me I need to give it 8-12 weeks. It has only been 3 since I began treatment. 

I pray for strength. I pray for patience and for grace…one breath at a time…

I continue to remind myself that I have been here before, and Lupus did go into remission.

I write. I process. I heal…

This is what resilience looks like in real time…messy, painful, faithful. One breath, one word, one day at a time.

The Reticular Activating System helps us reframe, refocus, and retrain the brain. Writing activates healing from within…

Science meets soul.

For anyone walking through invisible pain—you are not alone.

Healing asks for patience, and faith holds the light when strength runs low.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

“Power With” vs “Power Over” – Love, Wendy

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Living with Lupus requires an awareness of one’s needs, especially in the midst of a flare…”power with” vs “power over…”

Surrender…

Not as giving up, but as trusting your body’s wisdom and allowing yourself to be cared for by rest and grace.

On the days when Lupus is “LOUD,” I reframe with a mindset of, “power with” rather than “power over…”

It’s the essence of honoring my body as a partner in healing rather than a battle to win.

As I continue to stabilize, I honor my resilience, I reclaim my strength, and I cultivate wellness.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Creating Wealth:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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There was a time in my life when I could buy anything I wanted, travel anywhere I desired, and surround myself with all the outer symbols of success. By every worldly measure, I was wealthy. Yet inside, I was spiritually bankrupt, physically depleted, and emotionally exhausted. My soul was starving for something that money could never buy…love, peace, and genuine connection.

The more I tried to fill the emptiness with things, the emptier I became.

I learned that material wealth without inner wellness is poverty of the spirit.

Today, and for the past 13 years, I define wealth as balance, harmony, and nourishment. Wealth is waking up with purpose. It’s the freedom to rest when I’m tired, to love without fear, and to speak truth from my heart.It’s laughter with family, a gentle sunrise, and faith that sustains me through pain.

True wealth is not what I own…it’s who I’ve become through the healing.
True wealth isn’t found in possessions, but in presence, meaning and love and experiencing joy even during life’s challenges.

If you have your health, you are wealthy.

If you have loving family and friends, you are wealthy.

If you have a job or career that you love and where you can earn a living, you are wealthy.

If you allow yourself to love, and if you are loved, you are wealthy.

If you have a spiritual practice that nourishes and supports you, you are wealthy.

Wealth should never be measured in dollars and cents, or in “stuff.”

Wealth is the daily nourishment that feeds us body, mind and spirit.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Is Love Real?-Soul Notes: Love, Wendy

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My friend asked me if I thought love is real after he ended a relationship with the “love of his life.” And, I have been single for many years after two unsuccessful long term marriages, and one long term “committed” (on my side) relationship…

My answer? “Yes. Love is real—but it’s not static.”

It evolves, changes form, and sometimes ends. Romantic love can fade, but that doesn’t erase its truth when it was present. And love in its broader sense (friendship, family, soul connections, divine love) is enduring. Many couples do grow together through midlife and beyond, but it requires honesty, intentional effort, shared growth, and in my humble opinion, a spiritual life that encompasses a belief in a source that loves, guides, and protects, and one that two people can honor together with a similar mindset, morals, and values. It is a spiritual space of love, safety, kindness, as well as freedom and individuality to think, speak and honor.

I’ll leave you with this…when someone leaves a long-term relationship for someone new, it doesn’t mean the love they shared was false. In my opinion and experience, It means they stopped choosing it, nurturing it, or aligning with it.

Love is “non linear” where we are living and experiencing love in all its forms…ups and downs…ins and outs…back and forth…acknowledging that it can be a rich and valuable experience even with its non-linear nature.

We choose to continue to breathe life into love, or we choose to let it die.

Most importantly, when we love ourselves first and practice self care before all else, we are in a position to thrive in love with another along the long and sometimes winding road.

Love,

Wendy

BOOK, Write Pray Recover

Mirrors – Love, Wendy

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Educators…

as the person of influence in the room, our students often sync their emotions with ours.

It is up to us to model healthy interactions with others, while also setting clear boundaries and honoring the many perspectives present.

By respecting each voice and experience, we show our students that differences can coexist with dignity…something imperative in today’s culture and climate.

Most importantly, we must lead by example in honoring our own space, feelings, and values.

Love,

Wendy