Sunday up here in Vermont was warm and sunny; the energy in the earth was moving, bringing things back to a season of emergence and alertness.  We love snow, and winter, but by March, we become weary of it. However, Sunday we felt a new surge of life, and of what lay ahead.

The next day it chilled back down, and snow blew around, lightly covering the meadows and fields, sending us back to boots and warm jackets, hats, and gloves. 

It’s all part of living in northern New England. It’s just the weather, and we’re used to it.

But life, with all of its complications, including those caused by chronic illness and disease, or other life-altering events, is much different than the weather.  The weather can change on a dime, one day to the next. For me though, being addled with an aggressive hepatitis C virus that continually compromises my liver health, made it challenging to have a sunny outlook.

Does that sound familiar? Have you ever felt that the cold winds have blown around you too long, and that it is hard to imagine the warmth of the sun, a new season, a surge of health life and energy ahead?

It doesn’t have to be that way. In his book The Full Catastrophe, Jon Kabat- Zinn explains the healing power of mindfulness and meditation that resonates with me as I feel the warmth of renewed health.

“If you have a chronic illness or a disability that prevents you from doing what you used to be able to do, whole areas of control may go up in smoke.  And if your condition causes you physical pain that has not responded well to medical treatment, the distress you might be feeling can be compounded by emotional turmoil caused by knowing that you condition seems to be beyond even you doctor’s control.”

The cultivation of mindfulness is at the heart of meditation. There are many ways to become more healthy, to feel the stirrings of growth and positive change, and we should and will talk about nutrition, exercise, eastern medicine practices that complement your western medications, and more.

For now though, sit and pay attention to the breath, embarking on your own journey of self-development and discovery of your inner resources for healing. Start with short durations, and with time, you will increase your ability to meditate longer.  But, right from the beginning, be committed.

You must suspend attachments, including any expected desired outcomes, and commit yourself to a disciplined meditation practice, seeing for yourself what is happening as you go along.

It worked for me, and it can for you too. I have cleared hepatitis C, due to good medicine at all levels. You have to fight back, know that spring always comes, and do all you can to use the resources available to you.

If you want support and inspiration from a person who has been through winter’s chill and is now basking in warm light, contact me.  It would be a privilege to offer all that I can to you as a coach.

For a free Healing Discovery Session, arrange it through my web site, at the bottom of the home page.

I am hosting a no cost, online webinar March 30th, from 5:00 – 6:00, on Mindful Meditation and it’s role in healing.  Go to www.StarrWellnessCoaching.com, Events and Classes to sign up. Join me on my webinar, or tell a friend about my message as we go down the path together.

Anything is Possible,

Matt