The Healing Island

I am in Hawaii--on the "Big Island"--refered to by many locals and "healers" as the "Healing Island." I came hear with a friend, who is a Cranial Sacral Therapist, and others who want to learn about energy work and animal communication. What a wonderful and interesting group of people! Constantly thinking about energies and the universe. It makes for very interesting conversations and discussions.

I guess I should explain a little bit about cranial sacral therapy. The theory has to do with the cerebral spinal fluid--which is believed to be the "breath of life" to the bodies central nervous system and limbic system. The goal of cranial sacral therapy is to make sure the fluid is flowing properly throughout the body. Kinks in the system can cause illness and a variety of issues. A more concrete example would be placing a kink in the Nile somewhere. Crops down stream could not be irrigated and would start to die without proper nutrients and flow from the Nile---much how the limbic and central nervous system can't function without proper irrigation of cerebral spinal fluid. The breath of life. Now, back to the island. The island and the dolphins are believed to be nature's cranial sacral therapists. Aligning and healing the body naturally through great energy work. I've heard peopel not in cranial sacral therapy talk about how the dolphins can almost take an x-ray of you with their sonar. When I went swimming with dolphins in captivity, there was a lady in my group who was pregnant. The dolphin with a baby came immediately to this woman, as if to say--"Oh! I am a mother too!". The trainer talked about how the dolphin could tell the participant was pregnant by using sonar and shared a similar experience she while pregnant and swimming with the dolphins, I find the whole thing facinating and find myself at times feeling like I am hearing secrets of the universe that all too often we are too busy to pay attention too....Anyways--THAT--in summary---is some background on why I am here and the people I am with.

Yet again, back to the island. :-) I took a helicopter tour around the volcano--the breath of life for the island. The hot lava flows of "cerebral spinal fluid" flowing to the island, adding an inch of growth here and another inch there. Day by day, hour by hour, inches of growth add up to miles and miles of land. The creative energy and force of the volcano is amazing and incredible to watch! Like seeing into our own bodys of how cells were generated--cell by cell, and every 7 years, a new body. When the island or dolphins have "worked" on you, or freed up a kink in your energy system, a common phrase is that you got "zapped". After the helicopter ride, I was totally zapped! I came home and had to sleep for a good chunck of time. Being up there was soo much more than just "touring" an island. Honesty and truth so rare were made completely visible. You could see the island's past, present, and future in the various areas of the island. Looking at the new volcanic activity was easy to see how the island was built. Layer by layer, flow by flow. Thousands of years of "inch" by "inch" molten lava flowing to the ocean. The islands past...hiding nothing as it so honestly reveals, "this is how I was formed". It is so alive! Still growing!!!

Now to the island's future. After the tour of the active volcano, we went to see the valley's and grounds of volcanoes past--in active volcanoes that have given way to green lush growth that has attached itself to the nutrient rich volcanic rock. A window into what the future could hold for the now active volcano.

Present. The great continum of constant being. Always in the present, unable to move backward or forward. We just are. So that was the helicopter ride. A meeting of past, present, and future that is so rare. The woman I went with is named Therese. She is from Norway and here for the course with Ramona. Our pilot's name was Cal.

Back to the "zappage." It's interesting with energy work how the goal of conquering a trial has to do with making it "through it". So often we refer to distress in our lives as wanting to get "over it", but often that just avoids the experience. I know I often write about Heather and the impact she and her death have had on my life, but it is such a part of me that I am still processing and moving through....probably will move through it the rest of my life. True, there are parts and times where the intensity of the emotions rise, and others where the intensity is minimal. Today's ride surfaced many intense emotions associated with Heather's passing. It seemed so strange to me. Often, I will think of her when I see something that reminds me of her--like traveling in Costa Rica, I often came across butterfly sovieniers that she would have loved, and I found myself ready to purchase them until I reminded myself that she was gone. Today wasn't like that at all. Nothing there to spark a memory...just the emotion surfacing to remind me.

Fun Assignment for Podcast Class

How fun is technology!!! I love how my niece and nephew are so into the text! What good little readers my sister made. They helped me with this project as I was watching them. I'm sure everyone who reads this already heard about my brother-in-law's car accident. Not sure what more to say other than I am so incredibly grateful we still have him. No one could ask for a better husband for my sister or father for her kids. He is irreplaceable. We are so blessed to still have him with us. Maybe there are some benefits to having connections on the other side :-) I just hope that this is my family's last reminder of how precious life is and how lucky we are to have one another. I don't imagine we'll be forgetting any time soon.....

Day Off of Work

So I've been home sick with this stupid fever that won't go away and I am bored out of my mind. Seriously. Who has just a fever? I don't have any other symptoms. My fever isn't even anything to complain about...it doesn't even get above 101.6. It's like a "wanna be" fever that just can't commit and I've had it since Saturday. As my mom would say--Mr. Infection, "S*** or get off the pot." It's time to run your course or surrender now to my superiour immune system.



With that threat, I might as well be productive and blog..since I really haven't in like a year.



Updates:

Things are going well. Work is busy and I've even been dating a bit. :-) We'll see how things go. Well, I really don't know what else to write....so maybe I'll just do one of those random list things. So here are 29 Random Facts about me if you are as bored as I am. (in no particular order):



1. I like to watch old school cartoons when I am sick.

2. One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to put a blanket over the heater and sit under the blanket and read a book.

3. If I am really stressed about something, one shot of chocolate milk makes me feel better.

4. My hands and feet are always cold.

5. Because my hands and feet are always cold, I love to drive around with the windows down and heat full blast on my hands and feet--regardless the season.

6. I get motion sickness easily and accidently over dosed on motion sickness medicine on my cruise to Alaska as a preventative measure.

7. I love to travel and see different places.

8. I leave for Costa Rica in 25 days.

9. I am very loyal to my friends. My best friend and I have been friends since I was 10.

10. I once almost died (dramatic pause) from samonella I got from eating raw cookie dough....did that stop or change my habits? Nope.

11. The most important thing to me is my family and friends.

12. My color code is: Blue (suprised?)

13. I love to read books like the Color Code.

14. My favorite candy bar is a "watchamicalit"

15. I think Applebee's have the BEST oreo shakes.

16. I love to eat breakfast at the Bear Paw Cafe in St. George.

17. I play a mean game of Hand and Foot.

18. Favorite moves include: Remember the Titans, Life is Beautiful, Wizard of Oz, Stardust, Princess Bride, Much Ado about Nothing

19. Professionally, I want become an expert in Childhood Apraxia of Speech and help with research to aid in its remediation (it's a severe speech disorder that's difficult to treat).

20. I think that it's harder to come up with 29 things than I thought.

21. I once mistook a "Gay and Lesbian Pride" club at the University of Utah for a "Wizard of Oz" fan club.

22. My favorite sport to play is Volleyball.

23. I love to sing.

24. I haven't had access to the television at my house for over 6 months and I haven't missed it.

25. I LOVE live musicals! Wicked is in my top 5.

26. Emily talked me into signing up for a Triathlon and it kind of scares me a bit. It's in April. (Rachael, if you read this--which would suprise me if you did--I know.)

27. My roommate is awesome!!! And just brought me liquids to help me fight of dehydration that comes with fever.

28. I need to learn how to play more and work less.

29. I have a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30.



Well, I am out of ideas, and finally starting to feel tired. I hope all is well with everyone!
Amy

Sweet is My Life

I just have to say that I have such an incredible job. I am working on specializing with kids with a really severe speech disorder known as childhood apraxia of speech. These kids struggle to say even simple words. I have been working with this one child for about a year. He works so incredibly hard. Today, we worked a little on saying "I love mommy" and "I love daddy" for valentines day so he could tell his parents. I was asking him who he wanted to practice next, grandpa, his brother, his sister...he smiled and pointed to me and said "amy". Then he said "I love Amy." I could not have a better valentines day.