WellnessWithHolli

Once again, as has happened numerous times over the past several months and years, another high profile and popular personality has betrayed his family, his friends, his most loyal supporters, and his national fans as well as an international audience .  Because Lance Armstrong is a world-wide phenomenon, the spotlight is beaming down on his soaring crash from grace.  Most of us want to hear from him and find out what he will do.  Will he –as the betrayer – apologize?  Ask for forgiveness?  Will he seek help? Get counseling? Change his ways of thinking…or his behaviors?  While the focus tends to shine more deliberately on the betrayer, there are individuals who are deeply hurting because of his actions.  Those who believed, trusted, and invested in the sport’s icon are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and find a way to begin again. One of the biggest traps that victims of a betrayal fall into is believing that their healing r...

With the holidays upon us and as we are faced with a  myriad of expectations regarding familial traditions, customs, and gatherings, for many it is often a time of internal struggle and stress. Family allegiances and history pull at our heart strings while personal betrayals and private injuries beckon our need for protective distancing. Some time ago, I had the privilege of viewing a remarkable independent film entitled Shouting Secrets.  This powerful film reminded me of  a secret whispering -  a truth often neither acknowledged or acted upon - it's ok not to go home. Directed and produced by Korina Sehringer, a Swiss movie maker, Shouting Secrets opens an emotional and psychological window into the lives of a family in turmoil, especially as the loving matriarch falls ill. Although the story embraces the rich cultural heritage of a Native American family on a reservation in Arizona, the producer has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid typic...

Psalm 46:10   Be still...and know that I am God. Today marks one week since the horrifying events at Sandy Brook Elementary School.  As we each take time to remember all the victims, their families, their loved ones, their friends and the entire community with a moment of silence, I encourage each one of us to be still. There have been so many voices this past week. We are all desperately grappling with how to make sense out of something that does not make sense. Experts as well as a myriad of solicited and unsolicited spokespersons are attempting to sort and sift through the emotional rubble in a hopeful attempt to figure out reasonable sensible solutions, or if there is possibly a pathway that will lead us to a safer way of being. In the fury of it all, sometimes our minds begin to spin with all the noise around us. Today, in remembrance of the precious beings who were taken from us, calm your mind. As you do so, consider the verse from Psalm 46:10... ...

When our bodies betray us...How to break through the emotional bonds of chronic illnesses.

Three years ago, I had a relatively brief but incredibly inspiring conversation with a stranger who instantly became my hero .I was at the San Diego, CA Airport waiting for a flight when the only seat available in the overly-crowded waiting area was next to a young, tall, impeccably suited Marine. I slowly walked over looking to see if perhaps a buddy or two was with him before asking the Private if the chair was taken.  He politely answered, "No, mam, it is  not. Please sit down." After arranging my coat, computer case, and purse, I eased back into the black and metal seat. I glanced over at the young man next to me.  He was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his long fingers were carefully nestling his hat. He was staring down at the floor for long periods of time, and then he glanced upward when a flight attendant's voice rang over the intercom. Risking that I might be interrupting his thoughts but wanting to say something to this brave soldier,...

Terry Peterson, age 65 and a 20 year breast cancer survivor, recently created, directed, and performed in the 2015 Santa Cruz Follies’ annual musical production - Those Were The Days. When asked how she views her long-term wellness, she is quick to respond.  “My doctor said that my attitude about getting well was 50% of my healing.  There came a time in my treatment plan when I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.                                          So, I traded in my dusting rags for dancing shoes." Terry’s journey with breast cancer began when she was just 45 years old.  After a second opinion confirmed that a lump in her right breast had changed, Terry received her biopsy results September 15, 1995.  She indeed had stage three breast cancer with seven of fourteen lymph nodes testing positive. After a lumpectomy, Terry completed an aggres...

Amanda Todd - Another Tragic Loss...Enough Is Enough!