Mary’s story demonstrates that all of life is Good and very good indeed, if we take the time to experience it from the inside out, receive it’s gifts and be of service. I am excited and pleased to introduce Mary McManus

In December 2006, my life came to a screeching halt with the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neurological disease. I was told I needed to make major lifestyle changes including quitting my full time award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. I was three years ‘shy’ of retirement.

Because of the nature of post polio syndrome, I had no choice but to get still and go within and oh the blessings I discovered wrapped up in the gift of post polio syndrome. In February of 2007, I discovered the gift of writing inspirational poetry in my soul.  I always enjoyed creating original poetry to celebrate special occasions for family and friends. A new world was unfolding before me. Opening up to a new path in life, I am now living life like never before.

Writing inspirational poetry opened my heart to healing through messages of hope, visualizing and claiming wholeness and experiencing God’s Love and abundance in my life. My heart sings with joy when I write poetry and I am transformed. I am blessed to use my gifts to bless the lives of others. I donate 20% of book proceeds to two charities near and dear to my heart.  I have helped heal relationships through the original poetry I create for New World Greeting Cards. A father did not know what to say to his daughter on her wedding day; a daughter did not know how to say happy birthday to a mom with whom she recently reconciled.  After speaking with me to create a keepsake poem, they discovered the transformative power of forgiveness in their lives. The recipients wept with joy to experience messages of love – relationships and lives are healed.

Mary McManus is the owner/creator of New World Greeting Cards, original poetry for every occasion where “It’s more than a card, it’s a gift from the heart.” She is a 2009 Boston Marathon finisher! She is the author of “New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World” and “Set Sail for a New World:Healing a Life Through the Gift of Poetry”.  Mary donates 20% of book proceeds to Hope Charitable Trust to help children crippled by polio in India to walk again and to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She is a spokeswoman for polio and post polio syndrome, working tirelessly to raise money and awareness to help end polio now and help polio and post polio survivors worldwide. Mary’s website is www.newworldgreetings.com. Her blog Welcome to a New World can be followed at www.newworldgreetings.blogspot.com

This week’s question came from a reader who asks the following question,  “I would love for the picture to be painted… what does a day, week, month and year of balance look like?”

A balanced day, week or year could look like…

• Time for yourself just before day breaks to enjoy an early morning meditation, walk or maybe a cup of tea before you begin your day.

• Scheduling your day, week or year with a gaps between each event creating a space to inhale and exhale the breath of life before you begin the next right thing – simply ‘be’.

• A healthy mixture of spiritual practice, a lifestyle filled with freedom and choice and a business or career guided by your life purpose.

• A delicious mixture of ‘being’ your best self and ‘doing’ the things that you enjoy.

Your portrait may be painted with different hues and shades of harmony, peace, joy and opportunities to grow. It may even be sprinkled with music, laughter, family or  simply an inward journey but most of all it is unique to you.

Living in balance means different things to different people. Mostly it’s about how you show up in your life.  I offer the following keys to begin painting your very own individual portrait of peace and balance:

1. Take the time to listen - Sit in quiet contemplation and ask your self the question, “What brings me peace and joy?” And complete the following sentence; I am the most happiest, when I am…
2. Courageously and gradually do more of what you enjoy to create the life that’s right for you, one that fuels your desire to step into your life and purpose without reservation.
3. Set boundaries around your time and choose mindfulness over multi-tasking when doing your everyday task – be present.
4. And most of all, enjoy the journey.

Until next week…..

For most of my adult life the holiday has meant time off from work and a long four-day weekend perfect for a short vacation. However, when I was young, Labor Day was my mother’s birthday, picnics, magical parades and the first day of school. Today, I have children of my own who have already started their senior year of high school and college. The radio, television and even the Internet share what great savings we’ll enjoy by shopping this weekend. The end of summer is being announced as if it is a season finale instead of a change of seasons. And of course, one of my favorites, the NFL season starts on Thursday.

So today, as I thought about the holiday, I realized that I knew more about how we celebrate and little about it’s origins beyond that it honors those who labor. So in my research, I discovered that Labor Day was originated in Canada out of labor disputes in the 1870s. The parades held in support of the labor movement led to an annual celebration. In 1882, Peter J. McGuire, an American labor leader was inspired to organize the first American “labor day” after witnessing one of the labor festivals in Toronto. The first American Labor Day was on September 5, 1882.

Now I must admit that the way we celebrate is much more uplifting than the origins of its birth but it caused me to reflect on the most recent recession and its effect on the workforce. With many different viewpoints to consider including the 90.3% employment rate and the 9.7% unemployment rate, I choose to look at the surge in entrepreneurship and the creativity that displaced workers are using as they transition from their career to their passion.

The gift of this economy is that many people have decided to reclaim ownership of their lives. Over the past year there have been many inspiring stories of people who have decided to reconcile their talent or work experience with their passion and work from their heart.

A few months ago my husband told me the story of Angela Logan who was featured on Headline News. She was facing foreclosure and instead of focusing on the illusion of what she didn’t want to happen she connected with her passion. She raised the money for her mortgage by baking and selling her delicious ‘Mortgage Apple Cakes’. She was so successful that she now has a business that she is aligned with, is profitable and pays it forward to help other homeowners who are having difficulty paying their mortgage. Her cakes are ordered from all over the United States and as far away as Iraq. Angela’s cakes can be ordered at www.bakemeawish.com

So while there will be plenty of workers who will enjoy a day off on Monday and many who may be looking for jobs online, there will also be plenty of women like Angela who will be starting or expanding their ventures of the heart.

How will you be celebrating your Labor Day?

On this particular day, as I browsed his site, I remembered a practice that I started doing years ago but have not done since February. The part of my practice that I neglected was my Be, Do and Have list.

I remember the exhilaration that I would feel as I would update my list and accomplish a goal, attain a state of being or purchase a new toy. A particularly special time for our family is at the beginning of the year when we plan for the year and create our new list.

Over the past five months, I have been embracing wholeness, being and creating and have forgotten about the adventure in me. Watching Marvin as he enjoyed his first skydiving experience, I smiled and said, “Oh my goodness, skydiving was on my list!”

I then thought about how every week as we drive to church, we drive past an indoor skydiving center. Each week, I say, “One day I’m going to do that” and then jokingly ask one of my family members if they would like to join me. ‘No way’, they laugh and we continue on our way.

Well, I’ve decided to not only create a new list to accompanying me on my journey; skydiving will be on the top of the list – indoor then tandem! So, if you’ve put your dreams on hold as I have, I invite you to gear up for an inner and outer adventure and create or update your list. There is no better way to follow your inner compass then to go where it leads you.

Stay tuned… you’ll find me in flight!