Embraced by Brazil

Brazil has once again embraced me with love, peace and blissful joy. I truly enjoyed my moments in Ilhabela, Brazil. Most of them were spent writing.

Lean in... I have a secret to share with you.

I finally started working on my Dream for Ilhabela. I spoke with my dear friends about my Dream to have a healing retreat on the island. This would be a place of solace and healing that offers comfort, spiritual enlightenment, ease, and joy to persons experiencing chronic health conditions.

I intend to offer special retreats for the wonderful care providers too! Imagine lush tropical yummyiness, healthy foods, art therapy, yoga, meditation, playing in the ocean waves...

Everyone was excited and caught the vision. I will tell you more about as it manifests.

Please enjoy some moments of simple pleasure that I captured in Brazil.

What I woke up to each morning...

My front yard...

I 

I love Brazilian desserts!

Orchid Delight...

Just Lush...

Minha casinha... (my little house on the river)

Embrace your Dreams. Allow yourself to be embraced. 

What Dream is calling you?

Peace and Joy,

Vickie

Sleepless Nights

Martha Beck is one of my favorite authors. She has a gift for telling it straight with a heavy dose of humor. I recently enjoyed a YouTube video of Martha talking about being grateful for all of the small moments in your life. She also talked about how sometimes events in our lives can be looked at from many angles.

She used the example of someone who was experiencing nights of insomnia. Sleepless nights. Martha suggested that those nights could be moments of reflection. Moments to clear a space in our lives for something new. One of the things she said that really resonated with me was, that there are times when having a few sleepless nights are worth it. Then she gave a wink. Oh yeah, I could feel that.

Dark, sexy, hot, sultry moments that keep you awake to 4 am in the morning...

Hey, Hey! I am talking about the Ilhabela, Brazil Jazz Festival. What were you thinking? Wink.

July 18-20, 2013 was jamming with jazz here on the island of Ilhabela. The hottest bands for me were, Spok Frevo and Playing for Change. Hot enough for me to have two sleepless nights in a row dancing til 4 in the morning.

I have been dreaming about seeing Playing for Change live in concert for years! This multi-cultural, international group is known for joining the voices and instruments of musicians from all over the world in innovative concerts. Check them out on Youtube and you will be blown away with the beauty of their singing. The creativity...

Some of them are street musicians and some of them are well known in their own countries. Playing for Change is a play on words. Playing for the change you throw in the hats of street musicians and playing to create global change through the power of music. The proceeds from sales of their CDs have already built more than 6 music schools in various countries.

Enjoy these brief moments of my hot sultry sleepless nights!

Playing For Change-- Performing Revolution by Tracy Chapman

 

Playing for Change-- Stand By Me

 

Check out their site and join their movement!

http://playingforchange.com



What brings you joy in the wee hours of the morning?

Peace and Joy,
Vickie

15 Phrases That Changed My Life

Words are very powerful.  They are the outward expressions of our inner thoughts. What we think creates our outer world. Our words reflect out into the world what we want to bring into existence.

I marvel at how powerful one word or a group of words can be in transforming our lives. I am thrilled by the way words are woven together... Sometimes, one or two words can make us pause, breathe and begin again. Life anew. Scripts rewritten. Past healed. We move into our Bright Light presence.

I would like to share with you 15 phrases that changed my life. Words that I held in my heart. To mend from broken places. To move through fears. To embrace the joy that is my existence.

1. I Am
2. "Mommy!"-- Diarra and Serena
3. "You have 3 books inside of you."-- Eunice Gertrude Torrey-- My Mama
4. "Stay Focused."-- Thelbert Torrey,-- My Daddy
5. "Just Do It"-- Nike
6. "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."-- Van Goethe
7. "Misery is Optional." Tim Hansel (seen on a bumper sticker)
8. "Your future is in your hands."-- T-shirt from San Fransisco School of Massage Therapy
9. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -- Lao-Tzu
10. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light not our Darkness that frightens us."-- Marianne Williamson
11. "I have a dream..." -- Dr. Martin Luther King
12. "How do we eat an elephant? One bite at a time."-- African Proverb
13. "Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning."-- Psalms 30:5
14. "To often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all which have the potential to turn a life around."-- Leo Buscaglia 
15. "Joy Bringers--Celebrate the Joy in Each Moment!"-- Vickie Torrey

 So, what words have transformed your life?

Peace and Joy,
Vickie

The American Cancer Society Celebrates 100 Years This Month!

The month of May 2013 marks the 100th year celebration of the American Cancer Society. This organization has changed millions of lives through education, research, support and community building. All of us have been impacted profoundly by the service it has provided for persons experiencing cancer. Its mission is all about service. Its reach has been spiritually uplifting and globally enlightening.

Join the thousands of celebrations around the country. Take a moment to honor their service by participating in a walk or run. Perhaps donate from your heart.

Here are photos from the Atlanta, Georgia celebration.
Enjoy!

http://www.ajc.com/gallery/news/american-cancer-society-celebrates-its-100th-birth/g9w4/#3455823

Remember: When you purchase a copy of Joy Bringers--Celebrate the Joy in Each Moment! you are making a donation to the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Cancer of Brazil (supported agencies).

Peace and Grace,
Vickie

Joy Bringers! You Must Honor Your Story

I have been fascinated by stories since I was a small child. I love to hear a good story. I also love to share stories that are life-affirming and rich with life's complexities. We all have a story. Most of us have many stories that make up the fabric of our lives. You must honor your story. What makes you unique needs to be shared with the world.

I want to take a little time today to share with you how my book, Joy Bringers--Celebrate the Joy in Each Moment! was born.

The story begins like this... I wanted to share compassionate touch with cancer patients who had not experienced it. I had hundreds of patients coming to my office in the hospital, but I wanted to reach more people. I love to volunteer. I decided to volunteer a few hours a week at Blumenthal Cancer Center, in Charlotte, NC.

I offered free hand and foot massages to the patients as they received chemotherapy. I also gave free chair massages to the oncology nurses and the oncologists. While massaging a patient's hand, I took a good look at the chemotherapy treatment room. It was a dull uninviting color. No plants. No art on the walls. And no books! I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to have a bright vibrant colorful book of healing affirmations and Color Therapy sitting on each of these tables?"

That was how Joy Bringers was born. Little did I know that I would be the one to write that special book for such special people. As soon as I arrived in Ilhabela, Brazil, I began to write healing affirmations. Those inspiring words took flight and more manifested while I walked Samara Beach, Costa Rica.

My dear Brazilian friend, Flavio Zabotto, honored me by allowing me to use his vibrant, heart stirring paintings in Joy Bringers. Cynthia Allison, my sister-friend from Carolinas Integrative Health, created the Healing Tree for the Color Therapy affirmations. It was so much fun working with these two brilliant artists!

Joy Bringers is more than a book. It is a movement. A Joy movement. In honor of my cancer patients, $2.50 from the sale of each book is donated to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institutes of Brazil (sponsored agencies).

With your support we can raise thousands of dollars to help eliminate cancer. I would like to thank you for purchasing Joy Bringers--Celebrate the Joy in Each Moment! 

Peace and Joy,
Vickie

21-Day Meditation Challenge Focuses on Perfect Health

OK, I have to admit that I have a thing for Deepak Chopra. I have another type of thing for Oprah. So when the two of them came together to create the 21-Day Meditation Challenge-- Abundance a few months ago, I was overjoyed. I talked about my experience in an earlier blog. I hope you took the hint and took the Challenge in a big way. It was an extremely expansive journey. I still use the Centering Thoughts about Abundance and the Sanskrit Mantras in my daily meditations.

Well, they have done it again. This month Deepak and Oprah offered us an opportunity to take another journey into higher consciousness. The 21-Day Meditation Challenge-- Perfect Health is all about being, living and enjoying perfect health in your mind-body-spirit. This Challenge inspires you to look deeply inside and uncover what is keeping you from living your best life. What is keeping you from feeling good in your body everyday.

Here are some of my favorite Centering Thoughts--

"I am an exquisite expression of nature."

"I am timeless and ageless."

"Through rest and play, I open my creative channel."

You still have time to join us! Here is the link to the meditation site.

https://www.chopracentermeditation.com/Bestsellers/LandingPage.aspx?BookId=178

This is truly a transformational guided journey into Perfect Health.  See you there!

Peace and Joy,
Vickie

You Gotta Be Flowing to See Your Miracles

It was the day after Christmas and I was trying to book a train ticket to San Diego to see my friend Andrea. It had been a wonderful holiday celebration with my daughters, Diarra and Serena who live in Los Angeles, California. They had declared that my 5 item Holiday Wish List looked really skimpy. So, my darlin daughters were going to gift me with an Experiential Holiday Celebration. You know me. I am in for the experience. So let's go! 

I quickly realized that this was a Flow holiday. Everything flowing in perfect synchronicity. Like flying into Utah for my layover to LA Christmas morning and seeing snow tipped mountains up close. I was gifted with a White Christmas on Christmas morning. An unexpected delight. A miracle.

And it just got better and better. The girls surprised me with Thai Massage on Sunset Blvd. Love it! The next day they whisked me off for a day of adventure. "No peeking at the highway signs, Mommy" they said. It was a miracle that I was able to look at all the beauty of California as we sped along our journey.

"Look now Mommy," they joyfully said. We were in San Diego! My miracle. It keeps going. We had brunch at The Cottage, which is now one of my favorite places to eat on earth. We walked the Pacific coast and saw a beach side wedding. I love LOVE. The ocean was crystal turquoise blue and the breeze was perfect.

I tried to text Andrea so that she could meet us. She was so close, I thought. Well, darn it, double darn it. Andrea texts back that she wished she could be with us, but she was off snowboarding at Bear Mountain. Snowboarding?? OK Andrea. The party continues.

Next stop was Balboa Park. We enjoyed the holiday decorations and watched the excitement of all the beautiful children in this natural wonderland. Miracle. While trying to head into San Diego for dinner, we all noticed that the highway landmarks were taking us onto Coronado Island. I have been wanting to get to that little slice of paradise for years. Miracle. We are in Coronado Island. Not part of their plan, but part of Divine Flow and Divine Plan.

Diarra says, "Looks like Mommy's intentions were stronger than ours." After a "just right" visit to Coronado, we turned back and ended up in downtown San Diego at Croce's for dinner. I love Jim Croce. Serena excuses herself for the ladies' room.

I look up to see her walk back in with Andrea!!! Yaaay! Hugs! Kisses! Tears! Another miracle. They had been planning this together for weeks. Snowboarding??? Right.... We laughed and talked and felt the deep rich sensation of gratitude for friendship and loving family. Andrea surprised Diarra and Serena and paid for dinner. Score a miracle for them. Flowing....

We floated across the street to Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory for dessert and Blissed out on the best brownies hot from the oven. My eyes are crossing just thinking about it. Goodbye hugs and kisses to Andrea and we are off to LA.

So how does this Experiential Holiday Celebration end? Well, as we are whizzing down the highway, we arrive at Disneyland just in time for us to enjoy the amazing fireworks. From the car, I see bright lights exploding, creating intricate designs of art in the sky above. My favorites were the smiley faces. I love fireworks! You know I do. Exhilarating Joy! A miracle.

Your miracles are present for you too. Some of them are small and bring on a smile. Some of them are so large they leave you breathless. Yet, they are indeed all around us. We have to allow ourselves to Flow... The miracles are in the Flow. Gift others with the chance to surprise you. Step away from having to control everything around you. You can't anyway. Let someone else take the wheel while you watch the beautiful scenery Flow past.

Hey, you gotta be Flowing to see your miracles.

Peace and Joy,
Vickie