I spent the first few decades of my life compulsively–in fact, outright addictively and codependently–trying to earn my right to exist and somehow belong in the world. While I was accomplished by societal standards, I found that the more effort I put into seeking external validation, the more inauthentic, worthless, and empty I felt! 

Eventually, I hit a bottom and found myself in a 12-step recovery room in 2004. There, I quickly discovered the transformational power of meditation and, through it, a new relationship to myself, others, and the Divine. I was introduced to centering prayer in about 2006 via a Unity textbook by Rev. Paul Hasselbeck called Heart-Centered Metaphysics. 

Like many, I initially turned to contemplative practice mainly when in pain–in times of crisis. Over the past decade, however, centering prayer—along with practices such as welcoming prayer and somatic inquiry—has become a devotional practice, integral to my everyday life.

Over the years, as I’ve repeatedly surrendered my ego’s extensive and often urgent-feeling agenda and been willing to sit and do apparently nothing at all, I have felt my heart begin to overflow with a love I never imagined was possible. I was gifted with a received experience of wholeness, oneness, and unity.

As a little girl, I often despaired that others didn’t love or understand me enough. Nowadays the love in my heart seems to continually expand and bridge any sense of separation. I’ve experienced miracles of healing and forgiveness among nearly all my family members–incuding some whom I never thought I’d ever speak to again! Moreover, I understand what it means to love complete strangers now, as Love itself doesn’t require knowing or understanding any particular thing about another person, much less agreeing with them on religious or political issues. It simply is–or isn’t! And more and more, Love IS. It’s right here. I feel love simply because Love is within me and because Love, it turns out, is the very fabric of Reality.