A step at a time

Life is an ebb and flow of change and growth.  We can choose what we want to take from each experience and what we want to leave behind. While this is not easy to do, we can do it in small increments, letting go of those things that no longer serve us.  

Certain situations, some recent, and some from years ago when we were children, left an indelible imprint on us.  These experiences become the basis for our reactions and beliefs.  These beliefs may not always be healthy or supportive in our healing.    Do you have beliefs that have become steel walls that limit you?  If so, you can change them, a step at a time, a day at a time.

You cannot change a belief instantly if you have lived according to that belief for a long time.  What you can do, is take small incremental shifts towards a better version of the belief.  As you take each small step, you will experience a shift within you.  This will create a shift in your life.

Healing is about taking one step at time and continuously movingYou are enough forward.  It is not how big the step is, or if it is appropriate, or whether it fits the conventional methods of healing.  It is about getting up each day and taking one step forward in a way that is right for you. It can be giving yourself five minutes of sitting quietly and breathing.  Perhaps your form of daily healing is journaling, exercise or releasing emotions in any way. Whatever practice or methodology allows you to feel better than before you started it, is a healthy practice to add to your day.

No matter what you have been through, or who you were before your experience, allow yourself the space and time to heal.  Forgive yourself for what you think you have or have not done that you feel led to where you are now.   Release judgement of yourself. 

No matter what your past is, you are worthy.  Happiness is your birthright.  Healing is your purpose.  You are loved.  Your voice and wisdom gained through your experiences are a gift to the world.  

Set yourself free from the expectations of others and give yourself, the most important person in your life, the gift of unconditional healing.

What daily practice makes you feel good?  

Many Blessings,

Santa

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022