Adventures with Elaine #7

Hi Family and Friends,

Look who followed me into a gas station near Chelsea, Michigan!! I was pumping gas and when I turned around four Sandhill Cranes greeted me. I looked up the totem meaning of cranes:

"When a crane comes into your life as a spirit teacher or totem you are being asked to use your past as a source of strength in the present.
Cranes appear in the lives of people who are well served by some degree of secrecy in their lives. The crane teaches keeping your own counsel, protection of family and balance in life above all else".

It is amazing how messages of wisdom come to us. The cranes where nowhere in sight when I pulled into this gas station and yet, here they are! They stayed the entire time, and actually I left before they did. The message of balance has significance for me. I have been traveling doing VISTA trainings a good deal of July and August. I realize I am a bit out of balance right now, even though Sedona was so re-vitalizing. I need to anchor more consisitency with my well-being practices and I am grateful to the cranes for the reminder.

It seems so much in life is not in balance right now. If you watch the news, you realize that

immediately. However, even on a day to day basis I am seeing imbalance in our communications with each other, and less reciprocity in our relationships.

I have noticed a lot of would-be conversations sound more like monologues. One person talking and the other person looking kind of bored, if not trapped. I notice many people, whether in person or on the phone, don't even need a response or an affirmation that they are being heard! They just keep talking!!


Think about it: When was the last time somebody asked you how you are doing; what is going on in your life and really stopped to listen to what you had to say?  Are you talking more than you are listening? Are you curious and inquiring of what is happening to others? Are you taking or giving in your relationships ... or both? Think about it!

Stopped in Chicago to celebrate Sophie's birthday. This 6 year old granddaughter left me speechless, yet again! When she was asked to make a wish before

blowing out her birthday candles she said: "I don't need to make a wish, I have a happy life and I don't need an upgrade!"

I will be off to Philadelphia for a training and then to Michigan for some work with parenting grandparents while visiting with my daughter, Laura, and her family part of September. Around the 19th I will head to Phoenix to visit Kimberly and her family and will meander through Arkansas and a few other places that are also calling me. Enjoy the end of summer as it merges with the beginning of Autumn ... a very beautiful time of the year!

With Gratitude,
 Elaine