 I love my mind and how it cascades into its own limitlessness; taking me places I have never been, unveiling points of view never before seen. “Are you saying that you gonna start dressing up like a lady all the time?” “My whole life I’ve been dressing up as a man; this is me.” This is a dialogue between two characters in an award-winning TV series, Transparent. The answer provided by the second character struck a chord with me to a point of tears and triggered a cascade of thoughts, solidifying some, and inspiring new ones. Have you ever considered what life must be like for those who are gay, transsexual, transgender, or in any other way different? What it must be like to live in a world where how you see yourself or are seen, does not match what you feel about who you are? Think about this for a moment. Imagine: what would it be like to realize that your anatomy does not line up with who you feel yourself to be? What would it feel like to have to alter the way you express yourself to the world around you – all the time? Really take this in. What life must be like when you’re not able to be yourself? What must it be like for so many people to live a life that's not theirs? And can you imagine knowing that being yourself, your true essence, is perceived by most people as being wrong, unacceptable, or worse? And there is nothing you can do about it; not about the way you are nor the way you are perceived and judged. Do you begin to understand? Silently, I asked myself those questions and sat with them for awhile as my heart filled with great compassion and my eyes filled with tears. And then, I asked another question: what is the deeper intention and meaning for this human experience so many people go through? For something to be so different than the customary norm, there has to be a grand reason. The answer came swiftly: it is to teach us one of the most profound forms of acceptance. Feeling accepted is one of the basic needs of any human being and most of us struggle in this area in varying degrees. This is why we ought to be able to understand what it feels like to be deemed unacceptable. But so often we don’t, or we pretend we don’t; we choose ridicule over compassion, judgement over acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean agreement with or reverence of, it simply means the allowing of being. It is so much easier and natural to allow than to reject. Everyone and everything that is is here for a reason. We often hear the question ‘what is the purpose of life?’ There are many ways to answer it, though I have come to believe that, fundamentally, it is to expand human consciousness so that it elevates to meet Divine Consciousness, and we all play a part in that expansion. Today, as I pondered the more meaningful purpose of those who are gay and transgender, I have profound respect and deep gratitude for their life experiences, their role and contribution to that expansion, as well as for providing us with such an amazing opportunity to practice acceptance. And I say THANK YOU! Those who teach us the greatest lessons, who sacrifice and suffer greatest pain, are some of the most courageous Souls to have graced humanity. Acceptance brings with it a bounty of gifts, not the least of which are humility, love, and compassion. The way I see our collective life journey is this: we are all reading the same book; we’re just on different chapters. Transparent means letting light pass through without distortion. Let there be acceptance. Let there be light. Let there be love. Let there be peace. I dedicate this post to every person traveling this path. Anyone from Lee Daniels, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Daley, Lady Gaga, Lily Tomlin, Bruce Jenner to Adam Lambert, Greer Lankton and Chaz Bono, as well as every other person whose name we may never know. I hug you all with my heart. With love & acceptance,  What are your thoughts or opinions? Please share in the comments below.
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Do you know if you have an Angel around you? Do you even believe in Earth Angels? Let me tell you a secret: you don’t have to believe in anything for it be true.... But if you’re like me and believe in Angels then you are really going to like this story. It is a story of love, friendship, and incredible life lessons learned from God's gift to humankind - the dog! Yes – dogs, all animals in fact, just like children, can teach us many important lessons. And as my beloved dog turned three years old this month, I honor him.  This beautiful face is the face of my Angel at three months old. His name is Tiko and his mission in life, first and foremost, is to be joyful and loyal and make my heart smile– such is his nature - all the time! I was fostering this little guy for only two week, three years ago this Christmas, and within the first week I knew I was in big trouble. This dog was following me EVERYWHERE. Yes, I know you might be thinking that all puppies do that and I agree, but this had a lot more to it...you had to be there :) Knowing that I was not in the position to adopt him (crazy neighbor next door (now gone), not in the budget, still not able to walk myself properly (remnants of back injury), and about to embark on my coaching certification journey with The S.W.A.T. Institute). I took him back to the humane society and, like a little girl, cried everyday wishing I could keep him. Then, one beautiful day, my really wonderful and loving friend, Brad, who lives in Calgary, called me to see how I was doing. What he heard was my heart aching as I expressed how deeply I missed Tiko. After a short time he helped me see that the only reason truly stopping me from adopting this puppy was the price tag. And here is where the miracles began: Brad, in his loving and generous nature, offered to pay for the adoption. He gifted Tiko to me as a token of his appreciation of my friendship. Brad told me that he was waiting for an opportunity to express his gratitude for when I help him with his puppy, Madilynn, a while back and that this was a perfectly suited opportunity to do just that – and it was! I was so happy to hear his words that, at first, I did not know what was more beautiful: what he was saying to me and the depth of his appreciation or the gift of Tiko. I’ve decided it was a tie.  If I were writing about dogs before I met this incredible Being, I would have told you that I would only have/buy/adopt my favorite breed, German shepherd, and no other dog - ever!
But as I'm writing this today I have other things to say. And here is what I have learned, thus far, since I was blessed with Tiko's presents: ~ Perfection is in how you feel not what you see ~ Love is how much you want to give not be given ~ Gratitude is the expansion of your heart beyond what you have known and felt before as you appreciate everything ~ We allow ourselves to love deeply to the same degree to which we allow ourselves to be vulnerable ~ Acceptance is when what you wished for didn't transpire and you come to realize you don't wish for it anymore, because what came to you, instead, far exceeds your wish ~ Commitment is the dedication with which you keep your promises, no matter what As time went on, Tiko showed me a lot about me, some good and some...well, let's call it 'that which can be tweaked'... and he is tweaking it alright! See, I noticed that I get frustrated a lot more often than I thought - how? He is not only my Earth Angel, he is also what I call my attitude police. It all started shortly after he figured I was keeping him for good. First, I was not allowed to curse, then I was not allowed to raise my voice or get angry. And now, as he tightens the screw...lol, I can't even get a little ticked at something (usually it's Windows 8), without him immediately coming to me, putting his beautiful face on my lap or poking at me with his paw and looking at me as if to say: this is unnecessary, stop it, look how cute I am...feel that instead! Works like a charm every time! He truly is a special 'breed' and I am incredibly blessed to have him. I know he will teach me more while we walk our journey together. Just like he helped me to remember to be more child-like. Who would have thought that I would be chasing a dog around my back deck or around a tree in the park laughing out loud while at it? (no, I don't mind if people see or hear me, way passed that!) I tell ya, God really knows what He is doing, who to send us and when, and I think He really likes me, 'cuz He sent me a good one!!! Thanks, Brad!!! What is your Earth Angel story? Comment and share if you like. There is much sadness in my heart and around the world today. ‘When will this craziness end?’ echoes throughout the social media. But of whom do we really ask this question, and what will the answer be? What if we are the answer? How can a person, or a group of people, think it’s okay to aim and shoot at a passenger plane full of innocent people who have not a thing to do with whatever their cause is, HOW?! What did they say to each other, and themselves individually, as they collectively agreed to kill? Does it even matter what it was? My answer is NO. What does matter is the fact that they represent the part of us which knows no Love. Instead, their hearts are filled with the absence of Love. That is the reason that plane was downed and all those people lost their lives and their families and friends lost them. There are many opinions, anger and outrage, calls to end and heal this pain we all keep having to endure, over and over again, as ‘those terrorists’ keep inflicting it upon us. 
Coincidentally, the day this happened, I was reading an excellent book by Gary Zukav “The Seat of the Soul” and resonated very deeply with his words. Here are some highlights from pages 69 – 72: “What we call evil is the absence of Light, or love. In all cases. …A personality with limitations of consciousness will find what we call evil more attractive than will one with a more expended awareness. …How we understand evil, therefore, is very significant. Evil needs to be understood for what it is: the dynamic of the absence of Light. It is not something that one should prepare to battle, to run from or to outlaw. …The remedy for an absence is presence. Evil is an absence and, therefore, cannot be healed with an absence. By hating evil, or one who is engaged in evil, you contribute to the absence of Light and not to its presence. …Can an absence be defeated? An evil person can be arrested, but can evil be arrested? …A compassionate heart is more effective against evil than an army. A compassionate heart can engage evil directly – it can bring Light where there was no Light.” I firmly believe that the ONLY way to end the violence in this world is to show true compassion to those how perpetrate it. We have been asking, pleading, imprisoning, waging wars against IT for far too long and, as far as I can tell, not much has changed – actually a lot has changed but not in the desired way. There is only more violence, happening more frequently, and the perpetrators are getting younger attacking the young and defenceless. What we are doing in not working! We need a change! Consider this: What if this is yet another opportunity for us to contemplate this change? What if this is another chance to look within for a different answer, for another way? Not another way to handle the perpetrator but for us to handle our grief, pain, judgement, and condemnation. When we point a finger at another we take away Love and we dim or even extinguish our Light. We add to the lack of light and, in that moment, we, too, become perpetrators. What if this is an opportunity to Love; to express authentic love, to love that which we deem unlovable? An opportunity to bring Light where there is absence of Light. We, who know Love, need not give it only to some and not others. We, who know Love, need to fill the spaces and hearts which are devoid of it, regardless of where or who they belong to. This, I believe, is the ONLY WAY to eradicate the evil and restore that which we ALL long for – Peace of Earth. Though, first, we must find it in our hearts and be willing to give it away…to anyone and everyone… I now challenge you to consider if you could find it in Your Heart to send Love to where, instead, you want to condemn. I know it might seem hard, but I also know it’s quite simple to do – just open your heart fully, to everything. True Love and Compassion is just that… *** My sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who were on flight MH17. You are Loved and prayed for by millions around the globe, including me. May you find comfort in knowing that, and please know that no life is ever lost in vain. *** 
You can tell me how you did with my challenge in the comments below… either way, I love you... and change is coming...
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About the AuthorIn early Spring of 2011, as I sat with my journal at a family cabin, I felt the seed of my creative writing come through from beneath the surface. As I picked up my pen to begin my first journal entry, I felt a feeling of profound peace and indescribable comfort. All was well. I felt I was Home - finally! Archives
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"Imagine now closing your eyes, putting your hands on your heart and feeling it beating to the rhythm of life within you, the same rhythm that beats in the heart of that father…
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Any information provided through this website, WOMANTOWOMAN.CA, is offered as such - information only - and it is not offered as medical advice thus should not be considered as medical advice. Nothing presented on this website or in any of Marta Stanczyk’s offers, programs, and/or practices (i.e. meditations, coaching, EFT Tapping, TFT Tapping) is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment, and is not intended to be a substitute for care or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your health practitioner/physician involving any medical concern, advice, condition, or treatment.
Any information provided through this website, WOMANTOWOMAN.CA, is offered as such - information only - and it is not offered as medical advice thus should not be considered as medical advice. Nothing presented on this website or in any of Marta Stanczyk’s offers, programs, and/or practices (i.e. meditations, coaching, EFT Tapping, TFT Tapping) is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment, and is not intended to be a substitute for care or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your health practitioner/physician involving any medical concern, advice, condition, or treatment.