“I am a simple Buddhist monk — no more, no less,” His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

I had the honor and pleasure of seeing his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama speak at Conseco fieldhouse today. Thousands gathered in rockstar groupie fashion just to be in his presence. He was introduce by both John and Elaine Melloncamp and when he entered the room, I wept.

He sat humbly on stage and spoke with a candidness that made me feel as if he was talking only with me. He talked about the paths to inner peace and about the importance of religious harmony. He was powerful yet gentle and most of all, happy. You could feel it, see it and hear it.

I have always been interested in different religions and spent some time practicing a type of buddhist meditation called “mindfulness meditation” when I lived in Bloomington. I found it most interesting to hear him talk about the necessity for a variety of religions for the varying different mindsets that exist around the planet. But, he also made it clear that all the world’s religions share the same core values. Love, tolerance, forgiveness, self-discipline & compassion. Different paths to the same end goal. PEACE.

It was both an honor and a priveledge to be there today. It’s an experience that I will always remember.

To read more about the 14th Dalai Lama you can visit his website at http://www.dalailama.com/

The past 2 years have been the toughest two years of my life….and if you know me well, that is saying a lot. I am no stranger to hardship and have overcome my share of adversities. However, I was not prepared for what life would throw at me this time around. Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell…keep going.” And that is just what I am doing.

I have been quite absent from many things in my life lately, including, but, not limited to this blog. As you can see from my last post almost a year has gone by since little Samson was born. He is totally healthy and is a thriving and active 11 month baby boy. He left Riley hospital with only a prescription for a multi-vitamin (which I refused to give him btw because I’m just a rebel like that). After everything he went through, he is as normal as he can be now with absolutely no ongoing health issues resulting from the meconium aspiration or his prolonged hospitalization.

The rest of us haven’t faired as well. Our family (especially me) has been in turmoil since not long after his birth. I was not prepared for the emotional fall-out of having a newborn in the NICU or the resulting postpartum depression that followed. I have been in a deep/dark place the past year and am just now starting to see the light of day. With the help of many good people, I am beginning to regain my strength and once again engage in life in a healthy way.

I felt it necessary and appropriate to update here since this is where it all began. I’ll be back regularly to post images and happenings from both my personal and professional life. I just want to thank all of my loyal followers for not giving up on me. I’m back.