… It is a paradox that experiencing pain releases pain.
It is a paradox that keeping still can lead us so fully into life and being.
Our minds do not like paradoxes.  We want things to be clear, so we can maintain our illusions of safety….  
We each possess a deeper level of being, however, which loves paradox.  It knows that summer is already
growing like a seed in the depth of winter…
It knows that all of life shimmers, in shades

becoming–that shadow and light are always together, the visible mingled with the invisible.
– (Excepted from Paradox of Noise by Gunilla Norris

A friend of mine asked me today what I am doing to stay well during this time of crisis. I laughed because the assumption was that I have been.  All of us in this COVID crisis are experiencing strong emotions, whether distress, anxiety, overwhelm, disbelief or total isolation. For those of us who live alone, I know how lonely and isolated it can feel right now. Yesterday those feelings overwhelmed me, but I was fortunate enough to have a dear friend “hold me” in my pain so that I was able to experience and release it. She didn’t try to make it go away or resolve anything. She was simply present with love and acceptance.

Ever since we in New York became home-bound, I have struggled with how I can contribute when I am not a medical professional. I decided to volunteer with God’s Love We Deliver packing lunches for individuals who due to illness cannot prepare/provide them on their own. I have been feeling angst, however, about being able to continue in the event that I catch the virus. What I learned yesterday is the power of providing ease and support to others by being present with them with love and acceptance.

If you are in need of feeling and releasing pain while being held by someone, please email me at [email protected] and (depending on how many people take me up on this offer) I will find a way to be present with you

Who can you provide with love and acceptance?