Whether you are a parent, caregiver, teacher, business owner, or in some other relationship where you are taking care of someone else, there can be dark days. It can be difficult to see the light.

The last week has been tough for a lot of reasons. I've found myself in a dark place and I know there is someone out there I should talk to - but I have no idea who that person is. The people I would like to talk to cannot "hear" or "receive" or understand what I need to say. So I am silent.

Silent is not always a good thing. Silence sometimes creates more worry, fear, negativity in your mind and body causing you to feel like there is no hope. It will never get better. The sun will never shine again. You have given up or lost it all and that's the end of the story. Fairy tales don't always end with 'happily ever after.' There is no reason to dream anymore because it doesn't work out anyway.

This morning I ran an errand and then my car took me to the park where I sat in the sun for a little...

I received a new book this week called A Chorus of Stones. The Private Life of War, written by Susan Griffin.

This book is turning my world upside down - in a good way! There are so many layers, shapes, and colors to her narrative that it is a book to be savored. As much as one can savor a book about war, abuse, trauma, denial, lies, not only from ourselves but our communities, governments, the world.

If you are interested in looking at the even deeper levels of your life, your family's stories, your military stories, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book.

Warning! It is a bit traumatic and overwhelming so consider at what time of day you read it. This is not a book I can read just before bed to unwind. I only read it first thing in the morning and during the day, leaving several hours before bed for other things. This is a book you will process consciously and unconsciously when you are awake and asleep.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you read it. You can connect...

Jennifer Holik chose a new path in June 2012 when she moved out with her boys and filed for divorce. She did not expect that six months later, when she acknowledged her spiritual gifts, her entire life would transform. Several dead guys, primarily World War I and World War II service members, had already shown up in Jennifer’s world. Many others entered her life at the exact moment they were required. Listening to their whispers, Jennifer followed the energy and created a life and business no one she knew had dared to create.

Travel through time and space, across the ocean, and through Europe, where love knows no boundaries. On...

Receiving.

That is a difficult word for many people to grasp. You mean I do not have to give all the time? I am allowed to receive from others?

Yes. You are allowed to receive from others and the universe. In fact, the universe wants to gift to you so many things that would contribute to you creating your life, fulfilling your dreams and wishes, and helping you grow. IF you are willing to receive.

Yesterday I was supposed to release my memoir and do some FB Lives and other things. The universe and my body had something different in mind. I got sick overnight Monday. I received all sorts of feedback about my memoir over the last two weeks, participate in a webinar that provided some interesting awareness about the memoir and my work, and a healer friend died which shook my universe.

Listening to my intuition and the energy, I chose to wait a week to launch the book.

Honestly, a little feedback shook my world and caused me to question almost everything. Questioning is a good thing in...

I preface this article that the primary question posed in the article and video may be controversial or even offensive to some. How you react is based on your belief system. My role is to ask questions to help people consider other possibilities for their lives.

Recently in a caregiver group I am part of, a woman lost her spouse. Actually, this group seems to have a high rate of spouses dying in the last few weeks. Each day I see a new post that someone has crossed over. The woman who caught my attention in a big way asked this question. 'Who am I now without him?'

Being who I am, this question shocked me. Then it brought a lot of awareness.

As a woman, mother, wife, caregiver, friend, and business owner responsible for helping people find the answers and closure to their family questions, I understand why she asked this question. We have all done this - wrapped up our identity into one person, perhaps a spouse. Or our business. Our children, as a parent. It could be anything we've...

Are you interested in writing your family or military story? What about your memoir? Would you like to take your writing to a deeper level to create a more meaningful story? I offer one-on-one writing coaching and facilitation in which we explore what you are writing, your research, your questions and observations, and look at the deeper issues that surface.

What can I help you with?

• See where you are blocked and help remove those blocks.
• See what is written between the lines in your spoken or written stories, and the documents with which you are working.
• Define and map out threads of a story and information in your mind or notes to create a writing project plan and book outline.
• Refine your writing project from concept to draft to finished product.
• Review research prior to writing the draft. Suggest additional sources if there are gaps.
• Organize materials and photos.
• Edit your book.

Would we be a good fit to work together?

To determine if we are a good fit to work together, we...

This week I changed the format and title of my energy videos from My Caregiver Journey to Choosing You First. The energy of what I hope to help people create is for anyone. While I may focus aspects of each week's video on caregiving, overall I will focus on creating shifts in your life.

Please watch the video and then be sure to go "meet" Michelle Hoffman who wrote an incredible book "Life Worth Living." I started reading it and spent two hours chatting with Michelle on the phone. She is phenomenal and inspiring. I highly recommend you get her book. We will be scheduling a webinar to talk about her book and both our experiences once I finish reading it so stay tuned.

My invitation to you this week: Ask yourself and be honest, about where you are giving too much to other people, places, and things, which cause you to deplete yourself or not care enough for yourself. Then look at ways you can shift this.

As caregivers, empaths, and people who want to be of service, we often give more...

Available 9 April 2019 on Amazon.

I never envisioned in my wildest imagination, a life like the one I have. Who creates a life like this on two continents? Who transforms their reality, business, and life, multiple times in only a few years? Who sticks around when the unimaginable happens right after you meet someone?

Jennifer Holik chose a new path in June 2012 when she moved out with her boys and filed for divorce. She did not expect that six months later, when she acknowledged her spiritual gifts, her entire life would transform.

Several dead guys, primarily World War I and World War II service members, had already shown up in Jennifer’s world. Many others entered her life at the exact moment they were required. Listening to their whispers, Jennifer followed the energy and created a life and business no one she knew had dared to create.

Travel through time and space, across the ocean, and through Europe, where love knows no boundaries. On this journey, Jennifer explores the...

I am back in the states for not quite a week and getting back on track with work, errands, exercise, and everything else. When I was at the gym this morning on the bike, with the intention of sprinting like I did with my trainer before I headed to Europe in January, my body said NO.

What?! No? Really?

I fell off the exercise wagon in the Netherlands when I was there. I did one day at home then the next week got the flu and spent about 5 days sleeping more or less. Did two days of walking and then my husband went back into the hospital. Although I did get one day of walking in while he was there because I went to Naarden and recorded a video there.

Otherwise, I maintained my weight, moved when we were out of the house and 90% stuck to my healthy eating and drinking habits. Now that I'm home and determined to shed some weight and further change my diet - my body is saying I have to start over. Not completely but close.

So how do we maintain consistency and balance in our lives and...

I'm a bit late posting my caregiver video this week and that's ok. A lot happened and I traveled home from the Netherlands to Chicago.

Today I am jetlagged and keep losing focus so this week's article will be short. I plan to do some journaling later on my trip, what happened with the doctors, the hospital visit, all the things I was angry/irritated/upset about and how today it seems to have all led up to some good news.

When I look at what we didn't choose which contributed to Johan ending up in the hospital again, combined with multiple conversations with doctors (some of whom we'd never spoken to before!), and the outcome that changed our lives in a major way, I can see how that all led to changing the energy of what happened today.

One thing we did before and after the hospital, was to work with an energy healer. We also started asking a lot of questions to the doctors, universe, and ourselves.  My point of view is ANYTHING is possible. It seems the combination of...