My struggle, nor my darkness was not in any way related to my childhood experiences, my work in child protection, nor any events that occurred in my life.I know with a life of experiences like mine it would be very easy to interpret my angst as related only to that. But the truth is, it was not. When I pass through experiences, all experiences, I do so in the now, fully alert and fully present. All that I am going through I go through fully in the moment. Any residue, I clear as soon as possible after the experience.

I have been living this way my entire life.I do not hold onto the suffering, I release it through healing practices. Therefore I do not deal with darkness, I would never allow people, places or things to take my light. It just would never happen.My struggle, my pain, my dark was in the process of accepting that I must make more and more light within myself to match the life I was given.

I struggled to understand why this would be requested of me, over and over and over at deepening levels of experience, awareness and challenges.I do not struggle any longer.I simply step up quickly and get down to heart of the matter, doing the very best I am able, with what is asked of me by the Universal, Omnipotent, Mystical forces of the Now. To which none of us have control over

Lori Ellis-McKinney RSW

Owner River Valley Wellness Centre &Oak Valley Retreat Institute

Ellis McKinney & Affiliates

Lower Woodstock, New Brunswick